I was quick to discover that Tao was a big text messenger.

Good morning!

Are you coming to school this morning?

I hope Sehun doesn’t make me walk again.

Or go by another convenience store.

He won’t even tell me why he buys so much stuff. He just says it’s for someone.

WHO IS HE CHEATING ON ME WITH?

Hello?

Are you even awake?

CHOI EUNHUI! DON’T MAKE ME!

It became very obvious where Sehun had picked up his incessant text message spamming. I almost choked on my toothpaste while brushing my teeth on Monday morning when Jaeeun came in the bathroom and told me to do something with all that beeping. In her words: “God, Eunhui, tell your boyfriend to calm his .”

I made sure to scold him the moment I saw him.

“You don’t even give me a chance to reply before you send another!” I exclaimed, taking the plastic bag of bread that Sehun was trying to pry my fingers open to hold. He tripped and caught himself before he face planted when I pinched his arm.

Tao leaned around Sehun and batted his eyelashes at me. “But did you die?”

I scowled.

“Was there even a purpose for you having number?” I asked, avoiding walking into a light pole.

“Was there even a purpose for Sehun having your number?” Tao retorted, raising his eyebrows at the both of us.

I looked to Sehun, giving him the option to answer, but he scratched his nose and looked straight ahead.

“He’s a creep,” I affirmed. Sehun side-eyed me.

“True,” Tao agreed.

Sehun looked quite offended for a moment as we started in the school gates. Tao giggled and latched onto his arm, telling him how handsome he looked today, and continuing to pester him until we were outside the front entrance. I stopped walking while they continued ahead, Sehun only halting a moment later when he noticed me no longer by his side. He pulled away from Tao’s grip and looked around at me, eyebrows wrinkled.

“You saw what happened last time. I’ll go in through the back,” I told them, waving a hand for them to go before heading around the building.

It wasn’t until I was around the corner and walking in the direction of the back entrance that I looked down.

“Why do I have bread?” I asked when I opened the door, scaring Tao and Baekhyun from their phones.

Sehun turned from his open locker. “I bought it,” he replied.

Baekhyun eyed the bag of bread I was wielding, his eyes flickering between it, me, and Sehun. “Any particular reason you bought bread?” he asked.

Sehun blinked, expressionless. I shrugged.

“Anyone want some bread?” I offered up the bag. Baekhyun raised his hand like a four-year-old kid and I tossed a packet at him.

“What’s the occasion?” Jongin arrived, throwing his locker open.

I handed him some bread and went to my own locker. “Sehun’s a weirdo.”

“You’re too kind,” Sehun noted.

“I try.”

“Oh! I forgot! I have to get my paper to Mr. What’s-His-Face or I’m going to fail!” Baekhyun suddenly squealed with a mouth full of bread and took off in a sprint, the leftover bread packet floating to the floor in his wake. We all looked after him in surprise.

Jongin was the first one to turn away to open his bread.

“Freak,” Tao muttered under his breath, going to open his locker.

Deciding Baekhyun had quite a few issues, I unlocked my own locker and tossed the bread in. They landed right on top of the bag of snacks Sehun had given me before.

“Just take them home,” Sehun told me lowly, collecting his books.

Eyes wide, I looked up at him. “What?”

He didn’t look back. “You’re still not eating, are you?”

My ears tingled as blood rushed to the tips and I glanced over my shoulder at Tao and Jongin to see if they were listening.

“Why are you worried about my health?” I asked, not even trying to pretend I was getting something out of my locker.

He looked around when the warning bell rang before staring back at me.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

Leaving no room for further argument, he left. Across the hall, Jongin was silently watching while Tao was texting. I exchanged glances with Jongin and I could practically hear his words from before still lingering in the air. To avoid another heart-to-heart with him, I grabbed my things and left.

For some reason, his piercing stares made me uncomfortable but for what reason was the thing I couldn’t figure out.

Where do you eat lunch?

I squirmed in my seat when Tao texted me during my last class before lunch. My pocket began buzzing, scaring me out of my note taking.

Why?

I slipped my phone under my thigh and resumed my jotting. It was couple of minutes before he answered.

So I can tell Sehun.

Frowning, I hurried to reply and stuck my phone inside my blazer quickly when the teacher suddenly turned around to speak to the class. With only a small amount of time left until the class was over, I left my phone alone and took my notes.

By the time the bell rang, I half expected to find my phone blown up with text messages, but I surprisingly discovered that there was only one. I was already on my way to the canteen to grab a bottle of water when I read it and by then I heard Tao’s loud voice over the crowd. He was with the basketball team, talking loudly to Park Chanyeol, who listened intently with round eyes.

I stepped aside, letting most of the crowd file into the canteen to avoid being shoved around. Looking down at my phone, I thought about texting Tao back but figured he wouldn’t really notice if I didn’t because he had already disappeared inside with the others. Absently, I scrolled the phone screen back and forth over mine and Tao’s text messages, wondering where exactly the person of discussion was.

Why does he need to know?

I hadn’t seen him walk in even though he could’ve easily slipped in through the crowd, possibly with Jongin. Closing out the text messages, I settled it was clear enough to go in and get my bottle of water.

Because he wants to.

A quick scan of the canteen, eyes trying to find that face, and it dawned on me that something wasn’t right. Instead of Sehun, I found Tao. He blanched when I looked him straight in the face. Next to him, the basketball team was watching me. Not only the basketball team but everyone.

The incessant thumping in my head sped up pace as I made eye contact with more people. Some of them stared back like deer caught in headlights while others seemed to be trying to hold back their amusement.

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