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The next day was as lonely and depressing as the previous one. Vicky, Mina and you ignored each other all day long, like total strangers. It felt strange to pass next to someone who used to be a part of your daily life without even a look or a smile. But what were you supposed to do ? Talk to them ? Apologize ? That would be possible if they weren't hanging with Baekhyun and his friends all the time. Actually, nothing was stopping you from joining them. You could walk towards them and act like nothing happened. You could ignore the questioning look of Vicky and the obvious embarrassment of Mina. Yes, you could do everything. But you weren't going to. That would be too easy and you were tired of always being the accommodating one. What happened at the party really hurt you. So if they wanted you back, then they better apologize. Besides you really doubted you'd be warmly welcomed in their nice little clique. So here you were, being the ugly duckling.

You lazily walked towards the cafeteria, about to eat your lunch alone. The hardest part of being a loner was the lunch break. In class or during the small breaks, being alone wasn't troublesome. You were paying attention to the teacher or was silently working. But the lunch break... ugh ! All the students were gathered in small groups of friends, chatting and enjoying their meal like happy families while you were sitting on your own. It wasn't that Mina and Vicky were the only people you knew. You actually knew some nice people in your high-school. But you felt awkward to suddenly hang out with people you barely talked to and weren't that close to you. So instead of faking a friendship, you decided to stay on your own. Better be alone than in bad company, right ?

You spotted an empty table and headed toward it like a shadow, hoping nobody would notice your solitude.

Chanyeol held his lunch, following a group of boys from his class. They were going to enjoy their lunch break all together, like almost everyday. While heading over a table, Chanyeol thought about yesterday's lunch and how fun it was to eat with you. He kind of missed the moments spent with you and mentally scolded himself for being so weak. Wasn't he supposed to avoid you ? He still could remember how he felt when he saw you hanging with that guy downtown. It never faded away from his memoirs. It was still there, wiggling in his stomach every time he thought about it.

«  You don't come, Yeollie ? »

Chanyeol shook his head. Today was a nice day. The sky was blue, the air was warm. He wanted to enjoy the nice weather a little more.

«  I'm waiting here. Take me some bubble tea too, please. »

Sehun nodded and entered the store, leaving Chanyeol alone.

The sun was gently heating his face, it was a really nice feeling. He leaned against the store's window, and took off his cap. He closed his eyes, enjoying the hot weather. It felt so good.

Sehun and D.O quickly came back with three bubble teas.

«  Guess what ? Sehun ordered the same flavour as he usually do. » D.O said, holding a cup to Chanyeol who was putting his cap back on.

«  I didn't want to mistaken ! » Sehun defended himself.

Chanyeol shook his head, but laughed. This kid...

He grabbed the straw of his bubble tea and started to drink it. It was freaking delicious ! Observing the crowd, he suddenly recognized someone. He wasn't sure because of the crowd. It was a girl who really looked like...

«  Hey ! Look ! It's... » Chanyeol exclaimed with a big smile, but the end of the sentence got stuck in his throat.

You weren't alone. You were with someone. With a boy.

His smile faded away. Was it the boy you talked about ?

He couldn't put a name on this weird and unpleasant feeling. All he knew what that it was right here, in his chest, and it was driving him crazy.While walking toward the table, Chanyeol's eyes travelled in the cafeteria and without really knowing how, his sight landed on you. He stopped walking to look at you from afar. You were eating alone, just like yesterday. And just like yesterday, Chanyeol could join you...

Curling his long fingers around the edge of his plate, Chanyeol bit his lips. Yesterday lunch had been pretty fun, and the heavy feel in his chest had disappeared while he was by your side. But as much as Chanyeol wanted to eat with you again, he didn't joined you this time. He still felt confused about he felt and hanging out with you wasn't going to help. A part of him wanted to spend more time with you, having fun and enjoying carefree moments. But the other part of him was screaming at him to not let you being closer to him or else... or else he didn't know what would happen.

Chanyeol sighed, rocking back and forth on his feet. You were having a crush or something on the guy you once talked about. He didn't know who he was and what was your relationship. But all he knew was that it was annoying him more than it should. Maybe Chanyeol was the possessive type. After all, you were his first girl friend in school. Most of the girl students were afraid of his height, his deep voice, his cracked smile or his weird personality. Even if he pretented like he wasn't aware of it, Chanyeol knew that people were making fun of him, calling him « Weirdo » or « Derpyeol » behind his back. He didn't care that much about what a bunch of stupid high schooler could say about him. They just needed a laughable target to make them feel better about themselves. Chanyeol wasn't mad at them. Quite the opposite. He just felt sad for them.

So instead of feeling bad, Chanyeol ignored the mocking remarks to focus on what was important to him. The band and the concerts were all he needed. Just the music and his two best friends. But recently, the Rolling Buffalo and their shows wasn't enough and Chanyeol needed something else. Something he couldn't name but which was involving you.

You were the only girl who paid attention to him and who accepted him as he was. Unlike the others girls, you weren't blind by the charisma of the Happy Virus and it was making all the difference. Maybe he was just pissed to know you were giving attention to another guy. Or maybe...

« Chanyeol, are you coming or not ? » A guy called him, waking him from his thoughts.

Everyone was already sitting down, waiting for him. Chanyeol blinked and looked away from you. Since he didn't know what was going on in his head and with his heart, maybe was it safer to avoid you a little bit ? He sighed and slowly walked toward the table.

« Yeah, I'm coming. »

The bell rang, school was over. You packed your stuff, ready to leave. While putting your books in your bag, you thought about today's lunch break. You didn't know why but you were expecting Chanyeol to come and eat with you, even if he had never said he would. But still, you had waited for him to show up and ate as slow as possible in case his smiling face would pop up. Yersterday's lunch had been really fun and you were hoping to share another lunch break with him. But Chanyeol didn't join you and you kind of felt... disappointed.

Throwing you bag on your shoulder, you silently left the classroom. You tried to go unnoticed and quickly slipped out of the school. Once outside,you were walking towards the bus stop when you heard someone calling you name. Expecting the person to be Chanyeol, you unconsciously lifted the corners of your lips and stopped walking. You slowly turned around, looking for his puffy hair when your eyes landed on Baekhyun who was heading over you. Your jaw broke, your eyes widened. Why was he waving at you like that ? Being taken by surprised, panic made you turn around and walk like you hadn't hear anything, like the mature person you were. You totally knew how stupid and obvious you were being but you kept on walking until Baekhyun caught you up.

« Hi ! » He greeted you with a bright smile, slightly out of breath.

Your heart was violently hammering against your chest and your mind was being a mess. What the hell did he want ? You kept on walking, feeling your cheeks burning.

« Hi. » You painfully mumbled, looking at the ground.

Baekhyun followed you but remained awkwardly silent for a moment. Questions were rushing in your mind and you started to panic. So that was it ? Just a greeting ? You had no idea why he wanted to talk with you and what he had in mind. Was he here to talk about your crush on him ? Was he going to reject you heartlessly ? Did Mina and Vicky say something about you ? Your throat was dry and the air unbreathable. You felt so uncomfortable and, as much as you liked him, you deeply wanted him to go away.

Baekhyun put his hand in his pockets, trying to catch your quick pace.

« You're walking really fast. » He joked with a tiny smile.

You let out an awkward laugh, but didn't slow down.

Seeing you looked tensed, Baekhyun walked a little bit faster before stopping just in front of you. You bumped into him and gasped before nervously making a step behind.

« Is everything ok ? » He asked, frowning.

What did he mean by « Is everything ok » ? Of course, not ! You pinched your lips and whispered a weak «Yes », avoiding his eyes. What were you supposed to say ? « My two best friends are dumping me because I have feelings for you. But otherwise I'm good. ». Was that what he wanted to hear ? You looked away, hoping the bus would come to save you because you weren't ready to confess your feelings or have this kind of conversation with him. You were so ashamed and felt so stupid that you couldn't even stood next to him without feeling the need to disappear in a hole.

Baeakhyun sighed and crossed his arms. Now that he had heard from you, couldn't he just leave ?

« I noticed you're not hanging with Mina and Vicky anymore. » He calmly said, not aware of the storm in your head. « Did something happen ? Did you guys fight ? »

You looked at him, perplexed and obviously surprised. You gave him a weird face. He was joking, right ? You frowned and opened your mouth, but nothing came. How could he not know ? Almost everyone at the party knew about the fight ! He wasn't seriously trying to make you believe he didn't know, right ? You stupidly stared at him, ignoring if Baekhyun was making fun of you or if he was being serious, though he looked worried or at least curious to know.

« Look... I don't know what's happening but it seems like since the party you guys are quite... distant towards each other. » Baekhyun added since you weren't talking.

You stupidly nodded, not knowing what to say or what to do. You were hardly believing he didn't know the reason of your fight. He was there when Vicky felt the need to shout the name of your crush on the rooftops. So of course he knew what was going on !

You played with you fingers as he was expecting you to answer.You tried to find something smart to say but the topic was delicate Since you didn't know exactly what he knew and what he was trying to make you believe, you remained quiet instead of saying something you'd might regret later. Baekhyun sighed and scratched the back of his neck, trying to meet your eyes.

« And I noticed you were frequently alone now. » He cleared his throat.

Ouch ! Sensitive spot.

You looked at the ground and bit the inner of your cheek.

« Oh... » You finally managed to say with a weak voice. « Y-Yes. »

You felt sad but kind of flattered to know that he noticed it. At least, you weren't that invisible to him. An awkward silent grew between you too. You kept on playing with your fingers, looking obviously uncomfortable. You didn't like all that mystery. If Baekhyun wanted to say something, he should stop beating around the bush and express what he had in mind instead of playing like that. Yes you weren't hanging with Mina and Vicky anymore. Yes you were alone. And ? Did he just come to you to let you know that even in his eyes you were the lonely misanthrope of the story ? But of course you didn't find the courage to ask him what he wanted and dumbly waited for him to speak.

« Well what I am trying to say is... hum. » He finally expressed after a moment. « If you need somebody to talk or, you know, somebody to be « there »... then I'm here. »

Your heart skipped a beat.

You looked at him with widened eyes, being completely confused and lost.What the hell did he just say ? His gentle smile wasn't helping to understand what was happening. Ok, where was the trap ? It sounded too suspicious and you couldn't say if he was saying this by pity or if he truly meant it.

« W-Why.. » You dumbly whispered.

You never liked being seen as a poor little thing who need compassion. Besides, why would he care about you ? Hadn't he Mina already ? She was always clinging to his arm and he was always smiling cheerfully next to her. So what was he trying to do now ? You may had feelings for him, but it didn't mean you were completely blind. You frowned, not understanding the true meaning behind his words. Why would he want to be there for you ? This wasn't making any sense ! You mumbled few words but Baekhyun cut you off.

«  Hum... I think your bus is coming. » He said, pointing his finger at the approaching vehicle behind you.

You turned around and gasped. It was already at the bus stop ! You looked at Baekhyun before looking back at the bus. You couldn't leave this conversation right now ! You had so many things to ask. But the vehicle was already here and it wasn't going to wait for you forever. You bit your lips, making Baekhyun laugh.

«  Go or you'll miss it. » You advised you to.

You hesitated before nodding and grabbing the strap of your bag. If you missed it, you'd have to wait for at least half an hour to catch the next one.

« Well see you then.. and huh... thank you, I guess. » You faltered, feeling uneasy.

Baekhyun smiled and waved at you while you turned back and ran toward the bus. The heels of your shoes were pounding against the asphalt, as you were trying to catch the it before the door's closing. Luckily, you managed to get in just in time and as soon as you stepped in, the vehicle started. You sat on the back of the bus and tried to catch your breath. Looking by the window, you noticed Baekhyun was still were you left him, smiling at you. You bit your lips and sighed, his words still echoing his your head. You didn't know what he meant exactly by being « there » and it was tickling you. He was already « there » for Mina and Vicky, so what was he trying to do ? You rested against the chair as the bus was moving away from the school. You stared at the landscape for a while, hoping you would find the answer in the moving view.

Few days had passed and you still didn't what Baekhyun meant by being your « there ». When you were meeting in the hallway or the cafeteria, he was always surrounded by his little clique and didn't even grant you a look. But you were fine. It wasn't like you were actually expecting something from him. Maybe he had felt pity and guilt for you, and just said nice things to cheer you up. You never really hung with him, so why would it start now ? Besides, you had now someone else taking care of your good mood : Park Chanyeol.

You didn't know how it happened exactly. Maybe your loneliness was attracting him or maybe the absence of your two ex-friends allowed him to talk to you more often. What was sure was that Chanyeol was slowly but surely becoming a part of your daily life.

He was talking to you almost everyday about random things and joked around with you for a moment, until he would suddenly and nervously pretend to be busy and disappear like a shadow. You didn't why he was switching from a behaviour to another. Guess it was a part of his weird personality... But even if sometimes he was trying to avoid you for unknown reasons, he was always coming back to you. It was nice to know you could count on him. Chanyeol was always kind and cheerful about everything. You were grateful he never asked why you were so suddenly always on your own. It was making things easier between you two. No explanations, no pity, just having a good time.

On your way to school this morning, you felt happier than usually. Today was a special day and even if things were different without your two bestfriends, you still wanted to appreciate it like you were deserving it. No party or big celebration for you. You would watch your favorite movies with some extremely sweet cake tonight, before blowing out the candles and have a good sleep.

Once at school, you went to your locker to take some stuff before the beginning of your class. You still had few minutes ahead you so there was no need to hurry. In the hallway leading to your locker, you noticed someone was waiting next to yours. Your lips formed a smile as you were identifying Chanyeol. He was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed and his head tilted on the side. You couldn't say if he was faking sleep or if he was really sleeping. Once you reached his level, you loudly coughed making him jump in surprise.

« Yah ! » He cried, a hand on his beating chest. « What's wrong with you ? You scarred me to death ! »

You laughed and opened your locker's door.

« Idiot ! That's what you get for sleeping in the hallway.» You replied, rolling your eyes.

Chanyeol clicked his tongue and crossed his arms.

« I wasn't sleeping. I was... deeply thinking. »

You mockingly laughed.

« Yeah, right. Call it whatever you want, Park Chanyeol. »

You opened your bag and took off a book to put it in the locker while Chanyeol grumbled something. He sighed and put his head against the wall before turning it in your direction. He noticed your mysterious smile and couldn't help but wonder what was the reason of this grin.

« Why are you smiling so early in the morning ? » Chanyeol yawned, sloppily rubbing his eyes.

You looked at him and smiled.

He had the worst case of bed-hair and he seriously looked like he was going to fall asleep in the blink of an eye. You laughed and stupidly shrugged.

« Who knows ? » You teased, keeping your grin. « I feel like smiling today. »

Chanyeol frowned.Was it because of that guy ? Did something happen between you two ? The heavy and unpleasant feeling tickled him as he put his hands in his pockets, looking pretty annoyed. The feeling was becoming more and more painful everyday. Every time you were smiling for no reason or mentioning the name of a guy he didn't know, Chanyeol couldn't help but feel irritated. He immediately regretted waiting for you this morning. Why couldn't he just stick to his own resolution and avoid you ? Every damn time he tried to don't pay attention to you or speak to you, he unintentionally landed next to you and without even realising, made some jokes hoping you'd laugh. Chanyeol sighed. It was time to go or else his heart would sink.About to go, he stopped when something fell from your locker. Being kind as always, the tall guy bended over to pick up what was on the floor. He put his hand on what looked like a calendar before standing up back straight. He looked at the pieces of cardboard with an lifted eyebrow. It was decorated with cute little drawing and pictures of male idoles. Cheesy and girly. Chanyeol was about to make a joke about it when his eyes landed on today's date. The case dedicated to today was surrounded with a bright red , making him furrow his eyebrows.

«  Is today your birthday ? » Chanyeol asked, surprised.

You nodded and took the calendar from his hands to put it back in the locker, like wasn't a big deal.

« Yes. » You simply answered, closing the door.

Chanyeol looked at you with big eyes, like you were saying something crazy.

« Really ? W-Why didn't you tell me ? » He said, offended.

You shrugged.

« It's just one day in the year. It's not even that important. » You said, heading over your classroom. « Hurry up or we'll be late. »

Chanyeol stay were he was, not moving an inch. He was doing a strange face.

« You should have told me ! » He complained, not even smiling. « I would have buy or prepare something for the occasion ! »

You laughed and made a carefree gesture.

« It's fine. It's not like I want to celebrate it or anything. I'm going to watch some movies and eat well. » You said. « Don't worry, I'll be ok. »

Chanyeol shook his head. This wasn't right.

« No, it's your birthday ! You're supposed to have a nice day. » He protested, outraged.

« No, what I'm supposed to do it to go to my English class and if you don't move, we are going to late. » You said, making him sign to join you.

Chanyeol clicked his tongue before making few steps in your direction. It was your damn birthday ! How could you say that ?

Once he reached you level, you turned back, heading to your classroom when you felt something grabbing your wrist.

« Wha- » You exclaimed, looking at Chanyeol's fingers on your skin.

« Shut up. » He said with a deep voice and pulling you in the opposite direction. « We have a birthday to celebrate ! »

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