"Mom, I told you there was no need to give me a ride. I can walk, it's right there" Jimin said, smiling towards his mother on the driver's seat.

"I won't let my son walk to school on his first day. What kind of mother would I be?" she replied shaking her head as the car stopped at a red light.

"Thank you mom, but just this once. You don't have to wake up early and do this stuff, I can take care of myself I promise" he held her hand and kissed the back of it.

"My baby. I really hope you make some good friends over here. I know you're not living our crisis too bad, you never were a spoiled kid, but I'm still sorry your life had to change so suddenly" she apologized, yet again, with those sad eyes Jimin would love nothing more than to brighten.

"Please mom, I told you everything was going to be fine with me. Your life got turned upside down too, you have no business apologizing to me. This is a rough time for us but we'll get through it together" He promised and turned back to the road, his hand still clasped in his mother's with no intention of letting go.

They arrived at the front gate of his new high school and he grabbed his backpack from under the seat. "I'll see you tonight mom" he last said before opening the car door. "Love you" he heard her reply before driving away.

'I love you too' He just had to get through one year in this place where he knew nobody. That shouldn't be too hard, he can just take his classes and get to know a few classmate to sit with or ask for help when he needs it. His mom is always worried about him not being able to make friends. It's true that he wasn't a popular kid but he thinks his friends at the time were just enough for him. He doesn't really go out much.

"Let's do this" he encouraged himself as he walked in. The place was nice, granted it looked like any other high school but at least everything looked new and well-maintained. On his way to the administration he saw a couple of students staring at him. 'It's starting, the new kid craze'

He just ignored them and walked right past into one of the offices. He knocked on the door and greeted whoever was in there with a shallow 'hello', then noticed a lady speaking on the phone in the further right corner. She quickly motioned with her hand for him to sit on the chair and wait for a second.

"Take the time you need, get well soon " she last said before hanging up and turning her attention to the young boy. Jimin wasn't saying anything until he saw her move her eyebrows quizzically "Oh, good morning. I'm Park Jimin the transfer student. I was asked to stop by when I got here on my first day, so here I am" he explained as she leaned back on her chair.

"Of course, Park Jimin. It's good to have you at our school.. I don't mean to sound intrusive or look down on this establishment, but your situation begs the question, why did you transfer? Your grades seem great, your record is clean, not to mention that your old high school is rated second after the Elite school" the lady said and he nodded.

"I understand the confusion. It was for financial reasons" he replied "I hope things get better for you and your family" she said as she signed a paper on her desk and gave it to him.  "Here, that's yours to keep, it has your schedule and on the back there's a map of the school so that you don't get lost looking for your classrooms"

"Thank you"

"Your first class will be at the end of the hallway on the left" she announced before the phone started ringing again, she picked it up and waved at him with a smile.

It was starting well so far, nothing strange, just another day at school. He entered his English class and took a seat in the back, he didn't want to be noticed by anybody just yet. Pulling out his pen, he started hearing some whispering but he just scribbled on the first page of his notebook, drawing small doodles and minding his business.

"Hey, you're the new kid right?" someone said from Jimin's right. He turned to the voice and found a boy leaning over towards him. "Yeah"

"I'm sure you heard the whispering by now. It's because everybody is trying to guess what kind of student you are" he said and Jimin raised an eyebrow. 

"What kind? What does that mean?" He asked and the guy moved his table closer.

"Okay so in this school there are a few distinct groups of students. The nerds, the athletes, the skaters, the regulars, and the populars... Well, the skaters are essentially the stoners but we just call them that not to get them in trouble at school" he chuckled.

'Great, students labelling each other' Jimin thought, mentally rolling his eyes.

"And so every time new students show up, there's this whole thing where we guess which group they're in. Some even bet money on it, it's pretty big for some reason" the guy explained and he shrugged.

"So... Which one do you think you are. Like, do you study well? I have the feeling you're good at sports, are you good at sports?" he asked and Jimin snickered shaking his head.

'Is this guy trying to make money off of me?'

"An athlete... Or maybe a nerd? I don't know, a regular would also make sense..." Jimin said thoughtfully and heard the boy click his tongue.

The morning quickly ended and before he knew it, the lunch break was over too. Jimin noticed how students' eyes wouldn't leave him, waiting to see where he'll sit or who he'll talk to, so he chose to eat his meal outside on one of the benches listening to music.

Just like that, he was back home in the evening, watching TV on the couch and waiting for his mother to get back from work. She has been doing a lot of overtime hours and he was worried she wasn't getting enough rest. Now that he was enrolled in school he could go look for a part time job somewhere, so instead of slacking off, he thought it would be a good idea to visit the nearby shops and stores. Maybe he'll have some luck.

"I'm Park Jimin, student at Bluewood high, I'm looking for a part time job if available" Jimin was tired of this sentence, it was the eighth business so far and he was turned down every single time. He was now at a convenience store, listening to the boss argue with his employee. He's not sure he wants to work at this place but if it'll take him, he'll do it.

"Hello son, I was looking for someone to help out actually. How old are you?" the middle aged man said with a kind smile, he almost looked and sounded completely different from when he was scolding the younger guy.

"17 years old, sir"

"Great, when will you be available? I have spots for you every evening and the store closes at 11pm"

"My last class finishes at 5:30pm"

"Then I'm guessing 6pm works fine for you?" the man said and he nodded. There he goes, looks like he found a job. They discussed his wage and ended up talking for a little while longer than he'd expected. The man was actually nice, the employee earlier must have done something wrong to make him react that way.

"Alright kid have a good night, I'll see you tomorrow" they bid each other goodbye and he walked back home right on time to see his mom pull over.

"Mom, you're back" he smiled at her and she chuckled "Finally".

They went inside and Jimin helped her with her coat before scurrying to the kitchen and heating up dinner for both of them.

"You've gotten better Jimin, this is delicious" his mom said, impressed, but he dismissed the comment. "This meal is literally the only one I can cook, I get to practice everytime I make it" he laughed and she nodded.

"I'll have to teach you other stuff over the weekend" she added while taking a bite of the warm food.

"I got a job today. I'll be working at the convenience store starting tomorrow" Jimin announced, fully aware of how his mother would react. He heard her put down her cutlery but acted as if nothing happened.

"Jimin we talked about this. You shouldn't worry about making money, that's what I'm here for, I'm the parent and I'm the one who should provide you with everything you need, not the other way around." she said and balled her hands together.

"But that's not fair to you mom, when dad died you were taking care of everything, parent or not, we're a family and you need help too. I'm old enough to give you that help" Jimin spoke with finality in his words.

"I moved us to this smaller house, changed your school and sold your father's car just so that you wouldn't do this."

"It's going to run out eventually mom, the least I can do is earn my own allowance. I promise I won't involve myself in bills unless you need me to, but I will earn some money from my end as well."

"Your father would be so proud of you my son" his mom got up from the chair to hug him and he smiled. 

"I hope so"

---

Hello everyone, I hoped you like this intro chapter!

As you may have noticed, this story is tagged as slow burn. There will be a lot of jikook but not very soon, so enjoy the ride!

-Aida-