Chase me, Race me, Taste me

3. We're the Wicked Ones Pt. 1

{glitter & gold}

Park Jimin, Age 16

"You sure this is a good idea? I mean, he's a kid."

"He's barely younger than you, Hoseok."

"Yeah, meaning he's not even old enough to legally drive."

Yoongi gives the other man a smirk. "According to his ID-"

"Fake ID," Hoseok interjects.

"-he is. Besides, there's nothing legal about what we do here."

Hoseok casts a glance at Taehyung, then back to Yoongi. "If this kid dies tonight, it's on you."

"He'll be fine," Yoongi says, just as Jimin makes it back to his side from the outhouses. The look on his face, however, betrays his words, and both of his friends can see it.

"Hey," Jimin says, bright smile on his lips as he holds a hand out to Hoseok, then to Taehyung, shaking them each in turn. "I'm Jimin."

"Hoseok. Yoongi's told us a lot about you."

Jimin turns his grin on his friend as Taehyung introduces himself. "I'm sure he has. My number one fan," he says, throwing his arm around Yoongi's shoulders. He looks to the other two, his smile faltering for just a second. It's obvious they doubt him. They don't think he has what it takes to be here tonight.

He hates being doubted.

"Come on," Yoongi says, tugging Jimin away from the others. He gives his friends a smile. "I'm gonna get him ready for the race." Then he's steering Jimin away from them before he can lose his temper. If anything can set Jimin off, it's being doubted.

Jimin casts a disappointed frown back in their direction. Yoongi won't give him a chance to put them in their place, he knows that much, so he's forced to let it go, focusing his attention instead on where Yoongi directs his gaze.

"That's Chul. He's the guy you're gonna race tonight," Yoongi says, his arm slung around Jimin's shoulders now. He's barely any taller than Jimin after the younger teen's recent growth spurt. "You sure you got this?"

"I've raced you, haven't I?" Jimin nods towards his trusty little Corvette, coated with its new sleek black paint, newly modified for nights just like this. "Besides, my baby never lets me down. You should know that. You helped me soup her up."

Yoongi holds back a sigh, Jimin can see it, the tension in his shoulders as he eyes Jimin's future opponent. "Yeah, I know you can handle it, I know your car can handle it. But Chul's an aggressive racer, Jimin. I just don't want you getting your ass knocked off the road."

Jimin nudges his friend in the ribs and laughs. "I've got it," he says. He casts a glance at Yoongi's friends, Taehyung and Hoseok. He can tell they're doubting him. Everyone is. They're all doubting the little rich teen trying to fit into a world they don't think he belongs in. He'll show them.

Just as Yoongi finally gives in, Chul catches sight of them and swaggers his way over to them. Jimin hates him already. "What the hell is this, Min? You're bringing babies along to race now?"

Yoongi opens his mouth to retort but Jimin beats him to it. "Babies? That's really the best insult you can come up with?" he says before anyone else can chime in in his defense. "Come on, man, as top heavy as you are I thought you might have a bigger brain than that."

"You think you're funny, twink?"

"You think that's an insult to me?" The teen throws his head back as he laughs, shaking it at the troll of a man before him. "C'mon, mouth breather, we can sling insults all night but real men settle their differences behind the wheel."