Kayeon

Chapter 5

Kat was at the front tending to her roses when Donnie returned. Jas should be inside resting.

"Hey baby." She said, hugging him briefly and messing with his hair.

Donnie acted offended but in honesty, he loved seeing his mother in smiles. It helped dull out the images of the trauma his dad inflicted on them both. Glad to know the man was safely tucked behind bars.

"Did you have a good day, kid?"

He nodded, sitting on an abandoned stone engraved close to the garden.

"Yeah."

No. He didn't.

Of course, Kat saw through his lie.

“Kayeon again?"

She hated to see her son so worried. Already there were stress lines imprinted on his forehead, that plus his abnormal consumption of coffee these days.

"Yeah. Mom. She's acting completely weird. I'm worried sick."

Kat sighed. The girl was surely a mystery. Kat loved Kayeon as her daughter, Jas, but there was no way she would let her son throw away his future because of a girl who wouldn't be bothered to talk about whatever issue she had.

It would be better if they both backed out of the relationship but of course, Kat didn't voice out her thoughts.

"Donnie. Maybe you should just let her be. Give her a little time."

Donnie was fast running out of time and patience but he nodded anyways.

"Okay mom."

"Your food's on the counter. Get all showered."

Smiling again, Donnie went inside. After scrubbing clean and changing into a clean set of clothes, he went downstairs.

Halfway, Aaron rang up his phone asking to hangout. Of course, Donnie couldn't say no.

An hour later, Donnie, Aaron and few other kids from their neighborhood found an abandoned auto shop and went exploring it.

Some other of the girls with them were new, he didn't know who they were.

One of them in particular, Rosa couldn't keep her hands off him. Each time his eyes were turned, she'd find an excuse to touch him somewhere. He found it grossly irritating and wished he never came out with them.

After their exploration, they found a cool spot to sit and just talk. Many grouped in pairs and threes.

Of course, Rosa snatched the opportunity to be close to him.

He listened to her talk nonstop about her family, goals to be a popular i********: influencer and stuff.

At least, she ended up being a distraction for him.

Kayeon.

Kayeon.

Kayeon.

He wondered what she was doing at the moment.

Probably curled up in her room staring at the ceiling, longing for him? Eating?

Rosa nudged him. "Did you hear a thing I said?"

"Yeah. You went on a vacation to Rome?"

Rosa snorted. "Paris. You aren't paying attention, Donnie."

He smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I've got my mind full with a lot of stuff."

Rosa scrunched up her nose. "Ew. You sound like my grandpa."

Donnie couldn't help but genuinely laugh at that comparison. He sure did feel like a grandpa with all the thinking lately.

"Want to talk about it?" Rosa offered, resting her shoulders on her knees.

Donnie sighed. What to do? Relate his problems to a total stranger? Or not?

He just had to.

And Donnie told her everything without revealing too much about Kayeon's identity.

"Give her time. If time isn't working. Then you both can't work out either."

Rosa's words kept ringing in his ears even while he lay in his bed that night. Alone with only thoughts of Kayeon to keep him company. He stared at her picture on his lockscreen until he fell asleep.

* * *

"Miss Walters, do you mind sharing with the class what's got you laughing in Maths class?"

Kayeon snapped out of her mini trance and found herself looking into Mrs Lorraine's unimpressed face. It was the first time in this week she'd genuinely laugh and they just ruined it successfully. Her classmates too were staring and giggling.

"I think she has finally lost it." Someone mumbled behind her. She turned and glared at said person.

"I'm sorry Mrs Lorraine."

"This isn't your first time, Kayeon. Sorry doesn't fix anything if you keep repeating your actions. Detention for you." Mrs Lorraine turned back to the board.

Sighing, Kayeon glanced around meeting Donnie's worried expression. But then he quickly looked away as if he didn't wish to look at her in the first place.

She sighed again. For the fifth time.

Everything was crashing around her. She couldn't have a steady grip of her emotions. Her friends probably hated her right now. Clara's project still had to be completed.

How on earth could she fix all that mess with her mind destabilized?

When the bell went up, she grabbed her things and went to the detention room.

Mr Jonas gave her a weird look as she walked in. “Kayeon, you rarely get detention. What happened?" He asked.

Kayeon handed her detention slip over. "I got distracted in Lorraine's class."

"Sucks to be you right now." Some boy, Marcus said, chuckling.

Mr Jonas nodded and handed her a blank paper. "Hundred reasons why you should pay attention in class."

Kayeon's frustration grew to the roof. She thought it would just be detention and then she'd finally get to write some lines in peace.

Obviously that wasn't happening.

Reluctantly, she grabbed the paper and found a seat in the corner.

Half an hour later, she had only managed a measly ten reasons.

If she doesn't get this done in time...

"I could help you." Marcus whispered.

Kayeon glared at the school's well known bad boy. "I'm pretty sure you can't even spell the word 'ant' She hissed.

Marcus snickers. "Trust me, I'm a lot smarter than you think. I'll help you. I know your fingers are itching to write in that book of yours." He nods at her navy coloured hard covered book that contained three years worth of stories.

Kayeon's eyes widened. "How did you know?"

Marcus tapped his head. "I told you I was smart."

Rolling her eyes, she snuck her paper and pen across to him without Mr Jonas noticing.

The man was too engrossed in his newspaper to care about what they were doing.

"Not so fast, bunny. There's got to be some form of payment."

Kayeon mentally facepalmed. Of course.

"So long as it doesn't involve a bedroom and your male organ."

An amused smile crossed Marcus' face. "I promise it won't. Just a friendly outing."

But why? Kayeon mentally groaned.

"Fine."