home, jaemin

chapter eighteen

it was easy to see jiyoung was the epitome of a mess when she returned home.

she barely got any more sleep, merely getting a pathetic hour before the churning sound of her alarm blasted through the small room.

she contemplated staying home all day, feeling like staying at home would definitely be a better option but realized her father would kill her for not attending school.

he didn't mind what time, just that she made it to school at some point long enough to get all her needed work completed and done.

jiyoung used this to her advantage, turning herself back over onto her stomach and letting the sounds of her sleeping playlist sing her to sleep.

her nap only lasted a few hours before her body naturally pulled itself awake.

"it's about lunchtime, might as well head to school," she muttered to herself, standing up and stretching her arms outward until hearing the satisfying popping sound.

before leaving, she hopped into the shower to get rid of all the sweat and tears she had across her body- also making a mental note to clean her sheets and blankets after school.

in all honesty, she didn't feel any better than last night. the same four voices and screaming baby echoed in her head as the scene from her dream replayed over and over again.

every time her eyes closed and darkness covered her it was as if she was at a movie theater and the only thing they were playing was her dream, over, and over, and over again.

it'd be a lie to say she wasn't terrified but she couldn't bring herself to ask her father about it. if what her brain could recall and tell her was true, she knew talking to her father wouldn't be the best option here.

it was such a weird scenario and she couldn't understand why it had just occurred. why she was just now getting this dream. why it was affecting her so so much.

she wished she could push the thought away but no matter what she was practically reminded of it at any chance possible.

after finally stepping out of the warm water, her body tensed up at the cold air surrounding the room. quickly, she dried off and got dressed in one of the most least appealing outfits she had ever worn. wasn't a bad outfit, but definitely not something she'd usually wear to school.

her feet tapped against the hardwood floor as she made her way back to the now-familiar bedroom and finished putting herself together.

without trying to look for her father, she exited the house and began her drive to school. the parking lot was deserted besides the multiple cars students and staff drove.

the wind blew against her hair harshly as she walked inside the overly large building and went to the office. there, she checked in and got her late slip before making her way to the lunchroom.

walking inside, she saw the only vacant seat at the table was between jaemin and jeno. emotionless as she still thought over the night before, all of her friends turned to look at her with surprised looks.

"jiyoung, you're late." nayeon whined, standing up to give the girl a hug.

jiyoung nodded slowly, barely coming back to life, "oh, yeah. sorry i uh," she faked a cough, unsure of what to tell the others, "slept in."

she turned around to an extra table with no one sitting down and began pulling out a chair only to be stopped by mark.

"why are you getting a chair?" he asked her.

her eyebrows furrowed as she looked around the table once more to confirm that she hadn't missed her normal chair.

"there's nowhere else for me to sit?" she answered him in more of a questionable tone.

renjun stuck his hand out of his hoodie sleeve and pointed over to the chair next to jaemin, "what about the one next to him?"

"i'd assume soojin will be sitting there?"

jaemin's voice cut through the air before anyone else's and for the first time since she began at the school, jiyoung watched as he lifted his head and looked her in the eyes.

"she's out on a trip. won't be back for at least a month," he informed her, immediately putting his head back down to continue his game.

hesitantly, she nodded, taking a seat next to him.

i uploaded a youtube video the other day if anyone wants to check it out 🚶🏽‍♀️
it isn't that good tho 😭😭