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The Challenge by The Lucky Kind of fanfiction.net

Note: I decided to be more sociable this year lol.

 

Anyways, yay! I’m back with another chapter. Hopefully, I can squeeze one more in this week/next week but I’m not sure. Testing again, so I’ll be really busy.

 

ALSO. This story has reached 210 subscribers! I don’t even update often, so thank you so much.

 

On to the chapter. Please leave a comment/upvote if you liked it ((:

 

xxx

J

 

 

Everybody has one of these moments. The moment where the entire world around you seems bland and tasteless and then all of a sudden you find that one thing that immediately lifts up your mood. Call it what you want; a silver lining, a light at the end of a tunnel, or a diamond in the rough.

 

But for me that thing was Dara. She was my silver lining, my light, and my diamond.

 

The entire school day felt as if I was watching from the outside looking in. I was watching my body drag itself from class to class, do all the assignments, and force a hollow laugh when with friends. I felt completely empty on the inside, like when Dara walked away she had taken every part of me with her.

 

I was turning a corner when I finally saw her. She was standing at her locker with headphones in her ears. I was slightly surprised to see her in school because I didn't think she would give in to Chaerin so easily. But I guess Chaerin's persuasion trumps Dara's stubbornness.

 

I swallowed suddenly becoming increasingly aware of how thick the air around me was. I took a few steps towards her before deciding against it and sprinting back to my dark corner. I leaned my head against the wall, an agitated frown growing on my face. My fingers curled around the strap of my booking, gripping it tightly. I gathered up my courage enough to poke my head around the wall to watch her take her headphones out of her ears and tuck them safely in her pocket.

 

She hummed a soft song under her breath, swaying her head to the imaginary beat. My stomach lurched as I thought back to the night when I heard her singing softly under the covers. I felt her chest move and vibrate with every note. I remembered the dark room; her hand in mine and her lips whispering lyrics on my skin.

 

I gulped coming to the realization that there was no way I could get the guts to face her. I turned around briskly, wanting to make a quick and discreet exit.

 

"Hey Jiyong!" a football player shouted, waving at me from across the hall.

 

Too late. I groaned just as Dara looked up from her books to catch my gaze. Her eyes widened when she saw me and I could almost hear her breath catch in . We stare at each other for who knows how long before I finally take the few cautious steps towards her.

 

"Hey." I cracked a small smile at her.

 

She only looked at me, her face remaining stoic.

 

I shifted on my feet, unsure of what to say to her. "I-uh-how are you...um," I stammered over my words. "I'm-I'm not sure what to say here."

 

Her face remained impassive as she answered, "Well, maybe you shouldn't say anything at all."

 

She slammed her locker shut with one swift flick of the hand. She whirled around marching away from me. I grabbed onto her wrist pulling her back to me.

 

"Dara, please," I begged.

 

"Don't, Jiyong." She wrenched her hand from my grasp. "Don't try talking to me like I've forgiven you. Because I haven't."

 

"Look I'm sorry. How many more times do I have to say it for you to understand?" I pleaded.

 

"I will never understand!" she shouted, before realizing a few stares from nearby students. She dropped her voice to a calm whisper as she began to speak. "I will never understand why you did this and I don't care. It doesn't matter to me anymore. You don't matter to me anymore."

 

I took a step towards her. "Dara, come on-"

 

She placed her hand on my chest, stopping me from going any further.

 

"Just stop."

 

"Hey, check it out!" Jaejoong, one of Seunghyun's buddies, yelled, his eyes trained on us. "Looks like Dara can't get over her creepy obsession with Jiyong."

 

Students that were passing by stopped to watch the scene about to unfold. Dara ripped her hand from my chest, clutching her books tightly.

 

"Hate to break it to you, stalker b!tch," Jaejoong laughed cynically, his full attention now pointed at Dara, "but Jiyong doesn't want you. If you're that desperate, maybe you should hold up a sign at in the middle of the street and wait for some lonely idiot who can't pay for a strip club to come and get you."

 

Dara shrunk under his glare. Her eyes were focused on her shoes as the other kids laughed. She held onto her books like they were her lifeline, soundlessly stepping backwards to get away from the crowd.

 

My fists clenched and I felt my nails digging into the skin of my palm.

 

"What did you just say to her?" I yelled, stepping in front of Jaejoong and pushing him backwards.

 

His back slammed into the metal lockers, the clashing sound reverberating throughout the hallway, immediately silencing the laughing circle of students. Jaejoong looked up at me from where he lay, sprawled out on the ground.

 

"What the hell, man!" He yelled, scrambling to get on his feet.

 

"Don't you ever say anything to her ever again," I warned.

 

"What are you talking about? I was just calling her out for the little $lut she is," he said with a laugh.

 

That's when I pounced on him.

 

I tackled him to the ground, punching and tearing at his body. His arms flew up as an attempt to defend himself but I placed a hand around his neck, effectively keeping him in place. His arms and legs flailed as he tried to kick me off him. This only made me go harder. I threw in punch after punch, ignoring the sharp pain running up my arm.

 

"Jiyong, stop!" Dara yelled, pulling at my t-shirt.

 

Her desperate screams were muffled by the people crowding around us.

 

They were shouting, chanting my name, cheering me on. I let the sea of students fuel my anger, raising my fist to punch him hard in the jaw. A small hand held onto my fist, stopping it in its tracks. I looked over my shoulder at Dara who was nearly shaking in fear. Her wide eyes locked onto mine, silently begging to stop. I released my hand that was pinning him to the ground and let her drag me out of the hallway and into an empty classroom.

 

The last thing I heard before she shut the door was Jaejoong's groans and cries of pain from where he lay on the floor.

 

Dara pulled my arm, only releasing it when I was standing in the center of the room. I wiped some blood off my knuckles and onto my shirt. Dara wrinkled her nose in distaste at the action.

 

I sighed, leaning against a desk for support as I ran a sweaty hand through my hair. I looked up at Dara, who was standing with her arms crossed and a defiant look in her eye.

 

"Why did you do that?" she asked. Her voice was steady but I could see her fingers shaking.

 

"Because he was bothering you," I said, my voice so much louder than hers.

 

"I don't need you protecting me," she said quietly, trying to keep her resolve. "I've been doing fine for years."

 

"Dara, I'm not going to let them talk to you like that. I was trying to help."

 

"Well I wouldn't need your help if you didn't use me to win some stupid bet!" she shouted. "Do you even get that this is your fault? You're the reason I'm getting harassed in the first place."

 

"I'm sorry," I groaned, rubbing a hand up and down my face. "If I could take it all back I would."

 

"But you can't!" she exclaimed, dropping her books on a nearby table with a crash.

 

I winced at the sound but Dara didn't even flinch. She threw her hands in the air as an aggravated groan left her lips.

 

"God, Jiyong" she shouted, running a hand through her hair. "I don't want any part of you anymore. It's bad enough that you embarrassed me in front of everyone but now you will not leave me alone. I don't want to see you. I don't want you calling or texting me. I don't even want your apology! Just leave me alone!"

 

I watched her in stunned silence. "But Dara-"

 

"No!" she nearly screamed. "I hate you, Jiyong!"

 

And as soon as those words left , the room went silent. We both stood there staring at each other. The room was so silent that I could hear her breathing; the rapid and short breaths that she took to calm herself down.

 

I finally broke the silence. "But-But you said you loved me," I said, not at all surprised at how small and weak my voice sounded.

 

She coughed, looking at the ground. She looked nervous and I could tell that any flame she had burning inside of her just went out.

 

"Jiyong-" she started in a small delicate voice that almost felt like it could break with a single touch.

 

"I said it because it was in the heat of the moment. I was vulnerable and upset. I needed someone and you were the closest one there." She cleared , her eyes still refusing to look anywhere but at her shoes. "I-I didn't mean it."

 

And in that moment I could swear I heard my already cracked heart breaking. That small, faint sound that cut me to the core.

 

Dara swallowed, her eyes flickering up to mine, before dropping quickly to the floor. "I-I should go," she stuttered, tumbling over her words as she turned around, bumping into a desk.

 

She winced and I wanted to run over and help but the force of her words glued me to my spot. She grabbed her books, hastily making her way to the door.

 

I opened my mouth, preparing to call out her name but suddenly becoming increasingly aware of the familiar scene unfolding in front of me. The scene of her walking away from me and me calling out after her.

 

Me chasing her down and pulling her close, only to have her pull further away. And I knew that the view of her back was a sight that I was all too accustomed with. So I stopped, closing my mouth and letting her walk away from me for the second time this week.

 

Dara paused, just as she reached the door, her hand grazing the doorknob. She turned her head slightly to the side and from where I stood I could see her bite her lip. And for a split second, I thought she would stay. And if she stayed, I would've never let her go again. But just as quickly as the thought came, it was gone, just like she was.

 

When people watch movies and they see someone going through a heartbreak, they think that it can't possibly be that bad. They think that it won't cause you any real pain because your emotions are like a switch you can choose to not turn on. I was one of those people. I thought I could imagine just how badly this would hurt and that I would be able to handle it, but I was wrong.

 

I was so wrong.

 

 

"Jiyong!"

I squeezed my eyes shut, letting out an angry groan. I readjusted the strap on my book bag as I quickened my pace.

 

"Jiyong, wait up," Seunghyun shouted, his thundering footsteps running behind me.

 

I sighed once I felt his hand gripping me arm.

 

"What do you want?" I asked, masking my irritation with a look of complete and utter boredom.

 

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