Badminton Star Catches The Snail

Chapter 2

Yoongi called in sick to school on the next Tuesday, missing not only a chemistry quiz but also one of his days in the library. He had laid in bed the entire day with a cold, and even when he came to school on Wednesday, he still was coughing heavily, wearing a white face mask. Taehyung was waiting for him at the entrance to the library, and he looked worried.

"Give me your phone," Taehyung said, holding out his hand. He had really long, beautiful fingers that curled around the tiny phone like it was miniaturized. Yoongi watched him suspiciously until he handed it back, and the elder could see that he'd put his phone number in, leaving the contact name blank with the cursor still blinking on it. Yoongi typed in 'Tae' without thinking too much on it and slipped it back into his pocket.

"I didn't like not knowing where you were. So tell me if you're not coming to the library. I'll text you my badminton practice times, too."

Yoongi narrowed his eyes at the younger, glaring up at him. "No one asked you for it." That now familiar surge of answer swelled up in his chest, sending little flames of heat licking at his every limb from the inside out. Why was he suddenly so irritated at Kim Taehyung, who hadn't said anything wrong? He didn't know. But his own bad mood combined with his shame, and he shoved his way past the younger student, determined not to speak or even look at him for the rest of the afternoon. Taehyung seemed to sense the difference in his attitude, hanging back a little and not engaging him as much, but he still didn't leave until the end of the period.

Somehow, Yoongi felt as if he'd been reassured or comforted, and it bothered him. Why wouldn't the boy just get bored of him already?

Yoongi's stormy mood lasted the rest of the week, getting him in trouble in some of his classes. On Monday, he lay in bed and realized he couldn't go to school. It wasn't that he didn't want to go. He just physically and mentally felt incapable, and he had no idea why. It took several screaming matches with his mother before he convinced her to let him stay home, and when she left, he curled up into a ball beneath his comforter and spent several hours pretending the world didn't exist. Just thinking about the halls at school, of the people pushing past, of the teachers' voices, and his heart was suddenly pounding in his chest. Angry at himself for the stupid reaction of his brain, Yoongi thumbed his fist against his chest, as if to still his heart.

He slept fitfully most of the morning, unable to get any real rest. At around 11:05, he found himself staring at his cell phone, watching the minutes tick by. What was wrong? He opened every app, unsure but feeling like he could answer it if he gave himself a moment. It hit him quietly, like the spilling of light into a room.

It was ten minutes past the time he would normally be in the library. Yoongi frowned, then bit his lips, opening up a new text message. He started to type an explanation, a basic one like 'Sorry, out sick again.' But he ended up erasing and retyping it several times. Then, he wrote out a long message about how awful he felt and how the pit of his stomach was like the ninth circle of hell - empty and icy and unfeeling - but then he hit the character limit, panicked, and erased it all again.

It was now thirty minutes past. He ended up not sending anything at all.

~~

"Yoongi, you have a visitor."

Yoongi didn't respond to his mother, even though he could practically feel the emotion in her voice, the unsaid concerns, the unhelpful pleas. He knew he'd have to go see the doctor again eventually, but he didn't want to.

"I can't see anyone right now," he answered, the words feeling strange on his tongue. No one ever came to visit him.

"It's a friend of yours from school," she offered, a trace of hope between her words.