ENEMIES WITH BENEFITS

「FIVE」

Their boarding school had red-brick buildings, with manicured lawns, and a chapel nobody used except for assemblies.

The dorms were cramped, with thin walls and creaky beds, and-and the cafeteria served food that was either too healthy or barely edible. Classes were strict, with teachers who didn't care or acted like they were saving souls.

There was a gym, a library, and a field for sports. The student body split into clear groups; jocks, cheerleaders, nerds, stoners.

Rich kids were there because their parents wanted them out of the way; others, like Jungkook, were there because they screwed up somewhere else.

Rules were tight- curfews, dress codes, no booze- but kids broke them all the time! Weekends meant parties in the woods or empty dorms, with cheap beer and hookups. Bullying was common, and homophobic slurs got tossed around like nothing, even though the school had pride flags in the counselor's office.

Jungkook was in his third year, same as Yoongi, Taehyung, Jimin, Hoseok, and the rest. He'd been there since freshman year, sent away after a fight at his old public school went too far.

Jungkook was fifteen-ish, running with a rough crowd, playing soccer, and fronting a garage band. One day, some kid talked shit about his family, and Jungkook beat him bad- broken jaw, concussion, the works.

His dad, who was barely around, called him a lost cause. His mom, always drunk, signed the papers. The court gave him a choice- juvie or boarding school. He picked the school, figuring he'd run it like he ran his old streets.

Jungkook showed up with a duffel bag and a bad attitude, ready to make everyone regret crossing him.

He met Min Yoongi the first week. Yoongi was the basketball team's star, rich, good-looking, and loud. They were in the same dorm hall, both skipping the welcome tour. Yoongi bet Jungkook he couldn't sneak a cigarette past the teacher assistant.

Jungkook did it, then flicked the butt at Yoongi's shoes. They laughed, swapped insults, and started hanging out. By homecoming, they were inseparable, the kind of duo that owned every party and every fight.

They pranked (means they BULLIED) nerds, flirted with cheerleaders, and threw slurs at anyone who seemed weak, bonding over being untouchable. Yoongi's charm covered for Jungkook's temper, and Jungkook's fists backed up Yoongi's mouth. It was messy, toxic, but it worked.

Kim Taehyung was a different story. Jungkook noticed him in freshman English, maybe a month in. Taehyung was quiet, always reading, with dark hair and a face that didn't give much away.

Jungkook was bored, cutting class in the back row, when he tossed a pencil at Taehyung's head to see what he'd do.

Taehyung caught it without looking, then turned and said, "Grow up." No fear, no anger, just those words.

Jungkook called him a queer, expecting a reaction, but Taehyung stared, like Jungkook was nothing. That set it off. From then on, Jungkook targeted him- shoved him in the halls, talked shit with Yoongi, tried to break that calm.

Taehyung never budged, always ready with a comeback or a look that made Jungkook feel stupid. It pissed him off, how Taehyung got to him without trying.

By junior year, Jungkook was king of the school, fronted his band, and acted like he had it all figured out. He ruled the jocks, dunked on seniors in the gym, and had cheerleaders giggling at his every smirk.

Jungkook was the king of this shithole, with Yoongi as his right-hand man and a rep that kept everyone in line. But Kim Taehyung? That nerd was a splinter under his nail, always there, always itching.