The Stars In His Eyes

Enter The Scene

Flick. Flick.

Yoongi kept relighting his lighter.

This... really wasn't what he should be doing here, on school grounds. Actually, to be frank, he didn't really want to be here already, considering the principal had a pretty strong case for money laundering and one of his teachers was probably a sex offender.

Welcome to Pine Ridge. He thought bitterly to himself.

Of course, he was practically the only one who believed any of that, but he was also probably the only one who had heard of it in the first place.

He was a conspiracy theorist.

Others could laugh all they wanted, there wasn't an issue with curiosity and healthy skepticism.

Okay, maybe there was a minor issue. Whatever it was, it didn't matter to him.

Apparently, Yoongi's health didn't matter, either, because when his best-friend-since-middle-school Hoseok decided to jump him with no warning he almost felt his heart stop and his organs fail.

"Jesus FUCK!"

"Good morning, Pine Ridge!" Hoseok yelled, hardly a foot from Yoongi's ear. Yoongi rolled his eyes and walked out into the courtyard of the school.

"Glad to see you're alive this morning." Yoongi greeted tonelessly.

"Glad to see you haven't wished I contracted sudden pink eye yet today!" Hoseok grinned.

"Wipe your shit-eating grin off your face or I might still do it." Yoongi smiled. This teasing had been a daily ritual of theirs since the eigth grade, and now that they were juniors in high school, it still hadn't changed.

They trekked across campus to a small inverted corner containing two trees. Underneath them in the cold morning shadow waited the two youngest members of Yoongi's circle, Taehyung and Jungkook. For once, they weren't all over each other, which was surprising enough on its own, but more surprising was that they weren't being loud enough to hear from all the way across the school.

Yoongi had an odd sense about today begin to prick at the back of his mind.

Hoseok trotted forward and settled into the grass behind the two, peeking over Jungkook's shoulder and looking at what was on his phone.

Yoongi removed his bag carefully, taking his laptop out of the single pocket, and then leaned it against the tree. His laptop was the only reason he didn't throw his bag. Only reason.

He would've gotten to work writing a new blog post - updates on his theories about the government unrest - but as soon as he'd gotten settled, the last two members of his little group - the only other two people who would put up with him - Namjoon and Seokjin padded to their quaint corner. They were talking quietly, probably about an assignment. Seokjin and Namjoon were in senior classes together, as Namjoon had been advanced upward two years. He was effectively the smartest kid this school had ever taught, considering they were a barely-known rural school.

"Good morning." Namjoon greeted politely. Seokjin stood on the tips of his toes. "Morning!!" He waved enthusiastically.

"Hey, Jin, kid." Yoongi didn't turn his head, just said the words.

"Why do you always call me 'kid'?" Namjoon mock-pouted.

"I'm two years older than you." Yoongi said flatly, tapping away at his keyboard. "I can call you want I want. Senior privilege."

"But I am... I'm practically a senior already, that makes no sen-"

"Shush." Yoongi shut his laptop abruptly. "Well. Everyone's here. For once." He shot a glance at Taehyung and Jungkook.

The pair were notorious for skipping. So far, they'd ditched 40 days out of the one semester they've been here. Yoongi was pretty sure they just skipped to fuck, get shaved ice, and go to the mall. Yes, Yoongi had once been in attendance for all three, and yes, he regretted it a little. Keyword: little. The boba in the nearest city - god damn, it was good.

"SO anyway." He cleared his throat. "I found something today."

"Your sanity?" Hoseok joked.

"I wish." Yoongi shot back. "Regardless of my mental state," He fished around in his bag, pulling out a golden amulet, half broken, on a long chain. "This was left on my windowsill this morning. Not one of you little shits better have done this, because a bird can't just set this in my window."

"What the-" Jungkook tilted his head. Yoongi could almost imagine a set of bunny ears flopped over the side of his face.

Seokjin approached slowly and crouched to meet Yoongi at eye level. He made a gesture with his hand. "Here."

Yoongi carefully rested it in Seokjin's palm, who squinted and prodded what looked like engravings. When nothing (obviously) happened, he ran his finger over the rough broken edge.

"Could it be Mayan?" He proposed, handing it back over.

"Bullshit, there's no way there are Mayan artifacts in California." Yoongi sighed. "This is just wasting my time. There haven't been any leads on any open cases in... two months?" He pressed one of his hands to his temple.

Namjoon suddenly burst in. "Hey, while you're right and all... look." He tried to gesture to a figure weaving through the crowd of just-arrived students. "Ten o'clock sharp. New kid."

Each of the six boys' heads whipped to track down the foreign student.

Yoongi, however, was the first one to meet the kid's gaze.

He wore a black baseball cap with rings pierced through the bill and a messenger bag to carry all of his things. His hair was fair, his eyes dark, lips plump...

And now Yoongi was getting distracted.

Yoongi blinked and shook his head, and when he lifted his eyes again, the boy had slipped away. He frantically scanned the area again, and noticed the boy slipping away into the Arts Department. Behind him, a note fluttered to the ground.

Yoongi saw others glancing at the note, some looking to investigate for themselves.

Yoongi knew that that message, though, was only meant for him.

He rose to his feet, setting down his laptop and carefully pocketing the golden necklace.

And without a word to his friends, he gave them a glance, and set off, determination in his step. He was going to read that damn paper slip.