"Feeling better?" Jia asked, smiling down gently at Mina.

"It's still a little hard to breathe." Mina groaned, placing her palm onto her own forehead to see if there was any heat. She had been down with a severe fever and had taken a leave of absence for most of the week.

"You poor thing." Jia cooed. "I hope it gets better soon. Just take your medicines right."

Mina nodded, her eyes still a little droopy from sickness. "I have a lot to catch up on, don't I?"

"Don't worry. I'll help you through it. It's all relatively easy except for math, Mrs. Bin started a new chapter. But I'm sure you'll catch up fine." Jia assured.

Mina groaned again. At that, Namjoon turned around to look at her. "You feeling alright, Mimi?" He asked in a low voice, careful as to not let others hear. Jia wondered why he did that. It wasn't like they were keeping it a secret. Everybody in class knew, and Mina most definitely was not one to shy away from public display of affection. She liked showing off who exactly she was with and she had made that abundantly clear through her actions with Namjoon.

"Mimi." Jungkook turned around next, imitating the nickname in a baby voice. "How adorable." He teased. This had been an inevitable development. Namjoon and Jungkook had traded places with her classmates Cho and Yung; now sitting directly in front of them. As cute as it was to see Namjoon flipping around constantly to chime in a reply to any of Mina's statements, Jia felt like she lost what little time she had with Mina. Granted, the boys were now their close friends and the four of them did not hesitate in sharing their day-to-day concerns with one another; but there were certain things that was supposed to stay just between them girls. Initially, Jia had dismissed it off as aftereffects of their budding romance; the honey-moon stage as Mina liked to call it. But slowly, Jia felt herself slowly drifting away from the latter. Things she'd normally burst with eagerness to let out were more intentionally confined now. It was not that she didn't want to talk to Mina, it was just that she didn't want the rest two prying on certain stuff that she held sensitive to her.

"Loverboy here was dying from not being able to see you every two seconds." Jungkook giggled, ratting out Namjoon. He received a severe burn in reply but Jia wasn't paying attention.

"I need to wash my face." Mina told her. "Come with me?"

"Sure." Jia nodded, helping the other onto her feet. The boys bickered away, not having noticed their disappearance.

They walked silently for a while along the narrow corridor towards the girl's washroom. Jia pushed open the door and held it open. The washroom was entirely empty. A large mirror hung on the tiled wall with a line of taps underneath it. Across it, the row of empty bathroom stalls stood dully. Mina headed straight to the sink and twisted open the tap. She collected the water in her palms as if to test its temperature. Gradually, she splashed it onto her face and looked up at the mirror, examining her face. Jia handed her some tissues and she watched as she wiped her face with it.

"You good?" Jia enquired.

Mina nodded her head in reply. "I thought I'd throw up but I guess not."

"Just go home, Min." Said Jia with concern. "You don't seem well. Taking one more day off won't hurt."

Mina shook her head gingerly. "I've missed too much class as it is."

"Bullshit." Jia said, looking at the mirror. Mina looked at her reflection, raising an eyebrow. "You're here because you missed your dear Joonie."

Mina's shoulder shook as she laughed out loud. "I missed you too, you know. And yes, you never fail to catch me red handed." She agreed.

Jia rolled her eyes.

"I don't feel as guilty bunking classes now." She continued, turning away from the mirror. "Unlike before, you have the boys to keep you company."

"Sure, I have them." Jia agreed. "But it's not the same without you."

"Aww, that's sweet." Mina smiled cheekily. Her smile abruptly faded as she remembered something. "I almost forgot. You told me you had something to say about your last date with Yoongi."

Jia's expression hardened at the mention of it. Mina and Jia avoided talking about dates and such on phone, lest they caught their parents overhearing it. Texting on the other hand, just didn't have the same feel as talking face to face. She'd promised to tell all about it when they saw again at school but that had been postponed by a few days.

"Why? Did something happen?" Mina asked, throwing away the soggy wet tissue into the trashcan.

"I'll tell you but we can't discuss it in class, okay? I don't feel like talking about it to them." She said, referring to the boys.

"We'll stay here for a while." Mina suggested. It wasn't like they were missing much of a class anyway.

"And after this, you'll come with me to the sick room and call up your parents. You're still unwell. You need to go home and take rest." Jia insisted.

Mina rolled her eyes in reply. "Fine. I'll do that."

"Good."

Jia took a deep breath and ranted her heart out.

***

'Do or do not, there is no try.'

Jia stared at the small wall poster by the switch board and admired it. She had been to Jungkook's place several times and had vaguely noticed it but had never took the chance to observe the tiny little details on it. The words were printed in neat black calligraphy over the green silhouette of Yoda, the short humanoid alien Jedi-master from 'Star Wars'. Underneath him, just right above the bottom frame were two Jedis; engaged in a duel. They were etched in black shadows over the green, their light-sabers gleaming in thin white strips. Green silhouette of the wise master was in turn placed in a black with a galaxy of dotted white stars. Jia considered herself to be more of a book-lover than a movie-enthusiast. She liked to imagine her own worlds rather than taking in someone else's. But 'Star Wars' had been one of the few series that she had taken an interest in and it was all thanks to her mom. Her mom was so much of a Star Wars fan that her dad had gifted her a Darth Vader figurine for one her birthdays. And needless to say, it was still proudly exhibited in their glass shelf. Jia made a mental note to show it to Jungkook some other day.

Taking her eyes off of the poster, she watched him as he worked with concentration on a math problem. As far as Jia was concerned, she thought him to be a fairly good student. Sure, it took him a little time and required all his attention but once he got the basics down, he caught on pretty quick. Solidifying his base knowledge had been her sole priority for the past one month. Jia declared that his previous poor performance in class been the lack of this pinch of special attention.

Their books were sprawled all over his bedroom floor and he sat amidst them, leaning against the bed. She took her seat a few distance away from him and leaned over to take a few pieces of apples from the bowl.

"Are you done?" Jia enquired, biting into the crisp texture of the apple.

He hummed a yes in response, hastily marking two lines under his final answer. He handed over the book to her and she took it after wiping away the excess apple juice on her uniform skirt. She ran her eyes over his scribblings and keenly analysed it for any possible mistakes. She paused over a certain number and cross checked it with her own answer. She took out a pencil and circled it, reading through the final few steps.

"You made a careless mistake." She said accusingly. "Cube of eighteen is 5832; not 5632. And that changes the final answer to..." She scribbled down the final answer with her pencil and pointed it to him. "You need to pay more attention, Jungkook. It might seem silly but it'll end up costing you easy marks."

He cursed and slapped his palm against his forehead, sighing dejectedly.

"But that aside, you've got all the steps right." She encouraged. "Just a little more practice and you'll do fine. Here, let's try one more." She jotted down another question from the textbook and handed his notebook back to him. While he worked on it, she munched on the apples, occasionally offering a few to him as well. She grabbed her bag and groped around in it to search for her phone. It took a while for it switch on and once it did it showed One missed call from 'Yoongi Oppa'.

Cursing to herself, she hurriedly called him back. The phone rang for a while but there was no answer. "Dammit!" She whined again, cutting the call. She contemplated calling him again but decided against it. Ever since the incident, Jia felt like she was walking on egg shells. She barely saw him at school, he rarely picked up the phone and their messages had slimmed down to dry and mostly monosyllabic replies. She felt guilty. She got the message bright and clear that he wasn't happy. Moreover, her talk with Mina in the morning had only added fuel to the fire. Mina had called her an idiot for not reading the signs and explained that she had been under the impression that Jia knew what Yoongi meant by inviting her over.

"If you want to continue this relationship, you need to make up your mind soon." Mina had concluded. She had convinced Jia that relationships these days didn't work like it used to in the olden times and that it was only natural that he made the move; only natural that he got upset when she denied it. Jia had thought it over all day but it had gotten her nowhere. The more she thought, the more she got confused and so, she had decided to end it once and for all by talking it out to him. If she got him to talk, then maybe she could ease things up and buy herself a little more time.

Jungkook watched her closely as he handed her his book yet again. Her eyes darted back and forth between his notebook and her phone. She jumped a little when the phone finally rang. She picked it up hastily and answered it.

"Hello?" she spoke nervously. He replied back with a greeting. "What's up?" she tried being casual.

"Hey Jia, listen. I'm a little busy right now. I'll call you back tonight, okay?"

"Oh. Okay." Her face fell and she clutched onto the phone tight. "Love you." Jia added. She said it so fast that she doubted he even heard it.

"Bye." She heard him say. There were a few seconds of pause. "Love you too." And then, the line went dead.

Jia wondered how one simple statement could make a lot of difference. She let out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding. Those mere three words definitely helped in easing her mind. A little relieved, she focused her attention back onto his notebook and checked through his answer.

"You guys definitely had a fight." Jungkook deduced, popping in the last of the apple pieces.

"We did not." Jia objected, still going over the answer. He had gotten the answer right and she put a little tick-mark next to it.

"He's clearly giving you the cold shoulders." Jungkook went on. "His face in that picture said it all." He said, referring to the few that he had captured before the play.

Jia snapped her head at that. "You still haven't sent me those pictures."

"I didn't want to upset you." Jungkook shrugged.

It wasn't a surprise that he read through her emotions. In a span of one month, they'd ended up sharing a lot of secrets. Jia personally found it easier to confide in him certain stuff that she knew won't be as easily received by Mina. Her friend was hard to read at times. She'd give an opinion for a situation and then go on to make completely different ones for another similar one. That morning for instance, Jia had hoped to hear that she wasn't wrong to feel the way she did, or that Yoongi was being a little overbearing. But instead, she'd been lectured on about being too much of a 'stuffed shirt'. When Mina had an opinion, she didn't shy away from strongly imposing it onto people around her. Sure, it was easy having someone hand you in a ready-made decision but at times, it only left Jia more confused than before. It only worsened her internal conflict.

But with Jungkook, it was different. He gave insight into what she called 'Guy's perspective'. It felt refreshing, for despite their similarities, his way of thinking seemed different from that of Mina (At least, most of the time). Jia also found that he was an old-school romantic at heart and that somehow his heartbreak had not managed to alter it. When Jia explained her certain arguments with him, he'd jump in giving a solution as to what Yoongi's reasons might have been. On several occasions, his thoughtful input had helped resolve such silly arguments. But for some reason, Jia had refrained from discussing this particular 'fight' with him.

She thought for a while, choosing the right words. "I didn't think it would be a fight. I- I didn't realise he'd be upset." Jia confessed without context.

Jungkook nodded, empathising with her. "That happens. What two people consider important can be largely varying."

She thought for some more time and uncertainly began narrating the events. For better or for worse, she decided to spill the beans. She wanted all the help she could get on this one. Even if it meant having an awkward conversation with him, she was sure that he'd come up with a solid answer. She explained it as vaguely as she could, trying hard not to linger on any particular point. Jungkook listened silently without interrupting her with questions as he normally did. When Jia finished explaining the whole incident, he sat staring at the floor gravely.

"Jia, I need you to be honest with me here. Did he, in anyway, force himself onto you?"

"Not really." She answered, slightly taken aback by his grim demeanour. "He just asked me why... he wanted me to know that I need not be scared and that he'd never hurt me." She defended.

"And when you refused, he got upset?"

"I- I'm not sure. Maybe he was just upset at the timing of the food delivery. We didn't really have much time to talk after that you know... so maybe it's just that."

Jungkook shook his head slightly. "If the food delivery guy had not arrived; do you think he'd have made a move on you? He shook his head again, as though to restructure the question. "Do you think he'd have convinced you into doing it?"

Jia stayed silent. It felt like her tongue had gone bone dry; she felt parched. She had recounted the situation several times in her head and each time she thought of this possibility, she found herself shuddering lightly. Had the bell not saved her, she was not sure what would have happened. She hated thinking about it. Especially when Jungkook put it that way, she felt like she was painting Yoongi in an unfavourable shade.

Jia's silence must have given him the answer that he was looking for. "Listen to me carefully." He told her. "I know people who have gone through this. Its sick, disgusting and completely fucked up. I don't trust this guy."

"Yoongi would never do anything to hurt me." Jia protested strongly. "I'm not sure what would have happened otherwise but I'm certain that he wouldn't do anything to make me uncomfortable. He loves me." She asserted.

"You don't understand-" Jungkook started.

"I know what you're trying to get at but I don't think-" She cut in.

"If he truly cares about you, he wouldn't be acting all aloof right now!" He snapped in.

Jia remained silent.

"Fine. I admit it's not fair to assume what he might have done. But you need to be careful. He's making you feel guilty for not yielding into his advances. It's your body. It's your choice. If you do something on a whim, you might end up regretting it for the rest of your life. The damage it can do is irreversible. He shouldn't make you feel like shit for not being ready. Trust me. I know someone who has went through this. It still upsets her because she feels she was taken advantage of." His dark pupils were clouded with concern.

Jia sat, absorbing all that she heard. Now that he put it all into words, it felt terrifying. He must have felt that, for he softened up.

"I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding. Just talk it out to him. Tell him what you feel and I'm sure he'll understand."

She nodded, trying to get a hold of herself. Being in a relationship was a lot more troubling than she had expected it to be. Jungkook's phone rang, shaking them both into reality. He answered the call and announced that he had to go out urgently. Jia obliged. She was thankful to end the session early for she knew she wouldn't have been able to concentrate otherwise.

She stacked her books back neatly into her bag and offered to help put away the empty snack plates. A few minutes of tidying up later, they stepped out of the black painted front gate, waving goodbyes to part ways. A gentle wind blew, causing a few loose leaves to fall and flutter around them. He looked at her, his lips curving up in a friendly smile. "Just take your time and think about it, okay? I don't want you to go through anything too unpleasant."

She couldn't help but smile back. "I appreciate you looking out for me."

"That's what friends are for." He said, raising his fist up for a fist bump. "We look out for one another."

Jia mimicked his gesture and lightly tapped her fist against his. "We look out for one another." She agreed.  

A/N: Y'all, Dynamite is an absolute bop and I'm so freaking happy for them! 🥳

And as for me, writer's block is a total bitch and I haven't written in a long while. Hopefully, it'll get cleared up soon. 😪