Chapter 1.
Please Stay With Me.
Please Stay With Me | Chapter 1
Jessica and I started dashing towards our school's hall for the big basketball game that happens once a year. We were running late because I slept in this morning. After passing like four empty corridors, we finally reached to the hall's entrance doors. Jessica and I took a deep breath and we pushed open a door each. Immediately, all the eyes were on us. Apparently, we came in at the wrong time, the game was almost starting.
I grabbed Jessica by the wrist and quickly pulled her to the front of the crowd, where the commentator was with his microphone, with our school principal and the basketball team's coach sitting beside him. We stood behind their backs. Our basketball team, Monokun Bears were already on the court standing against the other team, Domokuro Lions. Our school lost to them two years in a row.
It was five against five and I could see the boys clearly from my position. Jaejoong, the basketball team's leader of our school, started turning towards my direction. I poked a tongue out at him and he just smirked back, I blushed madly. Suddenly, Jessica pulled on my arm. I turned to her and raised an eyebrow.
"What?" I asked.
"Did you see that?!" she whispered, trying to not get any attention from the other students.
"See what?"
"Jaejoong just smirked at me!" she squealed.
But I thought Jaejoong smirked at me when I poked my tongue out...
Suddenly, the referee blew his loud whistle. He had our school's purple basketball in hand with the two jumpers from both team on the sides of him. Siwon was the jumper on our team. Before I knew it, he threw the basketball up and Siwon softly tapped it to Donghae.
Donghae started dribbling the basketball on the left side of the court and just when the other team's member came rushing up to him, he passed the ball to Jaejoong. Jaejoong ran up to the basketball hoop and did a rebound, it was a goal. It was two points to our team.
Everyone started screaming including Jessica. I wanted to cheer for Jaejoong too but I couldn't, I just softly clapped for him. For almost the entire game, I couldn't concentrate on how the teams were scoring and everything, my eyes were on Jaejoong and I realised something rather strange. I've seen Jaejoong practice basketball before, it was completely different to how he is on the court against this team.
During his trainings, he was strong and fast, not to mention professional too. But now on the court, his enthusiasm was gone. He seem more weak and pressured, and I don't know why.
The commentator kept blabbing on and on about useless things when suddenly, a loud whistle blew. It was time for a break. The boys started walking up to where Jessica and I were, to their coach. As they gather, Jaejoong stood beside me. They were sweating and puffing.
"Okay boys, one more quarter to go. We're leading by four points, we can do this!" their couch shouted.
"MONOKUN BEARS!" Jaejoong, Donghae, Yunho, Siwon and Eunhyuk all cheered together.
All five of the boys started wiping off their sweat with their towels, and drinking water off their bottles. I punched Jaejoong hard on his arm, which he probably think was a weak punch.
"Good luck loser," I said.
"Thanks dummy."
After their five minute break, all the boys went back on the court and was ready to finish the last fifteen minutes of the game. The referee threw the ball up again and this time, the other team's jumper got the ball before Siwon. I curse that kid.
I got tired from all that standing so I sat down on a chair, seconds later Jessica joined me and sat down too.
"I hope they don't lose like us," Jessica said softly.
We had our soccer game last week and lost.
"Me too..." I sighed.
Suddenly, the whole hall went quiet and you could only hear breathings from the boys on the court, and the sound of the basketball bouncing. I stood up and realised there was only ten seconds left for the game. Our team was losing by two points. Yunho had the ball, and he was running towards the opposite end of the court, to the hoop.
9... 8... 7...
He continued dribbling along the right side of the court and passed the ball to Siwon.
5... 4... 3...
Siwon quickly passed the ball to Jaejoong.
2... 1...
Without thinking, Jaejoong quickly threw the ball to the hoop from where he was, the three point line. If he gets this goal, our team will win. Everybody watched in silence, as the ball made its way to the hoop.
The whistle blew, telling everyone that the time was over, but the goal wasn't over yet.
I felt my heart pounding, the boys are counting on this ball. The ball was spinning around the edge of the hoop, when suddenly... it jumped out and landed on the ground. The other team started jumping and hi-fiving each other. The students from the other school screamed louder than ever, I wanted to slap all of them across the face.
Monokun bears... lost, again. The boys on our team dropped to their knees, they were close to winning.
Suddenly, I notice this other guy on Domokuro Lions started giving Jaejoong the thumbs down. I gasped. Jaejoong glared back at him fiercely, his eyes were evil and his fists were clenched up together.
The two teams started gathering to the middle of the court and our principal walked to them with the trophy in his hands. He hesitantly gave the trophy to the Domokuro Lions' leader, the one who gave Jaejoong the thumbs down. I glared at him.
One by one, everyone started exiting the hall. Jessica and I went to our lockers to get our books for class. We sat on our usual seats, the second last table down the corner by the window. Jessica sat near the window and I sat on the seat next to her.
Seconds later, the teacher started walking into the class to the front desk. Just when she was about to open to speak, five boys started walking into the classroom. It was the basketball team. As they entered the room, my classmates started boo'ing them.
"Booooooooo!"
The boys tried to ignore their disses except one, Jaejoong grabbed one of my male classmates by the collar and was about to throw a punch at his face. Knowing that it was one of my friends, I had to stop him.
I slammed onto the table with both my hands and immediately captured the rest of the student's attention, I stood up.
"Leave Leetuek alone!" I shouted at Jaejoong.
Jaejoong turned away from Leetuek and to me, he had a calm expression before smirking. He pushed Leetuek back on his seat and straightened his back, he adjusted his uniform. He started walking towards my direction and I began to panic, who on Earth would know what he wanted to do right at this moment.
Surprisingly, Jaejoong just walked past me and sat down at his usual seat; behind Jessica by the window with Donghae sitting on his right, behind me.
"Miss Jung, can you please sit down, the class is about to start," my English teacher, Ms. Choi instructed.
I sighed and just sat back down on my seat.
The class started and I had my full attention to the front where my teacher was, despite all the pokes I had, the funny feeling when someone touches my hair. I tried not to scream at the two boys behind me and just focus.
"Jayyyyyy-nifer," he teased, I knew for sure whose voice that belonged to. Who else but Mr. Kim Jaejoong?
I rolled my eyes and hesitantly turned around, "Yessssss?"
"Can you pleaasseeeeee move that big head of yours? I can't see what Ms. Choi is writing on the board," he laughed.
"Ha-ha-ha," I faked my laugh and stopped with an expressionless face. "No."
-
Straight after school I headed to my work place that was three blocks away from school, Me Ice Cream, an ice cream shop my sister opened with the help of my parents. This shop of my sister's sells ice cream, cakes, cookies and coffee. It's a bit like a cafè, but the main thing we sell is ice cream. I went to the staffs' change rooms and changed to the shop's uniform, which is just a top with the shop's logo with my name tag. After I finished, I went to the counter to help my co-workers serve the customers.
"Jennifer!" I heard my sister Nicole, call me.
"Yes?" I replied while scooping some ice cream for a customer I was helping.
"Someone's here to look for you."
I didn't look up and just quickly finished the last pieces of the ice cream and shoved a flake into it. I received the pay from the customer and gave her her change, then I walked to the other side of the counter to where Nicole was calling me from before.
"He's sitting there, waiting for you," Nicole pointed across the room to the table by the window.
I sighed. I took my notepad and pen with me and headed to the table to where he was.
"What would you like to order, wonderful classmate of mine?" I forced a grin as he slowly turned to look up at me, he smiled back. A smile that was so obvious that he didn't mean to show, a fake smile.
"I'm not hungry, want to sit down and have a talk with me?" he asked softly.
"I'm working," I replied coldly.
"Then I shall see you at school tomorrow," he said as he stood up, face to face with me. "Pretty lady," he added as he caressed my left cheek with the back of his right hand.
I quickly slapped his hand off of my face, he smirked.
"Bye, Jaejoong," I said before walking off to the counter.
As I continued making a cup of coffee for a customer, I noticed Jaejoong walking out of the store with an expression I've never saw before on him. It showed me sorrowfulness and for some reason, my heart ached to see him in that state.
Was I too harsh on him before?
After working for six hours straight, work was coming to an end and I was more than ready to head home for a cold shower. Since it was Summer, our shop opens 24/7 because we have more customers. So Nicole couldn't take me home tonight, since she's the owner she stays till she wants to. There were times where she couldn't go home to sleep because the shop was so busy.
I changed back into my school's polo shirt and grabbed my bag. Before I headed outside, Nicole gave me an umbrella.
"What's this for?" I asked her.
"It's raining outside, can't you see?" I looked through the windows to the outside and she was right. Raining on a Summer night? What a weird weather.
"Thanks."
"Actually.. do you want me to take you home?" she asked.
I looked around the shop and realised there was still quite a lot of customers waiting to be served.
"It's okay, I can take the bus or just walk," I smiled to reassure her.
"Mmm..." she hesitated for a while, but then agreed.
I opened up my umbrella and started walking down the block to the bus stop nearby. It wasn't just raining, it was so windy and cold. My umbrella was close to flying away, but I held tight. As I almost reached the bus stop, I passed by a bench and realise someone was sitting there; soaked in rain water.
I took a closer look and realised it was my classmate, Donghae. I walked up to him and held the umbrella above him, so he doesn't get more wet. He probably noticed that someone was here holding an umbrella, so he slowly looked up. I forced a smile to him. He smiled back.
"What are you doing here late at night, under the cold rain? Look, you're so wet! Go home and get changed before you get sick," I warned him.
He quickly stood up and came closer to me, under the small umbrella I had in hand. Our face were inches away yet, it seems like we were only centimetres away. Suddenly, he tightly held onto my hand that was holding onto the umbrella. I raised an eyebrow and reacted quickly, I let go of the umbrella and it fell to the ground, and I took a step back.
"What do you want?" I asked as I continued to take more steps back.
"You."
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