Chapter Text
The bell rung, and school began.
Namjoon was getting tired of this never-ending pattern; Wake up, go to school, come home, do homework, eat, shower, sleep, and repeat. There was nothing interesting going on in his life. Sure, he could focus his mind on a video-game or a book to get rid of the boredom, but that was temporary. He needed something new in his life and he knew where to start; by making friends.
Of course, Namjoon couldn't hold a conversation even if his life depended on it. But hey, his therapist said he should try new things.
Its not like Namjoon absolutely doesn't talk; he has occasional chats with classmates, but that was about it. The question was: Where should he start?
He scanned the room; it looked the same as ever. The faces were always the same. He planted his eyes upon a classmate with a bright smile; Jung Hoseok. He likes people to call him Jhope because he's "everyone's hope" (the cringey comment made Namjoon sigh.) He was always making the class laugh and left the room shining. Of course, Namjoon envied his charisma and bravery. Hoseok even had the balls to talk to him. But, as he recently began to regret, Namjoon pushed him away.
This caused an uproar with the whole class. Everyone hated Namjoon for it, because Hoseok was 'only trying to be nice.' Hoseok, however, did understand. He said, "That's completely okay! I'm always here for you, or whenever you wanna be friends, let me know!" Namjoon sensed a bit of resentment in his voice, but maybe that was because he had never been turned down. No hard feelings, right?
His eyes quickly moved to the opening door; In came Kim Taehyung. Taehyung had a reputation for always being late, and no one knew why. Their eyes locked for a few seconds before Taehyung turned towards the teacher, handing him a late pass. Namjoon wanted to slam his own head into a wall for coming off as a creep. He almost did, but he used the little bit of self-restraint he had left.
It happened again during the teacher's lesson, but this time, Taehyung smiled. Namjoon was taken back and looked around to make sure he was smiling at him, and not someone else. He pointed at himself and mouthed 'Me?' Taehyung's playful expression quickly turned into a 'no shit' kind of look. Namjoon awkwardly smiled back, and Taehyung laughed.
"Taehyung, what are you laughing at?" The teacher snapped. Taehyung quickly turned his head away, leaving Namjoon with confused emotions.
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Lunch quickly came. Namjoon packed his stuff in a hurry, and rushed out of the room. The only thing about school he liked was lunch; the thing was, this school had actual food, not colored cardboard.
The table he sat at wasn't completely empty, but the other people sitting there did not bother Namjoon at all (unless if they needed a napkin or if they wanted to know if Namjoon wanted his apples, small things like that.) Namjoon was okay with that.
He was, however, envious of the group that sat at his table ; it seemed everyone but him had their own group of friends. Which is why Namjoon would always hang out in the bathroom or go to the school's library after he ate; it was like they were rubbing it in his face. He swiftly grabbed his bookbag and trash. After he threw out the trash, he left and headed for the library.
The walk to the library was very short, and Namjoon wasted no time signing in. One of the few things he liked about the library was that it was quiet (as it should be.) He placed his bookbag in a seat and began to lose himself in the shelves full of books.
Someone in one of the corners had a book that Namjoon had been eyeing for a while. Of course, Namjoon didn't take it when he first saw it because he didn't know if it was good; He always seemed to need a second opinion. 'This is it.' Namjoon thought. 'This is going to be my first approach in talking to someone.'
Namjoon quietly walked up to them and whispered a 'hey.' The guy looked up from the book with a questioning look. Namjoon whispered "I'm sorry for bothering you, but I was wondering if that book was any good." The guy's expression lightened up so brightly that he loudly said "Yes!" A bunch of shushes erupted from the front of the library. Namjoon chuckled as the guy turned red in embarrassment. "I'm sorry... But yes, this is very good! This is actually my 3rd time reading it." They whispered with a smile. Namjoon smiled at how their eyes lit up.
"You're Namjoon, right?" Namjoon was surprised by the sudden comment. "Oh! I'm sorry, that came off really creepy. I have classes with you." The guy looked him straight in the eye and smiled apologetically. Namjoon smiled back and whispered "It's okay. You're....?" The guy chuckled and whispered back "Kim Seokjin. You can call me Jin, though." That was right; he was one of the top students in the school. He helped tutor his fellow students, and on the contrary, he wasn't as stuck up as people claimed he was.
Jin suddenly stood up, and closed the book. "Do you wanna go sit at a table?" He whispered. Namjoon quickly nodded his head, cursing himself out for making Jin uncomfortable. "Ah, I put my bookbag at a table already." Namjoon whispered. "That's okay, I'll just bring my bookbag to your table." Jin whispered back with a smile. Namjoon couldn't help but melt at his smile.
He quickly put those thoughts down before they came sputtering out of his mouth. Geez, what was he thinking? He walked back to his table and sat down, putting his bookbag next to his chair. Jin quickly found him and sat down. They shared an awkward smile.
The two decided it was best to pass notes just in case, so they wouldn't get in trouble. Jin especially said he gets very excited at times, which Namjoon said he didn't mind. It was odd, but the two really seemed to click. Jin pulled out a few index cards and began to write on one. After a while of exchanging index cards and giggling, Jin soon slid over an index card to Namjoon with a playful wink. Namjoon had a questioning expression, but soon understood the wink when he read the notecard;
'What's your number?'
Namjoon practically choked with laughter and embarrassment, but held it down. Jin was laughing, but muffled it with his hand. Namjoon quickly wrote back;
'That was really smooth Jin. Really smooth. Especially the cheesy wink. You've earned it; here's my number; 8675309358'
Namjoon was chuckling through the whole process of writing it. Jin began laughing not even 2 seconds into reading it. Jin mouthed a 'thank you' as he folded the index card.
The bell rung, signaling the end of lunch. Namjoon threw on his book back and waited for Jin, who was surprised to see him waiting for him. "Thank you... No one's ever waited for me. I'm flattered." Namjoon saw Jin's face turn a light shade of pink. "Same here." Namjoon smiled.
For once in his life, Namjoon did not regret a decision he made.