Ch.10
Steroids? He's been doing steroids? You got the call from Namjoon at one in the morning. They forced Jungkook to admit it. You wanted to know how, but they refused to tell you so. It was a good thing your sister didn't wake up. This news made your stomach drop. Right when it left Namjoon's lips, you fell back into your bed. You were there when Jungkook had grown that sudden interest in steroids and for some reason you were blind to it. It's not like you knew the symptoms, but how could you rule it out? A large part of you wanted to deny Jungkook doing anything that was considered self-destructive. It made you feel awful to hear that Jungkook had fallen into that path. Namjoon and the rest of the members felt like it was their fault for not watching over the youngest one enough.
The call lasted for about an hour as you assured Namjoon that none of this was his fault. He was so upset with himself that he started to vent for a long time. You listened to every word and made sure to make him know that he was trying his best. It wasn't his fault that Jungkook had steroids readily available. They sold drugs for money way before they met you. It wasn't until now that Jungkook had grown an interest. Now you made a promise with Namjoon and the rest to keep Jungkook clean. This was a drug Namjoon didn't want anyone he cared about messing with. He let Yoongi smoke weed and cigarettes on the occasion, but the harder drugs were off limits. He kept criticizing himself for not catching that. When you got him to calm down, Namjoon said that today would be Jungkook's first day being clean no matter what.
And so that's what you wanted to see. Math class was starting, but Jungkook and Taehyung weren't in their seats at all. It was making you become impatient with everyone in the classroom. You came in hoping to see them, but at the same it was good that Jungkook wasn't here yet. If he was, you would have started a huge scene. You didn't know whether to yell at him first or throw something. They better show up to school because you were extremely close to ditching just to go to the warehouse. The school would call your house, but you could delete the message before your sister heard it. The bell rung, and you jumped out of your seat with your phone in hand. During Mr. Pyo's class, Taehyung had been texting you that they were dealing with Jungkook at the moment.
Hurrying out of the classroom, you spotted them down the hallway. Students were already crowding the small space to travel to their next class. They weren't going to stop you. Shoving past them, you made your way to the three boys. Jimin was standing behind them as Jungkook shook Taehyung off of him. Jungkook was trying to hold in his anger, but you could clearly see it on his face. His teeth were gritted, and his nostrils were flaring. Jimin pursed his lips while Taehyung didn't know what to do. The first years couldn't get the maknae to calm down which means the rest should come to help. Right?
"Jeon Jungkook." You walked up to them, meeting Jungkook's eyes. His eyes widened slightly as you stood in front of him with your arms crossed. "Why? Why did you get yourself into that? It makes no sense!"
"Shut up! You shouldn't have said anything." Jungkook took a step forward to you. "It's my life. You had no business in telling everyone that there was something up with me!"
"I was trying to help." You frowned. "This little habit of yours has been affecting not just me, but your friends too."
"I didn't ask for help. Now I feel like crap and they took all I had left!" Jungkook yelled. Everyone in the halls were walking slower, listening into the conversation. Many eyes were on the both of you, but you made sure not to mention the words 'steroids' or 'gang'. "I don't know what else you want from me because you're not getting a thank you. I'm fine being friends, but don't meddle with my problems or my life."
"Jungkook, this is for your own good." You felt tears forming at the corner of your eyes. He wasn't going to listen to you. He was still upset about losing his steroids and slowly dealing with his withdrawals. "Right nowâ"
"You don't know what's good for me." Jungkook groaned, rolling his eyes.
"You're only saying that becaâ"
"You should've kept your mouth shut!" Jungkook grabbed the collar of your jacket within a flash.
The vein on his forehead appeared as if it were about to burst. Jimin and Taehyung's eyes grew shocked once they saw Jungkook letting his anger get physical. They tried reaching out to him to make him stop, but Jungkook threw you onto the floor before they could. Students didn't say a word as your body slammed onto the cold floor. Jungkook was breathing heavily as you let out a soft whimper. It was hard to remain calm after what just happened. You can't be blamed for letting some tears slip away. Even if they were in a gang, you wanted the best for them. Maybe you really shouldn't have involved yourself with these guys. You slowly brought your body up as Jungkook began to cool down. Taehyung and Jimin called out your name in a concerned tone, but you shook your head.
Whispers from the students surrounding you were already engulfing the hall. They were trying to figure out what caused the fight or possibly making up their own reasons. What will they say about you this time? Jungkook's hard stare softened a bit as he collected himself. Tears were already slipping down your cheeks, your vision of him getting blurry. Jungkook tensed up, realizing the number of students in the hall and his own actions. Taehyung was glaring at Jungkook but held himself back. Jimin placed his hand on Taehyung's shoulder to prevent another fight. Jungkook took a careful step towards you, but you pushed yourself away from him. You weren't in the mood for talking anymore.
"Not now..." You said in a slight whisper. If you spoke any louder, you knew you'd break down into tears. Only letting a few slip was embarrassing enough. You got up onto your feet and pushed yourself through the crowd. You'll just go to Ms. Lee's class and catch your breath again.
"(F/n)..." Jungkook's voice called out, but you were already gone.
Jimin told Taehyung to get the elder hyungs to watch Jungkook for the rest of the day. Meanwhile Taehyung had to handle the brunette for a little longer, Jimin ran to your side. He found you outside near the field. His voice was soft and gentle when he spoke to you. It made it easier to cry in front of him, but you still hated it. You kept wiping away your tears in frustration. You hated how red your face would get, how annoyingly sensitive you would become, and all the unwanted attention you received for crying. It was so stupid. The fall didn't hurt too much, and the yelling was a little hard to take, but you were fine. That's what you had to remind yourself with. You're fine.
Today you didn't eat lunch with the guys. The elder hyungs were with Jungkook outside while Taehyung and Jimin kept you inside the cafeteria. They glared anytime someone would stare and made sure you had a smile on your face. Even if it was small, they just wanted it to be genuine. They did their best to cheer you up and didn't mention Jungkook. That was going to be brought up later, so they gave you a break for now. It was really kind of them to do so and you appreciated their efforts. Namjoon was originally going to talk to you but decided to make his conversation with Jungkook instead. Hopefully, Namjoon and the others are able to get Jungkook to listen. He might not always treat them the best, but Jungkook clearly respected his older members.
You went home walking to just clear your mind. A car ride would have been too loud, and you just wanted to think. Seokjin didn't get a chance to offer a ride since you left school right when the bell rang. No one got to see you leave. That was okay with you. A lot happened today, and you didn't feel like talking. When you made it home, you did your homework and caught up with school. Everything you did was to busy your mind with something else. Jungkook will get better, but with time. He only treated you that way because he's upset. You didn't want to continue pondering on the same thing. None of the members ever texted you to say anything about today. That left you with a peaceful mind as you ate dinner all alone and got ready for bed.
Tomorrow will be better. Spitting out your tooth paste, you placed your tooth brush under the sink water before tapping it against the sink a couple times. The moon was high in the sky and your sister still wasn't home. It practically felt like you were living on your own despite not paying major bills. Wiping your face on a towel, you turned off the bathroom light to walk into your room. The room felt cold, but you were wearing cozy pajamas. Right when you were getting ready for bed, the sound of knocking came from your door. Did your sister forget her key? It was already night, so who could it be this late? Walking out of your room to the front door, you peeked through the peep hole. Standing in the cold was Jungkook with his head down. What?
"Jungkook?" You opened the door as he raised his head.
"(F/n), I'm sorry." Jungkook bowed his head down, holding his stomach tightly.
"What's wrong?" You let him come inside. Even though you didn't say anything, you accepted his apology.
"Stomach pain." Jungkook grunted as he sat down at your kitchen table. "They've been trying to taper down my use of steroids."
"So, you've still been taking steroids?" You narrowed your eyes on him.
"You can't just quit abruptly. I'm gonna make the effort to quit though, (F/n)," Jungkook said as he closed his eyes tightly. "These f*cking withdrawals are gonna kill me." Sweat was running down Jungkook's temples.
"Do you want water?" You asked to see him shake his head. Jungkook was bending over his seat, shaking his foot quickly up and down. It was incredibly worrisome. It made your heart break to see him like this.
"They tried making m-me completely clean, but Yoongi said that was dangerous," Jungkook stated. "Yoongi said it was better to wean me off of it so I don't suffer too much, b-but they're cutting me off too fast."
"Did they drop you off here?" You asked, pulling out your phone. Calling the ambulance sounded like a horrible idea for once in your life. If you did that then everything would be screwed. It was horrible to know that Jungkook couldn't get professional help to handle his recovery. The only people you could trust was the gang.
"No, I walked here by myself." Jungkook sighed as he leaned back in his seat. It meant a lot that he came here just to apologize, but it was also so stupid of him. He looked like he was having a fever, but he wasn't. You didn't know a thing about helping someone recover from a drug problem.
"I'm calling Seokjin to pick you up. They'll take care of you in the warehouse." You smiled at him as he stared up at the ceiling.
He didn't say a word as Seokjin picked up his phone. You told him about Jungkook being inside your house and having a rough time with the withdrawals. Seokjin thanked you for letting him know where the youngest had gone. Apparently, he ran away out of nowhere. You shook your head at the sick boy, but at least his members were coming to get him. There's no way you could explain to your sister why a boy came here so late to the apartment with a 'fever'. Jungkook pulled through with his stomach pain and was happy it was over for now. Three knocks were heard at the door and you opened it without a second thought. Seokjin lifted his hand with a smile. His car was running downstairs with Namjoon still inside. You stepped to the side to let him take care of Jungkook.
"Come on. We're gonna help cleanse you tonight." Seokjin placed one of Jungkook's arms over his shoulder.
"I'm so tired..." Jungkook muttered as his feet were practically dragging on the floor. He looked so weak.
"Get better, Kookie." You smiled to see him lift his head. He gave you a small one in return.
"I will."
Seokjin thanked you again for alerting them about Jungkook's whereabouts before saying goodbye. It wasn't a problem at all. You almost wanted to scold Jungkook for dangerously showing up, but he was going through too much pain. He was well aware of his actions. Seokjin helped Jungkook down the stairs and into the car. You stayed leaning against the door frame of your apartment. Namjoon got out of the car to help get Jungkook comfortable in the back seat. They waved goodbye at you one last time before driving off. You rubbed your shoulders for warmth as you watched the black car disappear into the night. Getting back inside the warm apartment, you closed the door and wished the best for Jungkook's recovery. It's not going be easy for him.