My Escape [vjoy/taejoy]

Chapter 2

Tae watches Joys back disappear around a corner before he feels a hand on his shoulder spinning him around. "What the-" he say surprised before recognizing the dark-haired kid smiling widely at him. Tae sighed in annoyance. "Jesus Jungkook you scared me."

Jungkook shrugged apologetically. "Sorry man, but we've got to go, Jimins waiting." With that, the two boys began to walk towards the front doors. As they walked some of the students gave the pair flirty looks. Jungkook smirked at the attention, sending a wink to one girl who gasped in response. While Tae as always ignored the looks, his mind roamed elsewhere.

Her bright face lingered in his mind. Earlier, as he sat in class after Professor Lee allowed the students to choose partners, he had internally groaned at the thought of another semester with a girl only interested in flirting and not the labs. Which in truth he needed a lot of help in.

Looking around, his eyes quickly locked onto a girl seated near the back. She had long dark hair and a soft looking face. He watched her eyes scan the classroom anxiously and felt some pity for her, he knew what it was like to alone in room full of people. Then almost on impulse he walked over to her, ignoring the looks of others and took a seat next to her. Continuing to look at her until she noticed his presence.

Up close making eye contact she really was beautiful. Her dark eyes widened in surprise after noticing him. He smiled and after talking to her for a short time he began to really like the sound of her sweet voice. 

What lingered in his mind the most was what had just happened in the hall. He remembered the way her small body bent over in pain. How she shielded her face from him with her hair as if to mask her pain. But when she stood up with a smile on her face claiming to be alright. He couldn't buy it. He had just met her but these thoughts made him uneasy.

Jungkook noticed Taes despondency and frowned. "Something going on?" He asked. Jungkooks voice pulled Tae from out of his head. He looked at Jungkook and smiled, shaking his head. "It's nothing" he replied. It really was nothing Tae thought. He barely knows her. He shouldn't be turning nothing into something.

Pushing the topic out of his head he saw a blonde head poke out of the dented green car waiting out front. "Hurry up!" Jimin shouted. With that Jungkook looked over to Tae with a grin. "Race ya!" He yelled and took off. 

Cheater, Tae thought to himself and grinned sprinting after Jungkook. But the younger kid was too fast for Tae to overtake him.

He reached the car seconds after Jungkook and leaned on the door panting. Jungkook in the same state looked up at him with a cocky grin "you need to work out Tae that was barely even a race" he teased.  Tae just rolled his eyes.

Jimin looked at the two annoyed. "Can you two just get in, I told Hoseok we'd meet him at the Studio. He said he wanted us to look over the finances." The other boys groaned at that. The money stuff was always boring, but it was just part of co-owning a dance studio. Tae hopped in the front despite Jungkooks protests before the kid grudgingly got into the back.

The three listened to Yoongi and Namjoons new mixtape, energetically dancing to the fire track. "So" Jimin said, turning the volume down "you're both coming to Joon and Yoongis show right?"

"Of course, isn't it tomorrow night?" Tae replies. Jimin nods "and don't forget Jin's birthday is in a month. We gotta plan something big." Tae and Jungkook shared a sneaky look. "Oh don't worry" Says Jungkook "it'll be big all right." At this Jimin narrows his eyes. Seeming to contemplate saying something but instead just shrugs.

The car slows down and comes to a stop at the red light. Tae looks out the window and immediately notices a dark haired girl. Joy.

She sat on her knees, smiling as she gently pet a grey cat. Tae watched her with curiosity. Her mouth moved, she must be talking to the cat Tae guessed. He watched her laugh as the cat pounced on her, vying for attention. All the sudden her eyes seemed to grow sad. Her arms dropped to her sides and for a moment Tae worried she was going to do something, but what he wasnt sure.

But after a moment she sighed, standing up she sweetly waved goodbye to the cat and began walking down the sidewalk and then into a convenience store. Through the window he watched her put on a vest and walk behind the register, she must work there he thought. At that moment the light turned green and Jimin pressed down on the gas. Tae turned his body to watch Joys disappearing figure. Once again an uneasiness settled in his stomach.

~~~

After school it didnt take long for Joy to reach work. Taking a moment to pet Luna before she clocked in, Joy once again got lost in her head thinking about her arguably miserable life. Sighing she quickly blocked such pitiful stops saying a brief goobye to Luna, she walked into her work. Once behind the register she heard the loud squeel of tires and glanced outside seeing a dented yellow car drive off. 

After work Joy turned a thirty minute walk into an hour long one. Finally arriving at her front door she took her earbuds out and rolled them up stuffing them into her jean pocket. The sound of laughter could be heard through the wall and Joy realized it was Thursday. The day of her fathers weekly poker game. Before she could turn around the door swung open.

"Joy!" Her father grinned. She could smell the liquor on his breath and did her best not to cringe. "Dad" she said without emotion. She peered behind him at his cop buddies, all of which old gross looking men. Joys father worked as a cop. He's the reason why she never has had faith in the police. These poker nights were enough to tell her what kind of people police are.

They smiled at her invitingly but her heart stopped for a moment when she locked eyes with one in particular. "Hey darling" Dongsuk smirked. Dongsuk was her dads partner and a regular at poker night. He was mid 40s, had a beer belly and was absolutely disgusting.

He had shown interest in Joy since she was 14. But about four years ago, when Joy was 15, Dongsuk had cornered her in the bathroom of her house during poker night. He closed and locked the door before she realized he had been right behind her. She remembered how his eyes raked over her body. His thin lips say "you've grown into quite a pretty thing Joy."

When she tried to walk out he blocked her. Clutching her arm hard. Before she could protest he had his hand on her throat. She remembers his other hand roughly exploring her body. He put his face close and she closed her eyes. The smell of his breath was pungent. "Let's have fun darling." He whispered with a sadistic smile. But before he could kiss her a knock banged on the door.

"Dongsuk! You in there? We gotta get going the roads aren't too good." Dongsuk groaned quietly at his friends interruption. He looked at Joy and smirked "till next time honey, stay fresh for me will ya." With that Dongsuk slipped out careful to not let his buddy see inside the bathroom. Leaving Joy standing there frozen.

After a few moments Joy couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face. A sob erupts from her chest and she sank to the floor. She tucked her knees in and wraped her arms around them. Doing her best to stay quiet. Why? She thought to herself. What did I do to deserve this life? 

It was not long after that occurrence that Joy faced the darkest moment of her life...

A shiver raced down Joys spine as she recalls that horrible event and then what came not long after. Since then she's been successful in avoiding Dongsuk, though it wasn't easy. She turned back to her father. "I think I'll just head to my room I've got homework" she says quietly. Her dad smiles at her, his eyes glazed from alcohol. The one good thing about poker night was that her father tended to be in a better mood. He surely wouldn't hit her in front of his coworkers.

"No problem sweetie you stay working hard at school you hear?" Joy nods numbly and walk past the table of men. Her heart pounds in her chest knowing how Dongsuk is watching her. She quickly slips into her room. Releasing a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Joy looked at her clock that read 5:36 pm and sighed. They should be gone in a few hours. It was times like this Joy missed her bother the most, being stuck in her room, scared of the people only feet away from her. She then looks at her bare wall where on the other side she knew lays her mother. Joy feels sadness for the way her family is. A feeling not uncommon. But what could she do? There was no turning back time.