home, jaemin

chapter forty-seven

slam.

jaemin's ears perched at the sound around the corner. cautiously, he walked around the corner to see his cousin leaning against her locker with an irregular face that he couldn't quite describe.

he released a breath and loosened up his grip on his backpack strap, walking towards the shorter girl. his footsteps echoed in the quiet hallways.

it was after school hours, the only students still in the building being a part of different school committees or only staying for tutoring.

jaemin stayed later for a bit of unscheduled tutoring, getting some papers for extra practice for some classes he was having trouble with.

he assumed nayeon had just finished up with the yearbook club. she had always enjoyed that after-school activity and was quite skilled with a camera. both of the cousins were, a common skill their families shared.

"something wrong?" he asked cautiously.

nayeon looked up from her phone, not expecting to see jaemin walking the halls this late after the last bell had rung. usually, jaemin was one of the first to leave the school premises.

"what are you doing here?" she asked, a bit harsher than truly intended. her tensed shoulders dropped slightly, sighing as she rolled them back.

he only held up his left hand, papers showing. she nodded, waiting for him to approach.

"so wanna explain why you're slamming lockers?" he asked again, coming to stand next to her as they spoke.

she sighed again, pulling out her phone and going to her messages with her boyfriend.

-

jen

i just got done with yearbook. we have another meeting next week and i have to have photos ready

wanna come over? we can finish rewatching avatar

i'd love to but i'm kinda busy, i'm sorry babe

it's okay we can watch it together another time

i love you

i love you too

-

jaemin looked over the messages, not seeing much wrong with the conversation. "what's wrong with it?" he asked.

"he's been busy with whatever this is all week. and i can't even ask him what it is because every time i bring it up he manages to somehow dodge the question."

jaemin slouched, "jiyoung's been busy all week too."

nayeon stiffened, "i really don't want to believe what these dots are trying to say, jaemin. neither of them are like that, they're too sweet to do something so awful."

jaemin agreed, "maybe they are just busy this week, i don't know. but they wouldn't do that. right?" he wanted his sentence to come out more of a statement but the unexpected quivering in his voice changed it.

"it's still cute," jiyoung said, looking from her phone to the messy boy.

jeno shook his head from beside her, "no it isn't." he gripped the end of his shirt and twisted it to put it back in the correct position.

they walked through the silent hallways, the only sound they could hear around them being their own footsteps against the concrete floor and their voices bouncing off the walls.

"dude, keep your voice down before someone hears you-" she quieted him as they turned the corner.

the four bodies made eye contact, each of them trembling at each other's presence.

the two cousins glanced at each other, not liking the scene in front of them. both jiyoung and jeno could feel their heartbeats beginning to speed up.

in the blink of an eye, nayeon was walking down the right end of the hallway, trying to not believe to the first option her brain was supplying her with.

jaemin went the opposite way past jiyoung and jeno, not sparing either of them a glance as he walked away.

"we've fucked up, haven't we?" jiyoung asked quietly.

jeno only nodded before they split and ran off towards their significant others.

"jaemin!" she called out, running up behind him.

he kept walking, the sound of her voice causing tears to begin coming up and threaten to fall out. he didn't want to believe it any more than nayeon did but it was a lot harder for him given past relationships he had experienced.

"jaemin, please let me explain, okay?" she asked, stepping in front of him- her own tears beginning to drop.

this made jaemin stop. if he were wrong, he didn't want her crying because of him.