"You look like ." Amber said, shoving back the chair in front of you and sitting down. Her face was lit up by a grin, but her eyes were attentive as they studied your face from up close. Somehow her penetrating stare always made you feel uncomfortable. Since the passing of your mom she would give you that stare much more often than before. "I'll take that as a compliment." You mumbled softly, rearranging the mess you had created on your desk. The pencils were thrown down on your notebook, your markers spread all over the place. It looked quite impressive but to be honest, it was just for show. You hadn't really written anything down during last period. "Oh come on, don't be grumpy. What's going on in that head of yours?" She asked and you sighed deeply before leaning back in your chair and gazing at her. Amber was the only person in this entire school you called your friend. She didn't judge you by your last name and she actually spend time with you without you having to pay her to do so. She didn't pick on you, didn't treat you like all the other students did. You were so grateful to have a person like her around you, otherwise you were sure your high school career would have been impossible to handle. "It's my father..." You started, which was mostly the first part of your sentence every single time she asked you about your problems. A strange girl patted on her shoulder, but she waved her off without loosening her brown eyes from you, which caused the girl to glare at you. You ignored her, like you always did when someone sent you that stare. You pretended as if you didn't care, it was the easiest way. "Did he try to bribe you again?" She asked, picking up one of your highlighters and twirling it in between her fingers. You watched the blue marker move around in circles, wondering if you should tell her about what was going on. 

Was having a bodyguard information that should be kept secret? As your only friend you trusted Amber and you didn't want to see her as a threat. If you didn't have her then you didn't have anyone left. That thought lade you realize how pathetic your life actually was. Friendless, lonely… "You have to promise me you won't tell this to anyone." You hissed lowly, watching the way the classroom was filling around you. The other students who had this class with you were slowly floating inside, all mixed in deep conversations. You wouldn't be surprised if you were the leading topic of one of them. Gossips no longer surprising you. Amber was clearly triggered, notifying that what you were about to tell her was a secret. Leaning a little closer to you across the table she looked at you with big and honest eyes. '"I promise, or I solemnly swear you may burry me alive in your backyard. But don't forget the chocolate cake, I strongly believe in the afterlife. There's room for chocolate cake everywhere, even in hell." She remarked. You scrunched your nose at that information, slightly shocked by how easy it was for her to talk about death, even around you. Still, you were glad she was still treating you the same, and not like some vulnerable little creature that everyone seemed to see in you. Moving your head from left to right to see if no one was paying attention to the both of you or was possibly eavesdropping you, you moved towards her. Your elbows touched in the middle of the table, your faces close to each other, but not too close, trying not to make it seem suspicious. "My dad hired me a bodyguard." You whispered, watching the way her eyes widened in awe. You didn't know what she had expected you to tell her, but this surely wasn't it. She blinked her eyelashes at you on repeat before she spoke up, stunning you in return with her question. 

"Is he hot?" She muttered, and you looked at her in disagreement, not pleased with her trail of thoughts. Sending you an innocent smile she shrugged her shoulders, but seemingly did expect an answer from you. "Yes, he is, but that's beside the point. He's babysitting me Amber! He lives in my house, he drives me to school. He follows me everywhere." You tried to get her to realize how insane this was. You had a stalker, and he was getting payed to do it. Jungkook had listened to you this morning when you had demanded him that you would take your car to get you to school. Convincing him to let you drive on the other hand had been a lost battle. He had literally ripped the car keys from your hands and had demanded you to get into the passenger seat. When you had declined he had astonished you by laying you over his shoulder and carrying you towards the car. There was not a single hair on your body that would ever allow you to admit that you had found that quite thrilling. He had lifted you up as if you were some feather and hadn't even struggled holding you while you had been banging against his back, demanding him to put you down. It had been kind of y. "There's a huge difference between being followed by a creeper or by a hunk." Amber continued, sticking with her own mindset as she gave you that well known grin. The one she always shot you when she finally thought for you to have a chance with a guy. But she was forgetting something very important, which was that you would never get involved with a person who worked for your father. It didn't matter how good looking he was or how he could throw you over his shoulder and carry you without a single effort. 

"He's hired to protect me, against whatever force my dad thinks I'm up against. We are professional." You cleared out, but by the way she tugged up her eyebrows at you, you could tell that she wanted to argue about that. Yet, you got saved all of a sudden by the teacher who barged into the room and forced everyone to take their own seat. For once you were grateful to see him come in and to watch Amber leave. The look she gave you told you that she was far from done discussing this and it made you wish that you hadn't told her anything. She would keep going on about this. The boy who usually sat in front of you took in the chair she had been sitting in and you completely, which was the reaction you preferred most. It was much better than the glares and the insulting words they could throw at you from time to time. You could handle people avoiding you, it was the least of your worries. "Alright, grab your textbooks and open them on chapter five. We'll be reading through it and tomorrow you'll be examined about this so it could be good for all of you if you paid attention." Your teacher said, taking in his usual spot behind his desk and pointing out for someone to start reading. You found yourself paying attention for the first ten minutes before your thoughts started wandering off to the one person you didn't want to be thinking of. What would Jungkook be doing now? He hadn't come inside with you but you really didn't expect him to be standing outside and simply wait for you to finish school. What did he do with his spare time? When he wasn't tied to you? He was so mysterious, you couldn't imagine what his interests were. Perhaps he was at the gym, building some more muscle. The words he had told you kept on circling back and forth inside of your mind. He said he wasn't here to get to you, but that was what they all said. You would never forget that one time one of the employees had stolen money from your parents, but had blamed you. 

It could have been true. You'd been fourteen years old and a real pain in the , always going left when everyone went right. At that point you had always been fighting with your mother. But that was puberty, it surely hadn't gone easy on you or your family. So she could have made it work, if only you hadn't already been so disgusted of your father's money at that age that your mom knew that you would rather drop dead that steal any of it. Besides, you'd only have to ask for money, and you knew you'd get it, if that would make living with you any easier. So it had been obvious that she was caught in a lie. The sad thing about this was that you had actually liked her. But she had easily turned her back on you, just for the money, all for the money. In the end they were all the same, it was the only reason why they didn't all run away. Why would Jungkook be any different? Maybe he was spending his first check now, having a drink with some friends, telling them how ridiculous that new project was he had been assigned for. Squeezing your pencil inside of your hand you tried not to get too angry. He wanted you to work with him and not against him, while you knew very well that he would never actually be on your side. It would always be him and your father against you, and you always pulled at the shortest end, since you weren't the billionaire in the family. "That's it for today. Make sure you don't forget anything and I'll see you all tomorrow. Don't forget to study!" Your teacher shouted and you looked up in surprise, astonished that time had passed by so quickly. As if to mock you the bell rang right through your thoughts, indicating that last period had ended and it was time for everyone to go home. Sighing deeply you watched as around you people packed their things in a rush and couldn't wait to get outside as quickly as possible. 

You were never one of those people, who rushed to get back to that golden cage and to once again be confronted with who you were. But this time, while spotting Amber out of the corner of your eye, you would rather rush home than have to talk to her about your hot bodyguard. Although the thought of having to deal with that hot bodyguard in person definitely didn't make you feel better. So before she had the chance to catch up with you and lull you into another conversation you shoved your things into your bag and you ran off. Sneaking out of the classroom you tried to make yourself as small as possible in the crowded hallway. Another reason why you liked to wait was because then most students would already be gone, and you'd be able to get out unnoticeable. Now on the other hand, you were like target, ready to take whatever someone wanted to throw at you. It wasn't like you couldn't defend yourself, you just rather wouldn't pick a fight if not necessary. Gain even more attention was exactly what you didn't need. That was why you ignored your locker and simply decided to take your books home with you. You had a test anyway, you could put them to great use later today. Rushing outside you enjoyed the way the fresh air hit you straight in the face and after spending so many hours in that stuffy classroom it was actually kind of welcoming. The gravel was grinding underneath your shoes as you pushed forward, trying to get past everyone who was still pressed together to say their final goodbyes. You couldn't imagine being so close to a person that you were actually longing to see them again the next day. Why put so much trust in people if they'd break it anyway? Quickly you rounded the corner, walking towards the back of the school where you would find the parking. Jungkook had given you the keys back when he had left you here this morning, and actually that had felt like he was putting a lot of faith in you. If you'd really wanted to get to him then you could have left during second period, without him knowing. 

Though, remembering the way he had sneaked up on you this morning, you wouldn't be surprised if he had noticed anyway. Though, you couldn't, you still hadn't forgotten about the deal you had made. From now on you wouldn't be working against him... And that wouldn't be an easy task. You were used to swim against the flow, in the opposite direction, to make life slightly harder for others. Shifting your books into your other arm you tried to look for your keys in the front patch of your bag, knowing for sure you had put them in there. The wind was striking against you, trying to knock you off your feet and blowing your hair into your face. Perhaps a ponytail would have been a better idea to stand up against today's weather. A loud gasp escaped from you when all of a sudden someone knocked your textbooks out of your hands, causing them to crash into the pavement. You froze, shocked, and looked up to see what the hell was going on. It wouldn't be the first time you accidentally ran into someone. But this didn't seem like an incident at all. Perplexed you found two guys standing in front of you, stern but nervous expressions on their faces. As if they had to be here, but rather didn't want to. They looked no older than juniors in your eyes, but that could be your mistake. "What the hell..." You started, but barely got the chance to finish that sentence as one of them spoke up, his voice rough and low. Even though they were younger than you, they still seemed threatening. You could feel the hostility radiating from them. But that was always the thing with those kind of people, you couldn't show them you were scared. You couldn't give them a chance to find any weak spots. "Shut up! Shut up and give us your money." He blurted out the command, making your eyes widen in surprise. Out of all the things that had been thrown at you, this one was definitely one of the most stunning ones. Frowning deeply you tightened your hand around the strap of your bag. 

Even if you had to give them the money you owned then it wouldn't be enough to satisfy them. Did they really think you went running around the school halls with millions of cash propped into your bag? Still, that didn't mean that you should allow someone to steal from you. They didn't have the right to ask you this. What had you ever done to them? The fact that your father was a rich man didn't mean that you shared with whoever expected it from you. "Are you kidding me? Is that all you got?” You challenged them, your muscles already tensing as you put a single step forward, trying to get past them. If they thought that you were going to let them get to you then they were wrong. You weren’t some toy they could play with, that people could toss from one side towards the other. Yet, as the second guy, who’d been silent so far, suddenly pulled something out of the rim of his jeans, you stiffened. With your feet glued to the ground your eyes got stuck on the blade he was holding. The point actually twinkled in the sunlight, mocking you. Adrenaline began rushing through you as you realized what kind of situation you had just gotten yourself into. In all of the years you had gone to this school you had felt humiliated and left out, angry and sad, even though you would never openly admit that last one. But you had never felt threatened, at least not physically. Every single gear started spinning inside of your brain, thinking of something you could say to get yourself out of this, for a way out. If you’d run, how big was the chance that they would catch you? Were they brave enough to actually slice your throat when it came to it? How far before you made it to the car? Was there even a chance you’d make it in one piece? “Listen , you give us your damn money and if you won’t then…” You never got to figure out what he would do if you wouldn’t do as he told you, because al of a sudden a hand appeared beside his head, pushing him into the wall. 

The force was so hard that you could hear something crack inside of his skull before his eyes turned backwards and he fell limp on the ground. Before his partner even had the time to react the knife was ripped from his hand, and forced against his throat instead. “What do you think you’re doing?” Jungkook growled, his voice more threatening than you had ever witnessed it. It caused all the hairs on your arms to stand on edge. He pushed his opponent against the wall, even though they were so young, he didn’t go any easier on them. Taking a deep breath you waited, not sure if you wanted to know what he was going to do to him. The boy stuttered something, clearly ting himself now that he realized he had someone else to deal with. You watched as Jungkook brought his face closer to his, staring inside of his eyes with an icy glare. “Get out of here.” He then muttered before he released his hold on the boy, pushing off. The stranger seemed horrified, and the knife slipped form his hand and clattered onto the floor before he ran, leaving his friend behind. He didn’t even look back, but just left him there all by himself. The thought made you feel sick. You weren’t able to loosen your eyes from him until he disappeared out of sigh completely, a numb silence descending on top of you. A high beep resounded in your ears as you tried to shake off whatever you had just felt. You had never expected to feel terrified one day. While standing here you had completely forgotten about Jungkook, about the helpful fact that you had a bodyguard. The thought hadn’t even occurred to you. The cold wind was cutting through your clothes, but you didn’t even seem to feel it. The adrenaline was keeping you warm, from your head to your toes. “_______________.” Jungkook’s soft and careful voice shook you back to life, it was almost like a slap in the face. Snapping your head up at him you looked at the way he extended his hand to you, planning on laying it on your shoulder. 

Dodging him skillfully you put a step to the side, so that his hand caught only air. “Where were you?” You asked, your voice a lot louder than you had meant for it to be. You didn’t know if it was because you were hysterical or because it was so damn quiet over here. He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again. A part of you told you to man up. You didn’t want him to know that you were shaken, that this affected you. You were supposed to prove to him that you were capable of taking care of yourself, but now you were doing the exact opposite. “We have to call an ambulance.” You muttered as his attentive eyes were studying you, not missing a single inch. You hated his eyes on you, the way they seemed to look right through you. What was he thinking? He was so closed off and hard to read, you could never get through to him. You had the feeling as if he could guess every emotion you felt by the look on your face, but you would never get anything in return. Taking a deep breath you brushed your fingers through your hair, noticing that they were shaking. You flinched when you heard loud laughter reach you from the school grounds. You had to get out of here. “I want to go home.” You remarked, finally fishing your keys out of your hands and pressing them in his. You were in no state to drive and you just wanted to rest your head against the car window and pretend as if you weren’t there, as if you no longer existed. Was this what had happened to your mom? But unlike you, there hadn’t been anyone to protect her. Without looking him in the eye you set off towards the vehicle that was parked a little further away. You surely wouldn’t have made it if you had decided to make a run for it. You could sense Jungkook follow behind you, silence as a ghost. But now you had seen what those hands and arms could do and you could tell he was hiding much more than you had thought. As you turned your head to look at him from over your shoulder you saw that he was carrying your books, which you had completely forgotten about. Biting your lip you sprinted towards the car, trying to pretend as if you didn’t need him.