-
As his eyes darted between the two, his anger grew. Tae looked at Kai, who was still holding Jennie carefully, his eyes switching to Jennie. She stood with his wrist in her hand, his eyes rising to meet hers. He could see in her eyes that there was nothing there for him, and just like before, he knew she was leaving. He knew that she was leaving him alone again, and he knew that she couldn't ever have eyes for him. As his eyes dropped from her gaze, he noticed the silver pendant dangling from her neck. His anger grew as he snatched his hand away and used the other to grab the necklace.
Kai saw his hand reach for Jennie, and he pulled her back to him. As her body went with Kai and the chain went with Tae, she heard a snap. She paused as the chain fell to the ground, Tae standing with his face red. Her heart was stirring in multiple directions, from being sad and confused to wondering if this was what she deserved. After all these years, was this how she actually made him feel? She reached her hand out, and Kai flinched, causing Tae to lunge towards them. Kai turned them around, his back blocking Jennie from Tae. He waited as Tae delivered punch after punch into his back. As Jennie stayed barricaded inside Kai's arms, Tae yelled out in anger.
"You abandoned me. All of you. I've only loved you." He yelled, throwing the final punch into Kai's back. Kai felt the wind being knocked from his lungs, but the thoughts of his father's punches, in comparison, were nothing. He checked Jennie, who turned to go to Tae. Tae had begun walking away, and Jennie wanted to follow. Her body moved in that direction before Kai stopped her. The jacket fell from her shoulders into his arms.
"Maybe now isn't the best time." He spoke, trying to hold in his groans of pain.
"It'll be quick." She said, and he watched her run to him. Kai watched as her feet passed by the necklace that lay broken on the ground before seeing her run into the restaurant.
Kai knelt down on the ground, picking up the necklace that he'd just bought. The chain wasn't completely useless, his gaze falling on the restaurant. Should he follow? The thought was consuming him. The thought of her being alone with him worried him, as he picked up the necklace and let it fall in his pants pocket. Kai mustered the strength to go to the window of the restaurant, looking in and noticing the four in the kitchen. He watched Jennie, Tae, his mom, and the chef talking.
He watched as from afar they continued their conversation in the kitchen, wondering if he should just walk in. His eyes were on Jennie, who appeared to be fine, but he couldn't help his thoughts. He looked at the almost empty restaurant; only a few families were there. His body was torn on whether he should enter, but thoughts of making it worse harbored his mind. His eyes went back towards Jennie, watching her calm Tae. Her hands holding onto his shoulders made him fume with jealousy, but he needed to trust her.
-
Jennie waved goodbye to Tae's mom and Tae, getting small nods and caring looks. She walked from the restaurant, looking around to see the empty streets. Her heart sank as she noticed that Kai was no longer around. She gave a small huff, turning towards the direction of her home and beginning her walk. She hadn't bothered to check the time but instead thought about if Kai understood.
Jennie loved Tae, but it was never anything more. She felt bad, even guilty, that he thought there was a chance. She only ever wanted to be nice and caring; he was always so helpful. She had always felt like there was more that she could do for him, repaying him for all the things he'd done. She knew he was the one to find her, remembering the doctors mentioned it while they talked amongst each other.
Tae would come to her defense when she was picked on in school, making most of the kids leave her alone. It would make her feel even worse when he was suspended, the guilt becoming too much. It was a relief when she went to live with her aunt, being able to feel better about him being in fewer fights. When she moved back, she saw it slowly begin again. Jennie thought things might change the older he got, trying not to encourage him.
As she tried to understand everything, she could feel her body begin to want to shut down. For the past couple of weeks, everything had been getting hectic, the energy draining from her with every new situation. Jennie began to drag her legs, making her body move regardless of how tired she was. As she grew closer to her home, she could feel the last bit of energy in her pushing to its limit. Her eyes began to lock on the gate, ready to go lay down. The closer she got, the more she noticed a small shadow standing off to the side.