[CONTENTID1] Fourteen [/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]

"Shouldn't it be the duty of your 'boyfriend' to carry all this crap for you?" Yoongi groans as he pulls the stack of heavy textbooks out of your arms.

"Namjoon's busy… And I can carry them myself," you insist, trying to grab them back.

"Sure you can," the ice mage snorts, "You're so out of shape that it frightens me."

"What? No way!" You exclaim, "I'm stronger than I look!" But in your struggle to yank the books back, one of them goes flying. Both of you freeze in the hallway when it almost hits a girl exiting from your astronomy class. It lands at her feet.

Sooyoung jumps back in surprise, then looks up at the perpetrator. Her face darkens at the sight of you. Then, she steps over the book and marches down the hall without a second glance.

You feel the blood drain out of your face as you stare after your former best friend.

"Come on, let's just go," Yoongi coaxes, quickly collecting your book and ushering you down the hall in the opposite direction. You numbly follow him.

The two of you are quiet for a few moments, and you can sense Yoongi struggling with the words to say to comfort you. This has never been exactly his forte, and the silence stretches.

Luckily, a loud voice breaks the tension, "Noona!"

Unsure of who the voice is addressing, you ignore it and continue walking. But then, someone abruptly slams into your back, nearly toppling you over from the force of the hug. You don't need to turn around to recognize the strong arms around your waist.

"Jungkook! What are you doing here?" you hiss at him, embarrassed by the attention you're attracting in the busy hallway.

"I came to see you, of course," he says, nuzzling his face in your hair.

Your face reddens when you notice people whispering and pointing at you two, "When did you even get out of the hospital? And why are you in the college building?"

"Because you're here."

You try not to let his innocent words affect you, but soon your face grows hot enough to emit its own heat, "Stop it!" You hiss at him, swatting his hands off of you. Jungkook laughingly relents, pulling away to drape an arm across your shoulders instead.

Yoongi rolls his eyes at this spectacle, "Great. You can carry all her books instead," he says, unloading the heavy stack in the younger boy's arms, "I'll see you kids later."

"Wait, oppa!" You call after him in dismay, "Where are you going?"

But he only waves a hand at you before disappearing in the crowd. Jungkook barely notices, "Noona, have you been eating well? You look thinner."

"I've been fine. But what about you? You've been—"

"Soulsucker freak," someone whispers to you in the hall, setting off a chorus of giggles.

You wince, but ignore it, "You've been in the—"

"What the hell was that?" Jungkook interrupts, his mouth twisting into a snarl, "Who the hell just said that?" He yells down the hall, "Come back, you coward, and fight me!"

"Stop it Jungkook," your eyes widen in alarm when his hands suddenly burst into flame.

He turns to you in incredulity, "Did you not just hear what they said about you?"

"Yes, but—"

"They're not getting away with saying that about my friend," he growls, lurching towards them again.

"Wait, Jungkook!" You exclaim, launching yourself at him and grabbing him tightly around the waist, "They're not worth it. Just let it go."

The feeling of you pressed up against him mollifies his anger. Jungkook sighs heavily, "How long has this been going on for?"

You bite down on your lip, not wanting to lie to him, "Since the accident," You admit, "But don't worry about it! I'm used to it by now." You pull away to smile at him.

"How can you be used to such hateful idiots?" He marvels.

"Because they don't matter to me," you say, soothingly massaging the tense muscles in his arms until he finally extinguishes the fire in each palm, "I only care about what you think about me."

Jungkook turns to look at you, "I think you're so brave… and also so stupid," he sighs, "Noona, if anyone ever bothers you again, let me know, alright?"

You laugh and try to brush it off, "Geez, Jungkookie-ah. It's strange to see you so serious."

"But I am serious. I'd do anything for you."

You swallow the lump in your throat and duck your head to hide the shine in your eyes. It's the first time anyone's ever said anything like that to you before… and meant it.

"Come on, we'll be late to class," you change the subject, offering him a tight-lipped smile before dragging him down the hall.

When the bell sounds for the lunch break, cold dread fills your chest. You haven't eaten all day, and your stomach rumbles at the thought of food, but you'd rather starve than to eat another meal in the bathroom by yourself. You think about skipping this meal and just hiding in the library again. But you know that Jungkook would scold you for losing any more weight, and you don't want him to worry. So you take a deep breath for courage, then make your way down the stairs to the cafeteria.

You have your thick, knitted scarf wrapped tightly around your neck and mouth, a bit exorbitant for the not-quite winter weather, but it offers you a bit of the anonymity you crave these days. Though not enough. No matter how you try to disguise yourself, Sooyoung and the other girls can easily pick you out from a crowd. You make the mistake of accidentally glancing over at their table, and they stiffen at once, casting suspicious glares in your direction.

Your heart sinks. This was a terrible mistake. Ignoring the protests of your stomach, you turn to run for it. But before you can make it out the door, someone grabs you around the middle. You look up to find yourself in Jungkook's grasp for the second time that day.

"Whoa, noona, where are you going?"

"I-I'm not that hungry," you lie.

He narro