A couple of days had passed since Jiyeon’s confession towards Chen. Everyday Jiyeon would tell Ellie to put in a good word or to talk about her and see if Chen was able to return the feelings, but every time that Ellie would attempt to, it would never work. She couldn’t bring herself to mention that Jiyeon liked him. Maybe it was because Ellie knew about Jiyeon’s dating style and wanted to save him from the hurt that might happen in the future because of her.      

            Jiyeon never took relationships seriously; they were just something to occupy her time with and to get her the attention that she always wanted. She never got attention from her parents and she didn’t have someone like Kris around to keep her company. Jiyeon was virtually alone in the world and Ellie understood that. As a replacement for the attention she wanted, she strove to get the attention of guys.

            “Hey, is there something bothering you?” Kris asked as they sat on the couch at night. He had noticed Ellie’s strange behavior for the past week but didn’t know what was causing it. He just automatically assumed that Ellie would tell him why, but she didn’t. In the end, Kris had no choice but to just ask her himself.

            “Why would you ask that?” Ellie asked looking at Kris.

            “Oh I don’t know,” he says shrugging his shoulders. “You’re completely not acting like yourself and you mumble to yourself a lot these days.”

            “Well, I’ve just had a lot on my mind these past couple of days.”

            “Anything I can help you with?” Kris offered.

            “Maybe? I’m not sure,” Ellie said sighing.

            “Hey, I’m awesome in everything, just tell me something and I’ll be sure to help you,” Kris said with a smile. “When have I ever let you down?”

            “That’s true. Fine, I’ll tell you, but it’s nothing involving me.”

            “Then does it involve Jiyeon?” Ellie looked at him with disbelief. “Hey, it’s either about you or about Jiyeon.”

            “Well yeah it’s about her. You know how she is, right? She throws herself at every guy out there.”

            “I know fully well,” Kris said. He was sometimes on the end of it, considering Jiyeon’s longtime crush on him, but he never returned the feelings and he always said that he was never going to. Jiyeon wasn’t his type of person. Honestly, he didn’t want to date someone that had a lot of money or was rich because he knew the way they acted. Sure, maybe not all of them acted that way, but he was looking for someone that was more down to earth and knew how to have fun. Kris was looking for someone like Ellie.

            “And you know my seating partner, Chen, right? Well a couple of days ago, Jiyeon confessed to me saying that she liked him and now she keeps bugging me to put in a good word for her and help them get together, but I don’t know if I want to do that.”

            “Do you like Chen?” Kris asked. He was very curious about the question. He wanted to know whether or not Ellie liked someone, not because he thought that she would ever accept him, but he was just curious.

            “No, he’s only my friend and my seating partner and sometimes I worry about him, especially after what happened in the hospital, but I don’t like him. We’re only friends,” Ellie clarified.

            “I don’t know what I could say to help levitate the situation, but I do know that you should do what you think is right. Put aside your feelings about Jiyeon and just think, do you think that she would be a good match for Chen? Do you think that they would make a good couple with each other?” Kris got up from the couch and looked at Ellie. “I’m going to go do my homework, if you need me, I’ll be in my room. Goodnight.”

            “Goodnight, Kris,” Ellie said with a smile on her face. “Thank you.”

            The next day at school, Ellie did her normal routine. She sat and listened to all of the lectures and all of the teachers saying that they didn’t have that much longer until their semester projects were due. Ellie and Chen hadn’t worked on theirs at all. Every day they were throwing back and forth ideas, but nothing ever seemed to work.

            “What are we going to do for our project?” Chen asked Ellie as they were sitting at lunch. Jiyeon went off to go flirt with some other guy. Ellie thought that if she wanted Chen, she should’ve been working hard to get him instead of flirting with other guys. Maybe Jiyeon was attempting to do it to make him jealous or maybe not, Ellie wasn’t entirely sure. She just knew that Jiyeon wasn’t putting forth much of an effort towards getting Chen. “Ellie, are you listening to me? Ellie!”

            “What?” Ellie asked staring at Chen after being knocked out of her daze.

            “Are you alright? I was just talking to you about our project and you weren’t paying attention. Is everything okay?”

            “Everything’s fine,” Ellie said nodding her head as she opened her lunchbox and took out Kris’s note.

Ellie, you’re probably stressing about the whole friend liking your other friend situation, but don’t let it distract you from your studies and remember, I’m not going to be there to pick you up today, I have a presentation to attend. Sorry about that, but I just wanted to remind you. Kris.

Ellie closed the note and began eating her lunch. “You know,” Ellie said looking back at Chen, “these days you don’t seem yourself either.”

            “I totally seem myself,” Chen said digging into his own lunch. Truthfully, he wasn’t being himself. He was afraid and worried every single day for numerous reasons. Some involved Ellie and some involved his own life. Somehow, he managed to find himself growing closer to Ellie every day, and although that wasn’t necessarily worrying Chen, he was worried because they were getting close. He had fallen for people before, he had relationships and he had crushes, all of which he couldn’t keep because they always asked him questions about his private life, questions that he never wanted to answer. All of his girlfriends thought that he was inconsiderate about their feelings since he never invited them over to his house or introduced him to his family. Chen knew that at some point Ellie was going to start asking him more questions; they were at that stage where they were best friends. He was also worried about falling for her.

            If he could, Chen would like to remain friends with Ellie, but he knew that somewhere inside of him, he would end up falling for her more than he’d imagine and then he’d have to cut off all ties with her. He didn’t want her to enter his life; he didn’t want her to be in danger. Chen wanted Ellie to stay the same.

            The second reason Chen was worried was slightly tied in with the first. He was worried about a repeat of what happened in the hospital. Every night he would stay up wondering if it would happen again, wondering if he would get placed into the hospital with worse cuts and bruises than he had before. Chen knew that if it happened again, Ellie wouldn’t be able to hold back her curiosity and end up asking more questions than ever, which might break their friendship. Chen was worried every day.

            “Whatever you say,” Ellie said rolling her eyes.

            “But I’m serious,” Chen said. “You zone out a lot in class nowadays and when we’re talking about our projects you don’t really pay attention. Are you sure everything is alright?” Chen placed the back of his hand up against Ellie’s forehead to hear if she had a fever or something, but her temperature was normal.

            “What are you some doctor?” Ellie asked pushing Chen’s hand away.

            “No, but I’m an expert when it comes to people being sick,” he said forcing a smile onto his face.

            “Okay, since you’re so worried about our project, then why don’t you come to my house after school today,” Ellie offered. “We can buckle down and get some real work done.”

            “Can’t, sorry.”

            “What do you mean you can’t? You actually have something to do outside of school?” she asked in disbelief.

            “Look, I know how shocking it may seem,” he said with a chuckle, “but yes I have something to do out of school. I’m a normal teenager, too.”

            “Yes, yes, I know you are,” Ellie said sighing. “Just tell me a day that’s good for you that we can work on all of them since they all worry you so much.”

            “Not all of them, just the photography one. That one we have absolutely no idea,” he said sighing as the lunch bell rang signaling the end of it. “Looks like we have to get back to class, but I’ll get back to you on the day.”

            Throughout the remainder of her classes, Ellie wondered if she should tell Chen about Jiyeon’s crush, she wondered about what Chen had to do after school, and she wondered if she should go over to hang out with Luhan since Kris had a presentation to do and she would be left alone. In the end, she figured that she would just go over to Luhan’s house whether he was there or not. She had gone over a couple of times before, but she had always called, despite him saying that she shouldn’t call. Today, though, she decided that she wasn’t going to call.

            “I guess I’ll contact you later about the day,” Chen said before they went their separate ways.

            “Yeah, but sure to tell me since you’re Mr. Worrypants and need to have it completed.”

            “You’re just as concerned as I am about your grades. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

            “Yup,” Ellie said waving to him. “Have fun doing whatever you’re doing.”

            “I will,” Chen said, but he knew that he wouldn’t have fun doing it.

            “Hey bestie,” Jiyeon said coming up and interlocking her arms with Ellie’s after Chen left. “Are you putting in a good word for me?”

            “Of course,” Ellie lied. “But it doesn’t seem like it’s doing anything.”

            “I know he’ll accept me one day,” Jiyeon said with determination. “So, are you doing something right now, where’s Kris?”

            “He’s not coming today and I’m already doing something, sorry,” Ellie apologized. She knew that even if she weren’t doing something she wouldn’t want to hang out with Jiyeon. The only thing that Jiyeon would do the entire time they were hanging out would be talking about either Kris and Chen and about how Ellie was so lucky to know both of them while Jiyeon couldn’t hang out with either of them. Badly, Ellie wanted to tell Jiyeon that she didn’t have a chance with either of them, but she knew that that wasn’t possible. If only she had enough courage to say what she really wanted to say.

            “Okay, I guess I have to go hang out with someone else, see you tomorrow?” she asked as she walked away.

            “Yeah, see you tomorrow,” Ellie said before walking to Luhan’s house. She hadn’t been there in a day or two, but she and Luhan had seen each other in a café or restaurant instead of his house. Today, though, she hoped that he was home.

            Putting the key into the lock, Ellie walked right in to find the house dark and even more of a clutter since the last time she was there. “Hello?” she cautiously asked as she took off her shoes and took small steps through the house to look around at everything. There were clothes sprawled everywhere on the floor and it smelled like men. “Luhan-oppa?”

            Ellie had gotten more comfortable with calling Luhan oppa, after his insistence. It turned out not being so bad after she was used to calling him that and now she could freely call other people that, too. She didn’t know why she didn’t before.

            Cautiously making her way through the house, she went into the hallway to go to Luhan’s room. “Luhan-oppa?” she asked knocking on the door. She swore she could hear someone inside. Slowly, she opened the door and saw a lump lying on his bed. “Luhan-oppa, are you okay?” she asked as she walked over to the side of the lump and saw Luhan’s face that was stained with tears. He was sniffling a little, too. “Gosh,” she said in shock as she saw sight of him. “Are you okay? Are you okay? Why are you crying?”

            Without a word, Luhan shot out of his bed and hugged Ellie tightly. He buried his head into the crook of her neck and started crying again. Ellie was at shock, not knowing what to do except to hug him tightly back. Whatever happened, she could tell that Luhan needed comfort. “Ellie…Ellie,” Luhan said through his crying and gasping for air. “She’s dead…my mom…she’s dead.”

            “I’m so sorry,” Ellie said hugging him tighter and understanding that he really needed someone. “I’m here. Shh, I’m here, don’t cry.” She wasn’t sure what else she could do but just be there for him.

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Where did Chen go after school? Why is he worried about being placed in the hospital again? Why doesn't Chen want anyone to ask about his past? What is going to happen between Luhan and Ellie now? Will Chen end up falling for Ellie? How will they determine on their project?

Here is Chapter 10. Hope you enjoyed :D