CHAPTER 4 - THE NERD AND THE SOPHOMORE
ONE WEEK LATER
The bruises were gone within two days. All the bruises Quinton gave him along with the handprint Jimin left. They were gone by the two day mark, which both terrified and excited Jungkook. His 'powers' stayed the same. No new discoveries that left his head spinning. Using the powers in a way that benefitted him was all he did. He made it his goal to study fighting and moves he could use: there was no way he could become the starting quarterback without getting a beating from Quinton again.
The last beating he got was humiliating. First from the quarterback, then he got slapped by a nerd of all people. Whatever, not necessarily his problem. He snorted as he finished changing. Practice ended about 20 minutes ago, so he took a shower in the locker room and decided to ignore the other football players eyeing him still. They couldn't leave him alone for some reason. Probably because they were jealous of his newfound strength. He couldn't blame them: he'd feel the same way in their shoes. But he wasn't them, so he was allowed to be cocky about it.
The clothes hugging his body made him feel more intimidating than usual. His muscles were larger, so wearing tighter clothes showed that off more. He pretended not to notice the stares that followed him when he walked down the hall of the locker room. Quinton was there as expected, his eyes the ones making Jungkook uncomfortable. He ignored it and departed the area.
When no one followed him, he let out a sigh. His feet hit the turf of the football field, his eyes on the distance. The softball field. His girlfriend was playing today, or he thought so, anyway. She mentioned something about the coach offering her a shot now since their starting left fielder was out injured. So, that was where he went.
He traversed the yards necessary, cutting through the bleachers and behind the practice turf. The softball field was in his sights now, the game already started. He went to the seats and chose a random one away from people. Despite his popularity, he doubted anyone here knew him. It was a big campus, and 'popular' in college terms didn't mean the same thing as it did in high school. A lot of people knew his face as he was on the football team, but not everyone did. Maybe half the campus would recognize him if he was lucky. The point was that he was alone. No one surrounded him; he got to sulk in the corner of his seat while watching the game.
His eyes fell on the redhead, her sitting on the bench. Not a surprise, it was rare that freshmen saw playtime. He'd be more concerned if she somehow was a starter already. Regardless, he spotted his girlfriend in left field, her eyes focused on the game. How would she react if she saw him here? Jungkook hadn't gotten around to seeing her games in the fall, now they were starting up again since it was mid-March. The spring season was here after the off-season training in the winter. One thing he noticed about softball players: they all had decent-looking arms. Biceps and calves that made Jungkook a bit jealous. What did they do during the off-season to earn those muscles?
A laugh Jungkook recognized sounded off, his gaze falling to the seats closest to the fence. And that was when he saw two familiar figures. The nerd and the sophomore, Park Jimin and Kim Taehyung. Jungkook hid himself even more so, not wishing to be noticed by either of the two. Jimin for obvious reasons, and Taehyung because he knew he'd have a gay panic around the older man.
But, his plans were foiled when Taehyung stood, going over to the concession stand and ordering for both of him and the nerd. When he turned with two smoothies in his hands, he saw Jungkook hiding away. The beam of a smile that followed had Jungkook's heart melting.
Taehyung hopped up to him, ignoring the stare he got from Jimin and the students around him. So not everyone knew Jungkook, but they sure as hell knew the hotshot sophomore, Kim Taehyung.
Taehyung"Hey Kookie, we haven't talked in a hot minute. Must've been what, a week now? I've resorted to watching you play football to get my daily dose of Jeon Jungkook."
The smile was warm and welcoming, so warm that Jungkook couldn't tell if it was sarcasm or not. Did he know about how Jungkook treated Jimin? Did it even matter if he knew? Did he care?
Jungkook"Sorry, been busy. Thought I'd see the game and support my girl out in left field. Why are you here?"
Taehyung"Oh, I bumped into Jimin the other day while he was going to the softball game. That was a few days ago now, but we clicked right off the bat. Now we're here because he has a massive crush on that redhead chick. She's not even an official starter, but here he is coming to every game. Sounds like me with you."
Jungkook"Did you just admit to having a crush on me?"
Taehyung"I guess I have a thing for taken guys or something. Who knows. C'mon, come sit with us."
Jungkook"Probably not a good idea."
Taehyung"Why? Because you're an ass to Jimin? Nonsense, I'm sure we can put it behind us and be better, right?"
Ah, so it was all sarcasm. Tae was only humoring him because he was on Jimin's side. Jungkook couldn't blame him. After all, he knew he was an *. A huge one. Most people didn't like that, but at the same time, no one said anything because of his status.
Jungkook"Fine. But I want a smoothie too."
Taehyung"Well I'm sure you can buy it yourself, rich boy."
Tae grinned, backing away and going over to Jimin. Jungkook bit back a huff and went over with him, sitting on Jimin's other side. Jimin was in the middle of two insanely attractive men. How was he not dying? Alas, Jimin didn't so much as glance at Jungkook. His eyes remained on the redhead, who shifted her gaze and waved at him. He waved back, a pink shade resting on the back of his neck.
Jungkook"Wow. You're so in love."
Jungkook"Back to the stuttering, huh nerd?"
Jungkook chuckled. It was far from the worst thing he had said to Jimin, but Jimin still seemed to take offense to it.
Jimin"I can't control it. I'm not like you, but that's perfectly fine. Anyone not like you is actually a pretty decent person. You on the other hand, you're a piece of *. I'm surprised you even have a girlfriend."
Jimin kept his gaze on the game. His stare changed to follow the pitcher, someone Jungkook didn't recognize, as she threw an underhand pitch. The batter swung and missed to make it strike 2.
Jungkook"I score guys and girls, you got rejected by a redhead nerd. I'd say you're wrong about me. Who have you scored, hm?"
Taehyung overheard the conversation and laughed, Jungkook raising a brow at him. Without a beat of hesitation, Taehyung tilted Jimin's head towards him, him kissing the nerd. Jungkook nearly hopped out of his seat, the nerd and sophomore casually kissing in front of him. Jimin even kissed back.
Jungkook sat there with his jaw resting in the grass, Taehyung pulling back from the kiss and acting as if nothing happened. Jimin poked his tongue against his cheek, a smile forming after. Okay, two could play that game. So Jimin wanted a war, huh? A war was exactly what he would get.
He sprung up, Taehyung and Jimin staring at him as he went. Jungkook approached the gate separating him from the dugout of the softball players, him leaning against the fence behind where Raven was sitting.
Jungkook"Hey princess, miss me?"
Raven whipped around, her eyes narrowing upon seeing him.
Raven"I'm in the middle of something. Leave me alone."
Jungkook"No no, you have my intentions wrong. I wanted to apologize. I know this is a bad time, but it's been eating me up inside. I can't wait any longer, y'know?"
She slowly nodded, her eyes searching him for lies. He hid it well, thanking his friends for teaching him good lying mechanics.
Jungkook"I'm really sorry for how I treated you and Jimin. Neither of you deserved it. I took a few ass-whooping's, that seemed to do the trick and put me in my place. Can I make it up to you somehow? I can buy you ice cream?"
Raven"Dammit, I love ice cream. Fine. When?"
Jungkook"After the game?"
Raven"Alright, don't be late."
He winked, her eyes widening at the sight.
Jungkook"Wasn't planning on it."
He went to leave, then sighed and turned, placing his fingers on the fence again.
Jungkook"I really am sorry. I'll give Jimin the money to replace his glasses."
It wasn't a total lie: he would give Jimin the money to replace his glasses. That was a little much, same with the shoving. And getting his ass beat in a locker room actually did give him a new sense of reality. But, he was mostly doing this to prove a point. He was beyond petty. He was a straight up *, and he knew that.
Raven"I'll forgive you if you buy me the largest size ice cream."
Jungkook"Easy to please, my type of girl."
He gave the fence a squeeze as if her hands were there, him ignoring the color rising to her face as he left. When he sat, Jimin glared at him, but Jungkook ignored that too. He yawned, leaning back in his seat. Tae was glaring at him now too, but Jimin was the one who spoke.
Jimin"What the hell did you say to her?"
Jungkook"Nothing. I apologized and offered to buy her ice cream. And I meant the apology, by the way. I was proving that I'm not always just an *. I'll give you the money for your glasses too."
Jimin"Forget it, I like my contacts."
Jungkook"You do look good with them."
No one spoke after that. Instead, the game went on...
~~~
Another victory for the softball team. Apparently they were unstoppable. Jungkook wasn't surprised. After all, this school was pretty prestigious. The people who went here were smart and talented. Even Jungkook. He got amazing grades, hence why he had more freedom to party. As long as his grades didn't slip, he could do whatever he wanted. That was what his parents told him. They didn't care what he did in general, but with great grades, they had no right to say anything.
Raven and Angelina were together, Jungkook blinking a few times. If he wasn't mistaken, Raven wasn't on the team in the fall, hence why she got *ed at Jungkook for being rich. Walk-ons were normally accepted in the spring according to Angelina. Maybe that was how they never met before the party. Or maybe the team is so large that they never interacted. It was possible. After all, the team had around 25 players on it. Most softball teams had 12 to 15, but since this was college, of course there were a lot more.
Jimin was watching the pair, his eyes mostly on the redhead. Jungkook watched him, noting how the nerd was borderline in love with her. Raven saw the trio and hugged Angelina, rushing over.
An astonished Jimin went on the field in time for her to jump into his arms.
He grunted at the exertion, Jungkook stifling a laugh as the nerd swung her around, the two laughing.
Jimin"Gosh, you're heavy."
She whacked his head. Her grin returned, him holding her up. Jimin wasn't too bad, was he? He had some muscle on him Jungkook didn't see.
Raven"Did you see that? We had two homeruns! A-And our shortstop made an awesome diving play. God, I'm so jealous, she's so good! And I got to be a designated batter for our catcher! Did you see all that? Did you?"
He laughed, her arms staying wrapped around his neck. Ew. They were the definition of nasty. Jungkook held back an eye roll as Jimin set her down, staying close. Okay, why did Raven reject him? She was so in love with him. Probably. Jungkook recognized those wide eyes and pursed lips anywhere.
Jimin"I saw everything. You did great, Ravenie. A scholarship is right around the corner for you."
Jimin"Oh I know. They'd be stupid to not give you one."
Raven hugged him, him going still before hugging back. Jungkook really did roll his eyes this time, but no one noticed. Angelina was too busy talking to her teammates to notice him, but it wasn't a big deal. He had a mission. A mission to secure Raven as a friend. That was what he had to do.
When they parted, they were staring at each other. So, Jungkook cleared his throat.
Jungkook"Hey, wanna go get that ice cream now?"
Jimin glared, but Raven was oblivious to it. Not the most observant, huh? He could take advantage of that.
Raven"Sure. Can Jimin come with?"
God dammit, he knew she was gonna do that. But if he said no, then this whole mission would fall apart.
Jungkook"Of course. We can celebrate your awesome victory and all those cool plays. Let's go, okay? There's an ice cream shop not too far off campus, we can walk there."
Raven and Jimin agreed, Taehyung waving to them as they left. Jungkook watched Taehyung go to the other girls, Angelina still too preoccupied to notice him. Whatever, he'd text her later. He took a picture or two of her in left field that he would send to her. Maybe some flowers too.
The five minute walk to the ice cream shop was mostly Raven and Jimin - or Jiven as Jungkook decided to name them - talking to each other. They were geeking out over the game, and Jungkook also heard a mention of Star Wars. Classic nerd things, so he chose to half-listen. They didn't really notice him for 90% of the walk anyway.
They arrived, Jungkook holding the door open for them. He almost stuck to it, but he managed to get off okay. Jimin eyed him, but Jungkook didn't give into his stares. Or at least, he didn't think he did. He didn't want to have that conversation yet. Especially not with someone he didn't trust. He had crazy powers, he didn't want to show them off and get caught. So, he prompted for the better option: show them off without getting caught.
The trio ordered ice cream for themselves on Jungkook, sitting down in the corner of the massive room after they finished. It had a cyan palette, varying shades of it lined along the walls. The tables were cream-colored with metal chairs. Meanwhile, the ceiling was high above them with lights hanging down, flickering and illuminating their faces. Raven's softball uniform was complimented by the light. Jungkook couldn't make out what color the uniform intended to have since she was covered with more dirt than fabric. Thanks to that, Jimin's attire was similar. There was a smudge of dirt on his left, chubby cheek. On any other day, it wouldn't bother Jungkook. He was a football player. Dirt never got to him. Despite that, he wanted to rub it off Jimin and see his clean face.
Jungkook kept observing them, Raven scooting a bit closer to Jimin and keeping her attention on him. Alright, this may be harder than Jungkook thought. He'd have to change his plan.
Jungkook"You two seem closer than the last time I saw you."
Raven and Jimin hopped away from another as if they were kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar.
Raven and Jimin hopped away from one another as if they were kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar.
Raven"What makes you say that? We clicked naturally, y'know? So we seem pretty close."
Huh, sounded like an excuse to Jungkook. She definitely had a thing for him but held back because of Jimin's crush on Jungkook. Well, there was still one thing he could do-
'Bump!'
Jungkook grunted as a figure knocked into him, throwing him to the floor. He landed on all fours, backing up in time to see Quinton there. Ugh, this *. Probably followed him and waited for the right time, huh? He wanted to embarrass him in front of Jimin and Raven. Wait, this was rich. Jungkook had been waiting for this moment. The moment to redeem himself. One week of training wouldn't change much, but it'd change enough that maybe he could stand a chance.
Quinton"Still after my spot, yeah? Did I not beat you enough?"
Quinton charged without waiting for a response, Jungkook dodging his attack. Now he was more prepared. His hands clenched into fists, Quinton groaning and getting back to work. They were about to attack again when Raven got in between them, holding her hands out.
Raven"We have the attention of the entire store, and they're calling security. You really want to do this here?!"
The quarterback snorted, punching her and throwing her to the side. Raven yelped and cried as she fell to the ground, Jimin immediately rushing to her side and helping her. For some reason, seeing her hurt... seeing her in the crossfire? Jungkook's blood boiled. Jimin shouted something, but Jungkook didn't hear it. His eyes sparked, Quinton noticing and backing up. The fear that filled his expression had Jungkook laughing. The quarterback fled before it could get worse, but Jungkook followed.
They departed the ice cream shop, Quinton backing up.
Quinton"What the hell is wrong with you? Why are your eyes so dark?"
Jungkook didn't notice Jimin and Raven rushing out behind him. He didn't want to. All he felt was the fury from seeing someone hurt her. Jungkook clenched his jaw and hands, approaching Quinton.
Jungkook"You don't hit girls. Even an * like me knows that."
Quinton backed up more, but it was too late. Jungkook pounced on him like a cheetah, pinning him to the ground and feeling the overwhelming urge to... bite him? He blinked a few times, his eyes still sparking. Without second-guessing himself, he bit the man's shoulder, Quinton screaming in agony.
Hands grabbed his back, Jungkook snarling as he was thrown off the quarterback. He wiped his lips, then, he snapped back to reality.
Jungkook"W-What did I do. What the * did I do?"
Raven inspected Quinton, Jimin searching to see if anyone else was around. Thank the lord they were far enough from the ice cream shop that the other customers left them alone. Raven shifted her gaze to Jungkook.
Raven"His blood, it's... it's black."
Jungkook was panting, staring down at his hands in horror. He didn't have any blood in his mouth or on his skin, but it felt like it was everywhere.
Jungkook"What did I do? Oh *, what did I do?"
Quinton was shaking rapidly, black blood pouring out of the bite mark on his shoulder. Raven and Jimin cowered away while staying within an arm's-reach of each other.
Raven"What the hell is happening?"
Jimin"He's having a seizure, call an ambulance!"
Raven did just that, Jungkook's vision fading in and out. He felt ill. Like he wanted to vomit for hours. Tears left his eyes and poured onto the sidewalk, his hands scratching at the concrete until his nails bled.
Neither of the two with him said anything, they only watched. He wasn't sure if there was pity, horror, disgust, or all three in their eyes.
Jungkook"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to... I-I didn't mean to..."
Several minutes passed, sirens blaring. Jungkook's chest hopped at the sound, the blue and red lights illuminating his face. He jumped to his feet, Raven and Jimin keeping their distance. He stared at them. He wasn't sure what the stare would change, but he prayed they could read his mind. See how *ed up he was in that moment. How sorry he was. Not like a sorry would change anything.
Jungkook wiped his snot and tears with his sleeve, rushing to the alleyway and sticking to the bricks. Raven and Jimin watched him scale the wall, but he didn't turn to see their reactions. No one was around to see him sticking to surfaces other than those two, and Quinton was still in a seizure. Jungkook gulped. Seizures that lasted more than 2 minutes were dangerous. He forced the thoughts to leave him, his fingers barely sticking anymore.
When he reached the rooftop, he peered down at Raven and Jimin, who were both holding hands over their open mouths. He wasn't sure what he could do to comfort them. The only thing he could do was run away. So he did. He vaulted between the rooftops in the lighting of the setting sun. Would his life ever be the same after this? Could he go to class? Could he ever face Quinton again?
The scariest part was that he wasn't sure.
~~~
A/N: No, Jungkook isn't a vampire. I just wanted to give him an ability that made him different than the original Spiderman. I'm not sure if any other Spidermen have this ability, I'm not really into the whole Spiderverse thing so I don't know, but I hope it's somewhat original. It'll be explained more in future chapters. Thanks for reading!
