Mr. Chemistry

13 • Neglected

Mae Asha • October 25, 2018

It's been more than a week since Mr. Park has paid any attention to me. I mean, yes, he's spoken to me, but not the way he used to. He'll greet me, and help me with class work, but that's it. I haven't had detention since last Monday, when Jimin sent me home.

I know I shouldn't care that my teacher isn't giving me any extra attention, but it's driving me crazy, and he can't know that.

I can't let him know that I want his attention, so, I need to purposely-accidentally get myself into trouble.

And that's exactly what I'm doing.

I'm twenty minutes late, currently on my phone listening to music, and I am full of attitude today.

Suck it, Mr. Park.

I walked into the classroom and made my way to my seat. Jackson and Neri are in their normal spots on either side of me.

I paid no attention to where Jimin is. I looked at my phone as my music blared in my ears, and that's when someone tapped my desk.

I looked up to find the familiar redhead staring down at me. I pulled my earphones out of my ears.

"Yes, Mr. Park?" I asked.

"You're late, Ms. Mae," Jimin told me. He motioned towards my phone. "And you're on your phone."

"So?" I lifted my eyebrows in annoyance.

"And you clearly have an attitude," Jimin said, clearly enjoying this.

"You should just send her to the office, Mr. Park," Mila spoke up.

"Shut it, Barbie doll," I snapped. I looked back at Mila. "This has nothing to do with you," I said. I looked at Jimin.

A hint of a smirk appeared on his face. He studied me as if he was reading me like a book.

"Let's talk in the hallway, Ms. Mae," Jimin said.

"No, thanks," I said.

"Now," he told me, then he started to walk by me.

His voice startled me, so I immediately stood up and followed him out into the very empty hallway.

Jimin shut his classroom door, then he turned to face me. "Is someone feeling neglected, Asha?" Jimin quietly asked me as he crossed his arms.

I picked at my soft, fluffy, oversized, unzipped hoodie, not looking at him.

Oh, wow.

Jimin smiled. "Because I think you are."

How in the world does this man read me so well?

I shook my head, avoiding eye contact with him. "Not even a little bit," I told him.

"Are you sure about that?" Jimin asked. I nodded in response. "Detention," he simply said.

He stood there for a moment, almost like he was waiting for me to protest, but I didn't.

After a few seconds, Jimin smirked. He opened the classroom door for me and let me walk inside.

•••

"You called her a Barbie doll!" Neri giggled as we walked to Mr. Park's classroom. "That was legendary!" she said. I stayed silent. "Why were you in such a bad mood this morning?" Neri asked. She and I stopped outside of Mr. Park's closed door.

I shrugged. "Didn't get enough sleep, I guess," I flatly said.

Neri smiled. "Oh, well, at least you'll be able to get some sleep in detention," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow!" she quickly hugged me, then she skipped off.

I turned to face Mr. Park's door. I tried to turn the knob, but it's locked, so I knocked.

Shortly after, Jimin opened the door and let me walk in.

As I made my way to my desk, I heard the door shut and the lock click behind me.

I dropped my bag on the floor. Jimin walked to his desk without speaking, then he sat down. I sat in my seat and rested my head against my desk.

And that's when I heard it.

I heard the annoying clicking of a pen, over, and over, and over again.

I slowly lifted my head and I looked at Jimin. His hand is resting on his desk and he's clicking the pen against his thumb. His head is tilted and he's staring into my soul.

"What?" I blurted out. Jimin didn't reply. "What?" I repeated. "Speak," I told him.

Jimin's tongue ran over his lips as he stared at me. My eyes ventured to his pierced ears, then back to his face.

What is he doing?

"Stop staring at me," I told him. Jimin lowered his eyebrows, and he continued to click the pen. "Oh, my God, stop, please."

That made him stop.

Jimin looked at the pen for a moment. "You sure? Because last time you asked me to stop doing something, you didn't mean it, which resulted in your little temper tantrum today."

I squinted as I stared at him. "Trust me, Mr. Park, I meant it," I said.

Jimin's eyes flicked to me. He shook his head. "No, no, you didn't," he said. "See, if you didn't care, you wouldn't get bothered by the fact that I treat you the same as all of my other students now," Jimin said. "You make it very obvious, Ms. Mae," he finished. I shook my head, not responding. "Come here."

"No," I said.

"I said, come here," he repeated. "Don't make me come get you, Asha, because you will not like what happens."

His words startled me.

I stood up and slowly walked up to his desk. I stopped near the front. Jimin put one finger up and motioned for me to come closer, which I reluctantly did.

I stopped a few feet from him. "What?" I crossed my arms.

Jimin didn't look at me. "Knock it off with the attitude," he told me.

"Or what?" I asked, not looking at him.

Jimin took a deep breath, clearly getting annoyed.

Honestly, I wouldn't blame him if he stood up and strangled me right now.

He stood up, which frightened me.

This is where I die.

Lovely.

"Do you want to know what I think, Asha?" Jimin stood in front of me. I shrugged and avoided eye contact with him. "I'll take that as a yes," he said. He stepped closer to me, which made me take a step back, causing my back to hit his desk. "I think that you liked the way I spoke to you, is that it?" he asked. He stopped no more than a foot away.

I didn't reply, but I could feel my cheeks heating up by the second.

Sweet Jesus, I should have just left this man alone because he seems beyond annoyed now.

"Answer me," he told me. "You went through all of this trouble just to get me alone, so let's hear it."

I glanced up to him, but I immediately looked away once I saw how annoyed he looks.

"I-I think I should go," I nervously said.

I was about to slip by Jimin, but he placed his hands on my sides, then he lifted me up onto his desk.

"Talk," he told me. He placed his hands against the desk on either side of me, and he stood between my legs.

"We-Well," I paused, "nice weather we're having...?" I quietly said as I looked at him.

His face is incredibly close to mine, and I can just feel the anger radiating off of him.

Jimin slightly tilted his head. "Asha," he said.

"Jimin," I said.

"Talk," Jimin repeated himself. "Tell me what goes on in that pretty little head of yours," he told me. His eyes glanced between mine.

I lowered my eyebrows as I looked at his chest. "You first, d**k," I blurted out.

Oh, lovely, let's give him a bigger reason to kill me.

Jimin's tongue ran over his bottom lip as he stared at me. "I'm not the one in this position, now am I?" he questioned.

I sighed. "Fine," I sighed again, then again.

"Quit stalling," Jimin interrupted my sighing.

"Okay, we-well, maybe I kinda-sorta enjoyed the attention," I quietly said. I slowly glanced up to his face. He stared at me, waiting for me to continue. My eyes ventured back down to his chest. "And maybe I kinda-sorta got triggered when you actually stopped."

"Good girl," Jimin quietly said. "Maybe you'll be needing those condoms, after all," he smirked.

My cheeks literally starting burning. My eyes widened as I looked up at him, unable to speak.

Oh, f**k me.

"No comment?" Jimin tilted his head as he removed his hands from the desk beside me, but he didn't move. "I thought you would've liked that one," he said. His fingers took a lock of my long, black hair, then he pushed it behind my ear. "No?" he rose an eyebrow.

He seems less annoyed now, and more annoying, like he used to be.

I lowered my eyebrows as I looked at him. "You are so, so gross," I scoffed.

Jimin took a step back. "You can go home now, Ms. Mae," he told me. "We'll finish this talk in detention tomorrow."

I dropped down off of the desk, nervously nodding. I turned and walked back to my seat. I grabbed my backpack from beside my desk.

Okay, now he's being even more weird than before.

God, I just want to punch him in his gorgeous face.

I can tell he thinks that he was right all along, and while that may be true, he's wrong, like, super wrong.

Well, this whole experience was awkward and I would like to die now.

•••

A/N: Thank you for reading. Please vote, comment, and add to your reading list :)

S. C. Keener

11/28/18