My eyes were super glued to the laptop screen as my fingers were working its power by typing everything that my brain was telling it to. My hands were starting to cramp. My back was aching due to slouching. My head was hurting because I couldn’t keep the essay that I was working organized. There was a lot of typing but also a lot of backspacing. It was a very frustrating moment but I knew I had to keep going as the essay was due the very next day, right after lunch. The essay was easy to write but because I have way too much to say, I had to keep typing, rereading, editing, and rearranging the sentences and paragraphs. That was pretty much the whole issue.

The topic was to write about a person in your life that made a huge impact. I chose my father. I looked up to him so I had a lot of things to say about him, which made the whole process difficult because I couldn’t get anything straight to the point. I kept writing one thing about him then realized that I should bring this or that up. I was stressing myself out because it irked me to make the essay perfect because I would really love to send a copy to my parents. I want to let my father know that even though he was hardly in my life due to his business travels, he still influenced me to do a lot of things in life. I want him to know that I appreciate what he does for the family.

While I was in the middle of working on one of the last couple of paragraphs to the essay, I heard heavy footsteps coming from the staircase. I blew a raspberry when I remembered that I wasn’t home alone. Those footsteps, obviously, belonged to Chen and his friends. They were cooped up in Chen’s room ever since they arrived. I don’t know what they were doing in that room but I knew they were having a lot of fun because of their sudden shouts and laughter that could be heard from the kitchen once in a while.

When we got home from school, Chen didn’t have any homework so he bothered me. I was in my room, trying to finish up the essay. He wanted me to hang out with him because he didn’t had anything to do. I constantly refused to keep him entertained because I really needed to finish the essay. So, I suggested him to call up his friends and see what they were doing. It was slightly a bad idea of mine to have suggested so. Why? It was because Chen invited them all over.

Don’t get me wrong. I love having the guys around.

Once they arrived, they barged right into my room, without a bother to knock. Honestly, after getting to know these guys, I don’t think they even know what knocking is. They’ve never knocked before they enter my room, ever. After they barged in, they bothered me but, luckily, Suho managed to get them all out and straight to Chen’s room, which was right across the room. I thought I could have some peace and quiet to finish my work. However, I was so wrong. Completely wrong! They were extremely rowdy, screaming and laughing, as if it was their last day to have fun, ever. It bothered me to the point that I had to gather all my things and relocated.

That was how I ended up at the kitchen’s island.

Just as I finished up the last sentence to my essay, I saved it and let my laptop sleep. I shut the laptop just as Chen made his way over to me with this skeptical look on his face. He placed a hand on my shoulder while the other hand was flatly on the top of the island. He looked directly at me with this hopeful look on his face. “You haven’t ate anything since we got home, did you?”

Confused at why he asked, I shook my head. “Why?”

He didn’t say give me answer. Instead, he removed his hand and walked around me. He made his way over to Kyungsoo, who was already standing by the cupboard. He grabbed two cups that Kyungsoo was holding and walked over to me just as Sehun had went over to Kyungsoo to help bring the rest of the cups to the island. I had my eyes glued to Chen, wondering why he had asked if I had ate anything since we got home. My stare didn’t seemed to have falter him though.

“Tonight, we’re not having dinner here.” Chen began and placed both hands at his hips. “Grandma called earlier to invite us all over for dinner.” He rolled his eyes as he pulled a stool out from underneath the island. He took a seat and let out a heavy sigh. “Apparently, my idiotic brother told grandma that mom and dad are out of town. She sounded very upset that we didn’t tell her that we were going to be home alone.”

“It’s because she’s worried you’re going to let Johae starve.” Chanyeol spat as he took a seat on my left. He chuckled when he saw Chen rolling his eyes at him. He didn’t care as Chen tend to do that when he has nothing to say back. “So, what have you been working on, Johae? Ever since I got here, you’ve been glued to your laptop.”

I smiled as I scratched the spot behind my ear, even though it wasn’t itchy. I picked up my notebook and handed it to him, who gladly took it. I had written the essay instruction at the top of the page after the teacher told us that it was an optional essay counted as extra credit. “English essay.”

“WHAT ENGLISH ESSAY?!”

“Ouch.” I mumbled when my fellow classmates – Baekhyun, Chen, and Suho – exclaimed loudly. I laughed when I caught Kyungsoo glaring at the three while Sehun and Kai had a blank, surprised look plastered on their faces. Chanyeol was only shaking his head at the guys, probably used to receiving such exclamation. “You guys didn’t know about it? It was written on the board.”

Baekhyun latched onto my arm as he was sitting to my right. “When is it due?” He gave my arm a light shook before pouting at me as if begging me to give him an answer that he’d like to hear. “It is not due tomorrow, right? Please, tell me it’s not. I cannot handle another night of staying up!”

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