Jinki sat on the couch between Key and Jonghyun, looking a bit frustrated. Key raised a single brow at him, and Jonghyun just watched him curiously. The appa didn’t say anything until a commercial cut the show they were watching, and when he spoke he sounded as frustrated as he looked.

“I just recieved a call from the school where you’re taking the practice exam.” He said, looking at Jonghyun seriously. “Do you remember the lady you met? The one that’s supposed to watch you while you take the test today?”

“De.” Jonghyun said, nodding slowly.

“She called in sick.” Jinki said. “They said they could reschedule the test, but everything would be pushed off by six weeks. They have a substitute who’s willing to sit in with you while you take the practice test, but I don’t want you going in if you’re not going to feel comfortable. Tests are stressful enough without adding onto the pressure, so if you want to wait no one will hold it against you.”

Jonghyun sat quietly for a minute. He’d been doing some last minute studying all morning, but he was at the point where he could recite the practice book without even looking. While he had to admit he didn’t particularly like the thought of being locked in a room with someone he didn’t know for an hour and a half, he saw it as a waste of time not to take the test when he had worked so hard to prepare for it. Besides, nothing could be as bad as that creepy Sangho guy from the day before.

“I want to take it.” He finally said, and Key’s head turned in surprise. After Jonghyun’s melt down the day before he really hadn’t expected him to sound so willing.

“Are you sure?” He asked. Jonghyun nodded, the smile they had all gotten so used to seeing coming out as his head tilted to the side. His moods really could be all over place sometimes.

“Alright, then.” Jinki said. “You probably ought to go get ready. I’m going to drop you off on my way into work. It’s a little early for the test, but I can’t go in late and take an early lunch.”

“I know.” Jonghyun said, pushing himself up off the couch and heading up to his room.

After Minho had defended him the night before about his refusal to wear the outfit Key had chosen the umma had announced that Jonghyun could dress himself. Jonghyun had found the whole thing amusing anyway. Everyone was always picking out his clothes and attacking his head with a comb, and in general just treating him like a kid. Sometimes he wondered if they forgot he was hyung, but he didn’t mention it. He loved the attention.

He went into his bottom drawer, pulling out a pair of loose grey jeans and tossing them on his bed. He shut the drawer with his foot, then opened the second one down and looked at his t-shirts. Did it really matter so much what he wore? If the others would stop buying clothes that ‘go together’ and just bought mix and match clothes he would probably have less of an earache every time he worked up the courage to dress himself.

He sighed, glancing back at the jeans and trying to remember a single time he had ever worn them, and what shirt he may have worn with them. There was a foggy memory at best of wearing the jeans, and he scrunched up his nose as he thought about the shirt he had worn, then started digging through his shirts again, hoping something would trigger a memory. He paused when he came across a black shirt with a grey lining around the collar and cuffs, then nodded, pulling it out and getting changed. When he came back down the stairs Key looked surprised.

“Maybe you are learning.” He commented, then turned his attention back to the television.

Jinki rolled his eyes, motioning for Jonghyun to follow him out to the car. Jonghyun paused long enough to pull on a pair of blue high-tops before doing as the appa requested. The school wasn’t that far from the house or the boys home where Jinki continued to work, but Jonghyun was still a little surprised when Jinki took his phone away.

“I know you’re not like most kids, but I would rather be safe than sorry.” He said, putting it in the center console. He then reached into his pocket, producing a few single bills and putting them in Jonghyun’s hand. “There’s a vending machine inside if you get hungry.”

“Alright.” Jonghyun said, nerves setting in. Jinki reached over, fluffing his hair absently.

“I’ll be back in about two hours. Wait for me out here, arasso?” He said. Jonghyun nodded. “Don’t stress. I heard you studying with Taemin this morning. You’ll do fine.”

“De, appa.” He said, nodding. Jinki smiled at him, and Jonghyun couldn’t help but return it. “I’ll see you later on.”

He pushed open the car door, stepping out onto the sidewalk, then closing it again. He watched Jinki drive away, then turned toward the school. He’d only ever actually been inside it once, and he was hoping his memory would hold up and bring him to the right place. He was about to step forward when the hairs on the back of his neck went up, and he glanced around, feeling like someone was watching him. He didn’t see anyone around, however, and shrugged it off before heading into the building.

He headed over to the vending machine right away, putting in two bills and punching the code for strawberry juice. He watched the bottle slide down the chute, then picked it up before moving to the machine beside that one for a bag of nuts. He found it a bit funny how easily he gave in to his metabolism now. While he still wasn’t fond of wasting food, he did have a much larger appetite than he had when he first met the group of misfits he now called his family. Minho’s words came back to him, suddenly, and he smiled as he shook his head.

In due time, you’ll get there.

Back then, Jonghyun hadn’t taken those words very seriously. He wasn’t sure he would ever be able to put away an entire bowl of soup and a sandwich, but now he found himself going back for more. He laughed softly, then headed down the hall to the class he was supposed to be taking the exam in. He was surprised to find a grouchy looking old man sitting behind the desk and looking between Jonghyun and the clock with an annoyed expression, as though Jonghyun were late. He looked up at the clock and saw that he was still five minutes early, then looked back at the man.

“I-I’m here for the-” He started to speak, but the man’s harsh stare made him stop.

“Take a seat. I’ll set the timer and you can get started. Try not to take too long, kid. I’ve got stuff to do.” He said, picking up the book on the desk in front of him.

Jonghyun nodded, sitting down silently and opening the test book. Willing, Jinki had said. Jonghyun couldn’t help but wonder if his appa knew the definition of that word, and shook his head as he looked at the first problem. Easy. And the next - easier. Was this really it? He had been so stressed over nothing. He started filling in the bubbles on the answer sheet, losing himself in all the knowledge that filled his brain. It was so easy.

By the time Jonghyun had finished the test he was feeling great. He hadn’t even struggled with a single question, and it made him really happy. He was confident that he would qualify for the actual exam, and he went outside with a smile on his face. He had gotten out about ten minutes earlier than he had expected too, which made the old man smile. He had honestly thought Jonghyun would need extra time, which, given Jonghyun’s IEP, he was allowed to have.

Jonghyun took a seat on the sidewalk, sipping at his lukewarm juice, and hearing the empty nut wrapper crinkle in his pocket. He hoped Jinki would get there soon; he wanted to text Minho and tell him how good he felt about the test. He heard the sound of a car approaching to his left, and he glanced up quickly, scanning the street for Jinki’s car. He didn’t see it, but he did see something that put him on edge.

Out of the corner of his eye, just around the edge of the building, he could have sworn he saw someone watching him. It looked just like the guy from his nightmare a few nights prior, and he closed his eyes tightly, then looked up again. There was no one there, but that only furthered his anxiety. Was he that tired from stressing over the test? He had been known to see figures in the dark that weren’t really there, but this was something else altogether. The sun was beating down, not leaving big enough shadows anywhere for him to make that kind of mistake so easily. He rubbed the heel of his hand against his forehead silently. Maybe he needed to go home and take a nap with Roo.

He about jumped out of his skin when he heard footsteps from behind him, and he spun around quickly, surprising the school therapist who had been approaching him. He gave her an apologetic look, and she returned it. She knew he had an anxiety disorder, and that was why she had come to see him in the first place, but she hadn’t realized just how nervous he could be.

“Mianhe.” She said, crouching down slightly so they were eye-to-eye. “I just wanted to remind you to come back on Wednesday for your results, arasso?”

“N-ne.” He said, nodding. She smiled softly.

“Was the test hard?” She asked. He grinned, his confidence coming back out.

“Ani. It was really easy, actually.” He said, tilting his head and sticking his tongue out slightly. She laughed, shaking her head.

“That’s good. Is that your appa?” She asked, pointing to the car coming down the road. Jonghyun nodded, getting up quickly. Jinki pulled up to the curb, then put the car in park and got out with a worried expression.

“Is everything ok?” He asked. Jonghyun nodded.

“She was just reminding me that we need to pick up the test results on Wednesday.” Jonghyun said, his smile huge. Jinki laughed, shaking his head.

“What are you so happy about? Test wasn’t as hard as you thought, was it?” Jinki asked in a teasing tone. Jonghyun stuck his tongue out, and the appa laughed again. “Get in the car, arasso? I got fried chicken for everyone, so we have to bring it to them before it gets cold.”

“Arasso.” Jonghyun said, getting into the car. He waved to the therapist after pulling on his seatbelt, and Jinki got in beside him.

“So, do you think you’ll pass?” Jinki asked.

Jonghyun nodded, about to respond when a strange smell floated into his nose. At first it wasn’t so bad, but then it began to tickle. The tickle grew more and more annoying as Jinki put the car in drive, and Jonghyun felt his nose twitching a moment before he sneezed. Jinki glanced over at him, and Jonghyun sneezed again. And again. And again. Jinki’s eyebrows went up, then pinched together in worry.

“Do you have allergies that I didn’t know about?” He asked. Jonghyun shrugged, sneezing again. His eyes were getting watery, and his throat was beginning to hurt even as he lost his battle to another one. Jinki rolled down the windows, letting air flow through the car. “I’m going to stop and get the car cleaned before I come home tonight, ok? It’s probably just dusty or something.”

“D-de.” Jonghyun agreed, sneezing one more time before collapsing back against the seat.

His nose was running by the time they got back to the house, and he ran inside quickly. Key stared at him with an odd expression on his face as Jonghyun went into the living room and grabbed a tissue from the box on the table. He blew his nose, then wiped his upper lip a few times for good measure. Jinki came in a moment later, four food boxes stacked in his hands and a concerned look on his face.

“Kibum.” He said, and Key looked up at him as he set the food on the table. “Make sure he lays down for a little while, arasso? We don’t want him getting sick.”

“Arasso, appa.” Key sang out, and Jinki rolled his eyes, fluffed Key’s hair, and walked back out to his car.

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For anyone who doesn't know, IEP stands for Individual Education Plan. I had one, due to severe anxiety from the time I was in fourth grade, which is how I know that it's realistic Jonghyun would have one.

Moving on, has anyone else had issues updating? It's driving me up a wall, and it makes me really glad I write everything in Google Docs before I post it on here, because otherwise I would have lost a ton of work.

Also, if this chapter was poorly written or in any way failed to make sense, please let me know. I keep an odd sleeping schedule, and I'm trying to regulate it, but as a result I've been up for 21 hours. If it's bad, I'll fix it D: