hold me tight tonight, please ∘ mihyo

three

Jihyo missed her.

No matter how hard she tried to act like it didn't affect her, the moment she started distancing herself from Mina she felt her heart shatter in a thousand pieces.

Even if she tried to make it look like nothing had changed and she was still the same hyper and loud Jihyo she had always been, she knew she wasn't and it was only her fault.

Now, every time she saw her, she did her best not to meet her eyes because she knew that the moment their eyes locked, she would be lost.

Walking with her head lowered, faking to be animatedly talking to some of her friends, acting like she was occupied with her phone when it wasn't even unlocked; her whole life had become a play where she wasn't even sure whose part she was performing anymore.

Or if she was even enjoying it.

Sometimes, she wondered whether she had made the right choice or not.

Deep down, she knew she hadn't.

—

"Keep staring at her like that and she'll start thinking you're a creep."

Jihyo groaned as she slammed her head against her locker, while Jeongyeon hit Nayeon's arm, giving her a scolding look.

"What Nayeon meant is that instead of looking at Mina all the time, you should try talking to her, you know? Maybe apologising and telling her the reason why you've been avoiding her?"

Jihyo turned to look at Jeongyeon with a raised eyebrow; the older girl was doing her best to look encouraging, but Jihyo simply sighed and shook her head weakly.

"No, thanks."

This time, it was Nayeon's turn to groan in the hallway, and Jihyo's arm got roughly hit.

"That hurt," the younger of the three complained, but Nayeon wasn't even paying attention to her words.

"Alright so, let's see," Nayeon started saying; her voice was inquisitive and she was uncharacteristically serious — finally all the time spent with Tzuyu was paying off. "This isn't about you being too prideful, neither are you oblivious to the fact you're the one in the wrong."

"So, why are you still here? Why aren't you begging Mina to forgive you?" Nayeon ended her speech, staring right into Jihyo's eyes as if she wanted to bore into her soul.

Jihyo wasn't going to let her do that anyway.

"I just can't," she murmured, burying her head in her hands.

Nayeon sighed frustratedly, while Jeongyeon smiled sadly at her.

She didn't know what was going on with Jihyo and the more she tried to understand her the more confused she was left.

Sometimes, she felt like giving up, but Jihyo was her best friend and there was no way she was going to do that.

She could see from the look in Nayeon's eyes that she was thinking the same.

"Jihyo, I love you," Nayeon admitted after a beat of silence; her voice was low and she truly meant every word she was saying. "I just hope that when you understand what you've got to do, it won't be too late."