My Light, My Jimin

Chapter 32: Lockdown

JIMIN

It will only be twenty minutes, tops.

That's what I keep telling myself after waking up the next morning and walking to campus. It would just be twenty minutes. I would swing by Yoongi's classroom in the morning to change the date, then head to the library where Ms. Sumin would tell me all about her cat's misbehavior as she's prone to do. I have nothing wrong with that, listening to her rambling about her pets has given us something to bond over, albeit a bit strange.

I even wore sneakers so if I needed to dash, I could run across campus. It's the small things like this that comfort me, knowing that if I'm pushed into the inevitable reality where Professor Kim Namjoon questions me again, I can bolt out the door. I know running isn't going to solve everything, but still. It's an option.

The campus just opened, and I'm not entirely sure if Yoongi is even there, but I step past the student center anyway, heading toward the humanities building when I spot the technical building.

In this hour, it's practically a ghost town. I'm surprised no other professors are to be seen, but I guess since it's Friday everyone gets that anticipation for the weekend. As I walk, I notice a man- I'm assuming a professor because of his buttoned up shirt and slacks- sitting on a bench reading a book. He looks up and nods, smiling. I nod back. It's nice to know some people get up with a friendly attitude in the morning.

I know after drinking coffee, I'm still in a grizzly bear mode. Thinking about it now, I wonder if there's time for a quick bathroom break. I wouldn't want to be in the middle of something with Yoongi and do something horrible.

I bite my lip. Just a few seconds.

I proceed around the curved hallway to the restroom, sighing in relief when I notice I'm the only one in here. As said before, I'm happy with the little things. I need time to myself anyway. After the talk with Yoongi yesterday, I was sure he was going to kill me. But he didn't. He was mature, talked me through it, that everything was going to be okay.

I don't know how I managed life without him.

I'm in the stall finishing up and it isn't until the door to the bathroom swings open do I come out of my thoughts, standing up in the tiny stall and preparing to open it when the lights turn off overhead.

Odd. I don't even know who would turn them off in the first place. This would be the time teachers and students would need them.

Opening the door, I squint and there's someone standing at the entrance. I can make out his figure to be tall, maybe six feet. I assume it's a 'he' because what kind of woman would be in the men's room? He asks, "Is anyone in here?"

I clear my throat. "Yeah. I'm here." I pause at the stall, trying to adjust my eyes. "Why did you turn off the lights?"

"Oh, sorry." Then the lights flick back on. In the florescent light, I can finally see him. He has on a blue buttoned shirt and slacks, and I recognize him to be the professor I passed going in.

"Is everything okay?" I speak up. "Did you turn off the lights?"

He smiles. "Yeah, that was me. I didn't mean to scare you. I just came to make sure anyone was down here for the lockdown. Kids like to sneak off and hide when it happens, you know."

I tilt my head. "What lockdown?"

His gaze grows round. "You don't know? They sent out a mass text." His hand slides into his pocket and he brings out his phone, unlocking it and showing me a text from a number labeled as ADMIN.

My forehead scrunches as I read. According to this, a student was sighted near the humanities building with a weapon. The suspect wearing a red shirt and jeans is believed to be dangerous. It says for all staff and students to go into full lockdown. When I look up, the man shakes his head, putting his phone away.