The Nights

eleven

"He said 'one day, you'll leave this world behind, so live a life you will remember.'"

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Jin - Senior
Yoongi - Senior
Serri - Senior
Hoseok - Junior
Namjoon - Junior
Jia - Junior
Jimin - Sophomore
Taehyung - Sophomore
Jungkook - Freshman

"Ji relax." Taehyung cornered his sister in the back of the band room, for she had already glared at others and knocked down instruments.

"How can I fucking relax Taehyung?" Jia whisper-yelled at Taehyung, Taehyung taken aback by Jia's sudden cursing. "My brother is in the hospital and probably won't be able to walk anymore. If I wouldn't had called him, maybe he would've seen the truck and warned the bus driver-"

"Jia." Taehyung grabbed Jia's hands, her flinch not going unnoticed. "You didn't cause the accident. And there was nothing you could have done to stop it." Taehyung slowly looked down at her wrists, the sleeves misplaced so her cuts were seen.

"10 minutes!" The band director yelled over the music. Taehyung rubbed his finger across Jia's hand.

"How? We were at the hospital with you the whole time."

"When I was by myself, there were knives in the lunchroom. And then this morning my insomnia kept me up so I decided to do it again. Namjoon was crying." Jia had no emotion in her voice, and she wasn't crying like Taehyung expected. And she didn't even look guilty.

"Ji, why didn't you ask-"

"You don't understand." Jia gripped Taehyung's wrist, her eyes glaring daggers. "I should've made more cuts." And with that, she left her brother, pushing past a group of sophomores to walk out the door, presumably to the music room.

Taehyung bit the inside of his mouth to stop himself from crying, and forced a smile on his face, walking over to a freshman who was struggling to get his uniform on.

:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:

When Namjoon woke up, he wasn't surprised to find that he was quite literally surrounded. His brothers and of course Serri had their heads on his bed, some asleep, some dozing off, while others stared at the wall, looking like zombies. He cleared his throat and Jungkook, who had been sleeping at Namjoon's side, shot up straight in surprise. This motion sent a jolt of pain through Namjoon's legs but he toughed it out, grimacing a little. He couldn't make Jungkook feel guilty, he was only a freshman "Hyung!" Jungkook said, clearly excited. "Feeling any better?"

"Yeah, Koo. A bit," Namjoon lied, his throat feeling raw. "I'm a little thirsty. Anyone got any water?" He asked, his scratchy voice enough to send all those awake to look around. Yoongi's head turned and they locked eyes as he passed Namjoon a half empty water bottle.

Half full, Namjoon corrected himself. He needs to be positive if he's going to get through this. "Where's the other two?" Namjoon laid back down, allowing the muscles in his body to relax again. Yoongi's fiery eyes darted towards the window for a few silent moments.

"Football game, remember?" Yoongi drew his eyes back to Namjoon's, a soft sigh laying on Namjoon's tongue, remembering Jia's exit. "How's the pain?" Yoongi asked, his voice raspy and tired. Namjoon thought for a moment, wondering how blunt he should be.

"Honestly, it sucks," he said, sighing. "Really, really sucks. But I'll heal. Probably not entirely, but mostly. The doctors said I'll be able to walk, but with the support of a cane the majority of the time, and sometimes during more physical-needed activities, I may need a wheelchair." Now it was Namjoon's turn to look out the window, sadness and the hard truth settling in. But he reminded himself, if they were strong, the nine of them, they would heal.

"I'm glad you're still optimistic." Jin said, shifting in his chair to lean his head on Hoseok's shoulder while he slept soundly. Yoongi scoffed lightly but covered it up with a cough, avoiding his brother's eyes. He knew they were all just lying to themselves. How could anyone be okay in this situation?

"I don't see any reason not to be." Namjoon said, flickering his gaze to Jungkook, who was quietly laying at his side and hugging his arm. The kid was really just a baby still, wasn't he? "Everything's going to be fine. Jia, Jin, Jungkook, Yoongi. Me. Even Serri will feel better soon, I'm sure." Serri didn't even blink at the sound of her name, too lost in her own thoughts. "Honestly, guys. We'll heal. That's a promise."

And Namjoon was going to live by this promise now, something to look forward to, something to be strong for.

But not all promises keep.

:;:;:;:;:

"No Millie isn't here. Who's going to play the solo?" The freshmen and sophomore snares panicked before the senior's snare solo. But she and the other seniors were talking with the others across the field.

Jia glanced over at them and locked eyes with the senior's snare. Without a second to waste she was playing the solo, harder, faster than ever before. Even the band director had to look to see who was playing with such, fire.

The last hit of the stick, it broke, splinters flying in the air. Jia slammed the remaining pieces on the snare and sat back down, glaring straight in front of her, glancing down at her phone to make sure her siblings hadn't texted her.

"What's wrong with your sister Taehyung?"

"Yeah she's acting like a psycho today."

"Our brother is in the hospital and she didn't want to leave. Please don't hold this against her, she's never like this." Taehyung forced a smile on his face. "I actually haven't seen her this bad since our parents died." All complaints went silent after that.