She was all too focused.

So whether she hid herself well behind that book she was holding in front her face, or Changmin just didn’t seem to sense someone eyeing him from a distance was irrelevant. It’s been an hour after school had ended—and for some people like Jessica, the library isn’t only a place for reading and studying. Well, for people like her who fail to see its real purpose, anyway.

“Hey!” Jessica automatically flinched when a hand landed on her shoulder. The latter laughed at her while her initial reaction was relief that she didn’t involuntarily scream out. Changmin would have known she was there! She looked up to face the disturbing party…

“Stalk much?” …and practically she was greeted with this. Jessica simply glared at Donghae, her ex.

“What are you doing here?” annoyed and not trying hard or rather at all to hide it, she asked.

“Well, Carl was supposed to tutor me with English but I can’t find him anywhere. So…” Donghae says, pulling up a chair beside Jessica for himself. “I’m going to sit here with y—Wha—” Sica cut him off as she started hitting him with the book she was holding, “Aw! S-Sica—Hey!”

“Go piss someone else off!” she kept her voice down, still hitting him. “I don’t want you here!”

“O-Okay! Just…stop!” Donghae whined as he tries to shield himself.

“Shhhhhhhh!! Stop yelling, you idiot!” she hushed him, hitting him once more.

“Then, stop hitting me!”

“Okay, okay. Sorry.” She composed herself and glanced where Changmin was standing a minute ago.

“Awww…” Donghae soothed his arm, which Jessica had made sore shortly after a few blows. “Aish…” he pouted, almost regretting that he approached her.

“Hey…” she tugged at Donghae’s sleeve, scanning the area she was watching previously. “He’s gone! Aish…”

Jessica got a hold of the book again and faced Donghae, glaring. His eyes widened in horror, fully knowing what’s going to happen next.

“Ahhhhh!!” Jessica stood up and began hitting Donghae’s other arm, making both arms equally sore now. Well, Jessica will be Jessica. “Aww! S-Stop it! Ahh!!"

“Jessica?” Jessica turned to see Changmin, totally bewildered—maybe out of imagining what could be happening between the two of them. “Everything alright?”

“No…” Donghae scoffed. “Isn’t it obvious that I’m getting beating do—AWWW!” Jessica hit him hard one last time to shut him up as she nods at Changmin. “Ohhh…”

“W-what happened?” Changmin inquired his face twitching as he watched Donghae groaning in pain.

“He was bothering me. He pissed me off, it’s no big deal…” Jessica assured him.

Changmin just nodded as he mentally wrote a note to himself to never piss Jessica Jung off. You know, for his own sake.

“Are you going home, yet?”

“Uhh…yeah.” He nodded. “Actually, I am….”

“Mind if I tag along?”

“Huh?” Changmin smiled, unsure whether to accept or not. But rejecting Jessica might get him to end up just like Donghae. So… “N-Not at all…”

Jessica smiled, genuinely happy about the idea of walking home with her crush.

“Let’s go?” Jessica nodded brightly and followed Changmin.

Hearing that, reflex told him to grab her hand, not giving a damn about more blows he might be getting afterwards.

Jessica irritatingly turned to the person who stopped her: Donghae.

And there he was holding onto her.

Well, he can’t help it. At that moment, he felt like he was about to lose something important.

Donghae looked like he was spacing out as he stares at her wrist which he had held for a few moments now. He looked like he wasn’t aware of what he was doing.

Jessica brought his soul back to Earth.

“Hey!”

He flinched, instantly letting go of her—as if surprised of his own act, but reacting so much later.

Jessica started walking out of the library again, secretly having seconds thoughts.

He had always been capable of changing her mind in a daze.

“Jung Jessica!” Donghae called her. Jessica stopped walking. “Do you really like him?”

But Jessica learned how to pity herself somehow. To not always believe so easily. To not always forgive so easily.

“I do, Donghae.” With that, she completely walked out.

Donghae sighed and sat down.

He was ready to take blows from her again, though his arms still hurt. He thinks he deserved them anyway, for being such a fool.

He was prepared to take these blows from her and then get her back afterwards, after she thinks he’s endured enough. A hundred slaps? A thousand punches? He was ready for those. He was ready for everything.

Anything but losing her. No, he wasn’t ready for that.

He wasn’t sure if he’ll ever be, but if that’s what he deserved, then so be it.

“Hae!” Carl called, seemingly exhausted.

“Carl! I-I’m so sorry…” Donghae apologized to his friend, scratching his head. “I wasn’t able to meet you back in our classroom. I went here right after dismissal to—”

“Watch Jessica?” Carl finished Donghae’s sentence, smiling knowingly.

“No, but I—”

“I saw her outside with Changmin, don’t tell me you let them go home together?”

“So? What’s wrong with that?” Donghae leaned back on the chair, put on a pseudo-indifferent expression and shrugged. “It’s not like we’re still together or anything.”

“Who are you trying to fool, Donghae?” Carl scoffed at him. “You mean to tell me that you waited for more than an hour in place like this—which you really hated—for nothing? That you didn’t wait for her to finally leave so that by then, you would suddenly make an appearance, go right up to her and say, ‘Hey! Going home already? So am I! Man, what a coincidence! So, shall we head home together, then?’”

Donghae can only sigh in defeat, trying to ponder why the hell he’d have to be that accurate.

“Tsss. Stupid.” Jessica smiled to herself as she watched this scene by the door. “Who’s stalking who?”

When the boys were done talking, which followed shortly after that revelation Carl made, Jessica showed herself.

“Ya, Lee Donghae!”

Donghae was surprised. He glanced at Carl, who was smiling. He diverted his gaze back to Jessica.

"Get up.”

“Huh?” He asked, confused. “I thought you already—”

“Shut up. You’re walking me home.”

END