"God, I hate this thing." Chanyeol muttered as he tugged on the tie around his neck, trying to loosen it up a bit. He absolutely hated the new uniforms they were now required to wear. One of the last things he ever wanted was to look like those stuck up Choeseon kids. But now that he was offically a student there, what else could he do?

Looking over at his friend, Sehun couldn't help but laugh at the tall young man as he tried in vain to put the tie back on, having had tugged the whole thing off of his neck in his struggle. Baekhyun then walked over and offered his assistance by tying it in a sloppy manner, but it good enough to make Chanyeol satisfied. Grabbing his own, he loosely placed it around his neck, making sure that it wasn't uncomfortable for him. Tugging on it a bit to make it more wearable, he looked in the mirror and made a face at his reflection. Pulling some loose strings from the sleeves, he tossed the threads on the floor below him.

Sure, the uniforms were expensive, but did they have to be so damn annoying?

"Hey, does this look right to you?" Luhan asked, having attempted to put on his tie in a new way after seeing Yixing's father do it the other day.

"That looks like you just put it around your neck, balled it up, and hoped for the best. Here, let me help you; I'm an expert at this." Baekhyun replied, walking over to him and tying it in the same manner he had done for Chanyeol. After finishing up the task, he stepped back and admired his own work.

"Dude, I know Luhan's pretty and all that, but staring at him like that is doing nothing but creeping me out." Jongdae said nonchalantly as he bent down to tie his shoes.

"I wouldn't say that if I wer--" Before Yixing could finish, he began laughing when Jongdae was hit in the face with a flying pillow from Luhan's direction.

"Stop messing around, we have to leave now if we want to catch the bus." Sehun announced as he placed his hat on his head, turning it backwards so that it rested on his head comfortably. Throwing Chanyeol his backpack, he tossed his own over his shoulder and checked his pockets to make sure his keys and wallet were there. When he didn't feel the keys, he looked around him to see if he had dropped them somewhere. It wasn't unusual for him to simply toss them anywhere whenever he came home. After a short while, he heard Luhan shaking his keys loudly, letting him know that at least one of them had a way of getting back in.

"Hey guys, who's up for some burgers and fries after school? Chanyeol said he'd pay." Baekhyun suddenly said as they exited the apartment building.

"When did I!?!" Chanyeol shouted, only to be tackled into a group hug from his friends.

"Our Chanyeollie is so kind!" Yixing shouted as the rest laughed at the look on Chanyeol's face, knowing there was little he could do now.

*******

"So this is the famous Choeseon High School, huh?" Luhan said as they walked in through the school's gates.

There was no doubt about it, this school was different from the rest of them out there. You could feel it as soon as you walked in through the two large iron gates that led to the main campus. Maybe it was the way the pavement was perfectly laid, all clean and unbroken; maybe it was the way the walls were built high and strong, towering above them; or maybe it was the way students roamed around the campus, having the freedom to go here and there.

As soon as he saw it all, Sehun knew he was far from home.

This was nothing like his old school at all, where he and his friends were limited by a small brick barrier that separated the old, shabby school from the street. Back there, there was little to do beside go into school, head straight for the classroom, stay inside for seven hours, and leave.

But this place was the exact opposite.

There was a large courtyard right in front of them. A huge