my bestfriend's brother ✔️

15

I glanced at the moving clock for the umpteenth time today. The ticking of round device echoed through my ears, blocking all the other possible sounds. My eyes were trained on my professor as she paced back and fourth with a stick in her hands. Her lips were moving but her voice could never seem to be heard.

I glanced at the silent boy beside me. He was sketching on the back of his notebook, an earphone plugged on his right ear, but by the looks of it, he isn't listening to the songs playing at all. He looked dazed, like he's here but his mind is somewhere else— the place that I've been trying to find for a whole week now. I watched how his forehead creased, his eyes a mixture of pain, disappointment and longing.

When he felt me stare, he turned to glance at me. His face void of any emotions. His lips slightly parted like he wanted to speak and tell me something but couldn't. His adam's apples moved as he gulped, breaking the short staring contest we're in and diverted his attention to the board and made it seem like he was listening and engrossed to the topic. But I know better than to be fooled.

"Tae—"

The bell rang loudly, interrupting me and snapping me out of my thoughts. I tried to continue my sentence but was once again interrupted by our professor, saying we're dismissed. I reached out to hold him by the arm but he was fast enough to stand from his seat, slang his bag against his shoulders and left, not even bothering to wait for me.

I could only sigh, collecting my things and arranged them inside my bag before running after him. He was talking with Irene by the lockers, he was smiling but unlike the usual, it didn't reach his eyes. When our eyes locked for the second time, he stiffened, the smile on his lips faltering as he busied himself by getting his things from his locker.

"Jungkook!" Irene smiled, draping an arm on my shoulders, but tiptoeing because of such height difference. She smiled at me to which I returned it with a soft one. "C'mon let's go, I'm hungry and Yugyeom's already there." she rubbed her stomach and squinted her face in an adorable scowl.

I reached an arm and messed her hair, earning a low cute growl from her. Chuckling, I shrugged her off gently and opened my locker, glancing at the bothered Taehyung briefly before putting my things. The sound of a girl squealing made me turn to see Jiy fanning her face, her cheeks flushed and a huge smile plastered on her face. "Oh my glob!" She squealed in delight, shaking Irene.

"Let me guess, you got an A+ on calculus?" Taehyung raised a brow, a small smile on his lips as he leaned on his locker.

"I did, but it's not that!" She squealed yet again. "Omo, I think I'm gonna die!" she famned her face in a dramatic manner. Irene just raised a brow and shrugged.

"Come on, spill it out." I smiled. Joy just leaped in joy [ lol hahaha ] before squealing for the last time, held on my shoulders firmly before she spoke. "Sungjae oppa asked me out on a date!" She grinned from ear to ear. She had been crushing on that senior for two years now and finally, she's been noticed.

"Omo, congratulations!" Irene squealed along, hugging Joy on the side. Taehyung just grinned, gave Joy a soft pat in the head before heading off to the cafeteria. I sighed, pulling the two girls by the arm and followed suit.

Yugyeom was already on our usual table, eating fries as he stared boredly at everyone that passes by. I headed first to buy some lunch whilst the other three went directly to plopped down on our table, their lunch boxes in hand. When I finished, I sat on the seat opposite to Taehyung, my eyes trained on his rice cakes.

If this were a normal day and there was no tension between us, he would've most likely shoved tons of it in my mouth. Taehyung never liked rice cakes so he feeds half of it to me because his mother would kill him if she finds out his lunch remained untouched. But as for today, he ate them alone, not bothering to offer me one. He looked like he wanted to puke, thus I reached to grab one on my one, casually shoving it my mouth and started to eat my lunch as well.