Kyungsoo was called into the principal’s office early Monday morning before classes were to start. He didn’t know exactly why, but he hadn’t done anything bad that he could think of. He feebly fiddled with his frazzled legs as he managed to make it out of his bed. He threw whatever clothes were littered around on his floor, and bought a cup of coffee from the student store.  He dragged his tired body across the rest of campus to the main building, and into her office. His eyes met the principles wearing a very casual outfit, and when he ignored the fact she was the school's principal. He thought that could pass as a student, but she wasn't.

“Hello, Jessi, what did you need me for?” his words were slurred, and he yawned as he sat down in a spin chair.

“Well, here is your new schedule. We had to move you around due to overbooking of certain classes.” She explained, and he took the slip of paper.

“Is that all?” he gave another long yawn, and she gave a soft nod.

Kai hadn’t really felt like getting up. He had skipped all last week, and to his surprise, Jessi just barged into his room only to give him the work he missed. He left the pages to sit on his work desk over the weekend and let them stare at him in shame. When he woke up today he still felt like his chest was about to kick the bucket, and like his heart was being jabbed endlessly with a spear tip. In the end, he still got up and got ready for class.

“No, chocolate cupcakes are way better than vanilla!” Chen was telling Xiumin, who was too caught up in thought to pay him any attention. His eyes staring off into space, and Chen’s voice was nothing but a mouse squeak to his ears. “BUDDY BACK DOWN TO EARTH.” He was right next to the lad’s ear, and he cupped his hands over them in distress.

“Sorry, what were you saying?” His eyes wandered back to Chen, and he just shrugged.

“What’s on your mind man?” He poked at the boy trying to annoy him, but he simply took a moment to gain his composure.

“Well, Kai wasn’t in class at all last week, I know because I’m in every class with him.” He drew circled in the ground with his sneakers, and Chen gulped down harshly. He shook his head and threw a smile on his face.

“I’m sure he’s fine, just give him-“

Xiumin quickly shoved passed him interrupting his friend entirely as he engulfed Kai into a tight squeeze. His arms wrapped around the boy so skintight that his spine was probably on the verge of snapping like a twig. He let the boy go, and his lungs relaxed a little. He pulled the boy off towards class babbling into his ear, leaving Chen to just stare as he kicked at the ground harshly.

They arrived at class when the first bell sounded, and when everyone flooded in Kai’s lungs constricted at the very sight. His hands began to tremble as he saw the very person he was told to avoid, but when? When did he even get into this class? Last week when he had laid in bed like a carrot? He noticed that the only empty seat was beside him, and he was beyond stupefied. 

Kyungsoo looked at Kai and noticed the gleam in his eyes seemed to have faded. His eyes seemed a bit red, and puffy like he hadn’t slept at all. His hair looked tousled around like it and his pillow had fought overnight. He noticed his face was a bit pale, and his lips seem to tremble a bit every time he happened to make direct eye contact. He took the only empty seat; which was beside him. He noticed the boy seemed to have scooted his desk further away from him. Why should he care though? He decided that it didn’t matter, and just looked the other direction.

“Look at that, you hurt the poor kid.” His conscience snapped at him, and he clenched his teeth in thought

“He can get over it.” His inner voice wavered a bit when he replied, and his conscience huffed.

“You care about him, and you haven’t even spoken to him for more than ten minutes.” He quipped at the stupid boy.

“Aren’t you going to tell me that I care for him and that I’m being mean?” He questioned his conscience, and he gave a hearty chuckle.

“No, you just told yourself that.” He softly smiled at what his conscience just said.

“Aren’t you me anyways? So, if you told me I’d still be telling myself.” He joked with his conscience who simply scoffed as he left him.

He looked over at the boy, and his eyes turned to soft crescents.

What are you doing to me?

Chen was running to Kyungoo’s locker after the final bell rang, and with a poster that he held snug