Between classes and lectures, final essays, and practices on practices for nationals I haven't had time to do anything fun. Parties around campus have been dwindling because the stress of finals. I was kind of glad though, I've had enough hangovers for this school year. 

Since it was December, the weather was cold enough for my liking. The fresh and cold breeze that sweeps right through my hair. The feeling of being all bundled in sweaters, scarves, and mittens. Christmas movies on every channel that you can sit and watch with a bag of popcorn and a cup of tea. December was filled with lights that lit up the entire city. 

Yet Baekhyun has been bugging me non-stop. His house could be named as my second home because I'm always there when I'm not at school or in practice. Gaeun officially started dating Kyungsoo and I couldn't be happier for her. So she was always there too. The way she looks at Kyungsoo with so much admiration, I was kind of jealous of what they had.

While with me, I still wasn't ready to be in a relationship because it just felt good to be single. Although Baekhyun has been nagging and nagging about taking me out on an official date. I guess we are kind of together but not in a relationship, we're just having fun to see if we even have a connection or something along those lines. Obivously I feel something strong towards him and I do really like him being around me. But this will be the first Christmas since high school that I'm not in a relationship. I can actually be with my family the entire day instead of my family in the morning then going to Chanyeol's for dinner and staying the night.

"Junhee, stop daydreaming. You have to finish your 8 page literature review for Child Development by tomorrow." Baekhyun flicked my forehead, awakening me from my thoughts. 

Baekhyun was scary with how much he knew about my schedule and what was due and when it was due. While with him all I knew was that he barely has any essays to do just mostly compositions he had to learn and memorize. Then he also had a Christmas concert he had to attend to and play a few pieces for. It counted for his grade. The performances was for the banquet the holds at the end of the school year to raise money for charities that the school is involved with. I was just super excited to see him perform along with all the other arts students.

I sighed, leaning my head in the palm of my hand. "I have one more page to do then I am officially done with all my final assignments. So then I only have to worry about is final exams and the stupid nationals tournament."

"I'm so proud of you, sweetcheeks." he leaned over and kissed my cheek. "By the way, have you gotten the tickets for your tournament yet? Because I expect to be there and sitting in the front row."

"I get them the next time I'm at practice." I mentioned, keeping my focus on typing away on my laptop. "And I already bought my ticket for your banquet."

"You know I could have gotten you a ticket for free and then you wouldn't have had to pay for it." he tried to make a point.

"Then I wouldn't be donating money to any of the charities." I sent him a glare because I was totally fine with paying the ticket amount for the banquet. He was just whining. "See with the volleyball tournament the money for the tickets just go to the arena and nowhere else so I'm fine with getting free tickets."

"When is the tournament anyways? I just want to make sure that I don't have any exams that day." Baekhyun leaned his head onto my shoulder and looked up to me with his puppy-like eyes.

"In two weeks on the Saturday. I'm playing for pretty much the entire day unless the team gets beaten relatively quickly but I highly doubt that." I didn't want to brag but the team was getting really good now. We started to realize our problem areas and that is what we have been focusing on mostly for the past weeks. Junghwa and I came up with plays that utilizes our strong points but also helps us improve in the areas that need work. I was just happy that after this tournament that I didn't need to worry about volleyball until April or so when we need to start back at the gym and begin practicing.

I noticed Baek's eyes kind of widening in disbelief. Was it something I said? "You mean the Saturday that my performance is on?" he mumbled out.

How did I not remember that? I feel so ing stupid for not remembering the date of the banquet. Why didn't I realize this sooner? "..." I stressed out the word. Baekhyun took his head off my shoulder and looked sadly at me.

"I really want to watch you play." he said.

"And I really want to watch you play." I replied, really upset. 

Baekhyun put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close to him. "We will figure something out. I get my times that I have to go on and perform so we can work that around with your game times. How does that sound?" he sounded so sweet and calm because I was freaking out. Baekhyun would never let me hear him while he was practicing because he wanted to surpise me with how good he was at the banquet and I promised I would be sitting in the front row as long as he was sitting in the front row for my games.

I nodded and closed my laptop, placing it on the coffee table in front of the couch we were sitting on. 

"If you don't turn that frown upside down then I'm going to have to kiss it off." Baekhyun smirked at me and I giggled because he was ridiculous. 

~ * ~

Today was the last day of classes before exam week started. It felt good to have all assignments off my shoulders but now I was just worried for the actual exams. Aerin and I have been studying like crazy together when we have the time to get together. Since we are mostly in the same classes it is convenient to have her around and have her help me study. Gaeun even joins us in the library and we all go around and help each other. It's been our system for the past years and have been getting pretty decent marks, well decent enough to stay on the honours list.

As Aerin, Gaeun, and I were walking to the cafeteria I realized that I haven't eaten lunch with them for awhile. Between assignments, volleyball, and well... Baekhyun, I haven't really had the time to go and eat with them. I was always grabbing something at a different time or quickly getting something to go while heading back to the library or my dorm room to study. 

"Is our exam two hours or three hours for stats?" Aerin asked me.

"I'm so glad I don't ever have to do math again." Gaeun said to us in which Aerin and I sent her glares. This was techincally my last math class too but then I would have to teach math in the elementary classes I have a placement in which should be easy because it's only adding, subtracting, and patterns.

"Well he says three hours is the maximum amount of time we have to finish it but it should probably take around two hours." I told Aerin as we sat down at the lunch table in the cafeteria. 

Aerin nodded and understood. We turned our attention to the boys on the other side. Minseok was studying quietly with Sehun while munching on their lunches. Luhan was reading something on his phone but not paying attention to us. This is what exams does to everyone. They become zombies that don't talk to anyone and only keep their focus on their study notes.

I shook Luhan's shoulder and he quickly shot his head up. "Oh hey girls." he smiled at the three of us. "When did you get here?"

"Just now but I guess you were too focused on what is displayed on your phone rather than your friends." Aerin teased the boy, who just stuck his tongue out at her.

"Ha ha..." he said blandly. "So when is everybodies first exam?"

"I have Classic English Literature tomorrow." Gaeun spoke up first. I felt bad for her seeing as she had to do the whole exam in English but it was her major anyways so it might be somewhat easy for her. "So I'm heading over to Kyungsoo's house after my next class."

"Junhee and I have stats tomorrow too but not until later at night which is good because then we get to study for the whole day." Aerin spoke for the two of us. Stats was maybe my easiest class because everything was so simple especially when all you had to do was figure out which equation to use then input the correct numbers in each spot and calculate. "What about you?"

"I have third year chemistry in two days which shouldn't be too hard." he shrugged his shoulders like he was being cocky. The truth was that Luhan had trouble with chemistry. Both the subject and the way he acts with women. But I won't go on about the latter. "Minseok and Sehun have anatomy tomorrow too, that is why they are being non-sociable zombies."

"I heard that, you slacker." Minseok punched Luhan's upper arm, which he flinched and whined while rubbing the spot where he got hit. "You should really be studying for your exam because I don't want to get a text message from Chanyeol tomorrow night saying that you need my help with chemistry because I'm not helping you. I told you to take the course last semster with Sehun and I but you refused because it was too early in the morning."

"Why are you so mean to me?" Luhan stuck out his bottom lip and pulled the puppy eyes on Minseok.

"You are the one who wants to be a molecular biologist so you have to know the chemical reaction that can happen within a cell and I can't be there to guide you in your future job." Minseok retorted.

"Whatever you say Dr. Kim." Luhan smirked at his friend.

"Sehun and I only took third year chemistry because we needed an elective and you have to take it because it is the field you want to go in." Minseok was just starting to play around with Luhan and starting to . "So if you weren't on Tinder the entire time we have been here you wouldn't need my help for your exam."

"You should have just taken the biomedical course with Minseok and I." Sehun spoke up but still reading and writing notes in his notebook. While us three girls were just sitting back and watching Luhan get put in his place by Minseok. It was great but it should be stopped soon before they actually start agruing.

"Yeah but I don't want to be a nurse like you Sehun." Luhan held back a chuckle. 

That's how all the boys met in first year. Chanyeol was roommates with Luhan because they were both in a biology degree. And in first year biology they met Minseok and Sehun who were also taking the course because of their course, biomedical. Chanyeol soon branched off into mircobiology and Luhan was in biochemistry but they still were always having atleast one course a year together.

While us girls were in arts. Aerin and Gaeun were roommates and friends from high school and I was in all the same courses as Aerin so soon we all clicked and became best friends. Then I started going out with Chanyeol and our groups just started getting along and would always sit together for dinners or breakfast or most often, lunches.

We balanced really well because we all weren't in the same degrees so then we weren't seeing each other almost 24/7. But when we were together we talked about our different professors or the weird kids in our classes who would always sit in the front of the class and wait for the professor to mess up. We also loved to go out to restaurants or go bowling and just fun stuff that we can still do before we aren't all torn away by the future that is still ahead of us. Because soon we will have to move away for jobs or even future families then we won't get the time to see each other. And when our children are ready to move away for university, we will tell them stories about each other and the adventures we had together.

"Okay you three." I sent a glare to the three boys. "Stop fighting before I have to sit between you guys."

"What are they fighting about now?" a deep voice echoed behind me. I turned and saw Chanyeol with his backpack slung over one shoulder while his lunchtray rested in his hands.

It felt like my heart beat differently for a second. This was my first time seeing him up close since I had my closure with him that one night. But my heart beated in a way that wasn't the way you would feel when you saw the love of your life or just someone you had deeply cared about. It wasn't the feeling you would read about in books or see on television. It was the feeling of being free from the love I use to have for Chanyeol. When I saw him standing in front of me with a grin on his face, I saw him as a friend, not a lover or a cheater. Just a friend.

That is when I knew I was finally over Park Chanyeol.

"The usual. Luhan not keeping up with his readings and needing help from Minseok." I chuckled and watched Chanyeol sit beside me.

He seemed pretty normal around me too and I was glad I finally felt comfortable to sit at this table once again with my friends.

Chanyeol started eating his lunch from his plate and he looked to me and then down at his plate. "Want a fry?" he asked me.

"No, I'm good. I have to leave soon for practice so I'm just going to get something to go." I replied. "Thanks for the offer though."

I felt Luhan's eyes on me and so I looked to him to see him smugly grinning at me. 

"Oh by the way Junhee, since our Mandarin exam is in a week how about I help you with it?" Luhan asked me nicely and then turned to Minseok. "Because I always help my friends even if they don't need my help."

"Just shut your ing mouth, Luhan." Minseok hissed in which everyone at the table just started bursting out with laughter.

Like old times...

~ * ~

Sweat dripped down my face as I hit the firm volleyball against my forearm, I vollied it over to one of the freshmen that were on my team for the scrimmage. I carefully watched the play that was happening before me. I was getting exahusted but we were so close to finishing this practice. But I still had to study for my exam tomorrow.

My mind was getting distracted by freaking out for my exam and not being ready for it. So instead I started getting into position to set the ball for the middle blocker so that they could spike it over the net and hopefully win the game for our team. And when the ball finally came to me, I lightly hit it other to Hyejeong. She jumped up and spiked the ball really hard into the other side and I saw Yewon try to dive for it but she missed it by maybe only a couple centimeters

Which meant our side won the scrimmage. I jumped for joy because it was a really close game which meant we were all improving our teamwork skills. I ran over to Hyejeong and jumped on her back, making her screech and then laugh out loud.

We were so ready for nationals but a part of me still wasn't happy with playing volleyball. I had to hide that feeling around my teammates though.

"Alright girls, get a drink of water then gather around me." our coach called out to all of us. Most of us walked to our bags and grabbed our water bottles. I, myself, just chugged back all my water because I was so thirsty. Then I made my way over to my coach where everybody was sitting cross legged on the ground taking off the tape around their fingers or their knees pads.

I sat down next to Junghwa and started undoing my gym shoes.

"So here in my hand are the tickets that everyone requested for the nationals tournament." she raised her hand and in her grasp were a giant bundle of tickets. "But the thing is that the gymnasium that the tournament was supposed to be held in was is under construction. A few nights ago, the lights fell from the ceiling and crashed against the gym floor causing the hardwood to be totally ruined. So they have to spend the next few weeks repairing the lights and the floor. The good news is that the tournament won't be delayed but actually held in Gyeongsan at Yeungnam University."

"But coach, that is almost four hours away! I don't have the money to get out there." Hyejeong complained. "I also have a exam on Friday which means that I would have to rush my exam and then drive down if I can even get a ride and then pay for a hotel."

I was sitting still, staring off into space once Hyejeong mentioned that this university is nearly four hours away. My first thought was Baekhyun. Now I can't see him perform even if we got beaten out early.

"I have talked to each of your professors and they have allowed you to change the date and time of your exam if you have one from Friday to Sunday. But you are only allowed to write your exam before the tournament, that was their only exception. So what you have to do is email your professor and tell them the time you can write it in the student accessbility centre." Coach continued but my mind was still wandering on how I was supposed to tell Baekhyun about it. "As for accomdations, the athlethics department has arranged hotel rooms and a bus to take us there and have us stay in Gyeongsan for two nights."

My mind just totally blanked out. Not only would Baekhyun not be able to go, neither would any of my friends or family. Gyeongsan was way too far from my parents for them to just drive down while Seoul was the perfect amount because then they only had to drive an hour or so into the city. They would also have to shut down the restaurant down for the day and lose a days worth of sales.

The good thing about everything was that I didn't have an exam during those days. I finished all mine on the Monday before. 

But this is also the reason why I started to not like volleyball as much. It always seems to be getting in the way.

"Okay since we got that covered, you can still take the amount of tickets you requested. Though I'm really sorry for the inconvenience ladies." I could tell Ms. Hwang didn't like this situation either because it stressed us out enough to have this tournament during exams but now we have to travel almost four hours away to compete in it. "That is it for today. I'll see you tomorrow morning for a bootcamp for those who can make it. Have a good night."

With that, I slowly got up from the ground and started carrying my shoes in my hands to my gym bag. I threw them in and got out my track pants, slipping them on over top of my spandex shorts then grabbing my sports jacket and putting them on. Finally I got my boots and put those on too. I grabbed my gym bag and thew the strap over my shoulder and went over to Ms. Hwang to get my tickets.

"Lee Junhee. 12 tickets." Ms. Hwang said when I stood in front of her. "Here you go." she placed the tickets in my hand. 

I started walking out of the gym and left the sports complex. I sluggishly walked towards to the main cafeteria where I was going to get a quick bite to eat before I head to Aerin's room so we could start studying.

After grabbing a sandwich and some juice to go, I made my way outside which was very cold for an early December night. The cold air was biting the tip of my nose and the tops of my ears. Even my fingers were already freezing. My sports jacket wasn't warm enough for this weather. I didn't expect this coldness at all. It was so cold that snow could fall and actually stay on the ground. I hope that was true because I love snow and everything about it.

The crunching sound of when your boot steps into a fresh area of packing snow. Or the icicles that decorate homes. The sight of watching kids running to the nearest hill to go sledding on the first snowfall. 

I was so distracted by thinking about snow and how happy it makes me that I was shocked when something was being wrapped around my neck. It was very soft and smelled very good but also the smell was something that was so familiar to me. I turned around and saw the charming smile that I use to love so much.

"Chanyeol?" I asked, more curious than I was surprised. Then my sight shifted down to his scarf that was wrapped around my neck to keep me a little bit warmer.

"You are being careless, Junhee." he lifted an eyebrow and chuckled at my forgetfulness. "It's December and here you are freezing to death. Think next time, alright?" Chanyeol then flicked my forehead.

This whole behaviour he was showing felt so familiar and I couldn't put a finger on where I remembered almost the same words being spoken to me before. Either way, I started walking to the dormitory that we all shared with him by my side.

During this walk, Chanyeol and I started talking like really good friends. He asked me about how my classes are going and I did the same for him. We laughed when he told me about Luhan being hit repeatedly by Minseok when Luhan failed his chemistry review sheet. There was no feelings like the ones I used to have for him and it felt so good to have that weight lifted off my shoulders.

"Here let me take your gym bag since you already have your hands full with food." he snickered at me. Was he making fun of how I like to eat? This idiot but I didn't complain because my bag was heavy with all my equipement in it. 

I nodded and we stopped. He took the strap off my shoulder and bought it to him so he could place it across his body. "Thanks Chanyeol." I mentioned, giving him a grateful smile.

What I didn't know that day was that from afar somebody had spotted me out of the corner of their eye. He had been coming out of the library when I had all my attention on Chanyeol. This boy was stunned to see me with my ex boyfriend, acting like he was never my ex-boyfriend. With wearing his scarf and him carrying my bag, it looked very suspicious to him and to be truthful... this boy was kind of hurt. So instead of running up to me, he simply slumped and started to walk away to the bus loop with a very sad look on his face.

author's note; my goodness. this chapter is 4000 words long unlike my usual 3000-3200 length.i had to get a lot into this chapter because it sets up future conflicts. i'll try and keep those a secret ;) but guess what?! i'm all done school for the year, well until september where i go back for my third year. everything has been a handful. jobs, kids, boyfriends, and school. too much to handle. but actually there is three more chapters i'm posting throughout the day so get ready for that! 

in my last chapter i posted, i asked you guys what boy group kpop star would be good for a bad boy role as junhee's ex boyfriend. somebody said jungkook from bts and i can see where they are coming from but here is a poll for a few other options that i like:

if you have any other choices then put it in the comments section and i will make another poll and add them with the finalists of this poll. :)