bet | lee donghyuck

- forty eight

"um, sooyoung, i need to tell you something." chenle said as he rolled the pizza dough.

"what is it?" i asked, getting the tomato sauce from the fridge.

"you have to promise that you won't tell anyone that i told you." he was starting to sound suspicious.

"uh, yeah sure, i promise." i said, skeptically.

"well, one of hani's new friends made a rumour about you." he started to say quietly, trying to soften the blow.

"what rumour?" i asked him.

"oh, well, she made it seem like you were a bitch to hani and told her to never talk to you again. she also said that you were the reason for her mom's death." chenle said, quicker this time.

"hani's mom is dead?" i asked, abruptly putting the sauce harshly on the counter. hani's mom always cared for me and gave me necessities when it was needed most. she never asked me any questions about what was wrong, and helped me regardless when i was having troubles at my own home. that's why now, tears couldn't help but well up in my eyes. "chenle. please tell me that's not true. please."

"i'm sorry, sooyoung. i didn't think it would make that much of an effect on you." my vision went blurry. i couldn't move, i could only stand there in shock.

"chenle, please. you're lying to me." we stood in silence for a bit while i tried to catch my breath.

"she got in a car crash. i'm sorry." those words were enough to make a full sob come out of my mouth. quickly, i ripped my apron off over my head and threw my face in my hands. i may have started to tear up in front of someone before, but i don't think i've ever fully cried in front of anyone, and the fact that chenle was about to be the first to witness me sob, for some reason was not a good feeling for me. i felt defeated, deflated, and weak. especially since chenle wasn't a person i'd known all my life. i felt embarrassed.

i didn't want him to see me like this. i walked out of the kitchen, up the stairs, and to the room i was staying in. i sat down on my temporary bed and wiped the tears that were flowing down my face.

i curled up on top of the comforter, still a sobbing mess, grabbed a pillow, and squeezed it as tight as i could. i only held it for about five seconds before it started to get stained with salt water. i heard a knock on the door.

"sooyoung? are you okay? do you need anything?" chenle asked from outside the door.

"no." i said so softly and quietly that i wondered if he could even hear it through the door that stood between us.

he slowly opened the door and sat down next to my feet on the bed.

"sooyoung." he placed his hand on my ankle.

"what?" i asked, sniffling.

"there's nothing you could've done." he reassured me.

"i know, but it doesn't even feel real. she was just here, i saw her the other day, i-" i started to sob even more as i thought about her.

"sooyoung." chenle said to calm me down, and somewhat, it worked. "it's not your fault."

"everyone at school is going to think it is." i replied, and he sighed.

"do you really care what a bunch of hormonal teenagers believe about you? saying that you killed someone is really serious, and if you really did that, don't you think you would at least be held for questioning, if not being locked up right now? sooyoung, if those pea brains really think you did this, they have the brain capacity of a fetus. you can't let that get to you." chenle really sounded sincere, and it made me softly giggle.

"thank you, chenle." i sat up and gave him a hug, and he pat my head.

"don't let anyone bring you down, okay? that's my job." he smiled into my hair and i chuckled.

just then, my phone rang, and i picked it up. "hello?"

a voice sounded from the phone, "sooyoung? i need to talk to you."

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y'all i had my birthday yesterday and the nct concert a week ago i'm thRIVING ✨✨✨

anyways, have a nice day & thanks for reading!!

i hope you like the book so far bc tbh i feel like it might be getting boring :/

and tHANK YOU FOR 20K READS WOW