-Disclaimer: This is not my story. I got full permission from the author to repost this on AFF-

The Challenge by The Lucky Kind of fanfiction.net

 

NOTE: Sorry I haven’t updated in forever! It’s been crazy over the past few weeks and finals are annoying as hell but we all have to deal with it :-/ I literally love this chapter so much it’s ridiculous. Author would really appreciate it if you left a comment after reading (-: Enjoyyy

xxx

J

 

"His heart tugged in his chest," Seungri narrated as he read from the open book in front of him.

 

Chaerin scribbled something on her paper as she took a bite of her granola bar; all of our lunches abandoned a long time ago. The three of us sat hunched around the round lunch table, quickly trying to finish our English homework before the next period rolled around.

 

Well, Seungri and Chaerin were trying. I sat, twirling my pen absentmindedly in my hand, staring intently at the entrance to the cafeteria waiting for a certain someone to walk through. A certain someone who I had not seen since yesterday because she had been so sneakily avoiding me.

 

I'm using the term 'sneaky' quite loosely considering the fact that every time she would see me coming down the hall, she would let out a small shriek, pull her hood over her head, clutch her books to her chest and dash to the nearest exit. I would think it was pretty damn adorable if it wasn't me she was running away from.

 

Once the anger from yesterday's debate melted away, I was left with the incredible amount of guilt. Guilt and yearning to see Dara again.

 

Seungri groaned, placing the book down and cracking a kink in his neck. "Ugh. Books would be so much more fun if someone else was reading it to you," he said, rubbing his neck.

 

Chaerin sighed, placing her pen down and stretching out her cramping fingers. "They do have that, you know? It's called audio books."

 

"Well, why didn't we just get that?" Seungri asked.

 

Chaerin rolled her eyes. "Because someone didn't want to spend another seventy five cents for it!"

 

"Whatever," Seungri said, looking at me. "Jiyong, it's your turn to read the book."

 

I ignored him and his outstretched hand that was holding the book out to me, my attention still focused on the doors.

 

"Jiyong," Seungri called again, this time choosing to through a french fry at me.

 

I blinked down at the fry that had fallen onto my lap before snapping my head up to look at Seungri.

 

They were both staring at me expectantly with wide bemused eyes. I raised my eyebrows at them as an answer.

 

"Are you thinking about Dara again?" Seungri asked exhaustingly.

 

"No," I denied forcefully, picking up the fry and putting it in my mouth. "But now that you brought it up, where is she?" I asked, playing indifference.

 

Chaerin rolled her eyes, seeing right through me. "Dara is with her history teacher. She has to make up a test."

 

"Oh," I mumbled, flicking my eyes to the door in disappointment.

 

"You are so pathetic," Seungri laughed. "Would you just be a man and tell her you're in love with her already."

 

"I'm not-" I cut off at Seungri's disbelieving look. "Okay, I might be. I just don't know yet."

 

He shook his incredulously. "How do you not know? If you feel it then you just say it!"

 

"How did you know you were in love with Chaerin?" I bit back.

 

Seungri smirked, flinging his arm around her shoulders, which- to my surprise -she did not push away. "It was actually very easy."

 

"Really?" I asked, doubtful.

 

"Really," he answered. "Every time we hung out I hated having to leave. Every time I walked away from her, I felt my heart tug in my chest. It was almost as if my heart didn't want to leave because it was already bound so tightly to hers. It was like every single time I walked away, a little part of my heart stayed behind."

 

"That was cheesy," I stated flatly.

 

"Exactly." Seungri smiled as Chaerin pressed a kiss to his cheek. "But what's cheesier than falling in love with your best friend?"

 

"What about you?" I asked, looking at Chaerin. "How did you know you were in love with Seungri?"

 

Chaerin scoffed. "Oh, I knew right away. Girls tend to make it very obvious when they're in love."

I

shook my head, looking down. "Not Dara. Dara hides all of her emotions. It's so hard to read her."

 

"Oh please," Chaerin said. "Dara is a girl. And all girls have the same reaction to love."

 

"What is it?"

 

"Nope." She shook her head. "I'm not telling you. It's a secret between girls only. But don't worry, you'll figure it out eventually."

 

"I'm trying," I groaned in frustration. "But she won't talk to me. I deserve to explain myself."

 

"Okay, let's just get something straight, Kwon," Chaerin said harshly. "You do not deserve her."

 

I barely had time to mutter an I know before she continued.

 

"Dara will always be too good for you and that will never change. I will never understand how someone like you could ever make Dara happy, but," Chaerin swallowed, looking down at her plate, "you do."

 

She looked up at me and for once the look wasn't filled with annoyance or distaste.

 

"And for that reason," Chaerin said with a half smile, "I am allowing you to be with her and potentially hurt her."

 

I grinned; her blessing meant more to me than any of us were willing to admit. "Thank you."

 

She shrugged, nonchalantly. "You make her happy. And who am I to keep that away from her."

 

"I still don't know how to get her back though," I sighed, miserably. "I've tried almost everything."

 

"Have you tried telling her how you feel?" Chaerin asked.

 

"Yes!" I groaned. "I've told her everything. I told her I how much I loved her and wanted her back."

 

"Well, maybe it's not about telling her how you feel," Seungri said, his eyes furrowed in thought.

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"You said that you told her how you feel, right?" he paused as I nodded my head. "If you really think about it, the reason Dara is mad at you is because she thinks that you don't love her. She thinks that you were using her and that you're ashamed of her. Maybe instead of telling Dara you love her, you should tell the everyone how much you love Dara."

 

"That might actually be right!" Chaerin smiled. "Dara's mad because she thinks that you're still playing her. If you tell everyone how you feel, then she'll know it's not a game."

 

"I don't know," I said, skeptically. "What if she won't even listen?"

 

Chaerin frowned, taking pity on me. "Just prove to her that you're worth believing in and she'll come to you. Girls aren't really that complicated. Guys just like to say that because they're too lazy to actually fight for us."

 

"Hey," Seungri protested. "I fought."

 

"No," Chaerin glared at him, but I still saw the smile forming on her lips. "I was so into you that all you had to do was say please."

 

Seungri grinned triumphantly. "You were into me," he stated, not bothering to hide his joy.

 

"Yeah, yeah," Chaerin said. "But you're way more into me than I am to you."

 

"That is not true," he denied vigorously.

 

They continued to argue, both of them claiming the other was more in love. I watched with a smile at the way Seungri's arm around Chaerin gripped her tighter, or how Chaerin leaned closer to his chest, both of them clinging to each other and not letting go.

 

Lately, seeing Dara has hurt just as much as not seeing her.

 

Seeing her became a constant reminder that I was never going to have her. She became like an exhibit in a museum. You can look but never ever touch.

 

She was sitting three seats away from me, her eyes trained intently on the board in front of her.

 

So focused and so unaware that every one of her movements made my breath catch in my throat. Every gesture and small indication of her character was so mesmerizing and beau