Baseball (VHope)

Eight

Hoseok didn't wear his Letterman on weekends. To see him without it was like seeing another person; one only I got to see. When he picked me up, he was in a thin white t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans that accentuated his best features. His hair was all curly and hung in his face, shielding his beautiful eyes a little, but he looked so happy and cute when he picked me up around noon. Honestly, I liked him so much better like this than when I saw him at school.

"Lucy, we're here!" Hoseok yelled as we took our shoes off. I heard delicate footsteps across the old wood floors come closer, revealing Hoseok's aunt in baggy sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. She smiled at me and rested a hand on her belly. "Hey, kiddos! What's up?" she asked as she led us through the house and into the kitchen, where we all paused to get drinks. Lucy had made sweet tea, a thing she picked up when she lived in America for a few years. It was really good, in my opinion. "You wanted to talk to him. Go ahead," Hoseok stated as he grabbed a bottle of apple juice and went upstairs.

She sighed and beckoned me out the back door and onto the porch, where some rocking chairs sat, slightly moving in the breeze. "Take a seat, honey," she said quietly and we sat down side-by-side and gazed out at the back yard. They had a pool, which was covered up because it wasn't warm enough to swim just yet. It was endearing, really.

After a while, she turned to me and said, "Hobi's told me a lot about you, Taehyung. About why he brought you over the first time." My face paled and I fidgeted in my seat. She knows, too. She doesn't want you around him anymore. That's what she's here to tell you, you fuck up. I took a deep breath and looked down to my lap as she continued. "I know you're not social, so you don't have to talk to me. I just want to know what's up."

No one knew the real reason to why I was so depressed. No one bit Jin and Namjoon and Jungkook, who all grew up watching me descend into my pit of despair. I felt my cheeks get hot with tears as I thought about it again. Lucy didn't know me very well, and I didn't know her. But she was Hoseok's aunt and maybe she deserved to know just a little bit, just in case Hoseok did end up falling for me and wondered about my moods. He'd obviously go to her for advice.

I wiped my cheeks and took a deep breath. "When my oldest brother was a junior in college, I started to get really depressed. Because both of my brothers were so successful, my parents pushed me to be like them and it only made me develop severe social anxiety, too. And they wouldn't pay for a psychiatrist because they didn't believe anything was wrong with me, and it got so bad that I turned to self-harm to try to make myself feel better. And it worked. And... and..."

My tears started to fall faster and my words wouldn't come out. Lucy held my hand and wiped my tears with a delicate hand. I took deep breaths to calm down and within a few minutes or so, I was only sniffling and in a better frame of mind. "I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to make you so upset. But thank you for telling me. I really do appreciate it. And... I know how depression feels. It sucks. I'm a divorced pregnant woman raising my brother's kid. And I run a bakery. I know sometimes you just want to end it all. Me and Hobi have those days, too. But just know that you can always come to me if you need to vent about something, alright?" she said kindly and I nodded. "Thank you, Lucy. Really."

A weight felt like it had been lifted from my chest, even if it was just a small one. It was slightly easier to breathe and I felt like I could relax a little more. They were right when they told me talking helps. But no one wants to listen to your stupid problems, Taehyung. They're just saying that so you'll stop being a crybaby. "Hobi was so stressed over why you would hurt yourself, but I understand. He's got a big heart," Lucy said after a minute and I nodded in agreement. "He's really sweet to me," I mumbled and she shrugged. "He's worried about you, but I think now he can be less worried. Make sure he knows that."

Almost a week later, I was standing on a ladder in the sports hall, outlining the giant tiger on the wall. Jimin and Jungkook quietly watched while Yoongi sat on the floor between Jimin's legs, mind obviously not in this dimension. Jihoon had broken up with him in front of the entire school, which obviously didn't end well for the captain of the basketball team. They seemed so happy together; I wondered what went wrong in their relationship. Maybe that was what Yoongi was trying to figure out. It was useless to talk to him when he was in that state; he wouldn't respond until he restored himself into the right frame of mind.

"It looks good, hyung," Jungkook muttered as he played with Jimin's hair, nuzzling it affectionately and making his boyfriend giggle and push him away. "Thanks, Kookie," I replied and he hummed as a quiet fell over us once again. But the peace was disturbed when the baseball team noisily made their way through the halls, heading to the locker rooms to change. Unfortunately, not all of the players were nice like Wonwoo, Baekhyun and a player I met a few days ago named Chan. Most of them were jerks, mainly the ones with those fake-looking girlfriends.

One of them kicked the ladder from under my feet and I let out a yelp as I came crashing down, only I didn't hit the ground. Just before I could sustain any injury, Hoseok caught me and I was met with his wide, scared eyes. "You okay, pumpkin?" he whispered and I sniffled a little as I shrugged. "Scared," I managed to say and he nodded as he helped me stand on my feet, allowing me to hold onto him until my shaking stopped. Jimin rushed over and held my face in his hands as he made sure I was alright. "Don't worry, pumpkin. This will be taken care of," Hoseok growled as he stomped towards the sounds of Jungkook yelling and Yoongi saying, "Enough, Kook! The guy gets it!"

Jimin held me as Jungkook and Yoongi came back over to us, the younger of the two fuming as he enveloped me in a hug. "I'm alright," I mumbled against his shoulder and he nodded as he let me go, making way for Yoongi to hug me tight. I rested my cheek on his head and let him bury his face in my neck; a hug from Min Yoongi was rare and I wanted it to last as long as possible because he gave really nice hugs. "You didn't hit your head, did you?" His voice was muffled, but I shook my head and pulled away slightly. "No, hyung. I'm okay," I mumbled and he let me go.

Jungkook sighed and pulled me in for another hug before another wave of emotions could hit me. We grew up together; if any of my friends know me best, it was him. Why did that have to happen? Was it because I was friends with Hoseok? It didn't make any sense. Speaking of Hoseok, I could hear him yelling in the locker rooms. He was really scary when he was angry.

"It's okay, hyung. Hoseok-hyung will make sure no one hurts you again. I just know he will."