chapter two | over buns and pizza

EXO K - THUNDER

Her mother had begun to question her as soon as she entered the house. Asking her how it went, if she made any new friends and all of the questions parents usually ask their kids on their first day of school. Her reply was simple, “It was fine”, and ran upstairs to her room.  And it was, it was fine— it wasn’t any worse or better than she assumed it would be.

She plopped down on her bed with a thud, her hand running through her dark hair. Ahri was more than thankful that her first day of school was over with but that doesn’t mean she was prepared for the rest of the days to come.

It was her first day of school but she had already received an adequate amount of homework to do and was informed by her various subject teachers that there were projects that she had to catch up on. This in the simplest form meant that she couldn’t mess around at all. Time sure wasn’t being a sweetheart but instead she was the biggest that Ahri ever knew.

Ahri took her school books out of her bag placing them neatly on her desk, arranging her highlighters and pens beside them. There was one thing with her: she couldn’t work efficiently if things were unorganized.

She decided that she would do her physics homework; pulling out her Physics book she remembered the blond haired boy. She couldn’t understand how they touched and she didn’t see anything, how she couldn’t read his mind. And wasn’t aware of how this entire circumstance should make her feel. Either relieved or startled.

At lunch she decided to eat outside, something told her that if she even dared to walk into that cafeteria all eyes would be on her. To be honest Ahri was familiar with it by now, people staring at her wherever she went. Constantly judging her because of the various rumors about the accident: like it was actually her driving and she was drunk (by the way she never drank before). That was the most popular one and it wasn’t any of her business if people decided to believe it.

Her eyes searched for an area to sit, and spotted an empty bench not too far away from the outside basketball court. She walked over to it and sat down placing her bag on the other side reaching into it to pull out a bun and a Capri sun. Her mother had pressed her to bring more than just a bun to school for lunch but Ahri insisted she had a pretty good feeling that she wouldn’t even have much of an appetite today.

But wasn’t she wrong. She was starving and wished for once she actually listened to her mom. Eyeing the bread she exhaled a heavy sigh, “Why am I so stubborn?” and took a big bite of it.

Staring out into nothing but an empty space she saw the figures of boys dancing their way onto the basketball court, their voices loud while they looked like they were arguing over something. Ahri hissed, and pulled out her iPod and plugged the earphones into her ears. Cause’ right now she didn’t want to hear them.

Some were shooting hoops and others were just standing on the side chatting and once in a while hitting each other. None of them seem to notice her presence, and for that she was happy.

Ahri took one last bite of her bun and crumbled the wrapper in her hand. One of the guys almost turned their head back so quickly it looked like it was going to break. His hair was spikey and his cheeks had look like those of a baby, he was cute. But his eyes were squinted; he looked like he was trying to see more clearly. A shiver ran down her spine, but her face stayed emotionless and finally he broke their stares and resumed talking with the other two boys as if nothing just happened.

This is what she would like to think, that nothing just happened so just ignored it and started to drink her bag juice, focused on the song that was playing in her iPod.

“Kai you’re late. We had to start without you”, the tallest boy of them all shouted after he just made a shot.

The other just rubbed the back of his neck and nodded, “Yeah sorry about that. My class got out late again. I haven’t even eaten yet. , I’m starving.”

“Want me to come to the cafeteria with you?”

He shook his head, “No—” he looked around and noticed Ahri sitting down and reading “—I rather eat out here today”. The other boy just nodded slowly a bit confused. The corner of Kai’s lip lifted up into what could be considered his infamous smirk.  

Ahri was too engrossed into her book and music to even notice the figure that just sat down beside her on the bench. He pulled out the earphone from her ear and whispered, “You do know that those are—” his breath caressing her ear “—illegal right?”

She didn’t need to turn around to know who it was, his voice still dripping from the same ecstasy it had this morning. Still she couldn’t resist it.

Her head turned to face his and to her surprise his head didn’t move with her turning around. Their faces were now too close for comfort. Somehow, she managed to keep her cool and stare deeply into his eyes.  “What are you the school police”, her voice drenched in sarcasm.

After a while he pulled back, his face was in complete seriousness. “Actually, I am on the school council. And despite you being new, I think I might have to give you a detention.” He started to search in his bag, “I think I have my detention slips somewhere in—”

“Wait…what”, she cut him off startled. It was her first day back and she was seriously going to get a detention? He turned around, his eyes searching her eyes they were pleading for him to just let her off.  “Don’t please? I really never knew.” That was a lie; of course she knew.

The seriousness that once took control of his face now faded away and Ahri watched as a smile tugged at the corners of his lips and laughter engulfed him. Her face turned red as she realized that he was laughing at her. “…Jerk”, she hissed and picked up all of her things walking away.

 “Ahri wait”, she heard him calling after her there was no hint of laughter in his voice anymore but she just continued to walk away. He jogged in attempt to catch up to her, and stopped right in front of her hope that she would stop walking.

And she did. “Why do you keep bothering me?—” no reply “—what do you want?” Their shoulders rubbed past each other as she continued to walk away.

He grabbed her wrist, again, “I’m sorry…I was just trying to make you laugh”, his voice sincere.

She looked at his strong hand delicately wrapped around her fragile wrist, looked back at him.

There was nothing again, no image, nothing.

She searched his eyes, a part of her hoping that maybe she could read his mind if she tried and could understand why he was so eager to befriend her.

Then there was nothing, just silence.

Ahri pulled away, her voice calm as she stared at her feet, “Just leave me alone. Okay?”

She grunted in frustration slamming her highlighter down on the open book, she was overthinking the entire thing. Maybe this was just a good sign that she was controlling her abilities. Although, it was only him, everyone else, she could meet she could read their minds and see their past. But it was just him.

After she got out of the hospital she even tried to google it, but she got nothing. One thing was for sure, she wasn’t a freaking vampire. Hell, she didn’t even have fangs.

And she couldn’t even tell her family because they would probably check her in an asylum and she didn’t want that, for her family either. She knew she was disappointing them, but she couldn’t do anything less or anything more. This was who she was now and even if she hated it there was absolutely nothing that she could do about it.

▣     ◬     ▣

The boys were all in the living room of Suho’s house. They had ordered pizza for the second time in a row this week mainly because Kyungsoo had become lazy to cook the past two days. They all were spread out between the three couches in the living room.

“So, what was up with you today Kai” Chanyeol asked as he walked into the room with the pizza and placed it in the middle of the coffee table.

“What do you mean”, he looked at Chanyeol curiously and then reached for a slice of cheese pizza. Everyone gazes were on Kai as he bit into his pizza.

The dark haired boy sat down on the floor crossing his legs, “Oh stop bullting Kai. The girl at lunch, what was that entire thing about?”

“What entire thing?” Chanyeol just stared at him blankly. Kai was more than aware what he was talking about. He just didn’t understand why he was even bringing it up. “She’s new, and looked lonesome so I just talked to her”, he took another bite of his pizza talking with his mouth full, “Besides she’s in my homeroom.”

“Wait are you guys talking about that weird new chick”, Chen barged into their conversation. Kai just simply nodded.

“Did you guys not notice how he went over to talk to her today?” Chanyeol was being more meddlesome than he usually was and to be honest it was already getting under Kai’s skin and he just rolled his eyes.

But Chanyeol knew something, and even though he wasn’t quite sure what is was he felt it odd that Jongin would try to talk to her simply because she was new. He couldn’t explain even to himself but there was just something peculiar going on.

“Shut up”, he muttered under his breath but loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

“Chanyeollie I think your nosy girly side is showing” Baekhyun mocked earning a hard shove making him fall off the couch and on top of Tao. “Yah”, he yelled hitting the tall boy in the back of his head.

Kai focused on the television, although he wasn’t watching or hearing anything. Since the other boy had brought her up he couldn’t help but to think about her.

 Why she was being so cold to him? He was sincerely just trying to talk to her.

 “Why do you keep bothering me?—” no reply “—what do you want?” Their shoulders rubbed past each other as she continued to walk away.

He grabbed her wrist, again, “I’m sorry…I was just trying to make you laugh”, his voice sincere.

Ahri pulled away, her voice calm as she stared at her feet, “Just leave me alone. Okay?”

He was becoming frustrated and he couldn’t understand the reason behind his frustration. He knew it was because of the girl, but, he didn’t know why it was bothering him so much.

Kai got up with a grunt, intending to go up to his room and sleep. All this thinking was doing him any justice. “Going to bed already”, Suho asked.

“Yeah”, and with a nod he disappeared upstairs. 

I know that this chapter isn't that eventful. I'm just trying not to rush things you know. 
I really wanted to include other exo members and I did so, so yay.
I think the next chapter might be a tad longer?
Anyways, comment if you like it please! It's honestly my motivation.