"You're taking long and we're late enough!" Yoongi yells from the doorway after having sent the rest of the boys to go and wait in the car.

He overheard that there was another transfer student and he wanted us to meet the person before the rest of the school could corrupt them; we were still unsure of whether the person still had his dreams or not and he was eager to find out.

We needed our group to grow before we could perform in front of the school.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I yell, hopping on one foot as I struggle to tie my one shoe. Ungracefully, I end up falling against Yoongi who glares.

"S- Sorry!" I exclaim with wide eyes.

Yoongi just shakes his head and helps me to a stand, "Are both your shoes tied? Can we leave now?"

I nod firmly.

Yoongi smiles and I know it's a way of saying thank you rather than actually having his mouth formulated the words.

Side by side, we go down the stairs and I don't forget to grab my keys on the way out of the front door.

"Since when has he been speaking to you?" I hear Yoongi ask and I raise my head to see that Jungkook has joined us this morning as well. The boys were teasing him and ruffling his hair and laughing and I couldn't help but smile.

For the past few days while he was a no show, they were extremely worries and just not the same.

If I was being honest, I preferred them all together rather than separated.

"When him and Jackson came over to do the project," I reply.

I watch as Yoongi's eyebrows furrow in confusion before he voices his thoughts, "What about Hoseok and Seokjin?" He asks.

I shake my head, "They were busy. They phoned to excuse themselves."

"I told them to watch you," Yoongi grumbles under his breath as he opens the door to the car where Seokjin raises his head and smiles, "Are we ready to go?"

"Yes!" I yell before running to the other side of the car and opening that door.

Jimin groaned, obviously having wanted to get in on that side.

"Let's just hurry before we start killing one another," Taehyung suggests before scrunching his face up and curling his hands to make claw like things as he growled; we assumed he was a monster, but we were wrong. He was an alien.

Nevertheless, we do as said and get into the car.

The size of the car doesn't much have enough space for the entire group at the back.

Seokjin is driving and Namjoon has called shotgun which leaves Jungkook, Taehyung, Yoongi, Jimin, Hoseok and myself in the back seat.

As we struggle, the majority decides to vote fie someone to walk the plank as they said, but it's denied and instead, a better idea is offered on the table: someone has to do some lap sitting.

That someone is me.

That someone I have to sit on is Jungkook.

Yoongi's laughing at me with no shame while the others snicker and attempt to hide it.

Jungkook was oblivious whereas I was a blushing mess the entire ride to school.

Yoongi and Jimin took turns to tease me while Hoseok's laugh echoed the small space (which was really nice. It's been so long since we heard the sound), Jungkook's grip tightened around me and Seokjin was scolding Namjoon for trying to shift gears where he ended up nearly breaking them.

"We're here," Seokjin announces at which I practically cheered causing Jungkook to laugh and the rest to pout.

"Why are you so happy to come to school?" Hoseok asks.

"They teased me the whole ride! I'm a free human now! I'll never have to see them again!" I exclaim dramatically, forcing the door open and wincing as it hits the car beside us.

The person was just getting out and so their gaze falls on me and they narrow their eyes.

However, they're glaring at the boys instead as while preoccupied, I climbed over all of them, forced that door open more carefully, jumped out and dashed for the front entrance to the school.

The boys were calling out for me, but I completely ignored them as I ran on.

Of course, I ended up bumping into someone and fell back. Peeking up, I frown as the person holds me around my waist.

"Jams!" He yells happily but for some reason, it wasn't the same as other days when Jackson greeted me.

"Hey, Jackson.. What's up?"

"Who knows. You seem to be falling for me all over again," he says, a smirk making way to his face which had me squirming in his hold.

I wasn't used to this.

When the boys were around-

My eyes widen at the realization. He was always kept in check when the boys were around. He never stepped out of line like he did that day over there and he never stepped out of line like the day in the alleyway.

It was the boys. He was afraid of them.

They were practically my body guards, I realize.

"Let go, Jackson," I say as I attempt to squirm out of his hold but he doesn't even budge. He's got the glint in his eye that I never quite liked and his smirk keeps growing.

As his hands curve around my waist and lower themselves to my , I'm immediately pulled away from him.

I'm behind the whole lot of them, but I frown as I count eight instead of seven boys. It has me confused as I stare at them.

I can't quite understand until I hear it; his voice.

The voice brings me back to that day I went running to him. The day that I collapsed after seeing him for the first time is so long; the day he said those words.

"Jackson Wang, stay away from her," his usually soft, foreign-accented voice had a harsher tone to it and I didn't need to see him to feel the glare he was giving his ex-best friend who only smiled sheepishly at him.

"No can do, buddy. We were actually discussing the project we have," he lies but the thing is, the other knew Jackson well enough to pick up on his lies. They were that close before I came along.

"Without the rest of your group? With your hands snaking their way where they don't belong?" He asks angrily.

The rest of us can do nothing but watch.

It pains me to see their expressions because in reality, we'd all fallen for Jackson's trick. We all liked him becoming a part of our group; even me.

But now?

Now I wasn't too sure and neither were the rest of them.

Jackson looks to the other boys for help but nobody says a word. They all look away. When I step forward to say something, Jungkook is quick to pull me back and shake his head.

Jackson stays for a few moments before he nods and smiles tightly before walking off.

"Jams, are you okay?" I hear the boys chorus, but their voices are like miles away as the eighth boy turns and faces me, his furrowed eyebrows going up as his expression turns from a look of anger and disgust to one of worry and happiness.

I can't stop myself as I break out into a grin, run to him and jump onto him, wrapping my legs around him and revelling in the way his arms circle around my waist to support me.

"Hey, Angelpie," his voice is octaves softer now as he whispers the familiar nickname in my ear.

"Markiepooh," I whisper happily.

You can hear the smile in my voice.