As if Rohry's bewitching smile wasn't convincing enough of her witchy status, the curse of burdens that she had unleashed on him surely was.
Jaehyun lived and existed in constant pain. Be it his hands, legs, chest or sometimes even the things inside his pants. Everything ached randomly, or acted randomly, as if they were birthing a mind of their own. He misplaced two mugs in a week which resulted them in shattering to their deaths, and as he collected the second mug's existence, piece by piece, he realised that this needed to stop.
So, as summer drew closer, he fell into a routine of playing Football, hurting all over, distracting himself by spending time with Popcorn-Ben, and sneaking into Rohry's room to binge watch movies and shows.
The trees they had planted in third grade, and nurtured all the way to their teenage, had grown up big and sturdy, branching right against the windows of their individual rooms. It was as if the trees were in alliance with Rohry and Jaehyun, when he had discovered jumping over the branches and safely reaching Rohry's ledge the first ten times.
Jaehyun, at thirteen, had yet to break a bone!
Nevertheless, it always scared Rohry's soul away when he'd go all Tarzan over the branches in front of her paranoid self.
But she liked having him over, because even if her parents had a curfew for her on usual days, they lifted it for summer break as long as she didn't miss morning church. Unlike the Kangs, who'd wake up several times in the night for random reasons and always check on their son, the Wisterias never did. So, the kids would have the room all for themselves, all night long.
The first night, they had set up a tent in front of Rohry's bed and played Power Rangers all night long; ultimately passing out half inside and half outside the tent, hands clasped so tightly like their lives depended on it.
They woke up to Rohry's mom knocking on her door before breakfast and Jaehyun had to slide under her bed to hide as Rohry let her mother in.
The second time, Jaehyun had reached home late and upon being interrogated by Kang Hari, he replied that he had started early morning runs. His mother was more than pleased to hear that and it further settled the problems on his side.
The third time they passed out together was after Rohry drew all over his hands with sketchpens, claiming that she'd be a tattoo artist when she grew up. Wearing long sleeved shirts to hide his crimes of the previous night killed Jaehyun for three whole days.
The fourth day, she claimed that she wanted to be a fairy fashion designer and cut holes in their pants and stuck rhinetsones everywhere.
That was when Jaehyun decided to put his foot down.
"This is it. No more doing new activities! It feels like I'm always at a loss with you. We only watch stuff now or I leave and never come back."
So, on the fifth day of the summer they turned thirteen, Rohry discovered asian dramas.
"How do you find that romantic, Rick, have you lost your mind?! He lied to her! Stalked her for years! Faked a whole disease for a good bunch of people just to get her to marry him or some shit?!"
Rohry narrowed her eyes at Jaehyun, sitting on her bed across a wall of chips and sprite. It was a Saturday evening and Jaehyun had sneaked through her window with a box of puzzle pieces to complete over the night, but she had him watch a Chinese drama instead.
For a man, he was quite the more invested than she ever was.
"Jae, you man with a heart of stone— You wouldn't understand! He was just ADMIRING her from AFAR! He found joy in her small interactions with 'her' world. He likes seeing her be all natural! It's not like he's clicking photos and licking them! And he's such a great husband to her after they got together!"
It was Jaehyun's turn to look exasperated. He leaned forward and pressed the back of his hand to Rohry's forehead. "You're sick," he announced before sneaking the hand in her packet of chips and stealing a handful.
"If I'm sick then you're heartless!" Rohry scoffed in his face, fighting to get her chips back. She followed his hand to pounce at it as Jaehyun evaded the attacks. He laughed when Rohry got her feet tangled in her blankets, flailing left and right, before falling.
Jaehyun took the moment of her descent to stuff the handful of chips in his mouth— right before Rohry's chin came crashing on his chest with a muted oomph.
He yelped a silent cry of pain, along with Rohry, as they lay pressed against eachother, groaning.
"Damn you, that hurt," Jae grumbled hoarsely, his already aching chest hurting even more. His thieving fingers were covered with salt so he wrapped them around Rohry to clean them on her hoodie.
"My jaw...It hurt me more, you gremlin," Rohry snapped, trying to get up with the support of her hands. Though, her palm rolled over a bottle of Sprite and she fell over him again. This time, with her face buried in the crook of his neck. "I give up," she croaked out.
And suddenly, Jaehyun felt a little different.
They had known eachother for almost a decade and spent enough time to last seven years when totalling.
Rohry knew when Jaehyun is sad or anxious he tends to grind is teeth and fidget his toes. Jaehyun knows when Rohry is hungry, angry or upset, she closes off and fuels self sabotaging thoughts in her head until he feeds her.
They knew eachother better than themselves, in more ways than one.
But, somehow, suddenly, there was a new part to them.
Whilst, Rohry wondered over the firmness of Jaehyun's chest, and the tautness of his once lanky muscles, he was consequently intrigued by the squishiness of her.
Gone was his bony and lanky friend whose smile overwhelmed her face and body. Instead, the hug felt more and more uncomfortable by the second. Owing to what? — he doesn't know, but it made him breathe harder and if he pushed his chest out more, he could chase the softness that was pressing over him. Her bones were squishy now??
He gulped.
It felt like a thousand ants were crawling on his skin as Rohry traced a finger over his neck. Her eyes were too focused to notice his clasped jaw, hands tightening over the sheets and the stillness of his being. He had stopped breathing because when his chest would raise...it would intentionally touch the squishiness again.
"What is this?" Rohry tapped a finger over his adam's apple, "It's oddly bulging," she grins a gummy girn in his face.
Jaehyun was quick to push Rohry away from her shoulders and sit up straight. A strange warmth crawled all over his face and neck, making it hard to focus on anything else.
"Geez—" he coughed, "No personal space?! That's an Adam's Apple, all the guys have it. My voice is gonna get so deep when we grow up," Jaehyun huffed and puffed, ruffling his tee-shirt to stir up some air in these awfully hot surroundings.
"Oh really? Everyone has it? Where's mine?" Rohry jumped off her bed to stare at her neck in the mirror. She scrutinized, left and right, in hopes to find a bump similar to his.
"You're not a guy, Rick. Geez, only I get a deep voice. You're stuck with your dolphin squeal foreverafter," Jaehyun snorted, still avoiding eye contact.
"Ugh! I'll have a deep voice one day! I'll get an adam's apple too!"
The next day, Rohry had gotten up-close and personal with Lander, Jun, Ian (with quite a lot of difficulty) and even Paine's (with no actual difficulty) necks, to observe that indeed, they all had an Adam's Apple but Sidra did not!
Rohry was upset about this huge loss to the female community, but her grief was made up by the information Sidra provided to her after dragging her behind the slides and sharing a packet of gummy bears.
"Ammi told me I'll be growing breasts. You'll be too. All girls do. We shouldn't let anyone see them or touch them, but they'll be here," she placed her hands over her chest, "Like our mums have, and they're better than having a deep voice! We'd have to wear a bra and everything like big girls!"
Rohry, with curious eyes clouded just a little with confusion, proceeded to ask, "What is a bra?"
"It's to help support our breasts and protect them, not let anyone notice? Cover them? Probably," Sidra pushed her lips in a all-too-known thinking pout.
"Wow, we're growing up," Rohry sighed, the thought still seemed a little unfathomable. She peeked behind the slide where Jun, Lander and Jaehyun were playing with a ball, not letting it get in Paine's hands whilst Ian stood in a corner and judged them.
"Ammi said they'll grow up and want to touch us. We must not let them touch us. Only married people can touch eachother," Sidra informed, looking where Rohry was.
Rohry nodded with an open mouth. "What about us? Can we touch them? I touched Jaehyun yesterday!"
Sidra giggled at that. She was comfortable enough to be herself around Rohry now and it was still the greatest achievement Rohry had bagged single-handedly.
"Not that sort of touching! It's different! They like..." Sidra looked around left and right, before leaning closer to Rohry's ear and whispered, "...want to see us naked. And touch us then."
"WHAT?! HOLY —THAT'S SO GROSS!!"
Rohry jumped back, flabbergasted by the revelation. "Why would anyone want to touch you naked?! That is so dumb!!" She whisper-shouted, quite scandalised by the information.
"No no, that's what all adults do! When they are married, of course, that makes it more appropriate," Sidra nods, big blue eyes convincing Rohry that she wasn't joking at all.
"So...our parents, our teacher...the old grandma at the Marlowe's Market... everyone gets naked and touches eachother??" She was nearing to tears when Sidra nodded in affirmation, visibly cringing by Rohry's odd variety of examples.
Though, on the other hand, Rohry's whole world would never be the same.
"And I would have to do it too? One day? When I grow up?" Rohry whispered, uncertain and jittery.
"Yeah, only if you want to." Sidra pressed her lips in a line as Rohry sighed in relief.
"I never want to grow up, never do I ever want to touch people naked. No."
"I don't know about me. It's ew, really," Sidra sighed with her friend, "but that's all big girl problems. Ramadan is coming up next week so I'll home praying and fasting, we should do that sleepover this week or maybe after?"
Rohry preked up at the change of topic. "Ah, why not both! You come to mine this week and I come to yours during Eid? If I tell mom it's Eid then she'll probably agree for a few more days!"
"Yay! That'd be so much fun!" Sidra squealed, "Abba might be coming to pick me up. I shall ask as soon as possible!"
Rohry nodded, taking a fistful of gummy bears, "Can't wait!"