He clung to the right side of the hall, as he always did, avoiding eye contact with everyone he passed, friendly or not, friend or foe.  He kept his head down and his hands in his pockets.  His feet shuffled across the floor, and his dark eyes stayed studying the floor as he walked.  

 

Occasionally, he would bump into someone and mutter an apology.  Some would curse in reponse, while others said nothing, not even acknowledging him.  He preferred the latter, because it was how things should be.  No, it was how things were.  He wanted to accept their apologies, and he wanted to befriend them, as if he were in a famous drama, but no, those only happened in fairy tales.  Those were fake compared to the reality that slapped him in the face.

 

He made it to his locker, where he put his books lazily in.  He was an average student that never really studied.  School moved too slow for him, and he only scored the points necessary to get a passing grade.  After that, he basically let all knowledge drop off, as if he never knew it in the first place.

 

He sighed as he closed his locker and turned to see a girl.  He looked away and blinked.  She was bad news, because that meant that-

 

"Yah, Kim Taehyung!"

 

He felt someone grab the collar of his uniform, and he was flipped around before being shoved into the locker.  His back cried out in pain.  His mouth let out a small note of pain before his head was yanked back.

 

"What did I say about coming around here, you punk?" the boy snarled, waving his fist threateningly.  "Are you stupid?  Do I need to knock some sense into you?"

 

Taehyung said nothing, and only stared into the other's eyes emotionlessly, though the pain was slowly ebbing at his strength.  He blinked slowly before the other boy struck his stomach with his hard fist.  Taehyung coughed and kept his head down before being yanked up by his hair again.

 

Annoyance gripped his stomach as well as his pain, and he glared into the other boy's eyes.

 

"Is that the worst you can do?" the boy sneered.  "Glare more, and I'll gouge them out."

 

He punched Taehyung again, and his friends laughed behind him.  With each strike after that, Taehyung coughed and accepted it, acting defeated and doing nothing to fight back.  He accepted the fact that he was nothing more than a puppet, emotionless with no purpose but to entertain.  Even if it meant entertaining the enemy, he was alright, because at least that meant something.

 

He finally collapsed and was kicked to the side.  He coughed up blood, and felt more eyes watch him as he writhed on the floor, shaking with pain.  He clutched his uniform blazer tightly.

 

"Jaekwon, what are you doing?"

 

Taehyung opened his eyes tiredly and saw a pair of feet standing in front of him, shielding him.  He looked up and saw sleek black hair, pale skin, and a neatly ironed uniform on a tall boy.  He sat up shakily and clutched his stomach as the encounter continued.

 

"Jungkook...you wanna die too?" Jaekwon growled.

 

"Why are you doing this?" the newcomer said calmly.  "First of all, you're making an embarrassing scene, and second of all, what did he ever do to you?"

 

Jaekwon glared.  "How is it embarrassing?  The punk looked at my girlfriend wrong-!"

 

"So you won't feel anything when I reveal the fact that you're only using her because her father has money?" Jungkook pointed out, an eyebrow raised.  

 

The small crowd that gathered gasped, and whispers started to go around.  Jaekwon turned and looked at his girlfriend desperately, but she only stared at Jungkook in disbelief.  She shook her head, as if trying to refuse the fact, and Jungkook only looked away.

 

She turned and slapped Jaekwon.  "You son of a !" she screamed, then she stomped away.

 

"M-Minah...wait!" he stammered as he ran after her with a stupid expression on his face.

 

Taehyung coughed as Jungkook helped him up.  He steadied himself against the lockers before grabbing his backpack and tring to slip away.

 

"Not so fast," Jungkook said, grabbing his hood and pulling him back.  "You have to go to the nurse's."

 

Taehyung opened his mouth to protest when Jungkook started dragging him the opposite way, down the hall.  He struggled a bit but went with it.  He was too weak to protest anyways.  He blinked tiredly as he walked, wanting to stop and curl up in a ball.

 

"What did you do to get Jaekwon so upset?" Jungkook wondered aloud.  "Everyone knows he has a temper!  How come you don't?  You would've been his Thanksgiving turkey if I didn't stand up."  He turned and gazed at Taehyung, concerned. "Ya know?"

 

"Let go of me," Taehyung said softly, pulling his hand away.

 

Jungkook grabbed his hand again and frowned.  "You need help, because you're hurt, and you don't want help?"

 

"I don't need help," Taehyung said blankly.  "You can't help me, besides, because I can't repay you.  I hate owing people."

 

"Help doens't involve owing people, Taehyung," Jungkook said.

 

Taehyung blinked, but then realized that Jungkook had read his name tag.  He inwardly rolled his eyes for thinking that Jungkook actually knew who he was.  He stepped back and his dry lips that were caked with blood.  "I feel like I owe people when they help me," he said.  "It's just me, okay?"

 

Jungkook tilted his head a bit.  "You're an odd person, you know that?"  He grabbed Taehyung's hand before he could run away, and he dragged him to the nurse's office.

 

 

In the middle of this ocean,

One lonely whale cries

No matter how much it shouts, no one can hear it

So lonely it just stays quiet

 

 

Taehyung flexed his hands as he walked out of school.  He went out the back way so that no one could see him.  His face still burned to what had happened earlier that day.  His stomach clenched as he walked, and he had to steady himself with every light post that came by.  Even though he spent most of the day in the nurse's office, he still felt horrible.  He inwardly shrugged.  I guess that's what happens every now and again...

 

He staggered a bit as he walked down the street to his apartment.  He heard footsteps behind him, but he didn't even bother to turn around.  He walked a bit faster and kept his head down and his hood over his head.

 

The footsteps got faster too, and he knew that it wasn't just any regular person passing by.  Slight fear gripped his stomach as he walked up the stairs of his apartment building.  He hung onto the rail and walked up as fast as he could to the hallway.

 

"If you came here to beat me up more, what are you waiting for?" Taehyung asked without turning around.

 

"Me?"

 

Taehyung turned around to see Jungkook standing there.  He had his scarf wrapped neatly around his neck, and his hands in the pockets of his uniform blazer.  His eyes were wide and looked into his, trying to search for meaning.  

 

Taehyung was silent.

 

"Why would I do that?" Jungkook asked.

 

Taehyung looked away.  "Sorry.  I thought you were..."

 

"It's okay," Jungkook answered with a small smile.  He looked around.  "I didn't know you lived here.  Do you live here by yourself or-?"

 

"By myself," Taehyung replied bluntly as he turned and shoved his key into his lock.  He opened the door and turned back to see Jungkook watching him.  "What do you want?"

 

"I just wanted to make sure you got home safely," the other answered shyly.  

 

Taehyung's jaw tightened.  "Go home," he said.  He was about to walk in when he stopped and turned around again.  "Don't associate with me anymore.  You'll get us both killed."

 

Before Jungkook could answer, he closed the door and left him standing there.

 

 

No matter who I was back then, it’s whatever now I don’t care

When loneliness is by my side

I become completely alone, sadness filling the lock

 

 

Taehyung arrived at school that day early, making sure to avoid everyone.  His mind couldn't get over the fact that Jungkook was obviously curious about him, a bit too curious.  It wasn't a bad thing, but it wasn't a good thing either.  Taehyung didn't want to think about it.  Having another friend or person in his life was too much trouble, and Jungkook was much too friendly for his liking.

 

He shook his head to himself and sighed, pulling his hood over his head.  What am I thinking? he thought.  Get your head out of the clouds, Taehyung.  No one likes you.

 

He got his things out of his locker and quickly went over to the gym, where his basketball coach yelled at him for being a bit late.  He took the words in as he usually did.  He couldn't blame him because he had to deal with a bunch of bratty teens all day, as well as the team, and Taehyung was just one of them.  He quickly changed inside the locker room and ran a few laps around the track as a punishment for coming late.

 

His mind got lost as he ran.  All he could hear was the blood roaring in his ears, and he could feel his feet pounding against the dirt earth.  This was why he liked running.  It took his mind off of things.  He was able to shut out most of the world.

 

It was how things needed to be.

 

"Hey, Bambi!  Wait!"

 

Taehyung slowed his pace and turned to see Jungkook running after him.  He came to a stop, and the other boy caught up, breathless.

 

"What'd you call me?" Taehyung asked, his eyes narrowed.

 

"Bambi," Jungkook panted.  "You know, like the movie?"

 

"Why?"  Taehyung frowned.  "I remind you of a deer?"

 

"No, but you don't really talk a lot," Jungkook explained, breathing a bit deeper.  He smiled and laughed.  "And plus, I forgot your name."

 

Taehyung scoffed before starting out on a light jog.  Jungkook stuck next to him.

 

"So what is your name, Bambi?" the boy asked.

 

"Taehyung," the other answered with little hesitation.  He was shocked at himself answering the other so fast.  He wasn't one to socialize, nor was he one to acknowledge anyone.  "My name's Taehyung."  The corners of his lips twitched into an invisible smile.  "And don't call me Bambi."

 

"But it's catchy," Jungkook protested.  "And besides, I think it suits you."

 

"If I'm Bambi, then who are you?" Taehyung asked, amused.

 

Jungkook stayed silent for a moment as they slowed down.  "I don't know...Thumper?"

 

Taehyung crinkled his nose a bit before chuckling.  "You're weird."

 

Jungkook smiled widely.  "I did it!"

 

"Eh?"

 

"I made you laugh," Jungkook said, smiling cheekily.  "I was thinking to myself yesterday, that you need to smile more.  Laughing wouldn't hurt either.  So I made it a personal goal."

 

Taehyung sighed.  "Like I said, you're weird."

 

"What's wrong with being a little weird?" Jungkook asked.  He put an arm around Taehyung's shoulders and held his hand out in front of him.  "Friends?"

 

The quiet boy shook him off and ran to the locker rooms.

 

Jungkook laughed to himself.  "So close, yet so far.  I'll help you, Taehyung."

 

 

I’m trapped in this wall

I can’t breathe properly

Towards to surface

Hey oh, oh hey oh yeah

 

 

Over the next couple weeks, Jungkook bothered Taehyung.  That was how Taehyung wanted to see it, though he had to admit that the boy's company was sometimes pleasant.  He hadn't gotten into as much trouble with the teachers, since Jungkook had started to remind him to do things like projects and homework.  It was like Jungkook suddenly became his mom, constantly nagging him.  Sometimes it was quite annoying, but Taehyung had learned to live with it after a while.

 

Their friendship grew, but Taehyung couldn't let go of the darkness in his heart.  The world seemed perfect, but only when he was with Jungkook.  He wanted it to be like that all the time.  He couldn't believe he could live in the dark for so long, not enjoying the happiness he deserved.  

 

He wanted it all the time.

 

"You can't have happiness all the time," Jungkook had said, "because then you'll become greedy."

 

Taehyung had listened to him say those words, but he just knew that he had to be an exception.  He felt like he had been conned his entire life, so becoming greedy shouldn't be a big deal.  All he wanted was happiness, and Jungkook gave that to him.

 

He was sitting on his couch playing games on his phone when he got a text from Jungkook.

 

From: Thumper

  whatcha doing?  :)

 

Taehyung smiled a bit as he typed back.

 

To: Thumper

  thinking about world destruction.  what about u?

 

He got the reply almost instantly.  

 

From: Thumper

  haha typical u :P  i'm bored

 

He leaned back into the cushion as he typed.

 

To: Thumper

  hm that's a first

 

His eyebrows furrowed at the reply.

 

From: Thumper

  wanna go out?

 

His lip twitched as his mind wandered.  He came into realization and shook his head, sighing.  He doesn't mean that, you idiot! he told himself.  Gah, don't think that way.

 

This isn't you.

 

From: Thumper

  like to eat lol XD