The Demon Next Door

2

Kyungsoo coughed his lungs out.

After stealing his father's lighter and trying out one of the cigarettes Jongin was oh-so-nice to gift him with, Kyungsoo felt like his head was about to explode from a sickness he'd never felt before.

Fumes invaded the air of his room. He forced open the window, waving the smoke away from his face and out. Throat dry and aching, he collapsed onto his bed.

The package of cigarettes stood on his bedside table, open with one of the residents missing. He threw it out the window after having tried it, watching the small cigarette fall down, down, down onto the place where Jongin's motorcycle previously stood.

He held his neck, trying to soothe the feeling of fire crawling up its inside. He'd have a lot of explaining to do in the morning as to why he had cigarettes in his room.

The pain was so unbearable that he couldn't get back to sleep. He spent the rest of the night staring at the ceiling, wallowing in the hurt scratching his throat.

If there was one thing that he learned from this experience, it was to stay away from Kim Jongin. He was obviously a bad influence, and Kyungsoo wouldn't be able to take another night like this one.

His alarm clock soon beeped with the coming of six in the morning. He sat up, stuffing the box of cigarettes deep into his drawers. Swinging his legs onto the floor, the school president went to get ready for the day.

Temple pulsing and throat still on fire, he clothed himself in his school uniform. Tightening his tie in front of his mirror, he sighed seeing dark circles under his eyes.

It didn't help that the sun was blasting through his windows, cutting at his sensitive eyes like a knife. He didn't know what he was going to tell his teachers if he wasn't able to read what was in front of him during class.

He was well aware that today was Saturday, but under the circumstances of him being president, Kyungsoo had a lot of work to do. He was encouraged to come in for the weekend.

Tired and in pain, he walked down the stairs slowly, gripping the life out of the strap of his backpack. He made his way through the living room towards the door carefully, twisting the knob and stepping outside soon after.

The morning was cold. There was a nip in the air that licked at Kyungsoo's skin harshly, and he opened his mouth to let the cold run down his throat. Temporary relief.

He turned for school. He wasn't far down the road when he heard a rattling sound. He knew that sound all too well, having familiarized himself with it the night before.

Red gleamed under the early morning sun. Wheels came at him at a great speed, stopping centimeters from the sidewalk he walked on. The rider gave him a small smirk.

Kyungsoo stopped in his tracks only for a moment. He went on his way after seeing who the person was. Remembering his promise to himself to stay away, Kyungsoo ignored Kim Jongin, even when he started calling him.

"Yah! Egghead! Come here for a second!"

Kyungsoo walked on, head down. He didn't want anything to do with that cigarette smoking, motorcycle riding, rude asshole.

He gasped feeling a hand on his shoulder and whipped around. Jongin's mouth curved into a smile around a cigarette. He purposely blew some smoke into Kyungsoo's face, sending him into another coughing fit.

"Did you like my present, Egghead?"

Kyungsoo waved the fumes away from himself. "Yes. It was wonderful. Never felt more in pain in my life."