Sehun's weekend didn't go as badly as he'd predicted. He found plenty of ways to entertain himself that didn't involve Kim Jongin or Sangwan. That is to say, he found video games. He fell into a practical stupor until Monday morning, which in fact came too soon.

He woke up late to a note from his dad telling him not to eat mom's muffins left out on the counter. He was hungry and took one anyway. They never seemed to have food in the house that wasn't for the family bakery. He was too bitter to follow the rules on a Monday morning.

He left as soon as he could. He hated mornings. The sun was rarely that bright, but it always seemed that way to him. His eyes were squinting the whole way to school, even as rain clouds came out.

Sehun was already at the gate before he really thought about Kim Jongin. He hadn't figured out what he was going to say to him, if anything. He only knew he wasn't going to give up.

Even after being late waking up, he was in school pretty early, so he decided to wait around Jongin's locker, but he never showed up. Sehun barely made it into class on time. When he got there, his former 'friends' shot him evil looks. That maturity really wasn't helping Sehun's mood.

He put his head down on his book and sighed. Luckily, his homeroom teacher never seemed to mind that he paid zero attention to her. He didn't lift his head until it started raining, and then all of his attention was on the window, mind too numb for thoughts.

When lunch period came, Sehun raided the vending machine, apparently determined to never eat a healthy lunch again. He had to use his pockets to get all of his food to the classroom where Jongin was. He was relieved to see him sitting there with his fancy lunchbox.

Jongin was staring at the rainy window, paying Sehun and his pretty food no mind.

"Hi," Sehun said, and pulled his chair up to Jongin's desk. He opened a package of bread and watched the back of Jongin's head. "How was your weekend?"

Jongin shrugged.

"Sounds exciting." Sehun leaned back in his chair and bit into his bread. When he was almost done, he asked, "Not hungry today?"

Jongin turned, sitting properly and starting to eat, as if Sehun had only reminded him.

Sehun balled up the plastic from his bread and opened a second. "You were acting weird when I saw you last."

"Sorry," said Jongin, after he swallowed something bright enough to be fruit, but Sehun didn't know what it was.

"It's cool," Sehun said. "Just, I hope you don't think I'm crazy. Because I mentioned vampires."

Jongin chewed.

"I know these guys," Sehun explained. "They asked me last week if I was in school with you and they wouldn't tell me why they were interested. I'm pretty sure they hang out with vampires, honestly."

"I don't want to know," Jongin said after he swallowed.

Sehun looked questioning. He was kind of surprised that Jongin said what could be considered a full sentence.

Jongin glanced toward the window. "Just talk about something else."

Sehun nodded slowly, inspecting Jongin. "My weekend ," he said. "I've gotta get a date."

Jongin didn't talk again for the rest of lunch, but he seemed like he was listening moreso than usual - occasionally making eye contact with Sehun and everything. It was definitely progress and that was enough. If Jongin didn't want to talk about vampires, that was fine. Hopefully, rambling at Jongin to no response would be considered 'getting involved'.

The classes that followed lunch were much better. Sehun might have had a bit too much to eat, but otherwise, he was in a tremendously better mood - and Jiyong's judgmental stares from next to him weren't putting him off any. Sehun even threw him a cheerful wave.

Sehun's first priority after classes were over wasn't to find Jongin. Instead, he located Krystal, a cute girl in a year above him, and he asked her to see a movie with him. She said she didn't think she could make it, having plans with a 'girlfriend', but Sehun felt successful in making her smile.

He walked after that to Jongin's locker, and was a bit surprised to see Jongin waiting there with an expectant look on his face. When they made eye contact, Jongin shyly turned away, but Sehun was already smirking.

"I think Krystal likes me," Sehun announced as he stepped next to Jongin.

Jongin nodded and started leading their slow pace toward the door.

"If I ask you which girls you think are cute, will you answer me?"

Jongin shook his head.

"Yeah, figures. So, I asked her out and she had plans. Should I ask her out some other time or find a new girl?"

Shrug.

"True," Sehun nodded at Jongin. "Ah," the main entrance doors were open as usual at the end of the day, but outside was pouring rain. "Totally forgot it was raining."

Jongin watched beyond the doors for a moment. The students outside were either comfortable under their umbrellas or in a fast hurry to get to the bus. Jongin cleared his throat quietly, then he said, "Sorry."

"Do you control the weather or something?" Sehun smiled at Jongin.

Jongin shrugged.

"Guess we should just walk really fast?" Sehun supposed Jongin had no umbrella, since he wasn't pulling anything out. "Come on," he tapped Jongin's back, then rushed into the weather.

Jongin smiled as he followed along to the gate.

"Hurry up, hurry up," Sehun said, making the turn towards the bus stop with Jongin. They'd been drenched in an instant, however, so there was no need to rush now. They ran together despite this, and joined a wet, waiting group by the street's corner. "Oh, it's late?" Sehun hadn't caught a bus in so long, he'd just assumed it would be there for when school got out.

"Missed it," Jongin tells him. A girl near them gave Jongin a startled look. She had probably never heard him talk before.

"What are you going to do?" Sehun asked.

Around the corner, a black car hit it's horn. They both looked toward it. Jongin turned and walked in a hurry in it's direction.

Sehun started to follow. "Your parents?"

Jongin didn't turn back.

Sehun called, "See you tomorrow!", as he watched Jongin climb into the car. He could see someone in the passenger seat, but that's the extent that his sight would let him figure out. 'Someone'...

Sehun was freezing on the walk home. He made that early turn again, strongly hoping Sangwan or one of the others would let him into the building to warm up and hang out. He made it there and used the intercom to call up, but no one answered. He had to wriggle his cell phone out so he could try that way. Before he dialed anyone, Sangwan and other apartment occupant, Jaewoon, came running up to the building from behind.

"What are you doing out in the rain?" asked Sangwan as he wrestled out his key.

"Waiting to be not in the rain," Sehun answered.

They let him in.

"We don't have anything to eat," said Jaewoon.

"Or drink," Sangwan added.

"That's okay," Sehun sat on their dingy couch and accepted a towel that Jaewoon handed him. The apartment was exactly what you'd expect of an apartment lived in by four young men - a cheap, destroyed mess with several video game systems hanging out on the floor. "Can we game?"

"If you want to put something in," Jaewoon said and sat next to Sehun.

Sehun wanted to warm up first. He sort of blurted out then, without thinking, "Me and Kim Jongin are friends."

"What?" Jaewoon asked.

"Told you," Sangwan muttered.

"Maybe you should tell me what's up with him," Sehun said, "So you know, I can be prepared."

Jaewoon hesitated, but finally turned seriously to Sehun. "He's part of the Kim family."

"Is that why his name is Kim Jongin?" Sehun looked boredly at Jaewoon.

"/The/ Kim family," Jaewoon said, which still meant nothing to Sehun because there had to be jillions of those.

"He's part of a vampire family, Sehun. A strong one."

"Wait, so he's actually a vampire?"

"No," Sangwan said, and promptly changed the subject. "I'll pick a game, huh?" He bent down next to their shelf.

Jaewoon gave Sehun one last piece of information, somewhat quietly. "A family like that is really protective of their humans. You really, really shouldn't get involved, okay?"

"Wait, but.." Before Sehun could ask another question, Sangwan practically yelled, "I'm putting in a game! Shut up before I kick you out.."