"Did you have breakfast?"
Lisa came up to her. Sora widened her eyes unbeknownst to her as to why she was surprised.
Lower than a whisper, “Wow you’re pretty.” Lisa mused stuffing her muffin in her mouth. “I was looking for you so that we could have breakfast together but you disappeared. You have a talent for that.”
Sora smiled at Lisa’s chuckle. Was she making a friend? Is this how friendships begin?
“Sorry for that.” Ghad she hated her whispery voice. She cleared her throat, straightened her spine. “I…” she peeped, clearing her throat again. “I was…was…I couldn’t sleep.”
Lisa gingerly stepped close with a sigh. “I understand. The first night is always uncomfortable. Homesick?”
Sora pressed her lips. She didn't think of home, her mind was too occupied planning strategies on how she was going to survive in this confining space with an uncomfortable generous number of people. How was she going to sleep without her nightmares, how to not scream at night or run around hallucinating? The pills he gave her couldn’t sustain her for more than a month and she had three months here. Her father would not hear a tut about her coming home for the weekend. Sora wished that her father was involved in politics, she could have more freedom to pop in and out of school whenever she wanted. Freedom. Nonetheless, she did miss her mother so she responded,
“Yes.” She missed her it ached.
“May I?” Lisa offered her a hug and slowly Sora walked into it.
Peculiar. Lisa smelled like peppermint and pineapples. Peculiar. “I like the…your hair smells nice.” Sora softly said.
“Thankyou.” Lisa grabbed Sora by the shoulder, intensely looking into her eyes. “Yoongi has a full box of this amazing shampoo, I can ask him to give you one, and don't get me started with the conditioner, it leaves your hair softer than cotton candy. Seriously, you’re really beautiful.”
Sora smiled. She dipped her chin to her chest, hiding behind the tresses of her hair. “Do you have a mask I can borrow?”
“Oh, did I make you uncomfortable? I’m sorry, but I do mean it, that you are such a beautiful person, genuinely…” Lisa fell into a short rumble before spotting Jungkook. “Kook.”
About to bypass them, he stopped in his track, three steps ahead of them. He partially turned to them, hooked up an inquisitive eyebrow.
"Mask."
"Huh?"
"Help me with a mask. If you have a spare on you."
Sora cut her gaze to the wall then threw it on the hard marble floor. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, fingers crossing each other, intertwining with her wrist band. Too many people. She wanted to sit in a corner. Alone. Alone. Alone with space. A shaky breath slipped her lips when she sensed Jungkook come near. She took a small step back.
Inhale, exhale.
Sora peaked through her lashes catching Jungkook's gaze while he extended his hand to her, a black mask on his palm.
"Good morning." He said tenderly as if scared that she would run away if he was too enthusiastic.
Amongst all her classmates, Jungkook was the one she shared most interactions with. He didn't make her uncomfortable, the main reason being she never paid attention to him and he caught her bored most of the time. Their encounters never surpassed ten seconds nor were they friendly. Only passing notebooks, handing in assignments and if she could remember correctly, a group project, once. Twice?
The mask was on her face when she tipped her head as a hello and a thankyou. Lisa voiced her gratitude with a tap on his back.
"Let's go get breakfast." Lisa took Sora's hand.
_________
His father was discomfitingly quiet and bearable. It made Taehyung anxious and giddy. His mind raced making it hard to concentrate on his meal. He spilled his glass of juice twice, a bacon somehow escaped his plate and slapped down on the floor. The fork slipped his sweaty fingers and he was too scared to pick it up when his father shot him a sharp look from across the large rounded dinning table.
He did something wrong. Taehyung knew.
Nate.
Even if Nate kept his silence his father would pin him about his scars and it would be impossible for Nate to lie to his father (who owns an oil company and can easily identify a fire burn—caused by a lighter.)
There are chances that Nate's father had questioned his father about his friendship with Nate. Besides, Mr Yuri was the one that gifted him his lighter. Well, Jin actually, and he didn’t mind it when Taehyung took it off his hands.
Taehyung fixed the collar of his suit, loosening his ties before adjusting it and tightening it again.
“Are you alright son?”
Taehyung wet his lip. “It's quite hot this morning.”
“Have a glass of cold water.” Mr Kim snapped his fingers and a man came rushing in with a jug of cold water.
“Thankyou.” He clutched hard on the glass, afraid it would slip from his fingers. If he made a mess on his suit, he doubted his father would have enough patience for him today. His fingers tugged at the knot of his tie.
____________
You would think that a high esteemed prestigious school would have every kind of dishes imaginable but…
“There is no apple juice?” Sora squeaked at Lisa when the cafeteria lady informed them of the dilemma. Lisa held a chuckle, amusedly surprised at her reaction. It was such a small one, an everyday reaction but Sora made it foreign. “How could they not have…” Sora's voice trailed behind her throat.
“It’s not a fav for everyone. What's your second drink of choice?”
Sora granted Lisa a horrified look. What did she mean second choice? Second choice? Sora never did second choices. She didn't like orange juice, it was too sweet and simultaneously bland, She disliked the texture on her tongue. She wasn't a fan of mango, it was too heavy and she hated mangoes. She loathed mixed berries or mixed juice, why would they mix them?
“Um pineapple?” She realized she had whispered when Lisa leaned her ear forward. “Strawberry juice please.”
They settled on a table by a grand window stuffed at a corner. It was a comfortable spot. Or perhaps its because they were late and the cafeteria was a synonym to empty. Sora poked at her hot dog. It was grody that it sat next to her fresh baked cookies but lisa had insisted on filling her plate, calling her breakfast too light.
“Eat up, before break time arrives it would be an aeon.” Lisa had said about to slap a second hot dog on her plate. Sora had pulled her plate to her and Lisa laughed at her cute scowl.
“Um…” Sora hummed feeling the need to fill the silence. If Lisa noticed that Sora was a mundane person, how quick would she leave? What was she supposed to say? They already said hello and Sora believed they were past the stage of ‘how are you? How are you doing?’ she needed substance, something interesting.
But she wasn’t.
Sora bit her lip feeling a tremor jolt up her hands, a wash of absence making her intensively aware of herself. The seedling confidence that budded through out the morning nipped and she wanted to —
“What? Run? Breath? Hide? Tch!” She rolled her eyes. “You’re still pathetic as ever.” Blond hair brushed Sora’s shoulder. “Don’t even bother.” Glass clinked on the table followed by a shallow drag of silence. “She isn't interested. She is only being polite. You’re being a burden. She has to take care of you because you’re new. A girl that can’t handle small tasks like taking care of herself. Tch! Pathetic.” She sipped her drink with a chuckle. “Saw the Note Nate gave you. What di-”
Sora shot up from her chair. “I have to go.”
With a cough, lisa set down her glass of Almond milk, wiping a splash on her cheek with the back of her hand, before grabbing a tissue. “Why? Is something wrong? Did I make you uncomfortable?” She rose to her feet.
“N-no.” Sora exhaled. “Take your time with your meal.”
Lisa blankly stared at her and Sora had to repeat her sentence more audibly.
“But, your food? We don't have classes today—”
“Stop being nice to me, I know you're pretending.” She charged for the exit.
____________
His father would kill him.
Nate shuffled in circles around his room.
His clothes sprawled in a bundled mess on the white carpeted floor. He dissected the situation in every angle, no comprehensible explanation would smother the situation. His chest rose up in rapid breathes, his forehead moist with a sheen sheet of sweat.
His father would undoubtedly toss him into a fire pit. Mr Yuri was known for his scorching temper
"No no no." He mumbled dropping to his knees, shoving his clothes into his Burberry suitcase. "No no no no." He stiffened before his hand rummaged through the pile then dug his fingers in all his pockets until his phone peeked out and was fiercely clutched in his hand against his ear.
Tears licked down his face, chest rising and falling—a battle of air as fear frosted over his eyes.
Ring–ring–ring.
No response. His teeth gnashed, pinching his inner cheek until a metallic taste swashed in his mouth.
Footsteps.
He swiped on his screen, aggressively tapping out a text to Jin before the device slipped from his fingers when the door burst open.
A metallic click followed, snapping up his spine.
Slowly, very slowly, Nate turned to look at his raging father, horrified by the hunting gun barrel pointed at him.
Nate opened his mouth, pressed it shut, swallowed, opened it again. "Dad I–"
Bang!
Nate dropped to the ground with a muffled thud.
The carpet thirstily sucked his blood, tinting itself a murderous red.