Ahhh, what a boring lecture. This teacher really just keeps talking… on and on and on… I feel like this lecture will give me constipation, really. I held a mechanical pencil in my right hand, spinning it and spinning it until it flew out of my hands and on to the floor. It was a couple of seats in front of me, damn it. Whose desk… I stretched my neck a little and straightened my back to see whose foot it had landed by. I couldn’t see anything with everyone’s big heads in the way! I’ll just get it after class. I checked the clock at the front of the room, only four more minutes till the teacher would stop talking.

“Pssst,” the kid next to me tapped my shoulder, whispering, “I don’t think you should worry about that pencil anymore. Here take this one instead.” He placed a silver mechanical pencil onto the edge of my desk as a replacement.

I lifted it up with an unsure smile and a slight bow, gesturing a thank you. Why did he give me one of his? Strange guy, I tilted my head in confusion as I turned to face the front once more. Anyway I guess it’s still better that I not just leave my pencil lying around. It’d be a hinderance if someone actually slid on it while walking and plus, it’d be a waste of a perfectly good pencil.

Finally the bell rang, the teacher had the class representative call for a bow to signify the ending of class. Better go grab that pencil now… I looked to my right, the guy who had offered the pencil to me had already bulleted out of the room. That’s only normal, considering it was lunch time. Students, however still occupied the classroom, but in their little cliques and trash-talking groups.

I stood up and walked over to the desk where my pencil had rolled next to. A boy with bleached hair had been sitting there. From behind it looked like he was working, but when I came closer I noticed he was resting his head onto the palm of his hand taking a rather graceful nap. Was that even humanly possible to look so graceful while resting? Myth: busted. Making sure to not wake him from his nap, I quickly picked my pencil up from the floor and returned to my seat.

“Hey,” a voice called to me. It was the same guy from before. He pulled into his seat carrying a stuffed plastic bag, which was probably filled with today’s special breads from the cafeteria. “I see you got your pencil back, although I told you not to worry about it.” He placed the plastic bag onto his table, pulling out two plastic wrapped breads. He extended one out to me, “Here, want one?” I couldn’t just say no, so I took the bread from his hands, bowing slightly as a thank you. “It’s a good thing you didn’t get it while he was awake. That would’ve been a disaster.”

“What do you mean by that… a disaster? I don’t get it. Is he dangerous? Who is that anyway?” This guy was barely telling me anything. He was too vague. I unwrapped the plastic and took a bite into the sweet-tasting bread. Mmmm, as always it had such a good taste.

“You haven’t heard?” I gave a ‘No-heard-what?’ type-of-face. “Well, come closer I’ll tell you.” I lent him an ear and we crouched closer in our seats as if it was necessary  to be secretive in such a loud classroom. Was this considered gossipping? “That guy, his name is Min Yoongi, rumor has it that he is gay.”

“Where did you hear that from?”

“Well, I heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend, whose sister had confessed to him but he rejected her coldly and stated that he was gay.” How baseless… heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend… that’s not a reliable source.

“That’s ridiculous, and even if it were true, why are you guys isolating him?”

“Cause…” he turned back to his bread and began to stuff his face. Obviously ignoring my question. How annoying. His friends flooded into the classroom, obnoxiously calling his name from the front of the room. They began to flutter around him, speaking all at once and adding to the already loud volume of the classroom. Before he was quickly consumed into the rapid conversation of his group, he turned to me and gave me a stern warning, “Jimin, at any rate, I think it's best if you avoid Yoongi.” You never even gave me a reason to avoid him. Why the hell should I even listen to this guy? I shook my head in disapproval, returning to the last of the sweet bread the asshat sitting next to me had offered me.

“Yoongi,” a girl called from the back door. My eyes darted towards Yoongi's back. I watched his slouched position become shaken with stiffness as he straightened his back and shook his head as if to wake himself up, he turned to face the back door. Yoongi resembled a porcelain doll almost. Now that I could see his face better, I could see his features clearly. His skin was pale, his skin looked smooth and clear, and he had piercing eyes. “There’s a girl who wants to talk to you,” the girl stated. From the corner of my eye I could see a cute small girl, fidgeting next to the door. Yoongi stood up and walked passed me heading towards the back of the classroom. He had a faint scent of cologne trail after him. The air that surrounded him felt different, it was very aloof.

Only fifteen minutes of the lunch period remained. I better use the bathroom before lunch could end, I really needed to pee. I finished eating the sweet bread, crumpling the plastic into my hand, I darted out the front exit of the room. The bathroom was just down the hall on the first floor of the school. It was quiet. No one else seemed to be in the bathroom, so I just took one in the urinal.

“Ummm, ugh…” I could hear a girl’s voice coming from outside of the opened window of the bathroom. Weird, usually no one stands near the bathroom window cause it usually has a strong scent of piss looming out. Probably not today? The clean freaks had bathroom duty yesterday. “Y-yoongi, I like you! P-please go out with me!” Eh? It was that girl from before. What perfect timing I’d say. I’m just trying to take a simple bathroom break here, but I guess it's my lucky day. I get to hear a confession, ha!

“I’m sorry.” Ah, so this was Yoongi’s voice. It was nice. It was my first time hearing it. “The truth is I’m gay, so I'm sorry I can't date you.” It was true? I guess that guy was right all along. Yoongi's voice was fairly calm and polite. It almost felt like rather than apologizing for not liking her, he was apologizing for being gay. But why?

I could hear a small pitter-patter noise coming from the furthest stall, but it could’ve just been my imagination because it was probably just coming from outside. I quickly zipped up my pants, shaking my head. I walked over to the sink to wash my hands thoroughly with soap.

I made it back to the classroom before Yoongi had even returned. His seat was still empty. Come to think of it, I believe Yoongi had always been isolated even before the rumors started flying around. It may have been because he rarely ever talked to anyone before and everyone was too intimidated by his looks to even go near him. Now that I think of it, I remember seeing him once before during our P.E. class. A couple of classmates were tossing a ball amongst each other and one of the students threw the ball at him and when he tried to give it back, they all shook it off as if they were too nervous to talk to him, then left him alone with the ball.

Lunch was going to end in six minutes. A kid quickly stumbled into the room, his breathing was off like he had been running. He staggered a bit making his way into the classroom, he dragged himself over to the group of guys who surrounded the bread guy sitting next to me. He began to shout in a loud voice for the whole room to hear, “GUYS, I OVERHEARD IT!!!!”

“Overheard what,” one of the girls standing in the back of the classroom asked. “You obviously have something important to say, since you’re shouting so obnoxiously for everyone to hear.” This girl was the attitude of the classroom, once she gets involved, everyone will just casually listen in and soon the topic will become a class discussion.

“YOU’RE RIGHT!” He took a deep breath, then shouted, “I WAS IN THE BATHROOM AND I OVERHEARD YOONGI TURN DOWN THAT GIRL THAT CAME HERE EARLIER. HE TOLD HER HIMSELF THAT HE WAS GAY!!” The group of guys shrieked as if they had heard something horrid. What the hell he was there? Was it that sound I heard?!!

One of the guys egged the situation, “Ewwww!!! So you mean he was looking at all of us with those type of eyes?!!” The group of guys began to create a bad atmosphere in the classroom. They acted immaturely, pretending Yoongi had cooties and that they were all going to be infected by it. Obnoxiously speaking badly of another human, what a bunch of talkers. I bet they could never even say this to his face.

Suddenly the chattery classroom fell silent when Yoongi silently walked in with his hands tucked into his pants. I could hear one of the guys whisper, “Do you think he has his hands in his pockets because he’s hiding his for us?” They giggled quietly together. His whisper voice wasn’t that quiet cause I could hear his loud all the way from my seat. Yoongi must have heard it as well. I couldn't help but worry about him. He was already an outcast, what was going to happen now? I stared at his slouched shoulders from behind. Yoongi pulled out his chair, taking his seat quickly. His head angled towards the window as if he were staring outside, blocking out everyone's whispers of poisonous talk.

The situation was out of hand, more students joined in on the whispering. I gripped my fists, preparing myself to say something, but the bell had ruined my thought process. Damnit. A teacher walked in and began to direct the once rowdy classroom. I should have said something.

It was now P.E.

“Okay class. Today we’re going to split into pairs and do some exercises together.” Everyone had already picked a partner, including myself. “Hmm, that’s strange. We might be missing someone today, we’re uneven. Is anyone willing to let Yoongi be in their group?”

Suddenly the atmosphere grew heavy like it did in the classroom and the whispers began yet again:

“Who would want to be his partner?”

“He’s just gonna look at us with those filthy eyes.”

“He could already be undressing us in his head.”

I gritted my teeth and took a deep breath. I wanted to say something, but I didn’t know what to say. I remained silent, my thoughts were wavering and deciphering what I could possibly say to ease everyone's attention away from Yoongi. I couldn't do anything.

After school came quicker than expected. This was my chance to say one thing, at least one thing to Yoongi. I waited outside of the front doors of the school for him. He came out, his head sunk down to the ground. I watched him from behind before making the choice to approach him. He walked sullen. From behind it looked like he might be crying… Quickly! I have to say something, quickly!

I panicked. Tapping his shoulder, I began to babble on quickly, “It’s okay! Don’t cry! Sometimes I have tough days too and wish they would end sooner, but everything will be alright! I’ll be your friend, so you don’t need to cry or feel hurt! Just be happy about who you are, don’t feel like you’ve wronged anyone because that’s not true. Being yourself is never wrong! So don’t believe what bullies say!”

Yoongi lifted his head-- Eh? No tears? “I’m not crying,” he giggled. This was the first time I saw Yoongi's eyes light up. His eyes were usually disinterested in the world.

“Eh? You’re really not crying… Why were you hanging your head down? I thought you were crying. How embarrassing," I said nervously. Jimin, you idiot. You could have been more casual.

“I like looking down at the ground because sometimes it makes me feel at ease. I begin to feel like I’m the only one in the world,” he smiled for the first time,“Thank you.” His smile was quite refreshing from his usual expressionless face. I wonder had he always been able to smile so freely, would he have been able to make more friends?

The next day, we heard news that Yoongi had moved away. It was so sudden, but I was glad to have been able to see him smile for the first time and to have spoke to him. No one knew exactly what was happening in his life or what his background circumstances were, yet they just constantly bullied him for no real reason. That day after school, I felt a bit empty. Keeping his words in mind, I hung my head and stared down at my feet just as he did yesterday. He was right. I began to feel as if no one else was around me. It was relaxing.

Later I graduated high school, then college, I was able to land a good job, and now I am married man with a family of two kids in my late forties. However, when I stare down at my feet as he did, I begin to wonder even after all these years, what is Yoongi doing right now? Was he able to make friends? Was he able to find happiness? Love? I hope he's doing alright now. I wish I had spoken to him more.