Everyone gasped as they saw Jimin wheezed in long puffs of air after the liquid welled his airway so suddenly that he did not see it coming. Jungkook did not regret anything until this point but as the senior stood while his phone and earphone winched away, he felt a flicker of fear deep in his guts and he recoiled at the feeling, but he chose to wear the same expressions of tenacity that caused him to do this in the first place.

Hoseok and Jin peered over people's heads but all they could see was a flock as though the students were flies gawking a piece of fruit to sit on.

Jimin's jaw trembled as he seethed and his eyes decided to kill Jungkook with just the intimidating glare. The boy defiantly would have flinched if he was not stood there petrified on his own action. "Did you think this would earn you an all-kill?" Jimin spewed and only terrified Jungkook could hear the words. "In about a minute, you are going to regret skipping your grades and I want you to remember this." 

As everyone took few steps back, Jungkook realized how hazardous a mistake it was to attack a senior like that in front of- technically all the school. No one was standing with him except his two friends but they would not also take a beating with him. 

"You have brought this upon yourself." Jimin's lips formed a nefarious smirk and Jungkook's eyes developed a slight gloss in them, but he choked back tears.

The younger recoiled, shrinking into himself as Jimin's tightly shut phalanges swooshed in. He positively felt cold air on his face as he waited for numbing pain to seer through before he heard the rattling of something that allowed him to open his eyes. 

Yoongi had blocked the punch that Jimin had so carelessly fired at the boy. Now that the attention was turned upon the two alpha males, Jungkook felt no shame in letting the tears escape. Taehyung and Bambam encashed the opportunity to drag Jungkook away from the scene. By then, the boy had started trembling. His core was terrified as he did not think he would be this frightened again, but he'd today found himself astray.

"Jungkook, it's okay." Taehyung leaned and stood a little afar to let the boy breathe, but his hands never left the friend's shoulders. 

"It is not okay, Taehyung. IT FUCKING IS NOT!" Jungkook looked around frantically as if he would find a magic lamp to turn back time. 

"Okay, okay!" Taehyung shook him desperately to distract him while Bambam only held onto their lunchboxes so dearly. "We cannot change it back. Own it or apologize publically." 

The words started to play in Jungkook's head. "What is the third option?" Jungkook spoke to himself more than asked. 

"I heard he is into boys, make out with him," Taehyung stated nimbly.

"Make out with him, make out with him, make out - Are you fucking crazy?!" Jungkook shouted and swatted his hands away with an objection, forgetting about the poor heart that he made sail through hell and back which was still throbbing inside like a little puppy who has been scolded.

"Or befriend Yoongi," Taehyung mumbled, holding his hands up and slowly taking steps back. "I heard he is the only one who can sober Jimin down."  

Jungkook did not know how Taehyung knew all of this about Jimin but he could care less. All he had been thankful for was that Taehyung knew all this. "Thanks but no, I will stand up for myself."

Bambam who had not spoken a word along with Taehyung looked at Jungkook with completely confused expressions. "Have you seen Jimin?" Bambam spoke at last as if Jungkook's memory was somehow wiped clean and he had to be reminded. 

"I don't care how popular he is, or how tormenting," Jungkook sighed in determination and simultaneously came to terms with the fact that it would hurt like a bitch the next time because Yoongi would not always be there to block punches. "If I cower now, that's what I will be for the coming years. I don't want to be a wuss." He spoke gallantly.

"Someone please save me from dad when I go home with broken bones." A voice in his mind begged.

As Jungkook made his way back to the cafeteria, closely observing people's way of murmur or their smiles that were flashing his way made the young boy scramble into the thoughts. Were they sympathetic smiles for the scapegoat or the impressed ones? He did not know.

His thoughts were put to rest soon enough when a hooting chorused through the cafeteria.

"That was sick."

"Dude! I have not seen something that exciting in this school in a long time."

"Good luck, man!"

"Until next time."

The voices were not static as everyone hovered over the boy and practically crushed him, but the faces were all a blur as they came at once. The realization dawned upon him. he had become an ephemeral hero but it would not be long until he'd face his newly formed mortal enemy again. 

"Thanks," he could only say the word and looked over to Taehyung and Bambam who were equally shocked at the collective reaction. 

"What happened after we left?" He asked Bambam as if the boy had two pairs of detachable eyes and he had left them behind to observe. 

"I don't know." The boy replied annoyingly.

Jungkook was going to play this well nevertheless. The masses dispersed as the lunch break came to an end and Jungkook's heart started throbbing again. While his friends would safely go back to their old class, he would have to dance naked in front of an angry panther with bare feet on the hottest floor.

He did not know whether to expect some rotten tomatoes, albeit he knew that was not possible, or pat on his back as he entered the class but to his relief, the class was soundless.

He did not dare to make eye contact with anyone and reached over to his seat. If he did in fact look around, he would know the stares people were casting. Few were impressed, few were daunting and few were unbothered. 

The breath that Jungkook held for the duration now started to freely return as he glanced through side-eyes. Jimin was earlier sitting towards his left but he found the seat empty now. His heart raced with uncertainty. It was exactly like when you saw a lizard in your house and panicked but when the lizard disappeared, you panicked furthermore because you would not know its plan of attack. 

His heartbeat pounding like an alarm clock going off in the morning. His hands were absent-mindedly playing with the pen through his sweaty palms. In a swift motion of the neck, he dared to steal a full glance and found Jimin's bag was gone. Did that mean Jimin left? Jungkook finally exhaled out a deep breath.

The class teacher arrived and scanned the room. She called out Jungkook's name. The relief that managed to find the boy jumped right out the window and he stood up. The teacher was looking to his left to find Jimin but when she could not, she yelled. "Park Jimin!"

"He left, miss," Hoseok replied to put the stopper to the show. 

"Come with me, Jungkook." The teacher's tone turned soft as if she did not just scare the crap out of the tensed boy. Jungkook's eyes met with Yoongi, realizing he should have said thanks to him.

The lady led the boy into the principal's office. Jungkook waited for Mr. Bang to turn around from his narcissistic meditation pose as if he was planning to set off a nuclear attack on the school and then run the hell away from here. "Mr. Jeon, how are you?" 

Bang asked calmly but Jungkook knew he had done it again. Every time the fat ass called him Mr. Jeon, he knew that the man would fuck him royally. "I-I am okay, sir." Jungkook's voice came out raspy at first but then as the knot cleared from his throat, he started speaking fine.

Bang smiled, "What the fuck is that for?" Jungkook thought. Bang never smiled. 

"I heard from your father, I was hoping it would not be like before, but you leave me no choice. How do you so consistently manage to be my loyal visitor?" Bang asked. 

"It was not my fault, sir. I was just asking nicely to give my seat back." 

"Nicely, was it?" Bang turned the monitor screen towards him, where the CCTV had captured the entire act. 

"Orange juice is delicious." Jungkook hung his head low as he mumbled. 

"But people appreciate if they are made to drink through their mouths and not through their noses, Mr. Jeon." Bang turned the monitor back for his own eyes. 

"Fine, I will get my dad," Jungkook replied, already imagining himself standing in front of him like a drenched puppy, begging on his knees and his mind exaggerating his father who matured into a Lochness monster. 

"You know, Jungkook. It would come to you as a surprise but I do have work to do other than being your caretaker," Bang thought of something, "and also of Mr. Park for that matter." He pulled his round glasses down so they were resting themselves on the man's nose.

Jungkook always forgot everything that Bang said after he pulled his glasses down because with the round frames sitting on his big nose, to Jungkook, Bang looked like an owl. 

"Do we have an understanding?" Bang pushed back his glasses and sunk back in his chair that shrunk down. Jungkook heard the chair wail in pain and ask him to help it but he now had to pay attention to the words, even though he had not heard a thing that came out of owl's - Bang's mouth. 

"Yes, sir." Jungkook chortled. 

"What's so funny?" Bang raised his brow and slanted his body on the left to take a better look at the class teacher who stood behind them as if to ask clarity on what was so funny to Jungkook.

She shrugged and Bang's eyes darted at Jungkook again. "Dismissed."

Jungkook rushed out of the office but Ms. Choi put her hand on his shoulder. "Not so fast." 

They went to her office, Jungkook stood across the huge desk that separated them. He looked around with his round eyes and puckered lips, occasionally trying to peek at the pink card that the lady had in her hands where she scribbled. 

Jungkook's head tilted and his eyes glided through as the card was handed to him. "I think the fuck not!" He wanted to scream but he mentally groaned and threw his legs everywhere as he finished reading his new schedule with Park Jimin. 

10 Sep 2021