"Jimin!"

He jumped up startled, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Taehyung apologized sitting next to him.

"Shhh!" The librarian said.

"Sorry." Taehyung whispered back with a grin. 

"Hey." Jimin smiled.

"What happened? Why did you go into the principals office while ago?" He wondered.

"Oh, uh, he was just talking to me about my next semester schedule." He lied.

"We've already signed up for classes though."

"I know. It's just that at my old school I had already taken chemistry and they wanted to know about it."

"Oh, okay. So you're not in trouble, right?"

"No." He smiled.

Truth was, the principal had called him into the office because of the recording of him punching another student. The flashback came back to memory.

"I know of that small fight that happened by the gym bathrooms." The principal said.

Jimin kept quiet trying to come up with an excuse. The last thing he needed was to be suspended or his father would be livid.

"You're not in trouble," he said. Jimin gulped down nervously, "Since he had already hurt you before, I will let this slide. Only for today. I just don't want this incident to repeat itself. I've already talked to him and warned him not to try to hurt you again."

"Thank you." He quietly mumbled.

"Jimin?" Taehyung said.

"Huh? Sorry, I wondered off."

"What were you thinking about, huh? A special someone?" He judged elbowing him.

He looked at him and smiled. Then, he realized that even though he still felt love and appreciation towards him, he didn't feel the same thing he did before.

And that was both scary and relieving.

"No. It's nothing. I'm just thinking about what to write down for my paper."

"What's the paper about? Maybe I can help."

"It's for career management class. I have to write a report about what career I'm interested in."

"And what career are you interested in?"

"I...I wanted to be a vet tech. I love animals."

"Me too. Why do you say wanted? You don't want to no more?"

"It's conflicting. I'm not good with people. In order to be in that field I have to communicate with pet owners."

"You can do it. I believe in you."

"I don't know anymore. I just want to..."

"To?"

"Travel. Somewhere far away. Where no one knows my name or a single thing about me."

"That would be nice. Wouldn't it?"

Jimin nodded, "Yes."

"I have to go now. Do you want me to walk with you to class?"

"I'm fine. I still have to finish this. Thank you for asking."

"No problem. Bye Jimin!" He grinned and waved goodbye.

Twenty minutes later, he was walking back to class. He walked down the hallways where he saw and heard people on their phone.

They were looking at him and then down at their phones. The whispers got louder and the stares got worse.

He kept walking trying to ignore it all. It got so bad, he decided to walk in the nearest boy restroom.

He was just about to head in when he bumped into the person he didn't want to see.

"Spaz. There you are. Hiding from me again?"

Jimin noted the small bruise under his cheek. He didn't feel as powerful as he did that day. In fact, he felt vulnerable and he could feel his knees shake.

"Have you heard of that rumor going around?" He asked leaning closer.

Jimin's silence only confirmed that he hadn't. He smiled pulling out his phone, "Someone made a post about poor Nayeon. You should see the comments they're awful. Everyone's attacking her. So sad." He mocked.

Jimin took the phone and looked at the anonymous post. It was a picture of Nayeon with a nasty caption.

"Oh, man, and then in the comments it talks about how she's covering your fag ass. Terrible, terrible. Everyone is turning on her."

"You made this post. You did this." He said in disbelief.

He snatched his phone back with a grin. "I decided that torturing you physically isn't good enough. I want to hurt you mentally and scar you emotionally to the point you wish for your own death. Felt nice to have a friend didn't it? You did this to her not me. You're dragging her down with your reputation. Do you honestly believe that other people will want to talk to her knowing that she talks to you? I will continue to make posts about her until you cut her off completely. Taehyung is next. I don't think Yoongi will be necessary since he's already decided to stay away from you. He's smart unlike those two idiots. I won't stop until you're alone just the way you need to be. You'll regret ever coming to this school." He laughed pushing him back.

Jimin hit the wall and finally snapped back to reality. He ran down out of the bathroom and rushed to the courtyard where he hoped he'd find Nayeon.

He was breathless, but once he spotted her sitting under a tree he felt his lungs expand. "Nayeon." He called walking slowly to her.

She quickly wiped her tears and smiled. "Jimin! What are you doing here?"

He sunk into his knees sitting beside her. "You're crying." He whispered feeling his heart drop.

"No! It's the stupid trees and the pollen."

"No, you're crying." He repeated swallowing the knot on his throat.

"Of course not." She denied shaking her head.

"You saw the post. Didn't you?"

She laughed, "It's a stupid post. Who cares about those dumb fucks either way?" She choked as the tears streamed down her face.

Jimin pulled her in for the sweetest hug. "Those things...those things they're saying about you-they-they aren't true."

"I know I shouldn't care, but having anonymous people call me names and say those false things about me hurt. I've only had sex with two guys. Does that make me a whore? Am I really a whore for that?" She cried.

"No! Of course not. You're not a whore. There's guys that sleep with multiple women and they never get shamed for it. The tables are always turned when it's a woman. You have every right to be intimate without feeling ashamed of it." He said pulling her closer.

She sobbed against his chest and those words came haunting Jimin. "It's my fault." He finally said.

"What?"

"It's my fault that they're spreading rumors about you. It's because you're my friend. It's all my fault. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

She pulled away with mascara running down her eyes. "It's not your fault people are just dicks here."

"You have to stay away from me. Please." He pleaded.

"No. I'm not going to stop talking to you because of this. I'm your friend and I will be your friend regardless."

"He told me...he said if we didn't stop talking he would keep spreading rumors. You have to understand that I can't stand him hurting you or anyone I care about."

"I don't give a shit. I will kick him in the dick again—"

"No. Don't. It'll make it worse. I will make it stop. I promise."

"Jimin..." she mumbled in the verge of tears again.

"Can you just stay here? Please? Don't move. I-I will go get Taehyung. He can walk you to class so you don't feel alone. He can protect you better than I can. Just wait here, okay? Please, don't move."

"Jimin!" She screamed back. She started crying again burying her face in her hands. For the first time, she felt everything Jimin did all at once.

And it broke her heart to know that he felt this on the daily.

•••

Yoongi walked in turning on his phone flashlight. It was late and he was convinced Jimin would be sleeping.

When his phone flashed on Jimin's face his eyes widen. He slowly reached over to the light switch.

"You're awake." He stated. Jimin felt his heart flutter. Yoongi hadn't talked to him in days.

He had been coming in late every night and even though he thought Jimin was always asleep he wasn't.

Jimin stayed up every night until he was sure Yoongi was in bed. He just wanted to know he was safe. He knew that Yoongi didn't drink anymore because he wasn't tripping over the furniture.

"I am." He responded nervously.

Yoongi nodded looking away as he walked to his bed. "Can we talk? Please." He whispered.

"Okay." He responded a bit breathless.

"I'm sure you've heard of those rumors about, Nayeon."

"Yeah, I have. I fucking threatened every bitch that talked shit. I know it was that fucking asshole and just as I was about to beat his ass the dumbass principal stopped me. He didn't do shit when I told him about the post or the rumors. He said that there wasn't enough evidence to punish him. I'm so sick of this fucking school and this shitless rules."

"I agree. But we both know it's my fault."

"It's not—"

"I just want a favor from you."

"What?"

"Can you please walk her to every class? Eat lunch with her and try to be with her as much as possible. I can ask Taehyung, but I think of you did it, it will scare people off more. Don't let her be alone please."

"I was planning to do that either way. I'm not going to leave her by herself." He responded.

"Thank you." He told laying back on his bed.

"Do you like her?" He questioned.

"I think we both know the answer to that." Jimin quietly said.

"Why did you do it?"

"What?"

"Why did you try to kiss me? You ruined everything between us. It was perfect the way it was until you did that!" He screamed angrily.

Jimin try to keep himself together, but he felt his lip quiver. Yoongi looked at him who was staring at his lap and he saw his shoulders slowly move up and down with his soft weeping.

"Jimin..." he started kneeling down on the floor in front of him.

"I'm sorry." He sobbed.

Yoongi closed his eyes for a brief second. The strings around his heart were being pulled too hard and it was painful. So fucking painful. All he did was hurt Jimin when it wasn't his intention.

"You don't know me yet, Jimin." He said standing up and sitting on the bed next to him.

He kept crying silently. Yoongi wrapped his arms around him for comfort. "Just give me time, okay?" He choked resting his chin on his head.

"Give me time to be a better person. Let's keep trying, yes? Even if your heart is heavy and you're tried and broken. Let me keep trying to be better for you. I'm sorry that good change is slow. I really am trying, I've just never been as good as I've wanted to."

Jimin wrapped his arms around him needingly burying his face against his chest.

"I don't expect you to change from one day to another. If you don't feel the way I do that's okay. I just want you to be my friend. I really need you here while I trip and fall and learn to accept me. I need you to give me lots of hugs when I feel like giving up because trust me that's everyday. I just want you to give me a little push when I want to quit."

Yoongi smiled, "You giving up? You never gave up on me. You can't do it on yourself. I will be here, just be patient with me."

He nodded still with his arms tightly around him. He felt his worries slowly fade away. It was magical.

To have someone to hold in this empty cruel world.