Chapter 4.

Oh, what is it worth, when all that's left is hurt? Like the stars chase the sun, over the glowing hill, I will conquer. 

Jaehyun dropped into the seat beside Taeyong once again. He had the letter in his hand. He hadn’t shown it to Johnny and Ten. He didn’t have the heart to do so.

  “What are you?”

Jaehyun tried to ignore Taeyong’s voice, and he tried to forget the feelings it stirred inside of him. “Human.” Jaehyun answered and then he left the bus. He wasn’t too sure about his actions anymore. As long as he kept face in front of Taeyong, then he would be okay… Wouldn’t he?

Jaehyun screamed when he opened his locker the next day to find a dead mouse inside of it. The nearby students shrieked when Jaehyun used a book to sweep it out of his closet and a group of girls panicked when it landed between them. Jaehyun glared at the letter inside the closet. He didn’t want to open it.

“Last request before ruining your queer life, you let us score.”

Jaehyun threw the letter into Johnny’s face at the practice and Hansol even joined them. Johnny bit his tongue when he came to the word queer. He silenced for a few moments before continuing.

  “What?!” Ten exclaimed. “How can they demand that?!”

  “They have no honor!” Hansol stated in anger. Johnny tore the letter apart.

  “How is Taeyong’s reaction towards you sitting beside him?” Johnny then asked and Hansol’s eyes widened.

  “HE DOES WHAT?!” Ten tried to shush Hansol but the other gripped onto Jaehyun’s shoulders. “How?”

Jaehyun shrugged. “I just pretend I’m driving the bus and accidentally hit him… twice.”

Johnny gave him a look.

Jaehyun sighed, for a moment seeing Taeyong’s face, the hood of his sweatshirt pulled up, bangs covering his forehead. Jaehyun leaned forward, trying to concentrate. “He has kind of gotten used to it already, like he doesn’t blink anymore and just look out of the window. He seems quite astounded by my actions.”

  “I would feel that way too.” Hansol added but Johnny shushed him.

  “He doesn’t sneer at you or act cocky?” He asked.

Jaehyun shook his head.

Ten frowned. “That doesn’t sound right.”

  “None of this is right!” Hansol stated but Johnny ignored him.

  “No it doesn’t sound right, sorry if I cross any lines here, but did he just randomly kiss you or what?”

Ten kicked Johnny’s shin. “Didn’t you see him talk to Jaehyun all night?”

Johnny’s eyes flickered to Ten’s but he avoided the other’s gaze, scratching the back of his neck. “I wasn’t really focusing on Jaehyun to be honest.”

Hansol blinked. “What am I missing?”

Everyone shook their heads. “Nothing.” Jaehyun muttered. Then he sighed. “He warned me before kissing me, but I was too drunk to understand it.”

  “He warned you?” Johnny repeated and Ten put his hand on Jaehyun’s knee. Johnny groaned and threw his head back. “I’m going to break his face.”

  “Get back in line.” Jaehyun groaned into his hands. He guessed he had to let the scores in.

  “You need to be better and you need to get a lot of points, I’ll let them score 5 times, okay? Don’t take the burden on your shoulders.” Then he left training, feeling kind of hopeless.

Jaehyun didn’t even want to look into his locker, but he did it either way. Another letter had gotten there. Who delivered their letters?

If you don’t back off, you’ll regret it, . You’ll lose this game and the picture won’t air.

Jaehyun’s hands shook, and he wished he could go back to the night of the party and just stop himself from drinking too much and realizing that it was someone from their rival school. Still he didn’t see any signs of Taeyong wanting to hurt him like this. How couldn’t he know?

Jaehyun took seat beside Taeyong once again, sighing deeply. Three more days. He reminded himself and Taeyong sighed as well. Jaehyun looked at him for the first time and noticed Taeyong’s eyes on him. He froze, he couldn’t move.

  “What have you decided?” He asked in a careful voice and Jaehyun wanted to close his hands around the other’s throat and choke him. He removed his eyes from Taeyong and ran a hand through his hair before answering.

  “I hope you’re happy.” He said and tried to unclench his jaw but he was so frustrated. “I’ll do it.” He said and looked at Taeyong but he didn’t turn his face towards the other. Taeyong’s face didn’t look triumphant but he nodded.

  “Good.” He just said and Jaehyun leaned back in his seat and looked away. He couldn’t help but think back on the night and the way Taeyong’s hand tightened its grip on his when he kissed him. It would’ve been perfect if only Taeyong had just one little pinch of honor.

  “Great to know you have at least that much sense in you, .”

Jaehyun tore it apart on the spot and went to class. One more day and this hell would be over.

  “Invite his parents.” Jaehyun said when they ate lunch with Hansol there too. “Get them to come to the game. I don’t think Taeyong would like the picture to air when they’re there.” He said and bit his lip. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like being cruel to someone, to bring someone down in that way, but Taeyong had done it to him, and so Jaehyun was at least allowed to do the same. Well, he told himself that.

Hansol smiled a little. “That’s genius. That will really save us.”

Us. Jaehyun felt a little reassured by this. He wasn’t alone in this. Still he didn’t feel better knowing that he was ready to pull Taeyong with him below the surface.

Jaehyun rode the bus with his head down. They had put the picture in the envelope and Jaehyun felt his heart break as soon as he sat down beside Taeyong. All this to keep face.

He tried to hide the fact that he was crying but Taeyong must’ve seen it. Jaehyun sniffled and wiped his eyes hurriedly, then he saw a hand appear in front of his eyes. He frowned. It was his handkerchief.

  “I thought you needed it back.” Taeyong said his voice so low it could’ve been a whisper. Jaehyun took it and bend down, resting his elbows on his thighs while burying his face in the handkerchief. It smelled of Taeyong’s cologne and Jaehyun cursed himself to the moon and back. If only he had never met Taeyong, if only he had followed his mother.

Jaehyun left the bus, but he heard the other mutter a ‘good luck’ and he didn’t reply to it. Taeyong didn’t deserve a reply.

Jaehyun dreamt of Taeyong that night. He dreamt of being pulled back by something and he saw Taeyong with a group of boys in front of him watch him fall. He had reached out for Taeyong, gripping on his wrist and pulling him with him. Taeyong’s eyes widened and they fell into cold water. It was a river. Jaehyun kept holding onto Taeyong that fought hard to get out of the water or find something to stop them from being dragged away. Jaehyun just held on and Taeyong was crying, begging Jaehyun to let go, to fight with him, to try to survive with him. Jaehyun couldn’t. He couldn’t fight anymore but he couldn’t let go either. Taeyong pulled him closer and they hit a stone before being dragged beneath the surface, a stream keeping them there until Taeyong fought his way through the water to the surface and Jaehyun let go of him. He felt Taeyong grip onto his clothes.

It was a blur of grey and blue and then Taeyong’s face. Jaehyun heard a thunder of roaring water and he spun around to look in the direction of where they were going and saw the landscape stop. He began swimming in the other direction but it was no use. Taeyong hadn’t noticed and was dragged past Jaehyun. Jaehyun reached out and gripped Taeyong’s shirt. The other looked at him in question, then his eyes widened. Jaehyun’s fingers weren’t strong enough. Taeyong slipped out of his grip and fell. Jaehyun fell too and he woke up just before colliding with the water below.

Jaehyun sat up in his bed and glanced up at the moon through his window, pushing the curtain aside. "What are you trying to tell me?" He asked and frowned. "That Taeyong is the victim?" He huffed. "He's the one who pushed me into the river and if he's dragged along with me, isn't that only fair?"

Jaehyun was ready early and he just sat with his face in his hands while everyone chattered away. He hadn’t left the locker room, too afraid to meet the other team. He had realized that Taeyong didn’t write the letters and he wondered which idiot did it.

Then he got up, he needed something to eat and there was a vending-machine just down the hall. He breathed in deeply before exiting and then he took long strides, quickly reaching the machine. He tried not to seem too down, but he guessed his shoulders couldn’t be more slumped. He must look hopeless.

  “Did you sleep well?”

Jaehyun straightened his back and turned his head to the right to see Taeyong leaning against the wall, wearing his blue basketball shirt. Jaehyun’s was black and orange, he grabbed onto it and then crouched down to get the chocolate bar he had bought. He looked up at Taeyong, some students passed by, but they weren’t from any of the teams. Taeyong’s eyes didn’t leave Jaehyun for a second. Then Jaehyun shook his head and Taeyong nodded understandingly.

  “Me neither.” He said and Jaehyun frowned. He felt kind of happy by hearing that. Taeyong didn’t deserve nights of good sleep.

Jaehyun was aching to leave, but it didn’t look like Taeyong was going anywhere, and by the way his lips parted, he was going to say more. “There’s more to it.” He said and finally raised his gaze to meet Jaehyun’s. “I’m…” He began but then broke their eye contact. “Please don’t go against them.” He pleaded.
Jaehyun wanted to say that he would do it but there was something in Taeyong’s eyes that made him silence. Had Taeyong’s parents decided to come? Were they really this bad that Taeyong would look this scared? He eyed Taeyong with a frown, Taeyong looked at him and Jaehyun backed off. Taeyong pushed himself off the wall to follow Jaehyun until Johnny exited the locker room, calling Jaehyun's name, and Taeyong immediately vanished from sight. Jaehyun just went over to Johnny and followed him back into the locker room. If Taeyong was like that, maybe none of them were safe.

A/N:

Hello! Thank you for the comments sica_ice, twiskleyoureyes, Blumbrella, K0rinn3, JustARandomExoL & Jaeyong_TY!!^^

 - Hope you enjoyed the chapter, the game will begin in the next! ^^

(Also isn't the new poster just awesome? I can't stop looking at it <3)

Love,
Emma. <3