the rules of love and war.

08

Was it weird that I hadn't seen my own boyfriend in three days? Ever since the huge argument we had in the hallway, he had virtually disappeared from my life. Unfortunately, somehow the rest of the school had heard about what had happened between us. Apparently one underclassman had seen it, and because of everyone's obsession with Taehyung and Jungkook, the rumor had spread like wildfire. It was part of the reason why I was now sitting in the principal's office with Hoseok, Chaeyoung and Jungkook next to me.

Apparently even the administration couldn't find Taehyung, which only comforted me in the slightest bit.

"Do the four of you know why you're here?" Dr. Jung asked, folding his hands in front of him on the desk. He leaned forward, squinting at each of us behind his frameless glasses. It was without saying that each of us knew what was going on - someone had finally spoken up. However, the four of us knew that none of us were the ones who had ratted out the two guys; it was just an unspoken rule. Doing that would most likely result in an expulsion for both and there was no reason to ruin the college prospects for both of them. Besides, telling on the other side meant that we were surrendering.

"No idea, sir." Hoseok said, leaning back calmly. "Could you please tell us why we're here? I'm sure the other three don't know as well."

Dr. Jung pursed his lips, his eyes scanning over the four of us slowly. He knew we were lying, it was that obvious; he was just trying to figure out which one of us were the easiest to break first. He remained quiet, analyzing each and every one of us. After a few seconds of silence, I heard Jungkook move from next to me. I turned to look at him as he sighed and leaned forward in the arm chair. "To be honest, if the whole point of this meeting is to just sit here and have you stare at us, I'd rather go back to class."

The principal's eyes immediately swept over to Jungkook and suddenly, the lecture began. "You of all people should know about why you are. Your altercations with Kim Taehyung have not gone unnoticed, if that's what you think. We've been on to you two for quite some time, but none of our staff have been able to see it."

"I think you have the wrong people. As far as I'm concerned, even though Taehyung and Jungkook aren't friends, they don't hate each other." Chaeyoung said, looking down the row of chairs towards Jungkook. It was amazing how even though we always talked about ending this rivalry, Hoseok and Chaeyoung were the ones leading the web of lies. Part of me wanted to take it to the administration, but Taehyung would never understand. On top of that, if I was the one to tell on Jungkook, then Taehyung would be considered the weak one for being unable to figure out how to end the rivalry without the staff.

It was spectacular how the male mind functioned.

At that, Dr. Jung leaned back, the chair squealing under the new weight. "Is that so? We have an eyewitness claiming that Mr. Kim hit Ms. Manoban. He or she had also seen the fighting between Mr. Kim and Mr. Jeon, but never spoke up until they had heard why he had almost hit his friend."

I felt everyone's eyes on me. Despite the fact that I was staring straight at Dr. Jung, the strongest gaze was coming directly from my left. "They must be mistaken." I lied, ignoring the lump in my throat. "I would know if there was something going on between Taehyung and Jungkook and I can assure you that everything is fine."

The office was icy cold, and only the sound of the lunch bell seemed to ease up the atmosphere. Dr. Jung sighed and took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes in defeat. Maybe he finally understood that we had no intention of confessing. "I have a meeting with the board now. I want the four of you to understand that I will be watching each and every one of you closely. The slightest misstep... and I will bring all of you back in, regardless of whether or not you were involved in the guilty party's infraction. Now go."

We all stood up quickly, probably relieved that the inquisition had ended. As we picked up our bags and hustled towards the door in silence, Jung began to talk again. "Lisa." He said, as all of us stilled, despite him only calling out my name. "If you ever need any help or need anyone to talk to, the guidance department is always open."

My throat immediately dried when he said those words. Jung clearly knew, and now he assumed that my boyfriend was an abusive person. While I wanted to deny the fact that he was, I could still vividly recall the fear running through my veins. "She has no reason to do so." Jungkook finally spoke up for me, his hand touching the small of my back.

As if I wasn't already emotionally overwhelmed, his touch sent my nerves into a frenzy. He pushed me gently out the door, the slight pressure just enough to make my body recognize the fact that he was in fact touching me. When Hoseok and Chaeyoung finally turned around after we had exited the front office, his hand slipped away discreetly so that neither of them could see. "Thank you, Jungkook." Chaeyoung said, turning her eyes onto the intimidating man standing behind me.

"Think nothing of it." He said. "That just means Taehyung owes me one." He looked directly at me. "I didn't do this for nothing; after I let you know what's happening with our arrangement, you better tell Taehyung he needs to back the hell up because I'm over this shit. You guys aren't the only ones with your futures on the line. Speaking of that kid... have you seen him around lately?"

I was honestly surprised at first that he had even noticed his absence, but who wouldn't notice the fact that there wasn't a guy waiting to beat him up every day? "No, I was hoping you might know."

Jungkook pursed his lips and crossed his arms. He didn't say anything for a moment and I felt Chaeyoung touch me by my arm. I began to walk away but he finally spoke again.

"Do you trust me?"