Xiumin watched his mirror reflection as he combed through his hair to insure that every hair was in its proper place.

“Na eureureong eureureong eureureong dae, Na eureureong eureureong eureureong dae” Xiumin’s ringtone blared throughout the small bathroom before he reached down and answered the call, placing it on speaker mode so he could continue to perfect his hairstyle.

“Hello” he said so that the person on the other end of the call would know that he was listening.

“Min help, I don’t know what to wear” Luhan’s panicked voice echoed from his phone and Xiumin caught his reflection rolling its eyes at his friend’s predictable antics.

“Lu relax, you can’t even see anything under the blue tarp that we all have to wear” Xiumin said pausing the comb to check his reflection from all different angles.

“It’s a gown Xiumin, not a tarp” Luhan said in a scolding tone. “I know at the ceremony no one will see, but afterwards when Sehunie takes me out to dinner I’m not going to be wearing the gown, no matter how proud I am that I am graduating” Luhan said before a beep sounded causing Xiumin to look down at the screen of his phone.

“Hey Lu I’m sorry but Chen is calling” Xiumin says with his finger hovering over the answer button.

“Fine I’ll call Baekhyun or Tao instead, don’t keep lover boy waiting” Luhan says before he ends the call.

“Hi” Xiumin answers Chen’s call while clicking it off of speaker.

“Hey Xiu are you ready for this” Chen asks and Xiumin allows his body to feel warmth just from the other’s tone as he cradles the phone against his ear while walking back into his room.

“I’m a little nervous” Xiumin admits as he stares down at the blue gown that is lain out on his bed, freshly ironed thanks to his mother.

“Ahh, don’t be nervous, it’s just one step before moving onto something bigger” Chen says.

“Yeah, I’m just scared that I am going to trip while climbing up or down the stairs to get on and off the stage” Xiumin says thinking back to the fall he had taken during practice the day before.

“Don’t worry, you just have to remember that there are five steps not four” Chen says with a tiny chuckle.

“Alright, alright enough about me” Xiumin says feeling the heat on his checks at the other’s slight tease. “Are you ready” he asks gently.

“Of course” Chen answers full of confidence.

“Really, you’re not nervous about singing the national anthem in front of the whole entire graduating class and their parents” Xiumin asks.

“I’ve sung it before at football games this year, plus if I get nervous I’ll just have to find your face in the crowd” Chen says making Xiumin speechless.

“Minnie we have to leave in the next two minutes, your father needs to go to the gas station” Xiumin heard his mother yell from down the stairs.

“Hey I’ve got to go I’ll find you when I get there okay” Xiumin asks into his phone as he picks the gown up with his left hand.

“Sounds good, see you in a bit” Chen says and Xiumin can practically see the smile on the other’s face as he ends the call before running down the stairs and jumping into the car.

While his father pumps the car full of gas Xiumin leans his head against the glass of the window, mindful of his recently styled hair, and thinks back on his high school experience. A small smile makes its way onto his lips as he thinks of the way it directly mirrors a roller coaster ride. To the excitement and buildup of finally getting on the coaster and going up for the first drop that was his first month of freshman year. The first big drop that was Luhan’s betrayal followed by the many tiny twists and turns that closely relate to his remaining time in freshman year and much of his sophomore year of high school. Then he thought of the second big build up for a drop that was even bigger than the first one. The buildup that was his short stint as a photographer and black mailer followed by the major drop and fall out that was revealing his actions to those he had hurt.

As his father pulled away from the gas station Xiumin thought about how each person he had told the truth to had reacted differently and how the battle to win the people he had slowly began to consider friends back resembled the last mixed in cluster of jerky turns and rolls of a roller coaster ride. As the family car pulled up in front of the school he couldn’t hold back the hope that the rest of the ride would be just the hiss and break of the ride; in all honesty he was ready for the crazy roller coaster known as high school to be over.

“Alright son, good luck, we will be back in an hour and a half for the ceremony” his father says as Xiumin pushed open the car door.

“Are we still going to dinner with your friends parents after this” his mom asks.

“Yes mom my boyfriend and his family are still planning on meeting us for dinner afterwards” Xiumin says correcting his mother’s mispronunciation of Chen’s title.

“Yay, Chen is so funny” his youngest sister says with a clap of her hands.

“Don’t be nervous Minnie” his other sister says with a smile as they all wave before pulling away. Xiumin waves back before starting his walk towards the giant school auditorium.

He thinks back to his mother’s words as he trudges towards the auditorium. He wonders if it is some sort of punishment for what he had done the year before that his mother is so against his and Chen’s relationship, but at the same time he is grateful that she and his father is partially understanding; claiming it to be some type of phase, instead of totally tossing him aside. He shudders to think of what his life would be like if they had tossed him out like Baekhyun’s father or D.O.’s grandmother even though they are all agreed, D.O. included, that she was just looking for a final reason to toss him out.

“Xiumin” Tao’s familiar voice yells before Xiumin feels the other’s arms wrapped around him in a hug. “I’m so nervous, aren’t you nervous, you’re probably not nervous you’re way too cool” Tao talks in quick sentences not allowing XIumin word in edge wise as he rambles. Xiumin lets out a small chuckle at the totally opposite person Tao has become since they had originally met. “Krissy” Tao calls as they both walk into the auditorium and just like he had appeared Tao had disappeared into Kris’s embrace.

“Hi Kris” Xiumin says with a small wave to the other who is still slightly cold towards hin earning a nod of the head in response. “I’ll see you later Tao” Xiumin says with a chuckle before walking off in search of Chen.

While walking he feels hands cover his eyes an instantly freezes.

“Guess who” a voice he recognizes instantly whispers near his ear.

“Chen” Xiumin says with a smile as he lifts his hands up and pulls Chen’s from his eyes.

“Well I was looking for my super-hot and perfect boyfriend, but I guess I can accept Xiumin as well” the other says and Xiumin turns around to see one of