✓ BETS & BROKEN HEARTS | JAY

9 - Never Yours

"Did you hear about the new student? They said he's from Seattle. Girls are going to fall for him so bad- Y/N, are you even listening to me?" Areum frowned when she got no reply from Y/N who was lost in thought, her gaze distant as she stared out the window.

"He's Jay's cousin." She muttered, making Areum raise her eyebrows in surprise. "We met him earlier. Jay doesn't seem to like him. He also said he would steal me from him and I was literally just thinking about it. He mentioned it casually, but it sounded like he was trying to provoke Jay."

"Really? Perhaps they have some bad past or something. Or maybe he's just messing with Jay to get a reaction." She leaned closer, her curiosity piqued. "Are you okay, though?"

Y/N nodded. "I'm fine, but it's just... I don't know. There's something about him that feels off. Jay warned me to be careful around him."

"If your gut tells you something's not right, then be cautious," Areum muttered, and just then, Y/N felt pain in her lower stomach. She wondered if it was just a random ache, but it persisted, growing sharper. 

"Right now, my gut is telling me that it might be time for my period." She laughed, clutching her stomach. "I'll go to the bathroom and check first then go to the nurse." She stood up and quickly made her way to the bathroom while trying to recall if it was around the time for her period. As she entered the bathroom, some other girls followed after her, locking the door behind them.

That's when Y/N looked at them, realizing just then they were the girls who talked about sleeping with Jay the other day. She frowned, watching them smirk and laugh amongst themselves, their expressions almost taunting.

"What are you doing?" She spoke when they cornered her, making her hit her back against the bathroom sink. 

The girls exchanged glances, their smirks only growing wider. "I would like to ask you the same. What do you think you're doing playing around with Jay?" 

"It's none of your business." Y/N retorted, her patience wearing thin. But before she knew it, a loud slap echoed through the bathroom as she was caught off guard by a sudden strike across her cheek. She instinctively raised her hand to touch her reddened skin, her heart racing.

"Who do you think you are to go after what's mine?" She laughed, their taunts cutting through the air like a blade. "I've seen the way he looks at you. You're enjoying his attention, aren't you?"

Y/N's frustration boiled over and she scoffed, running her fingers through her hair. "If you saw the way he looks at me then you should be able to tell who he actually wants to be with. It's not my fault if he's not interested in your possessive games."

"Aera, don't waste your time with her. We'll take care of the rest." One of the them said and Aera rolled her eyes at Y/N. Then out of nowhere, Y/N was sent to the ground, feeling their kicks against her sides as pain shot through her body. She instinctively curled into a defensive ball, trying to shield herself from the blows.

But then, as suddenly as the attack had started, it stopped. Y/N cautiously uncurled herself, her vision blurred from tears that had welled up in her eyes. "Y/N!" The door swung open and Areum stormed inside, pushing the girls out of her way before she crouched down next to Y/N. She took her in her arms as the latter whimpered in pain, tightly grabbing her stomach. "Are you out of your minds?"

Aera and the two others were about to run away, only for them to bump into someone in their way. "What's going on here?" Jay said coldly as Aera started to stutter an explanation. Jay's gaze shifted from Aera to Y/N, the anger dissipating as worry creased his brow. He knelt down beside Y/N and gently helped her sit up, his touch as tender as it was firm. "Are you okay?"

Y/N managed a weak nod, blinking away tears as she looked at him. "I will be."

"Please help me get her to the nurse." Areum said and he carefully carried Y/N in his arms before he made his way out of the bathroom, following Areum's lead. The nurse's office wasn't far, and they soon arrived at the door. Jay gently set Y/N down on one of the chairs as the nurse hurried over, her brows furrowing at the sight of the injured girl.

"Please go outside while I check her." The nurse said before lifting Y/N's shirt. Jay was about to turn away when he noticed the bruises on her stomach, making his jaw tighten in anger. 

Areum grabbed his arm and pulled him outside before letting him go, throwing her hands in the air out of frustration. "I can't believe they would do something like this." He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. Before Areum got to even finish her sentence, he turned on his heels and walked to where he thought Aera would be. He found her in the hallway, seemingly unaware of the storm that was brewing.

"J-Jay, what are you doing? You're hurting m-" He held her wrist and pulled her to a quiet corner where he pushed her against the wall, making her panic and her eyes widen with fear.

"Explain," He looked away, running his fingers through his hair. "Did you think it was okay to hit her? Why? Did you think that just because I slept with you once, you could treat Y/N like this?"

"I was jealous!" She blurted out, her voice trembling with frustration. "I just... you treat her like she's some kind of priority, like she matters more to you than anyone else. And it made me angry, hurt."

"You're fucked up, Aera. If you think I care about you because we spent some time together then you're fucking delusional." He held her collar, pulling her closer as his anger flared. "If you ever go near her or touch her again, I'll break your little fingers and make sure everyone knows about your father's little shady business."

Aera's eyes widened in shock, her fear and realization colliding. "Please- I'm sorry!"

"If you know better, you wouldn't dare play with what's mine." He muttered, turning around to leave while shestood there with her shoulders slumped.