Archive of Our Own

It all started out so innocently. You had been asked to switch days for cleaning duty with your friend, as she had a make up test scheduled. It was Friday, but you hadn't exactly had plans, so you had begrudgingly agreed on the condition that she take two of your days when it was your turn.

You opened the window to clap the erasers together outside of it, only to puff a cloud of chalk directly in the face of a tall, redheaded boy with blue eyes. Jimmy Bae, one of the most obnoxious, rude, and most importantly scary wannabe gangsters in your school.

"Oh, uh, sorry," you squeaked awkwardly as he sneezed and gagged. You practically shrank a few sizes as you looked at the others-- Wolf Keum, the resident nutcase, Forrest Lee, another wannabe gangster, and Jake Ji, president of the Manga club.

…You actually weren’t sure what he was doing with them— his friend Dean was in your class, and Jake had always seemed really sweet and a little goofy when he came to visit him. He didn’t exactly seem like the type to hang around the three most notorious delinquents in school. You wondered if they were bullying him, but he seemed relaxed, so maybe not.

“Good defense mechanism!" Jake chirped with a sweet smile and a thumbs up, and you smiled back awkwardly before retreating back inside. Nice guy, but what?

"Alright, get a good view?" You heard Jake ask, and you watched from the corner of your eye as the others nodded solemnly, though Forrest grimaced.

“Why can’t we use a normal flag again?” He grumbled, and the other three frowned at him.

“It’s more fun if it can move around,” Jake responded, “don’t question my genius.” You saw him glance your way before continuing. “Game’s simple, whoever can get her back to their headquarters the most times wins. Rules are no tying up or trapping or anything like that, no breaking into her house or interrupting classes, and Wolf? No. Biting."

Whatever they were plotting sounded brutal, and you wondered who they were tormenting. The gardening club met nearby, maybe it was one of them.

You felt nothing but sympathy for whoever it was as you began to sweep up, though you were mostly wishing you'd closed the window behind you so you didn't have to know that anything was going on at all.

"You're all going down," Jimmy wheezed, apparently still not recovered from inhaling chalk. "When do we start?"

"Monday at the start of classes, ends Thursday morning same time.”

You didn't hear anything after that, and when you peeked out the window next, they were gone. You considered telling someone, but they would probably know it was you that snitched, and you weren't sure what you would even say if you tried. Hey, someone’s about to be tormented somehow by three delinquents and maybe the head of the manga club, who might be getting blackmailed about it. You would sound insane, and it was too vague for anyone to act on, anyway.

You told yourself that if Jake Ji was involved, it couldn't be that bad as you walked home that evening, though you did sort of wonder if maybe he really was being threatened or something. Poor guy.

He always seemed really nice, if a bit of an airhead. Maybe he just didn’t know their reputation?

You were thrown off the rest of the weekend, feeling jumpy and anxious. You could have sworn you kept seeing flashes of purple out of the corner of your eye every time you so much as went to the convenience store, but every time you turned you didn't see anything. Those stupid, scary delinquents and their spooky plotting had you feeling paranoid, but at least you had cheese crackers and convenience store popsicles.

You kept an eye out Monday morning for any crazy shenanigans, but aside from Wolf Keum staring you down all morning, nothing happened. That wasn’t unusual— the guy stared a lot, so you were used to avoiding meeting his eyes like your life was on the line— because it was.

Your classes were boring as usual that day, and your lunch break should have been the same. You were listening to your friends chatter about how cool Dean Kwon looked with his new tattoo when none other than Wolf himself came bulldozing through the crowd, his expression flat, his cold eyes fixed on you.

“You," he said gruffly, grabbing you by the collar and hauling you to your feet, "You're comin' with me."

You didn't even have the chance to question him before he was hauling you out the door, the rest of the cafeteria watching in stunned silence as you reached back uselessly toward your friends.

He smelled so strongly of cigarettes that it was making your eyes water, but you were honestly much more concerned with your imminent death as he dragged you away. That might have had something to do with the tears, too.

It was a widely known fact that Wolf Keum was a menace— whatever he wanted with you, it couldn't be good. Your whole body trembled as he yanked you along through the school, his chest puffed out like a cat that had caught a mouse.

You certainly felt like a mouse. Whatever this was about, you were doomed. Were you the newest shuttle? Your friends had said Wolf didn't usually bother girls unless they got in his way— something about not being as fun to hit. Clearly that was wrong, though. You were innocent, hadn't even broken his infamous three second rule, and yet here you were.

You were beginning to wonder if you had been framed for something when he slammed his way through the door to the roof. He tossed you down on a raggedy couch that definitely had a few springs poking out of the cushions before turning proudly to his buddy, or accomplice, or whatever he was- an orange haired boy named Hwangmo Ju.

Hwangmo was really big and intimidating, always glaring around at everyone, but you had had a home ec class with him back in junior high and you happened to know that he was really good at baking. You didn't think having a flimsy personal history with him would save you now, though. You wondered what your headstone would say.

"I'm winning," Wolf announced, lighting up a cigarette. He turned back to you, staring intensely as he took a slow drag. You were too afraid to ask questions, actually so nervous you were beginning to feel lightheaded.

Your eyes stayed firmly in your lap, occasionally stealing glances around when you thought you could get away with it. Wolf never looked away from you. You weren’t even sure if he blinked. Hwangmo was looking almost apologetic, but neither of them spoke to you for the duration of lunch period.

You felt your stomach rumble and somehow Wolf eyes sharpened even more, his lips twitching strangely, but other than that nothing happened. This had to be some kind of psychological torture- whatever he was planning, you just wished he would get it over with already.

If felt like an eternity before lunch period was over. When the bell finally rang, Wolf simply grabbed you by the arms, hauled you to your feet, and then tossed you out the door. "Go to class," He grunted, before slamming the door shut behind you.

"What-" You asked aloud, mystified, before turning and hurrying stiffly down the stairs. You weren't sure what was going on, but you weren’t about to be late.

By the end of the day, your nerves were shot. You couldn’t focus all through any of your classes, and especially not in your study hall period in the library. You jumped every time someone said your name or tapped you on the shoulder, and every time a teacher called on you to answer a question you failed miserably. Fortunately, you didn’t see Wolf Keum the rest of the school day, except from a distance. Unfortunately, he was replaced by Jimmy Bae.

You were approached by one of Jimmy’s cronies just as you left your final class. His name was Jack Kang, and he was waiting just outside of your classroom to pounce.

“Hey, girl!” He called brusquely, and you turned awkwardly to look.

You were hoping he had been talking to someone else, but you should have known you weren’t that lucky. You were beginning to think you had been cursed, actually.

He jerked his chin when he had your attention. “Come,” he snapped, then turned and began to march down the hallway without so much as glancing back at you.

You, naturally, turned and hurried the other way.

It may be stupid not to listen to one of these assholes, but it would be crazy to actually follow him. If he wanted you, he was going to have to take a page from Wolf’s book and drag you.

You actually made it halfway home before any consequences caught up with you.

“Hey, girl! HEY!” A sharp voice called behind you, and your heart sank. You kept walking, but surreptitiously glanced over your shoulder as you picked up the pace. Jimmy Bae himself was jostling his way through the crowded sidewalks, glaring your direction.

You pretended not to notice his furious shouts, though you kept up your quick pace. As soon as you turned a corner you darted to the nearest alleyway, hurriedly jumping a chain link fence and wincing as you splashed down into a dirty puddle.

You quickly ducked behind a dumpster, and it wasn’t a moment too soon. You heard pounding footsteps round the block and stop dead, followed by a shouted “Fuck!”

“Jack,” Jimmy growled, “you check the alleyways, I’ll keep going this way. Don’t let her get away again, or I swear to god…”

He didn’t finish the threat, but you felt a pang of sympathy for Jack— not enough sympathy to let him find you, but it was there. You weren’t totally heartless.

You kept still and quiet as Jack shuffled around. You could see him through the gap between your dumpster and the wall, and you watched as he checked behind the dumpsters and boxes on the other side of the fence, then inside of them.

He came to a stop at the fence itself, peering past it at the dirty puddle you had just splashed through, then looking doubtfully up at the top. He glanced down at his pristine basketball shoes, considering for a moment, then simply dusted his pants off and walked away.

Apparently being thorough wasn’t worth getting his shoes dirty. You snorted softly, though you wouldn’t complain. As soon as he turned the corner out of the alleyway you were up, moving as quickly and quietly as you could in the other direction. You were in full fugitive mode, peaking around corners, stepping into the middle large clusters of people, keeping alert.

There were a few boys from your high school standing on a corner ahead, talking and laughing casually in a lose circle. You didn’t think that those ones were delinquents, but you’d never really paid very much attention to that crowd before.

There was a park with lots of trees across the street, and after deliberating for a moment you decided to cut through it rather than pass them. Just to be safe.

You hadn’t thought about how exposed you’d be as you actually crossed the street, though. You were only a few steps out when someone yelled. “GIRL!”

“I have a name,” you muttered, but you picked up the pace even more, slipping into the park and desperately looking for a place to hide.

There wasn’t much— a lot of grass and a few trees here and there, nothing terribly convenient. You were hoping for a playground or something you could climb up into so you could wait them out, but no such luck.

You finally settled on a tall tree nearby that had a lot of thick branches. You practically threw yourself up into it, scrambling as high as you could and then wedging yourself tightly up against the trunk.

“Wow, you got up there fast,” came a voice, making you jump.

You peered down though the leaves to see Jake Ji grinning up at you, hands stuffed casually in his pockets.

You didn’t have time for this. Your leg was swiftly going numb from the awkward spot you’d just chosen, and you weren’t sure how to fix it in your uniform skirt without flashing him. “Go away," you snapped, looking around to see if Jimmy had heard the two of you, but Jake wasn’t deterred.

“Whatcha doin up there?” You didn’t bother to answer, but he was perceptive. “Hiding?”

His grin widened at the surprise on your face, and you scowled. “You’re gonna give me away,” you hissed, not bothering to deny it.

"Just come down, then you can come hide in the library with me and Dean," he said, checking his phone.

A few problems.

One, you were pretty sure the president of the manga club couldn’t keep you safe from Jimmy Freaking Bae.

Two, your leg was now fully numb, having lost feeling in what you’re pretty sure was record time due to your awkward position.

You were stuck.

“Come on,” he called encouragingly, giving you a sweet smile. “It will be fun!”

Your cheeks became hot, and you shifted. "I uh... I don't think I can."

He stared up at you, tilting his head to the side like a puppy. “Why, you scared?"

"I think I'm stuck.” Normally you would just try to shake some feeling back into you leg or something, but you couldn't find a good position-- not in your uniform skirt.

Jake blinked, and you could see him fighting to adopt a concerned expression rather than the mischievous one he had. "You're... stuck?"

"I can't feel my leg," You grumbled, but you cut yourself off as someone else came swaggering out of the trees.

"Well well," Jimmy Bae called, looking at Jake with a sneer on his face. "If it isn't the golden boy himse- what are you looking at?"

Jake looked over his shoulder, grinning. "She's stuck." So much for your hiding spot.

Jimmy looked up sharply, though instead of laughing at you he just looked sort of confused and concerned. "What the f— what are you doing up there?"

You shrugged, not sure you wanted to tell him you were trying to hide from him.

"Well, uh... can't you just..." He pantomimed climbing, and then pointed at the ground.

”Oh, why didn’t I think of that?” you muttered to yourself, huffing.

"Her leg's numb," Jake said helpfully, sounding almost elated. Jerk.

If only he had gone away when you'd asked the first time, you probably would have been down by now and half way home.

“Well… I could catch you?” Jimmy said awkwardly. “Uh, if you want?”

You looked down at him like he’d grown another head, and he immediately looked defensive. “What, you don’t think I can?” He snapped, puffing out his chest.

“No!” You snapped quickly, not wanting him to get into one of his imfamous moods. “No, I mean it’s not that, it’s just…” You floundered desperately for a good excuse, but simply finished with a weak “are you sure?”

If you didn’t know better, you would think he was blushing. “I’m not trying to be weird or anything, but you’re stuck, so…”

He trailed off, and you nodded slowly. It’s not like you had a lot of options.

Jake was looking delighted. “Are you ready?” You asked awkwardly after a long silence, and he held out his arms, nodding solemnly.

Maybe Jimmy wasn’t so bad.

You scooted down the branch until you found a clear spot to jump from, took a deep breath, and then slid off of it before you could think too much about it.

You didn’t hear the pounding footsteps until it was too late.

Just as you slipped into the open air, a flash of purple broke through the trees and tackled Jimmy to the ground, all the while cackling like a maniac. Jake shouted, Jimmy swore, and you came crashing down solidly on top of him and his attacker in a really unfortunate pile.

Jake was laughing so hard his face was turning red. “Ow,” You groaned, rolling off of the two of them and fixing your skirt as Wolf Keum sat up, looking bewildered.

“What the fuck?” He asked, scowling at you. “Where did you come from?”

You pointed awkwardly back up at the tree, swallowing nervously. “I uh… I jumped.”

He nodded like it made perfect sense that you’d been hanging out up there, though he was distracted when Jimmy sat up and shoved him hard in the shoulder. “What the fuck dude, I’m trying to save— Oh, you’re down.” If you didn’t know any better, you’d say he almost looked disappointed.

Jake made his way slowly over, still caterwauling. He didn’t even have the decency to stop his cackling when you shot him a glare, though he did help you to your feet as he wiped tears from his eyes. “I love this school,” he cheered, hooking an arm around your shoulder and steering you back the way you’d come.

“Hey, where are you going?” Jimmy shouted indignantly as you looked mournfully over your shoulder in the direction of your home.

“To the library,” Jake said smugly, “Manga club headquarters.”

The other two scowled darkly but didn’t argue, though you thought you heard Jimmy muttering something about how Jake “didn’t even save anyone.”

“Jake I wanna go home,” You said, looking up at him pathetically, but he wasn’t moved.

“Cheer up, we can walk you home later! Have you ever heard of Two Piece?”

Jake chatted your ear off the whole walk back. You kind of felt like a hostage if you were honest, but you nodded politely and hummed occasionally. Dean was waiting at a table when you arrived, just playing on his phone.

Jake sat you down in a chair and then wandered off, saying something about finding the first volume.

“So you’re the flag, huh?” Dean said, not bothering to look up from his phone. “I told Jake it was stupid.”

“Um… Flag?” you asked. Had you heard that right?

Dean looked at you sharply. “Oh. Never mind,” he said awkwardly, waving his hand. “You should probably go, before Jake gets back with the entire Two Piece series.”

You nodded hesitantly, then jumped to your feet and scurried out the door.

You were anxious the whole way home, but luckily nothing else happened. You were exhausted. You went to bed early, resolving to get to the library first thing in the morning and do your homework then. You didn’t know what was going on, but you were pretty sure that most of those boys had a penchant for sleeping in, so if you got there early enough you could hide in the bookshelves and be golden.

You didn’t sleep well, tossing and turning all night, your mind plagued by nightmares about giant boys chasing you. You still managed to arrive disgustingly early, but it was useless— you were snagged by Jimmy and Jack before you even made it to the front doors.

They ran up behind you and each grabbed an arm, lifting you up between them so your feet were completely off the floor and hauling you around the corner to a weird garage-shed thing that was mostly used by the school for storage. The height difference between them put your shoulders at an awkward angle, sending twinges of pain up your neck and down your sides. You grit your teeth, letting out an involuntary whine as soon as they got you inside that had them simultaneously putting you down and Jack stumbling a few steps back, looking alarmed.

“What are you complaining about?” Jimmy said brusquely, though his grip was much looser, his eyebrows pulled together in what looked like concern.

You didn’t answer, just quietly sniffing as you looked between them and the floor, your lower lip trembling.

“Uh… hey, don’t cry…” Jack said awkwardly, looking terrified.

That only made your eyes fill up quicker. Jimmy let go of you like a hot iron as tears started to drip down your cheeks. “Hey,” he said irritably, though you thought you saw his eyes welling up a little bit too. “Stop that, that’s a cheap move.”

“That hurt,” you said quietly, your voice thick. If you were honest, normally you probably wouldn’t cry about something like that, but you were just plain exhausted, and sick of stupid delinquent boys yanking you around like a rag doll.

They were both looking horrified. “We didn’t mean to!” Jack blurted, “I swear, we wouldn’t hurt a girl!”

“Well you did,” you sniffed petulantly, before turning and hurrying out the door.

You rushed inside, planning to hide in the nearest girls bathroom, though you struggled to navigate with your eyes blurred with tears. You were making good progress considering, but it all came to a halt when you bounced off of a solid chest.

You looked up into the face of Forrest Lee, his hands coming up to catch you by the elbows before you could fall. Seeing him brought on another wave of tears. You really didn’t do well without getting enough sleep, and you’d never been this stressed before. Of course you’d never been hunted for sport by a bunch of idiot boys for no apparent reason either, so there were a lot of firsts going on.

“Whoa, uh… you okay?” He rumbled awkwardly, quickly letting go of you when you were steady.

You sniffed, scrubbing at your eyes. “Just leave me alone, okay?”

He was looking more concerned by the second. “Hey uh… I have cookies, would that… help…? You can hide with Grape, you don’t have to but you, uh… could…”

Forrest had said the magic word to get you to perk up— cookies. Anyone who fed you was alright in your book. You were the first to admit that you were a complete sucker for snacks. “Cookies?” You asked hopefully, trying your best to sound casual.

He raised his eyebrows. “Food motivated, got it. Yeah, we have lots.”

“Lead the way, buddy,” You said, quickly wiping away what was left of your tears as you hooked your arm around his.

He blushed a little, clearing his throat before stiffly leading you downstairs and into what looked like an old teachers lounge, with lots of couches, chairs, and snacks. Cozy.

A boy with messy hair and dark eye bags under his eyes looked up from his phone when you walked in, giving you a wave and sliding a box of cookies toward you.

“That’s Grape. We have lots of cookies so uh… go wild,” Forrest said before motioning to an armchair.

“Can I do my homework in here?” You asked hopefully as you took a seat, snagging a cookie and taking a huge bite.

They both looked at each other before looking back at you. “Yeah, whenever you want, no problem,” Grape said quickly, Forrest nodding along as you did your best to smile without losing any of your half-chewed food.

“I got stuff to do,” Forrest said after another awkward pause, “but, yeah, you can hang out if Grape or me are in here, too.” He then nodded at you again and walked out.

Grape was much more relaxed, giving you a friendly smile. “So you’re the flag, huh?”

You frowned. There was that word again. “What does that mean, the flag?”

His eyebrows shot up, disappearing under his curls. “You mean you don’t know?” He asked incredulously. “Brutal.”

Obviously you didn’t. “Know what?” You asked, folding your arms stubbornly.

You were ready for a full on interrogation, but Grape was apparently happy to spill. “It was Jake’s idea to play capture the flag, but with a live flag. Whoever can get you to their base the most wins.”

”Jake?” you said incredulously, feeling suddenly betrayed. You’d thought Jake, the head of the manga club, was innocent as you were in all this, just some nerd being tormented. You’d thought he was a victim, too, but apparently it was his idea?

“What for?” You blurted, snagging a few more cookies for comfort. What kind of crazy person comes up with this stuff?

“Dunno, Jake’s kinda weird to be honest,” Grape said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Me and Forrest honestly thought you knew, sorry about that.”

You stared at him suspiciously, but he did look genuinely apologetic. “This is stupid,” you finally huffed, cramming another cookie into your mouth.

“Sorry,” Grape said again, pushing the rest of the cookies closer to you. “Jake made all sorts of promises and stuff, so we really assumed you knew.”

“What kind of promises?” You grumbled past your food, your voice muffled.

“Well Jimmy will do anything for bragging rights, and I think Forrest just wants someone non-crazy to hang out with sometimes. Not sure about Wolf, I think he just thinks you're pretty. He’s weird that way, just dibsing stuff…“

Yeah, they were all insane. "Why not just use a regular freaking flag?"

Grape rolled his eyes at that, sighing tiredly. “Jake said it was more fun if the flag could get up and walk away."

"Well why me?" You were feeling close to tears again at this point, and he shot you a sympathetic look.

"Bad luck?" He said, shrugging awkwardly, and you scoffed. That felt like an understatement. “Maybe cuz Wolf’s fixated, I don’t know. Anyway we got a shi— we got a ton of cookies in here, so you can come down whenever if you want. You don’t have to, but it’s open.”

Forrest was definitely going to win if you had anything to say about it. “Keep the snacks coming and you have a deal,” you grinned, and Grape smiled back.

“Pleasure doing business with you.”

You managed to get most of your homework done before the first bell rang, and the rest you could do on your study period.

To your frustration though, Jack and Jimmy caught you at your locker before you could escape to your first class, some other guy standing behind them glaring around like a bodyguard as the two of them focused on you.

You frowned warily as you stepped back until your back was pressed against the lockers, but they didn’t reach for you. They looked nervous, both silently holding two grocery bags out toward you that were so full they were practically bursting.

“We’re really sorry,” Jack said quietly, thrusting the bags a little closer to you when you didn’t take them right away.

“Really really sorry,” Jimmy chimed in, looking bashful. “Really, really, really—“

“Okay!” You squeaked, unable to take the stares you were getting from all the students up and down the hall anymore. You took the bags quickly, nodding at them. “It’s okay, don’t worry.” It wasn’t really that you forgave them so much as you really wanted this moment to end.

“Thanks for the uh…” You checked the bags, your eyes nearly popping out of your skull at the sight— candy bars, packaged donuts and cakes, chocolate covered pretzels, some kind of chocolate drink— it looked like they’d gone to a convenience store and just cleaned out everything that had any chocolate in it at all. It was a good thing you liked chocolate, but you didn’t know if anyone liked it this much. “Anyway, thanks,” You finished lamely.

They both looked relieved, nodding before cramming their hands in their pockets and glaring around at any of the other students that didn’t manage to look away quickly enough. Jack gave you one more wave before following Jimmy out of the hallway, and you did your best to stuff the overflowing bags into your locker so you could hurry to class. This had been the weirdest week of your life, and it was only Tuesday.

You made sure to shoot vicious glares Dean’s way periodically through class. He looked mildly offended at the first few, but otherwise ignored you. The longer you thought about it, the more angry you got, if you were honest. Jake was the worst as far as you were concerned, and anyone involved with this game thing or just with him in general was guilty by association. Grapes apology and explanation got him and Forrest off the hook, so you were in their corner all the way from this point on. Plus, cookies.

They had all successfully gotten you to their base once so far, so all you had to do was duck into Forrest’s teachers lounge thingy as often as possible, dodging the other three groups. He would leave them in the dust, and you would back him up if they questioned his numbers.

You couldn’t wait to see the looks on their faces. You now knew Jimmy’s weakness, too— apparently he couldn’t handle when a girl cried. You would use this information ruthlessly, if you had to.

As soon as you were dismissed for lunch you were up and out, practically sprinting down the hall on your way to the lounge. You wouldn’t risk the cafeteria— you thought it was pretty likely that someone would try to ambush you there again, like yesterday. Cookies were going to have to do for your meal, today, unless you could pout your way into one of the boys getting real food for you.

When you made it to the room though, it was locked. You groaned, looking around, then knocked and tried the knob a few more times, with no success. You hadn’t considered that you might beat them there. You didn’t know where any of their classes were, or where delinquents usually hung out if it wasn’t at their headquarters. These boys were funny, with their silly little clubhouses.

You quietly waited, pulling out your phone to absently scroll as you leaned back against the door. They were taking forever.

Hands suddenly slammed against the door on either side of your head, and you jumped about a foot. “What the fuck,” you hissed, only to focus on one of the many nuisances— Wolf Keum, looking delighted.

“Boo,” he rasped, grinning at you. You saw Grape turn the corner over Wolf’s shoulder and then swiftly backtrack— apparently he wouldn’t be helping you.

“Uh,” you laughed nervously, “you… got me?” He nodded and then gripped you firmly by the elbow, pulling you down the hallway. “Wait,” you chirped halfheartedly, but he didn’t respond, not even bothering to look at you. He dragged you all the way up to his stupid rooftop before tossing you back on that god-awful couch. “This thing’s gonna give me tetanus,” you said matter of factly, frowning at the boys around you. Now that you knew what was going on, it was a lot less nerve-wracking to be here. It was annoying being dragged around, but less scary. Wolf and Hwangmo were joined by a kid with black lipstick this time, who was leering at you.

“Hey, name’s Hayden. Let me get your number,” he said, though he took two big steps away from you when Wolf gave him a cold look.

Hwangmo was blinking toward the couch and frowning a little, like he hadn’t realized how dangerous it could be. You were up to date on your shots, but he didn’t need to know that. You’d rather not get scratched either way.

Something smacked you on the cheek, then landed in your lap. You looked down at it, only to get hit in the forehead by another. Cheese crackers. You looked up at Wolf, confused— he had a bag of them in his hand, his face a blank mask as he threw another one at you.

You pouted at him, but his expression didn’t break. Instead he stomped over to you and held one out, glaring at you and shaking it a little when you didn’t take it right away. You awkwardly accepted it, and he continued glaring until you put it in your mouth. He turned to give Hwangmo a smug look then, like he’d just successfully fed a feral cat, before offering you another.

He kept you there all lunch period, silently feeding you crackers one by one. It was incredibly awkward, but at least you got some food out of it. You were wondering how he knew you liked these. Spooky.

So far Jake was actually the only one that hadn’t attempted to feed you yet— you wondered if you could get anything out of him if you brought it up.

Like yesterday, as soon as lunch was over Wolf physically hauled you up and out the door, though this time he stuffed the rest of the cheese crackers into your hand before slamming the door in your face. Bizarre.

You sprinted down the stairs then, ducking into Forrest’s lounge with a shouted “hi, I’m here!” You snagged a cookie, waving with your free hand as you stuffed it in your mouth, then took off again, barely making it to class before it started.

You tallied up the points as your teacher droned. Forrest was at two now, thanks to your agreement with Grape.

Jimmy was at one. You resolved to start crying if he or Jack tried to touch you again, though you honestly thought you had terrified them both out of trying anything ever again. They wouldn’t be able to get you to their garage any other way, so you were pretty sure you could count them out.

Jake’s base was apparently the library, which brought up another problem— You had study hall there. That meant you had been there twice yesterday, and were going again next class period. That put him in the lead at three. You supposed you could argue that it didn’t count if he didn’t bring you there, but seeing as you were going to Forrest’s lounge on your own, that didn’t really hold up. Luckily Jake and his group stood out if you paid enough attention, so you should be able to avoid them outside of classes.

Wolf seemed to be a pretty big problem, too. He had gotten you twice now, simply manhandling you all the way up the stairs to the roof. You would have thought he and his little followers would stand out like Jake’s crew, and while that was true for Hwangmo and Hayden, Wolf had proven he could easily sneak up on you if your guard was down. You doubted that he would care like Jimmy did if you cried, and he was strong enough that you couldn’t break free once he got a hold of you. Your solution was simply to stop by the lounge on the way back to class every time, though, to keep Forrest’s points up with his.

At least you got snacks out of three of the four of them. Silver linings.

You considered just ditching study hall to make it even harder for Jake, but your attendance was unfortunately counted, and you didn’t want a stupid game to affect your grades. Jake peeked his head in just as you took your seat, grinning at your fierce glare and giving you a mocking wave. Rude. He definitely planned this whole thing with study hall in mind, the snake. You had to admit, you were kind of impressed— he probably would have had the whole game in the bag if not for Grape’s explanation. And the cookies. Had you mentioned the cookies?

After classes were over you booked it to the lounge, this time with Grape right behind you. He ushered you inside, looked up and down the hall, and then pulled the door closed, locking it behind him. You immediately snagged a full box to munch on, making a mental note to maybe work out a little bit later tonight as you made yourself comfortable. This was actually a pretty good set up— you could work on your homework until the coast was clear, then head home.

“Who’s winning?" A boy with a buzz cut called, reaching for a cookie but flinching away when you glared.

“Forrest and Jake are tied at three, because I have study hall in the library.”

Grape whistled after a moment. “That sly bastard.”

You nodded, frowning. “As long as I get here two or three times tomorrow and I can avoid Jake outside of study hall, I think you’ll win.”

“What about the others?” Forrest spoke up, and you gave him a sharp smile.

“It’s easy to get here from the roof, so I can just step in really quick every time Wolf gets me to keep him from getting ahead. Jimmy’s… out.”

They all raised their eyebrows, but didn’t question you. They would probably find out sooner or later, anyway.

You stayed in the lounge for over an hour before Forrest gave the all clear, then kept an eye out the whole way home. You took an unusual route, keeping your head down and sticking close to other people. You hated to admit it, but you were actually kind of enjoying this. As long as Jake lost, all would be well. You’d hold it over their heads for as long as humanly possible if given the chance, but that was just good business, in your opinion. They had it coming.

You slept much better that night, and the next day was smooth. You hid in the girls bathroom all morning until You were sure the lounge was unlocked, then ducked in for a few minutes before you made your way to class.

At lunch you had to dodge both Wolf and Jake, but as long as you stayed alert and ducked into bathrooms it was actually surprisingly manageable. You even made it to Forrest’s base again, and Grape gave you what was left of his lunch. These guys really weren’t so bad.

You couldn’t resist flipping Jake off when he stopped by study hall again, but he just laughed and went on his way. Jerk.

You easily made it back to the lounge right after school— Forrest and a few others apparently cut class early to come escort you there, which made you laugh. “That’s ridiculous,” you snorted, but they didn’t respond, just looking furtively around like bodyguards as they ushered you along. You spotted Jimmy and Jack following you as well, though they didn’t try to approach you.

You just hoped getting home would be as smooth as last night. When Forrest called the all clear you were quick to duck out, hurrying quickly to the gate. Unfortunately your school only had one way on and off the grounds, and to your dismay it was being watched by Jake Ji himself. You stopped dead at the sight of him lounging against the wall, your mood souring. Of course it couldn’t go smoothly.

He looked up, making eye contact with you, and you turned to hurry back inside as he pushed himself off the fence— only to run directly into Wolf Keum’s broad chest, dropping your book bag in surprise. You were getting sick of bouncing off of people.

“Look who it is,” he sneered, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

“You finally made it,” Jake called from behind you, taking you by the arm. Wolf grabbed you by the other arm, expression souring into a furious glare. Jake smirked back at him, his eyes ice cold. You did not like being in the middle of this.

You watched as Jimmy rounded the corner and stopped abruptly at the sight of you, Jack bouncing off of him.

“Oh good, another one,” you hissed sarcastically, frowning severely between the three of them. Where was Forrest when you needed him? You could complete the set.

“Let go,” Wolf growled, glaring over your head.

“You first,” Jake replied, his tone somehow both cheerful and dark. Freaky.

“I’ll count to three and you both let go?” You tried, but they ignored you. Instead, both of their grips slowly tightened around your arm as they stared each other down, too busy glaring to watch their strength.

Soon, their holds became so tight it was painful, and you cried out. You may have played it up a little, but it really did hurt— you wouldn’t be surprised if there were bruises.

They both snapped their gazes back to you, quickly loosening their grip at your pained expression. What happened next was a blur— Forrest slammed the door open behind Wolf, snatching their attention. You seized your opportunity, violently wrenching yourself backwards and out of their grasp, then taking off like a shot in Jimmy’s direction. You juked around him and Jack at the last second, then sprinted as fast as you could out of the gate.

“Run! We’ll hold them off!” Jimmy yelled dramatically, spreading his arms out behind you in what looked like a basketball guard type of position, his face determined.

Huh. You hadn’t expected them to switch sides, but you would take it.

You tan full tilt, not looking back at the sound of a scuffle breaking out behind you. Too soon you could hear what sounded like a stampede gaining on you though, sending your heartbeat through the roof and your legs into overdrive. You’re pretty sure you could hear Jimmy yelling to run again and maybe Forrest too, though they sounded so winded that you couldn’t be sure. You were pretty sure someone was cackling as well, which was unnerving.

You cut through a cafe called Gogo’s, shouting apologies to the staff as you vaulted the counter and practically flew through the kitchen and out the back door. There was a commotion behind you just as the door shut, and you sprinted out of the alleyway and then back toward the school. You were betting they wouldn’t check that way, and you could hide in a classroom or something until the coast was clear.

All was quiet behind you as your ran, but your luck didn’t hold— as you rounded the gate you almost ran into Dean, who was on the phone. “Oh, shi— found her,” he said, calm and cool as ever despite just almost getting crashed into. He held up your book bag, wiggling it around a little almost like he was taunting you.

“Snitch,” you snapped, and he shrugged. He made no move to grab you, so you took off again, leaving your bag behind as you ran past the school in the other direction. You cut through someones back yard and hopped their fence, praying to whatever higher power that was listening that there wouldn’t be any dogs to join the chase.

You were getting tired, your breath ragged and burning in your chest as you searched furiously for a place to hide, too afraid to slow down. If you could just make it home, you’d be safe until morning. You made your way into someone else back yard, praying that they weren’t home. Their yard was overgrown and wild despite their neatly cut lawn, and you quickly ducked under a dense willow tree, crouching down to peer through the long branches that brushed the ground.

You waited there for what felt like ages, tensing every time you saw any boy pass, until your legs ached and your body felt heavy. It took ages before you finally felt safe enough to pull yourself from your hiding spot, and when you did you stayed alert. You cautiously and stiffly cut through yards and parks, looping slowly around to the other side of your block before carefully cutting through the yard of the house behind yours, then finally jumping the fence into your own yard. You made it almost to your back door before you heard the fence rattle behind you, sending a spike of fear through your chest.

“C’mere, Red Riding Hood,” Wolf called, flashing a feral grin as he jumped smoothly down.

You made a face at the joke as you turned and ran to the door, shoving the key into the lock at record speed and slamming through it with Wolf right on your heels. “You can’t come in!” You shouted, and he froze on the porch. “It’s against the rules,” you panted, unable to stop yourself from slumping down onto the cool tile of your kitchen as you fought to catch your breath. That was close.

Wolf sneered. “I can’t break in, Doll,” he rasped, strangely smug. “As I recall, you opened the fuckin’ door for me.”

…Shit.

“Wait, hold on,” you yelped, but he just smirked at your sputtering, stepping slowly and pointedly over the threshold and he reaching down toward you. You pointed at the clock. “School will be closed by the time we get back!” You squeaked, looking nervously back and forth between his face and his outstretched hand. “We can’t get on the roof, it will be locked!” You had no idea if that was actually true or not, but you were hoping he didn’t either

He frowned down at you, grabbing you securely by the collar of your shirt before turning to squint at the clock himself. After a tense moment he lifted an eyebrow as he turned back to you, the corners of his lips twitching. “Won’t lock up for another hour.”

Huh. Good to know. “Well it will take longer than that to get me back, cuz I’ll be fighting and you’ll have to avoid the other three, and… stuff…”

You and Wolf stared at each other for a long moment, his gaze calculating, yours defiant. It was only about a 15 minute walk to school from your house, but you meant it when you said you’d be fighting the whole way. Worst case scenario you could just stop by Forrest’s base again on the way out, but you were tired. You wanted to eat a huge snack and then go straight to bed until dinner. “Plus I’m hungry,” You whined, pouting up at him.

He suddenly looked like he bit into a lemon, staring you down for a few moments more before finally releasing you and standing up straight.

He reached into his bag, tossing a bag of crackers into your lap before pointing into your face like you were a naughty puppy. “In the morning,” he growled, voice threatening and cold, “you’re mine.”

Asshole. You nodded meekly, doing your best not to glare up at him. He held your eyes for a few seconds more before turning and swaggering out the door, snickering something under his breath about feisty kittens.

You sat on the floor for a moment longer before hauling yourself to your feet, pushing the door closed. You would have to take extra care to avoid him tomorrow. Forrest was almost definitely going to win at this point, but it was a matter of pride.

You started out early, again. Your legs were so stiff from all of your running that you were walking like the tin man, but you were determined. As soon as you stepped off of your porch though, Wolf was there.

“You were waiting for me?” you sighed, giving him a disparaging look. You were really getting tired of these guys. He hooked a hand around the back of your neck, looking disgustingly proud of himself as he hauled you off by the scruff like a grumpy cat.

You complained about your legs being sore almost the whole way, until he poked you hard in the cheek with his free hand. “They wouldn’t be if you just came to the roof in the first place.”

“I don’t like this game,” you huffed, glaring in the direction of the school like Jake Ji could somehow sense it. As soon as this thing was over and you weren’t in danger of letting him win, you would be giving him a piece of your mind.

“I do,” he snickered, before reaching up and giving a strand of your hair a good yank, grinning when you yelped. He then pulled out yet another bag of crackers, again offering you them one by one. This dude made even less sense than the rest of them.

He made you wait with him until the front doors were unlocked, then hauled you up the stairs to the roof. Your legs felt like they were going to fall off when you got to the top, so you went willingly to the shredded couch, plopping down with a sigh.

He was back to handing you crackers then, glaring at you when you tossed them back at him. When he started just shoving them into your mouth with his grubby fingers, though, you sputtered out an apology, ignoring his smug look when you started taking them again by hand.

Eventually you were joined by Hwangmo, who looked genuinely shocked to see you.

“Thank fuck,” Wolf grumbled as soon as he walked through the door, “I gotta piss. Watch out for that one.”

Hwangmo gave you a friendly nod. Apparently he was warming up to you, or he was just excited that the game was almost over. Either way, you smiled back, your spirits high at the thought of not being held hostage by anyone anymore.

Hwangmo cleared his throat, fishing out a muffin covered in plastic wrap from his bag. “Sorry about all this.” Okay, he was alright in your book too. Wolf was on thin ice, but Hwangmo was okay.

“It was cool of you to hang around with us every time though,” he continued, smiling slightly as you ripped open the muffin. “You're a good sport."

...You were beginning to think you could have left at any time.

His face slowly dropped, looking more and more concerned the longer you sat blinking stupidly at him. “You… did know you could leave, right?"

You shook your head a little, and he looked horrified. You were both realizing that this was a lot more traumatic for you than it needed to be.

You cleared your throat, giving him an awkward smile. “I actually have to get my bag back from Dean so I’m gonna… go…” He nodded, giving you an awkward smile that had your heart softening even more. “I’ll come hang out again soon? Maybe like…” you trailed off, not really sure when a good time was to come hang out with a bunch of wannabe gangsters. “Later?” You finished awkwardly, shrugging.

“Yeah, later,” he nodded, waving a little, and you hobbled out. That was uncomfortable. Who knew though, right?

You hurried down the stairs to the lounge, but you were caught right before you could go in. Again. “Hey!” Came a raspy voice, and you spun to see Wolf stomping toward you. Again. “The hell are you going?”

You pointed awkwardly behind you. Taking a small step back.

Wolf was looking betrayed, reminding you of a kicked puppy for some reason. “I fucking gave you crackers!” He shouted, his expression morphing into a stormy glare.

“Oh,” you squeaked, shrinking a little. “Yeah, uh, thanks for… those…”

“Am I even winning?” He snapped, looking furious.

“Jimmy and Jake are losing?” You tried awkwardly, skirting the question. He was too, but telling him that wouldn’t do you any favors.

Your bluff worked, this time— he must be tired from being up so early for once. “Damn right,” he said smugly, then turned and walked away.

“That went well,” came a voice from the room behind you, startling you.

“What is with you guys and sneaking up on me?” You snapped, and Grape frowned.

“I’ve been here this whole time!” He said defensively, before opening the door further.

“Hey! Girl!”

Grape reached quickly for you, yanking you into the room as Jimmy and Jack came barreling down the hall toward you. “Girl!”

“She has a name,” Grape grumbled, standing firmly between you and the other two boys, apparently more confident with them than he was with Wolf.

“Oh, yeah, uh…” Jimmy rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before quickly moving on. “We saved your bag!”

You blinked. Jack had a shiny new black eye and Jimmy had a scabbed over cut on his eyebrow that you’re pretty sure hadn’t been there when you’d seen them last.

Despite their injuries they grinned proudly, holding out your backpack. “Deans a little bi— uh, Dean’s a uh… here’s your bag.”

You beamed at them as Grape snickered, accepting your bag and patting Jimmy on the chest. “Thanks!” You cheered, biting back a laugh as they both turned pink.

Jimmy cleared his throat, nodding stiffly at you, then turned on his heel and marched away, Jack giving you a nod as well before following.

Those ones were alright, too.

That just left Jake to deal with. He was a dirty rotten twerp, and you decided that he needed to know it.

You waited until the last minute before going to class, then had to suffer through hours of lectures before it was finally lunch time. As soon as you were dismissed, you were up and marching over to Dean’s desk. “Your friend’s a moron.”

“You got your bag,” he said, casually leaning back in his chair. He didn’t acknowledge the insult, but he did look amused.

“Yup. I need to talk to your moron.”

“Who’s moron?” Came a voice in your ear, and you whirled around.

You furiously shoved a finger into Jake’s face. “You’re a sneak and an asshole, and you owe me lunch every day for two months.”

He pouted, though his eyes sparkled with amusement. “That’s too long,” he whined, and you poked him hard in the forehead.

“You should make it three,” Dean piped up, smirking.

You glanced at him over your shoulder briefly, then turned back to Jake with a wicked grin. “Three Months.”

“Whose side are you on?” Jake snapped, pouting harder when you poked him again. “Fine, two months, stop poking me. You have to admit it was fun, though.”

“Three, and it’s not fun getting chased by maniacs, Jake Ji.”

He grinned at you. “Nah, I could tell yesterday. You had fun.”

“Four months.”

“Four months ‘til what?” Forrest poked his head into your classroom, though Wolf and Jimmy quickly jostled past him.

“Where’s my prize?” Wolf said, looking smugly between you and Jake.

“You don’t get one,” you said sweetly, smiling as he frowned.

“The fuck? You said—“

“I said Jake and Jimmy were losing, I just didn’t mention that you were, too. I was in Forrest’s… club… thing five times total.”

He turned to Forrest, looking like he genuinely forgot that he had existed before turning back to you. “Tricky little rat,” Wolf snapped, scowling. “Who’s in second?”

“Jake with four, but only because I have study hall every day in the library.”

Jimmy and Wolf turned to Jake, both looking murderous. That made you feel a little smug, but Jake didn’t seem bothered. “Forrest, you win a new buddy,” he grinned, before turning back to you. “Who told on me?” He asked, tilting his head.

“Dean said I was the flag,” you said airily. You didn’t need to mention that you didn’t get what that even meant until Grape actually explained in detail.

Dean looked at you sharply, and you met his betrayed expression with a smug one. “Dean, you tattled!” Jake said, this time genuinely pouting.

“You didn’t say it was a secret,” Dean snapped, “and I told you this whole thing was stupid, anyway.”

“Why me?” You asked, folding your arms firmly as you frowned at Jake.

“You were the only one Wolf would go for,” he shrugged, and you tilted your head to the side, looking quizzically at Wolf. He didn’t seem bothered, just as unimpressed as always as he stared back at you.

“Four months lunch, Jake Ji,” you snapped again, turning back to the criminal mastermind himself, and he patted you on the head.

“Two months it is.”