value || jikook

thirty two

jimin watched jungkook plop down on the couch and look at his hands nervously. he sat beside him, arm spread across the top of the couch and outstretched nearly touching his shoulder.

"you gotta explain everything jungkook, and i mean everything, seriously," jimin spoke seriously. "how come you'd never said anything about it?"

"well..." he sighed in response. "i honestly wanted to just forget it all, but i know now that that really isn't possible anymore. at least after this, but even when they would hurt me before i should have known. but now... i know that for sure. i..." jungkook chuckled. "what am i even saying?"

jimin just looked at him and found a tiny smirk growing on his face.

"i don't know, but don't feel like you gotta tell me everything if it's tough for you," he caressed his shoulder sincerely. jungkook shook his head.

"no i should have told you after you first drove them off that one time," jungkook shifted to look directly at him as he spoke. "so i guess i should start with high school.

"i was the new kid, and i used to be a loner because of that. i had a hard time making friends and all that so i would stick to myself. but those guys, one day, while i was walking to my next building, we just kinda ran into each other. two of the guys were fighting and one of the basketballs they'd been playing with hit me in the side and we talked some after they apologized of course.

"i got to hang out with them a few times and they apparently thought of me as part of the group after just those few times. but during those two times, they would regularly do and deal drugs to others. they'd hit me and treat me like a bit of a punching bag who would be their testing animal for any other drugs or whatever mess they made themselves. it messed up my stomach for a little while.

he laughed and shrugged when he saw jimin looking at him in bewilderment.

"that's why i stopped going to hang out with them, so don't think i was awestruck by how trendy or cool they were for being the druggies that they were. but anyways, they took it personally that i stopped going over and steering clear of them. i didn't want any trouble so i tried talking things out with them after class at their place one day.

jungkook grew noticeably tense and looked at the clock. it read 9:07 pm, and the windows were casting shadows across the floor of distorted sunlight that faded with the sunset.

"and what happened?" jimin looked at him, eyes wide wanting to hear more. "you can't stop there."

"don't worry i wasn't going to, it's just... i still remember everything vividly." jungkook murmured quietly. "i knocked and at first i wasn't welcome, as they yelled at me through a cracked door. i could smell the scent of bongs and boiling pots of liquified ice- which is a drug similar to cocaine and all that- whatever anyways, they didn't want me there at first.

jungkook smiled while he spoke and leaned back, wincing on the inside from his bandages shifting. then he was reminded of the next part.

"after a few minutes of me trying to communicate with a crackhead, they dragged me inside and interrogated me like i betrayed them or something. they thought i told the school administration about them and everything they were doing. and i learned that they been questioned in the head office for suspicious activity, and i hadn't done a thing so it was confusing to me.

"i was just someone who had hung with them a few times thinking maybe they'd be friends, and i was wrong about it and i didn't wanna be caught up in their mess so i stayed away- and yes they were assholes. but they started blaming me for it, and saw me a traitor even though i tried explaining that school was just keeping me busy and i didn't have anything personal against them.