KALEIDOSCOPE, l. jeonghyeon

✯ FOUR

"I saw you having lunch with Leejeong!" Yena's voice caused Ahram to flinch before spinning around to spot her smiley best friend. "Yena! You scared me."

Yena hopped next to Ahram, the flowing sleeves of her cardigan/sweater gently grazing the latter's bare forearm. "Sorry!" She explained, but her voice was too light and happy to sound very genuine. "I'm just so excited to hear about your evening!"

Ahram could tell that Yena didn't care at all about her evening, so she flashed a fake, assuring side-smile. "Chameleon and I had a good time." The words stung her throat on their way out. "He's actually a really... decent guy!"

"Really? You think so?" Yena's words weren't as genuine as they were desperate. Ahram knew that her best friend needed the two to get along so she could continue to build her relationship with Junghyun.

So, the older of the two nodded. "Yeah." Ahram forced her lip up into a grin. "Enough about Cham—Jeonghyeon and I. What's up with you and Junghyun?"

The dreamy smile that spread across Yena's entire face was enough of an answer.

"Hey, ladies!" A new voice called, and Ahram didn't know Yena's expression could get any brighter. "Mun Junghyun! What are you doing here?"

Ahram watched with a smile as the boy threw an arm over her best friend's shoulders. Bright pink blush covered Yena's cheeks, causing the older to smile and look away.

She didn't see Junghyun shrug, but his voice was clear when he said, "Just checking on you. I had a free period and wanted to see you..."

Yena tried to hide her face behind her hand as Ahram fought the urge to roll her eyes. It was cute, but this was the same guy who was willing to dump her if their best friends didn't get along.

So, when Ahram started walking away, she wasn't surprised to discover that the couple didn't notice. She continued walking forward until feeling a hand fall heavily on her bag, causing her to jump.

When she spun around, the girl groaned when she saw Jeonghyeon smirking at her.

"So jumpy!" He teased, leaning his head forward to match Ahram's height. She shoved his shoulder away from her and took more steps in the direction of her next class. "What do you want, Chameleon?"

"Why do you call me 'Chameleon'?" Jeonghyeon asked suddenly. There was laughter in his voice, but Ahram could hear genuine confusion, too.

She glanced at him with narrowed eyes. "It's like every time I see you, you're a different person."

Jeonghyeon was quiet for only a second, but it quickly became the best second of Ahram's day. "Yeah? Well, your name literally means acorn, so... take that, I guess."

"Bro, if you don't shut the fuck up, I will kick your teeth in."

"Hot." He whispered close to her ear, but Ahram flinched away after feeling him near her and missed what he said.

"What?"

"What?"

Ahram shook her head and turned away from the boy. Though she hadn't heard what he mumbled, she was almost 100% sure it was an insult of some sort, and that agitated her.

"Can you not leave me alone?"

Jeonghyeon smiled. "Nope. Our favorite people are watching, and we're going to the same class."

Ahram fought the urge to huff. She didn't have to turn around to know that he was telling the truth, considering how close he was standing. She hadn't even realized that his hand was still lingering near the top of her backpack.

The shorter of the two suddenly felt tired when she realized which class they were going to. Her shoulders slumped enough for Jeonghyeon to grab the handle of her bag and straighten her. "What?"

"Nothing," she dismissed with a small sigh. "Just... math."

"You love math class."

"I love math. I don't love math class," Ahram clarified in a sharp tone. "I'd like it more if you weren't there."

Again, the boy smiled. "Wow. I have such an impact on you that my presence alone is enough to change your entire view on a single class."

"Ugh, you're so full of yourself. Do you ever get tired carrying that ego of yours around?"

"I could ask you the same question." He grinned, and Ahram's blood boiled.

To her, it was as if for every step forward they made in their relationship, they took two steps back right after that. They would share a laugh, then he'd say just the right things to piss her off, and they'd be back at square one.

Daring a look over her shoulder, Ahram noticed Munjung and Yena were no longer in sight, and quickly stepped away from the boy beside her.

She took a breath and ran a hand through her dark hair. "I don't know how much longer I can do this. We don't mix. This isn't healthy."

Something she said made Jeonghyeon chuckle, which only angered Ahram more. "What?" She demanded.

"I don't know. It's just funny, hearing how seriously you're taking this."

Ahram slowed so that the boy passed her. He stopped as well and turned until he was facing her again. The girl wanted to run her hands down her face, but her arms remained at her sides as she stared up at him.

"Yena is my best friend. If being pretend-friends with you is the only way she can happily, comfortably be with the person she loves, then that's what I'll do. Because she is my person, and no matter how annoying she can be, I love her."

Ahram didn't know why she was pouring her heart out to her arch nemesis, but she hoped it would help him understand why she wasn't treating this like a joke. If she failed to be his friend, Junghyun might leave her best friend broken-hearted.

So when Jeonghyeon said, "It's not that deep," she genuinely wanted to punch him in the throat.

Refusing to give him the satisfaction, Ahram marched past him and into their classroom, placing her stuff at the desk furthest away from Jeonghyeon's usual seat. Part of her thought he'd move by her just to annoy her, but he didn't.

Instead, the boy shot a brief, sparing glance at the girl, and when their eyes met, Ahram swore she saw a hint of guilt shining in his.

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heyyyyy 😅🫶