Chapter 5 :
[ A Perfect Storm ]

• • •

THE CAFETERIA WAS LOADED.

Each table a crew of people assembled together, raising their voices in sync. But if you listen carefully enough, you could hear me and my best friend, heatedly, arguing.

"Don't make me mad and then tell me to calm down, Noor," I furrowed my eyebrows as I fixed my gaze upon my bestie, perceiving a sweet feminine face nestled in the hijab.

"Yeah, sure," She rolled her eyes, unimpressed. "Stay mad, actually, you spicy bitch." A subtle smile appeared near the corner of her lips as she hit my arm.

I held my breath behind pursed lips.

Noor had this kind of bright personality that lured me in the first time we met. Little did I know, I would be trapped in a long and dangerous journey with this crazy chick.

"Anyways, I brought you something to make up for my tiny mistake." She smiled softly and handed me two small, yellow tickets.

"You call posting 'My best friend can't walk properly, her backaches increased, any remedy for that?' in the fucking afternoon a small mistake? Guess what, people might have misunderstood and thought that I had s—"

"I tried to help you, alright? So stop barking up the wrong tree." She cut in. "I hate it when I post a perfectly normal question and you make it sound so dirty. What's bloody wrong with having backaches?"

I glared at her, incredulous. "Well, fuck you and your fake concern."

Noor held her chest, acting offended. "Dear Hiba, as I said two minutes ago, I brought you a present, asking for forgiveness. So you may, kindly, shut it and check them out."

I sighed, glancing at the tickets. "What's this?" I had mixed feelings about the two pieces of paper. I looked at one of them and read 'Football match at 4:30 p.m.' written in black capital letters. "Don't tell me—"

"Save your gratitude." She pointed out, ironically. "I'll pick you up at 3:30 p.m. and I'll be expecting a reply." She warned, adjusting her veil. "Jimin is coming along."

• • •

As I entered the dorms, I grabbed some baggy clothes and then went straight to the bathroom, where I undressed, tied my hair up, and let my body cool down in the water.

Eventually, I drifted away in my thoughts. I thought about insecurity, about pain. I thought about the reality of relationships, how they screw you up, how fake they may seem, how sometimes I find it difficult to smile.

I thought about the days of chasing people, about the days of making so many blind efforts to stay in others' good side. I thought about the fake love I received, about the truth untold, about the thousand unheld promises, and about how I almost lost my best friend to one of those shattered promises.

I thought about people that left me, the ones that betrayed me, the ones that broke me, tore my heart apart, the envious ones, the ones that dug deep into my skull and graved unforgettable, emotional scars. I thought about the ones that showed me why people shouldn't be trusted and how even if I tried harder, if I screamed louder, no one would care.

I thought about the things I should have done, things I lost over the years, things I forgot. I thought because I wouldn't make it through life if I didn't and that my depression is palpable.

When I eventually finished washing up, I came out of the bathroom, throwing myself on the bed.

The room contained one middle-sized, single bed, a bathroom, a desk accompanied by two remarkably uncomfortable chairs, a couch, and finally a small table to eat on.

I took my phone and as expected Noor had sent me a message.

Messages

Soulmate: Bring your ass down!

• • •

Even though it's October, the boys in the crown were shirtless, showing off their pecs painted in the football team colors while their girlfriends clung to their arms, swinging the University's flag.

A photographer, standing in the front row, snapped off photo after photo as the two football teams made their way through the pitch.

I sat on a gray plastic chair, between Noor and Jimin, roaming my eyes over the fresh-faced players.

A smile cracking their lips, they waved at the audience, glowing from inside out. It was hard to look at their faces without being fascinated by their beauty.

"TAEHYUNG! TAEHYUNG, LOOK AT ME!" A girl bellowed, shaking her ass in a vain attempt to get the Football player's attention.

"NAMJOON! JUNGKOOK!" Another screamed, flashing her boobs.

"Desperate bitches," I mumbled under my breathe while sliding my phone out of my pocket. I turned the camera on, placed it in front of me with my hands on each side, feeling stiffness in them.

I am the University 'Newspaper and Magazine' Club manager, which means I should know everything about everyone; the students, the teachers, and even the staff workers.

I shouldn't let a chance like this slip out.

As the coach whistled, both teams dived to get the ball. The public could feel the tension getting more and more palpable.

Jungkook swung his leg, hitting the ball upward. It pierced the air and landed right between Seokjin's feet. The latter didn't hesitate, moving swiftly around the dense opponent, eyes narrowed to keep sight of the goal.

Seokjin made it in front of the goalkeeper and tossed the ball to Namjoon. Eyes rigid, breath caught between his lips, he launched the ball.

For the most part, I stared dumbstruck at the net, not proceeding at once what exactly happened. I craned my neck, staring forward at the round item.

It went in and It was the most incredible thing I've seen.

The University Football team all screamed in delight, throwing themselves on Namjoon, ruffling his hair, and showering him with compliments.

"OH, MAN! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" Hoseok said with a wide smile, wrapping his arms around his teammates.

"Without my toss, you're literally screwed," Seokjin huffed, giving their captain a high-five.

I snorted.

"People gave that bitch a shot and he thinks he owns the world," I said, scornfully. "Look at him smiling like an idiot."

"Hiba, he's just having fun," Jimin defended, glancing at the pitch. "It's his time to shine after all."

I jabbed a finger toward Jimin's chest. "Look, cutie, people like him are worthless. Did you forget about the canteen incident? When he pushed you and didn't even apologize?"

"He didn't mean to—"

"But did you have a close look at Taehyung?" Noor chimed in, the corner of her mouth lifting in an amused smile. "He had an eyelid-surgery?"

The other thing about Noor was that it always felt natural to talk to her; we could speak until dawn without lacking subjects to discuss or people to gossip about.

"I think it's makeup?" I tilted my head to the side.

"It's none of our business—"

"And Hoseok," I squinted at his figure in the pitch. "They call him sunshine but all I see is a man who is trying too hard to please."

"Girls—"

"Seokjin is the only decent guy."

"Yeah, he looks mature," Noor approved. "But his girlfriend, Daisy? A snake."

"Definitely!" I said, recalling the phony girl that struggles to keep a clean image. Once, she practically went crazy because she had found her boyfriend, openly flirting, with another girl. In the end, the sidekick, as she called her, turned out to be his sister. Daisy had become white and had run as if there was a hedgehog planted in her ass to apologize, feeling totally helpless. In the long run, they made up. Unfortunately.

However, I believe that Seokjin is possibly dating her just to avoid his crazy fans permanently stealing his stuff. We can't blame him in a way.

"And Yoongi?" I asked.

Jimin said nothing. He always paid attention to the words he used, unlike me who spoke spontaneously.

Swallowing hard, Noor looked worriedly at Jimin. "Hiba, you shouldn't—"

"Look at his legs, too thin and too pale. Sometimes I mistake him for a zombie—"

"Can you please stop?"

I paused.

A keen ear might have detected a bitter note in Jimin's voice. I was about to ask what's with the sudden outburst, but I immediately stopped when I saw the change in Jimin's demeanor.

Jimin stood. "I am leaving."

I caught his wrist firmly and twisted it into a more secure grip. "Jimin, wait. Sorry, baby, we will stop." I begged.

He looked at me, skeptical. I rarely begged anyone for anything, let alone to stay.

We stared at each other for a solid five minutes.

Sighing in defeat, he sat back in his seat. I flung my arm around his shoulders, stroking his pink hair. "You know I love you, right?"

"Yes."

"You love me too?"

"Yes."

Eyes twinkling with fondness, I chuckled at his cuteness and kissed his shoulder.

"Is this how it feels to be invisible?" Noor commented.

I smiled, heart hammering. Nothing is nicer than having two best friends that accept you for who you are. Love you no matter what and are simply there for you.

• • •

After the encounter, I went straight to the 'Newspaper and Magazine' Club, locking the door as I made it to my laptop on the coffee table.

It's dark and eerie outside and the University halls were cold enough to make me shiver. The dim moonlight created shapes on the white walls and every object seemed to blink at me.

There was a scary silence for a few minutes.

I scrolled down my laptop, downloading the one-hour footage. As I roamed my eyes over the Clubroom, I noticed a red book. Somewhere, I thought, I had seen that book.

"What are you doing?"

My heart dropped as my attention shifted from my laptop to the blurry figure behind me. The person's eyes, a deep and startling black, stared blankly at me. Her skin was a dark hue of coffee, very rich, and very beautiful.

I've never been so frightened in my life.

"Amber?" I whispered, lowering my eyebrows. "What the fuck are you doing in the Club at this hour?"

"What about you?" She said, turning the lights on. "I came to take my book," she grabbed the book from the coffee table, waving it in the air. "It's called 'The Songbird and The Sea' and I highly recommend it." She winked at me, taking a few steps back.

"Alright."

I counted the seconds, waiting for the sound of my laptop to indicate the end of the loading. And it did. I turned around to look if everything went as planned.

"You went to see the match?" I could hear her steps approaching me. "I also went with my girlfriend."

I opened my mouth, then closed it again. Amber and her girlfriend, Michaela, were an adorable couple. I had numerous pictures of them locked in each other's embraces, peaceful.

"Yeah, I saw you both cuddling at the back," I smiled softly.

Biting my lip, I focused my eyes on my screen as I posted the video. In two hours, half the University would have seen it. The footage, in itself, is unimportant, but it is my job to post it in the Broughton University Official site.

I closed my laptop and put it back in my backpack. "Do you want to grab something to eat together?" I suggested to Amber. She nodded eagerly, making me chuckle. "Let's go then." I locked the door behind us.

Little did I know that I didn't mute the footage and that my conversation with Jimin and Noor, earlier that day, would go around the whole campus. 

• • •

Author note: Am I the only one who writes the author note before even beginning the chapter?

Huh. Please don't answer that.

P.S: Thank you so much for reading this book and voting. Y'all are sweethearts <3