JESSICA’S POV

I was so close in approaching my friends, when a very ill mannered, so-called “angel” went in between of us with an eye-directing-heavenward effect. If I wasn’t able to control my reflex, I could’ve probably pulled her hair or her eyes out of her eye socket.

“Excuse me. Don’t you have the thing called manners?”, I said, very pissed.

“Sorry. But I don’t like walking that way. I prefer this way, it gives me a feeling of being great.”, she said with a smirk.

I was about to attack her physically, when I felt the tight grip in my hands. It was Sunny. She looked scared. Seeing her face made me calm down. Instead of attacking her, I took a deep breath, let it out, and said, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”

That totally shut her up. I really don’t understand this girl. She’s all nice every time there are a lot of people, and goes all wicked when no one’s watching. If she’s all y in front of everybody, I wouldn’t be this pissed. But she’s different in front of the others, that’s why I have this extreme dislike towards her. I hate fake people the most.

“If you don’t have anything good to say, kindly leave.”, said a male voice. And when I searched for the owner of the voice, I was shocked to see that it was Donghae.

I saw her open , but closed it again. Seems like she can’t retort. She just glared at me, and turned her back, making her way out of the cafeteria, out of our sight.

When I turned back to the direction where my friends were seated, the girls just acted like nothing had just happened, well they’re used to it anyway, and the boys looking at the same thing. I mean, person. They were looking at Hae, that king of look that asks, “What’s he thinking right now?” or “Is he alright?”

I didn’t really get the real meaning behind those looks in connection to what he had said to her, so I just shrugged it off, and continued to what I was supposed to be doing.

Once again, I pulled Sunny towards their location. This time, my pissed off face was replace a very happy, very enthusiastic and very excited look as I made Sunny’s appearance visible to them.

“Hi gals and guys! I’d like you all to meet my new friend, Sunny!”, I half-shouted with a large smile on my face.

They had one common expression on their faces. That expression when you see something cute? You imagine that? Now, that’s what they look like! Hahaha. Glitters in their eyes! I swear! They looked like they’re so close to let their urge take charge and pinch her. Before that happens, I made my way between them, so that they can’t attack her cheeks.

“Control those pinching hands, girls. Sunny, I’d like you to meet my friends.”

And one by one they introduced themselves to Sunny. Even the boys. But his was very brief. He only said “Hi” and said his name.

The girls pulled Sunny towards them and started asking her things. I looked for a vacant seat, and I don’t know if this is fortunate or unfortunate, but the only one is beside him. I searched the whole place if there is a monoblock chair I can use, but there was none in sight. So, I had no other choice other than stand until my legs go numb, or sit beside him. I chose the latter.

I hesitantly took the seat beside him. I stifly sat beside him, finding it very hard to breathe, finding it very hard to control my fast-beating heart.

"So, how did you meet our Sica?", Taeyeon asked Sunny.

"Well, she.. she saved me.", she replied in a stuttery voice.

"Saved? In what way?", Tiffany asked, confused.

"Uhmm. You all may be familiar of me as the nerdy who's the favorite target of bullies. One day, I was being bullied by four girls near the janitor's closet. Sica passed by and saw me. She pulled me behind her, told those bullies some things  and helped me out.", she explained.

"Wait. This just registered in my head, did you say your last name was Lee?", Sunny nods in reply to Sooyoung. "Is there any chance that you're THE Lee, niece of Mr. Lee Soo Man?"

I knew that Sunny isn't comfortable explaining these things, so I took the honor of telling them that yes, she's LSM's niece and that she wants to hide that fact from everyone else because she doesn't want people treating her goodly because they want to use her to get closer to LSM.

"You know what unnie, I salute you because no matter how badly people treated you, you never stooped down their level. I admire you so much. But unnie, just know that you're better, and walk away.", said Seohyun.

"And always remember that when people cut you down, or talk bad behind your back, just remember that they took time out of their pathetic lives to think about you.", Hyoyeon said with a wink.

"Don't worry. We're here for you now. No one would bully you anymore." Yuri said as she hang her arm on top of Sunny's shoulders.

“So, she became your female version of knight and shining armor, eh?”, Eunhyuk said jokingly.

Everyone was teasing me about being a hero in the rescue. They said they never thought I could actually become a “protector of the weak”, as I quote Kyuhyun.

We had a great time chatting and getting to know Sunny, well if you ignore the fast badump badump feeling inside my chest. Sunny and the rest got along quite fine, and as expected, she became the group’s new bff.

The boys went to the counter for a while to buy some snacks for us all, and when they came back, they were holding the snacks. Donghae placed the food in front of me, but our hands touched. For a split second, our eyes interlocked, but the both of us avoided each other’s gaze at the same time.

We ate in silence while the rest of the gang were doing the exact opposite. It made the awkward atmosphere between us become even more awkward. The situation continued until one noticed and mentioned the odd atmosphere between us.

“What atmosphere?!”, the both of us yelled in chorus, making it more suspicious for the rest.

And the others started dropping hints, saying the same thing. They said that they noticed the same thing, but just ignored it, thinking that I may still not feel well and Donghae is just, well, being himself.

“But that’s not it. I know for a fact that despite not feeling well, Jessie would still welcome someone like nothing’s wrong.”, Tiffany said.

Damn. If the situation is good, I would feel flattered that my best friends actually knows me so well, but the situation doesn’t demand that right now. ( - _ - )

“Hae isn’t the type to just sit still and quietly beside a girl. He finds it uncomfortable if he’s near a girl, not unless the girl is very important to him.”, Siwon added.

“And! It seems to me, if my memory serves me right, that this is the first time he has brought food for someone who isn’t his family or *coughs* you know *coughs*”, Leeteuk added some more. Saying it with a teasing smile on his face.

“So tell us, what’s going on?”, they said in unison.

“What the? What are you guys talking about? If this is one of your crazy hypotheses, well I’m sorry but that assumption of yours isn’t true.”, Donghae said in response, in a voice that sounded cold and like he was irritated or something.

Ouch.

“Ha ha ha. What are you talking about? Remember I have Jae right now.”, empty words. Words with no meaning. None at all. Saying it for the sake of just saying it, of having something to say in my defence.

“Ugh. Yeah, we totally forgot about that —oh sorry.”, Hyoyeon said, but stopped halfway.

“Oh. Since you mentioned that name again, mind if we ask about what happened in the past?”, Kyuhyun asked.

“What are you thinking, man?! Sorry, Sica. Sometime’s Kyu’s head isn’t functioning well.”, Leeteuk scolded him.

Even Eunhyuk and Siwon slapped Kyuhyun’s head, and made a hissing sound, as if they’re pissed or something.

I gave a soft chuckle before saying, “No. It’s alright, guys. Since, we’re already friends here, might as well be open to you guys, right?”

“ So yeah, as  all of you may know, Jae and I was once in a relationship. You know the things in between. I know you’re familiar with relationships, pssh, Seohyun, you read some books, so you probably know what goes on when you’re in a relationship. And just like happy dreams, it ended, and I woke up. A happy dream turned into a nightmare.”, I coolly said.

“Nightmare?”, they said in unison, and in confusion.

“Because when the dream ended, my life turned into a hellhole.”, I bitterly smiled, thinking of the things I’ve been through and I considered as nightmares.

“Mind if you elaborate the hell you’ve been through?”, said one of the boys, I didn’t bother know who asked it.

And again, I gave a bitter smile. “Well, I became a person I never thought I could become. Can you imagine me being a drunkard? Crazy as it may seem, I became a drunkard. The bar was my second home during those times. After class, I would go directly to the bar and drown myself with alcohol, hoping that intoxicating myself would change something. Bottles and bottles of alcohol line up in front of me every night. Each morning, memories of the previous night would be a blurry image, but as time passes, I also didn’t bother remembering, knowing that it only contained images of me holding a bottle or liquor and getting myself in trouble with guys in the bar. At first, of course, everyone got mad at me because of the things I’ve done. Who wouldn’t? Seeing someone they cared for wasting herself because of a guy who said he didn’t love her even from the beginning. Well, I attended school during those times, but for the reason that if I didn’t attend, I would be in the bar the whole day, probably filling my whole body with alcohol. I became a waste, to make it short.”

“But when did you stop?”

“When?” I paused to think. “Hmm. I stopped when I realized I became a nuisance to my family, and especially to my friends. They witnessed my downfall, and they were there to help me. So thought to myself, why the hell did I have to ruin my life for someone who didn’t care for me, when there are people who truly loves me.”, I said as I smiled to my friends.

“Awww. You weren’t a nuisance to us, why did you think that way about yourself?”, the girls told me.

“So if you may allow me to sum it up, that guy is an @$$h*le. Sorry for the wordings, but that totally fits him.”, Kyuhyun said.

“Wow. Those words coming from a Casanova?”, Tifanny said.

“Well, if you may also allow me to explain. Yes, we’re Casanovas, but we never hurt the feelings of the girls we flirt with. From the start, even without us telling them, they already knew what they’re up against. Unlike this guy we’re talking about, he left Sica hanging with promises, if I’m correct.”, Siwon paused, looking at me for confirmation, so I gave him a nod in response. And he continued, “ Making her believe that his feelings for her was real, but ended up telling her that he never once had a feeling of love for her. And now, he’s back, and once again, telling her about his so-called feelings. We never once made the girls hang on to words that aren’t true. We never made them assume, and ended up hurting them. Simple as that.”

“So if may again sum up, we’re playing a game, and they volunteered to play with us.”, and again, Kyuhyun concluded.

“The words ‘heartbreakers’ and ‘casanovas’ aren’t the same thing, ya know.”, Eunhyuk said in defence to his friends.

“Thank you for making that clear to us.”, Hyoyeon said.

“Isn’t is supposed to be Sunny to be in the hot seat right now? Why did I end up sitting in it, doing all the answering? Hahaha.”, I said just to lighten up the heavy, tensed atmosphere.

“Come to think of it, yeah. Hahaha.”, they said, and laughed.

“But before we go back to interviewing, I have one last question to Sica. If you may allow me to ask.”, Leeteuk said, as he seem to be asking my permission to ask.

“Shoot it.”

“Do you still have feelings for that jerk?”

That question made my mind fall into a whirlpool of thoughts.