The next week, we were exempted from classes. Instead, we had a sports carnival, with several large scale events held between all the classes. It was generally commercialised as ‘an extensive bonding session between the students to ensure that they learn the virtue of tolerance and cooperation’. We all knew better. It was actually a ploy to force the students of our school into working together with the exchange students from West High.

The teams were arranged such that each class was bestowed one colour. Each class will share their colours with about three other random classes from the same or different years. The general consensus was that each colour was to send several representatives to compete in all the events, preferably both male and female. The amount of representatives –or tributes, as Hyunji had jokingly whispered into my ear –depended on the activity, but it was understood that everyone was expected to partake in at least one activity.

My class 3-C, was awarded with rich cerulean blue as our colour; Yixing’s class, class 3-B, was given the luxurious ruby red. I spotted a few others I knew proudly wearing their team colours. Chanyeol and Tao –both from class 3-D –had gotten forest green; Joonmyun and Kris’s class, sunset orange. I spotted the exchange students eyeing their colours distastefully, complaining about activities they were forced to partake in and what not. To keep it fair, the teachers picked our names by random, so regardless if you liked it or not, if your name was up there, you’re going into the field.

The first few activities were those that required speed and stamina, and Hyunji and I watched with trepidation as Jonghyun and Yixing –both coincidentally representatives of their own respective teams –stretched before running the 200m race. Even though we were too far to distinguish their faces clearly, I could almost see the cackling tension between them. Apparently, Jonghyun had acknowledged Yixing as a rival, and they were going to battle their all for their pride –and secretly, their girl.

I sighed and gripped the seat below me. Seated with all the other members of the blue team, I could feel the awkward air lingering around us. They all knew that Jonghyun was one of the exchange students, but since he was our sole representative, they didn’t know I they should cheer for him or ostracize him. Cheering for him meant that they were openly showing acceptance towards him even though he was from WH; not doing so was going to earn them a long lecture from the principal.

Finally, as the gun shot and the runners shot off from their positions, slow murmurs of a cheer began to ripple from somewhere at the back. It seemed to spread to those sitting at the front, and soon, all of them were yelling at Jonghyun to beat Yixing.

Both of them were neck and neck at this one. Yixing had the speed and stamina acquired from all those years as a member of the basketball team; Jonghyun, surprisingly, was equally as athletic. He was short and his body was thin and compact, but he was lithe and muscular. I assumed that he must have been a member of some sort of sports team back in his old school –either that or he frequented the gym.

I glanced at Hyunji, wondering whose side she was rooting on. I was surprised to find her absolutely tense, her lips pressed together as her eyes followed their figures as they zoomed past her. She screamed no name and cheered for no team. Her eyes were fixed on both Yixing and Jonghyun.

The booming voice of Mr Jung announced that Jonghyun and Yixing had ended with a tie, acquiring the same amount of marks for both teams. I squinted my eyes to get a better look at them. A teacher had forced them into shaking hands, but they adhered to the command reluctantly. The grip of their entwined hands was loose, and no more than two seconds after the contact, they quickly withdrew.

“Congrats, Jonghyun,” Hyunji said to him as he returned to our bench, towel draped over his shoulders as he chugged down a bottle or water.

Jonghyun smiled, taking a moment to swallow the contents of the bottle that he had downed. “Thanks. That Zhang Yixing can really run.” He said it lightly, but I detected an undertone of displeasure beneath his words. It was a guy thing I supposed: tying with each other meant that you weren’t able to prove yourself superior to your rival.

I saw Yixing cast a fleeting glance at us as he passed out section to get to his. His eyes flashed slightly when he saw Hyunji hand Jonghyun another towel. A frown made its way to his face and he sped up his pace to join his team.

The events began and ended in a flurry of bodies, voices and colours. Within the span of the morning, they had managed to complete a total of 17 different matches, including the standard 4 by 4 race, walkathon, long jump, hurdles, etc, etc. Hyunji’s name had been slotted as one of the competing students in the high jump competition, and I had to say, she glided effortlessly above the bar. She earned the applause of many, as well as the devotion of two boys who had been vying to win her heart.

I was about to go down and congratulate her, but I paused in my tracks as I caught a familiar figure, clad in a red shirt, jogging to up towards her. Yixing yelled something at her and tossed her a bottle with a smile, skidding to a stop in front of her just as her fingers managed to grasp the thin plastic. I saw his lips move to say something to her with a characteristic roll of his eyes. She laughed before reaching out to playfully punch him on the shoulder, which he responded to by lightly brushing her hair out of her eyes.

Let the love birds be, I thought, sitting back down and smiling to myself as I rested my hand on my chin. Let them live in their own world.

After break time, after we’d all fuelled up on some snacks and downed several bottles of water, the sports festival proceeded with the team-based competitions. A soccer match was held right after break, and coincidentally, this time, the soccer superstar Luhan wasn’t in any of the teams. Since the names had been chosen out of random, a lot of the members of the school’s sports teams weren’t chosen for the events that were their specific niche. Hyunji and I could only laugh as we watched him standing at the edge of the bleachers, screaming out orders into the field as he watched the match unfold before his eyes with agonized longing. He was almost jumping on the spot, eager to run into the field and save our team from spiralling towards its downfall.

Since I myself was not thoroughly athletic, I was glad that I only had to participate in the last event that although tough, wasn’t half as physically demanding as soccer or hockey. The sun shone down on me in merciless rays as I squeezed between the mass of bodies to get into a safe position. I had learned from years of playing dodge ball that the front and centre was best reserved for those with nicely honed reflexes. I was better off staying at the back, where I’d get protection and at least a chance to snag a rolling ball to throw.

The rules for this game were simple: all we had to do was either duck or catch a ball that was thrown at us. If we didn’t we’d be sent out.

As the coach blew a whistle and balls began flying here and there, I dodged and dived to avoid the incoming balls being pelted in my way. Although I felt sorry that I sometimes had to us my own teammates as shields, I had to admit that I was enjoying this immensely. Picking up stray balls and randomly throwing it into the air only to be rewarded with the satisfying thump of it hitting someone’s body gave me immense satisfaction. Although I barely aimed, I tried to at least avoid some of the members of my team.

My enjoyment didn’t last for long though, as dodge ball was a game that involved a quick removal of the players from the playing field. Within minutes, the members on my side had dwindled into half and I was becoming an easy target.

I shrieked as a ball came straight towards me, trying to find an escape route.  I wasn’t in luck; both my sides were blocked by two boys who were too intent on finding an opening for retaliation to realise my predicament. I closed my eyes, and waited for the ball to make contact with my head. Instead, I felt a sturdy arm pushing me back while its owner took my place. My eyes flew open to stare at the figure towering in front of me, his thick black hair mussed and ruffled, stylishly unkempt. Jongin turned and flashed rakish smirk at me.

“Hey there.” In his arms, he held the ball that had previously been bestowed the mission of sending me out of the game. He wore a T-shirt that was the in the same colour as mine; I didn’t realise that he was in my team.

“Good God, Jongin, watch your back will you?” I yelled at him as I spun him around.

“What? Aren’t you going to say thank you?” Jongin said with a laugh as he turned his head slightly to look at me. I was huddled behind his figure like a mewling kitten.

“Jongin...” I said through gritted teeth as I gazed over his shoulder look for any assailants.

“Oh relax,” Jongin drawled. He threw the ball into the air and it flew in a perfect arc towards the other team. The subject of his aim looked up in alarm and stumbled to try and catch the ball, but he was too slow and it landed with a hard thump onto his head. His defeat was declared immediately.

“We’re going to be perfectly fine,” he continued, turning to face me.

“Do I look fine to you?” I asked as I managed to duck another ball before it grazed my head.

“You will,” Jongin said with a smirk. “So long as you have me to protect you.”

I looked up at him and shot him a look. “Seriously? We’re practically sitting ducks out here.”

“I know what I’m doing!” he said as he began to execute a series of perfect moves that allowed him to spot, catch, and throw any incoming balls with inhuman precision. “So, are you free this Saturday?” he yelled at me.

I stared at him in disbelief. “You’re not honestly asking me that when we’re practically in the middle of a war here?”

“Is that an ‘I’ll think about it’?”

 “Why don’t you join the basketball team?” I asked, ignoring the question as I watched him send another ball sailing towards an unsuspecting target. “Kris would love to have you.”

“I prefer not to get tied down by anything,” Jongin said with a nonchalant shrug.

“And I think Kris already has enough to handle besides him,” a voice suddenly piped up from behind me. I whirled around, surprised to find Joonmyun panting as he fanned himself with his hand. “You’re faring pretty well,” he said as he gazed at me with that signature smile of his that seemed unperturbed regardless of the circumstances.

“Only with my help,” Jongin interjected, executing a sudden turn to catch an incoming ball before he sent it flying again to the opposite direction.

Joonmyun straightened up and caught the ball that had been sailing my way. Without much thought, he threw it back where it came from. In the next minute, I heard a shriek and then the high-pitched wail of a girl, whining about a broken nail.

Jongin chuckled in amusement. “I thought it was beneath you to hit a girl.”

“It’s a fair game,” Joonmyun said, barely sparing the Choi Minhee a second glance. “The rules dictate that you either dodge or throw; I’m adhering to the rules.”

I was surprised with Joonmyun’s rather placid reasoning, uttered in a tone of uncaring nonchalance that illustrated his indifference towards the screaming girl across the court. I was surprised at how cool he was being, and he never even bothered to even yell an apology towards Minhee.

“You’re always the gallant one,” Jongin pointed out. “You’d never do anything that would hurt a girl.”

“I don’t hurt people who don’t hurt others,” he answered curtly, and my cheeks flamed.

Suddenly, Joonmyun reached out and pulled me towards him, saving me from the ball that had been flying horizontally in my direction. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around him. I retracted my grip when I realised what I had been doing and tried to hide the blush that was reddening my cheeks. Thankfully, Joonmyun didn’t see me. With his eyes still darting around left and right, he lightly pushed me back so that I was between him and Jongin.

“Stay there,” he advised me.

It was then that I realised that two very good-looking boys had offered themselves up as my knights, protecting me in this ongoing siege. I couldn’t see Hyunji in the crowd, but I could imagine the wide grin she probably had plastered on her face.

“Anyway Hyung, shouldn’t you be trying to take down the other teams?” Jongin asked conversationally.

“I am,” Joonmyun said through gritted teeth, jumping away from an incoming ball that landed just inches away from his feet.

“At some point, you’re gonna have to take us out too, you know. After all, they did say that only one team can win.”

“We’re still on the same side of the line. I won’t turn my back on you yet,” Joonmyun yelled at Jongin, flashing him his version of a rakish grin that immediately sent my insides fluttering.

“Yet,” Jongin agreed with a small smile.

The two cousins worked together to battle the ambush. I was amazed to see their well-established team work, their ability to understand each other without the need for any words. They worked as if they were extensions of one being. Their movements were a show of simple strength and fluid grace, arms and limbs flying and curving into graceful arcs every time they threw.

However, I noticed that Jongin was the more graceful cousin; swift, with a touch of refinement in his footwork. Joonmyun wasn’t as fast, but he had a quick eye. I supposed they couldn’t both be bestowed with the same abilities. What Jongin lacked when he was compared to cousin, he certainly made up for it in different aspects –the same case with Joonmyun.

Soon, I realised that the number of players had dwindled to only those with the actual skills to survive (minus myself of course). A lot of them had formed alliances like Joonmyun and Jongin and were attacking their opponents with feverish fervour. Both of them still held their own though, easily dominating the rough playing field with effortless ease. I was still sandwiched in between them, somewhat at a loss as to what I should do. Clearly I was useless in this ruthless battlefield, but when I tried to offer myself up as sacrifice, both Joonmyun and Jongin had glared at me so fiercely that I immediately backed down.

“So, have you thought about it yet?” Jongin asked somewhere in the middle of the chaos.

I blinked at him in surprise. This kid was certainly persistent.

“Not to be mean, Jongin,” I said slowly, selecting my words carefully. “But I don’t think I can. I have to work that day and –”

“I’ll take over, if you want,” Joonmyun suddenly spoke up. He wasn’t looking at me. Instead, his gaze was trained towards a spot on the far distance of the field where red balls were flying left and right. “I’ll talk to Kris about it and tell Donghae-hyung that you can’t make it.”

I stared at him in surprise. The odd feeling of having my heart plummet to my stomach was making me sick. Did he really want me to go with Jongin rather than work with him?

“Can you handle everything?” I asked cautiously, still somewhat reluctant to accept Jongin’s invitation.

“I’ll be fine. Go on,” he said, flashing me an encouraging smile. “He’s been dying to explore the city and I’m too busy to go with him.”

I glanced at Jongin, still unsure. “Come on,” he coaxed, stepping closer and gazing at me pleadingly. “I promise to pay for all our meals.”

I laughed and lightly punched him on the shoulder. “Are you implying that I live in poverty? My wallet is perfectly capable of dispensing its own cash.”

Jongin laughed, amusement twinkling in his eyes.

At that moment, we heard the hard thump of a ball hitting flesh. Joonmyun smiled at he held his hands up, openly acknowledging his defeat as he backed away from us. A red ball rolled innocently next to his feet. Joonmyun scooped it up and threw it at Jongin.

“I guess I missed that one,” he said with a light-hearted shrug. “Good luck.” He turned and strode out of the field.

I was about to call his name, but then, Jongin had already thrown the ball and it landed on the last standing member of the opposite team. Cheers erupted from around us. The rules had dictated that any team with any amount of members standing on the field at the end of the game will be declared as victorious. Since Jongin and I were on the same team, we were able to share the win.

Jongin turned and flashed me one of his playful smirks. “So, are we on this Saturday?”