Growing Pains | VxBTS

closet

CHAPTER 7

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warnings:

verbal & nonverbal abuse, degrading words, graphic past child abuse

the day seemed to go by in a blur and taehyung found himself struggling to keep up with its pace, his head still slightly cloudy due to his lack of sleep the previous night.

in his daze, he often found his mind wander and he would inevitably find himself thinking about his family. he wondered about his dear grandmother's health, how she should rest from working on their farm and garden; how his little lovely siblings doing on their school; how his father and mother dealt with their jobs to pay for their food.

taehyung's chest squeezed slightly at the thought of his parents working so hard just to feed them all. they might not have to struggle this much if only he could make his own money to help the family. he knew his siblings had so many things they wished to have and they were not scared to tell their parents. he never minded for his food shares in the house to be reduced for their parents to buy gifts for his siblings. he had never been one to eat much anyway.

his stomach churned painfully but he tried to overcome the pain by pressing his tummy. he hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. he didn't feel any hunger since the accident last night, more like he didn't dare to step his foot to the kitchen that made him remember some scenes he wished so hard to forget.

his feelings switched and changed and merged to the point that he felt a constant ache in his chest, as if a stone had been put there. taehyung then proceeded on trying to sleep, putting his head on top of his folded hands on the table. history didn't sound so interesting to him anymore and any sounds in the class were diminished into whispers.

before he knew it, the entire day had passed and taehyung was forcefully woken up by a shoe thrown onto his head. dealing with bullies had never been the best option for him so he escaped to the place he always went after class: the music room.

taehyung had always loved singing ever since he was so young. he sang when he was working in the farm, cleaning the house, taking care his siblings and grandma, or when he didn't do anything at all. just by singing, all of the stress and anxiety in his minds seemed to dissipate. singing freed him from the reality, it brought him into a numb feelings that soothed his soul as if he was in the wonderland. it was as if he had forgotten everything as he was singing.

he only stayed up for an hour in the room. usually the bad boys smoke in narrow corridor between the music room and the field, the place was hidden enough from the teachers to find out. the sounds of slurry chattering and footsteps were clues for him to escape before he could get himself beaten up into a pulp. he also had somewhere to be right now.

"guys, look. it's the freak again. hey, freak!! c'mere! we get somethin' for ya." someone was calling but taehyung had learnt that looking back was a big mistake. he knew they were calling him so he ran as fast as his skinny legs could bring.

"oy! get right here when i call you, freak!" the shouts were slowly sinking into nothing as he distanced himself from them. happily, his run turned into jogs as he trotted to a new opened cafe in the district.

if singing made taehyung happy, working there made his stomach went mushy with excitement. it was really exhausting to work there but the manager had always given him leftovers after work and praised him for his hard works. at least he could distract himself even if it was only for a few hours.