f8: Boys over Flowers (Stray Kids FF)

Chapter Three- Helped Me

My head was covered from the tarp, as dusty as it was, that was the only thing keeping me warm. I'd just take a shower once I got home.

Sitting under the tarp, I figured on what to do. My textbooks were in my bag, which was in my locker. When I saw the red card, I needed to get my bag but I couldn't.

I slowly pulled the tarp off, the sky was dark, stars sprinkled around. I got up, stretching. My feet were asleep, but that I didn't care about. My goal was to get my bag and go home.

I made my way inside, the door shutting with a creak. I listened, hoping to hear...nothing. And a small wave of relief flooded me when I heard exactly that. The school echoed more than usual with there being barely anyone and more space in the halls.

I was still alert, who knows what would happen. In a few minutes, I was at my locker. I opened the door, and retrieved my bag. My books and phone were there untouched, but something felt off. I turned around, slowly. My head seemed to have a mind of its own as it looked up, my eyes saw the camera. But the camera– for sure couldn't see me. The lenses were covered.

Footsteps shuffled around me, hands grabbing my limbs. I screamed, my voice bouncing off the walls, just ringing in my ear. There was nothing I could do but yell but of course to no avail, there was nobody that could hear me.

"Let me go!" My voice yelled, tears forming in my eyes. I thrashed around, but that only created a tighter clutch holding me. I tried to scream another pair of words but I was stopped with a hand going over my mouth. My voice became muffled, and my screams became more cracked, the harder I tried.

"Shut up!" A guy yelled. I was brought into the boy's locker room. My mouth was still covered as I was pushed against the lockers. The force made me cry out in pain, tears were streaming down the trails.

"You gonna quit this school?" Another guy asked, a psychotic grin on his face as he pulled out a phone, the camera light blinded my eyes. "I'm sure, you will after everyone takes a look at you."

I felt dizzy, the bright light not making it any better. "You all are insane." I spat, weak to say anything else. Please help me.

My sight was blurry from the glossiness of my tears. My head spun, as I cried harder, telling them to stop. Their hands tried to unbutton my vest, I was sure I could do something if I wasn't in this mental state, if I wasn't crying, maybe I'd have more control over myself.

"Having fun?" A voice suddenly asked.

Taehyun.

Even with him being here, I still cried, I don't why. Maybe because I was relieved to see him here, maybe because everything hurt, maybe because I was scared. I don't know. All I did know was that I didn't want Taehyun to leave.

"That's enough." He spoke, walking forward, his eyes staring at the three guys. One by one.

"But Minho ordered–" The one that was taking videos of me was cut off.

"I don't give a fuck what he said, right now I'm telling you to stop. And while you're at it, get out." He spoke sternly. The three guys left but I still felt helpless. Tears still rolled down my cheek.

I looked at Taehyun, hoping he would say something like, it's okay. But then I hoped he wouldn't, because I'd just start crying all over again. "God, I was trying to rest but I couldn't with all the racket." He complained and for some reason I felt better. I don't know why and I don't know how, just with those words that weren't even targeted to me, I felt relieved.

My face felt drenched and sweaty. At that moment I heard sounds from outside the room. Small drop-like sounds fell outside, and slowly they grew heavier and heavier. In a few seconds or so, the noise reminded me of hundreds of fingers tapping on wood.

I grew calm, my breathing steadied. But I still felt scared, who knew the things they were planning. I gained energy to stand up, slowly my hand reached up to grab the seat of a bench. Pushing myself up, I fixed my hair, wiping my dried tears and nose. "It's raining out," The boy across from me mumbled, his eyes fixated on a lock. Probably his.

"How are you gonna get home?"

He turned facing me, thankfully I was up and not looking like a slob. I shrugged. "I don't know, I might just text my parents.." I took in a breath, not used to talking after a while. "That I'm staying over at a friend's house and.."

"You're just gonna stay here?" Taehyun asked, his eyes fixated on my messy hair.

"I guess, I'd probably slip in the rain if I ran home." I explained, coldness leaving me temporarily.

"You can't stay here, besides haven't you already learned your lesson? They'll come back for sure, Minho never leaves shi-" He paused. "He never leaves things unfinished."

"It's okay, you can curse in front of me." I reassured, receiving a nod from the boy. He was right, they'd just wait til Taehyun leaves. "There's nothing I can do though."

"I'll drive you, it's the least I can do when you have to go through this." He didn't seem to be asking if he could drive me, he was telling me he would.

"Thank you."

That was all I could actually get out. I couldn't get out of anything else. Anything about F8, anything about how stupid this game was or how stupid it was for other students to think of this as entertainment.

"Listen to me and if I'm wrong, you can hit me, but everyone here sees this game as entertainment, otherwise, why would they come here and see you or the others that are like you?" Minho's voice rang in my ear, word after word. My hand clenched into a fist, my head imagined him in between my fingers, suffocating, and going through every type of shit he put other people through.

-

"Again, thank you Taehyun." I said, as his car turned the corner on my street.

"It's really not that big of a deal. Besides, I haven't really gone for a drive outside of home and school." His explanation made me feel better. As if I wasn't a burden with him. If I learned anything from him today, it'd be his way of words. He could say anything without making you feel stupid. And I liked that...

But of course my mind still has to go back to that red card, the blood, the pictures being taken, the tears. My mind went from the brink of feeling better to the lowest point of numbness, of sadness.