Alone {𝕄𝕀ℕ𝕊𝕌ℕ𝔾}

Chapter Fifty-Six

JEONGIN SAT ON ONE OF THE OUTDOOR BENCHES NEAR THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE SCHOOL CAMPUS. Truthfully, he was waiting for someone. His heart thundered giddily at the mere thought of seeing Seungmin again.

The two had grown closer in the previous days, and Jeongin's frail, naïve heart had decided to trump his logic once again. He did, however, believe that Seungmin wasn't as bad a person as Jaehyun – hopefully, anyways.

"Hey, Jeonginie." He looked up with a wide smile as the redhead took his seat next to him. As always, the boy had a script in hand, even if he wasn't reading it; the younger boy had always found that so inexplicably charming.

"You don't have drama club tonight, right?" He tilted his head in question, and Seungmin pouted, crossing his arms across his chest. "Unfortunately," he sighed, and, gathering all the courage the younger boy possibly could, he stuttered out his question. "Do you wanna, maybe, hang out after school then?"

His eyes were wide and hopeful, and he could only hope that he didn't sound weird. He wasn't the best at social interactions; being the outcast kid did that to you sometimes. "Sorry, but I already have plans for tonight, maybe another time?" he replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.

"Oh, yeah. Another time." Jeongin mumbled as he cast his eyes away for a moment. At least he could still talk to Seungmin now. "Oh...! I gotta blast, see ya later." He waved absentmindedly before rushing over to someone across the courtyard.

Jeongin followed his movements until his eyes landed on the strawberry-blonde boy he finally knew the name of; Jisung. Envy rushed through his veins when he saw Seungmin pull the other male into a tight hug, whispering in his ear.

He felt his heart crack, because everyone seemed to leave him in favour of that blonde, and it infuriated him. He deserved someone, too, and that boy seemed to have a handful of people who cared about him.

He was snapped out of his jealous reverie by a hand stopping on his shoulder. He looked up, jumping back when he noticed Jaehyun standing next to him. "W-What do you want?" He hated the way his voice wavered and trembled in the presence of the older male, and how he felt as though he could just get back together with him, because at least then someone would – or at least pretend to – want him.

He shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts, because despite the small sliver of his heart that still belonged to the manipulative, lying douche bag, his heart was inclined in a different direction now. Even if Seungmin didn't want him either.

"Jealousy isn't a pleasant feeling, is it?" Jaehyun said with a shake of his head and a chuckle. Jeongin remained silent, because as much as he wanted to, he couldn't deny that he was, indeed, despairingly jealous.

Jaehyun eyed Seungmin and Jisung as they walked away. "What if I said I could make him," he nodded in Jisung's direction, "disappear?" Jeongin's eyes widened and he shook his head. No, he wasn't that type of person.

"All you'd have to do is take one, tiny picture. That's it, and I'll do the rest." Jaehyun was persuasive, and he knew it. "No," the younger boy mumbled as he attempted to back away, but Jaehyun's grip on his shoulder was much too strong for him to break free of.

He wished he was strong enough to defend himself, just this once.

"Without Jisung here, you'll be able to have that redhead all to yourself. Don't you want that?" Jeongin's eyes travelled to the ground. "Yes, but..." Not like this. "Then just do as I say. It'll be a win-win for everyone."

Jeongin still shook his head, though, because he never wanted to stoop down to Jaehyun's level. He's lied to me before. He'll do it again. He was suddenly thrown to the ground, and he winced as his head crashed against the concrete below him.

"Why are you being so difficult?" He glared, and Jeongin could only look up at him through bleary eyes and a trembling body. Not again.

~#~#~#~#~#~

Jeongin's fear had overwritten any of his moral values, and as he stood there, hiding in the corner with Jaehyun's phone in his hands, he blinked back his tears. You really aren't any better than him. You're worse. Coward. He took a deep breath and shook his head.

Jisung appeared around the corner, his hands stuffed deep into his jean pockets, and Jeongin was surprised to see deep eye bags, and not a single shred of the usual cheer and joy he possessed. Jeongin felt his heart clench, and he suddenly began to think about running away and not fulfilling his side of the plan.

He winced, though, because he knew that if he did that, his life would be even more of a living hell than it had ever been. Jaehyun was terrifying when he was angry. So, he took a deep breath to settle his nerves and whispered out a quiet "I'm sorry."

Jaehyun walked up in front of him, and Jisung's eyes widened as he backed away slightly. The elder male wrapped his arms around his waist and pressed their lips together, and Jeongin winced before he snapped the picture.

When Jisung finally managed to push him away, he smirked. "It's time to prove to everyone what you really are." He laughed, and Jisung felt tears well in his eyes as his fists clenched at his sides. "What do you want from me?" he cried, voice shaking and Jeongin slowly lowered the phone.

Guilt ebbed away at every fiber of his being, and he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. "You lie to everyone around you; you're a fake," Jaehyun spat, letting the first wall of his façade finally fall. "I don't know what happened to you, but leave me out of it." Jisung ground out, before pushing past Jaehyun and continuing on his way to the hospital.

He didn't have the time nor the mental stability to deal with this bullshit. He just wanted to get to Minho as soon as possible; maybe then he'd finally be able to get some peace of mind.

Jisung didn't look... well, and Jeongin looked down at the phone in his hands, at the pictures he'd taken, and wondered what Jaehyun could ever possibly want with them. He recalled how Jaehyun had said it was time to reveal his secret to everyone.

The puzzle pieces finally clicked, and he swallowed thickly. The people at their school were far from kind and accepting of those with a different sexuality, and Jisung was someone quite popular, on a few sports teams throughout the year, but Jeongin had to admit that he'd done a good job of covering up that fact about himself.

He'd never let himself see it before, too blinded by his own jealousy, but Jisung was nice. He'd never participated in the young boy's public humiliation, and he didn't deserve what was coming for him, and Jeongin's eyes welled with the tears at the thought of his own torment for his sexuality.

What am I doing?

He couldn't let that happen. He clicked on the delete button, and as the message popped up to verify if he wanted to erase the pictures, Jaehyun grabbed his hand and ripped the phone from it. His eyes were narrowed in suspicion, but his victorious smirk was still present on his face.

How had he ever believed that Jaehyun was a good person?

"Thanks for your help, Jeonginie," he mocked, before he walked away, and the boy leaned against the wall as he buried his face in his hands.

What have I done?

A/N: Thanks for 30k uwu that's incredible asdfkljasdfkljasdf

Q: What's a book you *highly* recommend?

A: Zodiac by Romina Russell. It has just bumped every other book I've ever read out of the way and is now my #1 favourite book that I've read so far. It's engaging since the beginning, and it's written so well, and the story-line just uGH stabbed me. Everyone should read it. Now I have to wait until I can get my hands on the next book of the series :,) At least my birthday is in two weeks ;)

Lots of love,

~Junnie

P.S: Does someone know how to change the keyboard from American English to Canadian English (or British English that works too) on Grammarly because I'm sick and tired of it telling me I'm writing cOLOUR WRONG I'M NOT