Because I love you || Jungkook

To late

The drive home is silent, the heaviness in the air feelable. Jin breaks the silence, "If you want to talk, just say so." I meet his gaze; he's already looking at me. "Right now, I just want to close my eyes." And wake up when I'm happy again. Jin nods understandingly, redirecting his attention to the street. We arrive at my apartment building, and we bid each other goodbye. I head inside, go to my bedroom, put on some music, and close my eyes.

The next morning, I wake up with pain radiating from my bruised arm. I put on a black blouse and jeans, I eat a hasty breakfast of cereals and brush my teeth. Raindrops patter against my window again. As I wait for them to pick me up, time ticks away. The first class is nearly over, and it becomes clear they aren't coming for me anymore. I hurry, hoping to make it to the second lesson on time, running through the rain-soaked streets.

Arriving at school, I find everyone already in the hall. Drenched and shivering, I spot my brother and the rest of BTS with Mulan. Jungkook's eyes meet mine, and for a short moment, guilt flickers in them. I walk past them to my locker, getting spare clothes – a white blouse, in this case – and change in the nearest bathroom just as the bell rings.

I knock and enter the classroom, offering a hurried apology for my tardiness. The cold seeps into my bones, and my head aches. I lay my hand on my forehead, confirming I have a fever. Fantastic, now I'm sick too. The bell rings again, and I slowly gather my belongings, heading out of the classroom toward my locker.

Upon opening my locker and placing my books inside, someone rudely shoves it shut. I turn around to see Mulan hand in hand with Jungkook. She pushes me against the locker, and the confrontation begins. "What do you want now?" I retort. "Don't talk to me like that, bitch," she hisses. A crowd gathers around us, sensing a fight., one of us is going down. Mulan gets a water bottle from her backpack, opens the cap and holds it menacingly above my head. "What are you going to do now?" I glance around, and they just stand there, my brother and the rest of BTS included. Worst of all, Jungkook doesn't stop it, he is only looking at me as if I'm nothing. Maybe I am nothing.

Mulan tilts the bottle, and water flows down on me, soaking my blouse and revealing my black sports bra and my bruised arm, adorned with a fresh wound and older scars from the past car accident with my parents. Tears well up and stream down, everyone witnessing my vulnerability. Jungkook knew about my scars, but I never showed him. His expression shifts to guilt and regret, but is it too late now?

Feeling an anxiety attack building, I can't think straight. I need to escape, get out of here. I push past the crowd, through my brother, my friends, and Jungkook—the guy I love. I start running, out of the school, breathless, not knowing how long I keep running. My phone rings incessantly, but I don't look, I just keep walking away. Running away from my problems like I always do.