Hate | Nosung

15

Warning: just a little bit of violence toward the end.

Jisung was used to feeling the burning eyes of his jealous peers trying to set him on fire via glare alone, but this feeling was different.

It was different from the petty hate he encountered. It was malicious.

And it was everywhere.

In the crowds of passing periods, in the cafeteria during lunch, sometimes even when he was alone.

He didn't disclose his concern to anyone, knowing he'd probably be written off as paranoid. He just continued on with his life.

Jisung was really cruising, not to mention. A week had passed since his solo dance assignment and Jeno's attitude change, and suddenly school wasn't as dreadful as it was during those first weeks.

Jisung had Jeno to thank for that. The jock has mellowed out with his antics... mostly.

Lee Jeno couldn't help but be the tease he very naturally was, and there were a few spats between him and the dancer here and there.

A fine example of this being on a bright Thursday morning, before the first morning bell had rung. The classroom was already half full, Park Jisung being one of the present early students as always.

Jisung, who was boredly looking around the classroom after having scrolled through his entire Instagram feed (curse that little celebratory "caught up to your feed!" banner), nearly choked on his own saliva at the sight of Lee Jeno waltzing into the classroom. Early.

Yes. Jeno had undergone some kind of for-the-better change. No, That did not include his punctuality regarding formal academic classes. He was usually right in the door as the bell rang, sometimes his face flushed from sprinting from where he and his basketball goons congregated every morning.

On this day, Jeno had come in early. Before the first bell even rang. By himself.

When Jisung gave Jeno the most bamboozled expression Jeno had ever seen, the jock laughed as he slid into his desk.

"What's wrong?" Jisung surprised Jeno with such a question.

"What do you mean?"

"You never come in early."

Jeno cocked an eyebrow. "I have before, though?"

"Only when you have a reason to."

"Ah, you know me so well," Jeno chuckled and propped his arm up on the back of Jisung's seat. "I do in fact have a reason to be here so early today."

Jisung raised his eyebrows as he rolled up his earbuds and neatly put them away in his backpack. "And what might that be?" He absently sighed.

"To see your pretty face before class."

It was so nonchalant that Jisung nearly didn't catch it. His immediate reaction was a scoff and a mumble about how he should've kept his earbuds in.

"What, is it a sin to miss someone?" Jeno defended.

"You saw me last night, idiot." Jisung deadpanned, recalling their tutoring session from the day prior.

Jeno scrunched his nose, and his eyes smiled. "I know you missed me too, so I just decided to fix our mutual suffering."

"Fix isn't quite the word," Jisung rolled his eyes and glared daggers at Jeno, but he wasn't as angry as he would have been a few weeks prior.

Because this was rare now. And sometimes, it was fun. It was fun to banter with Lee Jeno like this. It made their awkward, fragile acquaintanceship less tense and always broke the ice between them. (Really the only reason ice built up so regularly was because of Jisung, but Jeno never said anything about it.)

Of course, Jeno did have a reason to come into class early, other than what he'd claimed. Just some help with math, as per usual. Jisung had no issues with leaning over and taking Jeno through the steps.

The two boys remained quietly hunched over Jeno's desk as they worked, an occasional giggle from Jeno prompting a short-lived sigh from Jisung. Thankfully they finished in time for the start of class.

The exchange made Jisung think.

Lee Jeno wasn't all that bad.

The weird feeling was back. The feeling of eyes locking onto Jisung like missile targets. It made it so difficult to focus during his library time. How could he take notes when he has internal alarms jumbling up all of his thoughts?

He gave up trying to study, and left the library a little early. With his backpack over his shoulder and dance bag clutched in his arms, he walked the pathway to the gym.

The hallways were eerily empty. They usually were sparsely populated after school hours, but the air about them made Jisung feel immensely uncomfortable. The eyes didn't leave his back.

He whipped his head around, quickly checking behind him. Nothing. Just lockers, closed classroom doors, sleek tiled floors and a plain grid ceiling. Not a person in sight.

Hesitantly, he twisted back to the front and continued on his way, a bit more fast paced than before. He was spooked a little too much for his liking.

He'd made it to the first floor, and sadly didn't feel as relaxed as he thought he would. In fact, it got worse. An overwhelming wave of anxiety made Jisung physically stop in his tracks.

Which was all but the right thing to do.

As soon as his momentum stopped, he was shoved from the side with such force, he landed hard on the ground with a gasp. His dance bag dropped from his hands and he was sent into a little alcove in the hallway that led to three classroom doors. All three of which were locked and dark inside.

Jisung looked up at the person who'd rammed into him as they now stood over him with the nastiest glare.

Kyungsook. One of the girls that follows Jeno's squad around as if she's a part of it.

Jisung puts his palms on the ground and lifts himself off the ground. No way he was gonna sit there like a deer in headlights and let himself get harassed. His scowl said it all.

That pissed Kyungsook off.

Before he could even get on his feet, Jisung was kicked back to the ground by a new presence. His collarbone immediately started to ache with the beginning of a bruise.

"What the he-"

"You don't listen very well, do you?" Jisung was cut off by the new threat. Miran.

If there was just one person, Jisung would have been fine. He could've run away. But two people? Not good. They blocked off the one exit out of this little mini corridor that so conveniently was out of the sight of the school security cameras.

Ah.

So that's what the weird feeling was.

Jisung should've trusted his gut.

Now, he was being manhandled, as Kyungsoo grabbed a fist of his hair and angrily interrogated him.

"What were you doing last night?"

Last night?

Oh.

"What, is it a sin to miss someone?"

"You saw me last night, idiot."

D*mn.

"We told you to stay away from him." Miran seethed from behind Kyungsook.

"I just-"

"Shut up." Kyungsook snarled and released his hair just to smack him cleanly across the face.

Jisung's head jerked to the side on impact, and it shocked him into paralysis.

His ear started ringing.

He could barely hear Kyungsook as she crouched to his eye level.

"Let this be a lesson to you, Park."