Of Fake Smiles and Broken Hearts

twenty nine

He couldn't hear anything.

The words spilling from everyone's mouth seems to morph into different languages and all he could ever comprehend are hushed whispers and choked sobs. His eyebrows are scrunched together as he sits on the metallic bench. Everyone is sitting down with blank faces and empty foam cups were left stacked on the space beside them. He had a bruise on his jaw and a few up his chest yet he shook his head and stared past Chanyeol when he offered to treat his cuts. Baekhyun had his head down, tears completely dried by now. He was sitting down at the floor beside the door leading to his best friend's room, holding a cup of coffee that turned cold by the past hours.

"Why did you leave him by himself?" Baekhyun whispers, voice raspy. Several heads look up to him but turned their attention to Jongin when they realized who he was talking to. The younger male didn't answer. He stared at the floor, tracing the lines of his palms absentmindedly.

"I warned you." His voice grew louder, sharper. It echoed through the empty hallways. Chanyeol comes up to him and caresses his back comfortingly. "I fucking warned you, Jongin! I told you to stay away from him."

"It isn't his fault." Sehun counters.

"Shut up." Baekhyun says, eyes brimming with tears. He suddenly stands up and Chanyeol was quick to put himself between the two. Jongin doesn't look up from what he was doing. The brunette hovers in front of him, fists clenched so tight that he dug his fingernails into his own palms. Chanyeol grabs Baekhyun's arm and looks at him, eyes stern and pleading for him to stop. But the older didn't say anything. His eyes are blank, soulless, and unmerciful. It's like he's not himself anymore.

"I told you to stay away from Kyungsoo. Don't you think what you've done is enough already? You kept on hurting him and now he's doing it to himself. Goddamn it, Jongin!"

"Will you fucking shut up?" Sehun yells, face red and veins bulging from his neck. "You said your point and he knows what he did. You don't need to rub it in his face! He gets it, okay? Why do you keep on reminding him everything?"

Baekhyun doesn't answer and continues on looking at the younger with fire in his eyes. "I've forgiven what you did to me in high school. But I won't let you live this down. If something happens to him, I'll fucking kill you."

"What—" Chanyeol interrupts. His voice is low and sounding tired. "You know him since high school?"

"Of course I do." He snaps. His voice was wavering, barely holding on. It's like he's about to burst into flames any minute now. The blonde male stares into his eyes and scrunches his brows together. Baekhyun's rage doesn't seem like it stems just from the frustration he feels whenever he sees Kyungsoo crying because of Jongin—there was something else. Why does he have this grudge against the tanned male? Chanyeol knows that Kyungsoo wasn't just the reason why his lover hates Jongin so much. There's another factor, something that was bugging him so much.

"God, Chanyeol! Don't believe in everything that he says. We all know your boyfriend doesn't like Jongin very much." Sehun says. He brings his hand to shirt and unbuttons the top part. You can tell that he's stressed by the way he looks. Jongin still has his head down. His hands were covering his ears, trying to drown the noise around him.

Stop.

The blonde doesn't listen to Sehun, though he had a point. What if Baekhyun was just making these things up because he hates the tanned male? He clears his throat and repeats his question. "Why do you know Jongin since high school?"