Date:  November 25                   

I learned something about Baekhyun today that I didn’t really notice before.

He is a bad liar.

An absolutely terrible liar, in fact.

Today I finally managed to stalk him down and lock him up him to speak with me. I should’ve done this earlier. I’m not even really sure why I didn’t. Possibly because I didn’t know what to say to him. Accuse him of being jealous that a girl confessed to me? Profess my pent up emotions for him? Exclaim that I was going insane with him practically out of my life? Either way, after my rant journal entry yesterday I knew something had to be done. I remembered when Kyungsoo got locked into the music room by Baekhyun so that he could get the kid to join the show. So I figured I could do the same thing. Obviously he would likely put up more of a struggle than Kyungsoo, so I needed to act fast.

I knew he had history last today. I got Kyungsoo into my plan, since Baekhyun would respond to him. He had to lure Baekhyun into the nurse’s office, and I had to trap him. At the same time, I wanted to test something.

Kyungsoo rushed over to Baekhyun’s classroom straight after class and told him this bogus story about me not showing up for class. He told him that I had fallen down the stairs and hurt myself badly. I hovered near the nurse’s office meanwhile, waiting for the nurse to leave. The door to the nurse’s office automatically locks when the door closes. Usually the nurse just leaves five minutes after the last bell, and lets the door’s weight cause it to fall closed, securing the room. Right on schedule, she left with her bag and keys jingling on her waist. I waited for her to turn the corner before I lunged for the door, sticking my foot right between the narrowing gap before it closed. I stuck the wooden doorstop under the door immediately after I entered the room. I sat on one of the cots hidden by an ugly hospital turquoise curtain and waited. My hope was that Baekhyun would show up. That he wasn’t heartless and actually gave a damn about me.

My wish came true. I heard quick footsteps coming closer and someone burst into the room with slightly ragged breath.

“Yeol?”

I couldn’t help it. I smiled. I hadn’t heard him call me that for long enough (although it was technically only four days). I stood up and appeared from behind the curtain. I spotted Kyungsoo standing at the door, kicking the doorstop lightly away.

I signaled Kyungsoo to close the door, and before Baekhyun finished spinning around, it was closed. My best friend stood on the other side, guarding it and keeping watch in case the nurse came back.

“What the hell?” Baekhyun stared at me.

I was surprised. He was a bit out of breath, cheeks flushed, hair and clothes rather disheveled. Most of all, his eyes were slightly red and watery.

“What on earth is going on? Kyungsoo said you fell down the stairs!”

“Um…ya that was a lie.”

“What is WRONG with you?! Is this funny to you?” Baekhyun bursted out, shoving me lightly in the chest, “I thought you were seriously hurt!”

“I needed to get you to talk! You avoid me like the plague-“

“Screw you Park Chanyeol. You don’t something like this to friends. You don’t lie about getting seriously injured and freak them out.”

“Oh, so we are still friends then? Why have you been ignoring me then?”

“I-I don’t-“

“You’ve been ignoring the gang for the past few days and I’ve been getting the worse of it. At least you’re willing to respond to the others, but me? I’ve been Mr. Invisible.”

“I’ve been busy…I told Kyungsoo.”

“Busy doesn’t cut it. Busy doesn’t mean you stop talking to you friends completely, and treat them like they’re nonexistent.”

“I just need to sort some things out, ok? I’ve been having some issues…with family…and stuff…I needed some time alone.”

“You could’ve told us!” I was getting riled up, “You should’ve told me!”

“I’m sorry,” Baekhyun’s voice was shaking slightly, “But I don’t need to share every single part of my life with you or anyone else.”

“I’m your friend.”

“Friends don’t have to tell friends everything. Everyone is entitled to their own privacy, and I needed that.”

“You’re right. Friends don’t have to tell friends everything. But friends do owe one another the common courtesy of manners. Friends don’t ignore each other and act like they’re strangers. Did I do something? Did something happen that made you hate me?”

“I don’t hate you.”

“I know. You obviously care about me. You freaked out and came running to the nurse’s office when you heard I was injured. So then why ignore me?”

“I told you, I have stuff going on!”

“Stuff. That led to pretending I was invisible. Only me.”

Baekhyun sputtered and I almost laughed.

“So?” I asked.

“So what?”

“So what is your reasoning?”

“What reasoning?”

“Why you’ve been practically sprinting away from me?”

“I can’t sprint…I don’t sprint…”

“Whatever, you get my point. Just spill.”

There was a short silence but I could practically hear the gears in Baekhyun’s head spinning as he struggled to come up with something.

“You…guys…have been…pissing me off…during practice! Yes! You guys fool around so much we hardly get any work done! The show is soon!” He began to blather.

“Really.”

“Yes! We have nothing set and everything’s a mess!” He continued, gathering momentum.

I stared at him as he blabbered on for several minutes, claiming the reason he had ignored us was because we were messing up the practices. I couldn’t believe he could come up with this horrible excuse and go on about it for so long. He had so apparently been stalling for time and you could practically see a light bulb appear over his head when his talent show practice excuse popped up. I let him run with it. All I wanted was for him to stop running away from me. I wanted to be able to talk to him and make stupid jokes to see him laugh. I wanted to be friends with him again.

“We’re sorry, ok? You could’ve just told us. Can you please just come back to us?” I sighed when he finished.

Come back to me, I thought.

“I…I’m not sure…”

“Please Baekhyun, it feels weird without you now. Like you’ve always been a part of us. As if I’ve always known you. It’s not the same when you don’t hang out with us or talk to us.”

I miss you, I thought.

“We’ll apologize, and we’ll fix it. We’re still doing the show, right? If we’re like this, how can we practice? How can we do well?”

He bit his lip, seemingly deep in thought.

“It’s true…we still have the talent show…”

“Yes, so don’t do this anymore!”

“I…”

“We need to practice, right?”

“Yes…”

“So you forgive us?”

“I guess so…”

“Most of all…you’ll forgive me?” I took a step toward him, “I don’t know what I did to make you angrier at me in particular, but I’ll apologize for it. I’m sorry. Anything to make you come back!”

He looked back at me with those eyes of his, and he nodded. I grinned and pulled him in for a hug. He seemed startled, but didn’t fight back. I wanted to just keep hugging him, and keep breathing in the fresh scent of his shampoo wafting from his hair, but that would be asking for too much. Pulling back, I beamed at him.

“Thank you. And welcome back.”

He smiled, and I thought I was going to drop onto the ground, as if my knees had given out. How could such a small gesture like that make me feel like this?

Either way, we’re more or less back to normal now. Kyungsoo told me that when he told Baekhyun I didn’t show up for class, he acted nonchalant. But then when he was informed I had fallen down the stairs, he stared in shock and immediately asked where I was. Before Kyungsoo could even finish saying “nurse’s office”, Baek had sped off. I felt a little tingle in my heart after hearing that.

I have a test this Friday and I barely studied for it the past few days because I had been so distracted with this dilemma. Now that it’s solved (for the most part), I think I can focus more on it again. I just sent a KakaoTalk message to Baekhyun to have a last minute study session on Thursday night and he agreed. In a way, it’s like a study date! But not really. But sort of! But technically no…

Well study date or not, I think I’m going to do it.

I think…I’m going to tell him.

A/N: EXO comeback next week I'M SO HYPED. Mostly just to be able to see them promoting and hopefully go on variety shows? PLUS. Full versions of "Baby Don't Cry" and "My Lady"!!! My life will be complete. I'm probably going to buy the Hug version of the album. I always feel meh toward buying physical copies though since I don't use CDs at all anymore...my TVXQ (whom I were in love with and still love...though admittedly less since the split T.T) CDs just sit next to my CD player. They look nice but I don't know. I really want to buy a physical copy of this album! First world problems hahaha XD