On the second day of school he avoids Kyungsoo and Baekhyun which means that he avoids lunch with his friends. He tells them that he’ll be in the library and despite the disappointment that flashes through both Amber and Jongdae’s eyes the two allow him.

The day before Jongdae had asked Yixing if he wanted them to stop hanging out with Kyungsoo and Baekhyun. Yixing had humored the idea for a minute, but decided that no, he didn’t want that.

It was stupid to be jealous of someone that did nothing to him, and was probably oblivious to what had transpired between Kai and him. Kyungsoo did help push along the break up just a bit, but it was Yixing’s feelings of humiliation and alienation that allowed Kyungsoo’s appearance to influence him into breaking up with Kai.

Alone at lunch he gets to think, not just about Kai, but about his future. He can’t help but to recall Tao’s words from the day before and frown. Why would he be alone in the future? He wasn't flighty...okay he was a bit, but it wasn't like he couldn't hold a commitment. His family came a long line of hopeless romantics and Yixing was pretty sure he would die for love if it ever came down to it.

He didn't understand why he would be alone, he agreed with Zitao however. The thought of some strange companion beside him in the later years of his life seemed weird and unwanted. Jongdae said that his standards were impossibly high, and maybe they were. Yixing wasn’t as into looks as much as her peers were, he was interested in personality. He had been attracted to Kai because Kai had been a mystery, he had popped into Yixing’s life with beautifully intense eyes, and all these stories and secrets that were completely opposite of everything Yixing was used to.

After school Yixing lingers around his classroom a bit longer. He's back to the same old repetitiveness that is his life as if the few months he'd spent beside Kai had been nothing short of a vacation, a blip in his dull reality, and the act of going from something to having nothing was something he'd need to get reuse to.

When Yixing leaves school he expects that he'll go home do his homework and probably play a game for the rest of the day. He doesn't expect to see Kris car parked outside of the school gates. He heads over to the passenger and opens the door. "You know Tao left already right," Yixing asks as he settles in the seat.

"I can't be waiting for you," Kris asks. "It isn't that unusual is it? We used to hang out a lot before I started dating your cousin."

That's a lie. They used to hang out a lot before Yixing started dating Kai and Kris decided he didn't approve, but even then it was barely ever the two of them. "Can we get food," Yixing asks. "I skipped lunch."

"You skipped lunch," Kris repeats "when I was in high school I never skipped lunch. I wouldn't have been able to get through the day without it."

"How many years ago was that again," Yixing teases cheekily.

"Just for that you can buy your own food."

“No," Yixing says eyes widen. "I'm sorry," he says pursing his lips, and puffing his cheeks while his hand curled into a fist.

Kris takes a quick look in his direction before turning swiftly back to the road. "What did I tell you about doing aegyo?"

“I'm hungry," Yixing groans leaning back into his seat. "And I have no money. Since you kidnapped me you should buy me food. Lots of food."

"You got into my car on your own accord," Kris points out.

"Kris," Yixing whines.

"Fine, fine we're almost there Xing, can you wait a few minutes?"

"No," Yixing answers. "Why don't you have snacks or extra food don't you work at a restaurant?"

When they're at the restaurant Yixing notices Kris's staring as he stuffs his mouth with Ramen. "Tao told you," he states as he catches Kris's eye one final time.

"Yeah," Kris answers. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm okay," Yixing answers dropping his gaze back to the food in front of him. "First loves, they don't really last anyway right?"

"All the people I know never had an everlasting first love."

"Exactly," Yixing says. "It's not like I did it without reason as well. I'd rather be alone than grow to hate someone I once loved."

"You thought about this for a  while," Kris asks.

"No," Yixing admits with a shake of his head. "I was really rash, but at the time it seemed like the only option. I needed space so I could think."

Kris frowns but Yixing ignores it as he goes back to eating. "You can talk to me about it," Kris says. "If you stop being okay or something. This is your first break up."

"Thanks," Yixing mutters before stuffing his mouth with more noodles.

"Are you sure you don't want to come in," Yixing asks. "My mom would die to see you, you barely visit nowadays."

"I have things to do but I'll stop by this weekend," Kris says.

"Good," Yixing says. He thanks Kris for the food and exits the car and waves as Kris pulls off.

At school the following day Yixing doesn't avoid lunch. He goes with a heavy heart and sits with his friends and Kyungsoo and Baekhyun. The greeting he exchanges with the boys are polite albeit a bit awkward. In the brief lunch period he learns that Baekhyun has a rather vibrant personality. He treats both Jongdae and Amber as if he'd known them for years. He's a bit more cautious with Yixing, but he's still friendly.

Kyungsoo is the opposite of Baekhyun but he isn't horrendously un-friendly. He's quiet, and the anchor to Baekhyun's huge personality. He has a tiny frame filled with snark and quick wits but he's also pretty kind. Kyungsoo stops Baekhyun from harassing him when the boy’s questions get too much for Yixing, and he always gives a tiny smile when he and Yixing catches each other's gaze. Kyungsoo and him don't talk to each other, that is, until after school.

Kyungsoo slips into his classroom and stands beside his desk as Yixing packs up his belongings. "We have to talk," Kyungsoo says.

Yixing frowns at the statement but agrees to it. He's not sure what Kyungsoo believes about him, but he feels as if he should try to clear up any misconceptions.

“I want us to be friends,” Kyungsoo says when they’re alone together. “I know what happened between Jongin and you, but I don’t think it matters when it comes to us.”

Yixing had expected a lot from Kyungsoo but he didn’t expect such a straight-forward statement to leave the boy’s lips. “What,” he finds himself saying in response.

“I figured that you, Baekhyun, and I could be friends regardless of what happened between you and Jongin,” Kyungsoo says. His voice is low and confident as if he’d thought about what he’d say for a while. When Yixing’s lips draw into a frown, Kyungsoo notices it and continues on with the same leveled tone. “Jongdae and Amber have been really kind to us already, and I don’t want you to feel as if your friends are somehow taking sides.”

“They’re on my side,” Yixing interrupts, the desire to correct the younger boy running strong through his veins. “They’ve always been on my side,” He continues.

“Well I don’t think that there are sides that need to be taken,” Kyungsoo states. “Everything that has happened is over.”

Yixing doesn’t agree, there were sides, and thick lines separating each side. Jongdae was on his side, and Amber, and Zitao. Sehun, Luhan, Chanyeol, and Junmyeon were on Kai’s side, that’s why Yixing hadn’t seen them once since the breakup, he had no desire to see them.

Yixing blinks. He had no desire to actually try to be friends with either boy because he figured it would be best to sever all connections with Kai. Both boys were probably living with the younger, and that thought alone had him curious.

“Okay,” he says a moment later. “Let’s try to be friends.”

“Since we’re friends, I guess I can tell you this,” Kyungsoo says suddenly. He looks solemn as he crosses his arms over his chest.

“Tell me what,” Yixing asks with a frown.

“You can’t use to this to hurt him okay,” Kyungsoo says in warning. “Jongin’s someone really precious to me, and I’m only telling you this because… I feel as if you should know.”

“Is this something he’d want me to know,” Yixing asks, he’s close to holding his hands over his ears and singing obnoxiously until Kyungsoo leaves. A bitter grimace crosses Kyungsoo’s face and Yixing’s close to declining the information about to be passed. If Kai doesn’t want him to know then he probably shouldn’t know.

“Jongin is very selective about what he wants and doesn’t want people to know about himself,” Kyungsoo states. Yixing’s aware of that, that was after all one of the contributing factors to their breakup, and having Kyungsoo tell him this is making resentment erupt into his blood.

“How long have you known him?” Yixing’s curious. He wants to know how long he would have had to wait until he was on the same level as Kyungsoo. He didn’t know on what level Kyungsoo was on when it came to Kai, or if Yixing would have ever been on that level.

Yixing had known that he was pretty high up, higher than the acquaintances at least. He figured he was on a completely different platform when it came to him versus the others in the house. Was Kyungsoo on that platform as well, or was he in the exclusive group that Yixing figured he’d never break into.

Kyungsoo frowns at the question, but answers. “Three years.”

“What do you want to tell me,” Yixing asks next. He tries not to think about how long it took for Kyungsoo to gain Kai’s utter trust and loyalty. It doesn’t matter now, they’re over, and in a while they’ll only be a memory to each other.

“Kai hasn’t told anyone you broke up.”

“What,” Yixing asks frowning more. “Why hasn’t he?”

“I don’t know,” Kyungsoo says. Yixing doesn’t believe him, but he’s not going to call him a liar to his face. “I know he’s told Junmyeon and me, but he hasn’t told the others yet.”

“What am I supposed to do,” Yixing asks. “Why did you tell me? They’ll figure it out eventually when I’m not showing up anymore.”

“I guess,” Kyungsoo says sighing softly. “Junmyeon-hyung wants to talk to you.”

“I don’t want to talk to him,” Yixing states.

“I figured you would say that,” Kyungsoo admits, “but can you meet with him one last time? He really wants to see you.”

“I’ll try,” Yixing says a second later just to end the conversation, Kyungsoo stares at him as if he doesn’t believe him and Yixing shuffles awkwardly from foot to foot.

“Please do,” Kyungsoo says.

Yixing doesn’t see Zitao until the evening. The younger is off doing who knows what with Kris and Yixing finds himself bored out of his mind for the rest of the day. “I need a hobby,” Yixing mutters.

“You should join a club,” Zitao suggests. “Maybe get Jongdae and Amber to do it with you. I’ve always wanted to join a club.”

“What club,” Yixing asks. “And isn’t your life already busy anyway?”

“It is, that’s why I said you should join a club, and we’ve got a lot of them so figure out what you’d want to do.”

“Kyungsoo said he wanted to be my friend,” Yixing states.

“You didn’t say okay did you,” Zitao asks, he school books are laid out on Yixing’s floor as he searches through his bag. “We brought this for you,” Zitao adds, tossing a snack at Yixing.

“Why should I have said no, when my own cousin was volunteering to take them sightseeing?”

“That wasn’t,” Zitao begins a frown slipping onto his lips. “Do I really look like I have sort-term memory or something? That was for you.”

“Why would you acting like Baekhyun’s and Kyungsoo’s new best friend benefit me,” Yixing asks.

“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer,” Zitao says recalling the age-old saying. “You looked at them like they stole that guy right from underneath your nose. I was just trying to figure them out.”

“Why are you like this,” Yixing says in distress, throwing a paper ball at his cousin’s head. “No one in our family is like this, so who taught you to behave like this?”

“Your ex has been spending the pass few nights in Jongdae’s old friend’s bedroom.”

“What,” Yixing asks.

“I’m guessing since the breakup he hasn’t been able to sleep in his room,” Zitao explains. “Kyungsoo and Baekhyun share his room, and he sleeps in Jongdae’s old friend’s room. You never told me why you broke up.”

“You never asked,” Yixing points out.

“I’m asking now,” Zitao says. “I thought you broke up because you realized he was scum, but… why did you really breakup?”

“Does it matter,” Yixing asks distractedly. “It’s over, and I don’t really feel like explaining it again.”

“I guess it doesn’t mattter,” Zitao mutters just as Yixing decides that he’s not confused and he doesn’t regret his decisions.

On Sunday, He and Zitao go out to meet Kris at his apartment. The three of them decide to hang out in a park, playing basketball to soak up the last few days of summer.

“Zitao says you’re joining a club,” Kris says, both he and Yixing are lounging in the cool soft grass near the basketball court while Zitao was off to buy himself water.

“He told you that,” Yixing asks. “He suggested it, but I’m not sure if I will, or what I’ll join.”

“Don’t do a sport,” Kris tells him.

“What,” Yixing asks turning towards him, and frowns. “Why shouldn’t I do sports?”

“It’s your final year, you need something you won’t need to commit wholeheartedly to,” Kris explains. He leans against Yixing’s shoulder and frowns. “If you’re going to join a club, you should do something easy, that you know you’ll enjoy.”

“What if I got a part-time job,” Yixing asks suddenly.

“You’re mom gives you a really good allowance,” Kris says, “and this is your last year, you should be focused on studying rather than working.”

“My mom wouldn’t want me to work,” Yixing says, just as Zitao comes back with three water bottles in his hands. Kris sits up and grabs one of the bottles and Zitao sits down on the grass with them.

 “What were you talking about,” Zitao asks, his eyes are narrowed as he glances between Kris and Yixing, a small frown on his lips.

“Me,” Yixing answers, “We were talking about what I should do after school.”

Yixing has been close with Zitao since they were children. He knew how to read all of the younger boy’s expressions and body language. Even then, it doesn’t take more than a glance to figure out that Zitao doesn’t actually believe him. The frown’s still on his lips as he passes a water bottle to Yixing and his eyes are still narrowed in suspicion.

“Is that so,” Zitao asks, “what did you decide to do?”

Yixing flashes a quick glance to Kris, wondering if he’d told Zitao about the time Yixing said he wanted them to break up, but Kris’s attention is focused solely on Zitao. He sighs under his breath at Kris staring at his cousin like a love-struck puppy. “I’m not joining a sport, or finding a part-time job. So, I’ll probably look into other things on Monday.”

Yixing’s cellphone goes off a moment later and he quickly checks it. It’s a new text message from Sulli and after quickly reading it, he close to putting his phone away when it vibrates and rings once more. It’s Sulli again, and he bites the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing.

“I have to go,” he tells Zitao and Kris.

“Who just texted you,” Zitao asks, attempting to look at Yixing’s cellphone.

“A friend,” Yixing replies moving the phone out of Zitao’s sight and quickly locking the screen so it goes black. “A female friend,” he specifies when he notices the frowns on both Kris’s and Zitao’s face.

Title is First Love in hangul. I'm back to regular, semi-regular updates. I'll try to update once either every week or every two weeks depending on how busy I am. I wrote in Kai's POV to get to this chapter and it made me feel so guilty for breaking them up, I'm such a weird person.