Jimin got up and dawdled around, also ignored the callings from Hoseok as one period was over. "Jimin!" Hoseok called again, this time loudly. 

"Hm?" Jimin only hummed as he cocked his head back, frowning a little.

"Why do you look like you have seen your parents having sex." Hoseok was already running away from his desk and walked back into the classroom when he found that Jimin did not chase him. "Everything okay, bud?" He leaned and clung his arm across Jimin's shoulders. 

"Yeah, I am just thinking about what did Jin Hyung do." Jimin lied and did not look Hoseok into his eye. Often times, Jimin acted like a low-key wicked handsome who was emotionally unavailable, macho, bully, and the coolest guy but very deep down, he was a softie. This piece of information was only available with Hoseok. 

Hoseok was the only one who knew how strict his father was and his mother was not the sort to bestow affection either, an elegantly classy business woman. Although Jimin never talked about his parents with Hoseok consciously, he did when they got drunk at the intimate house parties. 

"You should not worry about his ways and only be thankful that we are saved. Don't think much and let's be cautious the next time."

"So, you do want the next time." Jimin smirked and Hoseok went back to his desk, shaking his head with a wide smile. 

"We still have one more thorn in the flower. Don't we?" The boy returned a subtle but obvious grin. 

The next period started and Jimin looked over at the empty space behind his seat again for the time he'd honestly lost count. The day passed and Jimin felt himself feeling an array of things but all on the red side of the emotional zone. He mostly was afraid, uncertain, alarmed, and wide curious.

He comprehended being called out into Bang's office for the fight with Jungkook and feared what would happen when his parents found out. He wondered why Jungkook's parents didn't grab his collar yet and he was also slightly worried about the well-being of the boy.

In years of bullying people, he had never actually hit anyone younger than him. It was always the seniors or classmates, mostly Yoongi and his friends dealt with his wrath. His mind compelled the justification on him that Jungkook deserved it.

Nevertheless, he felt himself dangling in a situation like waiting for salvation. As the days progressed, 7 to be exact, he wanted to get it over with. Waiting for hard-hitting catastrophe to strike was more miserable than meeting with it with open arms. Every morning he would wake up and think that today will be the day he'd see Jungkook and his punishment will be served, but all he met with was an empty desk and a guilty conscience. 

One morning as he entered the classroom, his heart sunk down to his stomach as he saw Jungkook's bag on his desk among the fewer students that were present. He indifferently strolled towards his desk and flung his backpack on it, realizing that Jungkook was nowhere to be seen. 

He did not have it in him to look around and meet the boy's eyes, so he dashed outside and called Hoseok. 

"Where are you?" He demanded. 

"I told you to not go swimming while it rained right after the dance. I caught a cold." Hoseok's whiny tone felt like crude pebbles against the strainer on his ears. 

"You are such a pussy, Hoseok."

"And you are such a dick." The other boy replied while coughing abruptly and disconnected the call. 

Jimin found himself panicking a little as he was reminded that he would be alone the entire day today and probably tomorrow too, that was until he realized he could annoy a bunch of girls. With a newly formed plan in mind and a smirk on his lips, he waltzed back in like an ice skater over the rink and let his thick ass slump against the desk smoothly. 

With oblique eyes, he tried to catch a view of Jungkook but his eyeballs threatened to pop out. His wait was soon over when the class teacher made a beeline through the classroom door to the podium and everyone greeted her. 

Instead of replying to the class, she looked over at the door and with the jut of her chin and a polite smile, called Jungkook in. Jimin's breath got caught inside his lungs as the boy in an orange and black flannel and a black letterman jacket advanced inside. Albiet he knew that many eyes must be on him and he should not look at Jungkook at all and play cool, he couldn't pry his gaze away for even one moment. 

Jungkook had over an inch-long bruise across his cheek and a small blemish around his lower lip on the same side. Jimin could not spot any other sign of physical injury on the boy and he felt petrified. His palms sweated and he knew the next word that would come out of Ms. Choi's mouth would be his name followed by something obvious. 

He didn't care about his reputation at school, getting in trouble all the time was what earned him the title of a cool guy, and being a class topper on top of it. He was mostly afraid of his parents finding out. 

"Yoongi! Jungkook will be sitting with you from today onwards." Ms. Choi informed the student who did not give a single fuck about whoever sat beside him. He shrugged his shoulders and the lady patted Jungkook's shoulder lightly to encourage him and get his bag. 

As Jimin heard the words, he felt like someone cursed him, called him a filthy hooker. "What did you expect?" A voice spoke inside his mind. "Of course he does not want to sit with you anymore."

Jungkook didn't spare any glance at Jimin and simply dragged his bag off the desk before getting away, not before wafting the fragrance of his perfume in the air for Jimin to reminisce him by. 

The entire period felt like a blur to Jimin. He kept his jaws tight shut to pull a poker face as best as he could. He tried to not show any emotions but his eyes were expressive if he wasn't. There was grief in them. 

He skipped the next classes and walked out to call Hoseok again. 

"What now?" The boy asked exasperatedly.

"I am sorry." Jimin softened the angel's heart with just an apology. 

"Aww, Jimin-ie, You know I can't stay mad at you."

"Hey, don't call me that. Asshole!" Jimin cringed at the nickname and he hated it but Hoseok seized every chance to call him by that. He walked over to the basketball court and laid down under the basket net on one side. 

"I am still sick by the way," Hoseok complained. 

"Want me to be your maid to nurse back to health?" Jimin edged up his brows. 

Hoseok chuckled. "Not the worst idea in the world."

"I don't beat sick kids but if you don't listen to me, I am going to smack you up good," Jimin said blatantly as he stared at the sky through the mesh but Hoseok could feel something was off behind his blank threatening. 

"What's wrong?" The boy asked from the other side.

"He came back today." Jimin tried to uproot the grass but there wasn't any. The court was all laminated. 

"Jungkook?" Hoseok sat up on his bed and smiled, he was worried for the little boy too as they have not heard anything about him in over a week. 

"Yup." Jimin also sat up and stared at the lines drawn inside the court. 

"How is he?"

"I don't know," Jimin replied wearily. 

"Please tell me you aren't already planning something." 

"If you must know,  I want to fight but he just made it worse. He ended it before it started." Jimin rather had a sulky tone.

"Isn't that good? This is what you wanted, to be able to focus on your studies and not waste time on him. Hoseok argued. 

"I guess you are right." Jimin got up and walked over to the parking area like he was out for a stroll in the park. 

"Then why do I smell a 'but' coming?" Hoseok asked in amusement. 

"I don't know man." Jimin dwindled off to the ground and kicked the bikes that fell like domino chips. 

"Listen, I know how you feel. Jungkook thinks it was you who attacked him and he is actually a bigger man if he did not complain about you to the principal. Now you feel petty, jealous, and guilty. Admit it." 

"Way to make me feel better. I thought people called you a fucking sunshine for a reason." Jimin grimaced.

"I am trying to make you feel better. In which book is this alpha rule written that you cannot finish the fight even when you started it? Apologize to him. I know you won't, but I am just telling you what I feel is right. There is a difference in being cold and cool." Hoseok was making sense.

"Of course there is. Anything below 4 degrees celsius is cold and anything above is cool. I always wondered why people call them cold drinks and not cool drinks. The drinks aren't frozen and they are definitely kept at a temperature above 4 degrees celsius," Jimin sniggered and guffawed loudly when Hoseok disconnected. He stood up hastily and ran as he saw a janitor and the PE teacher making their way towards him.

1 Oct, 2021