“Okay guys! We have two options for Movie Night: Frozen or Annabelle?”

    The six guys around me immediately shout “ANNABELLE” and “Frozen” remains stuck on the tip of my tongue, before I swallow it back down reluctantly.

    “Okay, Annabelle it is,” Namjoon says, selecting the movie option.

    “You know,” Taehyung whispers to me, “I heard that Annabelle is actually a true story, and the real doll is kept locked up somewhere in the U.K.-,”

    “, are you serious?”

    “Yeah. You scared?”

    “N-No, of course not,” I say hastily.

    “Then why are you holding onto the cushion so tightly? Your knuckles are almost white, you know,” Jungkook says and smirks while Yoongi and Hoseok attempt to hold back their laughter.

    “Shut up Jungkook, or else I swear I’m shoving my foot up your-,”
 

    “Shh, it’s starting!” Jimin shushes all of us excitedly and grabs some popcorn from Seokjin.

    Jungkook decides to sit on my left, much to my annoyance. Out of the seven of my closest guy friends, Jungkook loves to pick on me the most, and he frustrates me to no end. He’s completely incapable of being sweet or sensitive, two qualities I value very much in my friends.

    “If you get scared, you know I’m right here for ya, baby girl,” Jungkook says, sending a flirty wink in my direction. “You can just bury your face into my abs. I’m sure you’d like that.”

    I scoff. “You wish. I won’t get scared, so don’t get your hopes up, you dickhead.”

    Jungkook raises an eyebrow, that condescending smirk still hanging off his lips. “We’ll see about that.”

    He finally focuses his attention to the TV screen.

    I hold my breath and turn to the TV as well, expecting the worst.

    If there’s absolutely one thing I can’t stand, it’s horror movies. I’ve never watched a single horror movie in my entire life, though I’d rather die than admit it to my friends, who are currently snacking on popcorn, eyes glued to the screen and enjoying the movie like it’s no big deal.

    I hug the cushion tighter to my chest and force myself to watch the movie. I need to at least keep my eyes open throughout the movie, then I can finally tick ‘watch a horror movie’ off my bucket list.

    And also prove to Jeon Jungkook that I am not a wimp.

    No, I’m definitely not a wimp.

    Half an hour into the movie and I’m regretting all my life decisions.

    Why did I choose to go along with these seven idiots? Why did I not speak up for myself and insist on Frozen or simply head upstairs to my room and binge watch Running Man?

    Why did I have to prove myself to Jeon Jungkook? That little doesn’t deserve it.

    I can feel my heart palpitating wildly in my chest as the scene intensifies.

I hug the cushion tighter to myself and pull the thin blanket up to just below my eyes, refusing to look away from the screen.

No wonder they always say that pride goes before a fall.

“Boo.” Somebody suddenly whispers in my ear and I jump slightly, a chill running down my spine.  

I turn my head slowly to the side and see Jungkook smiling triumphantly at me. The jerk.

“Don’t,” I chastise him, slapping his arm lightly. He merely smirks wider and leans close to my ear.

“You know, if you’re scared, you can just come right out and say it.” His warm breath ghosts over the shell of my ear, making me tingle.

I decide to ignore him. No need to deny it any further since it’s so obvious.

Well, at least he managed to distract me from the jump scare.

It’s not just the sound or visual effects, but the whole storyline creeps me out. I begin to feel even colder, and when a horrible mewling sound resonates from the screen, I shiver involuntarily.

Thankfully, Jungkook doesn’t laugh at me or try to scare me again. Instead, what he does next throws me off completely.

Wordlessly, he reaches over to grab my hand and envelope it in his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

I expect him to let go right after, but he keeps my hand enclosed protectively in his, refusing to release it.  

I look down at our locked palms, then look up at him questioningly, but also a little gratefully.

“Thanks,” I whisper, just loud enough for Jungkook to hear.

He doesn’t reply, merely smiles at me and rubs the skin of my hand with his thumb.

The action is oddly reassuring.

    “That was good,” Taehyung says while stretching and yawning. The guys all nod their heads, agreeing that watching Annabelle was a good choice.

    “Yeah, we should definitely do this again,” Yoongi pipes up and I have to bite my lip to keep myself from protesting passionately.

    “We’d better go, guys. It’s getting late,” Namjoon hurries everyone. “Goodnight, Minrae. Thanks for letting us come over.”

    “It’s no problem. Night, guys.” I say, ushering the guys out the door. They all say their goodbyes and leave one by one.

    Jungkook is the last to leave. Watching his retreating silhouette, I am suddenly hit with the overwhelming fear of being home alone. My parents are out of town for the weekend, and being alone in the house scares me, especially since I’ve just watched a horror movie.

“Jungkook,” I say when is about to leave, “wait.”

    He stops, turns and looks at me with an unreadable expression on hi