Huff n Puff

If Mr. Heechul ever snapped his sausage fingers in front of my face ever again, I swear, I'll chop them off with the safety scissors that are placed on his work-desk. That is about the rudest form of a welcoming I've seen a teacher do yet, and how would he feel if I go snapping my fingers whenever I needed to grab his attention?

I could tell he was having a fit. He pointed to his ears and did some sort of frustrated hand motion, which clearly indicated to take off my headphones. In my defense, I forgot they were on. 

I did as he inaudibly asked and set them back around my neck in a downward swoop. Low, indistinct whispers coursed throughout the room, but I still couldn't catch onto a thing.

I will never grasp the concept of gossiping.

What are you going to talk about, my tardiness on the first day? How stupid I look in this uniform?

I mustered every inch of my remaining ability to sound the least bit respectful,

"Yes?"

The sight of Mr. Heechul fuming made this situation worthwhile. If anything, my favorite part is going to be messing with the teacher's heads if they ever considered to target me. They've always had a thing for despising students that lounge in their seats, tune out their teachings, or listen to music all day.

Hating me is something they should reconsider—quiet kids are the best kind.

No one likes the class clowns.

Problem is, Mr. Heechul and I started on the wrong foot.

"What is the meaning of your tardiness?" He asked, pissed-off. As if it was a band-aid, he ripped the thick bifocals off the bridge of his nose. Aggressive much? "Your disruption has distracted the students."

He acts like students never come to class late. It should be expected and not taken as an unusual occurrence that should be pointed out so drastically. Not in front of the students. He's prolonging the disruption.

Mr. Heechul's overall appearance was amusing. He was below-average height for a male, which made every rage-filled remark not the least bit intimidating. Although he wasn't midget-short, he was still laughably short. Thank God, I had a major growth spurt during freshmen year, or this moment wouldn't be as funny in my head.

With the way his collared shirt was fitting around his body, I can tell he's packing a few pounds over the limit. He had a stocky build, hunched-over posture, and short legs that resembled small nubs. He appeared to be middle-aged, leaning toward his fifties. Many streaks of grey hairs were visible to anyone that had an eye for observation, even at the distance where I stood.

As a pair of dark-brown eyes stared intensely into my own, I stood tall and towered over him by quite a bit, undermining his lousy demeanor.

Displeased with his accusatory outbursts, I arched a single brow.

"It's the first day of school; what do you expect?"

He was taken aback. My reply was drenched in attitude. Not my fault. I don't like to be barked at by anyone, especially this guy.

He must've missed breakfast to be ticked off this early in the morning.

Then again, I don't blame him. I'd be pissed if I had his job, too.

"I expect students to be on time and ready to come to class on the first day." His gaze managed to narrow, and the permanent scowl on his face twisted into a much nastier version. Yep, the slim chance of regaining any bit of respect from him got kicked out the door. "What do you expect?"

"I expect for this conversation to end, and with some more understanding. Maybe then, you can finally continue teaching the class." I hoped it didn't sound that smart-mouthed. I'm trying to get through the class like anyone else, but I can't help that I've been targeted, and I happen to speak my mind with an overbearing amount of truth.

Obnoxious fits of laughter, gasps, and "ooo"'s projected from the mouths of a handful of students. Just what I expected. That was not meant to be funny or disrespectful. It hasn't even been fifteen minutes since classes have started, and my rep has already gone down the drain. And, the atmosphere of this class isn't helping whatsoever.

Mr. Heechul sighed, attempting to calm his agitated nerves by giving his temples a two- massage. "Settle down, class—" Wow, his inward rage was simmering down. I thought I really set him off with that "joke" that the rest of the class took for. "—what's your name, kid?"

"Taehyung."

He whipped out a random clipboard, ran his eyes up-and-down the page, then jotted something down.

"Well, Taehyung, take the open seat by Hoseok." To add some assistance, he pointed in the direction of the open seat. It was located beside the large window that stretched across the left-side of the room.

Now that the conversation was over, the immature students in the class can focus their matters onto another subject, like maybe worrying about themselves.

One can only dream.

I veered around an aisle of desks, finding joy in the placement of the seating arrangement. I felt several perturbing eyes drilling into every portion of my body as I did so, but I ignored and kept my head down.

I sat at my seat and looked up, surveying my surroundings. My observations have concluded that any remaining stares were no longer on me.

I drew a large breath of relief. I can relax. Getting comfortable, I slumped into my seat and let my mind drift elsewhere.

Mr. Heechul droned on and on about the usual syllabus that every teacher must thoroughly explain and hand out to students to sign off. To summarize it by importance, it had to do with the class rules, the grading scale, and mandatory assignments that count as a huge portion of your grade. What a complete bore. Students have eyes, and in hope that they have acquired the ability to read, its unnecessary for it to be explained by the teacher themselves.

"Hey, Taehyung," I looked over to recollect who I'm pretty sure is Hoseok, the guy Mr. Heechul told me to sit next to.

I tipped my chin forward to signify unspoken acknowledgement.

"Name's Hoseok," he introduced himself. A meek smile appeared on his face.

"I figured," I broke immediate eye-contact and focused on the pencil that I twirled around in between my fingertips. I was unsure what urged Hoseok to initiate a conversation with me. I thought I made it clear that I radiated snappy tendencies and an overall unsociable aura.

"Yeah, I forgot Mr. Heechul kind of gave that part of the introduction away."

"He sure did. Pleasant guy."

"I know he's a stern dude, but you got to hand it to him—he's been working here ever since the school was built. That'd be seven years now." It was a piece of information that I didn't need to know, but I can tell that Hoseok was a conversationalist, using some sort of technique. Why he's trying to befriend me is out of my range of interpretation.

I lifted a curious brow, "How do you know that?"

"He's dating my mom."

I almost choked on my own spit. Did not expect that one. With all my might, I forced down the hearty laugh that was begging to come out.

It was impossible, so I let out a low chuckle, and Hoseok joined in as well. I thought that was a joke, but judging by the way he said it, I began to lean away from the possibility.

A sort of newfound respect may have developed.

I said, "As a proper introduction, I'm Taehyung."

"I figured," Hoseok mocked. I shot a quick side-glance and a small smile managed to grow upon my neutral expression. This guy seemed cool, surprisingly enough. I thought the people here , and I was the only exception. Guess Hoseok is, too.

"You seem new to this area, are you not?"

I looked over, shocked at the accuracy of his unconfirmed knowledge. "How do you have the capability of knowing that?"

He began to go into depth. "Around here, word gets around and people know people. When there's an unfamiliar face, people tend to take notice. You are new, right?"

Could that be why I'm receiving so many stares?

"Sadly, I am," I answered. "Kind of."

"Kind of?"

If anyone else had the tendency to be this nosy, I'd shut the intrusiveness down, but Hoseok seemed to derive from a different breed.

I cleared my throat. "I used to live here when I was younger. I barely remember anything, but some minor childhood memories and places that I've been to."

Hoseok hummed in understanding, nodding. "Where'd you live before?"

"Incheon."

"I vacationed there with a couple of friends last summer. It's quite different from here," It sure is. Pretty great place, too. "Well, if we're talking about environment and scenery."

"I agree."

I checked on the ticking clock above the white-board and noticed thirty minutes remained until class came to a much-needed close. I groaned internally, slumping deeper into my seat. This was the longest hour of my life.

There's only one thing left to do.

"I'm going to get some shut-eye," I told my acquaintance-friend, "Nice talk, Hoseok."

"Likewise."

Sleep didn't seem to come easy lately, and I hoped Mr. Heechul caught onto that. I cupped my chin into the palm of my hand, silencing my mind of any incoming thoughts and letting myself relax. My eyelids began to close, becoming heavier and heavier with every moment that passed.

Soon enough, I drifted off into a sweet, unconscious slumber that I hoped to never be awoken from, and if I did, it better be the bell.

I awoke to bothersome nudges by Hoseok. I squinted my tired eyes and glanced up at the clock; ten minutes remained until the bell would ring. I turned my head and shot him a look of displeasure. My sleep was interrupted, and class hadn't even ended yet.

"Why was I awoken?" I asked, looking for a reasonable answer.

"Our class president and vice are here." He motioned towards the front of the room. "They're about to say something."

I spotted two girls that I hadn't noticed before; both of their attires were quite similar, but a little different from the typical uniform.

Instead of black tops, they wore snowy-white buttoned-up shirts, a small tie that ran down half their middle, and navy-blue skirts that cut off just above their kneecaps.

Creating a great combination with their black shoes, they had blue, knee-high socks on, which would've looked stupid on anyone else. I would've thought that they'd have differentiating colored clothing since one of them is in a higher position of authority than the other. Either way, this approach presented them nicely. It was like a top-notch uniform.

It's kind of off topic, but Mr. Heechul lets the class president interrupt the class to present a whole speech, but gets angry at me for arriving a minute late?

I smell a giant load of favoritism.

"They're about to say something." Hoseok said.

I blinked. "And?"

"The class president would've woken you herself, if I hadn't."

"Which one is she?"

Hoseok was interrupted by, well, the class president herself.

"Good morning, guys, I hope you're all having a great start to the first day of junior year," the class, along with Mr. Heechul, responded positively. Hoseok, however, muttered something under his breath that I couldn't quite catch onto. Together, everyone's eyes sparkled, and their grins widened at the sight of her and her overall presence.

Hoseok and I shared a neutral expression.

The class wooed and cheered, this moment seeming quite lively. She entered and lit up the entire room with a single smile and an exchange of a few spoken words. It was incredible and impressive. It was understandable, since every inch of her radiated beauty, power, and subtle optimism.

She had straight, black hair that flowed with every movement she made. Her mesmerizing eyes had a mix of brown hues, of light and dark, but together, they glistened with mystification, even intimidation. She had a small frame, but if I had to guess, she had a mouth made for a straight-forward attitude and unrelenting sass.

To be a class representative, you must tell people like it is, be a strong leader, and have a likable presence or persona, which she obviously encompasses. I could tell she was made for this type of scene; to be superior of her own class. It takes a lot to stand up before a large group of students that carried the personalities of circus clowns. I've got to give her props.

"If some of you don't know—" the class president clasped her petite hands together. I smiled a little. Her dazzling grin grew, as well as the evident anticipation that formulated around the room, "—my name is Bae Joohyun, and I'm your junior class president for the year."

As if on cue, all the students exploded with an overwhelming amount of excitement.

Everyone began to applaud, along with vocalized hoots, hurrah's, and bravo. I was taken back by the amount of cheerfulness and overall mirth the students had for the class president—I mean, Joohyun.

Bae Joohyun, it echoed in my mind.

I felt a sharp pang in my chest at the mere thought of her name. It was rather lovely, and it fit her image well. It also seemed awfully familiar, but I had no idea where I've could've heard it from.

I kept my idle gaze steady upon her exterior, skeptically studying every sliver of her facial features. I shut out any bit of sound from the rowdy class, delving into my deepest thoughts. I wasn't surprised to find that nothing came to me. Maybe, I just heard it in the halls, or Jimin might've mentioned her at some point and I happened to be around to hear.

Joohyun's gaze met mine in an instant. My stomach back flipped, did a couple summersaults, and a cartwheel. Why? I have no idea. The weird part is, she didn't look away like I expected her to.

You know those times when you look at a random person that you don't know and share a quick glance with one another before breaking it?

Well, it wasn't like that at all.

We made eye contact for several seconds, and it held. The large grin that grazed her plump lips gradually vanished. She kept a hardened, yet blank expression, but in between the seams, it carried something else. I couldn't catch onto it. I couldn't bring myself to look away either.

My heart raced and thumped with more intent, but why? Was it because she was profusely attractive or was it something else?

When Joohyun finally ripped her gaze from mine, a puff of held-in air escaped my lungs altogether. What the hell was my body under and why is this random girl undermining me? I don't like this.

Get a grip, Taehyung.

Joohyun stepped aside and let the vice president have center stage.

"My name is Park Sooyoung, your vice president." The abundance of hoorays and shrieks of exhilaration started to make my ears bleed. Sooyoung was extremely liked as well. In the way she projected her introduction, I can tell she was bubblier than Joohyun, and maybe due to her overly cheerful way of expression, she may be even more comfortable with speaking in front of an audience than Joohyun would be.

Nonetheless, she and Joohyun seemed like the perfect duo. With the way they've coordinated their clothing for the day, I bet they're best friends, too.

"Joohyun and I wanted to let you all know that we have a lot of things lined up for the school year—" I almost forgot that student government coordinates school events amongst other things. Sooyoung and Joohyun giggled as the class broke out into a craze, once again. God, can they let them say what they have to say so they can leave? "—and we wanted to give you all a warm welcome."

That's it? A warm welcome?

At his desk, Mr. Heechul smiled at the beautiful speakers, almost as if he was genuinely happy. Weird.

"Thank you, ladies."

The girls waved to everyone, and they responded with a rambunctious amount of farewells. The power that these two have over the student body was insane. Yeah, they're beautiful, but you don't have to the ground they walk on.

I watched as Joohyun twisted on her heel, preparing to leave first. But, before she did, she sneaked a glance over her shoulder, causing her hair to lazily flip and flutter about.

I'm acting just like the rest of this class; pathetic.

I swallowed thickly.

She looked directly at me. Only for a short glimpse of a moment, but she did.

Why me?

Math with Mrs. Loder was an utter bore, to sum it up entirely. I'm great at math, but the first day is a drag.

I had to hand it to her though, she sped up the syllabus gist well and I didn't even end up sprawled over my desk in a snooze. What shocked me even more was the fact that she was able to begin the first lesson.

And, if you were wondering; no, she isn't as miserable as her last name.

On the contrary, she had a mellow and positive attitude, yet she managed to display determination in her teaching. I could tell she knew what she's doing, and she handled the class surprisingly well for how many disrespectful idiots that were in it.

During art class, I started to get antsy. My stomach was making loud, persistent grumbles and I couldn't wait for the bell to ring so I can get some food in my system.

After the syllabus information, Mrs. Strife proceeded to introduce herself in more detail. Like anyone cares. To close out the day, we had the chance to free draw whatever we wanted. She assigned the simplest homework—all we had to do was finish our drawings and show it to her tomorrow for a grade.

I heard the slightest ring of the bell and was the first to bolt out the door. I proceeded to push passed clusters of students that flooded the extensive hallway, staring after me as if I was some mad man. It was dramatic, but my energy had run low and I could physically feel my blood pressure rising. My head was throbbing, and the constant brightness lasering my eyeballs did not help to alleviate it. With the way I navigated through the halls, I made sure that I was the first person in the lunch-line, so I could relieve my raging hunger.

And, that I was.

The cafeteria's lunch-of-the-day was something else. They were offering spicy or regular ramen with a choice of apples or oranges as a side. I was expecting a different collection of sides, like kimchi or tteokbokki. Either way, the choice wasn't difficult to make. I went with the sliced apples, since the scent of oranges makes me sick for whatever reason.

I set my lunch tray onto the flat surface of one of the empty metal tables and took an immediate spoonful of the soupy entrée. The long-awaited delicious taste almost sent me over the edge. I had to admit, compared to my old school, the cafeteria food was ten times better here. Although my overwhelming hunger may dictate that conclusion, this ramen hit me differently, and for that, it says a lot.

I sighed dreamily as my tensed body began to loosen up. I munched, took another spoonful, and gulped with satisfaction. I took a moment to breathe in the courtyard's serene image, comfortable and refreshing gusts of wind slicing through my hair ever so softly.

I was glad to be alone, once and for all. I've been alone ever since first period ended and I haven't spoken to anyone besides Hoseok. I was free to my own thoughts without a teacher's voice yapping in the range of my hearing.

Overtime, the courtyard piled up with more and more students. My joyful state continued to deteriorate as vexatious chatting had begun to invade my surroundings at a heightened volume.

And, that bit of tranquility that I had felt was soon obliterated into dust.

As I was about to tune out the entire world with my headphones, I halted the process. I detected Jimin burst through the double-doors with a cheerful smile on his face. Those who trailed behind like a large herd was none other than his posse of friends. One after the other, I must've head-counted about seven so far, and it most likely didn't end there.

God, Jimin, how many friends do you ing have?

I attempted to hide myself by reaching down for my backpack that I placed on the ground. It was in hope that Jimin wouldn't take notice of my presence in the courtyard, let alone lead his friends to sit at my table that has yet to be filled by anyone else besides myself so far.

I'd like to keep it that way, too.

Since I thought the coast was clear, I returned to my original position. Of course, to my dismay, I found Jimin staring directly at me. His smile grew into a wide grin.

Wipe that off.

I shot him a warning glare.

Jimin, you piece of . Don't come over here.

As if he read my mind, he did whatever any cousin would do and went against my wishes. It was too late to vanquish from sight.

At least he and his friends had found a table parallel to mine. It was unlikely that he would sit at my table and call them over; they were getting too comfortable.

"Taehyung, what's up?" Jimin greeted. His extremely giddy and optimistic tone tempted noodle bits to rise back up. "How are you holding up?"

I pressed my lips into a thin line, uninterested in engaging in any conversation.

"Fine."

I don't dislike Jimin or anything. He's just irritating to be around. I find his personality somewhat fabricated whenever he says anything to me, and him being nice is just a gesture demanded by his mother, so we could be closer cousins.

That's just what I think. I may be completely wrong, but then again, he didn't bother to speak to me all this summer and now that school started, he's trying to be friendly.

It seems fishy, is all.

"What are your next couple of classes?" He asked, interested.

"Uh," I scrunched up half of my face, scouring my brain for the mental schedule I managed to memorize, "I believe it's English, Science, and then gym."

"Really? I got gym last period, too!"

"Awesome," I forced out a bit of positivity, but I think it came out as sarcasm.

He scratched the back of his head.

"Would you like to sit with me and my friends over at our table?"

A simple 'no' would be my quick answer, but to seem like I'm contemplating in doing so, I lean over and crane my neck to peek around his shoulder.

A shiver raced down my spine at the sight of Joohyun. She was in the process of laughing. I internally groaned at the way my body was reacting to a girl I hadn't even had the displeasure of meeting. I'm better than this.

Jimin turned his head and pivoted his body in the direction of their table, gesturing toward them. "That's Bogum."

I followed his pointer finger that was fixed on a clean-cut, dark-haired dude. His name struck familiarity, but it didn't hang on for too long. He seemed like a douche, judging by his appearance. He wore a grey jacket over his uniform, which was quite the weird combination.

He sat beside Joohyun, whom had been the second friend that Jimin directed his attention towards.

"That's Joohyun."

"I know," I mumbled bluntly, my mouth full of noodles.

"You know her?"

I swallowed to speak. "Yes, she's the famous class president that everyone bows down to, right?"

Jimin frowned at the touch of bitterness in my tone. "Hey, she's cool. Don't be like that."

"I'm not being like anything."

I spotted Sooyoung sitting beside Joohyun as well. They must've sat at the table while Jimin was chewing my ear off, because I don't recall head-counting them. I would've noticed.

Beside Sooyoung was a shaggy, blonde-headed narcissist named Jungkook. He's in my math class. He appears to be a real charmer with the ladies; I've only seen two girls clinging onto each of his arms earlier this morning.

"One question," I beckoned in all seriousness. I targeted a specific pretty face with bleached-colored hair, along with the brunette that I familiarized next to her. A smack of instantaneous recollection hit me like a cinder block all at once. "Who's that blonde girl?"

Jimin traced my line of indication and sighed sweetly at the sight of her. It seems someone has a crush.

"That's Chaeyoung."

"And, the girl next to her?"

"With the really short brown hair?"

I groaned at his idiocy.

Who else is sitting next to her besides Jungkook?

I nodded.

"That'd be Yeri," he said.

I hummed, catching onto the majority of who his friends were.

Interesting.

I had a feeling Chaeyoung had been a part of Jimin's crowd. I'm puzzled as to why she had the nerve to gossip about me, let alone in front of my very eyes.

"Why do you ask?" Jimin asked. "You, uh, find Chae cute or something?"

I snorted. Chae, huh?

Chaeyoung was a pretty girl, but for the sake of Jimin's sanity, I wasn't going to admit it to his face. He's obviously attracted to her, and I wouldn't want any sort of unneeded hypothesizing about what I think of her. I mean, we haven't even met, the most that I've grasped is that she's attractive and she talks about others in front of their faces.

"Nah, I was just curious," I shrugged. I shooed him away with a single hand. "Go on, Jimin, your friends must miss your presence."

I popped a sliced apple in my mouth.

Jimin's eyebrows drew forward. "Wait, don't you want me to introduce you to them? Isn't that why you were asking who everyone was?"

I munched and swallowed.

"Hell no," I negated with a subtle shake of my head. The absurdity. "You have an overwhelming number of friends, and frankly, I wouldn't be able to keep track of all their names."

He let out a genuine laugh.

"Whatever, but you're going to hang with us at some point. I'll bribe you if need be."

Too bad I can't be bribed. "Good luck with that."

I followed Jimin's departure until he took a seat across from Bogum, I believe his name was. He had the nerve to flick a thumb over his shoulder and I immediately looked elsewhere, sensing multiple eyes landing on me. I tried not to stare in return.

Onto other matters, I saw Hoseok walking toward my table, and to be honest, I was all for the distraction. Alongside him was a very pretty girl with jet-black hair, short bangs hiding her forehead. I'm sure she's in my art class. I familiarized her because she kept to herself the whole period and I remember relating to her.

On Hoseok's left was a dude as tall as he was, sporting straight hair that glistened strong streaks of some sort of minty color, which was odd indeed. Then again, there's a lot of weird choices in hairstyles at this school.

"Mind if we join you?" Hoseok smiled, plopping his tray onto the hard surface. I shrugged, finishing the rest of the sliced apples that were left in the tiny plastic bag it came in. Hoseok proceeded to sit across from me. "These are my friends, Seulgi—" he jerks his head toward the girl and lastly, to his other friend. "—and Yoongi."

"Yo," Yoongi greeted with the wave of his hand. He looked at my empty tray. "Damn, it hasn't been ten minutes and that 's wiped clean."

"I waste no time," I forced out a laugh, and they collectively did as well. "I'm Taehyung, by the way."

Seulgi's head snapped up in the air, questioning in interest, "Taehyung?"

"That would be me, yes."

"You're in my third period, right? Art class with Mrs. Strife?"

"Yup."

"Huh..." she trailed off into a deep thought, judging by her far-off expression. "So, you're Jimin's cousin..."

Appalled at the fact that she even knew that, my head jerked back. First day of school and Jimin already has the whole junior class knowing that I'm his cousin. I can't say I'm not totally surprised, since Jimin has the tendency to talk a lot. I sure as hell hope he didn't bring up the part where I live in his house and why. That'd spark up more conversation: conversation I don't want.

"Let me guess, Jimin told you?"

"Close. Jimin told Chaeyoung and then she told me. But, with Chaeyoung's big mouth, you bet that bit of information got passed around pretty fast."

My eyes widened a smidge.

"Wait, you know Chaeyoung?" I asked.

"Yeah," Seulgi mumbled, swallowing down her food. "The class president, Joohyun, is Hoseok's sister so the three of us have all become great friends with the rest of the group."

"Half-sister," Hoseok emphasized.

Of course, I had to have been struck with such shocking news as I had begun to chug a cold bottle of water. Nonetheless, I practically choked as I struggled to gulp it down.

Ah, the convenience of the circumstances. It never fails to ruffle up the atmosphere and stir the pot of intrigue. It goes along with the mystery of things, I guess.

I turned to look at Hoseok whom had been stuffing his face with orange slices, unbothered by the topic of conversation, but I could see through it.

There was an uncomfortable silence that morphed in the air, as Yoongi and Seulgi quietly focused on their food. I could tell this was not a great topic of conversation, judging by their uneasy expressions and full attention on their lunch. Yikes.

Lifting an eyebrow, I questioned, "Why didn't you mention that part earlier?"

Hoseok shrugged nonchalantly.

"We're not really great siblings to begin with, and I rarely talk to her. I didn't think it mattered enough to bring up," he reasoned blandly. I knew there was some issue behind the scenes. It was kind of obvious. He added: "Does it?"

It didn't, but at the same time, it did. It gave some clarity though, that's for sure. It was weird how Hoseok froze at the mention of his half sibling; it was almost as if a sensitive nerve had been plucked or something. Not that it was necessary enough to wonder about. It was a mere observation—an interesting one, at that.

And, isn't that awkward? They're apart of the same friend group, yet Hoseok and Joohyun, the two that should be the closest, don't speak to one another? Everyone just hangs out, has a good time, and they simply ignore each other.

Even though Hoseok opened up the conversation for questioning, I wasn't going to pry. That isn't my nature, so I left it alone.

It's also irritating how connected everybody is here. I'd like to avoid any connections (in terms of friend-choice) with Jimin, but I think the world is forcing the interaction.

"No, it doesn't matter," I forced a reassuring smile.

Hoseok nodded. He still seemed stiff at the topic, but he began to brush it off. "We were going to sit over there with the others, but I figured I'd sit with you and introduce you to Yoongi and Seulgi, instead."

My subconscious scoffed. That wasn't necessary. "You didn't have to. Jimin already came over here and offered me to sit with them, which I declined. I'm all for being alone, especially—" I paused, choosing my words carefully. I scratched my bare cheek. "—especially when it's my nature to be."

"Nah, I know," Hoseok nodded, "I've been there. I get that you want to be alone at times. I just thought it was the perfect time to aid in expanding your circle of friends."

I had nothing to say in return, so I just nodded. Expanding my circle of friends is not important at all. The idea wasn't even in my mind. Thanks for the kind gesture, but I would've been alright without it.

"I'm guessing you've noticed by now, but everyone's talking an awful lot about you," Seulgi said. I perked my head up and listened with utmost curiosity. "I thought I would confirm that for you."

My countenance shifted into one of irritability, and my tone did as well, "Yeah, I did notice, along with stares. I'd really like to know the meaning of all that."

"What's there to know? You're the new kid in town."

And, what about it?

"I'm pretty sure there's plenty of new kids," I retorted. "What are they talking about, anyways?

"It ranges from all sorts of things."

"Does the students in this school have absolutely no other hobby but to gossip about others?"

Hoseok and Yoongi laughed.

"Don't overthink the whole gossip thing. This school doesn't get too many new faces every year, so people speculate," Yoongi explained. "Around here, it's in everyone's blood to talk about whoever comes along."

Correction: people, in general.

"If it makes you feel any better, no one's talking trash about you," Seulgi assured. How are you supposed to know that? "If anything, they're admiring you."

I arched a brow, "Admiring me for what, exactly?

"Your looks, mainly. Girls that I know had a lot to say," I snorted, amused at the mere thought of catching any girl's attention.

I'm flattered, really, but I'm a bland and overly negative guy to be around. I'm sure if any of them got to know me instead of wasting their time gawking, they'd think the same.

If I could barely stand being talkative and optimistic, I most definitely couldn't handle having a girlfriend. I never had one, nor have I ever wanted one. I wouldn't know how to please a girl if I read an entire handbook about it, and frankly, relationships are too much to deal with.

A mental image flicked through my head in a short spurt. It was an unrealistic setting where I was in a relationship with some mystery girl. I guffawed at the humorous scene.

I snapped out of my daze as Seulgi spoke, "Then, there are others that are skeptic about your story and what brought you here in the first place."

That was a funny one.

"Oh, am I supposed to stand in front of a podium and announce my business to others?" I scoffed as the trio that sat across from me had chuckled in hysterics. "They should learn to worry about themselves."

"Man, for real on that statement," Yoongi agreed.

"It'll fade soon," Hoseok promised. "Don't worry about it."

Ignoring is my specialty. Not giving a about what others are saying around me is not going to be a problem. Moseying in the halls and whispering about my 'story' in mere speculation is all they can do, if it really means that much to them.

I was never one to be an open book about my life or my story. Those whom I don't care for don't need to know any part of it.

I sensed a striking gaze that burrowed through me, again. I looked up to search for the stare.

Passed Hoseok's head, I met the same pair of dark-colored eyes that matched mine; those of depth, intrigue, and familiarity.

I didn't look away, nor did she.

Though, the sound of the bell forced us to, and off in different directions we went.