Jungkook could feel his dignity crumble. Looks like he wasn’t going to fit in very well at this school either. For some reason he had always had an extremely hard time making friends wherever he went. He didn’t know if it was because of his less than stellar looks or because of his tendency, more often than not, to have his head buried into one book or another.

     He knew he was a bit of an introvert, but he had honestly tried to make friends wherever he went. However, it seemed that he had just ruined his chances to make a really good first impression at this new school. This time he had vowed to play it cool and not humiliate himself for once. He had experienced the feeling of ostracism more than enough for his liking.

He moved a lot, due to his father’s job in the ever evolving career of an Engineer and his mother had left the two of them when he was only a toddler. And while his father was extremely successful at his job there was absolutely no way that Jungkook would be able to afford attending this school on his own. His mother’s departure left them financially strapped and it was for this reason that Jungkook studied so hard and managed to apply to Daejin high, a school notorious for its incomparable wealth and generous scholarships.

Not only that, but this was his chance to excel academically as well as socially. New school, fresh start. He was planning to use the financial freedom of his scholarship to study harder than he ever had before. At the tender young age of seventeen, Jungkook was a year below everyone else in his class. Being the smart kid sometimes had its perks, that was one less year of this torture called high school.

Although it seemed the torture wasn’t over just yet. Jungkook could feel holes being drilled into the top of his head, where it had been hanging low in an attempt to remain as anonymous as possible. The feeling of someone’s gaze upon him was making him extremely anxious and he glanced up to search for the invasive pair of eyes. His gaze immediately connected with that of the attractive boy from earlier who had helped him with his books. The boy was staring at him with a blank stare. Jungkook trembled in intimidation and couldn’t help but feel slightly offended.  Was there something on his face? Had he done something wrong? His cheeks were on fire as he subtly checked his teeth for any stray food. The stony glare from boy across the room was finally broken by the homeroom teacher’s arrival.

Once first period had come to a close, Jungkook packed up his books and notes he had jotted down ever so meticulously and headed to the library. He figured it was never too early to start next week’s homework.

 The room itself was richly decorated, (as was to be expected of a school with an annual tuition rate in the double figures) but quiet and clearly almost never used. The vast array of textbooks, novels, and encyclopedias was wonderous! He could feel his heart palpitate as he walked down the length of one of the bookshelves, running his fingers along the spines of these literary treasures. He could spend hours, no, days in this scholarly monument.

He was so distracted by the feel of old leather and thick parchment on his hands that he failed to notice the tall, scrawny boy walking towards him with a stack of books piled high in his arms, blocking his vision.

The two naive bookworms crashed into each other head on, sending both boys reeling backwards, books flying around everywhere. Jungkook squeaked and landed hard on his behind, a book landing squarely on his face.

Jungkook sat up and pushed the book off his face. He rubbed his sore nose and squinted sideways through his crooked glasses. The impact had nearly knocked his glasses clean off.

Before him sat a boy who clearly towered over him even as he sat sprawled out on the floor. His bright blonde hair was styled in tight, ramen shaped ringlets. The boy also wore round, thick rimmed glasses that currently hung precariously off his nose from their earlier spill.

 Jungkook chuckled quietly at the boy's clearly frazzled state. "Are you okay?" He asked softly, fearful of another scornful encounter. So far the students here hadn't exactly been welcoming.

The giant before him let out a blindingly white smile and readjusted his glasses. "I'm just fine," he giggled, "How about you? Looks like that book might've knocked something loose."

Jungkook reached up to fix his glasses. "Hehe, yeah I'm good. I'm sorry I-"

"Oh don't even worry about it! I'm a bit of a space case myself. I'm Junhong by the way, but everyone just calls me Zelo. And you are?" He continued to smile.

For the first time in ages Jungkook felt as though his presence wasn't a total joke to his peers. Zelo seemed genuinely kind and interested in what he had to say. “My name is Jungkook! It’s-it’s nice to meet you!” he stumbled over his words in his excitement. He was beaming from ear to ear and reached down to help Zelo gather his books when his eyes landed upon a very familiar cover.

 “Holy. Martha. Stewart.” Jungkook stated in awe. He picked up one of his ultimate favorite books ever. “You bake?!” He asked holding up ‘Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook’. It was like his holy grail and he was absolutely over the moon to find a fellow fan of the culinary arts.

 Zelo reverently placed his hands on the opposite corners of the book and leaned in excitedly. His eyes were wide with amazement. “Are you kidding me? I can decorate cupcakes in my sleep!!” Zelo responded enthusiastically.

 Both boys paused in contemplation and then burst out laughing. Zelo’s eyes crinkled into tiny crescents and he tugged Jungkook towards the door. “Have you eaten yet Jungkookie? Can I call you Jungkookie? Jungkookie. Yeaah. I like that.” Zelo rambled on animatedly.

Jungkook glanced back at the mess of books on the floor and wondered briefly if they should clean it up. Zelo saw what he was looking at and nudged his friend forward, “Don’t worry about it, somebody else will take care of it!” Jungkook looked back doubtfully and continued to follow Zelo out, who immediately began babbling about the benefits of having lunch at Daejin high.

The pair traveled down the hall to the cafeteria, and as with everything else he’d seen so far, he was completely bowled over by the expense put into the simple eating area. After ordering their lunch, two prime cuts and baked potatoes piled high with chives and sour cream, the two sat down at an unoccupied table.

“So Jungkookie, how’s your first day so far? Make any friends?” Zelo asked as he tucked into his steak.

 Jungkook looked down at his own steak in confusion. He wondered which utensil he was supposed to use to cut this monstrous piece of meat. He glanced back up at Zelo and attempted to imitate his actions.  “Umm, it’s been fine,” he answered, sticking his tongue out in concentration while clumsily spearing his food. “You’re my first friend actually. But there was this one guy in my class that helped me out earlier.”

 Zelo noticed his friend’s struggle and reached for Jungkook’s plate. He began to carve his steak for him and Jungkook rubbed his neck sheepishly. “Do you know who this guy was, Jungkookie?”

Jungkook’s brows knit together as he tried to recall what he looked like. “No, but he was definitely handsome. He had brown hair and didn’t talk much, but it seemed like he had a lot of friends.”

 Zelo cocked his head to the side and passed Jungkook his plate back, “Did this guy hang out with five other really good looking, delinquent guys?”

Jungkook accepted his plate and dug in happily with the same awkward motions as before. “Yeah, actually! He was kind of scary too. He kept staring at me for the rest of the class period,” he said while popping in a mouthful of potato.

 Zelo’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, “No, that’s not possible. Him?!” He muttered to himself quietly.

With his cheeks bulging like a squirrel, Jungkook looked up curiously, “mhut rr oou tokig aboou, hug?"

Zelo blinked, “whut??”

Jungkook swallowed and tried again giggling, “what are you talking about, hyung?”

 Laughing at Jungkook’s cuteness, Zelo opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by the loud ringing of the school bell signaling the end of the lunch period. “Oh, it’s nothing. Do you need to head to your locker? I can walk you there if you’d like,” Zelo offered warmly.

           Jungkook pondered for a moment and ultimately accepted the kind gesture. He was still unfamiliar with the school and figured a helping hand would be nice. They dumped their plates into one of the bins and started towards the lockers.

  As they walked down the hall, Zelo asked Jungkook his stance on the great butter versus butter substitute debate. “I personally am a fan of traditional stick margarine. Margarine all the way, baby!” Zelo enthused excitedly.

   Jungkook reached his locker and entered the combination. “Well while I am a fan of the classics, I have to say, for a healthy substitute I prefer to use…” He trailed off distractedly as his eyes fell upon something that he certainly did not remember putting in his locker. A single red rose.

Zelo crowded behind him and popped his head over his shoulder, “Oooooh! Somebody’s got a secret admirer! On the first day of school! Go Jungkookie!”

 Jungkook lowered his head in embarrassment and blushed. He carefully picked up the rose and studied it. “Who could this possibly be from?” He wondered to himself. He placed the rose safely in his bag and ignored his friend’s teasing. The bell rang again startling Jungkook. Slamming his locker shut he grabbed Zelo’s hand and rushed down the hall, “We’re gonna be late!”

Standing a few lockers down, an anonymous figure lounged casually against a wall watching as the two boys ran to class.