Always

She hates the main hallway the most. Just a big straight aisle with little options of alternative routes. And also happens to be the students' gathering point, which make it the potluck of rumors and gossips alike.

Mina takes a little breath, trying to calm the uneasiness crawling beneath her skin and quelch in her stomach. She clenches her eyes shut for a second and starts walking the moment she opens it.

“Is it her?” It always starts like this. A questioning remark of a person who is just curious and not actually care.

“Yeah, that’s her.” And another person who just loves to talk about someone else to distract themselves from their boring life.

“Wow, the pretty one like that scares me. You truly will never know what is going on beneath person’s appearance,” another voice not so subtly chimes in.

“Yeah, yeah, I heard that she just goes back to school like nothing happened.”

Mina keeps her stare to the floor. Her shoulder-length hair makes a good shield between the outside world and herself. 

She thought it would be easier, that the hurt would lessen by time, but she realizes it now that it is her who is going to be more accepting of the hurt, yet that doesn’t make it any better either.

“Seriously, I think people who have time to talk nonsense about other people should be given more lecture about time management,” Jaehyun falls in step beside her.

“Don’t worry about them people with nothing else to do,” Ten, coming to her other side,  deliberately raises his voice for the gossiping students to hear. “Wanna have lunch?” he nudges her with his elbow.

Mina flinches, and Ten feels a prick in his chest. Never he thought that his touch will be so hurtful to Mina. Never he wishes.

“I think you should let her alone this time, Ten,” Jaehyun whispers behind her back.

Ten sighs, “You have to eat, okay?”

Mina succeeds to nod and look at the boy briefly so Ten is feeling convinced enough to let her be.

“He only tries his best, though,” Jaehyun adds when the girl went past him.

--

Walking home used to be one of her favorite things to do because she could spend it chatting and saying hi to the people of the town.

She can’t do that now, not when speaking seems so hard, let alone facing the people whom she knows all her life probably having a pitiful or a disagreeing expression when seeing her.

“Mr. Jang’s store isn’t that crowded today,” unlike Mina who keep staring at the ground, Jaehyun cranes his head to see the inside of the town's favorite store while walking beside her.

He always walks home with her, so he does it today, even though the girl isn’t paying attention to him.

“See you tomorrow,” Jaehyun says to Mina’s back, who isn’t answering him.

Mina is also not answering her mom’s warm, “Oh your home!” and goes straight to her room where she spends all her time. She wants to be alone, but her house is not that big. The conversation of her parents in the living room carries off to her ears no matter how she try not to care.

“Still the same,” her mom answers her father who just got back from work and asking about his daughter.

“Shall we just really consider moving her out?” That piques Mina’s attention enough to make her eavesdrops the conversation through her door.

“And go where? Hm? How about your work?” Her mom’s response deflates Mina’s anticipation. 

She leans to the door, hearing her father concerns, “Do her peers still-”

“Yeah, her counselor teacher texted me this afternoon,” her mother sighs, even without seeing her Mina can picture her rubbing her temple.

“He’s a good one,” her father acquiesces. Mr. Chansung is a hardworking counselor, Mina agrees, even though she still yet to respond well to him.

“That is why I don’t want her to move school yet. There is no guarantee that she will have peace-”

“But the gossip by her peers-”

“It’s possible that because she hasn’t opened up yet. The counselor told me that she barely speak to anyone, save for maybe Te-”

“But all of that will keep reminding her of the incident,” her father's tone makes the somber mood heavier.

“All things will reminds her of the incident, honey,” her mother’s sad voice doesn’t lessen the truth of her words.

The sound of chair scrapes the floor is Mina’s cue to bolt to her bed and throws herself on it, pretending to be asleep.

But a mom’s instinct pierces through both tangible and intangible matters.

Mina’s mom opens the door and proceeds to sit on her bed.

“How are you doing today, sweetheart?” 

Mina gulps and moving farther away from her, eyes till tight shut.

“I heard a little about what is going on school…” her mother tries again.

“Going back here is a mistake,” Mina says lowly before holding back a sob. 

Her mother sighs, “There is no bad and good move in this, darling,” Mina’s mother pats her daughter’s soft black hair. “There is no easy way either”

She then pull her daughter to a big hug which the latter succumbs into, “You only have to tend for your heart and face life for yourself. It’s okay, I’ll be here.”

A tear escapes Mina’s eye, the eyes that are still looking intently at the photo framed in her vanity.

Her, in the middle of Ten and Jaehyun.

The most comfortable yet dilemmatic position she always has been in.

--

Mina waits by the school gate, chatting with several students.

“Woops, there is your bodyguard no. 1,” one of the girls pipes up when looking behind Mina’s shoulder.

Mina looks back to see Jaehyun walking up to them.

“Why are you so fast?” He complains when he reaches her.

“She won’t be going anywhere, ew,” one of the girls teases him. Jaehyun just laughs a little.

“Let’s go,” Mina starts to walk to the direction of their home after bidding her friends goodbye.

“Wait, aren’t you waiting for Bodyguard No. 2?” her friend asks cheekily.

“He’s having a dance practice!” Mina shouts while looking back.

When she turns back to front, she caught Jaehyun staring at her with funny expression.

“What?” Mina asks while laughing awkwardly.

“I’m bodyguard number 1 while Ten is number 2?” Jaehyun asks, a little smile playing on his lips.

Mina gives him a deadpan expression before deciding to play along, “Don’t tease me. Ten is buying me an ice cream tomorrow, he will be number 1.”

“But currently I am number 1, right?” Jaehyun puffs his chest. “I can brag about it to Ten.”

“You are ridiculous,” Mina shakes her head.

“You are too.” Jahyun replies back.

“What are you? Kindergartener?” Mina pulls a face before changing completely when they are passing a little store, “Hello Mr. Jang!”

“Oo, Mina! Where is Ten?” Mr. Jang warmly replies back.

“Dance practice!” Jaehyun answers instead while bowing a little. “Have a nice day, Mr. Jang.”

“Tell your mother that the tomatoes will be delivered tomorrow okay?” the older man shouts when the kids walk further from the store.

“No need, Mr. I’ll pick it up tomorrow!” Jaehyun bows again while walking backward.

“Just tell him that you are expecting a free snack,” Mina sticks her tongue when he falls in step with her again.

“What are you? Kindergarteners?” earning laugh from her, making a smile forms on his face.

“No, don’t you see I grow up already”

“Ew no, you still are short like back then.”

--

“Why the hell I have to know how to count the density of something if I am gonna dance for a living?” Ten whines. His heavy book heaved above his head.

“You look ridiculous,” Jaehyun retorts while Ten is making weird movement like he is in a 80s disco hall, book still balanced on his head.

Mina who is sitting separated by one empty chair tries to stifle a smile.

“Look who’s smiling,” Jaehyun’s wide smile is a deep contrast to Mina’s tiny little one.

“Nope, you can’t smile, it means my cool dance move is ridiculous,” Ten makes a wave with his arms, “Fun fact, it is not ridiculous.”

“You’re an idiot, Ten,” Jaehyun shakes his head.

Mina’s smile grows a fraction more. Ten is ecstatic and keep making weird but cool moves with his shoulders.

Three of them laughing under their breath when the book suddenly slides down to Ten’s face.

“You know a self-study session means a self-study session right?” a girl's voice is heard from a few seats apart of them.

“That’s cold,” Ten clutches his chest.

“Yeah,” another student turns back to look at them, “How can you guys laughing in a time like thi-”

“I thought in self-study session, every each of us should be minding their own business unless for the necessary things,” the first girl who reprimanded Ten fires another shot at the student.

The student clams up, turning back to the front while mumbling, “Freaks.”

The girl tsk-ed, clearly heard the student.

Ten is just agape, “So, whose side are you on, then?”

The girl, not taking her concentration off her book, just stated curtly, “Everyone should realize their place in the time that they’ve been given.”

Mina just blinks at her, Ten slits his eyes, and Jaehyun’s eyebrows rise up.

“I don’t know if it’s just me, but I feels like she just quoted a very cheesy sci-fi movie,” Ten whispers cautiously and going back to his book before the girl reprimand him again.

Mina wants to laugh. She really does. But she just cannot bring herself too. It is weird when she used to love things that make her laugh.

--

“Look at your face!” Mina’s hearty laughs makes a good harmonization with Ten’s cheeky ones.

“Aren’t I beautiful?” Ten poses in an exaggerated feminine poses in front of the mirror while Mina tries to stop hurting her stomach by laughing.

“Hey why are you-OH MY GOOD GOD!” Jaehyun shrieks when he enters the room. “What are you wearing-what happen to your face?” He tries to balance himself as to not spilling up the ice water on the bowl he carries.

“It’s called make-up, Jaehyun,” Mina teasingly informs him in the middle of her giggles. “A costume make-up,” Mina adds when Jaehyun keeps staring at the black wings around Ten’s eyes and the burgundy color on his lips in shock.

Ten makes a decent twirl, playing with the black tutu he wears and pose again, “I’m a Black Swan, you see. I’m gonna substitute for Mina.”

Jaehyun just shakes his head off in a futile attempt to unsee Ten. He opts to do the things he came for instead, “Leg,” he asks Mina after sitting on the end of the bed she lays on.

Mina raises her left leg, her painful expression is mixed with another laugh when Ten tries to do split on her carpet.

“Keep that up and you will be the one needing this compress, Ten,” Jaehyun snorts while putting the cold cloth carefully on Mina’s ankle. “Sorry,” Jaehyun mutters when Mina lets out a little “Ouch.”

“I can do a perfect split! What are you talking about?” Ten proves it by doing a very graceful split plus a flair.

“Yes, yes we can see that, Mr. Dancer,” Mina claps mockingly.

“Glad you can see that, Ms. Dancer,” Ten gives a bow like he just finished a show.

“If both of you dancers keep hurting yourself like you guys do, I might as well be a doctor,” Jaehyun adds while slowly applying pain relief gel on Mina’s ankle.

“You have the brain and talent do to do that already,” Mina remarks, her leg feels immensely better with Jaehyun’s treatment.

Jaehyun’s ears getting red of the unexpected compliment. Mina is ready to about it when Ten dramatically cut her off.

“You gonna have to go the city to train to be one, right? Don’t worry, I’ll also be in the city as a trainee too. Mina also gonna be the ballerina in a city company. We all gonna be together in the city yeaaah,” Ten does a little dance totally not fitting the tutu he wear.

Mina cracks up again when a wet cold cloth got thrown on Ten’s face. And keep giggling seeing him and Jaehyun bickers. With her two childhood friends like this, a sprained ankle doesn’t feel as painful as it should be.

--