Whom to love.

3

I flicked the lighter a couple of times until a cloud of smoke came from the joint between my lips.

"Hey." An out of breath Taehyung trotted up behind me.

"Hey."

"That smells... pungent." He said awkwardly as he nodded towards my joint.

I rolled my eyes and giggled. "Pungent?" I questioned his terminology.

"Yeah. It was the best I could describe it. Do you think it's appropriate to smoke weed this close to school?" He asked.

"I don't really care, Taehyung." I said, honestly.

"I think you're cool, you know?" He said in an awkward tone, barely looking at me. I smirked at how much guts he must have had to build up to say that.

"Cool?" I quizzed.

"Yeah, cool. I mean, you're slightly intimidating, but... I like you." His smile was small and he stared at his feet as we walked.

He winced away from the cloud of smoke coming off the joint. "You like me? Like, like me? Or like me?" I smiled as I inhaled the smoke again.

He stammered and his breath shook.

"What... can you repeat that?" He laughed uncomfortably pretending to not understand what I'd asked. I rolled my eyes. "Don't worry, Taehyung."

We walked in silence for a few minutes. I puffed on my joint until I flicked it in the nearest hedge and Taehyung was clearly attempting to compose himself after the anxiety-inducing question.

"So why did you move here?" I asked him.

"Well, I've always lived near, actually. I've just to moved within the catchment area of this school. I had some issues with my mum, I've moved in with my grandparents " He explained.
"What issues?" I pried, gazing at the sky.

"Um... my mum has cancer." It looked like it took him a lot of strength to reveal that to me and I stared at him with a deep sympathy. "She's got hooked on drugs. She's depressed. It was best for me to move in with my grandparents."

His face looked sad.

"I'm sorry." I said and he smiled. "It's fine."

"Do you have siblings?" I questioned him further.

"I have a brother, Jimin. I don't see him often anymore, he's in university. We didn't really get on in the first place though, he's quite different to me." "What's he doing at university?"

"He wants to be a radiologist." Taehyung replied.

"Another doctor? What do you want to specialise in then?"

"I'm not a-hundred percent yet. Maybe an emergency department, that was my first aim. But now maybe maternity."

"Maternity?" I scoffed. "I'm not sure how appealing that'd be." I laughed. "I just think it's kind of... magical." He smiled.

I studied his face and realised he was completely serious and I scoffed.

"Are you always so heartless?" He asked in a curious tone.

"We'll see. See you later, Taehyung." I smiled as I walked off and down the road towards my house.

I threw my school bag carelessly onto the brown and tatty sofa in my living room.

My mum entered behind me with a smile. "Hey. Good first day of A Levels?" She grinned, proudly.

"As good as school ever was." I shrugged and collapsed onto the sofa, pulling The Great Gatsby novel from behind the cushion and flicking to the last page I'd read.

"How's the new boy?" She asked me and I looked up puzzled.

"How do you know the new boy?" I quizzed her back.

"His grandma works in the nursing home with me. You've heard me talk about taeyeon, haven't you?"

"Uh... yeah. Maybe." I responded. "Anyway, he's just moved in with her. He had some bad problems with his mum. His mum is all about the drugs. And he's supposedly lovely. Goodness, from the stories taeyeon told me, he sounds like the nicest boy. His brother is supposedly a bit of a tear away but Taehyung is nothing like him apparently." I nodded along as she spoke, only half listening considering I'd just heard the majority of this information within the same hour.

"You should befriend him. He seems really nice. He seems like he'd be a really good person for you to have around." My mum mused.

"You don't know him." I pointed out, despite knowing her encouragement was most likely correct.

"Well, I like what I've heard." She smiled as she lit a candle on the windowsill.

I attempted to bury my head into the novel when she interrupted me again. "I'm pretty sure there'll be another new boy too. Guess what?" She said.

"Scott's nephew is going to moving in with him. He's your age as well. I'm sure Scott said he was going to be doing A Levels but I can't remember where he said."

Scott was the local coffee shop owner who my mum had befriended.

I nodded along again. "I can't imagine Scott having the authority over a teenager." I scoffed.

"I know. Plus, from what I've heard, he's not the easiest teenager. He's had issues with his mum as well. I don't think he's got the best temperament and I don't think he's involved with the best things. His name is Jungkook. Maybe stay away from that one."