Upon walking up to the front door of his home, Tao discovered he'd forgoten his house keys. Good thing his sister was home before him. He knocked on the door, and yelled through the letterbox to get her attention,

“Hey! Xiao-Xing, open the door! I forgot my key. Please?”  He banged on the door again, hoping she wasn't in another one of her moods. Music with a heavy bass started playing inside the house. He knocked harder, annoyed, but she just turned it up higher.

"Are you kidding me?" He kicked the door in frustration, then dumped his bag on the floor, and sat on the doorstep. It was five now, and his mum wouldn't get home for another two hours at least. He's stuck outside for that time, unless he can find another way in, but short of breaking a window he doesn't think that's going to happen. He texted Jongin to whine about his annoying sister,

To Jongin:

From Tao:

Hey, im locked out again, can I come to urs?

He waited for a bit for Jongin to text him back, glaring at the floor and scuffling his feet over some weeds growing through the cracks of the paved walkway. The worst part was that he knew his keys were right by the door, on the key hooks, less than a meter away. His phone vibrated in his hand.

To Tao:

From Kai:

Yhyh y even ask

Tao picked up his things, and after sending one last glare towards his sister's bedroom window, he immediately headed in the direction of his friend's house. It was about a half hour walk from his own house, but he didn’t even have to think about it, because he went there so often, the route was ingrained in his mind. Normally he would have looked around and watched the sky, but since he was annoyed with his sister, he walked as fast as he could.

Tao spent almost all evening at Jongin's house, getting beaten at video games and pushing each other of Jongin's bed. After politely rejecting dinner requests from Jongin's mother, however, he decided it was abut time he headed back home, hoping his mother would be there now. Jongin's mother, who was a lovely person, offered to drive him home, so he accepted gracefully.

Tao knocked and called through the door again, hoping for improved results this time, and was pleased when his mum opened the door and questioned him on my tardiness.

"What are you doing back so late?" She scolded, arms crossed across her chest.

“I was with Jongin, ‘cus I forgot my key again. And Xing wouldn’t let me in,” he told her, making his irritation obvious through his expression directed behind her, where his sister probably was.

“Well. I’ll have a word with her in a minute” she promised, ushering him inside and making him take off his shoes.

“Like that’s going to help in any way,” he rolled his eyes. She pulled an exasperated face at him, and smacked his back lightly, before heading to the kitchen. After putting his bag down he followed her.

“So, how is this new boy? Is he nice?” she asked, “What’s his name? Sehan?”

“No, Sehun,” he corrected her “he’s nice,” although there had been that weird moment in chemistry earlier. He had no idea what happened. One moment he'd been smiling at Sehun, and the next he was suddenly noticing everything around him, hyper aware. Everything about Sehun, everything about the people around the classroom filtering through his eyes, but they hadn't seemed nearly important as the boy in front of him. It had been like tunnel vision. For about ten seconds. Then it had faded a bit, but he'd still been all that he could think about for the rest of the lesson, which was weird. Sehun wasn't that special.

“That’s descriptive.” She complained, getting out some vegetables from the fridge. Tao frowned, thinking of a way to escape without having to cook anything. 

“Yeah, well I have to, uhh-“

“…to..? Help me? Yes. You can peel the carrots, here,” she shoved a bag of them into his hands, ignoring his puppy eyes look. He headed to the table sighing heartily.

“Can’t you get Xing to do this?” He grumbled, finding the vegetable peeler in the drawer,

“You are going to do this, so would you prefer to do it by yourself, or with her?” she challenged. That was below the belt. He glared at her poutily, and she cocked her head, eyebrow raised. He started to peel the carrots. He didn't even complain when he cut his finger.

A little later, after he'd peeled the carrots and then also the potatoes too, Tao sat on his bed with his laptop resting on his lap. He was on facebook with Jongin, talking about a video on youtube. His stomach rumbled noisily, because he could smell the mouth watering aromas of dinner wafting up the staircase.

Tao got up to call down the stairs, asking his mum how long until the food would ready, and when he got back he discovered a notification.

A friend request. From Sehun. 

He immediately accepted, and began to trawl through his statuses. Except there weren't any there. It had only been made very recently. How strange.

Sehun: hi

He panicked momentarily, before responding with a lame,

Tao: hey

Sehun: hows it goin?

Tao: uhh great. hungry tho

Why was he so dumb? Could he not say anything at least a little interesting?

Sehun: ahaha lol I already ate

Tao: jealous

Sehun: it was sooooo delicious I had lasagne

Tao: ur not making me feel any better

Tao: im starving

Sehun: oh sorry

Tao: u should be

Sehun: :P wuu2?

Tao: well nm tbh

Sehun: nm?

Tao: not much. = i have no life

Sehun: lol

Sehun: well we’ll have to do something about that wont we?

Tao was pulled from his chat with his new friend by his sister banging loudly on his door. Why was she so annoying? It was like she lived to irritate him in every way humanly possible.

“Come down now or you get nothing,” she called through the gap created by her earlier violence. He heard her stampede down the stairs and gave himself a few moments to compose himself before telling Sehun that his dinner was ready, and that he had to go but would probably be back later. He responded with  ‘ok ttyl’ and Tao scrambled downstairs to secure his place at the table.

With food on his plate he felt mildly happier. Until Xiao-Xing decided to open and talk about her boring repetetive social life.

“So, today, Iona’s brother, Llywelyn, asked this girl out, and she said yes? so-“

“Shut up, Xing, nobody cares,” he interjected, not looking up from his food so that he doesn't have to see the look of revulsion on her face.

“Just because you’re a socially retarded idiot doesn’t mean everyone is.” She glowered at him viciously before smiling and continuing with whatever crap she was enlightening them with before. Tao subtly got my phone out of his pocket and tried to text Jonign without being noticed.

“Tao, put that away. No gadgets at the table, you know that,” his mum reprimanded. Tao rolled his eyes before reluctantly acquiescing. He shoveled his food into his mouth, in the hope of being excused faster. Then he wouldn't have to put up with his sister for as long.

After enduring his sister’s incessant prattle for half an hour, quite a brave feat really, he announced,

more boring background stuff. i swear it gets more interesting i just wanted to show the difference between each of their home lives

perhaps you would be so kind as to leave me a comment? if i didnt bore you to tears haa

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