The asshole that Yoongi had to deal with was his partner for some literary analysis project. Yoongi did his half of the project, which some people found surprising. It was the other kid who had screwed them over by not even starting.

But that was the lovely part of high school. A project, shared between two people who didn't want to work together, and later a 50%, also shared between two people.

"Hey, man," the boy said, holding his hands up defensively. "Don't act like you're some sort of honor roll student."

"That means nothing to me. I did my half of the work! We failed because you did absolutely nothing!"

"Well, how was I supposed to know that the Kim Yoongi was actually going to work hard to get that 4.0?" the boy said mockingly, and Yoongi tilted his head, fully ready to just punch the kid, but he knew it would only create more problems.

Instead, he exhaled sharply, clenching his fists and reminding himself that if he punched someone, he'd end up in suspension (again).

He didn't want to end up there. He had plenty of viable reasons.

1) He was actually working hard in high school, or at least, he was doing the minimum effort required by him to get good grades, only stupid group projects like this one always screwed him over even though he did the work.

2) If he got suspended (again), their mom would be disappointed, not that he really cared, but her husband would be pissed since they would have to pick Yoongi up after school and talk to the principal and sign official paperwork and stuff like that.

3) If he was stuck in suspension (again), that would leave Hobi and Jimin alone in the house with their parents, and Yoongi didn't like doing that.

So he pulled his punch and walked away, pissed that idiots like his partner were the reason everyone seemed to think that he was a brainless idiot. Yes, he'd failed the project, but every single point they'd gotten had been thanks to him.

Not that anyone cared. He was just Kim Yoongi, the kid who had a hard time holding his temper back. The only people who were scared of him were the ones related to him.

But it wasn't his fault that everybody made their own assumptions about him.

"Hey," Kihyun said as Yoongi walked in the classroom.

That was right, Yoongi had forgotten about the two other idiots who didn't mind hanging out with him.

Yoongi just exhaled, still frustrated, and collapsed in his chair, leaning his forehead against the cold surface of the desk.

"Bad day?"

Yoongi grunted.

"Are you still pissed about the project?"

Yoongi looked up at Kihyun. "Of course I'm still pissed. I worked my ass off and because of him, we both failed. Not that I care about his grades, but my mom will kill me."

And if she's angry, he gets angry, and if he gets angry, then...

"So? Did you punch him, then?"

Yoongi rolled his eyes, upset and filled with a bit of regret. "I wish."

"So why didn't you?"

Yoongi didn't reply.

Wonho entered the room and immediately made his way over to them. "Morning," he said, grinning as he sat down.

Yoongi pretended to ignore him. Well, he didn't have to pretend that much.

Wonho pouted for a moment before saying, "Guess who I saw this morning?"

Yoongi gave no response that he heard his words.

"Your adorable little brother! Jimin's still my favorite. Actually, I like him better than you."

Yoongi glared at Wonho, who just laughed. "Why can't you be more like Jimin and actually be nice to me?" Wonho said, and Yoongi rolled his eyes.

"People are only nice when they need something from you. It's all fake, anyway. At least you're getting the real deal."

Wonho thought about Yoongi's words for a minute before nodding, and then he and Kihyun started bickering about something concerning their dad.

Yoongi was lost in his thoughts, though. His words were true, to him at least. People were all superficial, saccharine. They all wanted something, and once they got it, they shed the sugar and exposed their true colors, their real selves. It didn't always mean people were evil, just...different. Different than what they'd led you to believe.

People called him mean, but at least he wasn't fake.

Yoongi thought about all the times he'd gotten duped in his life.

When he thought they'd all live happily ever after together, all eight of them.

Then their mom had left, and he realized he'd been tricked into that dream, so he changed it. They'd all live happily ever after together, all seven of them.

And then Jimin had disappeared, another fake dream shattered. They'd all live happily ever after together, all six of them.

And then Jimin had come back but before Yoongi could be tricked into making a new dream, everything changed again.

They'd all live happily ever after?

Together?

All seven of them?

Yoongi didn't think so, and he wasn't ready to waste another dream.

He wasn't happy.

They weren't together.

There weren't seven, only three.

So Yoongi had run out of dreams and false hopes, at least for the time being. Life had been efficient in killing them all so far, and he didn't see the point in watching countless more die.

***

Class dragged on throughout Yoongi's preoccupied thoughts and his lingering frustration over his grade, and when the bell rang, he left with Kihyun and Wonho. They were talking, saying something, he didn't know what.

He instead recognized a boy from Jimin's class. He couldn't remember where he'd seen him before or why he remembered him, but he knew his face and voice.

"I-I'm K-K-Kim J-Jimin and m-my s-speech is on anorexia," the boy said with an innocent expression before snickering.

Kihyun and Wonho were still talking, saying something, Yoongi still didn't know what.

And then a few seconds later, they stopped talking.

***

Kihyun sighed. "Why'd you punch that kid, Yoongi?" he asked, sitting beside Yoongi outside the principal's office.

Yoongi just shrugged. "I didn't like his face," he offered, but he refused to name the real reason. The others hadn't heard what the kid had said, how the kid had mocked his brother, and he didn't see the point in telling them.

People are all superficial, saccharine. They all want something, and once they get it, they shed the sugar and expose their true colors, their real selves.

They're fake, and they can't see through the fake walls you put up, either. They never even look at them. They believe the worst about you and expect you to believe the best about them. How is that fair?

Kihyun could have said anything. He could have told Yoongi that it was a stupid reason or that he shouldn't have done it. Instead, he just said, "You're right, he had an ugly face and no jawline definition. Horrible eyebrows. You probably did him a favor."

Wonho laughed, and Yoongi turned to look at them. They always managed to confuse him a bit.

They just weren't like everyone else.

***

Yoongi sighed. He'd restrained himself all day and wasted his punch on some stupid freshman. Another day, another suspension awarded.

Shit, he thought belatedly, slowing his steps. Hobi and Jimin will be by themselves.