Withered - Chapter 3: Chapter 3

"Mina! Hug time!"
Knowing who's the voice belong to, I turn around, witnessing the Cub running through the hallways. I close my locker and face him as he stands waiting for me with his arms spread open. His wide grin making a way for his one dimple crinkled.
I hug my books tightly and glance around before bringing my gaze back to him.
"Umm Chaeng, Mark will see us" I heave, biting my lips. His smiles instantly died, replaced by a frown. I feel incessant throb in my heart, telling me I should apologize for being callous and ignorant. I know what I just said is wrong, but I can't help it.
"Fine!" He retorts, groaning as he stomps his feet, marching away from me.
Sighing. I don't know why but ever since I'm in a relationship with Mark, Chaengie seems to be more clingy than usual. I'm not complaining since he said to know if someone loves you, make them jealous but I don't want to overdo it because everyone has their own limit. Strangely, this act reflecting Mark, he also gets obsessive whenever Chaeng is around. They both throw glare at each other, yearning for my attention, spitting sarcasm. Even a date with Mark will not complete without Chaeng's presence, he acts like a brother of mine and makes sure no one crosses the line. I find this situation is hard and ridiculous 'cause I don't want to be in anyone side but try to be the peacemaker.
"Chaengie!" I call out, trying to catch him.
And I must deal with both of this kid and their jealousy.
I run and grab him by the wrist, making him face me. He looks at me with furrowed brows and pouting. I chuckle a bit before I pat his head and hug him, thankfully, he responds after a while.
"How come you abandon your best friend for that jerk" He hisses.
I pull away and connect both our hands, bitterly swing it sideways "Chaengie, don't call him like that" I sulk. It's upsetting to hear that coming from him. I won't deny that it's entirely my fault for spending less time with Chaengie but I hope he could understand that.
"He's not a good guy, Mina-ya." He protests while looking down, caressing the back of my palm with his thumb.
"And how do you know that? We already discuss this aren't we?" I say softly while leaning forward, wanting to meet his eyes. "Look, you're my best friend. Can you please support me?" I add, sounds like I'm pleading, well I really am. I don't want to lose any of them.
"Bu-----" He trails off. I watch as his jaw wired shut, eyes narrowed and fixed as if he's looking at something far beyond my head. "Where is it?" He growls. The sudden guttural tone got me confused and shocked.
I tilted my head "Eh?"
He stares at me for a while, groaning before he leaves me dumbfounded. I blink, refocuses, waking myself from the puzzled state. 'Why is he like that?' I look at my hand figuring out what's wrong with him then....
For god's sake Mina! The bracelet!!
Yes, we have the same bracelet. You can call it friendship bracelet. Mom gave it to us on Christmas when I'm twelve and he was ten. Since then, we never take it off from our wrist. Chaeyoung said he likes it because it's his first time someone gave him that and he fancies the design. While me, I'm wearing it because I treasure our friendship and he always checks on me whether I wear it or not. He takes it seriously.
And today Myoui Mina for the first time take it off and even forgot to wear it back. Because of the bracelet, a lot of people mistaken us to be together and Mark always asked me to not wear it. I'm not arguing about the subject of what people's thoughts of me and Chaengie, it doesn't bother me at all but it does for Mark. Our relationship goes quite good except for Chaengie's interruption, Mark seems really interested in my background and me myself in which my history matters a lot to him. At first, I had suspected that he was aiming for my wealthiness because of his overly curiosity towards my family and my past but then I found out he belongs to a prestige family. I guess, I was overthinking again.
Trying to save and defend our relationship, I try to do his way and only take off my bracelet today, planning to put it back. What a life. I'm a little hesitant to talk with Chaengie because he's a bit sensitive nowadays. He has become a caricature of himself, which I'm unfamiliar with. Once his emotions are variable, sometimes gregarious, other times moody. His soft face with the beginning of laughter lines only creased in anger and annoyed when I'm around. I only observe him from far. He distances himself from me, not even sparing me a glance even though he visits my house, he literally ignores me as if I do not exist. While me, I'm shy to start a conversation with him although our routine will always be the same---Chaengie will pick me up to school and send me home. I hold back, wanting to talk to him but not knowing what to say or how to say it. I never saw that side of him and encountered this problem. Somehow our friendship slowly falling apart.
This whole situation makes me think back whether Mark is worth to lose Chaengie.
And he's NOT.
After a few months, I found out he cheated on me. I heard people gossiping about it and at first, I didn't believe that rumour. I asked Mark about it and he denied it telling me that's all Chaengie plan to break us and yes stupid me I trust his word. I close my eyes and ear from all everyone and my shyness towards Chaengie turns to ego and then hatred.
All those time, there's never a day where I don't feel his absence. Chaengie, a guy who sent me smiles so bright you could see them from across the land and whose thoughtfulness warmed your heart. I was best friends with the man whose brown eyes sparkled like those of a child in a candy store and whose laugh was so contagious you often found yourself breathless in his presence. The kind of guy who would drag you out of the house in the middle of the night to get a greasy snack, who spent hours sketching the same thing until he got it right and, most of all, he was the kind of friend who never failed to distract you from your everyday worries using his lame jokes.
And now I regret everything. Like always, I should've listened to Chaengie when he told me Mark is a bad bad awful jerky wimpy-stingy person. Me, out of all people should've aware of it beforehand.
"Myoui Mina are you listening?!"
I look up, still as a statue. I let my eyes roam around and realize. Oh yeah, I'm daydreaming in class. What subject is this again? My unblinking stares set at the young man walking closer to me. It's Mr Park Hyun majoring in Physics, a new teacher assigns to this school, as our former teacher take maternity leave. I don't really in favour with this man, he's worse in teaching. I sigh silently, swallowing the bitterness "I'm sorry Sir" I murmur.
"I'm not expecting this coming from you Mina. Detention. And pay attention to the next class"
I bow and walk out of the classroom. Well, did he ask me anything? I didn't hear a single word since I'm busy spacing out and still depress after I break up with Mark yesterday, in a cool way. A hard slap on the cheek. I really have to clear my mind anyway so instead of the detention room, I go to the rooftop to take fresh air.
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Chaeyoung knows everything about Mina. He even the first to found out that Mark cheated on her. He was on the way to buy a new supplement for his painting project when he saw a familiar figure on the back-store kissing. He was about to shrug it off but decided to turn again and cleared his suspicion. And he was right. It was Mark but with a girl, he didn't know.
He was about to kill him but his mind stopping him from doing that.
Who am I to butt in?
Mina even forgets about me already.
With that, he walked away to the park and ran until he felt numb all over his legs. Shouted in anger and disappointed with himself that he can't do anything to Mark. He tried to warn Mina and preventing her from knows, not wanting Mina to get hurt but the girl never listened to him and he too stops trying. He thought it was better for Mina to see it herself. Although he'd always stick up for her in front of others, even when he knew she was wrong. Then privately he'd let her know what he really thought and how she should have behaved differently, who she should apologize to, how to avoid repeating the mistake. Mina always listened to him because he also listened to her. But this time, it's different when Mina chose to close her ears. He just hopes Mina will find out the truth and thankfully she did.
"Ouch! Who did that?! Who throws this!?"
Chaeyoung sigh, tapping his index finger on the desk before he lifts his head." Sir, you're babbling. Don't take yourself seriously, no one does" Chaeyoung puffs his cheeks and stands pulls the strap of his backpack before settling it on his shoulder. "Where did they pick this kid, must have got in as a favour" he murmurs under his breath, walking out of the classroom. The said teacher is caught off guard as his feet glued to the ground, while the other students cannot agree more and shrug it off.
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"What a nice place" I suck in the air as if nothing has ever been so sweet. Those weeks in the state of broken-hearted had felt like decades. I would describe the air as like that in walk-in freezer, it has a certain moistness to it and refreshing, but it's as cold as Arctic ocean. I close my eyes, only to he scold buy own self of how stupid I had been. The coldness freezes my brain, nausea swirls in unrestrained in my empty stomach. My head swims with half-formed regrets. My melancholy mood hangs over me like a black cloud, raining my personal sorrow down on me wherever I go. I hate whatever feeling I'm having right now.
Out of complete silence, the cry arises. The beads of water start falling down one after another, without a sign of stopping. My grip tightens on the railing. I go back to where it all happened. I wanted to take away the power of the painful memory for hurt, prove to myself that I could choose to move on. So I find the one I love the most, my best friend, and there I see where we made a great memory, a happy one, a healing one. This hit me harder than it ever be.
It's a deep, depressing and traumatic emotional causing me a tremendous amount of suffering and pain. I'm starting to lose focus, and finding myself staring into blank space, loss of appetite, sleeplessness from crying nonstop, feeling like something is physically crushing my chest. And the worst thing is I don't know the reason for it.
Something is just missing.
Then, I feel something on my shoulder as I open my eyes to find out what it is. A blazer. Specifically, Chaengie blazer as I read the name tag on it. I swiftly turn to my side and there he is leaning against the railing. My eyes widen in surprise, I'd calculate various scenario if ever I confront him, I plan to, but not this early. I'm still not ready to face him. Besides, I've been constructing my sentence of what I'm supposed to say but the script isn't with me now, I left it in my backpack. I stare down at my feet, my eyes got watery as I couldn't hold the anxiety and tension this situation brings to me.
I take off his blazer and give it to him as an excuse to start the conversation. "Chaengi---"
"Wear it. You'll catch a cold" He says without looking at me. And the way he treats me make me cry again. While fidgeting, I try to keep silent, but I guess he heard my sobs. "You know you look ugly with that face. Ah, I don't have any mirror now." He sighs before a small smile crosses his face "Wait, camera will do" He smirks, digging out his phone then turn on the flash directly aiming my face.
I whine and jumps around to snatch his phone while he seems to have fun, taking advantage of his agile skills. "Nope, I'll keep it" He chuckles, pushing me by the chin then slip his phone back to his pocket. I groan as I let my hands hang limply by my side, glaring at him. He crosses his arms against his chest, challenging me as he too stares into my eyes.
"You know none of this wouldn't have happened if you listen to me, right?" He scolds while wiping my tears with his thumb and his hand land on my chin. I drop my gaze embarrassment, looking anywhere but him.
I nod.
"Do you regret it?"
Again, I nod
I hear him sigh and take a peek as I slowly raise my head. His face softens before he moves forward with those eyes that staring deeply into my own, it always manages to draw me closer. My breathing slowed, the tense look on my face melting into a weak smile while my body squirms just a little as my muscles relax. I haven't smell that fruity perfume of his for a long time. I just realize how badly I miss his warmth.
"Come, hug time"
He says spreading his arms and without any hesitation, I jump wrapping my arm around his neck as he catches me and holds me tight. My face sinks into his chest as if to ask him to never let go of me as if I just found the medicine that I need to survive. How I miss his embrace comforting me, that familiar sounds of heartbeat, the natural scent of him. My mind is at peace. We stay like that for a while before I ask.
"Why are you here Chaengie?"
"I-I don't bring my textbook"
"Liar"
"Haha. So, what do you want me to do to him? Stab him to death? Pulls all his joints? Shoot him? Tell me."
I chuckled upon hearing that. I know he's short-tempered and what he says is quite possible. When he said he will protect me, he actually stays true to his words and does it all these years. Sometimes, I find his over-protectiveness is unreasonable and absurd but now I see where it comes from, and I'm grateful for it. I shrug "I wish we could do that, but you know how much I hate violence and what you did already enough for me"
He pulls away, pretending to be surprised, hands-on my forearms "Huh?" He tilts his head.
"Don't act innocent. I know the reason for Mark absence today. Heard you caused him to faint.
"No, I'm not, they are exaggerating. It's only one punch. I swear"
I giggle at his statement before pulling him again, wanting another hug. And now I realize the unknown reason I'd cried and cried is because of him. I wonder how it's possible for his absence to inflict so much pain inside my chest. I'm alone. Completely, utterly alone, without him to comfort me. Thinking, of who will wipe away my tears now? Who will hold my hand? Who will surprise me with hugs from behind? Who will tell me lame jokes and mockery just to make me laugh? That I'm lack that someone who has been with me for over eight years. That same someone who promised me a forever only stayed and stood up for me.
But now, he's here, inside my arms, my best friend. Though I have been through a nightmare, there was one who rode with me all the way, who came whenever needed and who would have gladly come and stayed. Always the same person. A true friend. I guess I am luckier than most because that's real love and I love him back will all my heart, like I always did. Now, I am well-schooled in what love is, what love is not.
Perhaps,
It's not something that missing in my heart it's someone.