It was three-quarters through the school year and Taemin wasn’t fitting in like he had hoped to be. He hadn’t made any new friends like Kai had and whenever he approached people they didn’t really seem interested in getting to know him.

He knew he had a very small body type and looked much prettier than most girls and never thought those factors would be reason for anyone to not want to be his friends. Except now, having a hopeless feeling, he was beginning to think that’s exactly why no one liked him.

And he was still being bullied.

The bullying wasn’t anything major and Kai still didn’t know about it. The only things the bullies were doing to Taemin were putdowns being said to him in the hallways and mean notes in his locker and backpack. None of the bullying was physical but it still seemed to bother the young boy.

“,” one of the eight graders was one of the words thrown at Taemin during the week. Taemin didn’t know what it meant but because it was said with such disgust, Taemin still didn’t like it and wanted them to stop saying it.

One of the phrases in the notes Taemin got was, “You’re not normal.”

Was that the reason why no one wanted to be friends with him? Because he wasn’t normal? What was making him abnormal?

Was it because he was small? Was it because he was very pretty?

One day after school, Taemin was curious and got on the computer to look up the f-word. He didn’t really like what it meant other than the British term for a cigarette.

·got ²  (fgt)

n. Offensive Slang

Used as a disparaging term for a homoual man.

A homoual man….that’s what they were calling him?

But that’s not what he was. He wasn’t…gay. Right? He didn’t seem attracted to the same .

But then again, he wasn’t really attracted to the opposite either.

Taemin shrugged it off and just assumed it was because he wasn’t at the right age to even feel something for another in that way and decided he didn’t have to like anyone since he was only in the seventh grade.

Even so, the insult still stung and Taemin felt sad for the remainder of the day.

The bullying continued for the rest of the year and followed into the eighth grade. It was becoming very tiring for Taemin and he just wanted for it to stop. He still hadn’t confided in Kai about it. As his friend’s hyung, he took the responsibility for taking care of the other very seriously. He didn’t want Kai involved.

So he toughed it up and just let the harsh words roll off him. Bullies were people unhappy with themselves right? Well if that was true, then Taemin wanted to feel like whatever they said didn’t matter.

But as time went, it turned out that they did matter to him. The bullying just happened so often it was becoming more and more difficult to just ignore. Especially when he caught himself staring at the sweat drenched male students during gym period, gulping when they removed the soaked shirts in the locker room.

Taemin was definitely beginning to think what everyone told him was true.

He definitely did not feel normal.

yeah angsty chapter. 

poor taemminie.