A hand grabs my arm and I stop, closing my eyes in defeat. Well, damn.
I turn around and give the boy standing in front of me an awkward smile.
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"Hey, Soobin."
"I was calling for you," he breathes out of breath from running after me.
I scratch the back of my neck. "I guess I didn't hear you."
He bites his lip and shakes his head. "Why are you avoiding me?"
I shake my head and smile. "It's nothing. Really."
"Yeonjun, be honest with me. Please," He tilts his head.
I sigh. "We only just met recently. I'm the kid everyone makes fun of. You're the kid everyone loves."
He squints in confusion. "I didn't know everyone made fun of you."
"Well, they do," I look away from him and run my fingers through my hair. "You would know that if you actually cared about the people around you and not your stupid asshole friends that make fun of kids that don't speak the same language as them," I spit out.
Soobin jumps at every harsh word and when I'm done he takes a step away from me. "I didn't know you felt that way," he mumbles.
I nod, my throat starting to tighten as tears start to surface in my eyes. "I do."
"Yeonjun," he whispers, looking up into my eyes. "I don't make fun of you. I would never take part in the antics that my friends do."
I scoff and shake my head. "If you really didn't like what they were doing, you wouldn't be friends with them."
"Where is all this coming from all of a sudden?" He asks, a look of disbelief on his face. "I...don't like that you're upset with me. I don't even know what you're upset at me for."
I shake my head. "I don't think we should be friends, Soobin."
"What do you mean? What are you saying? I want to be friends with you. Things went so well the other day at that party. What changed?"
His eyes are sad. I can see it in the way his eyes flit back and forth between each of mine and I can hear it in the way his voice cracks when he speaks.
I look down at the floor. "I just don't want to be friends with you."
I look back up at him and he looks hurt. "Because I'm friends with them, or because you just don't like me?"
I shake my head. "I just...I can't right now."
He steps forward and grabs my shoulders. He forces me to look at him. "I told you before that it bothers me when someone doesn't like me. Why don't you like me?"
