3rd Person’s POV

[Sae Young Academy of Arts…September 22, 20XX]

“I have a boyfriend.” everyone stopped and stared at Erika, waiting for her to explode her rants but…she didn’t. Instead, she shrugged and asked calmly.

“Why didn’t you told us after Lei confessed? It could have been the perfect timing.”

“Yeah, but I kind of…forgot that I had a boyfriend for a minute. When I remembered, I didn’t told you because I was afraid of your reaction. I’m really sorry.”

Erika let out a sigh and shook her head. “It’s fine, don’t apologize. I’m not mad. I probably won’t scold you, anyways. You’re in the right age so I don’t mind.”

Anika smiled and sighed in relief, knowing that Erika wasn’t disappointed. However, someone else was. Jeril was disappointed not only with Anika, but also with their leader.

“How could you not scold her? Isn’t that unfair for Lei?”

“Lei is our maknae, she haven’t even debuted yet. That’s why I was worried. But Anika is already 18, she’s capable of making good decisions unlike Lei.”

“Ouch, that hurts.” Lei commented but Jeril ignored it as she continue her rant.

“But it doesn’t mean that you’ll just allow this easily.”

“Why are you being so protective about her anyways? Why don’t you scold her instead?”

Jeril immediately faced Anika with her famous glare, making Anika shudder a little. She cleared and tried to approach the situation calmly.

“It’s fine, Chase. It’s not like I’m really really inlove with him, I just like him. I promise I won’t get hurt like what happened to Lei.”

“It’s not just about getting hurt, Anika.” that made Anika confused.

“Then, what?” Jeril didn’t answer, instead she let out a sigh.

“What’s his name? How old is he? Where does he go to school? Is he good to you? Is he treating you right? Why do you easily forget about him? Doesn’t he contact you?”

“Geez, calm down.” Anika chuckled. “I do contact him, I just easily forget because we have a comfortable relationship. He treats me right and he’s good to me, even though he’s a bit of a bad boy type. He goes to an all-boy school and he’s older than me by 2 years.”

“Name, Anika.” Jeril muttered, obviously losing patience.

“His name is Ivan. Lance--”

“Lance Ivan Park? The one with red streaks in his hair? Has a scar on his eyebrow and left cheek? The one with the wicked grin? Is that him?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Atleast, I think so. Why? Do you know him?”

“Know him?” Jeril let out a sarcastic chuckle. “Ofcourse, I do. He’s…” she stopped. “Do you really have to choose him among the billion people in the world?”

“What’s wrong with him? He treats me nicely, Chase.”

“He’s a freaking gangster, Anika! He’s dangerous! He rules the other side, near his school. He always gets into fight and have a lot of enemies. What the hell are you thinking?”

“I was thinking of giving him a chance. Because even if he’s a gangster, he cared for me. He protected me from a thief. He even fought for my bag. He’s a great person, Chase.”

“No, he’s not. I know him, I really do. You should break up with him, trust me.”

“Jeril…” Erika and Lei looked at each other and felt weird hearing Anika call Jeril with her first name instead of Chase. “Just give him a chance, okay? I promise, he’s a great guy.”

“And isn’t that what we thought about Timothy? Then, he goes and break Lei’s heart.”

“Please don’t drag me into this.”

“Timothy and Ivan isn’t the same. Not everyone is the same, Jeril. Why can’t you see that? Just because you don’t trust anyone, doesn’t mean I don’t too. You’re different!”

Somehow, those words managed to hurt Jeril. Erika and Lei, even Anika, noticed that. They saw how she paused and bite her lips before letting out a sigh.

“I’m just trying to look out for you.”

“By saying things about my boyfriend, who probably isn’t true?”

“Anika.” Erika called, making Anika look at her. She shook her head with an warning look.

“It’s fine, Ked sshi.” Jeril faced Erika for a second and smiled a forced one before facing Anika again. “I don’t care if you believed what I said or not, but those were the truth.”

“Chase--”

“I don’t want to witness another heartbreak again, especially from you. That’s why I tried to persuade you before he breaks your heart. I’m showing to you, to the group, that I care. But if this is what I get for trying…then, I better just stop.”

Jeril was about to walk away when Anika said something to make her stop. “Stop being childish, Chase.”

“You’re the one being childish, Anika. I thought you’re better than that. Why can’t you understand a simple explanation? Lance Ivan Park is going to hurt you, I’m sure of that.”

“You don’t know that, so stop saying things.”

“Oh, please. Stop defending him. You don’t know him well, but I do. I spend most of my life with him, and I can tell you a hundred percent that he’s a wicked and rotten to the core kind of person. He always gets what he wants, even if it’s in an evil way. Trust me…”

“Who…? Who is he to you, Chase?”

“I don’t have to answer that question. And It’s not like you will trust me, anyway.” with that, Jeril turned around completely and started walking away. Erika, who was blocking the way, scooted over with a sad smile, which Jeril mirrored before leaving completely.

“Damn it!” Anika yell. “Why does she have to get so worked up about this? It’s none of her business, right?” she looked at Erika and Lei, who didn’t bother answering. “That’s what I thought. Thanks for the support. It means a lot.” she added sarcastically as she stood up.

Anika walked out of the dorm room but didn’t chase after Jeril, instead she went to the other side. Erika and Lei knew that the two will probably won’t speak for each other for awhile.

The dorm room has a sad atmosphere as Erika and Lei was left alone there. The room was engulped in silence, until Erika’s phone sounded. She went over to grab it in the counter and saw the one calling her was none other than TWICE father figure (Yoo Jeongyeon).

She excused herself and answered the call, then talked to the person in the other line. After a while, she ended the call and grabbed her favorite leather jacket. She wore it over and grabbed her wallet, phone and car keys then proceed to leave the room.

“Are you going to look for them?”

“No, I’ll give them time to cool down. They probably don’t want to be found right now. So, we’ll just have to wait until they come around. If they don’t, we’ll do something.”

“Alright. Then, where are you going?”

“TWICE’s dorm.” Erika muttered as she wore her shoes. “It’s Nayeon unnie’s birthday.” she said with a serious tone. If only Jeril and Anika didn’t have a fight, Lei would be laughing now.

But, no. Because Jeril and Anika just had a fight, and Lei is still worried about that. This was going to be one tough week for them all.

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