The minutes turned into hours; hours turning into days.

Each day passed by slow, taking forever.

It was a painful process for you as it meant seeing Jimin longer.

As much as you had started falling for him, you didn't want to see him as it would distract you from your plan and cause your feelings to erupt again.

As the bell for lunch rang, you sped out the door with Tzuyu, trying to avoid Jimin at all costs.

You were currently at your locker, Taehyung approached you, leaning on the locker next to yours, "Any plans for lunch?"

You shake your head, shutting your locker to face him, "Nope."

Tzuyu had left a while back to have lunch with Namjoon, who she has been hanging around a lot lately.

"Wanna have lunch with my friends and I?" His eyes glinted with hope.

You nod and Taehyung holds your hand, flashing his box smile as he leads you to the canteen towards the table that was occupied by his friends - Yoongi, Jin, Hoseok, Namjoon, with Tzuyu also there, and unfortunately, Jimin and Hyerim.

You mentally groan, resisting the urge to roll your eyes.

Karma had led you right back to the person you were ignoring.

Taking a seat next to Taehyung, you glance down at your fiddling fingers, not wanting to converse or engage in the conversation.

That is, until Hyerim spoke up.

You look up at her as her smile fades away into a look of disgust, "What is this trash doing here?"

The remark was for you, so you retort back to her with a smirk tugging at the corner of your lips, "At least I'm not tainting the air with my existence unlike you."

Muffled laughs could be heard from around the table at your savage response as Hyerim stared at you with wide eyes, her mouth hanging open.

You couldn't resist the urge, so you make another remark, "Ah, people really need to start cleaning up after themselves, leaving random trash like you at tables, dirtying the whole cafeteria." (Credits to yeonfused_with_life for the amazing comeback ^^)

The suppressed giggles turned into an outburst of laughter piercing through the air.

Jimin smiled himself as he fiddled with his food, and your heart fluttered at the sight.

Hyerim burned holes into your face as she was fueling with rage.

She wanted to say something, but you had left her speechless.

With that, you stand up, walking away towards the bathroom.

Just as you were about to open the door, a hand gripped your forearm, harshly turning you around as you met Hyerim's rage-filled eyes.

"You b*tch," she spoke through gritted teeth, "How dare you insult me in front of them. Know your f*cking place."

She raised her hand, getting ready to slap you but you grabbed her wrist, stopping her from doing so.

"You should know your place. Being a pretty face does not give you the right to insult others and downgrade them. It does not give you power over others and use them as your personal slaves. Do your job yourself. Everyone knows under all the cakes up make up, you're one of us, who don't hide behind masks to gain authority over others. Now shut up and leave me alone."

You push her off yourself, entering the bathroom.

You hadn't noticed Jimin around the corner, watching everything.

He smiled to himself as he gazed at you standing up for yourself.

Standing up to Hyerim.

He always knew you were strong like this, and he loved that you would take charge.

It made you more attractive in his eyes.

And he loved it.

He loved you.

. . .

As the last class of the day began, Ms. Choi had kept a closer eye on you and Jimin.

She noticed the two of you ignoring each other, sulking as you wouldn't participate in the seatmate discussions.

A plan formed in her mind.

So when school ended for the day, she asked for you and Jimin to stay back as she had something to discuss.

"Here," she huffed as she placed a stack of papers on to the desk, "I need you guys to mark these for me. They're papers from a junior class. The marking guide is the first paper on top, so it should be easy for the both of you. Thank you guys, I'm off."

With that, she walked out the door as an uneasy silence settled itself in the atmosphere between you and the raven-haired boy.

You sigh, glancing at the large stack of papers waiting to be marked.

This is gonna take a while.

. . .

Letting out a huff of accomplishment, you place your stack of papers that you marked on to Ms. Choi's desk.

You glance at the clock, which read 5 p.m. and to the boy sitting at his desk, still marking his papers.

He didn't have a lot to go.

And so, you pick up your bag, walking out the door and beginning your journey back home.

The sun had started to lower itself, a few birds chirping in trees in the distance

The breeze rustled through the trees, nipping at your exposed skin.

It was a cold night, but you liked it.

You weren't much of a fan of summer, if you were being honest.

You loved winter - it gave you a sense of warmth, and comfort.

It was home to you.

As you walked through the park, a few drunk guys came into view.

They barely made any sense as they shouted things.

Your heart beat quickened as you fastened your pace, hoping to get past them quickly without being noticed.

But to no avail.

One of them grabbed your arm, grasping it tightly as you tried your best to break out of it.

"Hey there, beautiful," he slurred. You cringe due to the smell of his alcohol-filled breath as he continues, "Come with me and we'll have some fun."

"No thanks," you wheeze, turning your face away from him as you continue your attempt to escape.

He grumbled, tightening his grip around your wrist, making you whimper as it started hurting.

He proceeds to drag you, "I wasn't asking, beautiful."

"Let me go," you continued your attempts at freeing yourself.

His grasp only tightened and you hiss in pain.

"She said to let her go," a voice boomed out from behind.

Before you could even comprehend what was going on, someone had knocked out the drunk man and his companions.

"Are you okay?" He asked cautiously as you still tried to comprehend the moments that had occurred, from the drunk guy almost doing God knows what with you, to Jimin beating them up.

You glance up, meeting his gaze through your blurred vision.

You hadn't realized when tears started falling down your face.

The boy's heart broke as he wiped your tears away.

You were so thankful for him.

If he hadn't arrived, those men would've got to you, and done unspeakable things.

"It's okay, Y/N," he hushed in a soft tone, his voice breaking slightly, "I'm here." 

With that, his hands snaked around your waist and under your knees as he scooped you up in his arms, walking in the opposite direction of where your house was located.

But you didn't care as you knew you'd be too scared to spend the time alone inside your house.

Being with Jimin, you knew you wouldn't be afraid.

He would protect you, and this, Jimin knew too.

. . .

Edited

A/N: And here you go. Progress is slow, but I'm hoping to be done before the end of this month, if that's even possible considering my hectic schedule for the rest of this week, next week, and the week after.

Anyhow, daily reminder that I love you guys very much! Drink plenty water, and have food! Good morning/afternoon/night to you all, my lovely stars!

- Nabi