𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮 & 𝐌𝐞 || 𝐒𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬

Bittersweet Good-bye || 18

"leave me," aera voices out, clear enough for her friend to hear, but he doesn't let go of her hand. rather, she's being dragged out of the crowded bus, forced to get off even before it's her stop, which annoys her enough to yank her hand back and shoot a glare at the taller guy, "no, don't you dare say anything to me. i don't wanna hear it," tears trickle her eyes as she turns on her feet, about to get on the bus again.

"stop it aera! it's enough now!"

aera flinches at the loud voice and the hand pulling her back, the people of the bus also watch them with judgmental looks now. she takes a step back, deciding to leave this bus and probably wait for the next one for she had no energy left to stand those looks she'd get from people in there. so she, gestures the bus driver to leave, and hears her friend sighing behind her.

"i'm sorry," he says, "i didn't mean to shout. it's just that everything is driving me crazy an—"

"and?" aera faces him, glaring at the two, "you, jake, get this in your head that i'm not someone you can just fool around with like that. you didn't want to talk to me, you kept ignoring me like i didn't even exist, you have a problem when i don't tell you stuff, then you have problem when i do try to talk to you. why is everything as per your convenience?! did you ever stop and think of me?! this whole week, jake, be honest... did you think past yourself— about me? about how i was feeling? maybe i needed some time, or maybe i there was something going on with me? no, you didn't! you know why? because all what matters to you is yourself! you're selfish and you didn't see anything apart from the fact that i didn't tell you about moving to sydney!"

"yeah, fine i am selfish!" jake yells back, "and what are you?! you were going to leave without even telling us! did you think about us— what we'll do or how we'll feel, aera? imagine one day you wake up and suddenly the person you're closest to is not in the same city— or no, not in the same country as you out of nowhere. wouldn't that feel weird? wouldn't that hurt you too?"

aera opens her mouth to stay something, but then stops, shaking her head and looks down. she moves away, taking a seat on the bus stop and breathes out deeply, plugging in her earphones to her phone, "i don't wanna talk, leave me alone,"

jake glares at her, turning to clay, who sighs, gesturing him to stay calm and speaks, "ri, let's talk, please. i know what we did was really stupid of us, but please let's not waste today like this. you're moving away in a week..."

aera rubs her eyes, shaking her head and looks away from them, trying her best to keep in the tears and look for the next bus heading the way to her home. clay however, sits next to her, casually snaking his arm on back of her seat and leans back, "we're sorry,"

she glances at the boys, dropping a tear and stands up from the seat, clutching on her bag tightly, turning on her heels to walk away. "aera," jake calls, his voice shaking in fear as clay stands up as well, "don't leave..."

"you said we were best friends right?"

aera gulps in a sob, not looking back and keeps her eyes on the street right ahead of her, walking with steps as slow as if she were dead. with every step away from her friends, she could feel her chest getting heavier and throat tightening with an unfamiliar feeling that felt like someone was squeezing her throat. the vision is blurred, but she manages not to stumble and hope that she would be successful going away from the two boys she claimed as her best friends.

she should've known it would go like this. when the letter she received from the university of sydney, where she applied with negligible hope of getting in, stated that she's actually accepted. she was more than just happy. but the fact that she hadn't told her best friends— who promised to stay together for a long time— about it, and she knew that they were probably thinking that they will go to college together and live their life with all fun and adventure here in seoul like their high school days. aera could see this coming ever since that day two weeks ago, however she didn't think of it to be this bad.