Young ✔️

2.

moonbyul ft. seulgi : a concept 

CHAPTER - TWO

Alone

ONE YEAR AND THREE MONTHS LATER

It's been almost a year and a half since my world turned upside down.

My friends - the only people I talked to, abandoned me. And because of that, there was no more talking for me. I spoke to my parents through sticky notes and nods and the teachers here barely care enough to speak to students or ask them questions in class so I didn't have to worry much about that. I never spoke with my sister anyway so that was that.

I no longer sat in the cafeteria for lunch now - our table was taken by excited freshmen so I either sat in the library or on the bleachers or sometimes, in an empty classroom.

It's been a long time since our little group of five had broken apart.

May was now back to being popular and funny thing was, she was still nice as ever. It explained why people loved her. But I went out of my way to avoid her. It was the same situation with Ali. She and Jake had been going strong and in the beginning, when I used to think I could sit by myself in the cafeteria, I'd have to watch her giggle and be all happy with her new friends and boyfriend and that was one of the reasons I decided to have lunch elsewhere.

The other being that it felt incomplete and useless sitting by myself without anyone.

Peter had shifted school. His parents found him unconscious in his bedroom one night and upon reaching the hospital, they'd been told he'd overdosed on sleeping pills. After that, he was shipped off to a boarding school in England and no one ever heard from him again - not even me.

And John? I'd never heard from him either. After a lousy goodbye, he'd never called, never texted, nothing. I didn't have a number to contact him with. His old number was no longer in use too. It's like he'd vanished. I'd went by his parent's house but they refused to give me anything. Once, I'd even tried to talk to Ali thinking she'd know where John was since Jake is his brother but she'd just eyed me weirdly before speeding off with her friends.

It's now senior year. It's also the first day after summer break and I was eleven pounds heavier. I'd hoped the pain from loosing my friends would help me loose all the extra weight I carried but it'd only me eat more. I wasn't surprised by it - I'd always been a chubby girl. And at five feet, a short one too. 'Stouty Eileen' was how I was known in school aside from 'Evelyn James' sister'. Thing is, I'd rather be known as Evelyn's unpopular sister than as stout.

Walking into class, I drop my bag on the last seat by the window, sitting down on it a second later.

"That's Eileen right, Evelyn's sister?" I hear a male voice ask. "More like stouty Eileen but yeah," Another voice says. I sigh, looking out the window. "I invited Evelyn to my party tomorrow night. Should I invite her too?" A female voice asks. Do they realize they're loud? I mean, if their goal was to whisper talk then they're way far off the mark. There's a tap on my shoulder.

"Hey, Eileen," A girl smiles down at me. Her names Cassidy - I think. "So I'm having a party tomorrow night. Here." She hands me a piece of paper. I didn't know handing out invites to parties was a thing anymore. Why do that when they can just create a group online and send out the message? Seemed like a waste of paper. "I hope you and Evelyn can make it." She smiles. It's genuine so I try to smile back. After she heads off, I tuck the invite into my bag, knowing fully well I won't go.