I knew I was the of everyone’s jokes. It’s not like I was stupid or anything, I knew when someone was mocking or using me, I had witnessed it enough to know the difference between real friendships. I was gullible and too kind for my own good. Because of this, people liked to take advantage of me constantly.

If my friends asked me for something, I would always get it. Sure I bought a lot for them, but that was because they liked a wide range of things. They liked eating out a lot, and watching movies, and expensive gifts, and live concerts. I enjoyed spending the time with all of them, so I don’t really mind the price tag. These people are my friends. Friends are by your side through thick and thin, and that’s what I want to be for them. Besides, my parents always give me a hefty allowance, which they think makes up for their constant business trips, so it’s not like I have a shortage on cash or anything. What better way to use the money than for others, right? If I didn’t spend the money, it would just sit and gather dust somewhere!

Often I wondered if they truly liked my presence anymore though. I was the maknae of the group for the longest time until Changjo moved to town. Even though he was younger than me and I lost that title, I was still treated as the youngest. Each of them bossed me around and I never did anything about it because it had always seemed so natural. I didn’t even question when Changjo dropped formalities and talked down to me anymore. Either way, they had always been like a giddy support beam for me in the past and I felt like I could rely on them for anything I needed, even if they did stupid stuff ninety percent of the time.

Sadly, my gullibility turned into my greatest downfall and it was the reason I was sitting in this hospital bed now.

It was nearly midnight and we were still walking around town. It was cold and I had given my jacket to Changjo since he had left his on the subway. Leaving a restaurant that we frequented often with a wallet lighter than when we had entered, I was a little sleepy from how much food I had eaten. Chunji and L.Joe led the group down the street, arms linked as they skipped to the next crosswalk. Hurrying to beat the flashing light, we stopped in front of a small, 24-hour convenience store. Let’s go in, someone had suggested. I sighed knowingly at the request, but still followed inside the warm building. No one was tending to the front, so I assumed whoever was on duty was probably trying to pass the time somewhere less boring.

I watched Niel grab a basket and head down the first aisle, dropping a few items in, before heading into the next, and so on. Changjo and C.A.P went to the back of the store to the drink section and I could see them grabbing a case of something that I really hoped wasn’t beer. L.Joe picks out a magazine that didn’t seem appropriate, and tossed it into Niel’s basket while Chunji put an armful of things in as well. I pick out a candy bar from the plentiful selection and wait patiently with the chocolate clasped between my hands, smiling as the three look at me and laugh lightly, thinking it was from the way I was standing or something.

“Okay, I’m done.”

Niel smiles at C.A.P as he places the drinks into the overflowing basket and sets it on top of the counter, waiting for the cashier to come from the back room. As the man looks through the office window, he finally notices our presence. Setting down his newspaper, he stands up, slowly making his way out to us.

“Crap, I don’t have my wallet!”

Niel pretends to pat his pockets in search of money, and the others do the same. I knew this would happen. Being the decent person they take for granted, I offer another small smile and pull out a wad of cash. They call me awesome and pat me on the back, saying they will pay me back, but I know they won’t really.

The cashier walks up and empties the basket’s contents onto the counter. Raising a brow suspiciously, he sifts through everything and looks at me judgingly. My eyes widen in horror as I look at all the things my friends had collected. There were lots of packets of cigarettes, condoms, a +19 rated magazine, a case of beer, and a bunch of other risqué items.

“Kid, I think we might need to call your parents.” The man glares at me and I shrink back instinctively. I glance over my shoulder at the others, but they had all disappeared. Panicking, I glance out the front window and see my own jacket disappear around the corner across the street. I swear under my breath, something I never do because of my mother’s hatred for profound language, and drop my candy bar onto the counter.

I feel a hand around my wrist and I pull away quickly. I hear the man shouting after me, but I don’t listen to him. Instead, I bolt out the door, running in the direction I had seen the others go in. Illegally crossing the street and rounding the corner at lightning speed, I stop in disbelief. They weren’t there. The street was empty and the street lamps shined on vacant sidewalks. Someone yelled for me to stop, but I decided to run instead. Slipping into a darkened alleyway, I pant breathlessly as I crouch down out of view of the main road.

How could they leave me? It wasn’t even my stuff and yet they ditch me to not take the fall. Unless... They wanted me to get in trouble? All for a good laugh, I guess. At the thought, my hands clench in anger and a scowl covers my face as tears of frustration fall from my eyes. How typical of them, but what could I do about it, they were my friends, weren’t they?

I hear footsteps coming down the alley and I hold my breath, thinking the store clerk had somehow found me. I get an even bigger shock when a group of rugged men surround me in my crouched position, each one smirking arrogantly. One of them, obviously the leader, laughs loudly before kneeling down in front of me.

“Would you look what we’ve got here boys?” the man snorts.

“Ah, he’s a cutie,” another mocks as he steps forward.

My heart begins to race wildly and I look both ways to see if escaping was possible, but one of the burlier men blocks my line of sight. They continue to make their snide remarks until the leader grabs at me. Instinctively, I kick and I know I hit a very sensitive area. Taking the opportunity, I jump up and try to escape. I didn’t care if I ran into the clerk from earlier. I didn’t care if he told my parents about the beer or the cigs. I just wanted to be anywhere but in that alley.

Running as fast as my legs would carry me, I enter a park, thinking I could disguise myself behind a tree or something. Crouching behind a rather large bush, I place my hand over my mouth to not make any noise as well as to not let anyone see my breath.

The men from earlier followed me in and were now shouting for me to come out. They promise that they wouldn’t hurt me and a bunch of other things, but I remain hidden. After a while, they seemed to move further in to the park, and I sigh lowly in relief. I didn’t want to move, in case I snapped a twig or whatever happened in all those horror movies that led the bad guy right to their victims. Luckily for them, I didn’t need to.

“I found him,” a loud voice behind me shouts at the others.

I hear whoops of joy and thundering footsteps as they run quickly over the terrain in my direction. Making an attempt to escape once again, two large hands grab onto my shoulders and push me down to the ground. Thrashing around proves to be fruitless when more of the men finally find me and grab my legs and wrists. I yell loudly, hoping someone might be up at this ungodly hour and hear me, but a piece of cloth is stuffed in my mouth a few seconds later.

I can feel one of them searching my pockets, most likely for my wallet, and they laugh triumphantly a moment later when they find it. I try to get out of their grasp, but something sharp and cold touches my neck. They all laugh as their leader holds a large knife at me. I can faintly hear him telling me not to move or it will hurt even worse.

What will hurt? I can’t help but let my mind travel to the worst things possible. Are they going to kill me? I see my life flash before my eyes, and my, what a pitiful life it’s been. No friends until one kid in high school swindled their way into my wallet and made a comfortable home right smack dab in the middle of my heart. Teasing me when he knew I liked him, giving me kisses on the cheek as a playful joke when I would buy him something especially pricey. God, I was a fool. Even if I did have friends they still leave me to die. How nice.

I break away from my thoughts as someone fiddles with my belt and pants button. Letting out a muffled scream, I kick and flail around again. The tears flow freely from my eyes and my nose begins to run because of it. The men try and restrain me, but I don’t let them. I kick one of them by my legs with all my might, and he falls back with a loud groan, clutching his chest. That small flicker of hope is ripped away as a foot connects with my own stomach, twice as hard as my earlier attack. A small whimper escapes passed the cloth and I gasp for the much needed oxygen.

After that, they didn’t try and take my pants off, although they didn’t decide to leave either. I don’t really know when the hits started, but I do know they continued for a long time. I could feel blood trailing from the corner of my mouth and a sharp stabbing pain in my lower abdomen. Something wet drenched my shirt, and I wondered if they had poured something on me. When I tried to move myself, an even sharper pain spread from my stomach and throughout my body, leaving every nerve in my body to feel like it was on fire. I heard muffled yells saying something about getting out, and the abuse stopped, but the pain didn’t.

In fear of hurting myself even more, I remained still for quite some time. As I took a small, painful breath, I searched my pockets for my phone, hoping the gang hadn’t stolen it. Relief washes over me as I feel the device and I quickly pull it out. I lift it to my face and squint as I scroll through my small list of contacts for one specific one. Lee Chanhee.

“Please answer,” I whisper hoarsely as tears begin to fall from my eyes. I wait patiently with the elder’s favorite song playing in my ear. “Please, Chunji, please…”

I hear a dial tone and I’m pretty sure he just denied my call. A small sob racks through my body along with a wave of soreness. I tried the number again, getting the exact same results. After a while, my body just gives up and I slipped into a very welcoming unconsciousness. I guess friends don’t really stick with you till the end…

“You guys, that was hilarious!” C.A.P says wiping an invisible tear from his eye. “We got him so good.”

The others nod in agreement as their laughter finally subsides and they sit down in a booth. Joking about Ricky for a while, a waitress finally comes to get their order. A few minutes later, she comes back with drinks and food before walking away. Somehow hungry from their short adventure, they scarf down the food in front of them.

Chunji’s cellphone rings and he pulls it from his coat pocket, sniggering at the caller ID. “It’s Ricky, should I answer?”

The others laugh and shake their heads. Setting the phone on top of the booth table, Chunji joins in on the conversation. For a good ten minutes, he repeatedly denies the calls from Ricky until they just randomly stop. With a sigh of relief, he rolls his eyes at the absent boy’s persistence. After a good while, the group pays for their food and leaves the shop before walking down the street in a comfortable silence.

About to cross the street, an ambulance zooms past on a mission, and the five make some sarcastic remark about it being good it’s not them. Going further into the city, Chunji’s phone rings once again, but this time, Changjo grabs the device before the older can actually do anything about it.

“Ricky, we’re a little busy right now, okay?” Changjo says trying to hold back a laugh, as do the others. “”Can’t really talk at this moment.”

“I’m sorry, but this isn’t who you think it is. I’m actually a nurse at Chundong hospital,” a woman’s voice says. “I’m calling because a boy just came into the emergency room and is in critical condition. You were his last called number. We don’t know the boy’s name because it appears he was robbed when he was attacked. Could you please help us contact his parents?”

Changjo’s mouth drops in horror at the voice and his own words die at the tip of his tongue. With trembling hands, he gives the phone back to Chunji. The elder stares questioningly, and listens to the woman repeat herself. He hails a cab as he speaks, and the other four stare at him in confusion while a very pale Changjo leans against the nearest wall.

Pulling the youngest into the cab, everyone sits quietly, crushed together as the driver speeds to the hospital. Briefly explaining what the nurse had told him, Chunji stares at his phone guiltily in the front seat, tapping his foot subconsciously.

As they pulled into the ER, Niel gave the taxi driver a large pile of bills, telling him to keep the change, and they jumped out in a hurry, running to the automatic doors. They slide in breathlessly and L.Joe is the first to the desk, quickly asking about their injured friend. The person leads them to another desk, where they get redirected again, and again, until Chunji is about to burst into tears and a nice woman stops them to answer their questions.

“I’m sorry boys. Your boy you are talking about is in surgery right now,” the woman says calmly. “The doctors are doing everything they can, but they don’t know if he will make it or not; the knife wound was very bad.”

“K-knife wound?” Niel stutters in disbelief. “What exactly happened to him?”

Giving a small, sympathetic shrug, the woman shakes her head sadly. “All we know is that someone’s dog found the poor boy in the bushes and that he had lost quite a lot of blood by the time he got here.”

“He’ll be alright,” Changjo asks desperately the question on everyone’s mind “won’t he?”

“I’m sorry boys, I wouldn’t be able to tell you, but the doctors are doing everything they can, I promise.” Leading them to a small waiting room, she beckons them to sit down. “Could one of you possibly come with me to fill out forms and get in touch with his parents?”

C.A.P raises his hand briefly and follows the woman to a different area of the hospital to contact Ricky’s parents, who were somewhere overseas on business, while the others finally sit in the waiting room chairs. Niel and Changjo sit next to each other, holding tightly onto one another’s hands in nervousness and Chunji paces back and forth in front of everyone while biting his finger nails.

“Come sit down Chanhee.” L.Joe tries to persuade the other as he pats the seat next to him. “It won’t do anybody any good to walk around.”

“Yeah and you know what else won’t do anybody any good?” Chunji yells explosively, not truly expecting an answer, “Me not answering my cellphone when you’re dying friend is trying to call you while he bleeds out in the bushes.”

No one replies to the statement, knowing they were all to blame for denying the earlier calls. After a while, Niel tries to make the elder understand that it wasn’t his fault that Ricky was hurt, where Chunji then began shouting once again.

“Yes it is! We shouldn’t have left him!” he yells heatedly while tears begin to fall from his tired eyes. “He’s an innocent little baby, oh god, what have we done?”

Turning paler by the second, Chunji collapses to his knees and runs his hands through his hair, messing it up terribly in frustration. With his eyes fixed on the ground before him, he doesn’t notice his friends surrounding him, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him worriedly. He didn’t realize the scene he was making, as he swatted away the comforting hands, nor did he truthfully care. He didn’t notice the nurses that were trying to calm him down who finally had to result to sedating the crazed teen.

As several doctors lifted the drowsy boy onto a stretcher, in his half-conscious state he could see a doctor with bloodied garbs walking out of the surgery room and his head lolled to the side as the man steadily approached on his pink unicorn.

A constant beeping on my left serves as an unpleasant reminder that I was going to be late for school if I didn’t get up. As I try to move my arm to shut the grating noise off, my hand doesn’t lift from the bed and it feels like it is being held down by something. Actually, both feel like that. I open my eyes to try and find the source of my entrapment, which just so happens to be two foreign hands.

Focusing on the person through my blurry vision, I recognize the sleeping people on either side of me. On the left, Changjo was holding tightly onto my hand, while he rested his head on top of his other, empty hand. To my right, Niel and L.Joe were sleeping in similar manners as the real maknae, just L.Joe was curled up in a ball in the chair and Niel was leaning over the bed, my bed.

Wait, what?

Multiple scenes flash through my head and I remember exactly what had happened, the events at the store that led me to the alleyway, to being mugged, to being here, where ever here was. I move to sit up, but pain radiates through my entire body and as I lie limply in the bed, I begin to collect my thoughts, sorting through my anger, my fear, my hatred. Every emotion flows in my veins rabidly. I can hear the beeping increase and my breathing begins to quicken as well.

A door opens and I can hear a soft feminine voice talking to me.

“Changhyun, you need to calm down, alright?” The voice turns into a hand as it removes the people latching onto me. The three stir at the disturbance and they mumble to someone else in the room to get up. Tuning back into the women that had been talking to me, I catch bits and pieces of her calm explanation.

“… in the hospital… surgery… your parents… on their way…”

My eyes, which had been dropping dangerously from unknown exhaustion, flew open at the mention of my parents. No, they couldn’t come. They would be so disappointed in me. I felt shame overcome my thoughts, and I didn’t know what I was being ashamed for. Maybe being swindled by my friends? Or nearly getting molested in a park? Either way, my mind went blank as a hoarse voice spoke up beside my bed, a few feet away, and my stomach felt like it was doing a hundred little flips as butterflies attacked me.

“Ricky? Is Ricky awake?”

Turning my head to the side, I spot Chunji lying on the bed next to mine. I look fearfully at him. Why was he in a hospital bed? Was he hurt? What happened? I hear someone telling me to calm down, and I try really hard to stop my thoughts from travelling too far. Instead, I focus on the one emotion I had been all too familiar with while I had laid lifelessly in a park not too long ago.

“Get out,” I order my friends, surprising not only them, but myself as well with the dark tone I was able to muster.

They stare at me in bewilderment, and after another sharp increase of the beeping, which turned out to be my heart monitor, the nurse shoos them out. A very ancient man tries to explain what happened after I passed out, but at this point, I was too far gone to even comprehend what he was saying. Every thought in my head was focused on the elder that was still sitting up in the other bed. I could feel his eyes on me and I knew that I was probably blushing as I nodded to everything the doctor was going on about. Talking briefly to Chunji, the doctor leaves and I feel a wave of uneasiness wash over me as I see the elder turn towards me.

“Ricky?” he chokes out my name and I’ve already lost it as tears fall down my face. I hear him gasp as I begin to sob loudly, and I watch him hop out of his bed and come over to me. He held my hand tightly, seeing as moving any other body part was out of the question because of the intense pain, but it didn’t feel right. Clutching on to me, he rubs his thumb over the back of my hand as he tries to shush my cries.

Honestly, I didn’t know why I was crying. I didn’t know if it was because of the traumatic day I had had, or if it was because of Chunji himself. I decided eventually that it was a mixture of both, and I didn’t try to stop the tears anymore, I just let everything out. I think we probably sat there for a good twenty minutes before I had run out of tears and occasionally only let out a hiccup every now and then.

Raising his free hand, he brushes a piece of my hair back and moves forward to kiss the top of my head affectionately. Upon instinct, I shy away from him and send a hurt glare instead. He frowns sadly and pulls back, moving his hand away, and leaving me with a cold feeling rushing through me.

“I was just a toy for all of you, wasn’t I?” I ask lowly, glaring at the end of my bed. “Especially for you.”

“No, Ricky, you aren’t!” Chunji looks upset by my statement, but from experience, I ignore it. “We all love you. I love you. You’re our friend, we just thought it would be funny to tease you, but we took it too far this time.”

I scoff at the statement and glare at him. “Took it too far? You guys basically left me to die! Was that funny enough for you, or did you wish you were the ones attacking me?”

“No, we didn’t think you would get hurt,” he replies leaning closer to me. “We all realize that we were jerks and I’m so, so sorry that you got hurt. If I could, I would trade spots with you right now and take all the pain away.”

I can hear his voice cracking, but I feel like continuing on with my anger that had recently consumed me. Usually, I always just wore a smile, nodded, and swiped my card for them. Now it seemed that everything that had built up was now crumbling down and I couldn’t stop myself from exploding.

“Oh please,” I snarl while rolling my eyes. “You would not. You don’t care about me, you just want my money. Well guess what? It’s gone now! So you can just stop using me and acting like you need me.”

He pauses for a long time while staring at his folded hands before he whispers just loud enough for me to hear him, “But I do need you.”

I laugh mockingly. “You knew how I felt, but you still used me like a toy! You played with my feelings all these years, and you now think that I’m needed? Is it me you really need or my pin number?”

“Please Ricky, don’t say that.”

“Why Because it’s the truth? You know, the truth does hurt, doesn’t it?” With an arrogant smirk, I look at him, fire burning in my eyes. “I found that out when they were trying to get my belt undone.”

At my last words, Chunji’s eyes widen in horror and he looks at me, the question on the tip of his tongue, but too scared to ask. To my surprise, tears begin to fall from his eyes. He tries to wipe them away, but more replace them. Looking out the window, Chunji shakes his head in sorrow.

“R-Ricky, I’m sorry.” Whispering with a hiccup, he tightly clenches his hands together in his lap. “This is all my fault, I’m so sorry. Please believe me that it was never my intention to use you. We took you for granted and there isn’t a way that I can express my regret. Please give me another chance. I promise I be a better friend to you. I-”

He stops when he sees me shaking my head. I hear him sigh in hurt and disbelief, but I don’t change my mind, even if my heart was yelling at me to reconsider.

“Please leave.”

I say it so quietly that for a second I didn’t think Chunji could hear me, but he stands slowly and heads for the door nonetheless. As he reaches for the knob he stops and stares straight ahead. I thought he was going to say something else in his defense, but instead, he turns back to me and strides over. Leaning over me, he kisses me on the lips and pulls away, his nose almost touching my own. I can feel a tear fall onto my cheek, and I hear him whisper sorry once again. After that, he leaves for good.

There was nothing more I wanted than to call him back, but I knew I shouldn’t. So, I let him go and sat in loneliness, something I seemed to be very rich in. I laugh a little at myself as a thought crosses my mind.

Once alone, always alone.

Okay, it's done. I'm done. My inspiration for my other stories went on vacation for a while, as did all inspiration to do anything. I finally finished this oneshot though! Tell me if you like it, hate it, don't know what to think below in the comment section!! Thank you my lovelies for reading!