Without a warning, he crashed his lips against mine... 

I gasped, jumping slightly. 

He did it as if he had always done that, as though it was normal to him, unaware of the storm of pain swirling inside me...

His lips were on mine, exploring them that felt more like a wrestling match than a romantic encounter...

No....This can't be happening..

I lost...I lost what I'd been so keenly preserving for someone...

I'd allowed the moment, the atmosphere, the pressure of his gaze to steal something that should have been reserved for just him who truly made my heart sing...

He brought his hand to the nape of my neck and bit my lip so that I couldn't pull back. I was static...I couldn't move a finger, let alone pretend to kiss him back.

Dave pulled back after he sensed the others wooing and widening their eyes. 

I quickly wiped my lips off his essence as soon as both of us made our way out of the room.

My insides were screaming...

Yet in his eyes, there was nothing but cold contempt. 

"You could've stopped from letting it happen! Why did you..?" Something choked me and I couldn't go on.

And he smiled. I frowned because he didn't for once smile today. I was still so short of breath, how could he keep his calm like that as if nothing had happened?

He leaned onto the staircase wall and turned to me, grinning.

"I could've avoided it," he clicked his tongue and I hate that the most about him. 

"But turned out I didn't." 

He snickered as I stomped my feet on the ground and turned to leave.

----------------

As I aimlessly made my way back through the dimly lit streets, I could only feel sadder...

A flicker of anguish followed. It wasn't his fault entirely, I acknowledged, but the resentment simmered nonetheless.

Unknowingly, tears erupted and flowed down before I could wipe them...

He'd taken something from me, an experience I could never reclaim, and replaced it with a memory that felt so tainted...

The moment that was supposed to be so heavenly and special, a defining memory of my youth, felt stolen, tarnished by the wrong person.

"Are you alright?"

I could see a blond-haired guy after I immediately cleared my eyes off the tears upon hearing him. 

"I-I'm okay, thank you." I smiled through my tears but he didn't look convinced. 

"You sure? You look otherwise." 

"Uh, it's just....I saw my ex with someone else." I needed to make something up. 

"Ahh. It's only better, you got a reason to move on." 

He was so positive... A smile instinctively crept on my face at that. 

It's true!

"Hopefully. Anyways, are you new to this street? I haven't seen you before." I asked him as we walked through the same by lane.  

"It's been only three days since I moved. I was in the countryside for my internship. Do you live here too?"

"Yes, I'm all by myself here. My mother lives in the nearest town as she works in a law firm there." 

"That's cool. Let's get along well," he stopped as he reached his house. It was right next to mine. 

"I'm Vera. Nice meeting you." I smiled as I waved him. 

"Keith. See you soon!" He too waved while opening the gate and heading inside. 

-----------------------

I plopped on my bed and rolled on to the duvet as I heard my phone ringing. Only a bestie talk could calm my burning nerves right now. 

"Are we freaking talking after three whole days?!"

"Yes, Kath! Look who was boasting about hating school? Here I'm now, missing you bitches already!" I laughed as I raised my tone a bit.

"Now, hun. You wouldn't believe what just happened and IS gonna happen after today!" 

"What is it? Did you finally ask Noah out?!" She was so over the moon for him.

"Not quite that exciting," she let out a nervous laugh. "But almost! Mrs. Wang's taken a leave for A WHOLE MONTH!"

"Bingo! And why is that?!" 

I almost jumped and hit my head on the headboard in excitement.

"It's for her daughter's wedding!" She squealed and I could feel her.

Mrs. Giselle Wang. 

OUR HOMEROOM TEACHER.

THE PHYSICS TEACHER.

TAKING A LEAVE FOR A MONTH?

WHAT COULD BE MORE LIVELY THAN THAT?!

"We'll have her periods all to ourselves now. The Sports Week's practice is starting from tomorrow too!" 

"Okay, that's not of a news to me. You know I ain't a fan of that."

That's because I can't play a single game. LOL

"I heard Tristan's in the volleyball team. You still not a FAN of sports, Vera?"

"Argh! You got me. I'm hanging up, bye!"

I sighed as I pictured Tristan, the heartthrob of our school; in my head, practicing for the match and flirting with every girl he sees that come to talk (seduce) to him..

FUCK.

The phone rang again. I sighed as I slid the green button in an instant because I know Katherine would beg me to join the girl volleyball team now.

"I swear Katherine I can't join and see Tristan flaunting his well-built physique as he plays!" 

"Join to see me, then. I've got nicer abs than him." 

Wha-

I widened my eyes as I recognized the owner of that sensuous, velvety voice and checked to see the caller in a flash. 

DAMN. 

IT WAS EMBARRASSINGLY HIM.

"And who knows," he continued because I spoke no word. "Maybe I'll let your milk fingers....run through them."

"Shut the hell up, Dave."

"I need few bay leaves and a green candle. Fetch them and bring to school tomorrow."

"What? Why should I do that?" 

"You're not afraid to become an outcast again, are you?" He lowered his tone and this is it.

I cancelled the call before cursing him to the loudest decibels.

--------------

The next day in school, the riot began.

Brianna asked me to sit with her. 

But I used to sit with Katherine.

If I refuse Brianna my former squad will be disappointed. 

But if I do not, Katherine, Nessie and Sally would be hurt thinking I'm ignoring them now that they've started talking to me.

GOD SAVE ME.

Just for today, I think I'd be saved for all the senior students were asked to assemble in the field. No classes for today, they said. 

As I was watching the practices, I spotted Tristan to my right, not very intent in watching the game but holding on to the net and thinking something. 

He sighed and looked away when our eyes met. 

And he averted his eyes to somewhere else as if we were strangers...

DID 

HE 

JUST 

DO 

THAT?

He never ignored my presence like that before. Weird. 

It's not like he'd fix his eyes at me all the time but... he used to keep stealing glances.

"Where are my ingredients?" 

I flinched and quickly turned left to see Dave right beside me. When did he even arrive?

"They're in my bag. Y-You could've got them yourself!"

"Such a good girl for me.." He smirked making me hiss.

"Your ex-boyfriend nearly ruined my pretty face today," he complained while staring ahead and sighed.

I could not suppress my giggle. "What is it? Did he throw the ball at your face?"

"I knew he'd deliberately do that. He was sending me death glares throughout the practice." 

WHAT?

THAT MEANS... HE KNOWS DAVE SOMEHOW..

IS IT POSSIBLE HE WATCHED US TOGETHER?

HE ALSO DIDN'T SPARE ME A SINGLE GLANCE TODAY! 

PERHAPS....

HE IS-HE IS JEALOUS?

I was about to go look for him to check if he's really doing all these out of jealousy when all of a sudden, Dave straightened himself and held my arm. 

"Stay still."

I stepped back in alert, "Is there something on my hair?!"

But he reached out to his pocket and held out something shiny, his usually mischievous eyes filled with a strange vulnerability.

It was an amethyst carved into a butterfly with outstretched wings, its tiny heart a gleaming silver. 

 Is this some sort of joke?

Dave, uncharacteristically gentle, leaned on to me, his bare shoulders touching mine...

"Why...?" 

I managed to speak, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Let's just say," he said, his breath warm against my ear, "Enemies can have unexpected uses."

The tension in the air between us was thicker than the ongoing basketball game. 

As he fastened the clasp around my neck, our eyes met, his a mixture of possession and something else I couldn't quite decipher. 

The match seemed to hold its breath, the world suspended in this unexpected moment.

The cool metal sending a shiver down my spine, as he was done..

Maybe, just maybe, there was more to Dave Sullivan than what meets the eye...Maybe, amidst the chaos of our deal, a seed of something unexpected had been planted..

"It's....pretty." I mumbled, my voice barely audible. 

"No."

I looked up, knitting my eyebrows.

"YOU'VE GOT A VERY PRETTY NECK, VERA..."

-----------------------------------

A/N:

OMYGAWD IM SCREAMING AS I'M WRITING THIS!

don't forget to smile, sweethearts.
💗🧸✨

till then,

Love,
Juyeon.