ADOMANIA || zhong chenle

chapter 76

that evening, daiyu and her friends had gathered in one of the common rooms their dorm building.

the group of girls never really used those, since they were always occupied by a specific bunch of water shifters.

however, ahn jiah's group had kind of withdrawn ever since one of them — lim yoona — almost died of posioning. you would rarely see them anywhere at school anymore.

so daiyu and her friends had eventually started meeting up there.

"you're terrible, daiyu! how could you just not tell us about all that stuff going on with chenle? i mean, we're not blind, but i seriously thought you trusted us enough!"

jieun looked outraged, but daiyu knew that it was all an act.

"i didn't need the whole school knowing!"

"oh- so that's what we are to you! just random students? i was there to save your ass the first time you got your period — in class! — and this is how you treat me?"

she quickly covered the girl's mouth with her palm, not wanting the other people in the room to hear about that rather humiliating experience from back in middle school.

"will you shut up? this is what i mean when i say not to tell the whole school!"

jieun laughed, pushing daiyu's hand away from her.

"okay fine... but we're really not getting the details?"

the hopeful glint in her eyes almost made the chinese girl crumble, but she was not up to telling a story to a bunch of squealing and screetching girls.

"nope."

"mean." jieun pouted, getting back on her phone.

'i swear, if this girl is calling her boyfriend and his friends here...'

sure, daiyu was madly whipped for chenle, and she loved the fact that she got to spend a lot of time with him, but there was a line.

she didn't actually need to see him every second of her day either.

not when she had wanted to spend some time with her girl friends only for once.

"you're not calling jeno, are you?"

to her luck, that was not the case.

"huh? no. i'm trying to reach ara. she's got me seriously worried."

'so i wasn't the only one to notice.'

"yeah, oh my god — when did she even start acting like this? i saw her at lunch today, and that was really not normal."

jieun hummed, eyes still glued to the device in her hands.

"i wish i knew. i think jaemin and this girl he's seeing talked with her this morning. i didn't talk to her before that, so i don't know if she's been weird since yesterday already."

a part of daiyu had really wanted to ask who the hell jaemin even was seeing, but her friend was more important.

"or maybe it has something to do with this childhood friend or enemy or whatever the fuck they were that she kind of started talking to again."

okay, now that was news to daiyu.

she had never been told anything of a childhood friend, or anyone new that she started talking to.

"who is she?"

"what makes you think they're a girl?"

'oh, shit. jo ara stays away from most men like they are the fucking pest.'

she rose her eyebrows in a sceptical manner, not quite knowing if she could believe jieun.

"seriously? a guy?"

jieun nodded. "i think he's pretty close to jaemin and some of the others. but it's not one of those who eat with us."

daiyu was pretty surprised. not that she didn't think ara was capable of talking to a boy, but it was definitely new to actually hear of her doing so.

the only guys she had actually seen her talk to were teachers, her family, and chenle and his friends (though she didn't interact too much with them either).

"yeah, well, that's most probably not the reason for her behaviour anyway, so don't stress it. they're not even friends, as far as i know."

her mind immediately went to chenle. they also had that weird phase of their relationship where they were basically friends, but they weren't.

'and somehow we've upgraded to 'they're basically dating, but they aren't' now'

but she was convinced that ara would tell them about the dude if she felt like it was necessary.

although her behaviour (can you even call it that?) from back at lunch still didn't completely leave her mind.

"jieun?"

at hearing her chinese friend once again call out to her, jieun stowed her phone away, turning her body to her.

in the backgroud, they could hear seon-ok and haeun loudly discussing how their mid-term chemistry practical tests would go (they were literally taking place the next week already).

"you know how chenle and i aren't dating yet?"

jieun nodded. "yeah, but i think he's made it pretty clear that he wouldn't mind."

a small chuckle left her mouth, but she immediately felt like taking it back, once she saw her friend's expression.

"oh, sorry. why are you telling me about this?"

daiyu contemplated for a second. she wasn't sure how to explain.

"i... he confessed to me. he didn't directly ask me out or anything, but he did say he likes me and would like to be in a relationship."

the water shifter nodded slowly.

"and that's bothering you because...?"

"i'm scared. aside from the fact that this would be my first actual relationship, i'm kind of scared that things would be too awkward between us. we're at such a great point of our friendship right now, and i don't want that to go to waste."

again, jieun nodded.

"but you're sure that you have feelings for him?"

"completely."

"have you kissed?"

'coming straight to the point, isn't she?'

"yeah. multiple times. one of them being yet another reason for me not being sure about dating him. it was before the whole blood shifter incident by the river, but he literally told me that he was only fooling around the next day."

jieun was in awe.

"what the fuck?"

"that's what i thought as well."

"okay, daiyu, i really don't know how to give you advice on that, because that's definitely a bit fucked up. but i think it's best if you ask him it. and take your time with your decision. if he's pressuring you, he's not worth it."

daiyu smiled at her friend in gratitude.

she was glad to have talked to a friend who had enough experience in dating, and was currently in a healthy relationship of almost four years.

"alright. i'll talk to him. thanks a lot."

__________________________________

no chenle in this chapter (not directly lol)

i was prewriting so much about a week ago, but suddenly i literally only have one chapter left of the 8 i had to spare :o