Chapter 12
Key had been sitting in study hall for a while not really doing any work instead picturing Jonghyun's face in his mind. He looked over and saw Jonghyun walk in. Key did a double take. Was he hallucinating? Then he realised it was in fact Jonghyun and got up quickly walking behind the other boy and gently pushing him. Jonghyun turned around looking confused but when he saw Key he gave one of those bright smiles that made Key weak at the knees. Key pointed to where he was sitting alone.
"Want to join me?"
"Sure." Jonghyun replied knowing that this was not a good idea for productive study.
Key led the way back to the table where he had been sitting. Jonghyun tossed a book on the table and then flopped into the chair beside him looking frustrated.
"Need a hand?" Key asked cautiously.
"More like a brain." Jonghyun said bitterly. "Mine doesn't seem to work properly."
"Stop talking about yourself like that. You're not stupid. You have dyslexia." Key said firmly. Jonghyun met his eyes and then simply nodded.
"You're right. Sorry. Sometimes I just get…. Annoyed. It's really hard sometimes." Key nodded in response cautiously reaching over and taking Jonghyun's hand. Jonghyun smiled at him and interlinked their fingers. Key opened his mouth to say something but Jonghyun's phone went off. He answered it then frowned. "Wait, what? What's wrong with Taemin?" He said into the phone meeting Key's eyes both beginning to panic. They both quickly packed their stuff Jonghyun still trying to get a straight answer out of Minho. They grabbed their bags and hurried to an empty class room. "Minho what is it?" Jonghyun said for the third time before switching it so that it was on speaker.
"I don't know." Minho finally answered. "He just like freaked out and – " He cut off again they could hear him talking soothingly to someone. "He threw – " Again there was the noise of him talking to someone else. "I think it's because of yesterday. Jjong I think it's my fault."
"I'm on my way." Jonghyun said without hesitation already walking towards the door as he hung up. Key followed.
"But we have to go to class."
"Not me." Jonghyun said.
"I've never cut a class before." Key said. Jonghyun turned to him and offered a weak worried smile.
"You don't have to come. I'll text you when I find out what happened." Jonghyun offered.
"Wait, how are you going to get there?" Key asked.
"I guess I'll take the bus." Jonghyun said turning and walking towards the door. He was halfway out the door when Key made up his mind.
"Wait! We can take my dad's car. He works over the road and I have a spare key for it." Key said walking out into the corridor and leading Jonghyun towards the front door. They slipped out the front door trying not to look suspicious and walked across the road and into a business car park. Key led Jonghyun to a car and handed him the spare key. "Drive us carefully." He said and climbed into the passenger's seat.
They pulled into the institute parking lot and quickly jumped out running into the building. They found a crowd of people at reception and slipped past. Taemin's room was blocked off by two armed guards one of whom was holding Minho by the arm. They hurried over.
"Minho what the hell is going on?" Jonghyun asked giving the armed guard a strange look.
"Taemin, he just… and Jinki has always…. And they came… They won't let me see him Jjong. I need to see him." Minho sounded like he was having a full blown panic attack.
"Minho breathe. Good. Now tell me what happened slowly and step by step." Jonghyun said in a soothing voice.
"Okay. So, I was sitting on the floor in Taemin's room doing some school work and he'd been kind of extra quiet and withdrawn today so I was worried. Then Jinki walks in and Taemin literally freaks out and like jumps at him. He like grabs him and then pushes him and Jinki goes flying back and hits the window. Suddenly you see cracks and then the window just shatters and Jinki goes flying out into the corridor. It looked like it was in slow motion. There's blood everywhere. Taemin starts crying and you can hear Mrs Kim screaming from reception and I'm holding Taemin, trying to comfort him and then these guys come and drag me out and then there are ambulance officers and police officers everywhere and now I'm not allowed back in because they thinks he's dangerous."
"Um Minho? He pushed Jinki out of a window. He is dangerous." Key said. Minho instantly glared at him,
"He would never hurt me." Minho said with an air of trust and confidence that made Key feel very apprehensive.
"Minho, we're not saying he's a bad person. We're just saying you need to be aware that there is this side of him. If you pretend it's not there then you will get hurt." Jonghyun said. Minho sighed and yanked away from the guard. Jonghyun reached out and grabbed his arm. "Come on. Let's go sit in the staff room and talk about it." Minho let himself be led to the staffroom. He sat on a chair.
"Jjong I'm pretty sure he snapped because we took him out yesterday. I don't think he was ready. I think he felt pressured. It's all my fault." Minho put his head in his hands. "I just want to see him. I need to know if he's okay."
"What about the visiting room?" Jonghyun asked.
"They don't know about it but they are in the hall and if I try to go down there they will see and block it off." Minho said.
"There must be another way to get there." Jonghyun said. They both turned to Key. He sighed and gestured for them to follow leading them through a series of corridors seemingly impossible to remember. "Is this the shortest way?" Jonghyun asked in disbelief.
"No but this is a way you won't remember." Key said ignoring both Minho and Jonghyun's glares. He led them through a door that led to the corridor which held the entrance to Taemin's visiting room. Jonghyun and Key waited outside.
Minho cautiously entered. He made his way over to the window and gently knocked. Taemin was sitting curled up on his bed with his head on his knees. It looked like he was crying. When he heard the knock he looked over. Minho waved and gave a weak smile. Taemin was crying. He had tears streaming down his face and he was sobbing so hard he could barely stand as he stumbled over to the window. Minho wanted nothing more than to wrap the younger boy up in his arms and just let him know that everything was going to be okay but here they were again; trapped on separate sides of the glass. Minho then realised why it hadn't been a good idea to see Taemin; because now he knew that one way or another he had to get into that room.
