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Year 16
(part 1)

"Wait...how do I start it again?" You furrow your brow as you look between the pedals under your feet. "Jimin?" When there's no answer you look up at the rear view mirror, "Jimin?"

"Sadiaaa~" he sings from the backseat, "what do you think about this car?"

Sadia glances at the giggly blonde boy beside her before examining the leather interior of the Mercedes. "Um...it's nice."

"Yup, my dad got it for me." Jimin boasts, sighing in satisfaction before resting his hands behind his head. "I can drive it too. Wanna see me license?" He dips his small hands into his back pocket for his wallet to flip it open and display his cheesy grin, "cool, huh?"

Sadia scans the photo of Jimin's smolder and smiles politely. "Um...yeah super cool. Aren't you supposed to be teaching Y/N?"

Jimin meets your flat expression in the rear view mirror and chuckles nervously. "Oh, right. Hey Y/N. What's up?"

You groan before going to rub your temples with your fingers. Jimin slithers in between the two seats to plop himself beside you. Leaning into him, you whisper, "what the hell? You said you'd teach me as long as I brought Sadia along."

Jimin shushes you, quickly glancing behind him to see if the golden-haired girl heard anything. He sighs in relief and pain when she pays you two no mind as she stares out of the window in boredom. "I thought she'd be a little more...enthusiastic about hanging with us."

At that, you stifle a snort and shake your head. "Yeah, this isn't hanging out. You're supposed to be teaching me how to drive so I can pass my test and get my permit soon. It's getting too dangerous for Grandma to drive."

Jimin slowly nods, "fine, fine. But you gotta help me with her. I don't know what to do."

"Deal." You settle back into your seat, sighing when you realize you're back to square one. "So how do I start it again?"

"Press on the break and shift the gear to drive."

"Right," you nod slowly, staring down at the gear with random letters scrambled around. As you scan the foreign piece of the vehicle, you catch Jimin whirl around and attempt to initiate another giggly conversation with the girl in the backseat. Exhaling shakily, you squeeze your eyes shut and shift the gear blindly, praying that it will land on drive. The engine roars and you smile, taking it as a cue to press on the accelerator.

The smile doesn't last long when you realize you're zooming in reverse through the empty parking lot at full speed.

"Y/N!!!!!" Jimin shrieks, clinging to the seat like a koala for dear life, "the break! The break! Press the break!"

With a slam of the breaks, you send your blonde best friend hurdling forward. His forehead collides with the dashboard and he cries out in pain, tilting his head back so his enraged eyes can meet yours. You offer him a sheepish smile as an apology and he huffs out in annoyance, pouty lips parting to let you have it until a laugh interrupts him. Your heart sinks because you already know who it is as Jimin rotates his body to see an amused Sadia's head thrown back as she laughs her ass off. Jimin chuckles along, but it sound deranged like it's the only thing keeping him from killing you on the spot.

He snaps his head in your direction, the large bump already forming on his forehead preventing you from taking him seriously. "Guess that concludes today's lesson," he says through gritted teeth, "and Jimin's driving school...forever."

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"You crashed his car?"

"I didn't crash his car!" You exclaim from your seat on the bench of Jungkook's gym, watching him feverishly strike a large punching bag repeatedly. "I just embarrassed him in front of Sadia. Which sucks because now I don't have anyone to teach me how to drive."

Jungkook halts his movements for a beat to wipe the sweat off of his forehead before sending you a smirk. "I could teach you."

Ignoring the obvious heart palpitations his look gives you, you groan. "Yeah, right. All you have time for ever since you won that tournament is training and school." You sigh in frustration, poking out your lips as you rest your head in your hands. "I thought what happened with Seokjin last year was supposed to hurt your chances of entering."

"Nah," he replies in between pants, moving on to kicking the bag instead, "you seem to forget that I am irresistible, Y/N, and my persuading skills are on point." He stops to bend down for his bottle of water, taking a swig before pouring it over the top of his head to drench himself with the rest. His white undershirt is now completely see through, displaying his sculpted abs and pecs deliciously. "There was even a time when you couldn't resist me."

Many things went un-talked about in your friendship with Jungkook. That gray area of months between Christmas and Seokjin's prom was one of them. You would be lying if you said you didn't expect Jungkook to kiss you after the sprinkler rescue outside of the hotel that night as an attempt to reinstitute his affection for you. If he had any affection for you. Jungkook is hard to read. But at least you never lost what you were most afraid of; your friendship.

"You kissed me first," you mumble, cheeks squished in between your hands. "And besides, we're talking about my dilemmas. Jimin won't even talk to me and no one wants to teach me how to drive."

Jungkook chuckles, planting himself next to you with a small towel draped around his neck. "Can you blame him? He thinks everyone at our school is disgusting except for one girl and you concussed him right in front of her. To top it off," he tilts his head and whistles, "she laughed at him. Do you know how much it hurts when the girl you like laughs at you?"

"This isn't making me feel better, Jeon," you frown, facing him just to be mesmerized by the perspiration trickling down the side of his face. "I gotta make it up to him."

He smiles and goes to ruffle your hair, "you'll figure it out. You're smart, kiddo."

You stiffen, wrinkling your nose in confusion and allowing your brow to sink. Kiddo? What the fuck is kiddo? The new nickname feels so foreign, Jungkook might as well have said it in a different language. Wearily, you shift your gaze up, expecting a teasing smile on his lips but instead his head is hanging as he lazily scrolls through his phone. He was serious?

"Y-Yeah...right." Jungkook nods as if you said something for him to reply to and your brow furrows even more. It's unlike him to be this checked out of a conversation with you. "What do you think I should do?" Jungkook snickers at his phone, his thumbs tapping away at the screen as you continue to gawk at him. "Jeon?"

"Huh...oh I don't know, you'll think of something." You hum in response, noting the way his eyes didn't even flicker your way as they stay glued to his phone. The bell at the front door chimes as it opens and you hear a clamoring of boys enter. Jungkook's head whips in their direction immediately and his doe eyes turn into slits. Before you can ask, he springs up from his seat and starts for them. He greets Hoseok and Taehyung with a wide grin before motioning toward the locker room for them to get ready.

With more of a bounce in his step, he skips towards you and plops himself into his same seat. "They training with you?" You ask and he nods enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I invited them to join the gym a couple weeks ago." Your mouth forms an O at the new information that Jungkook has never seemed to mention to you. But that isn't really a surprise since it's rare that you two ever have the time to say anything other than a simple hello to each other anymore. Not that you blame him for finding such a passion for the sport, especially as he grows stronger with every match. But you miss your best friend.

Suddenly, your own phone buzzes to showcase a reminder to catch a bus to the nearby animal shelter soon. "I'm over the city bus! I wanna drive already." You bury your face into his bare shoulder and groan and he chuckles.

"I told you I'd teach you, dummy. How about tomorrow night after your hours at the shelter?" The vibrations of your muffled really against his skin emit a trail of goosebumps all over his arm that he prays you don't notice. You do. You both still have an  inexplicable affect on each other. With rosy cheeks, he stammers out, "y-yeah, I don't know why you still even go to that place. You have more community service hours than our entire school combined."

"It's not about the service hours," you huff, removing your face from his arm to which he lets out a tiny sigh of relief, "I like to hang out there. Plus, they need the help."

"Uh-huh," Jungkook smiles, "my little zoology nerd. You'd do anything to be close to some animals." It's stupid but it makes your heart flutter and you match his expression. The heat in your cheeks indicates that you're blushing and you quickly turn, just in the knick of time as Taehyung and Hoseok emerge from the locker room sporting muscle shirts and gym shorts. Jungkook stands, sending them a wave before craning his head to lean into you. "I wouldn't stress too much about Jimin. Yeah, he has googly eyes for Sadia but he adores you, he won't stay mad at you for long but you should try to make it up to him anyways. I'll pick you up tomorrow, okay? But if you put so much as a dent into my dad's pickup truck, I'll kill you."

Your stomach is doing flips over how ecstatic you are as you nod happily. "Yes, yes, yes! Oh my gosh, thank you! Don't worry, I won't hurt Papa Jeon's precious truck."

"JK!"

Your smile falters a bit when you spot Hoseok waving Jungkook over from inside of the ring. Jungkook glances at the restless boys and holds up a finger for them to wait before looking back at you. But you take the hint as you gather your belongings and place them in your backpack to head for the door. Believing Jungkook has already gone back to his practice, you figure at least you can offer a small wave before you leave but almost stumble back when you're met with a pinky wiggling before your face.

"Promise it," he grins.

"What?"

"I promise to teach you how to drive as long as you promise not to hurt Papa Jeon's truck."

You can hear the snickers from the boys in the ring but when you meet Jungkook's soft eyes you can see he does not mind them. Twisting your pinky with his, you match his grin. "I promise."

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"Hi Promise," you beam, kneeling down to greet the three-legged pit bull who wags her tail as you open the cage door to her enclosure. "How are you doing today?" She waddles over to you as fast as she can with her tongue hanging out, propping one of her paws on your knee as she tries to lick your face. You giggle fondly as you begin to pet her. It's reassuring to know that even the animals who have been through the most still love as if they had no trauma. If it weren't for your mother's dog hair allergy, you would sneak all of them home with you.

The steel door screeches open, setting off a symphony of barks and howls from the dogs around and a slim silhouette fills the doorframe. "Yo, Y/N. You done yet-"  You and Promise both freeze in place, hoping to suddenly turn invisible. The man groans in playful frustration. "Y/N," he chuckles, "I told you to stop spending so much time with each dog. They get hangry when you take too long to feed them."

"Ah, but look at them Joon," you grab Promise's head and hug her tight, smushing her cheeks against yours in the process, "they only see us a couple of times a week, I gotta make it count!" Namjoon strides over towards the two of you and kneels down. At the sight of this, Promise completely abandons you for his attention, a gesture you see most females tend to do whenever he's around.

"Hi girl," he smiles, showcasing two deep dimples as he curls a finger under her chin.

"You see! You're the only other person I know who loves these guys as much as I do."

He regards you with a hum before turning for the wheelbarrow of dog food behind you two that you had been previously driving. Scooping a cup, he holds it up high as he walks into Promise's tiny enclosure with her in close pursuit. "They're cute," he says before dropping the food into her bowl, "but I prefer my ocean babies."

That was true. When you met Namjoon last summer at zoology camp you learned two very important facts about him. One, he was new to town so he was easy to befriend. And two, he was obsessed with marine animals. Sea turtles, sea lions, jellyfish, stingrays, dolphins, whales. You name it, Namjoon not only loves it but knows every single freaking detail of it. But nothing compares to his favorite.

Crabs.

"We get it, crab boy. You don't have to remind me every chance you get." He grimaces as he walks over to the next enclosure with you trailing behind.

"I told you to stop calling me that. Especially with people around. Gives them the wrong idea." You chuckle at the thought and Namjoon shakes his head. "You're such a kid."

Your laughter immediately seizes as Jungkook's nickname now returns to mind. Of course, coming from Namjoon you don't mind it so much especially considering he's two years older than you. "Joon?" He hums in response, turning only to dip into the enormous bag of kibble for another scoop. "W-What do you mean when you call me kid?"

"Um...you're a kid?" He chuckles, squatting down to pet a tiny, brown chihuahua. "You're like what, 13?"

"16."

"Oh shit! Well it's all the same to me. You're a child."
Nodding with pursed lips, you move on to the next enclosure, home to a very hyper Boxer. It seems like you can't evade the thought of Jungkook. Namjoon notices how you don't break out into your usual immediate smile at the sight and quirks a brow. "Uh, why do you ask?"

Slowly petting the top of the eager dog's head, you sigh. "Would you...would you call someone you liked kid or...kiddo?"

"Nooo," he draws out the word for a beat, eyeing you quizzically, "never. That's a fat friendzone word that playas like me stay away from." He pretends to dust off his shoulders but slowly lowers his hands when you don't react.

"I think I'm in the friendzone," you mutter.

"Ouch. With who?"

"Jungkook."

His thick brows furrow as he adjusts the black beanie enveloping his dark hair. "I thought you told me that you guys have been friends forever. Like strictly."

"We were. We are. But..." You trail off, quickly pouring the Boxer's food before moving on to a shaggy poodle's enclosure.

"You want more?"

"I don't know." You stare at the concrete floor in thought. "I haven't seen him a lot lately and I've had too much time to think. Do I like him or do I just miss his company? Ugh...why is this so confusing?"

Namjoon cocks his head to the side and tuts, "Kids."

"What if I do like him and I already missed my shot?" Your heart sinks at the thought.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he shakes his head, "slow down there. You don't even know if you like the guy and you're worried about missing your shot? Chill out, Y/N. Even if you did, why do you automatically assume that this was your only shot?"

"It isn't?"

"Kid," he sighs while placing a hand on your shoulder, "you've only been on this planet for 13 years-"

"16."

"Whatever. You've got your entire freaking life still and there will be plenty of shots for you to take and for guys to take on you. Or girls, we don't know which way you'll swing in a couple of years." You roll your eyes and he chuckles. "Don't stress about the possibility of missing this one. Besides, haven't you and the guy been friends since you were like babies? What makes you think he doesn't feel the same way about you?"

You nibble on the inside of your lip as you consider it. Although you two have been in the midst of a falling out these last few months, whenever you do reconnect it definitely makes up for lost time. As long as he continues to make the effort to keep what you have alive you won't completely rule out the possibility of his feelings.

"Well...he is picking me up tonight to teach me how to drive."

"See," he points, "there you go. You couldn't pay me enough to do that. He must care about you to give up that much time and patience for you." Namjoon's words are enough to lift your spirits back up until closing.

You both say your goodbyes to the staff before stepping out into the chilly air where you hope to see the familiar baby blue pickup truck. You frown a bit when you don't but wave it off as him running late as you pull out your phone to shoot him a text.

Junglebook🐰

hey, just got out. you still coming?
[7:03 p.m.]

"Where's your guy?" Namjoon asks, scanning the almost empty parking lot as he twirls his keys around his finger.

"I don't know...he should be here soon, though. I hope."

"Want me to wait with you?"

"Nah, it's cool. You should go home," you shake your head, playfully shoving him away. But Namjoon's literally an adult so it's no surprise when he doesn't even move an inch.

"Yeah, right. No way I'm leaving a 13 year old here alone at night." Not having the heart to correct him anymore, you decide to just let him stay. You both plant yourselves on a curb, your eyes trained on the parking lot entrance for the familiar shade of blue to bless your eyes. Namjoon doesn't seem to mind as he begins to whistle a tune, occasionally making a comment about the cold or the animals you two just tended to.

Junglebook🐰

everything okay? can you still make it??
[7:54 p.m.]

"He dead or something?" Namjoon pops a piece of gum into his mouth, offering you one to which you gratefully take.

He's about to be. "Um...I don't know. Even his late practices are usually over by now."

Junglebook🐰

yo wtf? are you coming or what? please text back
[8:21 p.m]

Phone calls are no use since they all automatically go to voicemail after one ring. Maybe it's dead and he's on his way. You and Namjoon sit in silence, quietly snapping your gum. You know he's just trying not to make it any more embarrassing than it already looks but the silence is fucking deafening. Maybe this is karma for what you did to Jimin. You hug your knees tightly as you internally apologize to the universe for your actions.

Junglebook🐰

still here, jungkook. where the hell are you?? answer your phone!!
[8:59 p.m.]

Namjoon lets out a loud yawn and you reply with a small sorry. He tells you it's fine but you know it's not. Every now and then, in your peripheral, you catch his lips parting and closing as if he's debating on saying anything. And each time your stomach twists because you know he wants to tell you the reality of what you have feared for the past two hours.

Jungkook isn't coming.

"D-Do you think you can give me a ride home?" Namjoon's puffy eyes widen, completely caught by surprise.

"But what about..." He sees your glum expression and trails off, "sure. Come on."

Namjoon unlocks his silver car and you slide into the passenger seat before telling him your address. The only reason why Grandma isn't spamming your phone is because you told her about your tardiness would be due to a driving lesson with your best friend.

Junglebook🐰

thanks for the lesson. let's do it again sometime.
[9:24 p.m.]

The ride home is quiet which would otherwise bother you but tonight it's helping you. The lack of noise helps you focus on keeping your emotions at bay as you swallow down lump after lump to choke back the tears that threaten to escape. Because tonight Jungkook has done something he never has in all of your years of friendship.

Jungkook broke his promise.

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no thoughts. puro sadness