04

"Taehyung, stop tailing me like a lost puppy, I'll be fine."

Taehyung ignored me as he continued to follow me out of the class. My shoulders were stiff under his protective glare. He had been on watch-guard mode ever since this morning's incident. Jungkook was nowhere in sight and the tears had not stopped leaking out of the pocket watch. I picked up my pace and started running towards the exit when suddenly, I was jerked back.

"Watch where you're going, Jimin. This is why you always have bruises on your knees."

Taehyung scolded me as I regained my balance. I heard a chuckled coming from in front of us and saw that it was the boy I had run into the other day.

"Quite protective of your girlfriend, aren't you, V?"

"Hey, hey, woah. I'm not his girlfriend, could you not jump to conclusions?"

"Hmm? What's this? She rejects V, the girl he was so hー"

He was interrupted by Taehyung's vicious hiss, growling at him. The boy only smirked before winking at me. His hand reached up to take my hand, but it was slapped away by Taehyung who looked intimidating as a serge of realization hit him.

"Hands off, Park Jimin. Now excuse us, we're kind of in a hurry."

Taehyung took my hand and pushed aside the boy before pulling me out of the school building. His grip was firm and it only got tighter as I tried to pull away.

"I want you nowhere near him, you hear me? Not a word will be spoken to him and if he approaches you, you are to flee as soon as possible. If you can't, you are to call me immediately."

"Calm down,

Taehyung, I don't see what the problem is. Plus, just running away from a person without a reason seems ruー"

I was cut off by Taehyung hostilely pulling me down the front steps of the school, away from the building. He was full of rage as his eyes scanned for the boy who was responsible for my tear-soaked, backpack pocket, Jungkook.

"There doesn't have to be a reason. I am your guardian, you are to listー"

"Taehyung, calm down! He was only trying to hold my hand, I could have dealt with him alone, goodness, can you stop being so overprotective?! I'm seriously not your damn girlfriend so lay off, will you?"

He looked slightly fazed as I yelled at him, pulling my arm harshly out of his grasp. His face scrunched into an angered look as he snarled, his hands clenched into fists.

"Who said I wanted you to be my girlfriend? I don't even think of you as a girl, don't be so delusional!"

For a moment, everything stayed silent. I could hear a low rumble from above as the sky started to become grey. Taehyung sighed loudly before running his hands though his hair.

I know. I know I'm not girly, I know I'm not pretty, and I know I'm not worth loving, but I don't need anyone to spit it in my face.

"Sorry. I didn't mean that, I was just provoked. Forget everythー"

"Forget it. Whatever."

I turned around and stormed away, ignoring Taehyung's pleas. I dug the pocket watch out from my backpack pocket and saw that the tears had stopped leaking from it. I sighed in relief, but saw droplets of

water falling onto the front of the watch. I looked up to see if it was raining, but the skies were still only grey, giving off low growls of thunder.

"Why are you crying."

Startled, I flinched at the rough voice that spoke to me. The sentence was said in more of a commanding tone than a questioning one. Jungkook stood in front of me under a dreary black umbrella with an annoyed and pained expression. I reached up to my cheeks to find that it was wet, stained with my tears.

"I don't know."

My lips trembled as my face scrunched up. I felt the raindrops slowly fall, accompanying my own set of raindrops, my tears. Soon, it was pouring. My throat swelled as I became soaked in tears along with the cold, pelting rain.

"You look pitiful, stop it."

He pulled me under his umbrella and draped his uniform blazer over my head. I kept my head low as I pressed the sleeves of his sweaters on my eyes, trying to stop the tears. I opened my mouth to apologize, but he didn't give me the chance.

"Don't apologize. Just stop crying."

I nodded my head and kept my mouth shut as I stopped my tears. A sour look rested on my face as I tried to push out returning memories I put so much effort in to burying away. I saw that Jungkook looked the same as he held the umbrella tightly above us. The top button of his uniform was undone and his collar was ruffled along with his hair. He looked guilty, but angered at the same time as he snuck small glances at me and then at the sky above us. After a minute, he grunted and shoved the umbrella in my hand.

"Take it, I'm leaving."

He took off in the rain without turning back and I watched him, speechless, until he rounded the corner, out of my sight. Slowly, I began my walk home. I wondered if my brother was watching me from heaven, and I wondered if he was pitying me right now.

Don't pity your older sister, fool. I'm doing fine, I hope you are too.

I bit back my small smile as I spoke to him through my thoughts. I arrived home and at the front door, I was met by Taehyung who stood right up as I closed the umbrella. His hair was drenched along with his uniform as a puddle of rainwater surrounded both of us.

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

I left it at that and went upstairs to wash up, leaving Taehyung by the entrance. I entered the bathroom and took a quick shower before changing into pajamas. When I came out, I found Taehyung sitting on the edge of my bed in dry clothes and a towel over his head. He wore my little brother's ugly, oversized Christmas sweater and a pair of faded blue sweatpants. I was slightly surprised at the sight of the clothes as I hadn't seen them since the Christmas before he died. I stayed silent as I sat at my desk and pulled out my math notebook from my backpack.

The air was tense as we sat quietly for the next hour. I finished homework and was now reading a book when Taehyung broke the uneasy silence.

"Jimin."

"Hmm?"

There was a long pause. All that could be heard was our breathing, the paging of my book, and the soft ticking of the clocks in the room. He quietly cleared his throat before saying something I never thought I'd ever hear from him.

"You were my last love."