The sun was just rising when we were woken up by a loud ruckus. Our bedrooms weren't locked. It was a rule; doors may be closed but never locked. It was for the reason that some people are difficult to wake like Taehyung. He was the last to leave his room this morning. We were going to start the day with a jog said Coach and so we were lined up so early in the morning in two lines. Stretching is important. We spent five whole minutes just for that before we got to move. I was expecting it to he a normal jog but my heart and my stomach sank as soon as I saw the trail ahead of us.

"How is this a jog?" The dismay showed on my face and Hoseok laughed gleefully beside me.

"Aw, you were expecting it to be easy?" He patted my head and smiled, "I would offer to carry you on my back if you get tired but I'm not in the mood today. Try to keep up."

Did he just blow me off? He was so sweet to me last night. I don't understand. I blew on the strand of hair that fell on my forehead and started to run after Hoseok since he's my training partner today. I ran past Jungkook and I swear I felt him glaring at my back. The mountain was steep so I had to use all the strength from my legs to be able to continue jogging beside Hoseok. It's a good thing that I ate a lot during breakfast or else I would've fainted from running out of energy.

"You still good?" Hoseok glanced at me when he noticed I was falling behind a little. He stopped and waited for me to catch my breath while he stretched his legs and did some air squats.

I sat on a moss covered rock, hands propped on my knees with labored breaths, "How are you still breathing?"

He let out a laugh, crouching down at my level and brushing a strand of my hair that was stuck on my sweaty forehead, "Joking will not save you right now. Let's get a move on."

I let him drag me by my arm back to the trail. Why does he seem different today? The tone of his voice is so gentle and sweet yet the words he says are blunt and harsh. I could only wonder what happened to him during his sleep. Did his roommate snore so much that he couldn't sleep? He wasn't rooming with Namjoon though. My calves and thighs ached. If my body could scream it would've yelled at me to stop. I used to be able to run without a problem when I was young but ever since I stopped playing my stamina also decreased. My heart is palpitating. My mouth and my throat is so dry. I take a breathe in but it doesn't reach my lungs.

"Stop, stop.." I slowed down to a halt behind Hoseok when we were close to the top. The air was cold and dry and I feel like I'm having shortness of breath. "Let's stop.. for awhile. I-I can't breathe."

"Sit down." He held me by the arm, sitting me on a log while he crouched down in front of me. "Just relax and breathe. Slow, deep breaths.."

I nodded and did what he told me until I was starting to feel okay. Hoseok stood up and he turned his back to me, "Ah, you scared me. Seriously." He faced me again and sighed. "Do you want to go down now? I'll carry you."

I didn't beat around the bush as I nod my head at him. I didn't want to continue. He squatted before me and I got on his back then we went down the mountain. We met Jungkook and Yoongi on our way down. They had questioning looks on their faces when they saw Hoseok carrying me on his back. Hosoek told me not to talk if I was still breathless so I didn't. He did of the talking, mostly comforting me, and I found it relaxing to listen to his voice while I held onto his shoulders.

"What happened to Vee?" Yoongi asked, eyeing me on Hoseok's back, my arms around his shoulders and my feet dangling around his hips.

"She suddenly couldn't breathe." Hoseok explained to them. He said something about the coldness and dryness of the air imitating an asthma attack. "I experienced it once when I was jogging during winter."

"Wow. Didn't know that existed." Yoongi shrugged his shoulders then turned to me, "Hey, Vee. You okay?"

I nodded my head and smiled.

"I told her not to speak for awhile." Hoseok said to Yoongi. "We're going to head down and wait there. We'll meet you guys after."

Jungkook was looking at me the whole time. I couldn't tell if he was still upset about the argument we had or if he was concerned. It was most probably the first one because I'm absolutely still mad at him for saying those things to me when he doesn't know a thing. It wasn't my fault that he was there when Mark and I were talking or when we.. kissed. It's not my problem that he eavesdropped on us. If anyone were to apologize, it's him. Unfortunately, he didn't feel he should because he's not capable of human emotions.

"So that Mark guy left last night.. I'm guessing you knew why." Hoseok initiated a conversation even though he told me not to talk. He turned his head to look over his shoulder, "Do you?"

"Yeah." I replied, my voice sounded like a whisper as I tried to sound indifferent but Hoseok knew it was much more than that.

The corner of Hoseok's mouth stretched into a small smile, "Then you wouldn't be needing my help now?"

"I guess? Thanks for doing that for me." I showed him a smile but, in truth, I was saddened by that because it meant I wouldn't be able to be close to Hoseok anymore. Why did it have to stop when I was starting to like him?

"This is good in a way." Hoseok said and I wondered what he meant by that. Did he say it because I was his free pass to escape the rest of the training?

I adjusted my arm around him, loosening my hold. "Good in what way?"

"I wanted to talk to you last night but you weren't in the mood when I saw you." He chuckled lowly when he remembered what kind of face I had when he saw me. I was sure it was horrible though, maybe even scary. "Are you okay with Jungkook?"

"Yeah, we're good." I lied and tried to sound convincing. I instantly knew I failed from the way Hoseok smiled. I didn't want to talk about that asshole so I changed the subject, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh, it's nothing big. I was just worried about you. You know because of the training and all that." Hoseok continued to walk down, digging his foot into the ground to avoid slipping. He has been carrying me on his back for more than ten minutes.

"You thought about me?" I almost blushed when he said that he was thinking about me. I didn't want to admit it too soon but I'm crushing on Hoseok. He's just my type and the more I talk to him, the more I realize that he's all I ask for in a guy but it's forbidden. I can't date a guy in the team. That is not good.

"I did." He chuckled shyly and suddenly I was aware of his touch, his fingers hooked around my thighs and his firm back that I am leaning against. "I was worried that you wouldn't be able handle this week of training then you'd quit."

"Quit? And prove that jerk right? No freaking way."I laughed and he did too. "You can put me down now. I know I'm heavier than I look."

"No, it's fine. I'll think of it as training." Hoseok insisted then he gave me a smile, "And you're not that heavy. Trust me."

I hid my face behind him so he wouldn't see me blush. "I would never quit because this is all I ever wanted. I want to play baseball."

"Good." Hoseok said, smiling warmly. "I don't want you to quit too. If there are things that's bothering you, you can tell me and we can talk about. It'll stay between the two of us."

"Thank you." A smile tugged at the corners of my lips and before I knew it I was asleep on his back. I woke up and realized that we already made it down from the trail and that he let me rest on the sofa. I was back in the living room of the house we were staying in.

"This is so embarrassing. Why did I fall asleep?" I rubbed my hands over my face and felt a sticky note stuck on my forehead with Hoseok's handwriting on it,

I'll save you a seat at lunch

- hoseok

🌸

"What happened to you this morning?" Taehyung asked me, making me shy away because I know they think it's unfair that they finished the training this morning and I just slept on the sofa. "Are you sick or something?"

"She's not talking because she doesn't want to talk about it. You're just stressing her out." Jin scolded the younger one. Taehyung mumbled a quick sorry the he laid off from me.

Jimin noticed the change in my usual attitude so he sat beside me and nudged my elbow lightly to get my attention. He sent me a grin and I just faked a smile. "Hey, don't feel bad. It happens to other people too. It doesn't mean you're lacking. Nobody's thinking about you like that.. even Jungkook. Believe it or not, he didn't speak a word about you."

I slightly glanced at Jungkook. He was sitting on the other end of the table with Namjoon and Yoongi. He caught me looking yet he remained indifferent as he broke away and continued the conversation with Namjoon. It actually made me feel better that he didn't diss me behind my back because usually he'd be the first to insult me whenever I fuck up.

"So, are you feeling alright now?" I snapped my head to the direction of the voice, finding Hoseok beside me.

I gave him a smile, "Yeah. I'm feeling better. Thanks."

Lunch was awkward but I tried not to think of it that way. Jimin did say that I was just being paranoid. The team didn't even make a big deal out of it and yet, I'm losing my shit thinking that they want to kick me out. It was forgoing as soon as lunch was done and everyone was on their way back outside. I could hear Yoongi and Taehyung talking about heatstroke, and Namjoon telling them that even with a heatstroke they won't be exceptions.

"Can I put ice in my shoes?" Taehyung asked, making the guys laugh. I'm glad he didn't take Jin seriously or I would've felt even worse. "Ah, it's too hot outside. I don't want to go."

"You sound like a bitch. Scared you'll to get tan lines?" Jimin teased with that shit eating grin on his face. "Better put on sunblock, Tae Tae."

Taehyung pushed Jimin's frame aside and he was thrown against the door. "Grow up, Jimin."

I laughed at their bickering then I looked to my right when I felt someone walking beside me. My smile fell when I found out that it was Jungkook. How did he get here?

"We still have training his afternoon. Are you sure you want to join us?" He asked, not sparing me a glance. I'm not mad though. It's too uncomfortable to talk to him.

"Why wouldn't I?" I deadpanned.

He let out a sigh, "I didn't mean for it to sound that way. I'm not good with talking to girls not like Hoseok hyung. I know you'd rather talk to him right now than me."

"Accurate observation." From the corner of my eye, I could see him biting on the corner of his lip nervously. For the first time since we met, he wasn't cocky. He wasn't angry for a change and he didn't know what to say. Jungkook stood a few feet away from me. His pace matched mine as we walked along side each other but he kept a distance from me, maybe he didn't want to be obvious. It's still about his pride.

I noticed that he stopped nibbling on his lips then he spoke, "For me, girls are the most difficult beings in the universe. A lot more difficult than math."

I couldn't help but smile at that even when I tried to hold it in. "I couldn't agree more. I never liked math. Like why can't they teach us things that we will actually need in life? Who needs Geometry anyways?"

"Right." We both smiled at each other and it did feel awkward so we both looked away. "I'm sincerely.. sorry." He said and it sounded like a symphony in my ears. "I want to earn my place in this team as captain. I want to earn everyone's respect and that includes yours."

"If you want my respect, treat me like everyone else and I will try my best not be a bitch. Also, I would like it if you keep the thing about my Dad a secret." I told him and he listened to me, nodding his head. "Oh and one last thing, no nicknames."

Jungkook shook his head and smiled at me, "Sorry but that I can't do. I kinda like calling you Barbie."

-

author's note;

Updates are crappy...