The following morning, Jessica woke up in her own bed, groaning in pain. It appears that her roommate had left for school already and had not bothered to wake up, or maybe she tried. God knows how soundly Jessica slept. She sat up, but stopped when the pain in her stomach became too much to bear. She fell back against the pillows with an exasperated sigh. Might as well go back to sleep…she thought as she threw her arms above her head, snuggling comfortably under her blankets.

“Huh?” as she did so, her fingers brushed against the smooth edges of a piece of paper tucked carefully under her pillow.

She fumbled with the folded paper in her hands, unfolding them and straightening out the creases. She recognised the intricate handwriting immediately.

How are you feeling? Your boyfriend had basketball practice, so I brought you back to your dorm after you had fallen asleep in the infirmary.–Sooyoung

Jessica ran her fingers over the letters, feeling the creases where Sooyoung had pressed hard on words like ‘boyfriend’. Jessica held a hand to her head, and read and re-read the note over and over again, smiling as she did so. Stop, Jessica Jung! You have a boyfriend, you have a boyfriend!

There was a knock on the door and Jessica gently eased her off bed, calling out for the person to wait. Grimacing, she dragged her feet to the door, where she opened it for the awaiting Sooyoung. He greeted Jessica with a warm, assuring smile and a paper-bag in his hand. Jessica couldn’t explain it, but she felt a warm sensation creep through her, making her head spin. She grasped the door for support.

“Hey, can I come in?” Sooyoung shook the paper-bag in her face as his eyes glowed a warm, lovely honey brown.

Jessica looked back to the clock. It was 8:43 AM.

“You’re supposed to be in school,” Jessica stated blatantly.

Sooyoung nodded, but didn’t say anything. Jessica swung the door open wider, gesturing for him to come inside. She didn’t want anyone else to see him waiting for her outside her door. Additionally, it was forbidden for males to enter the female dormitory. Sooyoung placed the paper-bag on the countertop in the small, decent kitchen.

“I got you breakfast,” Sooyoung leaned against the countertop, hands in his pockets, ankles crossed.

Jessica swore he looked divine just in his school shirt and pants. As her mind began to wander even further, she shook her head and looked at him with questioning eyes.

“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be at school now?”

Sooyoung just shrugged carelessly. “I was worried about you. So, I decided to skip school with you.”

“I have a valid excuse, but you’re doing truancy,” Jessica pointed out, feeling warm and jittery after hearing that Sooyoung was actually worried for her.

Sooyoung gazed at her playfully, a teasing light in his eyes. “Don’t worry, I have a clean record. I didn’t intend on keeping it anyway. And, I couldn’t leave you alone after that boyfriend of yours is having school and basketball practice practically everyday.”

Jessica detected jealousy, but didn’t press on it. “So, you came here to skip school with me?”

Sooyoung nodded.

“I’m fine, really,” Sooyoung arched his eyebrows disbelievingly.

“After what I saw yesterday, I can assure you, you’re anything but fine. Girls can hit harder than boys. Hard fact, but true.”

Jessica scoffed, but then thought better of it as the pain in her stomach returned, and she doubled over, clutching her stomach. Sooyoung was at her side immediately, his hands on her shoulders. Dimly, Jessica noticed that his touch wasn’t as cold as yesterday’s. Like a worried mother, she relaxed knowing that he had eaten.

“See, you’re anything but fine,” he repeated softly as he helped her to bed.

Jessica grimaced, but said nothing. He pulled the blanket over her, tucking her in. He then walked over to the door.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m leaving?” Sooyoung said, confused.

“Well, you are skipping school with me, right? Stay here. I want to know more about you, anyway,” she hoped she didn’t sound too desperate.

They ended up on Jessica’s bed, talking about themselves and sharing their stories with each other. Well, Jessica did. Sooyoung refused to say anything about his past, and would only change the topic when Jessica mentioned it.

“You came from Japan, right? That’s cool, I’ve always wanted to see Japan,” Jessica sighed dreamily.

Sooyoung perked up, his eyes twinkling. “Maybe I’ll take you there sometime.”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

“So…how did Mr. Basketball become your boyfriend?” Sooyoung had finally asked the question he had been meaning to ask.

His control slipped and his eyes rushed an onyx black when he talked about Yuri. Jessica pretended not to notice this and laughed a little.

“‘Mr. Basketball’?”

“Isn’t his life based on basketball, basketball and more basketball?” Sooyoung ensured that his eyes were the same honey brown before meeting her eyes.

“Well…kind of,” Jessica bit her lip as she tilted her head to the left. “Okay, yes, his entire life is basketball.”

Sooyoung had a smug expression on his face, but it quickly melted when Jessica glared at him.

“He asked me out, and I accepted. Since then, he became my boyfriend. But it hasn’t been easy, I admit,” Jessica made a face.

“Right, I’m sure it hasn’t being the girlfriend of the most popular guy in school. Strangely, the most popular guy in school is as smart as a peanut,” Sooyoung nodded.

“Hey, don’t say that!”

“You’re right, I’m sorry. You probably know him better than I do,” Sooyoung was irritated now, that Jessica was defending her boyfriend whom she doesn’t even love. “But right now, don’t you think that he isn’t worth it? Isn’t worth getting beaten up once in a while because of him and he isn’t even there to help?”

As he said that, his eyes flashed a crimson red, scaring Jessica. She cowered away from him as his sharp words tore at her heart. The warmth was gone, only to be replaced by coldness that Jessica was not familiar with.

“You know what? What’s the point? What’s the point of having a boyfriend when he can’t even protect you when you need him? And then what? You rely on strangers you just met? What’s the point, Sica?” he yelled and walked out the door, leaving Jessica stunned by his sudden outburst.

Readers’ Note:

I’m sorry I made SooSica fight, but Jessica had to realise that Yuri just wasn’t cut out for her. Sorry, no offence intended to YulSic shippers. Don’t worry, they’ll reconcile soon enough.

Yours Faithfully
Jazzign