Chapter 26

(Hyemi’s POV)

It was 7 at night; I was sitting at the dining table with the other residents at the dorm. Sung Je Ri or better called Jerry, also a male student at the dorm for the first time sat at the table with us. He was probably forced by Mrs. Sang Ri to join.

He didn’t made eye contact with us at all. Is he shy? Does he hate us? I don’t know but I felt uncomfortable sitting beside him. We were waiting for Ahra to return so we can eat dinner together. Zelo told us that she had an appointment, and nothing else.

We were really hungry, just look at Yongguk, he was trying to reach for the hot, tasty-looking chicken wing on the plate but Himchan who was sitting beside him smacked his hand. I laughed softly behind their backs.

Minnie looked worried, her eyebrows raised, she was sweating invisible sweat (seriously) and she was walking in circles at the front door planning to lecture Ahra when she got back. Jiminnie was sitting at the living room, also worrying about Ahra.

Mrs. Sang Ri laid her spoon and fork on the table as she sighs, “If Ahra had return, call for me upstairs.” She was probably worried too or… angry.

Minsuh, a female upper class student went back into her room taking her plate with her.

“Where are you going?” Hara asked her with a strict tone. She didn’t faced Hara but she answered afraid of making Hara unnie angry, “I’m going to eat invisible food in my room.”

I looked down at the empty plate of mine. My stomach growled secretly (now go sing Exo - Growl). Sigh… I was really hungry like the hungry homeless little kid under the bridge of Seoul.

“Where were you?!” Himchan, Yongguk, Jongup, Daehyun, Zelo and Hara unnie stood wanting to see Ahra at the front door.

Himchan noticed Youngjae was slowly reaching his hands for the chicken wing and slapped hardly his hand.

“I had an appointment visiting my mother,” she answered Minnie’s question, politely. I was jumping at the back of the tall audience, wanting to see what was going on. I gave up and sat at the living room with my ears listening carefully to their conversation like a rabbit.

“You’re seeing that old hag?!” Jiminnie crossed. “Who has beaten you to the corner of the room every day?”

“You don’t know her, Jimin. You don’t have the rights to say that!”

“Yeah, maybe I don’t have the rights. But as a friend, I don’t want you to get hurt anymore! Don’t you hate her?”

“No, I don’t hate her! She’s still my moth-!”

“STEPMOTHER, Ahra!” Jiminnie corrected Ahra’s words. I clenched my fist that was on my lap. I noticed that I was trembling. They need to be stopped or else… Their voices became louder and louder... It rings into my ears.

“I don’t think of her like that!”

“Well, you should! A mother wouldn’t want to hurt her daughter like what that old hag did to you!”

I moved to the front, pushing away the others. I looked at Minnie whose hands were trying to push stop Ahra from moving any closer to Jiminnie. “Listen, you! You don’t know her!! You don’t know anything! You’re just an empty-headed IDIOT!” Ahra was raging through Minnie’s hands.

“You’re the IDIOT! No… You’re crazy! You’re blind! Can’t you see what I’m trying to do here!?”

“Nope, I can’t see it. So what if I’m blind… at least I know WHAT’S RIGHT!”

“STOP, please!” Sohyunnie bawled over them. I could see Jimminie’s and Ahra’s eyes were teary, about to cry. I was speechless, scared of what was about to happen next.

I feared the breaking of our friendship that we have built ever since we were little running kids. My body was shaking due to that fear.

Ahra pushed Minnie to the side and walked upstairs to her room, slamming the door.

Jiminnie looked at us with eyes showing anger and guilty at the same time. “You guys can eat without us,” she told us and then left slowly closing the front door, going outside. I thought that Jiminnie’s choice of going outside to clear her mind was better than staying inside her room, sobbing.

“What… just happened?” Jongup spoke leaving us speechless. “Yay! Let’s have dinner now! I’m starving,” Youngjae told us wanting to change the mood.

Minnie nodded after turning to look at Hara unnie, Sohyunnie and Yunnie. They all walked towards the dining table, wanting to forget all that but I know that inside they were still worrying for what just happened. I was still standing at the same spot looking at the stairs and the front door.

I need to comfort one of them.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

KNOCK KNOCK

I opened the door that was luckily unlocked. I entered the room slowly reaching for Ahra who was lying on the bed, sobbing. “Omma~~Don’t cry,” I cheered for her with brows still raised.

“Get out.”

Yup, that hurts me. I sat on the bed not far from her lying body, ignoring her words like usual. I noticed her family photo was on the floor under the bed; I picked it up and stare at the smiling little girl being held by her father with his other hand holding Ahra’s mother by the waist, hugging her. Looking at that photo, made me smile but also clenches my heart reminding those painful days that Ahra had been through.

“You know, Jiminnie didn’t mean her wo-!”

“Everyone says that! You don’t need to make me feel better, Hyemi.”

I frowned as I stared back at the photo in my hands.

“No matter what, Ahra… we’re always here. Jiminnie was only worried about you. She is now feeling guilty, I know.”

After saying those words, I gave her a smile when she peeked at me. She moved closer to me and laid her head on my shoulder, hugging me tightly as she was still crying.

“I know that too,” she said with a shaky voice because of her crying.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

I went downstairs, starving. Ahra fall asleep, tired of crying on my shoulder. Himchan walked towards me with a worried smile on his face, “Is she okay?” I nodded with a smile.

“Let’s eat together?” He asked me. I was surprised to know that he hadn’t eaten dinner yet.

“You haven’t eaten dinner?”

He chuckled cutely, “I was waiting for you.”

I smiled back at him.