CHAPTER TWELVE
the days have been getting colder; what once would be a hot, uncomfortable bus ride home from school, was now a time to be shielded from the chilly breeze that the air carried.
wheein sat closer to hwasa, it wasn't too noticeable, yet the orange haired girl knew the space between them suddenly became almost non-existent. she didn't mind, though, and it was not like she was planning to do anything to move away.
as the bus jolted forward, rolling along the road, the two girls lost themselves in conversations between one another.
at one point, hwasa reached over a grabbed wheein's hand - it was probably out of instinct - but neither of them said anything about it, instead, they just enlaced their fingers together.
and just like any other regular day, hwasa's stop always came too soon, and the beautiful girl exited the vehicle, leaving the dark haired girl alone. but she wasn't sad, nor overly-miserable like most days, she was left feeling a sense of happiness inside, and maybe even a sense of feeling like she was actually cared for. though, ever since she's been in the orange haired girl's presence, those feelings were undoubtedly more prominent.
when the bus ceased moving, allowing wheein to climb off, she followed the narrow path to her home.
the corner of her lips curl upwards, so slightly, as she gripped the hem of her coat, pulling it down more in attempt to keep the warmth from evaporating into the unsteady wind. the what use to be lined pathway with lovely scented blossoms, were now bare, with no vibrant colours, just the dull, withered chestnut-colour the branches presented.
and even though her favourite flowers were no longer around in that moment, it didn't stop her from walking home with a subtle grin on her face, feeling like the air still held a sweetness to it.
as she reached the front door, wheein pulled her key out from her pocket. when she was about to put the key in the door, the girl noticed that it was already unlocked.
slowly, she turned the handle, opening the door and being greeted by two very familiar faces.
"mum, dad, you're back!"
with no hesitation, she ran up to them and embraced them into a hug. the warm feeling in her heart grew stronger, she felt overjoyed seeing her beloved parents again. after almost a month, wheein was glad they were finally home.
except, the hug didn't last long, and it was as if nothing ever changed.
her father left the kitchen to go to his office, and her mother just returned to sorting out the sheets of paper spread across the countertop.
usually, wheein would take the hint and retreat back to her room to avoid any confrontation, but that all went flying out of the window now. she wanted to try and talk to her parents, after all, she did really miss them.
"how was the trip?" she asked, being careful with her words.
"did you study while we were away? your grades better not be slipping."
her throat tightened, she felt her palms getting clammy, "i-i've been keeping up with all my work, i-"
"good," she finally took her interest away from the stacks of paper, turning to face her daughter. "go study now, i need you to be on top of your game, exams are coming up, remember? i want you to have a bright future."
wheein didn't say anything else, she just nodded her head, leaving the kitchen and quickly escaped to her room.
she pulled out all her workbooks, placing them across her desk. she had already completed every single thing that needed to be done. despite that, she opened her science textbook, rereading over today's work.
the warmth feeling was now gone. the happiness that was emitting through every part of her body disappeared.
what was she expecting? she really thought that once her parents would come back home, things might have turned around. things might have been better. but that was just another 'might' and she almost forgot how she never trusted those.
then, a thought, or a little temptation, tugged at the back of wheein's mind; what if she defended herself?
she had learnt that she did deserve so much more than everything she was currently getting from her parents. it took the girl so long to finally recognize that, and now, that could all just fall apart again.
it was not as if wheein didn't want a successful, or bright future for herself, she really did. it was just her own idea for her future didn't involve following her parents footsteps. she wants to do something that was worth striving for; worth waking up every morning and knowing she would be following her own dreams.
she wanted to be happy, not just in the future, but right now, too.
—
a/n: i promise there will be more wheesa action next chapter
