The Good Kind Of Butterflies | Hold

11| A Shot In The Dark

Jungkook wrenches the door open, tossing his backpack aside on the desk and heading straight to change out of the day's jeans into a more comfortable set of sweatpants and a shirt. He flopped on to his unmade bed, he needed a shower and get on with his paper, but something was holding him back. There was this persistent ache in his chest that had been bothering him all day. He felt worn out; too worn out— having to had endured back-to-back lectures and assignments. Not to mention about the fuss with his friends during lunch.

"Something's definitely wrong with you," Lisa had said, her eyes narrowing with concern.

"What's wrong with me?" Jungkook had paused mid-movement, brows furrowing as he glanced at his friends, an annoyed expression already crossing his face.

"Yep, it's obvious," Yugyeom had agreed, lifting his gaze from his lunch to meet Jungkook's.

"What's obvious? What the fuck are you guys on about?" Jungkook had snapped, oblivious to the sharpness in his tone.

"You look like you're on edge this whole week," Lisa had said gently, her concern deepening. "If you wanna talk, you know we're here to listen, right?"

Yugyeom had nodded in agreement, his eyes never leaving Jungkook's face.

"I'm fine, really," Jungkook had laughed, trying to reassure them, but Yugyeom hadn't seemed convinced. He leaned in, examining Jungkook's face closely as if to capture any twitch in Jungkook's expression.

"Is it about that Taehyung guy?" Yugyeom had asked. "Did he give you that?" his gaze lowered to Jungkook's bruised lip. Jungkook's hand had flown to the split, feeling the crusted skin under his fingertips.

"It's not him. I ran into a pole," Jungkook had lied, hating the bitter taste left on his tongue.

"Uh huh..." Yugyeom had not bought that bullshit, and Jungkook had known it. But he had just shrugged it off. "Okay."

The look on Yugyeom's face had made it evident that he knew Jungkook was lying. Lisa probably knew too. The guilt of lying to his friends had gnawed at him, but he had been thankful they hadn't pushed it any further. They had spent the rest of the lunch break in a tense, uncomfortable silence.

_____

Now, alone in his room, Jungkook let out a sigh, the weight of the day heavy on his shoulders. The events replayed in his mind, the stupid lie, the concern in his friends' eyes, and the ache in his chest that refused to go away. He rubbed at his temples, trying to dispel the growing headache. To be honest, Jungkook didn't know how to explain his feeling. He didn't even fully understand it himself. He turned to his side, glancing at his lying reflection in the mirror, eyes gracing the line of the split on his lip. For a second, the memory of Taehyung's punch and the latter's tearful expression flashed in his mind. Taehyung's been avoiding him for the past week, the tension between them added not only physical pain, but also the emotional turmoil it had caused. He let out a deep sigh, he need a distraction. Jungkook stood up from his bed. Maybe a drink would help clear his head. Faint laughter echoed through the hallway as Jungkook entered the kitchen, he was welcomed by the familiar aroma of pizza. Taemin was slicing a pizza, whistling at how cheese oozed from it, while Jimin stood at the counter top, giggling at the older's expression.

"Oh, hey Kook" Taemin glanced up at Jungkook. "Want some? We just got it"

Jungkook managed a small smile. The kind of distraction Jungkook needed at the moment.

Jungkook took his first bite, the flavors momentarily distracting him from the recent turmoil. Though the moment short lived as Taehyung walked into the kitchen, hair still wet and a towel draped over his shoulder, only hearing a lose white and yellow T-shirt paired with black short.