In the dark

61

"The audacity!" Peri shouted in her room as she paced. "AMBUSHED AGAIN!" Peri screamed louder so they could hear her from wherever the seven of them were in the apartment. 

"Does she really think that?" Jimin whispered from the couch.

"Leave her be. She's just angry. She'll cool off," Hobi responded to Jimin, who was sitting next to him on the couch. He leaned over and gave him a small tap on the knee. 

"I should go talk to her." Jimin had been feeling sheepish since their conversation at the dinner table. He meant nothing by what he said. They only wanted the best for Peri, as Yoongi told her. Unfortunately, Peri had taken his words the wrong way and triggered something inside her to make her explode. 

"No good will come of it if you try to go in there. If any of us try to go in there," Jin stated. Jin walked over to Jimin and gave him a pat on the shoulders before picking up a game controller and sitting on a free spot on the couch. 

"At least she's not throwing things anymore." Tae looked down the hall weary. He thought he might have jinxed it. He was waiting for Peri to come shooting out of the bedroom once more with a variety of clothing and accessories they had given her. 

"That temper of hers is worst than any of ours. Combined. Who throws a shoe?" Hobi commented. Unlike the others, who seemed more worried for Peri, he was annoyed. Her temper was always sitting on a frayed line. She could snap easily if the wrong pressure were used. Instead of talking about what is bothering her, Peri chose to act out on it. Hobi was not in the mood for her childish antics tonight. 

"I was still my fault," Jimin pouted. Guilt was starting to rise from his gut. 

"It's not your fault, Jimin. This one is on her. She needs to come to you and apologize." Namjoon had been sitting on the living room floor with a book in his hands, listening to the group conversation. Namjoon was true to his words. It was not Jimin's fault, and he needed to know that. 

Peri stopped her pacing when she felt the pain ping in her chest. When she closed her eyes, she immediately saw Jimin looking troubled. She ran to the door and opened it. She could make out some of the men lingering around in the living room from her position. As quickly as she opened the door, she shut it with a huff. 

"I think she felt you." Tae approached Jimin on the couch and wedged his body next to his so he could wrap him up in Tae's signature warm hug. 

"No! No! He should feel bad! This is his fault!" Peri stepped away from the door, trying to gain as much distance as possible. The pain in her chest only increased with each backward step. "He called me a mooch! He's just like my fath-"

The back of Peri's legs hit the bed, and her butt came crashing down on the mattress. "My father." There was the root of her anger. He was the plague-infested seed that was planted within her long ago. He was the one who used to scream at her and call her names such as mooch, leech, and sycophant. Whenever Peri's father would blow off the handle, he always took it out on her. No matter the cause, it was always Peri's fault. Now, Peri had done the same to them. "Like father, like daughter," Peri whispered as she rubbed the tips of her fingers across her brow bone onto her temples, trying to ease the headache that was forming. 

Peri could only think about one thing now. It wasn't Jimin's or any of them's fault. It was Peri's and Peri's alone. She was the cause of his pain. She had done this. Peri was going to have to fix it. She would start with Jimin. He needed her apology the most. Then she would go to the rest. 

Peri crept open the door slowly, peeking her head out for inspection. Her eyes widened when she saw the carnage she had left behind. The boys made no attempt to pick up the clothes and shoes splayed across the floor. It was Peri's mess, and she needed to clean it up. She'll start there, then find Jimin.