To say Jungkook isn't frightened by the way Tom is towering over him would be a lie. from his previous experience, if anyone were to bump into Tom, that would likely mean that Ethan and trent are probably somewhere close by, and though he hates to admit it...those morons scare him. In his short time of being here, Jungkook knows that he's probably already been crowned their number one enemy. The thought of it makes his stomach twist into knots, and though he immediately has the urge to run away upon catching eyes with any of them, he doesn't. Instead he stands his ground, feigning as much confidence as he can possibly muster up, as usual. He can only hope that a repeat of yesterday isn't destined.

"What do you want now?" Jungkook asks, cautiously looking over his shoulder to see if anyone is sneaking up on him, which in his mind, is sure to be the case. "Don't you ever give up??"

"Relax." Tom says, holding his hands up in front if him as Jungkook starts taking a couple of steps back. "I'm not here to hurt ya, man."

"What, are your friends waiting around the corner to do it for you?" Jungkook says, still scouring his surroundings for any signs of Ethan or Trent, but most importantly, Russell. He hasn't actually seen that monster of an 18 year old since yesterday, and he'd praying it'd stay that way.

"No, it's just me. Trust me, alright? You don't gotta freak out."

"Trust you? Ha, that's funny." Jungkook says, his voice audibly shaky with nervousness. "As if I'm really gonna trust someone who was ready to dunk my head into a toilet."

"Please...I know I have no right to expect you to trust me, but I promise on my grandma's grave; I'm not gonna do anything to you, okay?" Tom says, anxiously rubbing the back of his neck. "I just...wanted to talk to you for a minute. I promise it won't take long."

Jungkook stands there for a couple of moments, deep in his thoughts. His eyes look genuine...his voice sounds genuine. Can he really feel bad for what he did? He asks himself. No...surely this has to be another one of his tricks. But, he can't help but feel curious about what he has to say. ".....fine. 60 seconds; go."

Tom straightens out his posture and opens his mouth to speak, but his words fumble a bit. "I-I...I'm really sorry for what I did!" He says, speaking as quickly as he can possibly manage. "I was thinkin' about it last night and I couldn't sleep at all….you didn't deserve the way my friends and I treated you. We were stupid! You weren't even doin' anything!"

Jungkook raises his brow and his grip on his backpack strap begins relaxing a bit as Tom continues speaking; the color in his knuckles returning. "I don't even know why I did it...it's not like I enjoy treating people badly, but...when I'm around my friends, I turn into a completely different person. I hate it."

"Then why do you hang out with them? If you really hate the person you become when you're around them, wouldn't it be smart if you, oh I dunno, found new friends?? Friends who aren't toxic."

"It's not that easy...Trent and Ethan...they're my best friends. Yeah they can be jerks, but we've been friends since we were kids. I can't just leave 'em...if you got to know 'em, they're not as bad as you think they are."

"They won't even give anyone the chance to do that, though. Yeah, they might be cool to you, but to everyone else, they're monsters. And I'm sorry to say, but the same goes for you." Jungkook says, and Tom's face scrunches up a bit, giving him a look of pain.

"Oh man...I don't want to be known as a monster…" Tom mutters, placing his hands on either sides of his face. "I've seen my fair share of horror movies and those are some scary dudes!"

"Well...that's what happens when you decide to pick on innocent people."

"What can I do to change?? There's gotta be somethin'! Please, I'll do anythin'; just tell me what I need to do." Tom says, pressing his hands together and lowering his head down. "I can't keep livin' like this. I don't wanna live with guilt on my conscience for the rest of my life!"

"Then why don't you start off by apologizing to those you've done wrong? And wouldn't ya know, you've already got one down." Jungkook, pointing his thumb at himself. 

"So...does this mean you forgive me?" Tom says, peeking up sheepishly.

"Oh, no, no, no...not yet." Jungkook shakes his head." Words are cheap; actions are what really matters. So, if you apologize AND prove to me you really wanna change by leaving innocent kids alone, then sure. I'll forgive you." Jungkook says.

"Really?" Tom says, lowering his hands down to his sides. 

"Yeah. To be honest...I didn't expect any of this. And well, I have to give you props for having the decency to come up and apologize to my face...unlike certain people."

"I promise I'll try my best to make things right, okay? And I'll talk to Ethan and Trent...I can't make any promises that they'll leave you alone, but...I can try."

"Alright. That's all I ask." Jungkook says, glancing left and right before his eyes land on a familiar face who happened to be walking by. "Hey, how about you apologize to Algie now? He's really scared of you guys, and he especially deserves an apology. "

"Okay. I will!" Tom says, nodding his head sternly. "Hey algie!" He calls out, grabbing the timid teen's immediate attention. "WAIT UP! I have something I wanna say to you!" 

Jungkook steps aside as Tom goes to start running towards Algie, but he stops and turns around once more. "Oh, and Jungkook? Watch out for Russell okay? I'll try talkin' to him, but...I don't know if he'll listen. He's gotta thick head, ya know?" He says, then gives a wave goodbye before running off towards Algie, who is already half way through the courtyard by the time he had turned around.

"ALGIE! STOP! I PROMISE I'M NOT GONNA HURT YOU!" Tom yells as he waves his hand back and forth, trying to flag him down. Jungkook shakes his head as he watches the two of them disappear behind the fountain, then heads into the school building with a welcoming feeling of relief that will stick with him for the rest of the school day.

At least I have one of them off my back now…

BOY'S DORM | 7PM | Jungkook's room

"Would you stop that?" Jungkook says, glancing over at Taehyung who lay to the left of him on his bed, tossing a stress ball up and down in his hand. 

"Stop doing what?" Taehyung asks while continuing to toss the ball up and down, looking back over at the younger.

"That. It's distracting." Jungkook says, turning his head back towards his project that sits atop of his desk he is sitting at.

"You're not even looking over here." Taehyung says.

"Yeah, well I can see it in the corner of my eye and it's bugging me." Jungkook says as Taehyung drags himself off the bed.

"A lot of things bug you." Taehyung says, giving the ball one more toss up into the air and catching before shoving it back into his pocket. "So...whatcha doing?" He asks while sauntering over to Jungkook.

"I'm making a bracelet." Jungkook says, his spine tingling as Taehyung comes up behind him and stares over his shoulder at the various crafting tools that are scattered across the desk.

"Wow. The whole tough guy act you're trying to pull isn't working out to well for ya, huh? You're such a softie." Taehyung says, placing his hands on Jungkook's shoulders and giving them a squish. "It'll look nice with your pink sweater."

"Shut up, it's not for me. It's for my little sister…...and it's salmon." Jungkook says, lowering his face down a bit to hide his reddened cheeks.

"Aw, how heartwarming." Taehyung says, smirking as he slowly removes his hands from Jungkook's shoulders. 

The room having suddenly fallen silent, Jungkook peeks left to right, wondering if Taehyung had finally left his room. "Are you still here?" Jungkook asks, but he gets no response. He turns his head a bit, but doesn't see any signs of Taehyung, so he lets out a small sigh before turning back towards the unfinished bracelet.

….

"BOO!" Taehyung says, popping up from behind Jungkook's chair.

"AH! Damn it!" Jungkook yells, the small charm he holds onto flying out of his hand.

"Haha! Gotchaaaa." Taehyung says. "Man, you're easy!"

"You could have given me a heart attack!" Jungkook says, clutching his chest.

"If you think that was scary, you should see Edna in a skirt." Taehyung shivers. "There's a rumor going around that there's a werewolf on the premises, and with as hairy as her legs are, it seems plausible."

"You shouldn't say those things. It's rude."

"Oh come off it, will you? Edna is no sweetheart. She trash talks us all any chance she gets."

"Still, it's not cool. Ugh...now look what you've done. You made me drop the charm." Jungkook says as he backs out from under the desk in his chair. "Help me find it."

"Ooo a charm? Is it made out of silver?" Taehyung says while getting onto his hands and knees alongside Jungkook. "Hey! We can make some werewolf, a.k.a Edna repellents!"

"Why would I do something like that?"

"Think about it. Halloween's coming up...and everyone would eat that crap up just to get a laugh at Edna's expense!"

"First off; No. Secondly; Even if I wanted to, I don't have enough time or materials to make enough of them to go around. And it's not like I have silver just laying around. It's clay. And thirdly; Do you know how much trouble I'd get into if I started selling "Edna repellant?"

"Yeah, but it'd be worth it." 

"For you it would be; you wouldn't be the one getting into trouble."

"Come on...I'm giving you some great ideas to make some cold hard cash here."

"Thanks but no thanks. I'll pass."

"You're no fun. So, is this what you're looking for?" Taehyung asks and Jungkook  looks over his shoulder at him, to which he holds up a small, brown teddy bear head with a tiny pink heart nose.

"Yes." Jungkook says, about to take it, but Taehyung pulls his hand away before he can. 

"Geez. I never knew a guy could make something so tiny and precious. Are you sure you weren't born a girl?" Taehyung asks.

"Knock it off and give it to me." Jungkook says, reaching for the charm, but Taehyung pulls his hand even farther back.

"What's the magic woooords?" Taehyung mocks, holding the charm behind his back.

"I said give it to me. If you break it, I'm gonna be really pissed."

"Oh, are you now? Let's hope I don't break it then." Taehyung says, smiling mischievously. 

After the two scramble up from the hardwood floor, Jungkook steps up to Taehyung, shoving his hand out towards him. "I'm serious, Taehyung. I'm not playing around."

"Guess which hand it's in." Taehyung says, pulling his lips inwards to mask a laugh, to which Jungkook rubs the bridge of his nose angrily. 

"Taehyung.."

"Guess."

".....left." Jungkook says, throwing his hands up into the air. He watches as Taehyung brings his hand out from behind him, taunting him for a few moments before opening his hand that reveals nothing.

"Errrr." Taehyung makes a buzzer noise. "WRONG."

"Okay, I'm done playing." Jungkook says, taking another intimidating step towards Taehyung, to which Taehyung starts taking a few steps backwards, letting a maniacal laugh leave his lips.

When Taehyung's back hits the wall, Jungkook stops in front of him and attempts to pry at the stubborn teen's hands that are hidden behind his back, but Taehyung only tightens his fist around the charm further.

"Why are you doing this?" Jungkook asks, still awkwardly trying to pry Taehyung's fingers open.

"Because it's fun. Why else?" Taehyung says, snickering when Jungkook is forced to put his arms around him.

"Knock-knock!" The two boys are interrupted, prompting them to look over towards the bedroom doorway.

"Mind if I-" Pete says as he sticks his head through the curtain, but falls silent for a couple of seconds upon seeing the two boys in a very awkward position. "...come in?" He  concludes.

As Jungkook pulls his arms away from Taehyung, he angrily swipes the charm out of the older's hand after he finally gives it up.

"Yeah. Come in.." Jungkook mutters; the irritation audible in his voice.

"So uh…whatcha guys doin'?" Pete asks hesitantly, trying to act as nonchalant as he possibly can.

"Watch out Pete. I came in here and Jungkook just started throwing himself onto me out of nowhere." Taehyung whispers in Pete's ear.

"W-what? Seriously..?" Pete whispers to back, his eyes telling that he was more than a little freaked out over what he is hearing.

"Yeah. And watch out...you might be next." 

"Whatever he's telling you is a lie." Jungkook says, turned away from the two. He looks over the teddy bear charm for any scuffs, but to his relief, there aren't any. "And Taehyung, I'm about this close to kicking you out of my room."

"Alright, alright. I'm done." Taehyung crosses his arms and let's out a laugh. "So, Pete, what do you want?" He asks, quickly changing the topic.  

"Oh...um.." Pete glances to and from Jungkook, looking rather confused but he does his best not to overthink things. "I was walking by and heard you guys talking, so I was just wondering what you were up to, is all."

"You were walking by and just so happened to hear us, or you were eavesdropping?" Taehyung asks, raising his eyebrow.

".....walking by." Pete says, but after a quick stare down with Taehyung, it doesn't take him long to fess up. "Okay I was eavesdropping."

"Thought so. Can't get enough of me, huh?" Taehyung says, patting Pete on the back. He leans down a little bit more to his height. "Or wait, is Jungkook the one you've got a little crush on now?" He asks with widened eyes.

"W-what!? N-no! Don't say stupid things like that." Pete says, pushing Taehyung back a couple of inches. "And you're the last person I'd ever have a crush on, by the way."

"Oh? Well what's wrong with me?" Taehyung says, feigning a frown.

"If I named everything off, we'd be here all night." Pete says, turning away from Taehyung while crossing his arms across his chest.

"Ouuuuch. That hurts." Taehyung says, grabbing onto his chest dramatically. 

"Yeah, well...the truth hurts, as you always say." Pete says.

"Well, what about Jungkook then?" Taehyung says, side eyeing Jungkook, who is trying his hardest to ignore the two.

"What about Jungkook?" Pete says.

"If you didn't come in here to see me, then clearly you came in here to see him."

"You're being dumb. I barely know Jungkook." Pete says shyly.

"Yeah but you have eyes... and Jungkook is rather handsome, wouldn't you say?" Taehyung says.

"I mean, yeah he's handsome, but-"

"Knew it." Taehyung says.

"No, no, no. That doesn't mean I have a crush on him! You can appreciate someone's appearance without having a crush on them!"

"But you do admit you find him attractive?"

"Why do you always gotta embarrass me..?" Pete says, turning away from the chuckling Taehyung. "You're twisting my words around."

"It's okay, Petey. You don't gotta be embarrassed...I'm cool with it. But wait...do you think your parents would approve of you liking boys?" Taehyung asks, putting his finger on his chin. "They're pretty conservative, aren't they?"

"I'm not…gay, Taehyung. Just stop." Pete says, holding himself tightly.

"Aw. You don't have to be in denial. We accept you, buddy." Taehyung says, patting Pete on the top of his head with an sly smile on his face. "Isn't that right, jungkook? You accept Petey the way he is, don't you?"

"Sure. Whatever." Jungkook says with a wave of his hand, though in truth he is only half listening to the two's conversation.

"I don't like Jungkook. Heck, I don't like anyone, for that matter, alright??" Pete insists.

"Aw, you're just a little confused and frustrated is all. Here, why I don't I give you a kiss to make you feel better." Taehyung says, and as he starts leaning down, Pete throws his hands out in front of him.

"NO, NO, NO. Don't you even think about putting your lips anywhere near me!" Pete says, shoving Taehyung back with all his might. 

After stumbling back into Jungkook, Taehyung's eyes widen, as well as his smile. "Whoa. You're pretty strong for such a petite little thing!" He says, laughing.

"Would you guys get the heck out of my room??" Jungkook says with a stern tone, spinning around to face them. He lifts his hand up and points towards the door.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down, now." Taehyung says, holding his hands up in front of him. "We're sorry, alright? We'll sit here nicely until you're finished, okay? Promise."

"If I hear one more peep out of you, you're out." Jungkook warns and he slowly lowers his arm down. "Got it?"

"Got it." Taehyung says, walking over towards Jungkook's bed. After sitting down on it, he reaches over and yanks the reluctant Pete down beside him.

For the next 20 minutes the room is mostly silent as Jungkook carries on with his project; the only sound is that of some boys' muffled laughter coming from the entertainment center, and occasionally, Taehyung's soft snickering as he glances over at Pete; who sits facing away from him, completely mortified. 

7:20pm

"Done." Jungkook says, and as soon as the word leaves his mouth, Taehyung's already off of his bed and up onto his feet.

"Finally! Gosh that took forever." Taehyung says, stretching his back.

"It was only 20 minutes." Pete mutters.

Ignoring Pete, Taehyung walks over to the side of Jungkook's chair. "So you said it was for your sister?" He asks, looking closely down at the bracelet laying on the table; the charms on it consisting of various, cutesy animal heads and small sparkly jewels and pink and purple stars.

"Yeah. It's her birthday next week, and well...she really likes teddy bears and kittens, so." Jungkook says with a subconscious, soft smile on his face.

"How sweet." Taehyung says, though his tone is somewhat sarcastic, then he straightens out his posture. "So how many siblings do you have?"

"Five. I'm the oldest, youngest is three."

"Wowwww, six? Your mom really gets around, huh?" Taehyung says.

"What- shut up." Jungkook says, shooting a glare over at the smirking older beside him. "She had all of us with my father. We're full siblings, so no she doesn't "get around"."

"Alright, chill..."taehyung says, puting his hands behind his back and then paces around the room, biting his lip a little bit. "But uh...you did say you have a step dad, right?"

"Yeah, what about him?" Jungkook asks, reaching into the top drawer of his desk for some packaging.

"Oh, just curious...how many men has she even been with?"

"Um, excuse me? That's not really any of your business." Jungkook says.

"I'm just trying to get to know more about you. Gee, you don't have to be so defensive." Taehyung says.

"I just don't feel comfortable talking about that kind of stuff, alright?" Jungkook says.

"Alright...I won't ask about your mommy anymore, then..." Taehyung says, fiddling with a figure that was laying on Jungkook's bedside table, then peeks over at him. "So, is your dad still alive or did he bite the dust?"

"He's very much alive." Jungkook says.

"Cool, cool. You talk to him often?"

"Not really. It's been awhile since we've talked." Jungkook says, lifting up the bracelet to check if any of the charms are loose. 

"You're lucky. I wish I didn't have to talk to my dad...he's a real piece of work." Taehyung says.

"Well...now I see where you got it from them.." Jungkook mutters under his breath, but it goes unheard by Taehyung.

"I swear, my parents live to make my life a living hell. I just know they're probably sitting on their asses at home, laughing at me right now..." Taehyung says, the tone in his voice suddenly shifting to something quieter and deeper.

"What makes you say that?" Jungkook asks.

"Because they hate me." Taehyung says, staring down at the action figure in his hand.

"That's a little dramatic, don't you think?" Jungkook says.

"Why'd you think they sent me to this hellhole? Hell why do you think *anyone's* parents send then here? This school is full of nothing but kids who's parents hate them." 

"I sincerely doubt that. I mean, yeah my mom and I don't get along that well, but there's bound to be someone in this school who has a good relationship with their parents." Jungkook says, standing up from his desk.

"Ha. You're so naive, Jungkook. Why do you think everyone's so messed up? Ethan, Tom, Trent wanting to fight you from the moment you stepped through those gates; Algie pissing his pants whenever someone so much as looks in his general direction; rich snobs like Derby who look to their peers for reassurance because they don't have parents who love them. I could go on."

"Wow, that escalated quickly. I think I've heard enough." Jungkook says, turning his body towards him a little bit. Meanwhile, Pete is still sitting quietly on the bed. "Wow, Taehyung...you really do hate this school, huh?"

"Hate is not a strong enough word for how I feel about this school." Taehyung says, setting the figure back down on the table rather roughly, causing Pete to jump a bit who is sitting right beside it.

"Well, if the teachers praise you as much as you say they do, why do you hate it so much? Oh wait, lemme guess; because 'everyone's an idiot'." Jungkook airquotes, mocking Taehyung's deep voice.

"...you got a problem with me, or something?" Taehyung asks, turning towards the younger.

"Well, that's all you ever seem to talk to about." Jungkook says, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well then, how about you tell me what I should be talking about then."

"No dude, just forget about it."

"No." Taehyung says, crossing his arms over his chest. "Tell me. If you don't like the kind of stuff I talk about, then tell me what it is you want to hear."

"I was just kidding around, alright? Just drop it.." Jungkook says.

"Taehyung.." Pete says, already seeing where the situation is about to turn.

"Do you hear what Jungkook is saying to me, Petey? He thinks I'm annoying." Taehyung says. 

"What? I didn't say that." Jungkook says with his brows furrowed.

"Yes you did. You told me I only ever talk about one thing...and repetitiveness has been known to be annoying, so yes. Yes you did." Taehyung says, then turns his attention back onto Pete. "So, since you're the KING of Annoying-ness, Pete, what would you say? Do you agree with Jungkook."

"U-um...I-" Pete stutters and starts nervously fiddling with his fingers.

"What's your problem, Taehyung? Why all of a sudden are you trying to pick a fight with me?" Jungkook asks.

"Excuse me? Me...the one looking for a fight? If anyone is looking for a fight, you my friend, were the one looking for it. I was just standing up for myself...I don't take kindly to people mocking me."

"Taehyung...calm down." Pete says, scrambling up from the bed when he spots Taehyung's hand beginning to shake. He gently puts his hand on the taller's shoulder. "...I don't think Jungkook meant anything by it. He's a nice guy...you know that."

After a silent staredown between Jungkook and Taehyung, Taehyung closes his eyes and takes a deep breath to compose himself. He uncrosses his arms. "Fine. I apologize. I guess I just let my anger get the best of me."

"...It's whatever, I guess.." Jungkook says, waving his hand. 

"So are we cool?" Taehyung asks.

"Yeah. Sure.." Jungkook says.

"Great." Taehyung says and an unexpected sly smile comes across his face. "So, how about we run to Yum-Yum market and make some preparations for Halloween, shall we??" His voice having gone back to normal, Pete wipes a small drop of sweat from his brow.

"Oh, that's a good idea." Pete says, nodding nervously. "Can I come?"

"Sure, buddy." Taehyung harshly throws his arm around Pete's shoulder. "We're gonna need a pack-mule to carry all the stuff back, afterall." He says, and Pete's smile fades a bit.

"Oh...okay." Pete says disappointedly, but tries his best to feign excitement. 

"Don't you think it's a little early to be doing that?" Jungkook asks.

"It's never too early to prepare for Halloween...and besides...we need time to let the eggs rot." Taehyung says.

"Wait, what? Why do we need rotten eggs?" Jungkook asks, scrunching up his nose a bit.

"Well, we could use fresh eggs...but rotten eggs make the tricks so much better, wouldn't you say? Now, we'll be waiting for you out in the entertainment room, 'kook. Oh and don't forget to grab your cute little pink sweater before we go." Taehyung says as he and Pete exit the room together.

"It's salmon." Jungkook mutters as the curtain shuts behind the two boys. Before heading out of the room, he turns towards his desk once more and gently places the finished charm bracelet inside of some bubble wrap packaging and seals it shut.

What's wrong with this guy? He asks himself with a shake of his head before flipping off the light.