✦ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ғᴏʀ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ✦

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Lɪғᴇ ɢᴏᴇs ᴏɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴏʀ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ.
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[Jimin's POV]

It's Sunday, two days since Ria and I parted our ways on that day with a promise to meet again. The subtle yet cold breeze blows into my face making the hair on my body raise as I watch children play in the orphanage playground from my place on the rainbow-colored bench, laughing and chirping as nuns keep a watchful eye on them.

"I'll visit you."

That's what she said that day, yet I hope she doesn't. She wasn't supposed to be there that day, she wasn't supposed to see me like that, and yet I can't help but feel excited about her promise, that I hope will remain unfulfilled. 

"Hey, partner." A dull, serene, yet somehow electrifying voice comes from next to me, as I slowly whirl my head to meet a black-dressed figure. Black fit jeans, black shirt with Guns N' Roses print, black leather jacket. Ria stares ahead of her with a melancholic expression, her short hair waving back and forth as she twirls a lollipop in her mouth. 

She unhurriedly unwraps another lollipop extending it to me, as I gladly accept it.

Strawberry, of course.

"So you dance ballet, listen to Guns N' Roses, and love strawberry lollipops." I state glancing at her, "why?" 

She peeks at me, a childish smile crawling up her face, "I'll answer if you come with me?" 

"Where?" 

✈︎ ▪︎ ✈︎ ▪︎ ✈︎ ▪︎ ✈︎ ▪︎ ✈︎ ▪︎ ✈︎ ▪︎ ✈︎ ▪︎ ✈︎

"Amusement park?" I exclaim in utter surprise. 

"I hope you're up for a little ride." Ria chirps next to me, unwrapping yet another lollipop.

How many lollipops she keeps in her pocket?"

My eyes land on a huge rollercoaster with numerous ups and downs and rather terrifying twists. "A little?" 

"Oh, come on, Donald Duck," she whines, before pulling me by my arm as I stare at her dumbfounded. "Donald Duck? Really?" 

Ria doesn't turn to me as she continues dragging me towards the horrifying rollercoaster. "It's better than Lia, Mia, Sia, Kia, or whatever the hell you called me."

"I don't like this, I don't like this," I mumble as she throws me a devilish smile. The gate opens and someone leads us to the cart, buckling us in. "I don't like thi- AHH," all of a sudden the cart launches forward as it rolls and twists in all tracks at full speed.

The air is knocked out of me, as the suffocating wind hits me in the face making me scream at the top of my lungs.

After what seems like years, we come to a halt as I walk out of the cart with a spinning head and blurred vision, feeling like I'm gonna throw up on my shoes. How can someone enjoy that?

I bend over, placing my hand on my knees, as a couple of black combat boots stop in front of me, "why are you doing this to me, huh?" I breathe out, "I promise I'm not going to get your name wrong anymore."

A lighthearted giggle echoes in the air, as she pulls me by my arm again, "let's go."

She drags me to the photo booth I previously didn't notice, and as we're inside the camera takes three photos, as the bright light flashes I squeeze my eyes shut, and until I recover from a momentary shock the camera flashes again as Ria laughs at my face pointing at me with her lollipop.

Drawing the curtains aside we step out as we wait for the strip to print out. 

"Dear God, partner, you look like a ghost," Ria blurts out while containing her laugh. I peek over her shoulder at the photos she's pinching between her fingers. In the first my eyes are closed, while Ria stands with an impassive expression, in the second I glare at her as she laughs at me, in the third, I snicker under my breath as well. 

"That's for you," she holds the photos between two fingers, "I'm not letting you forget your lifesaver." 

I raise my eyebrows slowly taking the pics, "and you have a brilliant memory, I see," I mutter.

"Don't worry I won't have the time to forget."

"Huh?" 

"Sweet cotton!" She exclaims enthusiastically while pointing at the cart filled with pink cotton candies. And before I know she sprints to the cart. How can someone be so energetic? 

I tiredly drag my feet towards her as she comes back with two sticks of sweet cotton, extending one to me, "I don't wan-"

"If you don't eat we're going to that roller coaster again." 

I take it silently, following behind her as she takes a seat on the wooden bench and I beside her. "You didn't tell me why are you eating those damn lollipops all the time?" 

"I talk a lot," she shrugs while biting on her cotton candy, "lollipops don't let me talk." 

"That is the stupidest reason I've ever heard." I chuckle, "Why Guns N' Roses?" 

"They’ve got some good upbeat rock music, great guitar work, and a unique singer, a perfect combo," Ria states. 

"And ballet?" 

Her expression changes for a moment but she's quick to hide it behind the indifferent face, "I wanted to become a ballerina one day," she mumbles, looking at the Ferris wheel ahead of us that casts its neon lights upon the walking figures beneath it, "not anymore, tho." 

"Why?" 

"Hmm….life is a son of a bitch, partner. Sometimes it throws you to the soft embrace of dreams and miracles only to make you land on the hard surface of reality." She announces while concentrating on her candy, "and the reality, my friend, it ruins your life. It's better if you don't dwell on dreams, forgetting to live, because life goes on with or without you." A heavy sigh comes out of her mouth as she turns her attention to me, "the only thing I want now is making a difference."

I stare at her dumbfounded, still processing what she said, dwelling on the meaning of her words. "W-What difference ?" 

She turns her head to me abruptly, her mesmerizing eyes glued on my face as she narrows her eyes before shrugging, "I think I already made a difference,  but the mission is not complete yet." She throws me a devilish smile before talking again, "What do you want, Jimin?" 

"Nothing." I shrug nonchalantly. 

"Is that even possible? You have a whole life ahead of you and you don't want anything?" 

"You said it yourself, we shouldn't dwell on dreams." I drawl, offering my untouched cotton candy to her as she accepts it eagerly. 

Rolling her eyes she lets out a groan of annoyance, "I was talking about me and not you." 

"No difference."

"Yes, there is," she persists, pinching the bridge of her nose, "now tell me?" She chirps, tapping my leg as if encouraging me to talk. 

"Well…" I commence biting on my lip, "I always wanted to become a dancer, but I know that's stupid." I shake my head as if to dislodge this nonsense. 

Ria hums, nodding thoughtfully, "stupid you say...okay," suddenly she stands up throwing the stick of her candy into the trash can, her abrupt actions taking me by surprise as she gestures me to follow her, "let's go, Jimin, it's getting late." 

Why is she so bipolar? 

"I'm going to take you somewhere tomorrow," she mumbles and my eyebrows raise questioningly, "I'm going to change the definition of stupid, in your vocabulary, partner." 

✦ᴠᴏᴛᴇ ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴊɪᴍɪɴ ɪs ʜᴏᴛ✦