Taemin was able to find somewhere quiet and secluded. It wasn’t exactly the best place in the entire school, mostly because it was the rooftop, but it was good enough for him. He probably should be in class, but his last period was gym, and no one would careless if he showed up or not. He guessed that he should be thankful for gym because it gave him thirty minutes to himself; thirty minutes away from the stress and it was only the first day.

But that happens right? All the stress of being a new student, the stress of today being the first day back to school, and the stress of all the homework that you are sent home with even though it is only your first day back. “And people wonder why high school students are more commonly known to have behavioral issues,” Taemin mumbles, shielding his eyes from the summer sun. He wished that fall would get here a hell of a lot sooner or he would die from heat exhaustion or too much exposure to the sun.

He jumped slightly at the sound of his cell phone ringing. Who would even be calling him during school hours? Would it be a teacher or the school principal? He would expect that it would be his mother, but even she knows that she shouldn’t call him during school hours, he could get in trouble. He pulled his phone from his pocket and looked at the caller I.D in confusion: Unknown number.

He answered it shortly after and cleared his throat a bit before he spoke, “H-Hello?”

“Where did you run off to? Don’t you have gym class?”

“Who is this?’

“I can’t tell you that,” the person says, bursting into laughter afterwards.

“How did you even get this number?”

“I can’t tell you that either.”

This was starting to unnerve Taemin. He didn’t even know who this person was and they were already beginning to piss him off.

“Then what can you tell me,” he asks, feeling his face begin to burn with anger.

“Well, I can tell you that I am a guy, and also that there are two guys from the schools disciplinary office coming up to the rooftop to retrieve you.”

“What? How did they ev-”

Then Taemin remembered what Kibum said about there being cameras everywhere and he silently cursed at himself. He quickly hung up and got to his feet. He ran back to the door and kicked himself mentally when the guys opened it.

•

“How does one even get out of detention,” Kibum asks, clearly irritated. He shoves his books into his bag harshly along with his other supplies and sighs. “I’ve been trying to get out of detention in this school since I started coming here and I have never succeeded. How did you, Lee Taemin?”

“They gave me a free pass, whatever that is,” Taemin answers, sliding his arm through the strap of his bag. “They told me that since it’s my first day being in this school, they’ll let it go.”

“That is not fair, damn it. When I was late my first day, they gave me a week’s worth of detention.”

“I’m just lucky, I guess. Besides… I am really thankful that they let this one slide. If my mom found out that I got a detention on my first day of school, she’d ground me until the last day of school.”

“I still think that it isn’t fair how you get a free pass for skipping one of your classes,” Kibum whines, tossing his own bag over shoulder. “And it was gym too… It’s so unfair.”

“Hyung, why does it bother you so much,” Taemin asks with a hint of annoyance. “It was just a free pass, it’s not like it was a big deal or anything.”

“Never mind, I just want to leave this hell hole. Are you doing anything after school?”

“I think my mom wanted me to go shopping with her before dad comes home for the weekend, why?”

“Do you think that she’d mind if we went to get ice cream?”

“I don’t think we are going shopping until about seven, so I guess she wouldn’t mind.”

“Come on then.”

•

“Here is your ice cream,” Hye Sook (who has worked at that ice cream shop just as long as they’ve been coming to it) chimes, handing both Taemin and Kibum their ice cream. “I hope you enjoy them and come again.”

“Hye Sook,” Taemin says soft and sweetly, “We have been coming here ever since you started working here. When are you going to talk comfortably with us?”

“Do you even like us?” Kibum adds, at the slowly melting drops of chocolate ice cream. “The way you formally talk to us, even when your boss isn’t around, makes it seem like you don’t.”

“Hyung…”

“No, it’s fine really because he’s right. I don’t like you two; in fact, I really hate you so much that I’d wish you died.”

Taemin blinked at her sudden confession and watched as she walked away from them. He didn’t know that she actually felt that way about them; they were always so nice to her. They would stay sometimes after her shift ended and walk home with her so she didn’t feel scared. They even have offered to take her to the movies with them, when she looked lonely. So why was she treating them like that?

“Taemin your phone is ringing.”

Taemin looked down at his buzzing phone and furrowed his brow at the unknown number. He picked his phone up and answered it, at his ice cream all the while, “Hello?”

 “Strawberry and banana huh?”

“I’m sorry?”

“I did think you’d like those flavors really, I pegged you as more of a plan vanilla type of guy.”

“Who is this,” Taemin asks, the feeling of being watched quickly getting stronger. He looks around the shop, eyeing the few people in there, and then turns to look outside. “How do you know that I am eating ice cream?”

“You’re also eating with that obnoxiously loud guy, Kibum, who keeps looking at his phone as if he is waiting for someone to call.”

“If you don’t tell me who you are…”

“You could threaten to kill me right now and I still wouldn’t tell you.”

“Why?” Taemin shouts in frustration, bowing apologetically for disturbing the other customers. He gave up looking for anyone strange and sat back in his seat, “Why can’t you tell me who you are?”

“I can tell you, just not yet.”

“Listen- Wow, I think that I was just hung up on. Honestly…”

“Let’s go,” Kibum says with a hint of sadness in his voice. “I don’t feel much like eating ice cream anymore.”

•

After Taemin ate dinner, did his homework and showered, he decided that he would go to sleep earlier than normal or so his mother thinks. He just didn’t want her overhearing his conversation with the extremely infuriating person that has been calling him. He browsed through his phone and went to his recent calls. He knew that he couldn’t call back and unknown number, but he was hoping that if he stared at it long enough, the unknown number would call him. Surprisingly enough, it did, and Taemin was far too quick to answer it.

“H-Hello?”

“Well, you certainly answered faster than normal,” the person laugh fills Taemin’s ears and for a split second, he was happy to hear it. “I bet you were waiting for me to call weren’t you?”

And just like that, that split second of happiness, disappeared.

Author note:

Does Hye Sook's name sound ok? I mean, she isn't an important character really, but I just want her name to sound nice. Hye Sook's role in the story is not going to be told just yet. Heh.. Don't hate me to much okay?

Ugh... I think I'm getting sick, so forgive me if this chapter is boring. I will try for that not to happen in the next chapter honest.

Also, I wanted to do a poll for Taemin's father's career sometime soon because I haven't thought of anything that would keep them comfortable enough to were Taemin's mom doesn't have to work (it's the am's that I have time for this . I cba to think of anything right now.) So if you have suggestions, or anything, comment with it or private message me or whatever, and I will put a poll up with some of them =)

Thank you for reading and subscribing~