EMBRACE winrina

CHAPTER EIGHT

For the first time since the start of the school year, I was able to fall asleep and stay asleep for most of the night. Though I wasn't entirely sure what changed, I assumed that the reassurance of obtaining another ID in the near future helped to calm my nerves. Not to mention Leo didn't come home that Sunday, and my eyes surprisingly closed with ease.

I still wasn't in the best condition when I went to school that week; my body was weak, I found it extremely difficult to focus on anything for too long, and I still found myself wanting to shut my eyes. My mind apparently deemed school to be a safe place to go to sleep because I desperately wanted to drift out of consciousness and get some rest, but I had to force myself to stay awake. I dreaded going to work for that exact reason; the grocery store didn't remind me of Leo and therefore I found myself struggling to stay awake while working as well.

For the most part, I stocked new shipments because Aaron claimed I wasn't old enough to work as a cashier. I didn't mind and restocking was relatively easy, so I did so everyday until there was nothing left to restock, and then I used the time remaining in my shift to walk around and help anyone shopping. Aaron's store wasn't only for food and the rest of the employees seemed to be at the front as cashiers, so I was kept pretty busy.

When I finished restocking on Tuesday and began my walk around the store, all I could think about was Taeyong. I wasn't as much focused on the fact that he had yet to make it to the school to give me my ID, but rather, I couldn't distract my thoughts from his well-being. He was the closest I'd ever had to a friend, and I would almost go as far as saying that he was the brother I never had. We only spent two months together in Linda's home, but I saw him frequently while I was living in my last group home and we had developed a relationship over the years. I hadn't seen him in such a long time before I went to visit him on Sunday, and my heart was torn on whether or not to be happy or sad.

On the bright side, he had filled into his body and he looked healthy, but I knew he was still going through hell. His group home wasn't the worst that he could've possibly been placed in, but the boys there used violence as a fear tactic on more than one occasion. I knew Taeyong was trying to cycle his way out of illegal activity, but I was a little scared that he would do something that he'd regret. I didn't exactly know the extent of his relationship with the boy Noah, but I could immediately tell that Taeyong needed to protect him, for the boy seemed too scrawny to protect himself.

Thinking about what Taeyong had discussed with me that night only seemed to put a damper on my mood, and as I made my way around the store, I tried to push him out of my mind. I knew that at that moment in time, there was nothing I could do, and he was certainly capable of taking care of himself. I had no reason to worry, so instead, I emptied my mind and continued walking until I saw quite a familiar face in the clothing section. I couldn't even remember the last time I smiled when someone was trying to make me smile, let alone smile unintentionally, so when the corners of my mouth twitched upwards, I was genuinely surprised. I found it just a little funny that she shopped on a schedule- almost every Tuesday at around eight.

I noticed her lifting herself up on her heels, reaching for the top hook that she surprisingly couldn't get to. She was tall but it seemed just out of her reach, and because I knew I wouldn't be of much help with my hands alone, I grabbed the garment hook hiding in the dressing room. I finally made it to where Ms. Yu was standing and reached above her, pushing the hanger she seemed to be getting at into the hook.

She turned to me with a frown and I had to smirk at the fact that she seemed off-put by my helping her. "I had it, Winter."

I shifted on my feet, lowering the hook and handing her the small piece of fabric. "I'm sure you did Ms. Yu.. maybe if you were just a few inches taller."