~ Chapter Twenty-One: Sorry, Sorry, Sorry ~

The Fallen

Random Rambles: Hi guys~ whoa thanks for the kind comments! I guess I'm writing a lot these days because now I've the time to do so and I've a number of ideas for the story which I don't want to lose, so I write them down asap (>u<)" I'll keep doing my best, everyone! Thank you again for all the support, saranghae <3

***

Suho's note seemed to be burning a hole in my pocket. What should have been a pleasant morning, with me finally being able to set everyone straight about me being a girl, ended in a sense of foreboding that made me nauseous with anxiety. 

Even though we were in the same year, we didn't take the same classes, which I was grateful for. It helped to clear my mind as I tried to relax. This wasn't necessarily easy, since I was trying my best to focus on the math class, whilst preventing from freaking out. Unable to help myself, I reached into my pocket and read the note again. Suho's handwriting was neat, but rushed. You could read his agitation in between the words. What did he want to talk about? The incident? What was he going to do? Oh God, they wouldn't have blabbed, would they? Or was that exactly why he wanted to talk to me? To threaten me not to tell anyone, or something? Was Suho the type of guy to do something like that?

I looked up briefly from the note, gnawing on my bottom lip while the teacher explained something about solving linear equations, or something that required me to think really hard and suffer an aneurysm. Math was not my strong suit.

I glanced at the clock that hung above the door of the class, flinching each time I saw the second hand move. Lunch time was approaching steadily and I wasn't sure whether I was ready for it.

"Jae-hyung," someone suddenly called in a whisper and I looked over to my left. Lee pushed up his glasses and gave a nervous little smile. "Sorry, Jae-noona," he chuckled, blushing a little. "I would put that away if I were you, before seonsaeng-nim finds out," he warned me and I gave him a grateful smile. I folded the note and put it back in my pocket, picking up my pencil instead, pretending to jot down notes. I glanced over at Lee, who looked relieved that I wouldn't bring myself into trouble and he focused on the lesson again, though I noticed him glancing towards me now and then. 

Of course I pretended not to be aware of anything, since I didn't want to embarrass him, but it was rather cute. Lee was younger than me, but because the kid was smart, he took math class with people of my year. When he saw me, he didn't know what to do with himself for a split second. Then, he started apologizing profusely, up to the point that it became awkward. I told him that he didn't need to apologize, rather that it was my fault for not correcting anyone, but he insisted that he should've known.

Everyone was surprisingly accepting after the initial shock wore off about me being a girl. I had half expected some of them to shun me or make fun of me, but they laughed it off and still wanted to get to know me better. Compared to yesterday, I had better hopes of fitting in now, but this thing with Suho still bothered me. Maybe it was best that we talked about what happened and then never speak of it again. At least then I'd have it over and done with.

I flinched noticeably when the bell rang, signaling lunch time. I slowly gathered my stuff, putting everything into my backpack. Suho said I should wait around my locker, but I felt more nervous now.

"Everyone finds out that you're a girl and you're already getting notes with written confessions, huh, noona?" Lee suddenly remarked, a shy smile on his face as he gestured at the note that was in my pocket.

"Oh, trust me, Lee, that was not a confession," I chuckled as we walked out of the class room together.

"Ah, I see. Good- well, not good! I mean, more of a, good to know kind of 'good'- no, wait, I mean, uh..." Lee stammered, clumsily tripping over his words while he rubbed the back of his neck, cringing when he heard what he sounded like. I only lifted my eyebrow at him in question before chuckling goodnaturedly at him.

"I get it," I assured him and patted him on the shoulder. "I got to go right now, but I'll catch you later, okay?" I excused myself and Lee quickly nodded.

"Sure, noona! I'll see you later," he greeted. Giving a short wave, I turned to get to my locker. I was still trying to prepare myself as best as possible, since I've no idea what Suho wanted to say. I was rather pleased that I had to walk the long way back to my locker, since it was at the far end of the hallway, separated from the busier corridors. It gave me the time to gather my thoughts and recollect my nerves, whilst wondering why I was this nervous to begin with. I blamed Suho and his hostile attitude towards me. It was weird that he'd hand me a note like this. Of course it would make nervous!

Upon nearing the hallway where my locker was situated, I slowed the pace and breathed out. "Okay, you can do this. He just wants to talk, that's all. Be cool, don't freak out. He's wearing clothes, so you should be fine," I mumbled to myself, readying myself as I turned the corner, expecting to see him there- except there wasn't anyone there. The hallway was nearly empty since only a few lockers were situated here, but there was no sign of Suho.

Are you kidding me? Was he just joking around?

I carefully looked around, just to make sure, but aside from a couple of girls walking by, there was no glimpse of Suho to be found anywhere. I crossed my arms over my chest and tapped my foot on the floor impatiently. He wasn't here. I looked around rather awkwardly before deciding that I might as well get to my locker to exchange my books for upcoming classes. I walked to locker 1213, wondering whether I should wait for Suho just a bit longer, or just ditch to get food, when I found myself fighting with the door. 

"Aw damn it," I cursed, tugging at the door to pry it open. I dropped my backpack so that I was able to use both my hands. I planted my feet on the ground and pulled, but it wouldn't budge. "Oh, come on!" I gritted my teeth, using all my strength. The door refused to move and I sighed, leaning my forehead against the locker in defeat.

Out of the blue, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and before I peeled myself away from the locker door, a jolt of static electricity zapped my forehead for no reason at all and I jumped back, rubbing my head.

"Ow! What the-?"

"Your locker giving you grief, Newbie?"

Startled at hearing the familiar voice, I turned around to see the smiling kid with high cheekbones, the corners of his mouth tugged up as he beamed at me. Chen. I backed away and blinked when I saw that he hadn't come alone. Before I was even fully aware what was going on, I found myself being surrounded by twelve guys, with different expressions on their faces. Most of them hadn't even looked at me, some of them just glared, and Suho- oh, Suho was there as well, but it was me that glared at him. When he gave me the note I thought that he meant that we should talk alone. Why did he bring his posse with him?

I realized then that I hadn't answered the question yet and snapped back into action. "It's nothing, it's just stuck," I murmured, completely aware of the fact that I was having trouble looking any of them properly in the eye without blushing or turning away whilst feeling utterly embarrassed.

You're off to a great start, Jae!

"You sure about that?" I watched as Suho turned to look at Luhan, who asked me the question. What was it about that guy's eyes that made me feel so out of sorts? They were clear and captivating, but perhaps that was why his stare made me so uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I'm sure," I waved it off, doing my best to keep steady. He lifted an eyebrow at me and leaned to the side to look at my locker behind me.

"Really? It looks open to me," he remarked, gesturing with his eyes to look behind me. Frowning in confusion I did so and my jaw dropped in astonishment.

"Wha...how? The door was jammed just a second ago," I muttered, walking towards it and grabbing the door, getting jolted again. 

"Ow, what is it with the static electricity?" I waved my sore hand, momentarily ignoring the twelve guys looking at me.

Suho cleared his throat so that I turned around again. There was something about the way he behaved and looked that made me think that his mood has worsened. He inhaled and briefly rubbed the back of his neck. "So, I feel that there are a few things that we should discuss," he started, finding the right words. It did me some good to see that I wasn't the only one who felt uncomfortable.

"I didn't-," I spoke up, interrupting Suho as he was just about to continue. "Sorry," I immediately said, but he shook his head and urged me to continue. "Eh, I didn't tell anyone, if that's what you're concerned about," I finished.

"Oh, thank God," someone whispered and it was hard for me not to recognize him. The moment we made eye contact, we glanced away. 'Mr. Bacon' gave a nervous little smile and shuffled back to take shelter behind his taller friend with the toothpaste smile. Chanyeol, if I recalled correctly. He was looking a little nervous himself, fidgeting with the end of his shirt, looking guilty. Not surprising perhaps since he was the one that wanted to 'help' take my clothes off. 

"Good to know," Suho commented, looking just a little bit more relaxed. 

"Yeah...So, eh-," I looked around a little nervously and I saw Luhan narrowing his eyes at me. What was that dude doing?

"So, was that it?" I finally managed to ask. "I'm not gonna tell anyone, or anything. I don't want anyone finding out just as much as you do," I added, hoping that it would get them off my back. Suho nodded, but he glanced at Luhan for whatever reason. Luhan only looked at me, his brow furrowed as if he was frustrated about something. 

"There's one more thing," Suho then said and I looked at him, expectantly. He looked at his friends and they suddenly all straightened themselves. I moved back a little when they bowed and said in unison,

"Sorry for the misunderstanding, please don't hold it against us." 

My mouth was agape since this was the last thing I expected to happen. They finished their apology and waited for a reaction from my part. What was I supposed to say? 

"T-that's okay," I started, this whole situation making me very uncomfortable. "I should've said something sooner." 

"That would've helped," one of them remarked, not holding back to show his disdain towards me. It was the bronze-skinned kid who met my gaze evenly, his hands casually in his pockets as he regarded me. Anyone up for cutting through the tension here?

"Then I should apologize as well," I agreed with him, speaking in a neutral tone to show him that I wasn't reciprocating his disdain towards me. That seemed to surprise him. I gave them a bow. "I'm sorry. I hope we can put this behind us and forget it happened," I stated. "Maybe we could start over?" I suggested, hoping that would break the ice a little. At this, I could see Lay spring up, ready to take me up on the offer, but Suho held him back without even having to look at him. 

"No need for that. What's done is done. What matters is that we've sorted this and we move on with our lives," he answered a little coldly. 

Feeling a little agitated myself now, since I really don't know what I've done to him that made him act like a jerk towards me, I felt my awkwardness and anxiety make way for a little anger. 

"You don't believe in second chances at first impressions, huh?" I asked with a bite. 

"I do, but I don't see the point it in. In the end, it's the very first impression that stays, anyway," he replied evenly and I scoffed, chuckling lightly. 

"That I do agree with," I emphasized, using his own words against him. Suho blinked a few times before giving a curt nod of the head.  

"See you around...Jae," he greeted, abruptly ending the oh-so-pleasant conversation we were having. He turned around to leave, his friends ready to follow him like meek little lambs, but this just rubbed me the wrong way. 

"Did I do something to piss you off, Suho?" I asked bluntly, amazed at my hidden ability to be able to make enemies whilst only being here for barely two days. He stopped walking and turned his head towards me. 

"Not yet," he answered, which didn't give me chills at all, because, I mean, why would it right? I shook my head at him as his friends slowly followed his example by leaving with him. Luhan was still looking at me until his friend, Xiumin, patted him on the shoulder and pushed him along. 

When Lay passed by, he was staring at his friend rather blankly, as though he was confused by all the tension. He shot me a dimpled smile. "See you in class, Jae," he greeted, still somewhat friendly, but cautious as well, somehow. Lay was kind, sure, but there was something strange about him as well. Those guys all acted as though they were hiding something. I can't put my finger on it. 

"See you, Lay," I greeted absently. I jolted slightly when someone tapped me lightly on the shoulder. I backed up when I saw that it was Mr. Bacon himself, still looking apologetic. I don't know how well meant their apology was, but something told me that his was definitely genuine. 

"Hi, sorry, eh, I just wanted to make it clear that I am really sorry," he stammered. "I, uh, you know, I usually buy a girl dinner first, go on dates and stuff," he tried to joke before swallowing. "Sorry, that was- stupid...Okay then..." he bowed again and quickly ran after his friends before I could grace him with a reply. When he was gone, the tall dude with the honey blonde hair came up, his hands folded behind his back. 

"Um..." he started. 

"Yeah, I know," I stopped him, hugging my arms so that my chest was covered. "You really don't have to mention it again- ever," I told him when I saw him nodding, pursing his lips now and then. 

"Just, as long as you know, uh, sorry," he attempted to apologize, his hands stiffly behind his back. 

"It's fine, really," I quickly replied since I did not want the memory of his hands on my chest to come flooding back in, not while he was this close in front of me. 

"Okay, uh, g-good. Eh...You know, just for the record, they're, uh, you know-, there's nothing, um, wrong with them, or anything..." he stammered, a blush painting the tips of his ears. 

"Yeah, you should probably follow your friends," I quickly told him and he nodded, relieved to be excused. 

"Yeah, uh, good talk," he pointed after his friends and quickly joined them. I watched him speed walk towards them and just shook my head. Well, that happened...

"Told you they were idiots." 

D.O. was probably the only one that didn't give me creepy vibes, even though he was a bit difficult to read. It did some good to see him smile lightly at me, though. 

"Yeah, you were not wrong," I jested. "Are they always like this?" I asked, feeling more at ease around my ex-tour guide. 

"Ah, well-,"

"D.O., come on," Suho called, waiting for D.O. to move. Geez, impatient much?

"Some other time," D.O. excused himself. 

I chuckled in disbelief. "What, is he your boss or something? The leader of the gang?" I jested, but caught the strange little smile on his lips. 

"Bye, Jae," he only greeted and walked. I watched him walk away, ignoring Suho who was waiting for him whilst keeping an eye on me, when D.O. suddenly turned around, walking backwards only so that he could still look at me. 

"By the way, I take it back," he said. 

"Take what back?"

"What I said," he appraised me briefly. "You definitely look like a girl." And with that, he left with Suho to the cafeteria. 

I'm not sure what just happened, but I did know that D.O.'s remark was rather sweet, I guess. "Oh, what is it with this school?" I murmured, staring at my mysteriously opened locker door. That was definitely weird. I knew that I couldn't open the thing, no matter what I did. I may not be strong, but I sure as heck wasn't weak either. That door was jammed. 

"How did you open?" I mused. 

"Jae-yah, Jae-yah!" a sweet voice rang in the air and when I looked to the side, Lili's head peeked around the corner, waving her hand excitedly towards me, motioning for me to come to her. A little confused, I grabbed what I needed and pushed the locker shut before meeting Lili. 

I was surprised to see that she was not alone. A bunch of girls had gathered around with smiles on their faces, looking very enthusiastic when they saw me. What did I miss this time?

"Hi everyone," I started. They replied with cheerful chattering, which overwhelmed me to say the least. 

"Everyone, this is Jae-yah, formerly known as Jae-sshi, when I thought she was a boy," Lili giggled. When the girls waved at me, I did the same, just a fraction slower since I wasn't sure what was going on. 

"Nice to meet all of you," I said politely, a stiff smile on my lips. 

"Were you just talking to Kai?" one of them suddenly asked and I frowned. Which one was Kai?

"Oh, and Sehun as well?"

"I know you spoke with Luhan! They were all gathered around you, I'm so jealous!"

Upon hearing these statements, I directed myself towards Lili who blushed a little. "Sorry, we couldn't help but notice that you were talking to them," she uttered the word 'them' as though it was sacred and I had the urge to back away slowly and not make a sound. 

"Oh, that? Yeah, it was nothing really interesting," I immediately dismissed, hoping that they wouldn't ask for more details. 

"Not interesting? They couldn't stop looking at you!" one of them piped up. 

"I'm not sure that's the case," I defended, now mentally fighting the urge to run away. 

"Are you kidding? Each of us would die for them to notice us. You're here barely two days and all twelve of them give you attention. What's your secret?" Lili sounded like she was just playing around, but the look of determination in her eyes kind of scared me. 

"I-it's not like that, I mean-," something clicked in my mind as I looked at these fresh-faced girls. Perhaps it was evil of me, but this could work to my advantage... "Say, you girls know those guys?" I asked as nonchalantly as possible. 

"Duh," they giggled. Lili even smacked me playfully on the arm. "Everyone knows who they are," she stated matter-of-factly. 

There was a little devil laughing in the back of my mind. "Is that so?" I mused. "Are you girls up for some pizza? My treat," I offered, to which they enthusiastically agreed to. Lili linked her arm over mine while I subtly started asking questions about the so-called majestic twelve. It may have been a bit underhanded on my part, but at the same time I rather enjoyed hanging out with just girls. And if this gave me the opportunity to get to know more about those guys, then I'm taking it. 

I wanted to know why they were on edge when they were around me, and more importantly, I wanted to know what tied those twelve together. They seemed like such an odd combination of personalities that I found it hard to believe that they were close friends. But there they are, I thought, seeing them having lunch together. The Majestic Twelve.

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Nin-Nin
Hi guys~ my first original ebook is available on Amazon and I'm having a lot of feels. If you have the time, check out my previous blog post for more details - I'd appreciate the support <3 Thank you and have a lovely weekend! Love, Nin-Nin

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Wanderer_bj
#1
I don't even know how many times I have read this.😍
BeckyBooGirl
#2
Chapter 4: This is one of my favorite exo fanfic. I have read this story 5 or 6 times already and still love it like i did when I first read it❤
InspiritCarolyn
#3
This is one of those fics I can come back to again and again without getting tired of re-reading it. Each time I read it, I love it the same as the first time.
aonani_k
#4
Chapter 109: I finished it once again and as before, I enjoyed reading such a great story. Hope all is well. :)
aonani_k
#5
Chapter 2: It's been years since I read the story and today I just felt like re-reading it! Glad it's still here. :)
Sehixneeo
#6
Chapter 109: Argh, I will never ever forget this story. Ever. 🥺💛
Jaerin
#7
Chapter 109: This story will always be one of my favorite, a masterpiece 🤧💞❤️
Pxnellyxq #8
Chapter 107: WHAT IM LEGITIMATELY SHOCKED AND TEARING UP
Pxnellyxq #9
Chapter 100: why is the white wolf making me feel emotional :///
Pxnellyxq #10
Chapter 61: Stinky kumiho