BLOOM | NI-KI - Chapter 10: Chapter 10

NI-KI HADN'T SHOWN UP TO SCHOOL FOR A WEEK. Another week of solitude, another week of getting the cold shoulder from the boy. Saori was devastated, to say the least. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself that she didn't care about Ni-ki, that it was his fault for refusing her help, she always found her way back to him.
Back to his contact in her phone, fingers hovering over the keyboard as she mulled over whether or not she should send him a message apologizing. It was true—she realized—that she'd been quite invasive.
Showing up wherever he was, following him out to the park. She knew it came off as obsessive, but it wasn't her intention at all. No, her intention was to save Ni-ki, to save him from the torment that loomed over him like a shadow every time she saw him.
To save him from the guilt that never should have belonged to him in the first place.
It was obvious to her. Ni-ki felt responsible for what happened to Sunoo, but it wasn't his fault at all. At least that was what Saori had gaged so far. She knew deep down, that Jay had something to do with it.
There was something sinister about the boy that she just couldn't put her finger on. It didn't help that Sakura seemed to be trying to protect him.
So that was why she was doing something she never would have imagined doing in a million years. She sucked in a breath, hands trembling as she fiddled with the ring on her finger. It always seemed to serve as her object of comfort.
The teacher's voice droned on, students groggily pretending to pay close attention. She had to do it now. Saori shot her hand up, her expression morphing into one of genuine exhaustion. She couldn't tell if it she was fully faking it, or if her true exhaustion was seeping through.
The teacher paused, sighing in annoyance at the sudden interruption. "Yes, Saori?"
She cleared her throat, suddenly clutching her temple. "I have a headache, is it okay if I go to the nurses office?" The teacher shook his head, clearly perturbed, before waving her off.
Across the room, Sakura watched the girl rush out of the classroom, her brows knitted in suspicion. She looked beside her, gently nudging Sunghoon who had his head flush against the table.
"She's going to the nurses office.."
He waved her off at first, clearly too immersed in his sleep to care. "Sunghoon!" She whisper shouted, nudging him with more force. He finally lifted his head, turning to face her, eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"What?"
"Saori just went to the nurse's office.." His expression quickly switched into one of slight panic. "What? Why?" Sakura just shrugged, gesturing toward the front where the teacher watched them, an angry expression on his face.
"Why don't you tell everyone what you're talking about?" He asked mockingly. Sunghoon cursed under his breath, fist tightening as he glanced back at Sakura who looked just as worried.
This wasn't good.
𓇢𓆸
Saori quickly made her way to the nurse office, waiting outside a bit before heading in. She peeked through the glass window, eyes darting from corner to corner to catch even an inch of movement—a sign of someone's being in there.
Once she confirmed the coast was clear, she gently turned the knob, slipping in. She let out a deep breath, her pulse picking up as she rushed her way toward the nurse's records draw. She pulled out each cabinet, frantically combing through the paper files, her eyes searching for the S names.
"C'mon, c'mon," She muttered under her breath, shoving yet another cabinet door shut. She glanced behind her, a slight movement catching her attention. Pausing, she crouched lower so that her body was completely out of the line of vision from outside the window.
Click.
Someone had entered the room. She slapped her palm against her mouth, a measly attempt at willing her breathing to slow down. But it was futile. Her heart rattled against her ribcage, nose plowing out air at the sound of footsteps growing closer to her hiding spot.
"Is anyone in here?" A feminine voice questioned, her pale heels clicking against the tile. The woman paused, eyes surveying the area one more time before she let out a sigh of disappointment.
"These kids and skipping class," She murmured, shaking her head as she exited the office. Saori let out a breath, remaining crouched for a few more seconds, before resuming her search.
As she reached the bottom of the cabinet, she finally paused at the sight of a different colored folder with a stamp that read 'Accident - DO NOT DISCUSS.'
"Got it," She pulled it out, quickly rearranging the files to make it seem as if nobody had gone through them. She stood up, dusting the lint off of her uniform skirt and blazer, before disappearing behind a curtain divider to read.
Inside the folder lay thick reports of the accident relating to Sunoo, just as she had expected. She zoomed through the first few pages, eventually reaching the bulk of the report. Inside: reports that Sunoo had defensive wounds, scratches, as if he were trying to fight whatever it was that lead to his demise.
Her jaw hung slack, eyes blinking profusely as she quickly moved to the next page. Witness statements: all sanitized—except one ripped page mentioning that Jay was seen upstairs on the day of the accident.
"Oh my gosh," She whispered, hand trembling as she quickly pulled out her phone, snapping photos of every page of the report. Ni-ki had to see this.
She quickly fixed the folder, putting everything back in its place before dropping it back into the respective file cabinet. She ran a finger through her hair, smoothing it down as she adjusted her walk to a limp, exiting the nurse's office.
Outside, she was immediately met with a pacing Sunghoon, and an unreadable looking Sakura. "What were you doing in there?" Sakura immediately asked, walking up to her.
"I had a headache so I was just getting some rest." She explained calmly, moving to walk past her. By then, Sunghoon had stopped pacing and also approached the shorter girl, a dangerous look on his face.
"We told the nurse you were in there, she said nobody was there."
Saori's blood ran cold, her bored expression faltering for a second, before returning. "I had to use the bathroom first."
"It takes you that long to use the bathroom?" Sunghoon asks, cornering her against the wall. Saori blinks, body slightly shaking as she looks up at him, meeting his eyes. They remain locked in a staring competition, neither wavering before Sunghoon pulls away cursing in frustration.
"Yah, just tell us what you were doing in there!" He shouted, pointing a finger at her. Other students paused, staring at the three in confusion and interest.
"I told you, I was laying down. She must not have seen me, my head hurt so much I didn't think to turn on the lights."
Sunghoon scoffed, nodding his head in disbelief. "You think I'm stupid? You think I don't know about you and Ni-ki–"
"Why do you care so much?" She shot back, tilting her head.
"Shut up you bi–"
"That's enough," Sakura stepped in between, shoving Sunghoon back. He shook his head, disgruntled, before storming off. Saori watched as he left, eyes never leaving his figure as he disappeared down the hallway.
She finally looked forward, meeting Sakura's eyes.
"You're making a mistake." Sakura warned, watching the girl, an unreadable look on her face. Saori just shrugged.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Then, she pushed past the girl and left, her heart rattling in her chest as she did.
𓇢𓆸
Saori paced around the worn down arcade, the familiar scent of cigarettes and alcohol seeping into her nose. She hated the arcade, but it was Ni-ki's spot—the only chance at her finding him. Despite texting him about her findings, he hadn't responded.
But she wasn't stupid. She knew she had to push her feelings to the side to help him, even if it hurt. She checked her phone, brows knitting in frustration as she checked the time. He should have been here by now, school had long ended.
She finally settled into one of the seats, clutching her school bag close to her. Ever since she had entered, the usual group of men had been eyeing her, some even catcalling her in an effort to talk to her.
She was grossly uncomfortable.
Then, the door bell clanked, a sign of someone's entrance. She looked up to find Ni-ki who strolled in, casually dapping up some of the men who loitered near the entrance. He exchanged a few words with them, handing one of the guys something enclosed in a plastic bag before heading toward his favorite game.
Now was it, Saori thought to herself, quickly straightening up. Ni-ki walked toward the game, completely oblivious to the girl who sat just beside it, eagerly awaiting his arrival.
"Ni-ki," She whispered, catching his attention immediately. When he saw her, he shut his eyes, obvious irritation already creeping up inside of him. "I told you to stop following me." He grumbled, fishing for a coin in his pocket.
She stood up, positioning herself so that she was standing close to him—too close. He looked down, confusion painting his features as he tried to move away. "Didn't you see my message?"
He only shook his head, sighing as he moved to enter the coin in the slot.
"Well then I'll just tell you now," She said, quickly reaching her hand out to stop him from entering the coin. He looked down at their overlapped hands, then back down to her, irritation already beginning to make itself visible.
"Look–"
"I found Sunoo's medical file." She said lowly, glancing around to see if anyone had heard. Ni-ki immediately shut his mouth, his hand clasping around her wrist to pull her closer to him. "You found what?"
"His medical files." She repeated simply, as if what she had just said wasn't a big deal. Ni-ki rubbed his temple, his other hand still gripping her wrist. She let out a whine, trying to pull away from him, to which he let go.
"What do you mean you found his medical files? How?"
"I snuck into the nurse's office and found it, I took pictures and everything I wanted to show you–"
"I can't do this right now." He muttered, turning to see the familiar green haired boy motioning for him to leave. "Give me a minute, I have to handle something."
He quickly left the arcade, a small group of the men in tow. She sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She could still feel it. Still feel the warmth of Ni-ki's touch on her wrist, could still feel the way her heart raced when he touched her.
She knew now wasn't the time, but she couldn't help it. She liked Ni-ki. She liked him in a way that scared her.
She shook her head, plopping back down in the seat to wait.
A few minutes passed, and there was still no sign of the boy. It was getting late, and she didn't know the area very well. She was getting nervous.
She rose, slinging her backpack over her shoulder as she moved to quickly exit the arcade, just as more shady looking men entered. "Leaving so soon?" One called after her, earning a group of laughs from the rest of the group.
She dropped her head, fingers pulling her skirt down lower as she exited. Outside, she watched as Ni-ki shoved a stack of cash in his pocket, shaking hands with a taller man.
"Ni-ki!" She called, trying to get his attention. His head snapped in her direction, eyes widening at the sight of her carelessly approaching the group.
"Who's this?" The man asked, turning to face her, a sleazy look on his face as he eyed her body. She wrapped her arms tighter around herself, ignoring his comment.
"Ni-ki, I have to show you this now, it's getting late—"
He closed his hand around her wrist, pulling her away. She stumbled after him, lightly tapping against their overlapped hands. "It hurts!"
He let go of her when they were away, muttering a small apology, before beginning his rampage.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Didn't I tell you it would just be a few minutes?" He spit harshly, eyes flaming with fury.
"I'm sorry but you were taking too long—"
"This is exactly why I didn't want you to get involved. You do stupid stuff like this–"
"Ni-ki!" She yelled, cutting him off mid rant. He opened his eyes, turning to look at her. "I'm sorry, okay? But you need to see this." She fished her phone out of her pocket, quickly opening her camera roll to show him.
He grabbed the phone, swiping through each photo, his jaw clenching the more he read. "I knew it." He said lowly, his expression darkening.
His hand squeezed the phone so hard it looked like it would shatter. It made Saori uneasy.
He stared down at the phone like it was a weapon, other hand clenched into a fist. Then, quietly: "You just gave me a reason to stop holding back."
He drops the phone in her hand, immediately turning to head back to the arcade. Saori knew she should be glad, knew she should be happy that she had finally helped Ni-ki, that they'd uncovered a big piece of the puzzle.
But she wasn't. Instead, her hands were frigid, devoid of any warmth as she looked after Ni-ki who looked strangely calm. And for the first time, she didn't know they were still on the same side.
Bloom.