Ch.11
Knowing that Jungkook was on the path to recovery let you sleep peacefully last night. It made you extremely proud that he was trying. You were also worried for when he told you what the boys were doing. They were trying to reduce the amount Jungkook took in for his safety and then completely take it away, so he doesn't deal with strong withdrawals. The thing was, they were doing it at a quicker pace that it did cause Jungkook to have some problems. He's been pushing through, but it's still painful to see. Jungkook was texting you in the morning. Namjoon made him write a list of reasons not to do steroids and Jungkook decided to send it to you as a reminder. Some of his reasons were sweet and some were a little silly. Anything to keep him off steroids.
The first reason was that it angered his hyungs and caused issues in the gang. The second reason was because he didn't want to make you worry or hurt you again. The third reason was because he wanted clear skin. The acne was symptom as well as the yellowish skin that made him look sick. Jungkook wrote a long paragraph about how he does care for his looks a bit. The fourth reason was because he wanted genuine and healthy muscles. He used to be an athlete and worked out to form any new muscles. He wanted to get back on track with that instead of using a cheap way. The fifth reason was that he didn't want to remain addicted to something forever. Jungkook didn't like feeling useless unless he took the drug. These were all valid reasons and you knew he would keep his promise to become clean.
Mr. Pyo's class went a lot differently than you had thought it would today. Jungkook showed up to school despite dealing with some intense withdrawals. You immediately scolded Taehyung, questioning why his tapering process wasn't working. What Jungkook didn't tell you was that he was one of the main reasons the process was going quicker than it should. He wanted to be clean already for you. Shaking your head, you watched as poor Jungkook slouched over in his seat. He was so tired, and he obviously wasn't doing so well. Taehyung told you that he had spent most of the night in the warehouse throwing up. In the morning, Jungkook didn't feel like eating but Seokjin made him eat toast anyway.
Jungkook was giving Taehyung a cold stare for revealing all this information. He most likely didn't want you to know he was struggling so much. You wanted to let him know that it was okay. He didn't always have to be strong in front of you. If ever he felt like he was vulnerable, you wanted him to know he was safe to be that way around you. Mr. Pyo kept glancing over at Jungkook who was sweating buckets. The brunette was getting chills and his stomach wasn't handling the breakfast very well. Finally, Mr. Pyo brought it up.
"Jeon Jungkook, are you okay?" He closed his book.
"Agh...yeah, I'm f-fine." Jungkook gave a weak smile.
"No, you're not." You sighed as Taehyung shot up from his desk. He raised his hand straight in the air.
"Mr. Pyo! I can take him to the nurse." Taehyung grinned. Mr. Pyo lowered down his glasses to look the energetic boy in the eyes.
"Kwon (F/n), help Jungkook to the nurse," He said as Taehyung fell to his seat with a pout.
Getting up from your seat, you wrapped Jungkook's arm around your shoulder to help lift him up. He originally was resisting, shaking his head, and even tried smacking your hands away. All his attempts were futile in the end. The withdrawals made him weak, so he had to suck it up. The two of you left the classroom and made a slow journey to the nurse's office. The hallways were long and empty. Each foot step seemed to echo. Then there was the occasional shout in the classrooms from disruptive students. Jungkook clutched onto you as you were about to open the nurse's door.
"Don't open the door." He panted.
"Why? You need help." You frowned, pushing away some of his damp bangs that had gotten stuck to his forehead.
"So what?" Jungkook scoffed. "The nurse might call an ambulance if s-she thinks I need emergency help. I'll get caught."
"Dang it. You're right." You sighed, looking around the hall. "You know what? We're going to the bathroom instead."
He didn't protest to your next attempt. Jungkook may not get to rest on a bed, but he will be able to freely throw up. With all your strength, you helped bring Jungkook to a bathroom at the end of the hallway. No one was inside it which let you breathe calmly. You did have to enter the boy's bathroom after all. If a boy saw you then that would not end well for you. Plus, they would see Jungkook close to throwing up. Too many 'if' situations that you didn't have time for. Pushing open a stall, you watched as Jungkook crawled to the toilet seat and relieved himself. You looked away to give him some privacy.
As Jungkook breathed heavily over the toilet bowl, you rubbed his back in comfort. You were going to speak until you heard footsteps coming down from the hall. The door swung open and by that time you were hiding in a stall. Your heart was pounding as they walked in. Why do you always have horrible experiences in restrooms? This time, you closed the stall door all the way and had your feet pressing against it in case they tried opening it. You were not going to get caught! Poor Jungkook remained on the dirty floor, continuing to vomit all he had left.
"Drink this," A familiar voice spoke. You looked through the cracks of the stall, but still couldn't identify who it was. They were wearing their uniform but that wasn't really helpful. You listened in to their conversation intently. Jungkook seemed familiar with them.
He turned to them without panic. Whatever the male gave Jungkook, he was drinking it like his life depended on it. All you could hear was how Jungkook was swallowing it. That's when you lowered your feet onto the floor. Maybe they were a gang member? That meant you could show your face to them and give them a small explanation on why you were in here. As you reached to open the stall door, it was suddenly slammed open. Before you could let out a shriek of panic, they covered your mouth and tugged your body out of the stall. Jungkook watched with a frown on his face as you panicked in the hands of your captor. You were struggling in their arms until you saw who it was in the mirror.
"Yoongi, let her go," Jungkook requested. With a sigh, Yoongi released you from his arms. What the hell was his deal!?
"Why would you do that?" You whisper yelled.
"That was a stupid place to hide in the first place." Yoongi narrowed his eyes on you. It only made you grow more frustrated with him. Like you had time to find the perfect hiding spot! There's only one entrance and exit in a bathroom. This place leaves you like a sitting duck!
"Why are you even here?" You asked, trying not to start a fight. Even if he treats you badly, you're going to try your best to not give him a reason to hate you.
"Taehyung texted me. I can help Jungkook-a from here. You can go back to class." Yoongi handed Jungkook a second water bottle. You stared at them in silence with pursed lips. You didn't want to leave yet. Jungkook probably trusted Yoongi a lot, but you still felt like you weren't finished. It wasn't clear what you wanted to prove though you knew you wanted Yoongi to have at least some basic respect for you. Yoongi bent down to help Jungkook before looking up at you with acrimony. "Are you going?"
"I will. But why'd you show up?" You crossed your arms. He let out an exasperated sigh and big eye roll at your question.
"Are you really doing this right now? Jungkook feels like sh*t." Yoongi scoffed, making you feel once again like a terrible person. It was selfish of you to act like this. He was rude, but he was right. "Look, it doesn't matter if I skip classes. You should go back, or your teacher will think you ditched."
"Okay..." You quickly bent down to squeeze Jungkook's shoulder. He grabbed your hand as you stood up and squeezed it. By the time lunch comes, you hope his withdrawals calm down. It wasn't pleasant to imagine him not eating all day due to his sickness. "Don't skip class too much." You warned Yoongi to hear him chuckle in response.
"Whatever. Go back now." Yoongi glanced up at you with a tiny smirk. You nodded your head as you turned around, grabbing the handle of the bathroom door. "Before your classmates start thinking you're doing something else." What does that mean? Looking at him over your shoulder, you slowly opened your mouth before words came out.
"What?"
"Just go, (F/n). I-I'll be fine." Jungkook clenched his hands into fists, scrunching his face. He was trying so hard to ignore the pain. He was toughening it out until you left. Muttering an 'okay', you left the bathroom without a single word.
Another encounter with Yoongi that didn't go well. Why do you even bother anymore? Plus, Jungkook was literally vomiting his entire breakfast. Yoongi seemed to have a talent in making you realize your negative qualities. It was hard to even think about it without repeatedly thinking how selfish you are. You wanted to say how you could be having the best day ever and Yoongi had the potential to destroy it by saying one word. He knew how to twist up your thoughts and make you feel awful. Or was it all just in your head. But what did he mean by 'Before your classmates start thinking you're doing something else'? Who cares! You're not going to dwell on that any longer.
Taehyung was happy when you returned to math class. My. Pyo didn't say a word and students didn't stare at you with suspicion. Class went by quickly which was a perk. You wanted to see Jungkook, but Taehyung told you to just go to physical education class. Automatically, you disagreed but Jimin showed up out of nowhere. He was worried for Jungkook too but wanted to go to the next class together. It was hard to deny Jimin. He had a good pout and cute puppy eyes that made you feel guilty. Then seeing his happy smile when you said you'll go with him also feels rewarding. Gosh, he knows how to play you.
There was a part of you that felt Taehyung told Jimin to beg. It worked in their favor if that's what they did. Either way, Jimin and you went to Ms. Lee's class. She had everyone do any sport of their choosing. Today's class was very relaxed for some reason. Jimin and you decided to play tennis. He told you how Hoseok was good at this sport and even did a few dance moves. He did well in distracting your mind, but you were still constantly thinking about Jungkook. It wouldn't be until he was better that you wouldn't worry so much. Class eventually ended, and you had a lot of hopes for lunch. Jungkook should be better by now! That was the goal at least.
Jimin and you walked over to the cafeteria. He walked towards the door that led to the outside where the gang ate. He patiently waited for you as you went in the lunch line to get your own food. All the members were already outside. They were waiting for you to come on over. Yoongi didn't care, but you were happy with the other members. Jungkook even looked better. Today's lunch was placed on your plate. Leaving the line to go outside, you gave Jimin a smile as he opened the door wider for you. It was still more than ten feet away, but you were on your way. Jungkook shouted out your name in delight and you gave him a bigger smile. Unexpectedly, a girl blocked your path with a milk carton in her hand. Opening your mouth to ask her if she needed anything, you were then drenched by her milk. She held it over your head and dumped your tray while she was at it.
"Oh my God." You gasped, feeling the cold liquid sink into your clothes and travel into uncomfortable places.
"(F/n)!" You heard almost all the boys shout your name in shock.
"Stay away from Jungkook!" The girl in front of you screamed.
"W-What?" You wiped the milk away from your eyes. It was her. The small girl who had seen Jungkook holding you. She had the wrong idea. Oh no. Lifting up the soaked strands of hair away from your face, you stared at her with big eyes. Her hand was crushing the carton and she was ready to do more damage. "Jungkook and I are just friendsâ"
"Yeah right!" She threw the carton at your face. You flinched as it hit you, wondering what the hell you should do. The members behind her were slowly standing up. Yoongi was raising a brow at the scene and Jimin was telling everyone to get up. "I saw you two hugging! Not to mention you're their slut. How could you date Jungkook if you don't devote yourself to him? Instead you give yourself out to all his friends!"
"You're stupid if you think those rumors are true." You spat the milk dripping down to your mouth onto her face.
People who were already seeing this were making 'ooh's. She wasn't drenched in milk like you, but you doubt that she enjoyed having the milk you spit out on her face. She scoffed before it switched into laughter. All the members by now were looking at each other in confusion. Taehyung didn't move his head but gave you a frown. He knew the rumor, but everyone else was clueless. Yoongi wasn't getting himself involved in your problems. Students in the cafeteria were getting out of their seats now to see the commotion. This was going to be annoying. The small girl only smiled as people created a crowd around the two of you.
Her friends were watching, cheering her on. This was ridiculous. They had everything wrong. What was more frustrating was her friends encouraging her behavior. Granted, the members didn't tell you to spit on her. You just felt like it. When her friends were cheering her on, you heard her name was Jandi. Jimin called your name out and told you not to fight. That was the plan. Nodding your head at him, you noticed Jungkook standing up straight and watching the scene in confusion. He was no longer bending over in pain. He looked much better now like you had hoped. Smiling at him, Jungkook told you to just ignore everything and eat with them. That sounded a lot better than dealing with this. Taking a step away from the 'fight', Jandi's eyes widened at your interaction with Jungkook.
"No!" She grabbed your wrist and pulled you back. You were thrown off balance and you tried your hardest to have stable ground. With your luck, you slipped on the food that had been knocked off your tray. "It's not fair!" She cried out as you groaned in pain. Fair? When did you deserve to get hurt like this? Just because of some stupid rumor and because she saw Jungkook and you together?
"We're just friends!" You kicked her legs, making her fall flat on her face. The gang didn't know how to react. Before they could say anything to stop you, students blocked their path to you to get a better view of the battle. Jandi pushed herself up from the ground with a scowl.
"I don't believe that! Just look at you and Jimin!" She screeched. Sighing heavily, you just had to roll your eyes. Normally, you wouldn't be one for fights but you were so tired of this. "There's no way Jimin and you are just friends too with the way you guys act like together!"
"It's called having multiple friends!" You shouted as she crawled over to you to pull your hair. Gritting your teeth at the pain, you grabbed onto her wrists and pulled them off. You knew she wasn't going to quit now until she got what she wanted. She wanted to scare you off away from Jungkook, so she could have him. Too bad. Jungkook would never be into a crazy girl like her.
With her hands out of your hair, you kicked her chest back. She fell onto the floor one again and people were growing excited with the fight. Jandi got up again and this time she slapped you in the face. Tears were in her eyes as she made her last attempts to 'win' Jungkook. You didn't want to fight but here goes nothing. Sorry, Jimin. You looked back to Jandi with a poisonous glare. Before she could do anything else, you punched her in the face. Students in the crowd started picking sides and shouting names. You stood up, looking down at her as her shaky hand was brought up to her nose. It was hard to believe you did that. Once she stared at the blood on her hands, she bounced up with you.
"Little b*tch!" Jandi threw herself at you, leaving the two of you flying five feet away from where you were originally standing. Wincing from the land, you pushed her off of you. She tried scratching at you, but you gripped a handful of her hair to smash her head against the floor.
"(F/n)!" Namjoon pushed himself through the crowd, the members following after. Seokjin ran straight towards you, lifting you up from the ground to take you away from Jandi. Panting in his arms, you felt like a wild animal. It was hard to process what you had just done. Why did you do that? Taehyung and Hoseok were telling people to get lost meanwhile Jimin helped Jungkook stay standing. He was still feeling fatigued. Jandi looked up to Jungkook with big eyes, a tear stained face, and blood running down her nose.
"Jungkook oppa!" Jandi's bottom lip quivered. Jungkook made a face, clearly not enjoying what she had called him.
"No. Don't call me that. (F/n) is our friend," Jungkook stated. "Don't spread lies about her."
Smiling at Jungkook, you were happy that he was defending you. Jimin backed up Jungkook and eventually all the members were shouting in the cafeteria that you were their friend. Seokjin was still holding you as he shouted at the top of his lungs. It made you laugh and feel good. Yoongi stepped into the cafeteria with a sigh. He didn't care for the fight that just happened. He did give you a glance, seeing how you were sticky from the milk and your dirty uniform. He laughed and stayed out of it. Jandi stood up and ran away in embarrassment. She was loudly crying while you let out a heavy sigh. Finally, that was over with. Thanking Seokjin for holding you back, the rest of the boys gave you a comforting smile.
A teacher did come by, asking for what had just happened. The cafeteria became dead silent, but you admitted the truth. The members were so surprised that you came forward like that. You explained what had happened, even stating that you were defending yourself. Fortunately, they didn't call the head master down and were happy someone told the truth. It must not be common at this school. The teacher did give you a warning, but you felt like you were safe. That was such a close call. Maybe you actually are a bit lucky.
School was eventful yet another day. Jimin brought you to the girls' changing room and waited outside like a body guard. You washed up inside and wore your physical education clothes for the rest of the day. All the members kept a watchful eye on you besides Yoongi of course. He kept laughing at the memory of you soaked in milk. How sweet is he? You made sure to ask Jungkook how he was feeling. For some reason he tried apologizing to you for what that girl had done. Sure, she was crazy over him, but it was not his fault. It was okay, and he didn't have to worry about it.
Seokjin drove you home and dropped you off. The first years waved goodbye at you and loudly parted with you. The elder members were quieter as you walked up the tiny stairs. They started driving away when the clothes line began blocking you. Well, hopefully tomorrow will be better. Opening the front door, you gave it a little push to actually open wide. Before you could even take a single step inside, you saw your sister sitting down at the kitchen table. Her foot was tapping the ground rapidly and she only ever did that when she was upset. Why was she here? She should be going to work right now.
"Unnie?" You slowly closed the door behind you as she raised her head. She narrowed her eyes on you with no mercy.
"Why did I get a call from the school that you were in a fight?"