“Kookie! Kookie! Jungkook, wake up!”

I jolted awake, still screaming. You were looking at me, looking frightened. “Shhhh. It’s okay, Kookie, you’re okay, you’re fine,” you whispered. No, I’m not. I’m not okay, I’m not fine. I curled into a ball. You reached out a hand. You gently wiped my cheek. I looked away. “Do… do you want to tell me what happened?” you asked timidly. I shook my head.

I had that nightmare so often. I hated it. I didn’t like going to sleep for fear of that memory. But, that had to be a lie, right? It was fake, just a cruel trick played by my mind.

“I… I had nightmares too,” you whispered. “My friend did too. He told me to try to remember that if I wasn’t dead, then I was coping. He told me to remember that tomorrow’s a new day.” You looked at the clock. “I suppose today.” I smiled.

“Your friend seems like a good person,” I said softly. A look of pain and regret flashed over your face. You looked down and smiled sadly.

“Yeah…,” you whispered. “He is…” You turned and looked at me. I touched my throat. It hurt. You stood in silence for a few moments. “You should get back to sleep,” you muttered after a while. “We have classes today.” I nodded and snuggled into the blankets.

“Good night, Tae,” I said.

“Good night, Kookie.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Jungkook?” Jieun whispers. She makes her way over from her room down the hall to my room. She’s clutching Adelaide against her chest. I sit up in bed.

“Yeah?” I mutter, rubbing my eyes. “What’s wrong?”

She whimpers and holds out an arm. There’s a ring of bruises around her wrist in the unmistakable shape