𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 - 𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐮𝐯𝐞𝐬

(SIXTEEN)

At 2:00 exactly, Songhee honked the horn of her car three times as she sat parked in Jiwoo's driveway. Both Jiwoo and Hyunjin woke up, but Jiwoo told her little sister to stay in bed.

"I'll let you know if everything's okay," she said.

She stomped down the stairs and threw her front door open. She didn't need to see the driver. She didn't even need to see the car. She already knew who it was.

Ah-Chuu: It's all good. Somebody from school trying to prank us. We can go back to bed, I sent him away.

To be more convincing, she reopened the front door and shut it again, but never went inside. Instead, she marched up to the passenger side of Songhee's car and spoke to her through the open window.

"Didn't I tell you to fuck off?"

Songhee batted her eyes innocently. "You said no to meeting me tomorrow; you never said anything about tonight. Now get in the car, we're going back to my place. My parents aren't home. Unless you want Hyunjin to find out..."

"How did you know my sister's name?" Jiwoo spat, "Stay away from her. If you touch her I'll break every bone in your body."

"Get in the car."

Jiwoo obeyed.

As Songhee drove off, Jiwoo could only hope Hyunjin had listened when she was told to go back to bed.

Like clockwork, Songhee and Jiwoo moved in perfect sync as they left the car, went into the house and down the stairs, and then into Songhee's room. "Shirt off," Songhee demanded. With a heavy sigh, Jiwoo sat on the edge of the bed and flung her hoodie somewhere on the other side of the room. Songhee moved closer and set her hands on Jiwoo's waist. The younger girl shivered at the feeling of cold hands on her now bare waist. Songhee rubbed circles on Jiwoo's stomach with her thumbs as she cooed, "There's something I want to try, but you have to trust me." She pushed Jiwoo back. "You can do that for me, right? We're best friends, you know you can trust me."

Jiwoo shut her eyes and nodded. Songhee slowly trailed her hands up Jiwoo's torso until they settled against her neck. Immediately alarm bells rang in Jiwoo's head. 

This wasn't a good idea.

Songhee applied pressure little by little, giving Jiwoo short breaks to catch her breath. "Be good," she whispered in Jiwoo's ear. A sudden, harsh force pushed against Jiwoo's throat, forcing out a squeak of pain. She wanted to pry the hands away from her neck, but her hands were pinned beneath Songhee's knees against the bed.

Jiwoo struggled, thrashing her whole body in an attempt to free her hands. Once she finally did, she shoved Songhee off of her. Her vision was spotty, and her legs were numb, but she was breathing again. When Songhee fell off of the bed, she hit her head against the leg of her desk. She roared, both from pain and anger, and lunged at Jiwoo.

"You'll regret that, you bitch," she screeched. She punched Jiwoo in the face and knocked her to the floor. Songhee reached for Jiwoo and tried to drag her closer, digging her acrylic nails into the girl's hip and drawing blood. Jiwoo screamed as loud as she could, praying someone would hear and call the cops. "Shut up, slut!" She slapped Jiwoo, right in the same spot she'd just punched her, only this time her nails cut into Jiwoo's skin, crimson blood a stark contrast to the white acrylics.

Songhee desperately tried to hold onto Jiwoo, hoping to subdue her and calm her down. She grabbed at anything she could reach, Jiwoo's legs, arms, hair, even the waistband of her shorts, which tore loudly as Jiwoo moved against Songhee's pull. She pulled her leg in close to her chest and kicked as hard as she could once she heard the fabric rip. Her kick landed in Songhee's stomach, and while the girl was winded Jiwoo hopped over her and ran out of the house.

She walked home that night looking absolutely destroyed. Her hair was a mess, she was bleeding in several places, her phone was missing, her left eye was swelling more and more by the minute, and she wore ripped shorts with no shirt and only one sock. She felt like she'd been hit by a bus.

But she felt like she'd won.