OFFICIALLY WAR

"I'm having a party," Sehun announced a coupe of days later when we were both 'working' together. I'm not even sure what our cover was that time because we weren't even doing homework. We were both just sitting there, staring off into the distance and thinking about how we would have rather been anywhere else but at work. "My cousin is coming in from England, but I really don't want to take him to do all of the touristy stuff in Seoul and there's nothing to do in here other than binge drink and question your life decisions, so I've decided that I'm just going to get everyone roaringly drunk instead." 

I wasn't sure how to respond to that because I wasn't sure if Sehun was inviting me to this party or if he was just telling me about his life. That is how you know that I'm a nerd, I actually have to think about that kind of thing. 

"Oh," was all I said in response. 

"Except I'm not very good at putting things together, so I told Yixing hyung that I'd handle the guest list if he got the venue and everything under control," Sehun carried on. Zhang Yixing was also very popular, a friend of Kyungsoo, and I'm still not sure if Yixing went to school with me or not. But that's not really important to anything other than my general nosiness. Sehun looked at me. "But there's not a lot of people in Hanyang. Noona, do you think that people will go if I invite them?" 

Okay, so I was going to take this to mean that I'd already been invited to this gathering and that I was not going to get a proper invitation. I mean, if cool kid parties even had paper invitations anymore. I think that everything was done electronically now. 

"Of course people are going to go to a party that has your name attached to it," I answered earnestly. I wasn't lying with that one, Sehun was one of the most genuine people that I knew and he had no enemies. You just couldn't not like the kid. He didn't do anything wrong, plus, he would help me with Statistics homework (do it for me) without me even asking. "People love you, Sehun-ah." 

"That's what I thought until Minah had that party and I wasn't invited. Maybe I'm losing my touch," he let out a sad sigh. So these were the kinds of problems that Sehun had. I always wondered what it was that he got upset about. I mean, other than being hungry, excessive amounts of homework, and his baseball team losing, which was something that they seemed to do a lot because I'd never actually heard Sehun say that they'd had a good season. But losing his touch with the people seemed like a valid fear to have when you were someone as social and likable as he was. 

"I'm pretty sure that Minah only invited me to that party to spite me." I mean, not to make it about myself or anything, but it really was the only reason that I could think of in which Minah wanted to see me. She had to enact her revenge at some point and nearly a year had passed. We were friends for a while, I knew how long she could hold a grudge. "And I bet that she didn't invite you because she was afraid that you would steal the spotlight and we all know how much she loves being the centre of attention." And again, I still wasn't lying. 

Sehun paused, thinking it over. "Are you sure?"

This was new. I never thought that I would be the one that would ever have to reassure Sehun about anything. Normally it happened the other way around. 

But thankfully I'm a good enough friend to be prepared to give someone a pep talk whenever they needed it. It was only fair because everyone was always talking me out of my own neurotic breakdowns that happened around once a day. 

And Sehun had no enemies, so, still, I was not lying. 

"Oh my god, Sehun-ah, I swear that you haven't lost your touch and that everyone is going to go to your party. Um, yours and Yixing's party. Yours and Yixing's party that you're throwing for your English cousin. When did you get an English cousin, anyway? I mean, you know what I mean, but you should have told me this earlier and I would have helped you come up with something to do. Throwing an entire party sounds stressful." Or it did to me because I'd never thrown a party before. 

Well, no, one time I brought my Grandma a tiramisu cake, but I highly doubt that that was on the level of the party that Sehun was throwing. 

Sehun shrugged. "Planning a party is easy. It's the waiting for people to show up that's the hard part." Well, that seemed logical enough. "And I didn't want to tell you because I knew that you had a lot going on with school and breaking up with Kyungsoo hyung and stuff." 

Aw, that was actually really sweet. I mean, it still that I didn't get to help out, but that was nice that he had at least thought about what I was going through. It meant that our friendship meant a lot to him. Of course, there was also the chance that he didn't want my help because he knew how lame I was, but I liked the first option a lot more. 

"Besides, Jongin helped out with a lot of the stuff as well," Sehun went on to say. 

Wait. This was actually news to me. 

"So is that why Jongin's been on campus so much recently?" I asked, trying my hardest to make it not seem like I was prying for information when I really was because there was seriously no reason for Jongin to be around here that much. It's not even like we're a party school. We're all just nerds with a lot of pent-up feelings. And how long had he been planning this party for? How neglectful was I if I'd never noticed that Sehun was organising something? God, I'm such a terrible friend. 

"Yeah? I think so. Maybe," Sehun shrugged, not confirming anything. "I didn't think that he had been around here all that much." 

Sehun-ah, were you kidding me? Jongin was on campus more than I was. You had to have been questioning it. 

"I mean, he normally just told me who the best people were to invite so that the party would be good and drama free. He's really good at that, you know. Avoiding drama." I nearly swallowed my tongue. Jongin avoiding drama? That was a good on, Sehun. "And then he and Yixing went and found a good venue. I guess that they just took care of all the boring stuff. The only thing that matters is that I'm there to greet people when they arrive. And that my cousin has a good time. It would if he flew across the world just to go to a ty party. So Noona, you have to be sure that people are going to have fun. Are you sure that they're going to have fun?" 

I don't think that anyone had valued my opinion this much ever, and I literally ended an engagement because I had a crush on a boy. I felt so powerful and yet so irrelevant at the same time because, at the end of the day, my definition of a good party involved baby animals and I knew that that was not the theme that Sehun was going for. 

"People are going to have a great time," I said again, hoping that this time he actually believed it. "Why wouldn't they? It's not like you're starting World War III." 

I don't know why it was the war analogy that was the one that got Sehun out of his little funk, but it worked because he leaned back in his chair and grinned at me. "You're right. It's going to be a lot of fun. So you and Chorong Noona are going to go, right?" 

Hallelujah. So now we could actually confirm that my presence was actually wanted at this party. I wasn't really too sure of why because typically nothing good comes out of being at a nightclub with me, but maybe this was different. 

Maybe this time, things were finally going to change. 

***

The main reason that I needed more friends was because I needed to stop dragging my extremely pregnant best friends to parties that were full of rowdy, intoxicated college students. 

Of course, Chorong always agreed when I told her that I wanted to go places with her. And if she didn't agree, she would make sure that I was fully aware of it. But still, it didn't seem like the brightest idea. 

Chorong was adamant that she wanted to go to this party because it was being thrown by Zhang Yixing, who was apparently a legend (I never leave my apartment so I can't add anything to that) and Sehun, who was one of our best friends. She also said that her baby liked parties more than she did and that was when I started wonder if she was taking too many of her prenatal vitamins. 

I wasn't too sure if I actually wanted to be there, and that was sad if someone who hadn't even born yet wanted to be there more than I did. The last time that I had been at a nightclub was right after Kyungsoo and Minah had annouced their engagement. Well, no, I had been to like, two more other than that time, but now I could never be in one without thinking of that rather unfortunate night. Also, I was having a really weird hair day where my hair wasn't super curly but it also wasn't straight and I knew that it had to be a sign for something. 

We were barely through the door of the club that the party was being hosted at when Sehun stumbled over to us, flinging his arm around mine and Chorong's shoulders, an opened beer can in each hand. 

"Ya made it!" He slurred. Sehun drunk was basically the same as Sehun sober, he just didn't enunciate his words as much. Either way, Sehun in all forms is pretty much adorable to be around. "And Rong Noona, you brought the baby!" He cheered, gesturing towards her stomach. "What a little rager already!" 

Chorong laughed, rubbing her stomach adoringly. Okay, this had to be have been going against some sort of pregnany rules. "So, where's this English cousin of yours?" 

"Donghae hyung? I, ah, I don't really actually know right now," Sehun admitted, looking over his shoulder for his relative but instead waving at a couple people that he knew. There were a lot of people there; I wasn't surprised that he wasn't able to pick someone out in the crowd. "I'm sure that you'll find him eventually. He's probably the only English here. But I'm really glad that you guys came. Have you seen Xing yet?" 

'Xing' is another term for Yixing. It's a nickname that his friends call him. Yixing and I are not friends, so I cannot call him that. But, believe me, the moment that I get the green light, that is definitely what I will address him as.

"We haven't seen him," I answered. I wonder if Sehun was too drunk to realise that we'd just walked through the door. He didn't seem like he was that drunk, but Sehun could definitely take a few.

"Oh, that's fine. Everyone else is here, like Minseok hyung and Jongin and Kyungsoo hyung and everyone else." Haha at 'everyone else' because Minseok thought (knew) that I was a stalker, Jongin was just a creep, and I was constantly torn between wanting to see Kyungsoo and wanting for him to disappear. This party was a bad idea. This was the last time that I put myself on the line for a friend. "But not Minah, though. She's not invited." So, I guess that it was worth noting that Sehun was still bitter about that.

"My baby just kicked in appreciation," Chorong nodded.

"I'll drink one for him," Sehun grinned, untangling his arms from us and walking backwards into the crowd. "Have fun, ladies! And Chorong Noona's baby!"

Sehun then disappeared into the mob of people. I would probably not see him again for the rest of the night. It wasn't his fault, though, because that's what happens when you are wildly popular. It just for me because now that meant that I was either going to have to mingle or I was going to have to keep to myself. Well, I mean, I had Chorong. And Chorong's baby, but I wasn't really going to count him in this one.

"We can go now," I turned to Chorong once I'd waited a few seconds to confirm that Sehun was never going to be seen again. "We showed Sehun that we support him in all that he does. We don't have to wait around anymore."

Chorong frowned. "Avery, we're at a party."

Um, duh. I was fully aware of our location.

"Yeah, I know," I gave her a clueless look. "But the mission has been completed. We're free to leave."

My best friend rolled her eyes so powerfully that I could almost sense her unborn baby rolling it's eyes as well. "If we put in all of the effort to get ready to go to this party, we are going to stay for more than twenty minutes."  

"That's really unnecessary," I replied, even though I knew that it was even more unnecessary for Chorong to have nearly scalped me just so that my hair would look presentable enough for me to be able to stand in the middle of a crowded room and not gather any unwanted attention. In case you haven't yet noti