NEPENTHE ━ ❨ 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗅𝗂𝗑 ❩

08. SHATTER ME

TRIGGER WARNING !!
Mentions of su*c*de, assault, and slurs

Now Playing: Global Impact by Philip Ayers

The rays from the sun poured through Felix's blinds, casting streaks of light across Felix's freckled face. He rolled over, wanting more sleep.

"Felix?"

The younger heard Lee Know call his name, he groaned. Just wanting to sleep some more.

"Five more minutes!" Felix hollered out groggily, his head landing back onto his pillow as his eyes slowly closed again.

However, Felix wouldn't get the triumph of rest anytime soon after the sound of knocking on his door woke him back up.

"May I come in?"

Lee Know's voice was heard on the other side of the door, soothing, yet laced with a subtle undertone of concern.

Felix grumbled and in a drowsy tone, he yelled, "Come in."

Without warning, Lee Know opened Felix's door and sat on the younger's bed. "Come on, Felix." he said, gently shaking him. "You have to go to class with me."

"I don't wanna.." Felix whined, placing the pillow over his face. He was dreading the thought of going, he hated going.

"Please?" Lee Know pleaded, "Can you please go with me?" he asked softly.

Despite the older's pleads, Felix still didn't like the idea of going. However, the more he thought on it, he decided that he must go.

"Fine, I'll go." Felix mumbled. "Can you get out so I can change?"

A smile made it's way on Lee Know's face and he nodded, quietly making his way out of the room.

Felix sighed, glancing at the open page of his diary, faintly remembering the entry he wrote in the middle of the night.
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Once Felix arrived in class, he placed his backpack down next to him and examined his surroundings. After he was sure that nobody would bother him, he took his books out to study over.

However, three shadows were casted above him and he heard a familiar voice that made his skin crawl.

"Hey twink~" Cheolmin cooed at Felix teasingly. "What are you up to?"

Felix tensed up, "Leave me alone, Cheolmin." he mumbled.

Another one of the boys — Jihyuk, smirked and snatched a drink from another student's hand. Jihyuk proceeded to pour it on Felix, laughing while the drink soaked into the pages of Felix's study book.

Some students around them were either paying no mind to what was happening, or they had noticed but had chosen not to say anything.

Felix gasped and stood up. "Hey! What–"

While laughing together, Cheolmin placed a finger over the boy's lips. "Hey, you better come to the boys restroom with what I want. Otherwise, it'll be even worse for you, twink."

With that, the three left the classroom while laughing to each other.

Felix sat back in his desk and glanced down at his book, the pages were drenched and he was sopping wet from the drink.

All Felix wanted to do was cry, but he tried to keep it in since, he knew they planned on doing much worse to him.
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"You can never do anything right, can you?"

A harsh slap was struck across Felix's face. The younger placed his hand on his now stinging cheek.

"I told you what I needed, did I not?"

Another harsh slap landed on the boy's face. Now tears were pooling around his eyes. They began to slip down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry.." Felix's voice trembled.

Cheolmin's eyes widened, he gripped the collar of Felix's shirt, staring at him with agonizing severity. He lifted him up and made sure he was shoved against the wall.

"You're sorry huh?" he asked, "You're sorry huh!?" he yelled, punching the younger in the nose.

This action caused Felix to hit his head on the wall harshly. Adding onto this, his nose began to bleed. Felix started to feel dizzy, but before he knew it he was pushed to the ground.

"You worthless faggot." Jihyuk scoffed.

The three men around him began to kick at him violently, watching him curl into a ball to avoid the kicking. However some of them even began press their feet on Felix's stomach and back which the younger knew would leave bruises.

Felix sobbed softly, groans and whines leaving his mouth while he tried to tolerate the assault. Despite how much he was being hurt, he knew he couldn't tell them to stop. They wouldn't listen, and besides they'd probably make it worse.

"You're such a sorry excuse of a human being." Dakho—the final member, spoke.

Cheolmin grabbed Felix by the collar of his shirt again and threw him against the wall, causing the younger to fall to the ground in an almost lifeless manner.

While everything went down, Dokho was recording the whole ordeal making sure to get close-ups of how miserable Felix looked.

"Maybe you'll finally kill yourself when I show the whole school just how much of a pathetic cocksucker you are." Dokho mocked.

"Can't believe you actually like boys, that's so filthy and disgusting." Cheolmin gagged, kicking Felix in the stomach one more time and harshly.

After this encounter, the three men ran off, and left Felix to cry in the boys bathroom.
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"Has anybody seen Felix?" Lee Know asked.

Everyone in Felix's class were shaking their heads. Lee Know rushed out of the room and stopped in his tracks when he noticed the three men laughing and heading towards the class while watching something.

"Have any of you seen Felix? You know, lavender hair, brown eyes, lots of freckles on his face?" Lee Know question, a look of concern on his face. He was clearly panicking.

The three men shook their heads, and swept past Lee Know. Lee Know sighed and glanced down, the last place he could possibly look was back at home.
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Lee Know pulled into the driveway and upon getting out his keys to unlock the front door, noticed that the front door was already unlocked.

The older carefully turned the knob and walked inside.

"Felix?" he called out. There was no answer.

He decided to head towards Felix's room. However, he noticed something on the floor. Tiny red dots on the ground, he didn't wanna assume the worst. Although, a feeling of urgency sparked inside him and he quickly rushed to Felix's door.

Lee Know carefully and slowly opened Felix's door. Instead of being met with a gruesome scene, he was met with the scene of bruises in the shape of shoes on Felix's back. The older immediately but quietly closed the door without notice.

He stumbled back trying to wrap his head around the situation.

Then it clicked.

Lee Know now realized that Felix didn't want to go to classes because he was getting bullied.