---

One Week Later

 

I laid in my bed trying to enjoy my last day of solitude before having to return to school the next day. Obviously, my attempts at trying to convince Daddy to transfer me to a different school had failed. He said he was working on getting me into online classes, but I don’t know if I can wait any longer. School is becoming more and more like hell. 

 

A lot has happened in a week. 

 

Ravi got suspended from school for the fight, but apparently not for the allegations of ual assault. Another reason why I hate my school. 

 

Jongin got suspended from school and now has a ‘bad boy’ reputation amongst Exo fans, which is ridiculous because anyone who knows him knows he’s such a sweet guy. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. He even cried when we were younger because he stepped on an ant. He doesn’t deserve to have such a negative light shed on him. 

 

Dad and Daddy are at war with each other, and Dad’s been forbidden from visiting us until further notice. Honestly, I’m still confused on what that whole situation was all about. I’d never seen my dad that irate. I mean, I understand that he’s upset about what’s been happening to me lately, but barging in here and tussling with Jonghyun? That was totally out of character for him. I tried to ask Daddy about it, but he always got upset and changed the subject. 

 

As for me, I’m the talk of the town. Go figure. And to top it all off, I dyed my hair black because why not? 

 

Daddy really pitched a fit about that one. 

 

The only good thing that has happened this week has been Minho. Surprisingly, he kept his promise this time around, and he’d been coming to check up on me everyday after soccer practice. Of course he could only come over when someone was home, and I had to leave my room door open, but I really didn’t care. I just needed Minho there, and thankfully he had been. From watching movies to eating dinner together, just his presence alone made me forget about my problems, if only for a few hours. 

 

 

There was a gentle knock on my door before Daddy came in softly saying, “Hey, baby.”

 

“Hey,” I mumbled as I rolled over to face his direction. 

 

He gave a slight smile before walking over to sit next to me on my bed. “I haven’t heard you come out your room today,” he started as he lightly rubbed my back. “I just wanted to make sure you’re ok.”

 

“I’m fine. I’d be even better if I didn’t have to go to school tomorrow.”

 

“You’re going to have to go back eventually. You’re missing lessons and we can’t keep picking up your homework for you.”

 

“Well, put me in online classes then.”

 

He sighed before continuing, “I told you your guidance counselor said you’ll have to wait until next semester.”

 

I groaned dramatically. “That’s like another three months away! Daddy, please don’t make me go back there for three more months.”

 

“You have to, honey. I’m sorry this is happening to you, but it’ll all be over soon. I know it’s hard, but you have to be strong, Minnie. Do you think I like knowing that my child is the center of attention at school? No. I hate it. But you need your education, okay? I’ll talk to the school to make sure the kids don’t-“

 

“You can’t do anything about the students,” I said in irritation. “They’ll just pick on me when no one’s looking.”

 

“Not on my watch.”

 

“But that’s the point. You’re not there. The only time people leave me alone is when... Jongin is there.”

 

There was an pause before he replied, “It’s going to be ok.”

 

I rolled over stuffing my face in my pillow as I whined, “No it’s not.” 

 

“You don’t have any other friends at your school besides Jongin?”

 

“Is that a trick question?”

 

“Taemin-”

 

 

At that moment, there was another knock at my door followed by Jonghyun’s voice. “Hey, sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to update Taemin about Jongin.”

 

These updates were the only highlights of my week, besides me being able to see Minho, of course. Since Jonghyun has ties to S.M. Entertainment, he offered to be a sort of ‘middle man’ between Jongin and I. Although he doesn’t really interact with him, he’s been trying his best to find out what’s been going on with my best friend and asking others to keep an eye on him. 

 

Upon hearing his voice, I lifted my head and sat up on my bed as I asked, “Is he ok?” 

 

Jonghyun nodded as he walked closer to the bed. “From what I hear, yes. I’ve seen him from afar from time to time throughout the week. It’s been hard to tell how he’s feeling, but he seems to be coping.”

 

“Were you able to find out how much trouble he’s gotten into?”

 

Jonghyun hesitated before answering, “He’s been suspended from the rest of Exo’s comeback activities.”

 

My eyes widened. “Suspended? Is that serious?”

 

“Yeah. From what I can remember, that means no interviews, no radio appearances, no variety shows, and no fan meetups.”

 

Wow, I couldn’t believe how serious the situation actually was. Not only did he get suspended from school, but he was suspended from Exo as well? It wasn’t fair at all. Not when it was all my fault. 

 

As much as everyone told me it wasn’t my fault, it was. If only I’d just listened to Minho about Ravi in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened. My best friend would be doing what he loved the most, my relationship with Minho wouldn’t have suffered, and I wouldn’t have caused my family so much unnecessary stress. But for some unknown reason, I always choose the wrong decisions, and this time, my decisions had such a horrible effect on the main person that didn’t deserve it. 

 

“But don’t worry,” said Jonghyun as he dragged me out of my thoughts. “He’s still required to go to practices, so he’s not just sitting around doing nothing.”

 

“How can I not worry? My friend’s suffering because of me-“

 

Daddy cut me off, “That’s not true-”

 

“Yes it is! And now Exo and their fans are affected by my own stupid drama. Why can’t I ever do anything right?”

 

“Taemin,” said Daddy as he grabbed my hands, “Just calm down, ok?”

 

I looked toward Jonghyun as I asked, “If you can, can you let him know how sorry I am? And that I miss him?”

 

Jonghyun nodded. “Of course. I’ll try my best to get the message to him.”

 

I dropped my head solemnly. “I bet Jongin hates me.”

 

Daddy rubbed my hand before shaking his head. “We all know that’s not true. And don’t worry too much about Jongin. Jonghyun will continue to keep an eye on him as much as he possibly can.”

 

I looked to Jonghyun with a hopeful expression. “Can I see him?”

 

He frowned, which told me everything I needed to know. “SM’s got him under tight watch right now. I don’t think it’s a good idea, Taemin.”

 

The doorbell rang before I could answer. Daddy looked over at Jonghyun before saying, “Jong, can you get that?”

 

“Yep.”

 

Daddy turned back to me, lifting my head with one of his hands so I could look at him. ”I just want you to be happy. So many unfortunate things keep happening to you, and you don’t deserve this, sweetie.”

 

I shrugged, through with the conversation. “It’s whatever.”

 

“No, it’s not whatever, Taemin. You wouldn’t have dyed your hair black if it was just whatever.”

 

I groaned as I rolled my eyes. “You won’t let me live this down now will you?”

 

“Nope.” I couldn’t help but snicker a little at that. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear saying, “But black looks good on you.”

 

I smiled. “Thanks.”

 

At that moment, Jonghyun entered the room with an awkward, timid look on his face. “Ummm,” he said before Minho slowly trailed in behind him. He continued, “Taemin has a guest. I wasn’t sure if you wanted him in or not.”

 

Jonghyun stepped out of the way to fully reveal Minho standing there with a bag of snacks and a childish grin on his face. “Hey, Taemin.”

 

An ecstatic smile instantly spread across my face as I said, “Hey.”

 

Daddy dramatically rolled his eyes upon Minho’s entrance. Ever since my last blowup with Minho, he’d been walking on very thin ice with my parents. Daddy still felt weary about him no matter how much Jonghyun tried to persuade him to think differently. As much as I respected Daddy’s opinion, Minho’s still my boyfriend and I love whenever we have the chance to be together. 

 

Just looking at him made my heart race. We continued smiling at each other in silence until we heard Daddy clear his throat in obvious irritation. 

 

Minho quickly broke out of his trance by saying, “Hello, Mr. Kim.”

 

“Hey, Minho,” Daddy answered as he narrowed his eyes. “What brings you over today?”

 

“Just wanted to see Taemin.”

 

“Mhmm,” Daddy said in suspicion. 

 

“Daddy,” I said getting antsy to be alone with my boyfriend. “You can leave now.”

 

He raised a brow, ready to argue before Jonghyun cut him off. “Kibum, how about we go out to the park today?”

 

Daddy furrowed his brows, unimpressed. “The park?”

 

Jonghyun shrug as he nervously scratched the back of his neck. “I mean sure, why not? It’s a beautiful day.”

 

Please say yes. Please say yes. I haven’t been completely alone with Minho in awhile. Just please say yes. 

 

“And leave these two alone? I don’t think so.” Damn it. 

 

“Come on, Key,” Jonghyun said as he grabbed Daddy’s hands in an attempt to pull him off the bed. “It’ll be like the old days when we first started dating. We used to always go to the park together.”

 

Daddy sighed, “I don’t know. I just don’t feel comfortable leaving them here without an adult.”

 

“They can take care of themselves, babe. They won’t burn the house down, now come on,” he begged as he finally pulled Daddy off the bed. 

 

Daddy let out a laugh he was holding back as he said, “Omg, you’re acting like a child. And it’s not the house burning down that I’m worried about.”

 

Jonghyun interlocked their fingers, swinging their hands back and forth as he said, “Let’s go. Please?”

 

It was so weird seeing them act like this in front of me. But to be honest, I’d rather put up with their shenanigans as long as it meant Minho and I could have the house to ourselves. 

 

Daddy groaned before rolling his eyes. “Fine. We can go to the park. But as for you two,” he said as he looked back and forth between me and Minho, “No funny business. We’ll be back as soon as we can. Let’s go, Jonghyun.” 

 

I silently thanked Jonghyun behind Daddy’s back, getting a thumbs up in return. 

 

Before Daddy made his way out my bedroom door, he stopped abruptly in front of Minho, snatching the bag of snacks out of his hand. “This is bad for Taemin’s diet. You should know that.”

 

Jonghyun chuckled before guiding my dad out of my room, making note to close the door behind him. 

 

Bless this man. 

 

Minho stood there with a dumbfounded look on his face. “Well....that went better than expected.”

 

I snickered before patting my bed. “Come sit next to me.”

 

“What about your dad?”

 

“Wait for it,” I said before pausing for a few seconds. After finally hearing the front door close, I said, “See? We’re all alone. Now, come.”

 

Minho grinned before walking over to my bed, hugging me as soon as he sat down. 

 

I smiled as my stomach filled with butterflies. I whispered, “I missed you.”

 

He let out a throaty chuckle. “We just saw each other yesterday.”

 

“I know. That was too long ago, right?”

 

He chuckled again as he nodded. “Yes, yes it was.” He pulled back, looking at me with a smile still plastered on his face. 

 

“What?” I said as I felt my cheeks heat up. 

 

“I still can’t get over your new hair. I love it though.”

 

“Thanks. Try not to bring it up around my dad, though. He’s still freaked out about it.”

 

“I can only imagine.”

 

“Yeaaah. So what do you want to do today?”

 

He shrugged. “We can do whatever you want.”

 

Oh, there’s definitely something I’d rather do, but we hadn’t had the opportunity to do thatlately until now. 

 

“Actually,” said Minho, cutting off my thoughts, “I need to ask you something.”

 

“Ok?”

 

“So, it’s a bit too early to ask you this, but with everything going on lately, I thought I’d go ahead and ask so you could have something to look foreword to, well that’s if you say yes.”

 

“What is it?” 

 

He cleared his throat, obviously nervous. Why would he be nervous? “So, I’ve never been one for school dances, or any school events for that matter. But since I’m a senior, it’s kind of a requirement to go to winter formal since there’s a senior dance included. I just wanted to know if you’re interested in going to winter formal with me — as my date?”

 

My eyes widened at the realization of what Minho was actually asking. He wanted me to go to his school’s dance? In public? Around his friends and teammates? He liked me that much to actually show me off without shame? 

 

That really meant a lot. 

 

He must’ve taken my silence as rejection though because he was soon stuttering over his own words. “I mean if you don’t want to that’s totally cool! I know you’ve been going through hell lately so I completely understand not wanting to-”

 

“Shut up, you idiot. Of course I’ll go to winter formal with you!”

 

A bright smile quickly took over Minho’s previously worried expression. “Really?!”

 

“Sure. I mean, you don’t mind being seen with me in public? Y’know, with everything going on with me right now?”

 

“Oh, that. I don’t care what other people think, Taemin. I just want you to know that I’m actually serious about you, and showing you off to all of my classmates seems like a good way to prove that to you. I know the dance is like months away, but I couldn’t wait any longer to ask you.”

 

“Aww,” I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck before kissing his cheek. “My heart is melting right now. I love you so much.”

 

Minho returned my kiss by pecking my lips. “I love you too, Taemin,” he said before leaning his forehead against mine and rubbing our noses together. 

 

I grimaced. “Ew. Stop being cheesy, you’re ruining the moment.”

 

He snickered before pecking my lips again. “You just don’t know how cute you are. Anyway, the sooner the dance gets here, I’ll update you more on information about it.”

 

I nodded. “Ok. I’m so excited! I don’t even like school dances, but as long as I’m with you, I think I’ll enjoy myself.”

 

“Of course you will. I’ll make sure we both have a good time.”

 

“Speaking of a good time, you asked me what I wanted to do today, right? Well, it’s been awhile since we’ve both, you know...had . And I don’t know when we’ll have another opportunity to be alone like this without anyone around. So I was thinking we could...you know-”

 

“I was thinking the same thing,” he admitted shyly. “Honestly, I’ve been wanting to initiate it for the longest, but I didn’t want to take advantage of your vulnerable state.”

 

“It’s honestly what I need right now.”

 

He looked into my eyes before saying, “Ok, then.” He leaned in and kissed me, nice and slow. We didn’t feel the need to rush since Jonghyun and Daddy hadn’t left too long ago. Plus, I knew Jonghyun would text me when they were on the way home. 

 

Minho wasted no time as he pushed his tongue passed my lips, our kiss becoming more passionate. I placed a hand on the back of his head to deepen the kiss. 

 

He whispered with his lips slightly touching mine, “I’m going to lay you down, ok?” 

 

I nodded as I allowed him to gently push me down onto my bed, and I pulled him down along with me. I barely had time to adjust before his lips were back on mine. I sighed blissfully into the kiss as we continued. 

 

I let out a moan as I felt Minho grind down into my crotch, his hard-on definitely noticeable. I broke our kiss momentarily to take my shirt off, Minho doing the same. I was becoming very impatient and, from what I could gather, so was he. I decided to go ahead and take all of my clothes off because the sooner the better, right?

 

Minho looked on in amusement. “Moving fast, don’t you think?”

 

I smirked. “Moving slow, don’t you think? Come on, grandpa. I’m ready for you.”

 

“Hmmm,” he says intrigued. 

 

He took off the rest of his clothes, gracing me with his beautiful body. How lucky was I that he was mine? 

 

He quickly whipped out a and put it on. I couldn’t help asking, “You carry those around everywhere you go?”

 

He shrugged. “You never know when you’ll need them.” This moment proved that to be true. 

 

 

There were no more interruptions after that, both of us finally ready for what we’d been missing. 

 

We tongue-kissed for what seemed like forever. We were so engrossed into each other that we lost track of time. I became more vocal once I felt Minho begin jacking me off, and I couldn’t help ing into his hand as his grip around me tightened. 

 

“Mmm....Minho...yes,” I moaned as our kiss became more sloppy. 

 

“Are you ready,” he whispered against my lips. 

 

I nodded as I continued to moan, his pumping rhythm never slowing down. Pretty soon, my s into his hand stopped suddenly as soon as I felt his poke at my entrance. I held my breath on impulse as I felt a slight sting as he slowly entered me. This is why I hated waiting forever to have . I could never get used to this feeling once I’ve gone so long without it. 

 

“Breathe,” he whispered into my ear. “Just breathe.”

 

I let out a breath before gasping again upon feeling him go further into me. I squinted at the slight pain, hoping for the pleasure to come sooner. 

 

“Are you ok?” Minho whispered with much care into my ear. 

 

I waited a few seconds before answering. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

 

“Ok,” he said before pecking my forehead. 

 

His kisses traveled down towards my lips, embracing them fully once he’d reached them. As we made out and I became more comfortable, Minho began ing in small to help get me adjusted to his length. Eventually, my uncomfortable grunts turned into pleasurable moans as Minho’s s began to pick up speed. I’d almost forgotten how great it felt for him to be inside of me. Almost. 

 

I felt Minho’s grip on my waist tighten as his breaths became more ragged. It was apparent that he was starting to lose his self-control and was letting his pleasure take over. 

 

“,” he hissed into my ear as he went faster, pounding me into my own sheets as the sound of our skin slapping together and the bed creaking filled the room. The sound was so and only even more.

 

“Yes, Minho...yes.” 

 

Unfortunately for me, Minho stopped his s to change our positions. He guided me onto all fours as he got behind me. Before I could question what was going on, I felt him grip my hips from behind as he ed into me full throttle. This caused me to become so vocal that I hoped the neighbors weren’t home. 

 

I gripped the sheets beneath me as Minho hit my g-spot over and over again. “Ah! Ah! Minho! !”

 

He responded in grunts as he didn’t slow down his s. I knew I wouldn’t be able to last much longer. 

 

“Minho...ah, I’m...I-I’m gonna . Ah! I’m-“

 

“Go ahead,” he coaxed as he gripped my , jacking me off as he continued to pound into me. 

 

“!” And that was it. I came hard onto my bed sheets as I shouted in ecstasy. Minho continued pounding into me, sending sensitive shock waves throughout my body, until he moaned my name as he came into me as well before pulling out. 

 

Both high from our s, we slowly sank onto the sheets, Minho halfway laying on my back. I sighed in content as he placed light kisses on the back of my shoulder. I turned a little to look at his sweaty face. 

 

He smiled back at me once he noticed I was looking. “How was it?”

 

“Horrible. Like really bad,” I joked, laughing as soon as Minho’s smile dropped from his face. “I’m kidding! It was good, really good. Let’s try not to go so long without doing it again, ok? I don’t care if we have to have in the car or behind a tree.”

 

Minho snickered before nodding. “Ok. But no outdoors. That’s weird.” He grabbed my hand and peppered kisses on it.

 

I felt a blush creep onto my face. I hated that he had this effect on me sometimes. I’m not a mushy gushy type of person, but when it comes to Minho, something about him just makes me want to give in to every emotion I’ve tried to avoid. He’s successfully breaking down my walls, and I’m not even disappointed. 

 

“Thank you,” I whispered as he looked back into my eyes. “Thank you for being here and putting up with me. I know I’m not the easiest guy to date, but I really appreciate all of your efforts.”

 

A smile slowly made its way onto his face. “Where is all of this coming from?”

 

I shrugged. “Just thought I’d let you know.”

 

He teased, “Awww, is Taeminnie becoming a cheesy guy as well?”

 

I scoffed and shoved his chest. “See this is why I’m not nice to you.”

 

He burst out laughing as he brought me closer to him. “I’m playing. Honestly, it makes me feel really good knowing that you feel that way about me. All I ever want to do is to make you happy. I know I ed up earlier, but I feel like I’m making up for it.” He moved a sweaty strand of hair out of my face before continuing, “I may be too young to say this, but I know that there’s no one else I’d rather be with.”

 

I felt my eyes well up at his confession. There was no way in hell I was going to cry. I’m not a sensitive person. “Really?” I asked as my voice quivered. 

 

He pecked my cheek. “Of course.”

 

“I haven’t scared you away yet?”

 

He let out a chuckle as he changed our positions, laying me onto his chest. “You could never scare me away, Taemin. If our crazy summer together didn’t turn me away, there’s no way I’m going anywhere now. ”

 

“That’s good to know,” I said before leaning up to kiss him on the lips. “I really wish we went to the same school. I’m dreading going to mine tomorrow.”

 

He sighed. “I wish I could be there to protect you. Make sure you tell me what happens, ok? I won’t be afraid to pull up.”

 

“No, no. It’s ok. I don’t need another scene happening at school because of me. But thanks for offering. But I’ll make sure to tell you about my day once I get home.”

 

“I may be able to come over tomorrow if practice doesn’t run too late. If it does, you can just call me.”

 

I nodded. I’d rather him come over so we could talk in person, but he’d been doing so well lately with spending time with me. Missing one day with him wouldn’t hurt. 

 

“We should go shower now,” he said after we laid in bed for a few minutes. 

 

I smiled as I slowly sat up, wincing at the slight ache in my lower back. “Yeah, but I’m pretty sure we’ll just end up having again if we shower together.”

 

“And would that be so bad?”

 

I raised a brow in interest. “Let’s shower and find out.”

 

We eagerly rushed to the shower, and needless to say, it quickly turned into an hour shower with the we managed to squeeze in. 

 

Thankfully, we were already showered and dressed when Daddy and Jonghyun came home. 

 

—

 

 

I nearly cried once I entered the doors of my high school. 

 

Why did I have to be here? Why did there have to be three more months of school left? Why did I have to wait so long to take online classes? 

 

There were so many questions. 

 

I gripped my backpack in irritation as I walked passed a group of students towards my locker. I never cared what others thought of me, but it was the fact that they were openly staring at me and gossiping right as I walked by. 

 

“He’s back?”

 

“I feel so bad for him.”

 

“Why? You actually believe him? I’m team Ravi all the way.”

 

“Why are you victim-blaming?”

 

“How do we know he’s a victim? He could be lying.”

 

“Yeah, I bet he’s lying. Ravi wouldn’t do that. Especially with a like Taemin.”

 

I shoved my backpack into my locker and took out the books I needed as fast as I possibly could so I could get away from the situation. One of my biggest pet peeves was people talking about they didn’t even know about. If you’re going to talk about me, at least let it be based on facts. 

 

I slammed my locker before power walking away, thankful to have distanced myself from them. Sadly, that was just the beginning for me. 

 

Throughout the day, I’d been getting stares from people most likely talking about me. I already knew there was a ton of people gossiping about me, and the same was true as I sat in my fifth period science class hating life. 

 

Before class began, there was a small group of students huddled together in the back of the classroom. A few of them made it obvious that they were talking about me because they didn’t bother being quiet. 

 

“I can’t believe he has the balls to show up again after what happen.”

 

“Right? I don’t think I would ever come back to school.”

 

“Why not? Guys, I don’t think it’s fair that he’s getting more flack than Ravi, the guy that actually assaulted him.”

 

“Yeah, but he was drunk, right? He shouldn’t have let himself get so wasted. Anyone could’ve had their way with him. It’s his fault.”

 

“Are you ing serious?”

 

“Yeah, I don’t think Ravi actually had intentions to do anything to him.”

 

“Plus what about Kai? Exo’s in trouble now all because Taemin didn’t know how to shut his mouth-“

 

“Or his legs. I bet he wanted to have with Ravi, but chickened out when things got real.”

 

“Omg! That makes sense now that I think about it! Doesn’t he have a boyfriend? Maybe he made up the story about him and Ravi so his boyfriend didn’t break up with him for cheating!”

 

One of the girls gasped, “What a !”

 

It really amazed me how people could create their own realities in their mind and write it off as fact. Yeah, there were a few people who didn’t see me as the bad guy, but there was an overwhelming amount of people who either didn’t like me or didn’t even care about the situation. 

 

It was only a Monday and I had no idea how I was going to survive the rest of the school year. 

 

 

The bell rang signaling the start of class. The teacher explained that today’s assignment would require us to get in groups of two or three, or we could choose to work alone. Great. Looks like I’ll be working alone. I already knew no one would want to choose me, so why get my hopes up?

 

I took out my science book and flipped to the correct page for the assignment. As I began reading the instructions, I was interrupted by an unfamiliar voice. 

 

“Um, excuse me? Can we be partners?”

 

I looked up to see a face I didn’t recognize. It was a guy, a little shorter than myself, with a timid smile on his face. He looked sweet and all, but with the way my day had been going, I didn’t feel like being bothered with anyone. 

 

“No,” I said coldly, turning back to my book. 

 

I didn’t miss the dejected look on the boy’s face. He answered, “O-oh. Sorry to bother you then.”

 

And it was then that I felt like the biggest on the planet. This kid didn’t do anything wrong to me, but I really really really didn’t want to be bothered. However, as annoyed as I was, I shouldn’t have taken my anger out on him. And that lost puppy look on his face did nothing but make me feel even more horrible. 

 

I groaned to myself knowing I was about to go against my own wishes. 

 

The boy was about to turn around when I sighed heavily before saying, “Actually, yes. We can be partners.” Less of a workload for me I suppose. 

 

As soon as I said that, the boy’s disappointed expression turned to one of relief. Did he just really love group work or something?

 

“Ok, great!” He eagerly sat next to me as he pulled out his science book. “I’m new here so when the teacher said we had to partner up, I knew no one would approach me.”

 

New? 

 

“You’re new? As in a transfer student?” He nodded and I continued, “When did you transfer?”

 

“Last week. I’m Jimin by the way. Nice to meet you.”

 

Oh. No wonder I didn’t know him. I wasn’t here at all last week. I was still very skeptical though. The last ‘new’ guy I got involved with, being Ravi, almost ruined my relationship and what’s left of my reputation. So obviously, my guards were already up when it came to this Jimin guy. 

 

However, I decided to still be nice, at least for now. “Nice to meet you too. I’m Taemin.”

 

One of the jocks chose then to pass by our table as he addressed Jimin. “Careful, newbie. You might be the next one accused next of ual assault.” Then a group of his friends laughed as he walked toward the back of the classroom. 

 

I could only roll my eyes at his comment. I would normally tell him to off, but I didn’t even feel he need to. I’d gotten snide comments all day, and his was one of the nicer ones I’d heard. 

 

“Turn to page 536,” I said to Jimin who looked like a deer in headlights. 

 

He took a quick glance toward the back of the classroom before quietly saying, “Um, if you don’t mind me asking, what is he talking about?” 

 

Did he seriously not know? Or did he want me to believe he didn’t know so he could get more information out of me and spread it to his friends? It was hard to tell. 

 

I shrugged. “Just the jocks being again. Nothing new. You’ll get used to it.”

 

“Oh, ok.” He didn’t look too convinced, but thankfully he dropped it. Maybe he didn’t know about my situation. If that’s the case, I’m not going to be the one to tell him about it. 

 

We decided to divide up the work so we could go ahead and get a head start on our sections. I planned on working in silence because I really wasn’t in the mood for small talk, but Jimin was a talker. In the span of five minutes, I found out that he moved here from Busan, he has three dogs, his dad’s a doctor and his mom’s a lawyer, and wants to be a dancer when he grows up. 

 

I continued doing my work, nodding absentmindedly whenever I felt it was appropriate. His rambling was kind of annoying at first because it was hard to concentrate on my work, but it eventually became hard to ignore Jimin’s joy as he talked about his life. He just had this permanent smile on his face that seemed impossible to get rid of. Must be nice to actually love everything about your life, because I can’t relate. 

 

“Anyway,” he said, “Sorry I’m just talking about myself. What about you?”

 

I stopped writing abruptly to look at him. I wanted to avoid talking about myself as much as possible. “What about me?”

 

I guess my tone threw him off a little because he quickly stuttered out an answer, “U-Um, I mean...anything interesting you’d like to share?”

 

Interesting? Interesting like how I have daddy issues, like how my dad has a whole side family, like how I was molested as a child, like how my newest friend tried to take advantage of me, like how my relationship with my boyfriend is unstable, or maybe how I probably ruined my best friend’s career? Oh, I had plenty of interesting stories to tell. 

 

But of course, I couldn’t tell him that. 

 

I wracked my brain for awhile before finally saying, “Well, I’m an only child?” Was that interesting enough?

 

His eyes widened as he gasped, “Really?!” I’m guessing it was interesting to him. 

 

I furrowed my brows. “Yeah? Why is that such a shocker?”

 

“I have four brothers so-“

 

“Four??” Was he serious?

 

“Yeah. Three of them go here actually. The youngest is Jungkook. He’s a freshman. Taehyung’s the second youngest. He’s a sophomore. Then there’s me. One of my older brothers is a senior, Hoseok. My oldest brother is a junior in college, Seokjin. Our parents told us that they wanted kids who were close in age, so every time my mom had one of us, she’d immediately try to get pregnant again. And apparently, it worked,” he ended with a hearty laugh. 

 

I stared back at him in bewilderment. Four brothers plus his parents? That’s a lot of people in one household. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I guess I’m so used to being the only child, I couldn’t imagine having to share my personal space with anyone. I barely wanted to share the living room with Daddy and Jonghyun. 

 

“It’s not as bad as it seems,” said Jimin, probably reading my mind. 

 

“You don’t ever feel like it’s too much going on?”

 

He shook his head no. “Our household is very entertaining. With so many different personalities in one place, there’s never a dull moment. Plus, my brothers and I are super close. It would be weird if we spent more than one day without each other. Oh, you should’ve seen Seokjin the day he left for college. He actually cried!”

 

“Oh, wow. I think I would go insane if I had to deal with that many people at once.”

 

He nodded. “That’s understandable. We’re not the average family. But, you don’t ever get...lonely being at home all by yourself?”

 

Do I ever get lonely? Oh, do I. With Jongin always busy and Minho only coming around whenever he’s free, loneliness is inevitable. But, I didn’t want to go into detail about my life, so I just simply answered, “I like not being bothered.”

 

“Oh, ok. Well, if you ever find yourself bored, you can totally come over my house!.”

 

He’s already inviting me to his house? I just met the kid. Either he’s trying too hard to make a friend or he had other intentions. Either way, it was a red flag for me and instantly soured my mood. 

 

He continued, “I think you’d like my hyungs and little brothers. They’re such nice people. So are my parents. And my dogs!”

 

I turned my attention back to my work as I said, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

A few moments of awkward silence passed before Jimin started talking again. “Hey, are you going to the talent show this weekend?”

 

“Haven’t decided,” I answered flatly as I continued my work. I was starting to get irritated again with all of these questions. 

 

“Oh..well...if you decide to go, I would love to tag along! Events like those are always fun when going with friends.” 

 

Ok that was it. 

 

I gave a straight face before replying, “Look, thanks for trying to be nice and all, but I don’t need any new friends.”

 

“But-“ The sound of the bell ringing cut him off. 

 

“Ok, students we’ll pick back up on the assignment tomorrow. Have a great rest of your day.”

 

I quickly packed up my stuff and stormed off, making note not to look in Jimin’s direction on the way out. 

—

Hello, everyone! I’m back! Long time, no chapter, lol. Long story short, school and life got the best of me. I’m also taking summer classes on top of work and an internship, so I’m not looking forward to the rest of the summer. However, I’m so glad to have had time to FINALLY post a chapter. I missed writing. 

We have a new character alert! Jimin’s one of my faves in BTS, and I just think he’s so precious. My only problem is I’ve never written a story involving BTS, and I’m thinking about giving Jimin a boyfriend, but I have no idea what the popular ships are. So if anyone wants to leave a comment helping me out, I’d appreciate it!

Let me know how you guys felt about the chapter. I’m sorry if things felt a little rushed but I just really wanted to get this chapter out. Thanks for sticking with me so far guys! ^.~