"he looked at me!" i whisper-shouted. "he freaking looked at me jeno!"

"yeah, and that was yesterday."

i glared at jeno. couldn't i be happy for something in my life. this asshole had made my life a living hell. i had the right to be happy.

"nah, but seriously. you sound like a teenage girl who has a crush right now."

yeah, i did.

disgusting.

i didn't have a crush on him.

i hated him from the bottom of my heart.

but my heart was devoted to him.

"oh! jaemin is here! hide me!" jeno panicked, using me as a human shield.

"who sounds like a teenage girl now?" i snorted. "wait."

i turned around, looking at jeno in the eye.

"yeah?"

"isn't he one of mark's friends? he was with him yesterday when mark looked at me."

"huh... surely."

"we should follow him. he'll bring us to mark."

jeno pulled my hand and sat me back. "what if we don't?"

"let me remind you that mark has to get destroyed the quickest possible." i told jeno.

"yes but..." jeno lowered his head and flushed, mumbling something i couldn't understand in a low voice.

"what?"

"i don't want jaemin to see me like this..."

i raised a brow. "is that a confession?"

"maybe?"

"do you have a crush on mark's friend?"

jeno nodded.

"and you're worried because you think you're not pretty enough?"

jeno nodded again.

i rolled my eyes. "jeno, stop your bullshit. you're the prettiest boy here. that boy has shit in the eyes if he doesn't see that."

i rose to my feet but jeno stopped me once again. "but... can we please do that tomorrow? i promise we'll talk to them. in person. and i'll let you choose which clothes i'll wear. but not today. please..." jeno gave me the puppy eyes.

i looked at the direction jaemin went. he had gone since long. i didn't even know where he was heading to. there was no chance for me to find him now...

reluctantly, i looked at jeno and nooded, agreeing to what he had asked me, making him hug me.

⍨

the next day, i barged in the school like i owned the place, jeno on my heels.

i was wearing high-waisted jeans that made my ass look pretty with a long-sleeved crop top. i had put a bit of smoky eye shadow on my eyes to look more extra.

jeno was looking marvellous. of course, he was... the outfit was my doing. slim, black ripped jeans with a black fishnet shirt and a red jacket over it. i had drawn him a double eye liner, making him look absolutely hot.

and, well, the people in the school had noticed it seeing them drooling this early in the morning.

the two of us headed towards the basketball court where mark and jaemin were probably playing.

we opened the doors and sat on the bleachers to watch the people playing.

it was the beginning of the day, so the practice hadn't started, the people here were only there to do their morning sport or to have a bit of fun before actual classes would start.

jeno and i immediately spotted jaemin and mark playing together. however, those two were completely oblivious of our presence.

"hey beauty." some guy interrupted our glaring session.

i looked at him, raising a brow.

"aren't you that guy who tried to rape mark lee?"

i sighed. "that's the most creative idea he had... so yeah."

"well i wouldn't have minded being raped by you." he said, approaching jeno and i.

"gross. get out of my sight before i hit you right where it hurts." i replied.

the boy shrugged approaching us even more.

"didn't you hear what he said?" jeno rose to his feet to protect me.

"geez, i'm sorry. i didn't know you had found yourself another one already..." the guy said before leaving us.

"thanks." i said once jeno sat down again.

"it's normal. that's what friends do." jeno replied, smiling at me.

i smiled back, laying my head on his shoulder.

just as we got back to looking at the two boys playing basketball, the doors of the room opened, allowing a whole crowd to enter and run towards us.

and then, jeno and i – well, mostly i actually – were submerged by thousands of questions coming at the same time by everybody.

"is it true that you wanted to rape mark?"

"are you really mad?"

"is it all a lie?"

"did mark make everything up?"

but the only thing that really caught my attention was that the two boys that were once playing basketball had stopped and that they were now making their way among the crowd, and one of them – whose voice i had missed to hear so much – had even talked to me.

"donghyuck?"