Art of Deceit

III

CHAPTER THREE
Close call

"Where were you all night?" My brother asked as I walked into the kitchen.

"At Dawn's." I lied, not wanting to get into it with Jimin. I had spent the entire night with Taehyung at the diner where we spoke about the most trivial parts of our lives. It was nice, having someone to speak to who understood you on a different level.

Jimin coughed out a scoff, "I called her. She said and I quote, 'Jina got into Taehyung's car and left without saying a word.' What do you think you're doing?" His tone sounding close to one's of a lecture.

I simply frowned at him as I stuffed my face with a breadstick, not in the mood to carry the conversation.

"I covered for you by the way." He said as he threw a breadstick at me, a smile of mischief playing on his lips.

"Hey!" I glared at him.

"Jina." His smile falters the next second as his tone becomes serious. "The boy just lost his girlfriend. Don't you think it's a little inappropriate?" Jimin looked at me, his eyes prompting me to speak.

"We were just talking, jeez." I scrunched my face as I looked at him with annoyance.

I did have an amazing night with Taehyung but not once did I think of anything more than a friendship with him. He needed a friend that night and that's all I was.

"I don't think it's wise for you to hang out with him."

"Who?" My dad asks as he walked down the steps, towards the kitchen. I instantly freeze as I tried to come up with another lie but my mind remained blank.

"Uh..." Jimin started off, grasping my dad's attention. "Jungkook." He blurted out thoughtlessly.

My eyes darted back to meet' Jimin's anxious ones. My brows furrow as I looked at him with confusion.

"I heard that he- he's dealing drugs now." Jimin stuttered through his sentence, nodding as though trying to convince himself.

My expression remained the same as I continued to look at him, puzzled. "What? When-"

"Yea." He cuts me off as he shook his head with disapproval. "That kid, sigh. Jina, stay away from him. Okay?" Jimin glanced at me as he looked back at my dad, trying to figure out if he had bought the lie.

"That's right Jina. I don't want you around that boy, understand?" My dad lets out in a stern tone as he tried to fix his tie.

I let my head bob into a nod as my stare drilled into Jimin who shrugged apologetically.

"Do you think we should inform a teacher?" My father continued and Jimin almost sprung to his feet.

"They're already taking care of it." He babbled, anxiousness piercing his brown eyes. Before the conversation could persist, my mother's voice chimed from the bedroom.

"Dear!" She jogged over to my dad as she passed him his wallet. "You almost forgot." She chuckled, slightly out of breath.

"Thank you, dear." My dad kissed her forehead before heading out.

My mum then spun on her heel and faced Jimin and me, her hands resting on her hips. "So kids, what are your plans for today?" She asked since the weekend had just begun. "I'm thinking of going over to Mrs Lee's. Just to check up on her. Jina, would you like to come?"

"I'm actually-"

"Jina's actually driving me to Hoseok's house today." He interrupts me as a devious smirk formed on his face.

"What?"

"Unless you have a certain boy to hang out with, Jina." He lets out, narrowing his eyes at me as my mum's gaze shifted to meet mine.

I choked up on my words as I looked at the both of them staring right at me. My mother's foot tapped onto the ground vigorously as she waited for me to say something.

"No, yea." I sighed as I gave in, not being able to come up with something in that second. I was never good at lying. "I'm driving Jimin to Hoseok's house." I finished my sentence as I nibbled on the inside of my cheek.

"Go get dressed, we're leaving in 5 minutes." My brother stated as he rushed by me but not after giving me a quick smack on the back of my head.

I groaned out of frustration as I made my way to my room to get dressed.

"Can you drive any faster?" Jimin hissed from the passenger seat.

"Ugh," I spat, my grip on the wheel tightening as I threw him a quick glance. "When are you going to get your driver's license?" I rolled my eyes, fixing my eyes back onto the road.

He simply shrugs as his eyes remained glued to his phone screen. "Take that right," he pointed out the window, his eyes not leaving his cellphone.

I drove up to Hoseok's home and came to a sudden stop, causing Jimin to jump from his seat, hitting whatever's in front of him. "Hey!" He growled after his head produced a loud thud against the dashboard.

"This is why you should always wear your seatbelt." I sneered as he got out the car. "And why you shouldn't blackmail me!" I shout out the window as he stuck out his tongue like a kid.

Before I drove off, I glanced into the windows of Hoseok's home and noticed Taehyung sitting on the couch.

I feel something within me twist and before I knew it, I was heading straight for their door without an intention in mind. As if having a mind of its own, my arm extended as I knocked onto the wooden door. I stood by, fidgeting with my shirt as I tried thinking through my rash decisions but before I could, the door swings open.

"What do you want?" I was greeted by an agitated Jimin, his narrowed eyes that were focused on me gave away his emotions.

"Um-" I stuttered as I looked into the house.

"Is that Jina?" I hear the familiar voice speak out from inside the house.

In seconds, Taehyung appeared from behind the door as he greeted me with a weary smile.

"Hey." His eyebrows raised as he looked at me with surprise. "What're you doing here?" He asked as he leaned against the door frame, his lips tugging into a wider smile.

"I needed to tell him something," I choked up a little as I pointed at Jimin. With a scoff, Jimin simply shook his head as he walked back into the living room, obviously annoyed with me.

"You should join us, we're about to watch a movie." Taehyung said as he motioned for me to enter.

"I guess I could." I shrugged a little as I took in a deep breath, entering.