Comment if I should try making a BTS apply fanfic next time.

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"They..." Areum hesitated to say her words.

The teacher gave Areum her full attention. "They hit me. The girls were punching and kicking me because one of them ordered to do so. That's where I got my bruises from. One of them kicked me when I tried to get up so that's how I ended up over there," Areum's voice slowly became quiet as she rubbed her left arm lightly. "Let's go to my office for now and I'll bring the nurse over to treat you. I'll report them for their misbehavior and actions. I need you to tell me who they are later," the teacher said.

She supported Areum's weight and helped her walk to her office. Areum sat down on a nearby chair as the teacher called the nurse down through the school phone.

The teacher looked through the papers on her desk, searching for a report form. "Where did I put them?" She wondered. She shuffled through stacks of files and opened the drawers of the desk. "Oh! Here it is," she waved the report form in the air and took a pen, that was laying in a pile of dust. She cleaned the dust off the pen easily and started scribbling words onto the paper.

     A knock came upon the door of the teacher's office. "Come in!" The teacher called out. The nurse barged in, slightly out of breath and clumsily dropped the first aid kit.

     "Sorry for being late. One of the students kept being stubborn about getting treated so it took a long time for me to convince him," the nurse scratched his head. "Is it that boy who always gets injured?" The teacher sighed. "Yes. Park Jimin, that is," the nurse said. He looked around the office, finally spotting Areum sitting on a chair right next to him.

     "Oh, I didn't see you there. You're so small," he patted her head as if she was a child. Areum slightly backed away from his touch and stared at him with a blank face.

     "I'm not small," Areum murmured under her breath.

     "What did you say? I couldn't hear you quite well," the nurse said teasingly as he opened the first aid kit. "Nothing," Areum looked down. The nurse smiled as Areum held out her arm so that she could be treated. Purple bruises were all around her legs and arms. The nurse was taken aback at how many she had.

He took out some cream for bruises and spread it across her arms and legs. "You can do the rest, right?" He handed her a small container of the cream. Areum nodded in response, continuing to stay silent.

The nurse stood up and was about to leave, but he suddenly stopped. He faced Areum and asked her something that took her by surprise. The question scared her and she was afraid to answer. "Your skin looks pale," he said.

"Have you been eating well? Or perhaps, were you throwing up?" The nurse asked.

The room was silent for a moment. Such a deathly silence yet so clean-cut. Areum's clenched her hands into shaking fists as tears brimmed at her eyes. "I've been...eating," she said. It's not like I'm lying. I have been eating. I just throw it up afterwards, she thought, I shouldn't be feeling this guilty. It's not like I'm doing anything wrong. It's my decision.

There wasn't a single smile on the nurse's face, which was unusual. He bent down to her level and whispered something that only she could hear. "Stop forcing yourself to throw up to become skinny," he stood back up and said loudly, "be confident in yourself."

He left the room, leaving the teacher and Areum alone.

"He really is something, isn't he?" The teacher broke the silence. "The nurse? Yeah," Areum responded with a low voice, looking at the container clenched in her hand. "Now, what were their names?" The teacher looked up at the student.

     Areum listed all of the girls that were in that classroom with her. There were a few girls she couldn't identify. They were new faces to her. It shocked her to see that people are joining Park Yuna in the horrible things she was doing.

"I'm doing the right thing, right? By telling you what they did to me?" Areum asked.

"Of course. It's not nice when people are bullying you and you should always inform someone in order for them to help you," the teacher explained. "But, I don't think this will turn out good. Park Yuna has a lot of backups and it won't be easy to get her with this. I'm just afraid that after all of this, they'll still hurt me. I know what they're like especially after what they did to me," Areum said. The teacher widened her eyes and sighed, taking off her glasses.

"We'll end this for today. I'll speak with you tomorrow when I have the time. I'll call you down from class," the teacher said. Areum bowed to the teacher and was about to leave when the teacher called her name out.

"Don't be afraid of anything. Courage doesn't find you. You have to find courage. I'll help you out as much as I can. After all, I'm a teacher. I'm not only here to teach you guys about a subject, but I'm also here to take care of you students," the teacher waved her goodbye.

     After school was over and she walked back home, she jumped onto her bed and thought to herself. The nurse and the teacher's words replayed in her head.

     "Be confident in yourself." "I'm also here to take care of you students."

Areum bursted in tears, clenching her hands on the bed sheet. She wanted to let out her stress — to let out all of her words and feelings. But what can I do? I'm useless. I can't do a single thing right at all.

She hated how she was a burden to everyone. She hated how people thought she was weak and needed to be protected. She didn't like depending on others so much. Areum hated that she had so many flaws even if that was the reason why she seemed more human. She hated herself so much. She sighed to herself.

I want to be confident, but...it's not like anyone likes me. I'm ugly, useless, and disgusting. I'm a loner.

I'm just a nobody.

~

I know this chapter was boring cause no big climax or action in this. I have writer's block and honestly, I don't feel much passion for writing at the moment. As much as I want to write, I don't feel as interested as I used to be. So I might not post as much.

Sincerely,
Flora Lee