Milkshake Boy | pjm

twenty-four

A few minutes after Jimin's departure, I see a large group of teachers rush past the door to the room I'm in. I sit up slightly and watch as a few more teachers run past, all of them headed in the same direction, toward the same place.

I furrow my eyebrows before standing up and peaking my head out the door, searching for any sign of a teacher who could yell at me for leaving the room I was told to stay in. What I search for, however, is not there. Not a single teacher, nor principal, nor assistant is in the office, they've all left, leaving me unsupervised and able to do as I please.

I leave the small office and head down the hall in the direction I saw the gaggle of teachers run off to, searching for the cause of their rushed departure.

Just outside the office, in the main foyer, there is a group of students. It's not a small group, however, it's about a hundred kids, and they're all crowding around something.

I leave the office and that's when I hear it, the crowd is cheering, meaning there is something happening within the circle.

"Excuse me," I mumble continuously as I push through the crowd, desperate to see what's happening in the center of it.

As I near the front of the crowd, my jaw drops when I see what's happening in the center of it. Jimin, who begged me to trust him, is on top of some boy whom I don't know, and he's punching him over and over again.

The boy being pinned beneath Jimin flips over, forcing Jimin beneath him as he begins to punch Jimin over and over.

"Jimin!" I screech, trying to give Jimin the strength to fight back. He doesn't hear me, however, the screaming of the crowd is too loud. I furrow my eyebrows and run into the fight, pulling the boy on top of Jimin by his hair and throwing him to the floor.

The crowd gasps at my action, and I crouch on the floor beside Jimin. He smiles at me before touching my cheek gently, a little blood trickling from his mouth.

The boy I threw on the floor comes back and grabs me by the neckline of my shirt, pulling me off the floor.

"You weren't supposed to get involved," he whispers, his facial expression is soft as he holds me close to him so he can whisper. "Jimin said you wouldn't get involved."

I stare at him with confusion, and I realize now that the crowd has fallen silent, all of their eyes locked on me and the unnamed boy holding onto my shirt.

"Punch me," he says, shaking me a little as he says so. "Do it!"

Although I'm confused, I do as I'm told, though I don't know why. I push away from the boy and punch him straight in the face, my punch knocking him to the ground with a loud thud.

The crowd is silent for a moment more before they start cheering for me. I ignore the cheers and run towards Jimin who is still lying on the floor, clearly injured from the fight. I slide my arm beneath his back and lift him up, resting his head on my lap as I kneel beside him.

"Are you okay?" Jimin asks softly, his hand coming up to cup my face gently. His eyes scan over my face slowly, searching for any sign of injury.

I pull away from his hand. "I'm fine, Jimin," I respond, my hands cupping his injured face. "Are you okay?"

He chuckles. "I'm fine," he smiles slightly. "I don't look fine, I bet, but I feel fine."

"Why did you do it?" I ask gently, lowering my voice into a soft whisper. "Why did you fight him?"

Jimin goes to speak, but he's pulled away from his words when the principal pushes through the crowd and begins to scream at us.

"Jimin, Taishi, Hyesun!" Mrs. Kim's voice is loud and angered, her petite body standing at the edge of the crowd. "All three of you, to my office, now!"