Jisung walks into his math classroom. He hands his teacher the late pass, noticing the worried glance his teacher gave him. He ignored it. He knew what he looked like.
Vibrant red tears stains. Bloodshot eyes. Pale face opposing his flushed cheeks. Overly bitten lips. A faint bruise swelling on his cheek.
The only thing they couldn't see was his fucked up throat. His vocal cords were worn. Every time he swallowed, it felt like nails.
He walks down the isle passing a few friends. Some glance at him, others continue doing their work. He gets to his shared table, his closest friends sitting there. They look at him, wanting to ask.
"Ji... what happened?"
Jisung gets out his notebook, going to the online assignment that was posted.
There were no more questions after that.
Felix wanted so badly to touch him, to hug him. He was afraid he'd get pushed away or ignored. He didn't want to make it worse.
The other two who sat behind him talked amongst themselves. They contemplated what the problem was. Family? Stress? Friends?
When the bell rang, Jisung quietly packed this things away. He stood, waiting for Felix. Usually, if he was pissed off, he'd leave by himself. That confirmed that he was just upset, sad. But why? What happened? It was only nine in the morning.
"Jisung, if you wanna talk, we can go somewhere private," Hyunjin offers, setting a gentle hand on his shoulder.
Jisung doesn't look at him. He keeps his head down, shaking it just barely. He bit the inside of his lip, swallowing hard.
"Okay. Seung and I will be in the library then. If you need to talk, we're always here. Felix, too."
And just like that, Jisung bolts out of the room while Felix was still putting his notebook away.
"Gosh... something bad must've really happened..." The eldest of the group says, scratching the back of his neck. The three of them walk out, partially searching for the boy. If he didn't want to be found, they wouldn't bother him. But they wanted to know if he was safe and didn't run out of the school.
-
Jisung sits on the bench next to the front doors of the school. He was still inside. It was lunchtime, but he wasn't hungry. His appetite wouldn't be with him for the next few days, nor would his mind.
"Sung, you okay?" Minho comes over, frowning at his monotone expression.
Jisung parts his lips, searching for the right words. He glares down at the floor, and then shuts his mouth. He didn't even know where to begin. Minho knew everything about him. He wouldn't be surprised at this new information, but somehow, Jisung still was.
"That's okay. I'll just sit with you. Here, you need to eat." Minho holds out a piece of bread, forcing the younger to take it. Jisung takes small bites.
He could barely eat half until he reached over and set the bread back onto Minho's plate.
"We..." his voice was fucked up. It hurt to talk so bad. The cords rubbed together, aching his throat. "We got attacked this morning." He cringes at how he sounds, rubbing his throat.
Minho looks at him, a soft, pitiful expression came upon his face. "I'm assuming she didn't come to school then?"
Jisung shakes his head.
"Drink some water." Minho holds up a bottle, unscrewing the lid and giving it to him.
Because Jisung lived in such a rough town, there were gangs around. Jisung and his sister were walking to school when they got cornered. Jisung was screaming at them, but they held him back as they roughed up his sister. His sister may be older than him, but that doesn't change anything.
"Dropped her off at grandma's."
He carried her on his back for a few blocks to their grandmother's house. The old lady knew how to take care of such wounds since she used to be a nurse. His grandma forced him to go to school, knowing his parents would be upset otherwise.
"She'll be okay. She's strong. She just needs some rest. Don't worry too much. Heemin is a warrior. A lion."
Jisung smiled at the metaphor. Minho was right; she was a lion. Too bad he, himself, was just a caregiver. The lamb. If he was better, he could've saved her some bruises and cuts.
"I'll drive you home today. You shouldn't be walking alone. I'll drive you both the rest of the week too, just so those assholes will stay off of your back."
"Thanks."
•How was this?•
