All Grown Up

Fourteen

I shut the door to my car then sighed, staring at the school campus.

"Are you sure you're ready for this, Seungcheol?" Jeonghan asked as he and Jisoo came up to my sides, Jeonghan setting a hand on my arm.

"No." I said and looked at him.

"But I... I need to do this. For-for Chan. He wouldn't want me to sit at his side all the time and let my studies go to shit." I said and Jisoo smiled when I looked at him.

"Then let's do this. But remember what we told you-"

"I know! You're here for me, no matter what!" I smiled and he nodded. I took a deep breath then looked at the school and saw people had begun to notice me, so they were staring. I took another deep breath then gripped my backpack tightly, going towards the athletic building. As I walked, more and more students began to whisper and stare.

"Something's off!" Jeonghan whispered and I snorted.

"Yeah, they're whispering-"

"This is a different flavor of whispering though!" Jisoo cut me off and I frowned, looking over at him.

"Different-"

"Seungcheol!" I looked in front of me then saw Ji Young storming over with a bunch of girls behind her.

"Ji Young-" I was cut off when she slapped me then I took a deep breath, looking at her.

"What the hell?! You've been ghosting me the last week-"

"Because my best fucking friend is in the hospital!" I snapped and she scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You mean that fucking freak Lee Chan?!" She asked and I felt rage building in my stomach.

"Seungcheol!" Jeonghan called me in warning and grabbed my arm.

"You gave him the pills, didn't you?!" I hissed and Ji Young looked like I had just given her a complex math equation.

"What?!" She breathed and I stepped closer, noticing a crowd around us now.

"You gave Chan the pills that he took! You are the one who pushed him to this!" I accused her and she looked flustered, nervously glancing around now.

"I-I never-"

"We know you did!" Jihoon suddenly chimed as the other nine came over and Ji Young glared at Jihoon.

"I wouldn't-"

"You were there the night at the bar!" Vernon scoffed and shook his head.

"You overheard Chan when he confessed that he loves Seungcheol! You recognized Chan probably, right? So you came up with your plan. You go behind Chan, swipe Seungcheol away before Chan can make a move, start dating Cheol before Chan could! Once you got that first date with Cheol, it was easy for you! Pretend you were interested in him, the things he likes, and slither in more!" Vernon explained and Ji Young let out a disbelieving laugh.

"Cheol-"

"Shut up!" I spit and she stepped back, surprised as Mingyu began to talk now.

"Once you were officially dating Seungcheol, it was easy to gain access to the house! To get close to Chan! All you had to do was say you wanted to know Cheol's best friend, right? So you can be friends with his friends. But that wasn't your goal. You got close to Chan to break him!" Mingyu spit and Wonwoo scoffed.

"You found out about his hatred of pain killers, maybe. Or, maybe you didn't, because we know he'd never willingly take those. Not unless he was coerced by someone who is rather manipulative or was forced to take them. Knowing you like we do, I'd say you manipulated him into thinking it was his idea. Or, rather, that the world would be better if he took them? That maybe Seungcheol would be better off if Chan was gone-"

"Bullshit!" I hissed and Jisoo grabbed my arm.

"We know it's not true, Cheol! Don't worry, we all know it's not true!" He soothed and Ji Young went to argue, but two cops showed up and Soonyoung smirked.

"We already took our theories to the cops, Ji Young!"

"With evidence!" Ming Hao said and Ji Young looked up at me, looking desperate.

"Ba-baby-"

"Don't!" I growled and shook my head.

"Now I see why I was even mildly attracted to you!" I said and she pouted.

"You look like my Channie if he had tits!" I softly said, a hint of fondness in my voice now, and I sadly smiled.

"But you'll never be him, Ji Young! The only person who can ever truly hold my heart is Lee Chan, my Channie! He's the one I think of in the morning when I wake up, the one I think of right before I go to sleep, the one I worry about all day long and wonder about between practices and class!" I softly spoke and let out a chuckle.

"Somehow, somewhere, I fell in love with Lee Chan! Maybe it was when I first met the dorky kid who had moved in next door to me in Daegu, or maybe when he ran to me when he was being bullied. Hell, maybe it was when he confessed to me that he's gay! Either way, whenever it was, I'm in love with Lee Chan, Ji Young! And I can only hope he wakes up from the coma you put him in so I can properly tell him!" I sadly smiled and she scoffed as the cops grabbed her, putting her in handcuffs.

"He's a fucking freak! All of you are fucking freaks-"

"Then I guess we're freaks, Ji Young!" I smiled and watched as she was dragged off. When she was gone, I felt my smile deflate as I remembered where Channie was.

"Come on, Seungcheol! Let's get to class, alright?" Jeonghan urged and I nodded, silently walking with him and Jisoo. When we got to my class, they left me and I walked in.

"Seungcheol." I looked at my professor then went over to him and he sighed.

"If you need anything, all of your professors are ready to assist you. And if you need to leave, we'll understand! Don't feel as if you need to force yourself to stay here, okay? Your friend needs you more than your studies!" He explained and I gave him a grateful smile. I nodded then went to my seat, sighing as I began to pull my books out.

"Hey, Choi." I looked at my classmate, a soccer athlete, and he gave me a soft smile.

"I'm really sorry about your boyfriend. I hope he wakes up." He said and I went to correct him, tell him that Chan wasn't my boyfriend, but I stopped. Instead, I gave him a smile and nodded.

"Thank you. I hope so too." I softly said and looked in front of me as class started.