Forced

Episode 14

"Nothing, I swear to you. He was just so nervous about his birthday..... He wasn't making too much sense today." She whispered to him. "Thank you, Linda. The money will be transferred to the hospital for your grandson’s fee." "I pray he gets better." She almost started weeping. "He will be. Once you get the information I need, your grandson will be healthy as a horse. I will make sure there isn't a cancerous cell left in his body." The gentleness Jungkook held towards this women alarmed Taehyung. "Thank you, Jungkook." "Never a problem, Linda." He was using Linda to keep tabs on him? Taehyung had told her so much, so god damn much. Betrayal rushed to his heart and to his head. He was being maneuvered far too easily. He wanted to bang on the walls with his fists and scream at the top of his voice. Jungkook was slowly snaking his way into his parents favor and now his only friend, Linda. Taehyung knew he was still speaking with his parents. Jungkook never actually came by but his parents would dress up and go out a fancy dinner a few times a week. Where else would they be going? They didn't exactly speak to anyone here besides his Dad's work partners and they were far too busy to go to nice dinners more than once a week. Was Linda ever even his friend? Or was she just doing a job for Jungkook? Were the two friends? Was Taehyung being played by a women nearly four times his age? He felt really stupid for a moment. He was so angry with himself for trusting someone he had just met. As Taehyung stood there watching the lady wipe her teary eyes, his anger seemed to vanish.

He recalled Jungkook's words and he felt sick to his stomach. Her grandson had cancer? How awful is that? Taehyung felt a sudden surge of compassion towards her and he knew he would cooperate with anything Jungkook wanted. He would tell her whatever the ravenette wanted to know. Taehyung would let Jungkook infiltrate his thoughts if it meant easing the pain on this women's heart. "What does he want to know?" Taehyung spoke softly as he reached the pew they usually sat in. She stared at the blonde boy alarmed for a moment and then tears started falling from her eyes again. "I'm so sorry." Regret laced her tone but he hushed her. "It's okay. It's all okay. I just want to help." Taehyung continued to hush her and handed her a spare Kleenex he had in his bag. "It's fine. I promise." He repeated to her once again. But it wasn't fine and he knew it. He just couldn't suppress the want to help her any longer.

Three thousand and twelve dollars rested ever so safely in the pit of Taehyung's bank account, but the numbers dwindled in front of his eyes as he gaped at the cost of a ticket to New York. New York only got him half way to California. That was only half way to his dream, and the price made him cringe. It was nearly a grand for a flight to New York. And then he would have to get a connecting flight that was an additional seven hundred just to reach California. It seemed like Taehyung's dream was disappearing before his eyes