- Don't take me tongue tied,
don't kiss me goodnight -
The moon is setting over the horizon and Jimin and Yoongi are drunk by now. I admit that I wasn't expecting to have as much fun as I am.
Their conversations are exactly like I imagined; deep and meaningful at time, philosophies about the future and the purpose of life giving me goosebumps, intertwined with dumb anecdotes that would all sound fake if it wasn't for them.
"I had sex with a teacher, once," says Jimin, and I laugh, thinking he's joking.
He wasn't.
"She wasn't even a teacher! She was just a university student majoring in teaching," argues Taehyung.
"Okay, but she was a substitute in one of his classes, so it still counts, give the man some credit," continues Yoongi.
Even Jungkook starts to loosen up as the night goes by, losing his careful stance to join the others in their banters.
"Was it Miss Gomez?" he asks.
"How did you know?" exclaims Jimin.
"Easy," I say, "She's the only substitute that wears tight skirts and shirts. Seriously, you just know she likes it dirty by the way she bends down every time she gets the chance to watch the boys in the first row drool over her."
A silence follows my statement and I freeze with a mouth full of chips, cheeks bulging as I widen my eyes. The four of them are staring at me with parted lips.
"What?" I ask, trying to swallow fast.
"Girls see those things too?" asks Yoongi.
"Huh... well, yeah? I mean... in her case it's pretty hard to miss how much of a slut she is..."
My comment is welcomed by their laughter and I join them, chuckling lowly.
"Hey! Yoongi!" interrupts Taehyung, "I bet you can't jump in between those two piles of rock."
I look in the direction in which he's pointing. The two peaks are far apart but the jump is feasible, however they are in the part of the quarry where there is water at the bottom, and if he falls, he will end up in the swamp.
"Challenge accepted!" exclaims Yoongi, then stands up and swallows the rest of his beer in one gulp, throwing the can at his side and wobbling towards the pile of stones.
He climbs up using his hands, the peak too steep to walk up, and soon finds himself overlooking the swamp, shaking his hands and jumping on the spot like an athlete preparing for the long jump. We all stand up, looking towards him and cheering as he prepares to jump.
"3...2...1..."
He leaps forward, using his arms to take an impulse and then jumps. He flies for a second, then heavily falls on the other pile of rock, facing us and bowing with a huge smile on his face. We applaud as he runs down the other side, joining us once again.
"That was too easy," says Taehyung.
"Yeah, my grandma could do this!" I exclaim and Yoongi throws his head back, his scarred ear looking like melted wax under the stars.
"Oh yeah? I would like to see you two try it, then,"
Taehyung gazes at me, like he's trying to assess if I want to do it or not, but I'm already walking towards the pile of rocks, climbing fast as he follows.
"Are you sure you can do it?" he asks in my back.
My heart melts a little because I know he's being serious, wondering if I'm alright.
"Are you sure you can do it?" I ask in turn, sending him a mischievous grin.
He smirks back at me as we both stand at the top and I shiver suddenly as I look below. Near the fire, I didn't notice how cold the night had become but up here, with the unforgiveable wind whipping my hair in my face, cold is seeping through my layers.
"Wanna go at the same time?" I ask him.
The swamp underneath seems unmoving, but I know that underneath the surface, a world of insects and amphibian swarms in the slime. I really don't want to fall, because I have no idea what's crawling in there and I don't intend to find out. There isn't any current so the water must be filthy.
"Yes, at the same time."
"3...2...1..." count the three other boys at our right and I leap forward, preparing to jump.
Taehyung's foot slips on some gravel, and he doesn't jump far enough. I arrive safe and sound at the top of the next peak while he oscillates at the edge of the void, arms forward and eyes enlarged as he suddenly understands he's going to fall.
And then, like an idiot I grab his hand, trying to pull him forward.
Of course, his weight drags me backwards instead and the both of us tumble down the pile of rocks, falling in the swamp with a splash as I land on top of him screaming.
It isn't deep, but we're both submerged, and I cough some swamp water as I feel the freezing cold invade my clothes
Meanwhile, Taehyung can't stop laughing.
Jimin, Jungkook, and Yoongi are all screaming in amusement as they look at the both of us struggle to stand in the mud. Taehyung is laughing so much he's crying, whole body covered in slime as he wades at my side. I can't help but smile back at him despite the situation.
I admit. Falling down in a swamp is a little bit funny.
"Idiot!" I scream at Taehyung, then pushes him and he falls back in the water with a groan, staying there this time because the vase in his clothes is so heavy, he can't move.
Meanwhile, I waddle around, patting my pockets and I realize I lost my keys.
"Huh, can you see my keys?" I ask Taehyung, sinking my hands in the vase and wincing at the viscous texture.
"Fuck! We can't see anything in there!"
I kneel down in the water and pat around, trying to find them. The cold is becoming unbearable and my teeth are chattering when Taehyung finally finds my keys.
"Thanks!" I say, taking them and getting out of the swamp as fast as possible.
I think I have never been this cold in my entire life. I was completely submerged for a second, which means that my hair is drenched and that I feel like a giant sponge, my clothes now so heavy that I walk difficultly out of the water.
Immediately I hug myself with my arms and run to the fire, where the others are still laughing.
"Ugh, so gross," says Yoongi, scrunching his nose, "You have algae in your hair."
Taehyung is behind me and shivering as well.
"Fuck, it's cold," he whines, teeth chattering.
The fire isn't helping at all, and I soon realize I need to go home and take a hot bath. The idea is almost too good, and I decidedly walk in the direction of the opening in the fence.
"I'm leaving. I need a hot bath," I tell them.
"I'm leaving too," says Taehyung.
His shoes make a squishy sound as he walks, and I wince. That sound is disgusting.
The three others wave and laugh in our backs as we leave.
"Good luck not freezing to death," exclaims Jimin.
The way back is silent and cold.
I can't even talk because I need to focus on each step I take, my legs feeling like two blocks of ice as I wobble towards my house. Taehyung is right beside me, teeth chattering as he holds his arms around his body in an attempt to keep warm. It's completely useless though, and the both of us are freezing to death by the time we arrive near the train tracks.
This is the place where we are supposed to split; Taehyung crossing the tracks while I stay on the other side.
But then he looks at me with wide anxious eyes and I suddenly understand he can't go home. If he walks in his house all muddy and drenched, it will be a good-enough reason for his father to beat him to a pulp.
"You can come to my house," I tell him.
"No."
His face is closed off, but he doesn't move.
"Taehyung!"
My tone sounds like a plead.
"Sage, your father is sleeping there!"
"He's not there! He's gone all weekend, I'm all...a – alone," I tell him, stuttering on the end because of my chattering teeth.
He presses his lips in a thin line, and under the streetlamps, I see him blush. Even then, he stays completely still, until I clasp his wrist in my hand and pull him to my street, deciding for him.
"Come on," I tell him, "You're coming with me."