Ch. 5 - 

This day couldn't get worse. I lost my gift for Jinny, her friends thinks that I'm a clown and weird, Jaewon doesn't talk to me and my mom is slightly off of her daily self. She got scolded at work that she doesn't do her job properly, that she isn't focused on her work and if that happens again they will fire her. She was crying for the whole afternoon with Mr. Jung cheering her up, but it didn't look like it helped at all. I hate seeing my mom cry. It's the worst thing there is for me.

We're sitting in the living room. Jaewon on my right spread at the left wing of the couch, doing something on his phone with a emotionless expression. He looks like he is the ice king or what... the egoist brat! My mom is sewing something for her job, her glasses on and she seemed like she stabbed her finger again, for the tenth time already. Mr. Jung looks uneasy. He is switching and scrolling through TV channels like there's no tomorrow and nothing seems to fit his taste. I only got glimpses of every channel and it is a lot of pictures. He looked at his watch and sighed, switched off the TV and now his is standing up with difficult groan.

"It's bed time boys, wash up and bed" he says and puts the remote control on the coffee table, leaving to go to the kitchen.

Jaewon didn't even budge! He was still replying on Facebook while his father spoke and he didn't seem to even hear anything from what he has just said. I stood up right away and wouldn't let that brat be disrespectful towards his own father. If I can obey him, he has to!

"Jaewon, it's bed time" I informed him in a calm voice first, hoping he would just gasp in surprise, apologize and leave, but no. He was much more of a butthole. He ignored me completely and just frowned at the screen of his phone. "Jaewon, your father said-" he suddenly looked at me, the stare actually scaring me a bit as I stepped back.

"Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?" he snorted and with the most unbelievable undertone of anger and attitude he barked at me.

"Jung Jaewon!" Mr. Jung scolded him from the kitchen, having in mind to continue, but Jaewon was much smarter to let it pass. He jumped to his feet and pushed me aside, making me stumble and fall on the cushion of the couch. Thankfully it wasn't painful at all, but the sight of him... yeah it hurt my eyes to see him like this. My mom tried to stand up to speak to him, but she ended up putting her work aside and hurriedly tried to walk up to me and ask if I'm alright. Mr. Jung also wanted to stop his son first, but after Jaewon rushed up the stairs he gave up with an angry look and walked over to us and put his hand on my shoulder, squatting in front of me. "Are you alright, Samuel?" he asked and as I nodded he smiled lightly and helped me stand up.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked both of them, but they just looked at each other.

"He has a hard time dealing with some things you know" Mr. Jung said and patted me on the shoulder smiling really lightly. "Go to wash up, tomorrow you have school" he said and sent me off as I nodded my head. Mom only reached up and brushed her hand against mine and looked at me worriedly, but I smiled at her. 

After washing up, mom came up to my room. She was still not satisfied with the empty room with one wardrobe, one bed and one bedside table where I kept my phone and you, dear dairy. She sat on the end of my bed, started folding my uniform on her lap and smiling pitifully at it. She didn't say a word and that was what made me even more concerned about her state. What was going on with her?

"Mom... is anything bothering you?" I asked, carefully not to piss her off or something possibly common to those lines. She sighed and looked at me motherly.

"Everything is fine... I'm just concerned about the wedding" she said and placed her hands on her lap, on top of the folded uniform. "Not everyone seems to be as excited as I am" she sighed.

"Mr. Jung?" I asked in a small voice, secretly hoping it wasn't him, because that would mean that he hurt my mom, and I was starting to get used to him. 

"No, goodness no" she quickly protested and shook her head. She put the clothes aside on the end of the bed where I usually have my outfits if not still in my trunks. She scooted over to me and put her hand over my blanket covered knees. "It's Jaewon" she said, making me raise my eyebrows lightly. 

"What did he do?" I asked instantly, blood boiling inside of me. She sighed and tried to show me not to be so worked up by it, but I knew it was making her upset. 

"He... He lost his mother recently and I assume it is too soon for him to accept the fact that his father moved on" she spoke up, opened to my opinion and she didn't try to hide it from me or anything, what made me kind of proud. "He calls me an intruder and a home wrecker and it hurts me a lot, because the only thing I really want now-"

"Is to get married" I answer for her, but she cut me off.

"No, no... The only thing I really want is to befriend him. I know he will never accept me as his mother, but at least respect me a little" she said and smiled lightly, trying to hide her tears in her eyes forming for sure. "I just want to befriend him at least get used to each other, but he won't let me even get close to him."

"Is this what is upsetting you?" I asked to make sure I got things right.

"Don't mind it, sweetheart. This is a thing adults should solve themselves" she said and with that, she my hair and kissed my forehead good night. "I love you, Samuel" she whispered before she left my room, turning off the lights and closing my door. 

Now I'm writing this after she left with my bedside lamp lit up and it hurts my eyes a little. So she is sad because Jaewon is acting like a jerk towards her and that he is not comfortable with her as his mom? I understand that it must be hard to lose your mom, because I can't imagine what would I do without her, I would probably not want to live neither with my dad maybe with my grandparents only. Jaewon is probably pissed at his father, because he thinks that he cheated on his passed away mom, but that's not true. They both are happy with each other and Jaewon must understand that his mom wouldn't want Mr. Jung to be sad. If that's what it takes to be happy, she would be happy for him too. Jaewon should be too...

Jinny's gift was found. Dino came complaining that he saw the same box yesterday in the bully classroom, that means Jaewon's class. It was on top of a cabinet and the short boy he was, not that I was any taller, but he couldn't reach it and he was already late for his dance class.

I made a plan. I woke up early today and called Vernon to meet me at the school gates in ten minutes. I asked Mr. Jung to take me, he first questioned why I was going so early, but I told him I had to tutor a classmate and he agreed. How nice, eh? So advancing to my plan, we will ask the cleaning lady to unlock their class room, playing on her motherly feels, telling her that a boy stole something precious to me and shed a tear if it's worth it and she will unlock the class I will take the box, leave, bury it, burn it, drown it anything, but it cannot get into Jinny's hands. NO!

Vernon was waiting me there, freezing his toes off because it was almost snowing that morning. I said my farewell to Mr. Jung and rushed to Vernon, forcing him through the gates, so my step-father won't get suspicious. We both first arrived to our class room and took our coats and beanies off, sharing the plan I made, Vernon agreeing. But there was a glitch a little tiny problem. 

WHAT THE HELL WAS DOING JAEWON AT SCHOOL ALREADY?

He was there even sooner than we and we arrived pretty soon ourselves. I asked Vernon if he saw him come in he said no. But why? He hated school and he would come late everyday if possible.

We rushed out of the classroom right after I saw him passing by our classroom. He was holding something and sighing and huffing above it as he walked. There was also the senior girls at the school yard, they were sitting on the benches with the blankets on so they won't be cold, probably waiting for their classmates to come. It was Suzy sitting there and... Natty... Jinny's best friend. She saw me yesterday with the same exact box Jaewon is holding now.

"!" I spat and started running down the hall to stop Jawon.

"Sam!" Vernon yelled after me, and tried to stop me, but it was too late.

I cannot embarrass myself this much, and not in front of the two of them. And plus, what will Suzy think if Natty tells her that box was mine and Jaewon stole it? She will never again want to see Jaewon nor want to talk to him. And that's a cruel destiny even for my enemy...

"Won... Jaewon" I tried to catch his attention while rushing after him, but he didn't seem to hear me or just ignored me. I was running out of breath and I had to look for another way to stop him. I looked to the side and saw the other staircase that lead down to the ground floor and I decided to take those stairs, instead of those Jaewon was going to take. I jumped down the stairs, skipping few of them and even stumbling over the last one, almost twisting my ankle, but I couldn't care less. "Stop!" I yelled as I saw Jaewon's back in front of me. He must've heard me, because he slowly turned around with raised eyebrows. I didn't know what to do now. Tell him, stop him, but how?

I kept on running and saw the horror in Jaewon's eyes as it finally happened. I ran into him. I kncoked him over, landing straight on top of him and the thud following the accident meant, that Jaewon hit his head hard. He deserved it. 

"Ouch! What's wrong with you?!" Jaewon started yelling at me and scolding me as I was lying on top of him and propping myself up on my hands. I was half of his height yet I could knock him over, how good am I feeling right now?

"You... can't...give that... to Suzy" I panted and tried to send a message to Jaewon through my eyes so the girls won't hear us at all.

"What are you talking about?"

"The box is mine and it was meant for someone else... and her friend that is sitting with Suzy right now, she saw it" I explained myself and my eyes were darting from one eye to the other. Jaewon's eyes though, they were trying to focus on something, but they couldn't stop from strolling around my face. Left eye, lips, right eye, lips, neck, lips- what?! "Are you even listening?" I asked and grabbed him by the collar trying to shake him. 

"Yeah, dufus! Get off" he said and pushed me away with his hand across my collar and chest, sitting up and making me sit back on my heels. "So it would be a fail?"

"Big fail... You would be hated forever for stealing that from me and I would be embarrassed for a life if Natty saw it and told it to Jinny" with that example of future, Jaewon grabbed a hold of his face and rubbed his palms on his face.

", , " he repeated making my ears sting from the sharp words. "What am I going to do now?" he gave me a clueless look.

"What? Why? Buy her a present yourself and give it to her later?" I suggested.

"You don't understand... We have to meet on those benches in like ten minutes and I told her I have a favor to ask" he said and pulled on his hair. "What am I gonna do now? I can't let her wait there for me" he said and slowly turned his head around to look at the direction of the closed door leading to the school's yard.

I bit my lower lip, thinking how could I help him and that was when it hit me perfectly. I stood up and took a hold of the box that flew a few inches away from us and opened it. I pulled out the plush I put in there and closed it quickly before Jaewon could see what was inside. Did he really not look inside before he was going to give something to Suzy? How thoughtless.

"Here, give that to her and ask for the favor" I handed it over to Jaewon and slightly fixed his hair a little so he won't look like a psycho. He stared at me for a moment, probably taken aback for my kindheart after yesterday, but what can I do? I can't let him suffer such a failure. I walked away and saw Vernon with a horrified look on his face. I put a shoulder over his shoulders and pulled him away to leave the scenery.