I See Colors | Taegi

fifty-one

Sanghoon.

   Why does this have to happen here
   in the cafeteria
   where all the people
   who finally see me as a person
   can see?

   I turn around
   and look up at his smirk.

   "Huh.
   You finally found another friend group after...
   What was it?
   Five years?"

   He looks at them.
   "How much did he pay for that?"

   "Dude, seriously?"
   Hoseok asks.

   Yoongi puts a hand on my shoulder.
   My shoulders tense up.

   Sanghoon's nose scrunches
   when he notices Yoongi trying to
comfort me.

   "Is that the guy you've been hanging out with?"

   Yoongi glares at him.
   His hand starts to grip my shoulder.

   "Well, what did I expect?
   Of course you'd go for the blind kid.
   Don't you like, smell numbers or something?"

   "He's not blind."

   "Why don't you just leave?"
   Seokjin exclaims,
   "You're making my food rot."

   "Oh."
   Sanghoon laughs.
   "I just wanted to tell you all something
   about what happened three years ago."

   My body feels like
   it's whithered away
   and I'm only left with ears
   to listen with.

   "Leave."

   Yoongi's low voice
   breaks Sanghoon's loud tormenting
   and makes me feel
   a little bit better.

   "In freshmen year,
   Taehyung apparently gave one of his friends anorexia
   by body shaming him.
   All because he had caused Tae to fail gym that year."

   "That isn't true."
   I finally tell him.

   That wasn't even the rumor that went around
   and that lead everyone to break apart.
It's not even the right year.

   "Oh. You must not know it either."
   Sanghoon leans closer to me.

   "You know Jimin, right?"

   "He was my friend in primary school.
   We cut ties in sixth grade
because we never talked to each other."

   Hoseok starts laughing.

   "Just go."
   Yoongi says.
   "What's your problem?"

   "My problem
   is that you're so blind that you can't even realize
   how gay the guy next to you is."

   "Why does that matter to you?"

   "Because this school is meant for people who are smart."

   Yoongi's hand leaves my shoulder
   then holds onto my hand.

   I can feel my heartbeat
   as he stands up
   and pulls me up as well.

   "We're going to go now."
   He tells them,
   "Thank you, Hoseok
   for your offer,
   but this is getting ridiculous."

   "Don't blame you."
   Hoseok sighs.
   "At least I have a guy to practice punches with
   without feeling any regret."

   Sanghoon rolls his eyes and walks away,
   mumbling to himself.

   Hoseok gives us a thumbs up
   along with a wink.
   "Don't skip, Yoongi."

   "Don't tell your hyung what to do."
   Yoongi replies
   as we start to walk to the exit.

   I can hear Hoseok squeal behind us.