VMIN / THE GUTTER

2

Kim Taehyung is a fashion disaster. That's what Jimin can't help but think everytime he sees him traipsing through the school halls. His cardigan is long and knitted into the colours of a rainbow, reaching his knees that are covered by pinstriped trousers. Everyone's used to his strange style by now — he'd dressed in such a way pre-adolescence, and yet it still surprises Jimin, especially when he sees the makeup on his face; a dusty symmetry of paints kiss his eyelids today, sprouting like elegant butterfly wings. He has peacock feathers upon his cheeks and phoenix flames ornament each crevice of his heaven-sculptured facial features. His eyes are embellished with dark billows of smoke, complimenting the fire glazing his skin, while glitter frolics down his cheekbones.

Jimin immediately looks away as the boy marches past him, with a whiff of smoke, and a faint pounding of David Bowie, blaring from the headphones of his walkman.

"Ready for the big game?" A voice suddenly slams into his head. Jumping back, Jimin meets Yoongi's eyes, and the boy is smirking at him, eyes curled into something catlike, with his graphic tshirt on show, with some cartoon Jimin didn't know, and his thumb stuffed beneath his militant green backpack, which hangs from just one shoulder. At the lack of comprehension on Jimin's face, Yoongi continues, "dude, are you spacing? Basketball. Tonight, man."

"Shit." Jimin suddenly recalls exactly what his friend is referencing and danger snags at him. "Shit." He repeats.

Yoongi doesn't laugh like the younger expects him to, but, merely, his eyes scrape together and his face folds into something of deep concern. "Are you okay, Jimin? It's like you totally vegged out. You're normally so, like, on it."

Jimin knows his answer right away. But, he fights it off, and quickly tells him, "yeah, yeah, I'm fine, I just—" He quickly grabs his biology book from his locker and slams it shut, offering a wince of a smile as he says, "I gotta head to the library, gonna skip first. Gotta cram."

"Wait," Yoongi grasps him by the shoulder and softly says to him, "it's okay to take the day off, you know? The game can wait. I didn't want to say anything, but it has been exactly a year since—"

Jimin quickly flinches away from him, as if burned, and his eyes go wide, his skin scalds, and he shakes his head, telling him, "I'm fine. Just gotta work through it." He smiles, and, forcing his head to remain upright, he quickly paces away from Yoongi's questioning which was filled with lovely intent, diving into the quietude of the library.

However, he does almost completely rethink the decision, as he sees that stupid rainbow cardigan as soon as he enters. The blue-haired boy is leaning over the counter, mindlessly chatting with the librarian. It's a quiet whisper, and it sounds so faintly familiar to Jimin, as if he'd heard the softly concocted voice is some sort of dream.

Quiet as he can, he slips to an empty desk, trying not to be noticed by anyone, and he silently tries to stack various facts into the filing cabinets of his mind, and he feels sick doing it, as if all of it is going to burst right out of his mouth in a terrible regurgitation.

There's only a few days to go before the real exams start. Only a few days to go before he can prove himself worthy enough to leave this school like the scholar he was always destined to be.

His mind throbs as he attempts to relearn everything he can, desperate to not let his grades slip anymore than they currently were. As irritating as it is to admit, Jimin truly hadn't been working at his best, and he won't allow anyone to pity him. He knows what people will say, he knows people will try and make excuses for him, what with it having been exactly a year, but Jimin doesn't want that.

Nothing will affect his grades and hard work.

Nothing.

Not even Kim Taehyung. Said boy is slowly creeping behind a shelf of books. Jimin doesn't mean to see him, but his mind hurts and, as he glances upward, he catches sight of that blue hair disappearing, and, from then, he can't help but wonder what he's up to.