10 months, 10 chances || Minsung

24

It was his first day in the new school, and up until lunch everything went quite well. The only problem that existed until then, was that he didn't know where to sit. He didn't really talk to many people, when he chose where to sit in class it was alone, since he didn't really want to take the risk to burden anyone by his presence. So he also didn't really have anyone to sit with, making him sit alone at a big table.

He started munching his food, only looking at his plate while he stuffed his cheeks.

"Hey, squirrel" a boy hissed, behind him standing five other boys. Jisung looked up quickly swallowing what's left in his mouth because he didn't want to talk to them with his cheeks full of food. He smiled "Hey I'm Jisung, do you wanna have lunch together?"  his voice being friendly and sweet as usual.

The boy scoffed, turning to his friends "did you hear that? He asked us to have lunch with him" but Jisung didn't understand what's wrong about that and he also didn't understand why they laughed about him. In his old school he met his friends like this so why couldn't he ask them to have lunch with him?

"Uh I'm sorry? Did I- did I do something wrong?" Jisung asked quietly to which the boy put his tray on the table with pretty much force. "You're sitting on our table and we wanna have lunch, of course you did something wrong"

But Jisung only got more confused "Your table? But it was free when I came here. Can't we be friends and all sit here?" Making the boy scoff and all of his friends laugh "Oh yes of course we can be friends" he said making Jisung smile but then he continued sarcastically "and later we can all go to the park, have a picnic and feed the ducks hmm?" then Jisung's smile faded "oh"

"Yes 'oh' so fuck off squirrel, we don't want to have anything to do with weirdos like you" and Jisung stood up with teary eyes, searching for another place to sit but the only free space he saw was next to a trash can. Well at least he didn't have to stand.

Since then he just wanted to go home, in the embrace of his mom. He only had to endure two more hours and that's what he was looking forward to, he only needed to think about home and then everything would be good again. So he went into the locker room and put his bag down, ready to change.

Just when he wanted to change his shirt, he got yanked back on it and pushed against the lockers and then an arm, which belongs to the boy he saw earlier, pressed against his throat making him gulp.

"You think you're cool huh? First you try to take away our table and now our place in the locker room? I think you have a lack of manners, didn't your parents raise you properly?" The boy added pressure on his throat "Insu stop don't you think you're going too far? He couldn't know that, he's new here" it was one of the other five boys that's always around Insu.

So he let Jisung's throat free making him cough and then he turned around "Don't you dare to tell me what I can do and what I shouldn't" his voice was loud and intimidating making even his friend take a step back, shooting an apologizing look to Jisung.

Next thing Jisung felt was a fist in his stomach then he gasped because of the pain that radiated around that spot, so he bent over and held his stomach, letting single tears fall.

"Awwwww do you wanna go cry to your mommy?" Insu laughed and Jisung just wanted to turn back time, go into the locker room again but on the opposite of the room.

Just when he finally got home, Sujin went to the door to hug her son, excited to hear how his first day was. But Jisung just started crying and holding onto her.

"I wanna go back to my friends please" he managed to say between sobs, so Sujin just lifted him up stroking over his head "sweetie we can't go back, it's easier for your dad to gain money here and I got a job as well, do you wanna eat ice cream and tell me what happened? Maybe we'll find a solution honey" Jisung just nodded to that so Sujin went to sit him down on their couch and got ice cream from the kitchen.

She sat down next to him pulling him close and when he started eating the ice cream he talked to her about everything that happened, and even though she couldn't do anything it helped him a lot. It became their ritual. And even though the reason as to why they started that ritual wasn't good, it felt like home. It was home.

A home that Jisung couldn't go now anymore. The home he lost years ago, the embrace of Sujin.

So he just cling onto Minho because he was almost as comforting as his mom had been. Minho held him in his arms rocking him back and forth a bit, while Jisung just cried onto his chest with Minho stroking through his hair.

Felix gently touched his arm from time to time to show that they wouldn't leave him, they were worried. But so was Jisung, just for the reason that they would leave him now that they saw. He didn't care that Insu was there and talked to him like that, it hurt him, but the thought that they would be disgusted with him hit harder and all the memories of what Insu did to him got more to him than he thought.

He grabbed Minho's shirt tightly, sobs escaping him making Minho kiss the top of his head "it's okay Jisung you're safe, we won't go away"

It hurt them to see their friend suffer, seeing him sad made them sad as well and if they could take some pain away from him, they wouldn't hesitate.