*chapter seven;

It was April the 20th. Soah was sitting in class long before lunch break was supposed to end. She looked at the blue piece of cloth in her hands and clenched her fingers around it. For four hours, the girls had strolled through the mall the day before, looking at everything which was a fitting present for a boy’s birthday. She usually never gifted males except for her father, so this task was kind of difficult for her, but not for her friends. Jinhie had told her to buy clothes while Yohee had told her to buy a game. Each girl had tried to drag her somewhere else until she laid her eyes on a shopping window where a mannequin was wearing a blue beanie and Soah had immediately decided to buy it. She wanted to give it to Luhan tonight on his birthday party since he had invited their friends too.

Soah wanted to put the present back in her backpack, because lunch break was almost over when she heard someone entering the classroom and instantly, she froze.

“What’s that?”

“Taehyun...” Her voice was thin, shy and fearful.

He came nearer until he was right beside her, a smirk on his face. His hand slid into her backpack which lay on the table and he pulled the blue beanie out.

“Is this for your new boyfriend?” he teased, twisting the piece of cloth in his hand, inspecting it. “It’s sweet.”

“Please give it back.”

Soah had never been the kind of person who was able to assert herself. Maybe just when she was with her two friends, but she would never raise her voice against a guy, and especially not when it was Taehyun – the one she had been with during spring break.

“Please...”

He just laughed, but didn’t make a move to return the present which was for Luhan. It was for Luhan, her boyfriend, and not Taehyun, the one who just used her, who betrayed her, who hurt her. The one, who was the reason for why she was how she was now, the one she was tied down to until she would graduate. Soah always tried not to look at him, but it was impossible since he was sometimes sitting right in front of her in class. She could feel him staring when no one else was looking and she knew, inwardly, he was making fun of her, for how stupid she had been to think he would be together with someone like her.

“You want it back?” he finally said. “Then stay here after class.”

Soah directly lifted her head and the look in her eyes was fiercer than before. More passionate than fearful. If she wouldn’t go home immediately after class, that would mean she would miss Luhan’s party. Never would she ever let that happen. “No.”

It was not about her. It was about Luhan, her boyfriend, who had been looking forward to this day for so long. He had always told her how happy he was that they could spend his birthday together and that she didn’t have to give him a present, because her presence was enough. She would never ruin his special day.

“No,” she repeated.

“Well, then that means I need to keep your little present. Too bad, because it would look good on his blond hair. But maybe it really fits better on me?” Taehyun lifted his hands up and wanted to put the beanie on.

“Stop!” Soah exclaimed.

She clenched her eyes shut as she felt tears building up. It was so cruel. He was constantly bullying her and there was nothing she could do about it, even if she’d tell someone. Firstly, beause it was almost impossible anyone would believe her and secondly, because Taehyun was always superior than her. She would rather obey than let him desecrate Luhan’s present for which she had spent hours on choosing. She wanted to give it to Luhan so badly since it was the only way for her to express her feelings.

“I knew you would listen to me.” He tried to pat her head, but Soah took a few steps backwards until she hit the desk, but that didn’t matter to her. “Still so shy?”

“It’s your fault.”

“God, I’m not responsible for that. You’re The Mary already. I had fun.”

“Taehyun, you’re so...”