Jungkook seemed to breathe well as compared to yesterday. When Jimin said he'd talk to him tomorrow talk in school, he felt that he still had a chance to convince the older boyfriend to think about the decision again.

He was dropped at school by his mother and he waited in class. Jimin arrived quicker than yesterday and Jungkook didn't spare another dawdling moment as he made his way toward him. "Hyung," his voice was thick and Jimin gazed up to flash a small smile that didn't convince Jungkook of anything.

"Sit here," Jimin patted the space beside him. Happily, Jungkook did. His eyes doted curiously at Jimin's face as he gnawed at his bottom lip to stop it from quivering.

"I told you about my deal with my father," Jimin began so Jungkook nodded, eyes turning moist as the conversation proceeded. "It's obvious I failed at that." The older chuckled sourly.

"Hyung, you have only 2% lesser marks than I. It's not less."

"Let me finish first, Kookie. Will you?" Jimin interjected but gently.

"To my father, it doesn't matter. And I really want to get into the school of my choice. I cannot see myself doing anything else. You know that... He has given me one more chance. If I do it this year, he will be helping me in the future. So I can't keep anything countering my efforts towards my studies. Please understand that I still feel the same way about you. I just need one year to myself. Please do this for me?" Jimin pleaded, hopeful that Jungkook would support him. "We can still be friends."

"No," the word friends caused Jungkook's pooled tears to spill down his cheeks and he shook his head frantically. "I can't leave you, Hyung. All I have... All we have is this year. You will leave for your dance school later and I will still be here. I don't know what I want to do after school. This year was all I was looking forward to. You can't do this to me. I will help you with your study. We will get you what you want, but please, don't ask me to do this."

"I am sorry, Kook. I have to. I can't risk anything this time to chances. Please, baby," Jimin's hand raised to wipe Jungkook's face but the boy pushed it away.

"Don't. Okay. If you can't be with me. Then we are over, Hyung. I can't be friends with you because I love you."

Jimin's breath got caught at the confession and his head hung low. As much as he wanted to say it back, his throat seemed to have swelled so he dipped his head down in front of the younger boyfriend in apology. His shoulders shook and his tears fell to his lap. He never saw Jungkook as a distraction, but his parents did. He convinced himself that this was the only solution to perhaps win the respect he has lost in his father's eyes back. He wanted to keep Jungkook away from his parents' wrong accusations.

"Look at me, Hyung!" Jungkook yelled out, but Jimin only shook his head a little while sobbing voicelessly.

"If you do this, if this is your final decision, I am not coming back to you once this is over," Jungkook warned. "Please don't do this to me. It hurts me so much."

"I have one year, Jungkook. I need to prove myself. I don't want an excuse for my parents they can call as a distraction." Jimin supplied and stood up, slowly raising his eyes to stop his crying little boyfriend. Unhurriedly, he pulled him into a hug and kissed his hair before turning around hastily and leaving in the next moment.

Jungkook followed him out too, but the older was gone, disappeared. The younger didn't know where to hide so he let his legs amble him towards the washroom. The minutes passed into an hour when he heard the ring to jostle him out of his agony.

With so much dejection, he decided to return to class. The moment he came near the door, he spotted Jimin sitting at his own seat. His head felt dizzy and his stomach soared with nausea. He could throw up if he didn't distract himself with happy memories. This wasn't happening. All this time, all those innocent touches, tough voice with soft scolding, all those thoughtful gestures, the gifts, the quality time that Jimin had given him, he couldn't take it all of it back in the blink of an eye.

Heavy headache surrounded Jungkook as he sat through the next class with no clue of what was the teacher speaking. He raised his head, it felt dizzy, he put it down on the desk, he felt nauseated, he looked around, everything seemed blurry with the tears that were constantly brimming in his eyes.

How could you sit like nothing is affecting you, Hyung? How could you act like you haven't just stopped my world for your selfish reason? How could you hurt me so much?

"Jeon Jungkook!" The teacher called louder this time, causing Jungkook to glance up at him.

"I asked something. What are you dreaming about?"

"Going home and sleeping with mommy." A kid chortled, causing Jimin to close his fists so tight that his body began to shake. The teacher turned towards the voice and glared at the boy who had chorused the insult. Jungkook gasped along with the whole class when Jimin stood up and went straight to him, pulling him up by the collar. The look in his eyes was deadly, his eyes red and his veins over the forehead bulging.

The teacher ran to separate the two and even with all the voices, Jungkook couldn't comprehend a single sentence around him. All he could feel was his heart trying to beat, very faintly. He felt he'd pass out with exhaustion and so he closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

For the other classes, Jungkook decided to stay out of them. He waited in the medical room till the end of the day so that he could go home and don't return here anymore. If Jimin had taken his decision, he would take his own.

As the last bell rang for the day, he stood up with a grumble leaving his mouth and his hands turned clammy. The nauseous feeling didn't go away, but the lozenge he had asked for helped to subdue it to a great extent. He walked out of the school and waited for the bus when his eyes spotted Jimin. The boy usually went towards the parking, but today, Jungkook realized that Jimin was waiting for someone.

He missed his own bus just so he could see Jimin. After a few minutes, he saw Hoseok arrive. Jimin and Hoseok stepped into the bus together. It dawned upon Jungkook that Jimin was in pain too. He always said his parents didn't care for him, and he knew that too, he has seen it. The thought of Jimin's father taking back his car caused Jungkook to ignore his pain and feel Jimin's too.

But it still didn't change the fact that Jimin chose his career and his parents' wish above him. If tables were turned, he would have chosen Jimin, no matter what. But he also had no dreams to follow, so was it wrong if Jimin had dreams and he wanted to follow them? Perhaps no. But it wasn't right what Jimin was doing to him either.

A slap on his shoulder caused him to sniffle and see Do-Jin laughing. "Where are your friends? Jimin and that Utkarsha?"

"She moved back to India."

"Really?" Do-Jin pressed, wanting to talk more about Jimin.

"Yes, really. No one stays with me, okay? All the friendship and the promises are hollow. The words were spoken in the spur of the moment... They mean nothing to people. They come and leave. Do you need anything else or are you done for the day?"

Seeing Jungkook vexing, Do-Jin chuckled wryly, retreating his steps and looking around at a few people laughing at him for the insult that Jungkook has imparted.

Another bus arrived in five minutes, Jungkook gripped his bag tighter while jumping on it and continued to walk until the end so he could grab the last window seat to cry in silence. Since one bus had already departed, this wasn't clogged with many students. As he sat and looked out of the window, he dreaded the look on his mother's face when he returned home, and he knew he had to stop somewhere so that his loved ones weren't hurt because of him anymore.

He practiced smiling, stretching his lips that hurt in doing so. The first time was a fail, the second was no different, but on the third attempt, Jungkook broke down, holding onto the iron bar behind the leather bus seat as the vehicle began to move.

6 Apr, 2022