"Can you like not?! Seriously, of course you need to hangout with Jun on a Saturday. It's fine, I get it, he's more of a dude I'll ever be and you can talk about all the boy stuff with him!" Rohry jerked Jaehyun's hand off her wrist and strutted through the hallway with a bitter face.
The middle school hallway broke into gasps and whispers.
Jaehyun stared at her retreating figure, stood there with Jun's hand over his shoulder, casually urging him to, "Let it go, the game's not gonna wait for your feelings!"
What the heck?
"Real shitty dude," Jaehyun shrugged Jun's hand off his shoulder, "She's my friend."
"Whom you feed sandwiches at lunch, yeah sure dude. More of a Wisteria family butler," Jun snorted, patting his friend's back with mockery in his tone.
Jaehyun pulled him in a headlock, spanking his back for being so obnoxious so, so, early in the evening, "It's called concern and responsibility. You wouldn't know because you're barely even human."
"Ouch- woah! Okay, stop-!!" Jun agressively tapped Jaehyun's shoulder. "Let me go!" He pleaded with emotion enough for Jaehyun to release him lest he'd be charged for an attempt to murder.
"Geez dude, I'm sorry," Jun raised his hands in surrender and took four steps away from his friend.
A respectable distance.
"Let's run now. I wasted all of two minutes because of you," Jaehyun tsked, looking at his watch.
"Yeah sure dude, it was all me. My fault," Jun gasped at Jaehyun's audacity, leaping into a run inside the hallways.
Jaehyun rolled his eyes and followed in a jog. He had met Jun in fifth grade. The Chinese kid was new to town and seemed like a big old green flag when he announced that he liked to play football and has a dog.
Jaehyun had made it his mission to befriend Jun, mostly because of the dog. Jaehyun had a dog when he was young, a golden retriever and named Ben. Jaehyun and Ben were bestfriend until they moved and Jaehyun had to leave Ben behind in his hometown.
Jun's dog, also a golden retriever named Popcorn, and Jaehyun got along well because he would usually manifest Ben in the image of Popcorn and play with him everyday. For no less than two hours. All of Jun's family were wrapped around Jaehyun's courteous bows and good-boy-smiles. Within no time, Jun had became an important friend to Jaehyun.
Mostly because of the dog — but no one needed to know that. Especially Jun.
Rohry knew about it, of course, that's why he was unware of what made her so unreasonable recently. It's not like Jaehyun would spend ALL of his Saturday with Jun...it was just a match after-school and Rohry was usually chill about it.
So, what happened today?
⩩
Rohry cried when a sticky red fluid came in contact with her fingers. Her feet ran cold as blood rushed out of her system and a feeling of dread overcame her.
Rohry was dying.
She was bleeding out of where she used to pee and it wouldn't stop and she was dying and she had been so mean to her bestfriend right before her death!
She was a horrible person!
Rohry deserved death!
She sobbed as she washed her hands from the jetspray, for the nth time, and stuffed a load of toilet paper in her panties. Though, as soon as she stood up from the toilet seat, a surge of pain made her sit back down.
Her lower belly felt like someone was stabbing it with a thousand pointy needles. A choked sob escaped her lips as she fished her phone out of her jean pocket and dialed one on speed dial.
One ring. Two rings. Three rings.
"Oh right, he had a match..."
"Hey, Rick, what you feel bad now?" Jaehyun's voice laughed over the other side of the line. Relief washed over Rohry just as fast as panic had overtaken her.
"Jay," she groaned, pushing her knees into her chest.
"Rick, yes?"
"Jay, I think I am dying." She rasped out, quite plainly.
"For the last time, math cannot weild a sword and stab you when you sleep over the text book. You'll live."
"No, it's not math, I think I'm—"
The line died because Rohry's phone died. Spectacular. She'll buy a nokia next time. Pretty phones always betray during important times.
She jolted up in anger, though, a wave of pain and cold sweat was quick to humble her back to the cold seat.
"Ugh, I cannot die! I must apologise to Jay before dying for good, tsk," Rohry grumbled, deciding to get up slowly this time. She kept her hands pressed to her stomach and stood up with concentration.
Standing up had never been such a chore. Rohry was realising all the privileges of her life a little too late! Pain pierced her willpower but did not make it all the way through to a stab. Rohry twisted the door lock and walked out of the stall, looking like a zombie masquerading as a human being in plain sight.
He must be in the playground.
It was almost evening as orange hues bled into the existing blue of the sky. Sidra usually spent the time between five and six in offering her prayers, hidden in an abandoned ancient mathematics corner of the library. For once, Rohry wished Sidra wasn't as diligent as she was.
Sidra would have known what to do about this impromptu death that had Rohry in its clutches, pulling her slowly.
Bent a fourty-five degrees, Rohry made her way to the playground, all the way across the empty hallways and the sparsely populated cafeteria.
For the real crowd was in the grounds. Middleschoolers hoarded the bleachers, chanting the school motto as the players practiced on the field.
Jaehyun was passing the ball to a fellow striker as they doged their opposing team. The crowd cheered when he scored a goal with the help of Jun. His face was graced with a toothy smile, which was priorly only reserved for her, and he jumped and high-fived Jun.
Jun. The object of all of Jaehyun's smiles lately.
Rohry sat down, on the grassy field, quite welcoming death with friendly arms if only she would die seeing her friend look so genuinely happy.
Even if it was because of Jun.
Then, she'll haunt him for the rest of his life for abandoning her at the wrong moment!
Her lips broke into an evil grin which was swiftly suppressed by another wave of muscle cramps and cold sweat washing over. Rohry pressed her fingers deeper into her lower belly, seething in consequence.
Though, before she could give in to the weakness and pass out, she felt a handkerchief press against her forehead and gently dab away all the sweat. Rohry opened her eyes to see Ian holding a packet of chips in front of her whilst dabbing her sweat away.
"You should eat. It hurts more if you don't," he urged after feeling Rohry's blank stare directed at him.
"Huh?"
"Yeah," Ian shrugged, now crouching in front of her and dabbing her chin and neck off all the sweat they were covered in.
This was a strange occurrence.
"Oh, do you, uh, do you know what this feeling of death is? Am I not dying? Am I sick?" Rohry questioned curiously as Ian dropped the handkerchief in her arms and opened the packet of chips for her.
"It's not my place to tell. Eat this," he pushed the packet in her hands, eyes straying away from contact.
Ian had grown taller over the years and frowned lesser and lesser over democracy. But, he still seemed like a weird silent person who could very well be thinking of 'vile democracy' because his brows were thick and arched like a person capable of no good thoughts.
Rohry had never seen Ian spend a moment of consideration over anyone or anything but himself. This was definitely fishy. "Are you hiding something? Are these expired chips?" She whispered in a conspirative tone, sniffing the chip packet. They smelled as good as new ones.
"Don't you feel like you're dying? I'm lessening your pain," Ian worded ominously, his arched eyebrows conspiring against him.
⩩
"Shit Hyun, the Prince is hitting on your girl!" Jun exclaimed with a snort, bringing his shirt up to wipe his face.
"Hell dude, I don't have a girl—"
"—friend. He's hitting on your friend," Jun corrected with a distracted scoff.
Jaehyun twisted a one-eighty on his ankle and spotted Ian's obnoxiously blonde head with too quick a glance. Indeed, he was crouching in front of someone and dabbing their neck.
Jaehyun's jaw hung low as he announced, "Switch please," before jogging off the playing field. The crowd booed, but since it was a practice game, it didn't really matter.
"Hey, you, democracy," Jaehyun stood behind the crouching duo, hands on his waist and eyes glaring at the curly blonde head.
"Jaejaehyun!" Rohry tilted her head to face him. "Mr Krabs, I think I'm dying and Ian is making it faster! My sin-o-meter is filled. I am going to pay in hell now," she supressed a sob or two, before full-out bursting into tears.
Ian took it as his cue to peacefully stand up and walk out of perspective. No one paid heed to him.
"Hey, Rick, stop, come on get up. There is no such thing as a sin-o-meter, don't be ridiculous," Jaehyun grumbled, kneeling in front of her. As soon as his hands touched her arms, the cold of her skin got him swearing.
"Shit, Rick, I think you're dying for reals," he grimaced loud enough for her to listen and hit him in the head.
"Shut up, I hate you!" Rohry sobbed.
His limbs ached from all the practice, and even in general, but he did not spare a thought to pick her up in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed as Jaehyun rushed towards the infirmary.
"Tell me everything, what happened? Do you feel sick? Did someone hurt you? What happened?" He fired questions.
"I, uh, I don't know. I just...eh, went to pee and started bleeding?!" Rohry struggled to form a sentence and it halted Jaehyun right in his tracks.
"Started bleeding out of nowhere?! Where? What happened? Did you fall down? Your head looks fine to me," he fretted over her, feet gaining momentum again - faster this time.
"It's embarssing..." Rohry chewed on her bottom lip, and hid her face in the crook of his neck.
"Oh dear lord, my bestfriend is going to die an embarssing death at twelve," Jaehyun panicked as he kicked open the infirmary doors. "Nurse Nancy! We need help! My bestfriend is dying!! Come quick!!" Jaehyun wrecked up a storm, pacing left and right like an npc for all the while Nurse Nancy took in walking out of her break room.
"If she's dying, why haven't you called the ambulance...Mr. Kang?" Nurse Nancy deadpanned, gesturing his frenzied self to place Rohry on a bed already. He dropped her, carefully.
"Oh yes, yes, yes, I forgot about that!" Jaehyun realised, smacking his forehead against a wall. "I should call now, oh my—"
"Jaehyun! Shut up. I'm dying, not you, stop freaking out!" Rohry sobbed out loud, hands clenching to a fist around the bedsheet.
"I love how you've established that," Nurse Nacy joked, picking up her steathoscope.
Jaehyun stopped pacing and pulled his friend in a side hug. His arms were lanky because he was merely thirteen - heck, he barely even reached the bed without tip toeing - his armpits stank, sweat dripped off his chin and onto her scalp. She was shaking in sheer terror, hands clutched around his shirt, finding comfort in their disgusting embrace as Nurse Nancy examined her.
They were gross together, but also warm together.
"If God saves you, I'll give up on chocolate milk and never drink it in front of you to tease you! I promise!" Jaehyun sobbed as Nurse Nancy swatted his hands away from Rohry to throw a light in her pupils.
"But I really feel like dying, and when I die, you can drink chocolate milk twice a day in my memory!" Rohry sniffled. Nurse Nancy placed a hand on Rohry's lower abdomen and the teenager let out a muffled cry.
"That's not an option, Ms. Wisteria. Mr. Kang, why don't you give Rohry's mother a call. Tell her to pick up her daughter from school please," Nurse Nancy directed, taking off her stethoscope.
"Is she okay?" Jaehyun asked. He'd have to go back to the fields to get his phone and he did not want to leave with verbal affirmation.
"Yes, perfect. Her period just started so you can call her a big girl now! Congratulations!"
Nurse Nancy beamed after breaking the news to two confused teenagers. Jaehyun had no idea why Rohry of all people could be termed as a 'big girl' and Rohry had no idea what 'period started' was. Did it mean she was bleeding from extra stress?
Their focused faces charged Nurse Nancy into a practised explanation, "Okay, so you clearly do not know about periods. Darned education system. It's a natural process when the uterus sheds its lining, and it happens approximately once a month. It's essential to understand that menstruation is a normal and healthy part of life for many people and nothing to be embarassed about."
She continued, ignoring the disgusted expressions the duo sported, until Rohry interjected.
"English please?"
Nurse Nancy sighed before deadpanning, "You will bleed. Every month. It will be painful. You'll act out. You will be brattier than before. You will suffer."
To which the twelve year old had burst into a flurry of tears shouting, "I-I ha-v-ve been c-cursed!! Ja-ey, she has cu-ursed m-me!" She stared at her friend, with big watery hazel eyes begging for defence, but Jaehyun was too busy in his own head.
He clutched the bedspread with both his hands and leaned forward to ask Nurse Nancy with the most sombre expression, "Is this going to happen to me too?"
"Pfft," Nurse Nancy ruffled Jaehyun's hair, "It only happens to girls. You'll have other mess to deal with," before walking over to a cabinet and taking out a packet of sanitary napkins.
Jaehyun's hands unclasped and his teeth broke out into an evil grin. "Only you," he pointed a finger in Rohry's face, "Only you!"
But before he could continue, a pillow came crashing down his face which he did not bother blocking.
"You'd have other shit to deal with!" Rohry retorted vehemently.