Fourteenth

Kyungsoo

I left the next morning, dreading the fact that I had to go back home. I knew what my parents would say, but somehow, I still feared it. But it wasn't like I planned to stop seeing Jongin just because they didn't like him. If they had actually had valid reasons to be concerned about him or his intentions, I would have listened to them more, but everything they said was always the same and it was always wrong.

I turned the door knob carefully, mentally and physically preparing myself for the bombs about to be dropped on me. As soon as I left my shoes by the door and walked into the living room, both my mom and dad had stopped whatever they were doing before and looked at me.

"Where have you been all weekend?" my mom asked, standing up from the couch.

"I told you on Friday that I was spending the weekend with Kai," I answered. They didn't say anything for a while after that, so I thought I had actually managed to avoid any serious punishment. But oh, how naive I was to think that.

"About him, we need to talk," he said.

"I thought we already did. You said you didn't like me spending so much time with him, and I said I didn't care. Was that not clear enough?" I replied, moving my gaze between the two of them.

"That's not how this works," he said, moving onto his feet now. I let out a deep breath before he continued. "We can understand your feelings and we can even accept them, but why does it have to be him? I mean, he's not right for you."

"You don't know anything about him, so how can you even say that?"

"Trust me, we know enough about him," he said.

"I think what you mean to say is that you've assumed enough about him to determine that you don't like him. Whatever it is you think you know about him is wrong. He treats me well and he loves me and he makes me happy and that's all you should want for me as my parents. So can we please just drop this? I'm getting really tired of arguing about it." 

I looked at them both, awaiting their next response, but when I got nothing, I walked past them headed to my room. I rested my head on the door for a second after shutting it, letting out a heavy sigh. I pulled out my phone and texted Jongin.

To: Jongin ❤️I got home okay :) Sent: 9:58 a.m.

From: Jongin ❤️good! did your parents say anything?Sent: 10:00 a.m.

To: Jongin ❤️Oh you know just the usual "he's not good for you" speech that is entirely based on their assumptionsSent: 10:01 a.m.

From: Jongin ❤️im sorry, wish i could do something to make them not hate me :(Sent: 10:03 a.m.

To: Jongin ❤️It's okay, not your fault. Maybe if I just keep telling them to stop, they'll eventually stopSent: 10:04 a.m.

From: Jongin ❤️lol maybe. you always have a place with me and taeyoung if  you need to escape. we will gladly distract youSent: 10:05 a.m.

To: Jongin ❤️Thanks, that makes me feel better :) Sent: 10:06 a.m.

From: Jongin ❤️good, i don't like it when you feel bad. it makes me feel bad.as much as i'd love to keep talking, taeyoung has a school project due tomorrow that i just found out about 5 minutes ago. maybe i am a bad influence after allSent: 10:08 a.m.

To: Jongin ❤️Lol okay have fun. Love you ❤️Sent: 10:09 a.m.

From: Jongin ❤️love you more ❤Sent: 10:10 a.m.

I put my phone away and threw the rest of my stuff on the floor before going to lay on my bed. I didn't want my relationship with my parents to be tainted by a topic we would most likely never see eye-to-eye on, but I was young and in love with for the first time, so if I had to choose between them and Jongin, I would have chosen Jongin. I would always choose him.

Kai

Taeyoung and I were just finishing up with her project in the kitchen when I heard a loud, seemingly urgent pound on the door. 

"What was that?" she asked as she looked toward the front door, her eyebrows furrowed like mine.

"I'm not sure. I'll go see, so you just keep working and I'll be right back, okay?" I said to her. She just nodded and then I stood up to head over to the door. My curiosity quickly turned into dread when I saw Lay standing there.

"Hey Kai. Long time no see," he said, smiling even though he was clearly panicked.

Lay had started high school with me and Chanyeol but dropped out shortly after the start of sophomore year. His family wasn't any better off financially than mine and when things got really bad, he turned to selling drugs to get by. Of course, back then he said it would only be a one-time thing. It never was, though. I tried to help him as much as I could, but eventually, I decided I needed to distance myself from him for my safety and for Taeyoung's. I didn't have a Kyungsoo back then, so if something happened to me, there was no telling what would happen to her.

"Why are you here?" I asked, wearing a blank expression. He looked down as he played with his fingers anxiously.

"I know you said you'd never help me again, but this time I really need it," he said.

"I'm not going down that road again," I said instantly, shaking my head. "You know I can't risk it because of Taeyoung."

"I know I let you down plenty of times before, but if you don't help me, I could be killed," he explained. I'll admit, I did hold a grudge against him, but those words definitely caught my attention. I didn't know if I could live with someone dying if there was something I could have done to stop it. I looked behind me to see if Taeyoung was watching and stepped outside.

"What do you need help with?" I asked impatiently.

"Some guys I made a drug deal with are coming to pick up the stuff in a couple of weeks. I've heard from some other people that they're no joke if they don't get exactly what they want. All I need is for you to come with me to meet them. You don't have to do anything else, I promise," he said. I turned my attention away from him to think.

"I don't know Lay," I said, shaking my head.

"Please. I swear if you do this, I'll never bother you again," he begged. I looked him in his eyes and could the desperateness in them. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair.

"Fine. But this is the last time I'm helping you, I mean it," I said. "I want you to forget I exist after this."

"Thank you so much Kai," he said, smiling faintly. "Just meet me somewhere nearby and we can leave from there." I nodded my head in agreement. He started to leave before turning around. "Thanks again," he said. I didn't reply and went back inside, already regretting my decision.

"Who was at the door?" Taeyoung asked once I sat back down next to her. 

I exhaled and put on a smile. "No one. They just had the wrong address, so I pointed them in the right direction," I lied.

I was too afraid to tell her, too ashamed. I couldn't tell Kyungsoo either. He would just worry and that might make him do something stupid. Besides, it was just one last favor.