Krystal pt.I - The Return
Chasing Rainbows
Krystal looked at herself in the photo on her phone, the girl smiling back a different girl than the one who stood here now. The girl in the photo with her girly style, cherry red hair and green contact lens was long gone, now replaced by a blonde-haired beauty with dark eyeliner, and a mature, dark academia aesthetic. Everything about her was different on the outside - whether or not she'd changed on the inside was anyone's guess. She expected some drastic changes to have happened to the town she grew up in, yet it all still had that essence of familiarity that made her continue to even call it home. As she got into her car and drove her way to school early, she felt a strange sense of distant nostalgia as she drove through streets she'd hadn't driven down in so long.
Yet no amount of inner strength could prepare her for the walk through school. Through hallways she once walked down as Queen B, she now felt like a stranger, the whispers of other students around her not doing much to settle her nerves.
"No way - it's Krystal!
"Where was she?"
"I heard she went to boarding school in America!"
"I heard she got kicked out of school in Seoul."
"No, she was doing car commercials - in Japan."
It both amused her to hear the various rumours that had been floating around about her since she'd been gone. Krystal didn't know whether or not to be flattered that people were still talking about her. Yet she steeled her strength, keeping her head high and face straight as she walked through the school hallway - only to stop dead in her tracks at the sight of Chanyeol.
There he was, a big, goofy giant flailing his arms in the air as he spoke animatedly with Luhan besides their lockers. Krystal's heart near enough stopped in her chest as she saw him, her stomach threatening to drop to the floor at the sound of his voice.
Leaving Chanyeol was always the worst part about leaving town - he was almost the only thing that made her stay. But it was out of her hands - Krystal had to leave, or risk everything getting out, and the horrible truth break free. Even if that meant leaving Chanyeol and getting her heart broken in the process.
Seeing him here was like seeing him for the first time, and ignited a silly, giddy child-like excitement in Krystal that a year in a strict boarding school had all but stamped out - but she had to remain calm.
Steeling her resolve once again, Krystal confidently walked over to Chanyeol, Luhan's eyes immediately widening in shock as he saw her before she tapped on his shoulder.
"It's nice to see you again Chanyeollie," Krystal smiled, using her childhood pet-name for him for the first time in almost a year.
Chanyeol, however, didn't seem so thrilled by this as he turned to look at her, immediately dropping his books to the floor, his face sheet white.
"No? Not a hello? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Krystal smirked playfully. She fought to ignore the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears.
"Wh- what do you want?" Chanyeol stuttered, still gawking at Krystal, his jaw practically on the floor.
Shrugging, Krystal replied, "I wanted to finish highschool with all of my friends."
"What do you want." Chanyeol said, this time with gritted teeth, his eyes dancing with an intense fury that made Krystal feel slightly sad.
"I also wanted to see my childhood sweetheart,"
"I'm fine. Good riddance. Goodbye." Chanyeol sighed, before reaching to pick up his book and tend to his open locker beside Luhan.
"What're you doing here, Krystal?" Luhan groaned. He'd since ditched the sandy hair, going for made-up brown locks, whilst continuing to wear his athletic Letterman jackets. Krystal wondered briefly what Luhan had been up to this year.
Krystal smirked as she looked over Luhan, "My dear Luhan - you've gotten more muscular since we last saw each other."
"Save it, Krystal," Luhan spat, "You've chosen a bad time to make your appearance."
This piqued Krystal's curiosity, "Is that so?"
Yet neither boy seemed prepared to elaborate, as both of them practically had their faces buried in their locker. Krystal knew she'd have better luck getting information elsewhere.
"I best go find out what's going on here in that case," Krystal smirked, "I'll see you boys later."
As she walked down the hallway and towards the office, Krystal released a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding, her clenched fists now sweaty at her sides. Relief was an understatement for how she was feeling right now. Seeing Chanyeol was always going to be the most painful of reunions, but she was glad to have gotten it out of the way first. Even if it uncovered old wounds.
While her transfer papers were being processed, Krystal sat on the uncomfortable chair in the school office, pondering what had just transgressed between her and her ex-boyfriend. He'd looked different, more sure of himself, confident and alive with a buzz that was beyond what he was like before. Yet the smell that clung to him and the faint redness in his eyes suggested that Chanyeol's affinity for weed had apparently heightened since she'd left.
I wonder what other vices have been unlocked in everyone since I left...
Krystal wondered if Chanyeol had even bothered looking at the birthday card she'd sent him December, or whether or not he'd done something melodramatic like burned it or shredded it. That would've been completely on-brand for a Sagittarius like Chanyeol. She thought back to what she'd written in the card, so much feeling put into a few lines of writing, yet at the same time concealing so much more of everything else she felt still even now. But the image of him destroying it hurt Krystal more than she thought it would, so she forced it out of her mind altogether for now.
After getting her transfer confirmed and her timetable handed over, Krystal prepared herself for the next big encounter - only to pause outside of the office, where the school's trophy cabinet stood.
She eyed photos of past students with a mild curiosity. One photograph showed her sister Jessica years ago, posing with her friends Taeyeon and Tiffany as they all donned cheerleading outfits; the friendship between those three was the very friendship that allowed Krystal to meet both Amber and Chanyeol. One photo showed a Junior Prom court with the Queen Yoona, and King Jaejoong; Krystal remembered Jessica talking about what a heartthrob Jaeejoong was, how he was the ideal partner for every girl at school since he had to look after his younger brother and sister outside of school; she also remembered seeing how heartbroken Yoona had been when Jaejoong had left to join the military the moment he turned 18. She wondered what happened to him and his younger siblings once he left town. One photo showed an old Soccer team captain called Siwon surrounded by various cheerleaders as he held up the district cup; Krystal remembered the way Luhan and the boys used to idolise Siwon in middle school, and wondered how far the boys were from that fantasy. Another photo showed Krystal and Irene in their Junior year, all in their cheerleading uniforms, standing alongside the now-famous Seohyun - Krystal couldn't help but at scoff at the memory of her's and Irene's past friendship, not to mention their old captain who was an international supermodel.
Yet the photo that sent inescapable shivers down Krystal's spine, was a photo of last year's soccer team, in the middle of which stood a beaming Xiumin.
Krystal's body went cold at seeing his face, so happy and full of life, life which had since been tragically snuffed out. The mere sight of him brought back painful memories to Krystal's mind; the sight of the body in the swimming pool, the sense of dread at realising what had happened, the car speeding off in the distance, the wailing of sirens that had arrived soon after, the fire that everyone had stood around before the wake, the promise that they'd all made back then, and the lie that Krystal carried on her lone shoulders to this day.
A tear escaped Krystal's eye, near-burning her face as it fell slowly down her cheek. Guilt hung heavy in her gut, painful almost, as more tears threatened to fall. Unable to bear looking at this photo any longer, Krystal quickly scampered away, away from the memory, away from the pain and away from the guilt that she continued to carry to this day. She couldn't crumble on her first day back in Town - she still had so much to do.
She found herself in the auditorium; so many memories of hours spent in here, practicing for school musicals or helping Chanyeol with his recitals, the memories of which were enough to dull Krystal's despair, yet only replaced her feeling with a slightly less bitter one.
Seeing Kyungsoo in here was hardly surprising - but the guy he was with was someone Krystal did not expect to see. The two of them stood over the piano pouring over sheet music, stood close like two people that moved as one. Krystal wanted to say something witty to surprise her dear friend, yet the auditorium door slamming shut behind her spoiled that plan.
Looking like he'd seen a ghost, Kyungsoo dropped his pen, eyes widening in that creepy way that only Kyungsoo did, before appearing in front of Krystal in a flash.
"Yah! How the hell did you get over here so fast?" Krystal pulled a face. As far as she was concerned, she'd never seen Kyungsoo run for anything for as long as she'd known him.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Kyungsoo exclaimed, the excitement practically jumping out of him as he stood there, a bundle of joy before he clamped Krystal into a death-grip hug.
"Going to hospital for bruised ribs now..." Krystal grumbled after she'd convinced Kyungsoo to let go of her.
"Seriously, what're you doing here?" Kyungsoo asked her, assertive this time. Clearly he also had some reservations about her return, let alone the fact she'd taken off so abruptly last year in the first place. She couldn't blame him.
Krystal looked at him for a moment; he, too seemed to carry himself with more confidence, yet there was some sadness in his eyes that Krystal couldn't quite put her finger on, not to mention the hideous wool sweater he wore. Kyungsoo was clearly yet another person who'd changed in her absence.
"I'm back," she shrugged.
"You realise exams are like a few months away, right?"
"I got my credits transferred. Besides, I want to finish what I started with you guys." she smiled wickedly, "Who's this?" she nodded to the guy now making his way over to them.
"I'm his boyfriend, Kai," he smirked whilst Kyungsoo smiled sheepishly. Kai was begrudgingly handsome to say the least, and obviously every bit the extrovert that Kyungsoo wasn't.
He looks like he should be on a Gucci ad, not in this dump.
"So you finally came out to your parents?" Krystal smiled. She was the first person he'd ever told about his uality, a secret she carried up until this day - seeing him happy and comfortable in this way made coming back worthwhile already.
Nodding, a big grin immediately making its way onto his face, Kyungsoo explained how supportive and welcoming his parents had been, especially since Kai was also a performer. This warmed Krystal's heart even more.
"Have you seen Amber? I didn't tell her about me being here either." Krystal frowned, feeling somewhat guilty about not getting in touch with her old best friend sooner.
But the looks that appeared on the boys' faces, and the looks that they exchanged with one another, told Krystal that something was wrong.
"I think...I think you should call her." Kyungsoo said carefully, "She's not coming into school."
"Well do you know when she will be?"
"Trust me. You need to call her."
*
Krystal hoped that her reunion with her best friend would be one full of hugs and tears of joy; a reunion of two lifelong best friends, two girls with similar backgrounds who'd clung to one another in an unfamiliar country as little kids, a momentous occasion where they finally grew up and got to complete this coming of age journey together.
What she had most certainly not anticipated, was that she would come to storm through the hallways, ready to murder whoever got in her way, her rage a dark coldness that spread through her like a snowstorm, as if she was a demon bringing the darkest storm of winter.
In that moment she was back to her old self, the most extreme version of that self, all angst and rage. The students nearby looked at her with a mix of both fear and wonder as this apparently old sight played out in front of them. The Ice Princess returning. When Krystal was angry, anything was possible - even Hell could freeze over. And right now, Byun Baekhyun was headed straight there.
Storming up to him as he stood by his locker (was he really reading a book?), Krystal grabbed onto his jacket, throwing him against the locker with a force she didn't even know she had in her. He collided with his locker with a loud bang!
"OW! Nice to see you too Krystal!" he exclaimed as his book clattered to the floor and he rubbed the back of his head in pain.
Krystal grabbed his backpack from the ground, slinging it at him square in the chest, "You idiot! Just how many IQ points have you lost since I left?! JUVIE?!"
"Can you stop?!" he shouted back, cowering away ever so slightly as something close to fear showed in his face.
Krystal huffed. Calm, she told herself, forcing herself to hold back on the assault - for now. A younger student stood nearby, blatantly eavesdropping as he stood watching them wide-eyed, a video-camera in his hands, aimed right at them.
Baekhyun called out, "Moon Taeil, if you show anyone that footage of what just happened I swear-"
"You just got out of prison!" this Moon Taeil, pointed out like a know-it-all as he continued to hold his camera up, "Technically you can't do anything, and I'll have evidence-"
Yet Krystal had no patience for this kid, "SCRAM! You do not want to get on the bad side of a girl who just got out of military school!" she glared at him.
Apparently that threat did the trick; 'Moon Taeil' shut off his camera and scuttled away down the hall.
Hoping that Baekhyun was too embarrassed to notice exactly what Krystal just said, she turned back to him, "You have to tell me everything."
"As long as you don't beat me to a pulp..." Baekhyun mumbled before shutting his locker and picking up his things from the floor.
It proved incredibly difficult to remain patient as Krystal led Baekhyun somewhere quiet. The information she'd received made her blood boil, her head swim with all sorts of thoughts and ideas, none of it seeming to subside, dread only seeming to set in even more. She needed to get to the bottom of things ASAP.
"Wha- what is this place?" Baekhyun asked, his voice a mix of shock and disgust as he looked around them.
Krystal was not impressed, "It's the library."
Baekhyun on the other hand, looked too impressed, "Every day really is a school day."
After settling in a corner of the library where she knew they wouldn't be disturbed, Krystal ordered him to speak.
"What can I say other than how everything got really ed up?"
"More ed up than when I left?"
Baekhyun sent her a sour look, "You're the one who ran off and left us to clean it all up."
Krystal merely rolled her eyes at this, "Get to the point, please."
"Eugh, where do I even begin?" Baekhyun groaned, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck as he paced the corner, "Things got bad. We all did. Chanyeol got addicted to weed. Kris got addicted to everything else. Luhan got addicted to working out. I uh- well...not sure what to even say about me to be honest."
"Amber told me you got into those dodgy fights at the Solstice - that true too?"
Baekhyun nodded in guilt.
"I can't believe this!" Krystal threw her hands in the air, "You really don't remember when Minho got put in the hospital after one of those fights when we were in Middle School?"
"Well," Baekhyun smirked, "Unlike him I've never lost a fight."
"You must be so proud," Krystal smiled sarcastically.
"None of us were okay!" Baekhyun exclaimed, "How- how could we be? After what happened? Wha- what we did..."
She daren't say it, but Krystal understood completely. She hadn't been the same after last year either...But that wasn't why she'd dragged Baekhyun here.
"What else happened?"
"Well, Irene became the de-facto dictator of the school."
"No surprise there," Krystal scoffed.
"Yeah well, where you were all mind-games and psychological warfare, Irene is pure terror. She made a junior cry the first day back after summer."
"Go figure."
"But then...well, these new kids turned up." a soft smile of sorts made its way onto Baekhyun's face, his eyes going distant at this memory, "Kai's awesome. He's with Kyungsoo, and they're probably the only stable pairing around here. Then there's Sulli. Everything thinks she's weird, I think she's pretty special. I've never met anyone like her. I'm pretty sure Luhan is in love with her."
"He didn't seem like a guy in love when I saw him."
"Yeah but that's because she's staying at the rehabilitation centre," Baekhyun said gravely, almost defensively, "She- she's always had problems eating, but it got really, really bad..."
"Oh God..." Krystal mumbled, seeing what Baekhyun was insinuating with this. She wasn't exactly a stranger to struggles recovery either, "Do you know why?"
A wry smile appeared on Baekhyun's face, his voice bitter, "The biggest plot twist of the year. Kora."
"Let me guess," Krystal sighed, "The girl got in between the guys?"
"It's more complicated than that," Baekhyun explained, "She's more complicated than that. But you're also right. She nearly tore me and Chanyeol apart.
Something close to jealousy panged in Krystal's gut. It was a feeling she hadn't felt in so long, that she almost didn't recognise it. Yet as much as she fought against her better nature, Krystal was, after all, only human. Part of her would always feel protective over Chanyeol.
"She didn't mean to hurt anyone," Baekhyun said as he walked over to the window, gazing out of it thoughtfully, "I get that now. But- well, it drove her away."
"What did?"
"Secrets..." he paused for a moment, his shoulders drooping in a way that made his despair obvious. If Krystal didn't know him better, she might even have mistook this as Baekhyun crying. Yet he never cried. Not once since his mother passed away when he was younger.
"What does she know?"
"N
Comments