JUVENILE | kim sunwoo ✔︎

CHAPTER TWELVE

Y/N POV

An irritating knocking pounded against my door, the daylight leaked in to the curtains as I stretched tiredly. Yanking myself from beneath the comfort of my covers, I swung open the door to Ashley sobbing to herself pretentiously.

"What happened?" I hugged her, letting her cry out into my shoulder as her mascara flooded her face in a grey stain.
"He cheated on me." Was all she said for me to understand, I say understand, I don't truly mean that.
"I hate to say I told you so-" I huffed, sitting on the bed as she fell beside me.
"But you told me so." She giggled in a bittersweet sigh, her arms above her head as she sprawled across the covers.

"How did it happen?" I was shocked to how this all unraveled within one night, waiting until she gathered herself to tell the story.
"Well, we were dancing and I went to the bathroom to fix myself in the mirror - it was so blurry because I'd done around 5 shots already. I walked back out and there he was locking lips with some other chick. I didn't think he was capable of something like that." She began to well up again, I couldn't find anything to say when Ashley got upset like this.

"Were you even together?" I stifled a chuckle seeing the girl so distraught over someone she'd gotten to know not even a week ago.
"No? I guess not officially." She sat up from where she laid, not meeting my gaze as I stared back in a thoughtful glance.

"Ding! Ding! Ding! Frat boy rule number 1, if your girl isn't your girl , other girls can be your girl!" I rang sarcastically, Ashley didn't like pity - she always thought it was fake, that's probably why we were friends, I wasn't the best advice giver. I could probably make a better joke out of the situation than I could a calculated reply.
She laughed idiotically to herself and wiped the tears from her cheeks with the sleeves of her wool sweater.

She was clearly hung over, you could see that in the colossal bags that collected underneath her eyes and the messy bun piled on top of her head.

"It's always been just me and you Ash." I sighed, clinging on to her supportively. "You don't need a boy to validate you, especially not one of them."
"I guess so, I just thought he actually liked me." She stared down at her hands with a gentle sigh, her breath quivered tremulously.

If I knew one thing, it was that I wanted to kill Jacob Bae - deprive him of his innocent act that trapped and humiliated my best friend. Unfortunately for me, his ego was untouchable, as was his social status and the only thing either of us could do about it, was avoid him.

"Hey do you perhaps wanna do something today instead?" I attempted to overtly lighten the mood, she needed distracting more than anything and I think that she knew that too.
"Sure, what do you have in mind?" She cleared herself up, wiping her mascara from her streaked tears from her porcelain cheeks.
"Do you wanna head to to an arcade?" I asked, looking up at her face lighting up.
"Like when we were kids?" She smiled, successfully cheering her up, I smirked considering how quickly she lit up.

——

We'd got a cab ride downtown, Ashley was currently thrashing me at a space invaders game - squealing in victory when she won. The neon fuchsias and indigos lighting up her face in the dimly illuminated arcade. Whether I was letting the jovial girl next to me win - some secrets i'll never tell.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, sliding it out of my jeans I checked the number.

Sunwoo.
Slide across to accept
(————————>)

I picked up, holding the small device against my ear,
"Hello?" I asked, waiting for Sunwoo to reply across the line.
"Where are you?" He asked bluntly, the background rustling fading in and out waveringly.
"I'm at the arcade downtown with Ashley. Why?" I replied slightly confused to the random call.
"It's just you weren't in your dorm, I need to talk to you and- Oh can Eric come with?" He responded referring to Ashley smoothly before falling silent.

I covered the line with my palm and turned to Ashley who awaited my call ending.
"Can Sunwoo and Eric meet us?" I asked the girl who looked back at me wearingly. "It's only them two, they'll be okay I promise." I furthered it until she gave in and nodded.
"Sure, Ashley's okay with it." I uncovered the line and answered him.
"Okay, we're on our way." He hung up with that, before I put my phone back in my pocket, I sent him a text quickly.

< Me: Don't mention Jacob, make sure Eric doesn't either. >

Ashley dragged me to another game, her feet waddling excitedly - my phone buzzed again.

< Sunwoo: Ok. >

I slid it back in my pocket, playing more machines with Ashley so I could win her enough tickets to get the stuffed bear she wanted at the front of the store. We'd accumulated next to nothing, it was incredibly hard to get tickets nowadays - whether the arcade were sick of buying prizes or the machines were just that worn down.

"Hey." I turned around to the voice behind me, Sunwoo had arrived - Eric trailing behind him shortly, glued to his phone screen.
"Hi." I smiled, Eric looked up from his screen, he wasn't as cheerful as he usually was - instead eye bags sunk below his brown orbs, his hair parted lazily and lips dried slightly.
I furrowed my brows as he smiled bittersweetly, slipping his phone into his jacket pocket.
"Anyone up for Dance revolution?" Ashley cheered sarcastically, knowing I'd sigh at the thought of playing that in public nowadays.
"Oh you're on." Eric smirked mischievous, both of them eagerly running to the metal mat across the room.

"What did you want?" I turned to Sunwoo, his hand stuffed in his black windbreaker, his hair disheveled and his eyes appearing incredibly tired.
"To get him out the dorm mainly, then about Jacob."He sighed looking over to Ashley and Eric as they competitively stomped on the arrows of the dance machine across the room.
"What about him?" I groaned in annoyance, rolling my eyes as his name was brought up.
"Can we go outside?" He spoke over the blaring electronic music and cacophony of people talking in the building.

I followed him out as he leant up against the brick wall outside. He lit up a cigarette and placed it between his lips.
"I don't think he meant to kiss that girl last night." He sighed beginning and exhaling the smoke from between his lips.
"How can you accidentally make out with someone?" I sneered, folding my arms over my body and awaiting an answer.
"I don't think he wanted her to. Eric said this morning, Jacob said some girl kissed him and he couldn't find Ashley. The only way they knew she was okay was when she sent a text saying she got a cab home." He argued back, looking out on to the street ahead before glancing back to me.
"He still did it. Doesn't sound like he's too bothered either." I chuckled astonished at how Sunwoo was defending him - typical frat boy behavior - I wasn't going let him defend an obvious dick move.

"The only reason I'm arguing, is because he hasn't stopped talking about the Colorado trip all week. He was going to ask her to be his girlfriend or something cringey like that." He coughed slightly, his face twisted in disgust when he brought up the whole chivalry remark.
"Well he could at least explain himself." I replied getting the last word, he sighed defeatedly knowing I wasn't going to shift. "Does anyone know about last night? Like the police station?"
"No. Just us, I said you wanted to go home." He crushed his cigarette on the wall as I nodded.

——

AUTHORS NOTE

poor ashley.. i guess naivety really does get in the hands of the wrong people :(..

juvenile is in full swing ladies ♡︎... guess we're gonna find out 'what the fucks in Colorado' soon..

i hope you're all doing well as always !.. sending my love always ! ..

clover <3