“I won’t be able to make it to practice today” Chen said looking up from his lunch.

“What?” D.O. yells dropping his sandwich in the process. “And why oh wise Chen can you not grace us with the honor of your presence this afternoon.”

“Well I have a group project for my English class that I have to get started today so I can’t practice” Chen says.

“I had that projects to do last week and I still went to every practice and then worked on it afterwards. I stayed up working on it so late one night that I had to listen to my grandma yell at me for about an hour. So why is this more important, Chen?”

You already told Xiumin that you would be there today you can’t back out now just because D.O. is really scary when he is angry, man up, Chen ordered himself. Chen quickly gazed around the cafeteria making sure Xiumin was out of hearing range before he opened his mouth to tell D.O. a partial truth. “Well I got stuck with that nerdy kid from out homeroom he takes this stuff real serious, we are going to get started today I’m hoping to be so terrible at it that he will want me to stop helping and just finish it all himself. Honestly I can’t wait to never have to work with him again.” I’m sorry Xiumin, he thinks to himself as he speaks hoping that word of this conversation will never reach him.

“Yeah I have to start working on the project too man” Baekhyun stated, “I was hoping the teacher would have let us choose out own partners, you would have been my second choice Chen” Baekhyun said smiling.

“Oh yeah darling Baekhyun, why only your second choice” Chen said jokingly.

“Ohhhh….ummmmm…well what dummy would turn down a chance to work with goodie two shoes straight A Suho” Baekhyun said giggling a little before returning to his food. Why is Baekhyun blushing, Chen wondered.

“Fine, but we will have practice every night for the remainder of the week, we have a competition coming up next Wednesday and I will not be carrying this team.” D.O. said in no nonsense tone.

“I can still practice today D.O.” Baekhyun piped in.

“No, practice is canceled today, go home and do your homework, clean your room, cook dinner, hang out with some weirdo freak” D.O. said staring Chen then Baekhyun in the eye, “I don’t care what you do, just be ready to work twice as hard tomorrow.” Standing up D.O. added “You guys better become more serious about this” before storming away.

“Okay then” Chen said aloud causing Baekhyun to laugh softly before turning his attention towards his phone. Well at least I can spend the rest of the day with Xiumin, Chen thinks as he finishes his lunch.

When the bell rings, Chen stands up and throws out his trash then makes his way towards his next class. Rounding the corner of the hallway he sees a group of students crowding around recognizing the muscular guys as the wushu club. Chen rolls his eyes and continues walking. I wonder what poor kid they have cornered this time, he thinks to himself as he quickly walks past the group trying to get to his class.

“I’m really really sorry Tao” Chen overhears as he speeds past, causing him to come to a complete stop. I know that voice, but it can’t be he wouldn’t be that careless, Chen reasons with himself as he tries to see who is in the center of the tightknit circle so he can calm his mind. “I…I…I was looking down at my phone I swear I didn’t see you” the voice stutters.

“Listen hear pipsqueak, I cut you slack on the first day of school, remember when I didn’t punish you for staying too long at your locker.” The menacing voice of Tao asks from the center of the circle causing most of the crowd to chuckle. Xiumin’s locker is next to Tao’s I was hoping I was wrong, Chen thinks to himself, looking around the crowded hallway for a teacher or someone who could save Xiumin.

“Yes. I….I…remember that Tao” Xiumin’s small voice barely makes it to Chen’s ears over the chuckles of Tao’s mindless followers.

“Good, well then I guess you understand why I can’t cut you slack again” Tao said. Chen could make out a weird expression on Tao’s face. Do something you coward, you have to protect him, his inner voice yells at him. Before his inner voice could convince him to move in Xiumin’s defense, Chen heard a loud crash and lots of laughter before the boys quickly scampered away. Chen pushed his way over to where the noise had come from.

“Xiumin” he softly called as he sees the boy kneeling to pick up pens, pencils, and paper that had sprawled across the floor. “What happened?” Chen asks in a quiet voice.

“What happened…what happened, you want to know what happened” Xiumin says looking up at Chen with tears in his eyes threatening to overflow. Why didn’t you stop this, his inner voice asks him bitterly. Chen nods his head signaling to Xiumin that he still wants to know. “I was in the middle of typing a text and I didn’t see him coming, I walked write into Tao. Chen do you know how stupid that is?” he asks chuckling slightly, “but you want to hear the real kicker of it all I was texting you” Xiumin says looking him in the eyes “should have just waited” he says looking away as tears start to roll down his face.

“Xiumin” Chen says extending his arm to rub small circles up and down Xiumin’s arm, “what did he do?”

“He didn’t hit me I was lucky he just took me feet out from under me” Xiumin says wiping his face. He’s not swatting my arm away, Chen thinks happily to himself as he listens to Xiumin talk. “Then when I was down he dumped all my stuff out of my bag” Xiumin says sticking the last couple of his object back inside his bag.

After a few seconds the warning bell rings and Xiumin stands up, “Thanks Chen” he says so soft that Chen barely missed it.

“I’m just glad you are okay” Chen says hugging Xiumin quickly before letting go. Xiumin lets out a small laugh.

“That’s what you said the last time something like this happened, do you remember” Xiumin asks.

“We each better get to class Xiumin so that we are not late” Chen says rubbing the back of his neck he lets out a nervous laugh.

“Okay, see you in English” Xiumin says, Chen watches him go and gives the retreating figure a quick wave before heading to his near by classroom. He quickly settles into his seat and as the history teacher lectures from the front of the class Chen is swept away into his own past.

~Flashback~

“Oh hey Chen” Xiumin said looking up at Chen with a large smile. I love his smile, Chen thinks to himself. “Come, here sit next to Luhan” Xiumin said pointing across the table to an empty seat next to the boy. Aww but I wanted to sit next to him, a voice inside his head complains, next time be patient another voice says. “Luhan you remember Chen right” Xiumin says raising his eye brow.

“Oh yeah, hello Chen” the baby faced boy says. Did I do something last time to offend him, Chen wonders as he takes the seat that Xiumin had offered for him.

“I want to thank you both again for letting me sit here with you” Chen says remembering his manners, mom would be proud, he thinks.

“Don’t mention it we like having you here” Xiumin says flashing him another of his wide smiles. “In fact we were just talking about you, Luhan didn’t you have something you wanted to ask Chen” Xiumin says raising his eyebrows while looking at Luhan again. This is a little weird, Chen thinks.

“Well… Umm…” Chen notices how Luhan looks up and meets Xiumin’s gaze before taking a deep breath and continuing, “Xiumin and I are going to a street fair with his family this evening and we thought that it would be cool for you to come as well.” Luhan finished.

“What my best friend is trying to say is that we would love for you to join us for a night of fun, would you like to come Chen?” Xiumin asked smiling hopefully over at Chen.

Chen could feel his own smile spreading and dominating his face, “I would really like to come, that sounds like so much fun, thank you for inviting me Luhan. Thank you Xiumin.” Chen said smiling at both boys. Chen could have sworn he saw Luhan roll his eyes, but didn’t pay much attention to it as the meal went on. Both Xiumin and Luhan were really nice, Chen could tell they had been friends for quite sometime they were so comfortable around each other. I hope I can be as close with Xiumin one day as Luhan is with him, Chen thought to himself as he smiled along to their joking. When the lunch bell rang he stood up and threw away his trash.

“Hey…ummm…Chen” Xiumin said behind him. “Are you sure you want to come with us tonight, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, both Luhan and I would not be offended” Xiumin said rubbing his hand on the back of his neck.

“