Put your name in the _____ places!

Enjoy!

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          I continued painting my canvas as I waited for Hoseok to come back with his friends. I stared at it in many different angles, making awkward faces as I studied it. Hoseok came back with his friends as I was doing this. His laughter caused me to look up and look at them coming in through my window. I blushed and put my paints down beside my chair. Then I counted the number of roommates he had. Six not including him. I didn’t realize when he said ‘a few friends’ meant a total of seven guys. “_____, these are my friends,” Hoseok introduced them one by one. I bowed and introduced myself, although they probably know about me from the other neighbors. 

          “It’s nice to meet you all,” I said smiling. I looked at all of them, making mental profiles of each of them. Not that any of them looked alike, but remembering seven different names at once is kind of difficult for me. “Sorry if I mix up your names. I’m not very good with names,” I said shyly. I examined all of them once again, testing my memory skills. Other than Hoseok, there was one boy who stood out in particular. His name was Taehyung. Maybe it was his red-toned, brown hair, or maybe his cute smile, but to be quite honest, all of them had cute smiles. But Taehyung...I’m not sure.

          They all crowded behind me to look at my painting. “Who is that with you,” the one named Jin asked.

          “She’s my best friend, Soo Jin. I met her in the hospital several years ago. We took this picture a while back, but this is going to be her birthday present when I finish. I’m hoping to finish it this time.”

          “What do you mean by 'this time,'” Taehyung asked.

          “This time that I’m out of the hospital. Some people can work on portraits and finish within a week, but I just want to make sure everything it perfect,” I replied, examining it once again.

          “I think it looks great. You’re both very pretty, also,” the tall man named Namjoon said smoothly, shooting me a small grin. The youngest one, Jungkook, nudged him in the elbow.

          “Hyung, you just met her and you’re already flirting!”

          “I’m just speaking the truth,” Namjoon replied. I smiled and thanked him for the compliment, blushing a little.

           “So why exactly are you in the hospital? If you don’t mind us asking,” Suga asked.

           “Oh I don’t mind. I get asked that quite often. I have a disease called Cystic Fibrosis. It’s a genetically transferred disease that causes the build up of mucus in the lungs and pancreas.” After explaining the disease, the boys looked at me like I was speaking Gibberish. I'm not surprised, and it's to be expected. Not many people know about this disease, so I'm used to explaining it by now, probably not a completely accurate explanation, but it's close enough I believe.

           “What does that mean exactly,” asked Jimin.

           “It just means I have difficultly breathing and I don’t get the nutrition I need. Does that help any?”

           “How long have you had it,” asked Taehyung, looking completely interested. Usually people are freaked out that my organs don't work like they should. They treat me like a fragile piece of glass. However, this boy is ready to just pick me up and examine me until he fully understands.

           “About four years now. It’s not as bad as Soo Jin though.”

           “What’s wrong with your friend,” Jungkook asked.

           “She has stage three leukemia. She’s not expected to live past 33, and she’s 22 now.” I looked over at my painting, smiling pitifully. I looked down at my hands and fumbled with my fingers. Every time I admit that to myself, I can't help up but feel sad. Things could change for her, but we just never know for sure. That's why I worry about her constantly.

          “Well, we’re really sorry to hear that. But how about we go have some fun, let's go somewhere,” Hoseok said, breaking the tension. I looked up at him and smiled widely. I nodded, and the boys helped me climb out my window. I made sure it was completely shut, then walked with the boys to their SUV. I don't know why I already felt so welcomed by these boys. They didn't immediately run away from me like most people do. That's what I predicted anyway. I guess I misjudged them.

          Jin ran to their house to grab the car keys while the rest of us got situated in the SUV. Hoseok sat in the passenger seat, now introducing himself as DJ Hope. Taehyung hopped in the car before me and held out a hand. I held his hand as he pulled me in. I smiled at him, hoping he got my thanks. I forgot I was still holding his hand as I sat in the middle. During that time, I looked into his dark brown orbs as they looked back into mine. Suddenly, I let go of his hand and blushed. Taehyung stared at me for a few seconds more, then turned to put on his seatbelt.

          Seated on my right side was Jimin. Both boys much taller than me, even sitting down. My forehead was to about their shoulder and I looked back and forth between them. I know I’m 5’2 but come on...I didn't know these giants could overpower me even sitting down.

          Jin came back, quickly jumped in and started the car. Hoseok started playing some rap songs, which I actually enjoyed. I wasn’t very fond of rap, but this was actually pretty good.

          “So, _____, what do you like to do for fun? Other than be an amazing artist,” Namjoon yelled over the music. Hoseok turned down the volume to hear my answer.

          “I really loved singing and dancing, but I can’t really do it anymore because of my coniditon.”

          “We dance too, y’know?” Jimin said smirking, like he had the perfect plan to show off his mad skills. I looked around at the other boys who all rolled their eyes and scoffed at Jimin's remark.

          “Oh boy, Jimin is already planning a dance battle, aren’t you,” Jungkook said from behind. I smiled and watched as Jimin and Jungkook have a small tutting battle. The entire ride over to where ever we were going was like a small party bus. These boys had no shame whatsoever. All of them rapped along with the music as I sat and watched them take their turns. Dancing, singing, rapping. They all enjoy doing it together. The group of boys must have connected through music.

          Sooner or later, our bus party had to come to an end as we arrived to our destination. We parked along the side of the road and we all climbed out. Jimin was taking too long to unbuckle his seatbelt, so I climbed out of Taehyung’s side after him. Once again, Taehyung grabbed my hand to support me. I thanked him again and he gave me one of his cute smiles. After everyone exited the vehicle, we gathered in a circle off to the side so we wouldn't be in the way of other people walking by.

          “Okay, let’s play a game,” shouted Suga, pumping his fist into the air.

           Although I was happy to have made some new friends, I missed Soo Jin. But I was so excited to be out, and now I am. So I have to enjoy it. I'll have to tell Soo Jin about it tomorrow when I see her. Maybe I can take her with us if we decide to do this again.