DRIVE | J.JK

13

"Going where, Jungkook?"

"Min."

Her eyes instantly flicker to my shaking hands, and I can't hide it from her. She tenses, her own hands pushed deeply into the pockets of her dark jacket.

"Come on, kid." Jimin protests when Yoongi drags him into the opposite room, and somehow I feel more nervous than before a test as I look into her fiery gray eyes.

When they're gone, it feels like the silence is pushing me down.

"Is it your father?"

"W-What?"

"Your father. I'm assuming he's set up a curfew or something for you." She whispers, voice still on edge. Her features turn cold.

"Jungkook, I can't let you go."

"I need to." I say, desperation filling my voice. It was already so late, but maybe if I pleaded, maybe he wouldn't be as angry. Maybe he wouldn't even decide to hit me. "Min, please. You don't understand."

"I can't. Just stay." She says, and frustrated, panicked tears start welling in my eyes. I wanted to do that. I wanted to stay, but I couldn't. But my father.

I couldn't disobey him like that.

"Min, I need to go." I say more firmly this time, but it's useless when I realize I'm crying. "Or he's— he's—"

Her arms wrap tightly around my body, and my backpack slips from my grip. It hits the floor, and so does my determination.

"Let you go? So you can come back to school tomorrow bleeding and bruised?" She says lowly into my ear, and I swallow.

"You're staying with me tonight."

_________________________

"Jungkook, eat."

But the food won't go over my throat. I can't stop thinking how bad this was— how disappointed my father was going to be. And how much of that disappointment he was going to put on me later on.

A sigh echoes next to me.

"Jungkook, everything will be fine." She says, but I shake my head. My head's lowered slightly, but her slender fingers press against my jaw and tilt it up.

The stare she's giving me opens me up completely.

"I-I want to stay with you so much, Min. But I'm going to have to face him in the end. It's just..."

"Kim Namjoon." She suddenly says, and my glassed eyes go wide. "Do you know him, Jungkook?"

"H-He's my brother."

"Yes. And he's also Yoongi's friend." She tells me, wiping the tears on my cheeks. "Yoongi isn't the same age as me, baby. He told your brother that you were staying for the night."

"Did you think I'd let you get hurt in any way?"

It's like a heavy weight is lifted off my chest. Namjoon hyung was smart enough to figure out an excuse after that— and he was an excellent talker.

It wasn't right, but it felt so good at the same time.

Without a word, I pull her tightly to my chest. She seems surprised, but I'm feeling too happy to really care. It's dark outside— by this time I'd be locked in my room and studying.

But I'm here.

And I'm so happy my heart could burst.

"That excited?" She says softly, shifting out easily from my grip. "I'll forgive you this one time, just because you seem so happy.

Confusion fills my face, before it turns into pure embarrassment. I'd hugged her so tight that I hadn't even realized that I'd accidentally got food on her jacket.

"S-Sorry." I stutter, but she just shakes her head and shrugs it off.

"I had to get dressed for bed anyway." She says, but then her eyes flash to the direction where Yoongi has pulled in Jimin. "And if you two are going to make so much noise, come out here and look after Jungkook."

When my gaze follow hers, I'm surprised to see a blur of mint. Then Yoongi trudges out from behind the doorway. He looks back sharply.

"Jimin, we're caught. I thought you could understand Korean."

"What?" Jimin's delicate brown eyes widen in shock as he pokes his head out, and Yoongi mumbles under his breath. "How'd she know?"

"Because you're loud as f—" Then my face goes confused, and so does Jimin when he stops and gives us both an accusing look. "Can't even freely talk in my own house now, huh?"

Then I hear the slight creak of a door, and glance over to see Min shaking out her pinned up hair. She'd dressed into a loose white shirt, looking more softer.

"I'm going to sleep."

She says, and Yoongi raises an eyebrow at her back as she turns around, disappearing back into the doorway. Then I notice Jimin nodding off on the couch.

And then I notice Yoongi staring daggers into me.

"Kid."

"Y-Yeah?"

"You're not planning on sleeping in Minnie's room, right? Because there's no way—"

"No!" I exclaim, my face heating up again. My hands press on the couch, trying to avoid his constant gaze. "I was planning to sleep here."

"Hmm." He nods, seeming satisfied with my answer. Then he shifts Jimin into his arms, tilting his head towards the temperature setter on the wall.

"Blanket on the arm of the couch. And it can get a bit cold at night, so make sure to bring that up before you fall asleep, got it?"

I nod rapidly, and he murmurs a goodnight before disappearing into the opposite room with unconscious Jimin. Only when he's gone do I slump back into the couch.

I wasn't sleepy, but I should still force myself to sleep so I didn't faint like last time.

I'm about to head to the temperature setter like he'd told me to, but then decide it was already warm enough. I'd be fine during the night.

Loosely throwing the blanket around myself, I let my eyes wander around the moonlit ceiling until I doze off again.