[CONTENTID1]

thirty-eight: date-mates and dresses

[/CONTENTID1][CONTENTID2]

[“ Then you have ideas on who you want as a date.”]

[/CONTENTID2][CONTENTID3]

”What, not even a little hint?” Key whined.

”I already told you, it’s a winter theme,” Juyeon grumbled. “The rest is secret.”

”Hey, guess who is helping you put up these damn things in the first place!” He shook a poster in her face to prove his point. His other hand held a bundle of similar posters announcing the winter dance. “The least you can do is divulge some information.”

”On what? The food platters?” Juyeon snorted and taped a poster to the wall. It was the only bit of decoration the High Class walls had ever seen, and she was sure they wouldn't last. “Key, relax and enjoy like everyone else. Sumi and I worked really hard on organizing everything.”

”I’ll bet,” Minho said, popping up behind them with a stack of his own. “So, you’ll be doing our homework for us if we help you out, right?”

”Like hell, PC!”

”Ahh, worth a shot asking. Hey, Onew hyung found a classmate that’s okay with helping too. I think you, uh, know him.”

Juyeon peeked over his shoulder and her jaw dropped. Kim Jonghyun from the terrible Extracurricular incident was there, looking perfectly fine and even smiling a little at her.

”Holy ,” she said, then immediately blushed and added, “Uh, I mean, hi. Thanks for helping.”

”No problem,” Jonghyun said with a grin, taking some of Key’s posters. “You’re Juyeon, right? Nice to officially meet you.”

”Same. Are you, uh, okay? After … you know?”

”Perfectly healed, and no hard feelings,” he said, cheerfully tapping next to his eyes to indicate they were no longer burned to a crisp. “I heard you were concerned about me when I was recovering. That’s very sweet. Not many really care about other people outside of their friend group around here, and maybe not even then.”

Juyeon was drowning in both embarrassment, shame (it was her fault in a roundabout way), and slight pleasure at his charming compliment. He said she was sweet.

Or, well, what she did was sweet. But whatever.

”It’s nothing,” she said, still blushing fiercely and ignoring Minho’s raising eyebrow and Key’s quiet snort of amusement. “A-anyway, thanks for helping, we’ll get it done soon. Sorry for wasting your time like this.”

”Naw, this is way more fun than working on that stupid History project,” Jonghyun said, taking a long string of tape with him. “Can you believe they're making everyone do it? See you around, then.”

To her classmates’ credit, they waited until their upperclassman buddy was gone before dissolving into hysterical laughter.

”Man, Juyeon, you could have fried an egg on your face,” Minho said teasingly, pressing one cool finger against her cheek and pretending he got burned. The even added sizzling sound effects, too.

”Shut up. I blush at everything, and I felt bad about the whole thing that happened before, okay?” Juyeon glared at them. If they said one more word ...

”’Sorry for wasting your time’,” Key mocked in a high-pitched voice, batting his eyelashes. Juyeon threw the tape roll at him, and he ducked. “Where’s our thanks and apology for wasted time?” he asked, returning to his normal voice and grinning from ear to ear. “You just shoved these into our arms and said ‘I know you guys have nothing to do, so follow me’. I thought we were friends.”

” you! Both of you!” Juyeon picked up the tape roll and, cheeks flaming, marched ahead to put up more posters. Minho chuckled and went another way, back up the stairs to help out the others.

”Hey, honey, I understand,” Key said, eyes twinkling mischievously as he dutifully followed her with the poster stack. “Nice, handsome sunbae. Feeling guilty for something nonsensical―“

”Getting your eyes burned out of their sockets isn’t nonsensi―”

”Feeling like you have to make it up to him, while also being simultaneously attracted to him―“

”I am not―”

”If you have a crush on my pal, I’ll forgive you, don’t worry. Hey, do you want me to set you two up as winter dance dates? I wouldn’t mind.”

"Key, no!” She was absolutely mortified.

”Aww, what’s wrong?” He pouted. “You were so nice to him, too. You even thanked him for the help! Much sweeter than how you treat me.”

”I’m sorry, I guess I panicked and forgot to treat him with the same level of disdain I treat everyone else,” she snarked, rolling her eyes. “But seriously, don’t you dare try to set me up. I’ll murder you, Key, I swear I will.”

”Why? You already have a date?”

”Well, no, but …”

”Then you have ideas on who you want as a date.”

It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. She wondered if that entire teasing shtick was just a convoluted way for him to ask her who she wanted to go to the dance with.

”Well, I mean, kind of?” Juyeon’s cheeks turned red again. “I guess you’ll probably figure it out, but really, all I want is for us to grow closer―as friends―I mean, I’ve never really had a close friend, and I’d like to―with―I want us to be closer, but I don’t know if that feeling is reciprocated.”

”Of course it is, of course!” Key said, sounding strangely excited. “What’s stopping