▼▲▼ A prom…? That sounds interesting. My thoughts averted to Nara, and I found myself smiling.

Chen

I arrived at school extra early this morning. The corridors were deserted except for a few students peppered here and there. Even Baekhyun and Chanyeol hadn’t arrived. I checked my watch – it was only six forty-five. Still a long time before school was going to start.

I rummaged in my backpack and fished out an envelope and a bar of chocolate. As usual, I made my way to where the lockers usually were, and went to a certain locker. A card on the locker printed the words OH NARA. Looking around to make sure no one was around, I slipped the envelope into her locker, stuck the bar of chocolate onto her locker and quickly made my way away.

It had been a year since I started leaving notes for Nara; I had left those anonymous so she didn’t know who the sender was. I didn’t know what I would get through this, but I did it anyway.

I didn’t know since when I had grown to have a crush on Nara. Maybe it was when I met her for the first time in a grocery store where she was buying an ice-cream. Or maybe, it was during last year’s summer camp when she asked me about where her friends had gone because they had forgotten about her as they were busy admiring shirtless men on the beach.

But I didn’t care. All I know was that I liked her. Nothing else mattered.

One might say that Nara was ordinary looking, but in my eyes she was beautiful. Sure, Eunji was much prettier than her, but Nara was beautiful too, in her own way. But I doubt if she had noticed it. She was always standing in Eunji’s shadow.

I wanted to tell her that she was beautiful, but I couldn’t. She might think of me as a weird person if I complimented her out of the blue, like that time I did in her house. Maybe I could do so when she accepted me as her boyfriend, but that was a long, long way to go.

I smiled to myself. I was actually looking forward to seeing her today. Without realizing it, I was closer to Nara these days, thanks to Baekhyun and Eunji. I patted myself on the chest and took a few deep breaths. I need to calm down.

My thoughts averted to my friends, and I thought for a while. Where should I wait for Baekhyun and Chanyeol today? It would be centuries before they would arrive, and I need someplace to while those moments. I dithered for a moment or two, and made my way to the library, a place where I seldom set foot in.

As I entered the library, I noticed that it was far more crowded than usual. Almost every table was occupied. This was quite unusual as the students seldom visit the library before school hours. A frown crossed my face and I ducked behind a bookshelf. Being the centre of attention was not my intention at the moment.

The whispers were getting louder and louder as the minutes passed, and I couldn’t help but to feel that something was up. Usually Kris, the librarian, would not tolerate such things. He was one of the strictest librarians in school and preferred the library to be so quiet that you can hear it when a pin drops on the ground.

I scanned the library and found the tall frame of Kris at the other side of the library, talking to some girls who were blushing madly. I had to rub my eyes to make sure that I was seeing right. Kris never speaks a single word in the library, let alone several full sentences. What had gotten into him today?

The more I observe everything, the more I felt that something was up. I approached a student who was sitting by herself in the corner of the library and tapped her shoulder. “Err… Do you mind telling me what is going on? The library is bustling with noise today…”

I had barely finished my sentence when the student looked up, frustration written all over her face. “Didn’t you see the notice?” she snapped.

I must have looked surprised, because the girl gave a sigh and ran her left hand through her hair. “I’m sorry…” she muttered. “I’m just being stressed lately. Well, there is going a be a prom – I don’t know when it will be held – and everyone is excited about it. That’s all.”

I arched an eyebrow. “A prom? Seriously?”

“Yes,” she replied, “I don’t have a speck of interest in such things though.”

“Where have you seen the notice?” I asked.

The girl sent me a frustrated look in which I fathomed at once. “Alright, I’ll look for it by myself. Thanks for the information though.”

I left quickly and slipped out of the library. A sigh escaping my lips, I decided to begin my search.

A prom…? That sounds interesting. My thoughts averted to Nara, and I found myself smiling.

I looked about the corridors for any sign or notice of the prom, but neither was in sight. I hummed as I went on slowly. I still had a lot of time, so what’s the rush?

After I covered nearly half of the school, I finally saw the poster everyone was talking about. Joonmyeon was busy putting them up with Yixing, whose hands were full with a huge stack of poster by his side.

Joonmyeon shot me a smile as I walked towards them. “It’s been quite some time since we had spoken, right?”

I laughed. “Of course. I haven’t seen you these days. You are busy with whatever competition that’s going on…”

“Debate competition,” Joonmyeon corrected me, and returned his gaze to the poster he was currently putting up. “Have you decided who will you bring to the prom?”

Nervous, I scratched the back of my head. “Well, I’ve been thinking of someone lately…”

Joonmyeon laughed and patted me on my back. “That’s great! I haven’t seen you bring anyone to a prom before. Don’t tell me her name though; I want it to be a surprise when that night arrives.”

I found myself blushing bright red, and let out another nervous laugh. “Who are you planning to bring, then?” I tried to avert the topic. “I’m sure many girls would like to go with you.”

Sure enough, I could spot a few girls at the corner, stealing a few glances at Joonmyeon.

Joonmyeon, however, shook his head. “I have someone else in mind,” he said, and motioned his head towards Yixing. A slight flush coloured Yixing’s cheeks.

“Shush, Joonmyeon, I don’t want anyone to know…”

“It’s alright; I don’t think Chen would mind, right?” Joonmyeon smiled, and ruffled Yixing’s hair. I could hear Yixing muttering ‘stop it’ under his breath as he tried to set his hair.

I looked at the affectionate scene before me and gave an awkward cough. “Sure, I won’t mind at all… Well, I better get going and leave you guys alone.”

Joonmyeon waved goodbye good-naturedly and Yixing gave me a small smile. I made a mental note about the date and venue of the prom and left quickly, hoping not to disrupt them both.

Nara

Chen was leaning on my locker waiting for me when I arrived at school. His face brightened with a smile when he saw me.

“Good morning,” I said. “You are extraordinarily early today.”

“I think so too,” Chen replied, still smiling. I rolled my eyes, and a laugh escaped him.

I eyed him suspiciously. “What are you laughing about?”

“Nothing,” Chen said, and his laughter died out as abruptly as it had come. I observed him – he was fiddling with his clothes, and his eyes were turned in another direction. This could only mean one thing; he had something on his mind and was probably debating whether he should open his mouth. Although it had only been a month since we actually get to know each other, I knew some of his habits (some in which Baekhyun had told me in a low tone during one recess so that Chen wouldn’t hear him).

“Spill it out,” I told Chen.

“What?” Chen looked startled.

I couldn’t help but to roll my eyes again. “It’s evident that you have something on your mind. Just spill it out.”

“Oh,” Chen blinked in surprise. His gaze lowered to the floor and he hummed under his breath. After a few seconds he looked up at me. “Well, for your information, there will be a prom at the end of this month, which is two weeks away. And I’m thinking… Can you be my partner?” He gave an awkward cough, ”For the prom, I mean.”

I was too surprised to even respond. I could only stare blankly at him.

“I know it sounds weird. It’s okay if you don’t want to go with me. I don’t mind…”

Chen looked a bit flustered as he dismissed the topic.

A prom? My thoughts ventured to Chanyeol for no reason, and I caught myself. Chanyeol has a girlfriend; he would be going with Minah. Seeing the hopeful look in Chen’s eyes, a smile found its way to my lips.

“Of course I would like to go with you,” I said.

Chen’s eyes brightened as if he was a child who had found his stockings stuffed with presents on Christmas morning. He was about to open his mouth to voice a reply when Eunji butted in.

“Did I hear it wrongly? You are going to the prom with Chen?” Her eyes were as wide as saucers, her small hands gripped firmly in Baekhyun’s big ones.

“Apparently, yes.” Chen replied, and sent me a warm smile.

“That’s good! Baekhyun and I are going too. Maybe someday we can go for a double date,” Eunji chirped, her voice bubbling with excitement.

Chen and I exchanged awkward glances. “We are not in a relationship,” we both said at the same time.

Eunji laughed. “You will never know,” she trilled.

Chen turned to Baekhyun and whispered, “What had gotten into your girlfriend today? She sounds a tad bit crazier than her usual self.”

Baekhyun looked quite lost. “I bought her a cup of dark coffee this morning, and she has been like that ever since.”

I whipped my head towards his direction, disbelief written all over my face. “She mustn’t drink coffee in the morning, especially with an empty stomach. It makes her light-headed. And to think that you gave her dark coffee, you just doubled the effect.”

“I never know that,” Baekhyun said weakly.

I shrugged, “I guess you have to put up with her for the entire day then.”

Baekhyun stared at me, his jaw hanging open. “The entire day?”

I nodded solemnly. I could tell that Chen was about to burst into laughter beside me.

“Baekhyun, let’s find Chanyeol and Minah,” Eunji smiled widely as she tugged at his sleeve.  She turned to Chen and me. “Enjoy your time together,” she grinned.

“Good luck,” Chen and I chorused mischievously as a very energetic Eunji dragged a worn-out Baekhyun away.

*****

During lunch, I watched Baekhyun resting his head on his arm. Eunji, however, was still vey exuberant and kept chatting, ignoring Baekhyun’s groans.

 Sooyoung sent Baekhyun a pitiful look as she stuffed with mashed potatoes, ”Poor Baekhyun.”

The corners of my lips lifted. “Remember that time when we are fifteen, and Eunji decided to have a cup of Americano?”

Sooyoung grinned. “Of course. I thought that I would not survive that day. It’s terrible.” She shuddered at the thought.

Both of us burst into fits of giggles.

 Just then Chanyeol and Minah slipped into the seats opposite us. I averted my gaze. The incident a month ago was still etched in my mind. Although I swore vengeance at Minah that time, I dismissed the idea as soon as I was sober. I recalled the terrible things I considered doing towards her that time, and I shivered. How could I even think of those?

However, I still tried my best to avoid Minah. I barely speak to her and often pretended that she was invisible. I could not bring myself to hate her or act cold towards her. So, ignoring her is the best option.

A glint of silver on Minah’s left wrist caught my attention, and I found myself staring at a simple silver bracelet with little charms dangling from it. I had never noticed her wearing it before.

Sooyoung must have seen it too. “That’s quite an elegant bracelet,” she commented.

Minah blushed. “It’s a gift from Chanyeol for our one-month anniversary.”

Hearing this, I tried to suppress the jealousy that was beginning to boil inside me.

“Wow, you are lucky,” Sooyoung said with awe.

“Find a boyfriend then,” Minah joked.

Sooyoung shook her head. “I prefer being single. I don’t think I can afford to carry the responsibilities of being in a relationship. It’s tough sometimes.”

I knew Sooyoung had her reason for doing so. Her parents had divorced back when she was younger, and had witnessed the hardships her parents went through. It occurred to her that being in a relationship needs a lot more than love. Since then she decided that being single was better.

I turned to Chen, but cancelled my intention of starting a conversation with him when I saw him poring over his Physics homework. Thus, I ended up tuning in to Sooyoung and Minah’s conversation.

Baekhyun

When I finally decided that I had gain enough strength to take a bite of any food that I could land my hands on, Eunji’s face loomed in front of me suddenly.

Taken by surprise, I drew back. It was lucky that I was not eating, or I would surely be choking on my food right now. I forced an exhausted smile. “What do you want now, Eunji?”

Eunji had been pestering me the entire day, gabbling non-stop and daring me to do all sorts of silly things. I was downright tired but Eunji was still vibrant with energy. Nara was right after all.

 “Well, I’ve been considering this for a few days,” Eunji began, a glint of mischief reflected in her eyes.

I sighed. “Eunji, what are you up to this time?”

The corners of Eunji’s mouth were curled in slyness. She motioned her chin towards her right. I turned and saw Nara and Chen. Eunji gave me one of her ‘if you know what I mean’ look.

Realization hit me, and suddenly my exhaustion was gone. My mind surged in excitement. “Are you sure we are going to do this?”

“Yes, we are,” Eunji confirmed a confident smile on her face. “We are setting the both of them on a date.”

A grin spread across my face. “Great.”.

“They should have gotten together by now though,” Eunji mused. “So it’s time for us to help them.”

“Of course. We are going to have so much fun,” I added. And I meant it.

So, with great pleasure, both of us put our heads together and began planning.

The ninth chapter is finally up!

I know it's been about half a year since I last updated; I've been really busy with life. Anyways, I'm very thankful for all your continuous support.

Apparently something went wrong with my tumblr and most of my images are gone. So I have to spend quite some time re-doing it.

I'll try my best to update soon though. However it may be at the end of next month because examinations are around the corner. 

I have the entire story planned out already, so I know where this is going. (Which is a good thing. XD)

So, until the next time, Adiós!