Faded // Bang Chan

Chapter 16 - Heavy Heart

"You look good for someone who didn't get home till 2 AM!" Bo Ra laughed as she took in Na Ri's appearance. "Don't even - I'm so tired I can barely function. Who even throws a party on a Monday night?" Na Ri exclaimed. "Someone who knows idiots like us will turn up." She deadpanned.

Na Ri took a seat beside Bo Ra, feeling glad that they'd patched things up. She noticed that seemed to be a trait Bo Ra had, never officially making up but rather acting as though it never happened which was fine by Na Ri, she needed all the friends she could get.

"What's the deal with you and Jungsoo? He seems to like you a lot." Bo Ra teased with a wide grin and a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Her question confused Na Ri. What had she meant by that? "I'm not sure I know what you mean?" Na Ri looked at her, a puzzled expression etched onto her face. Bo Ra playfully nudged Na Ri with a suggestive eye brow wiggle. "He was guarding the door for you while you were resting at Dongwoo's!" Bo Ra said in a sing song voice, clearly finding the topic interesting.

"Oh that. Yeah, he's just a friend." She played along. The last thing she wanted was Bo Ra knowing who she was with behind that door. Little did she know that Bo Ra knew everything - from the letter Chan read, to Jungsoo and Na Ri's chat on the balcony. Bo Ra plastered a fake smile onto her face and played with the ends of her hair. "That's what they all say."

Chan couldn't help but groan aloud as the two girls continued to natter on about Jungsoo and other 'attractive' guys around the school. He expected Na Ri to gaze back at him like how she usually did but she didn't spare him a single glance, not even when he deliberately coughed out loud to try to gain her attention. He felt himself missing the way she'd watch him with a small smile on her face, especially when she thought he wasn't aware. In a way, she made him feel like the old Chan, the happy Chan, the better version of Chan, the Chan he longed to be again. He soon snapped back to reality, realising that the Chan he once was is long gone and way past the point of return.

He coughed once more before rolling his eyes and huffing in defeat as she acted nonchalant to his attempts. He spread his arm onto the table and laid his head on it, closing his eyes tight and pretending to sleep when really, even with his eyes closed, all he saw was Na Ri. 

"At least you're over Chan." Bo Ra stated as loudly as she could, determined to spark Chan's interest. Na Ri stiffened at the mention of Chan. She fought off the strong urge to sneak a peak at the conversation topic who was still in the same position but listening intently, desperate to hear her response. She knew even one tiny stolen look at him would result in her heart aching. She didn't know why his harsh words from yesterday affected her so much but they did. She was scared to spend even a second of her time focused on him due to her uncertainty about her feelings. He'd made her cry and that was something Na Ri rarely did unless it involved her past memories of her old school and her old life. 

Bo Ra studied her demeanour closely, her only goal to find a flicker of emotion on the younger girls face that could be used against her later. Bo Ra had one goal and it was to destroy Chan, no matter who got in her way or how many lives it ruined, nothing was going to stop her from protecting her own secrets that she knew Chan could easily expose. 

"It was just a momentary lack of better judgement." Na Ri replied coldly, looking straight ahead at the white board as she ignored the stinging in her chest at her white lie. She knew she definitely cared about Chan more than she'd like to admit but truthfully Na Ri trusted Jungsoo's warnings against Bo Ra more than Bo Ra's so called "friendship". 

Bo Ra could tell instantly by Na Ri's sour expression that her answer was far from the truth and so could Chan who had changed position so his elbows were on the table and his palms cupped his chin. His heart pounded hard in his chest as he thought over her words, being nearly positive that they were untrue. They had to be - at least that's what he hoped for.