Now, now.. Let's see how duckie cope up with the worse days ever.. *chili is being mean to her duckie..* hihi

Eunhyuk keeps a flat serious face all day long ever since Junsu returns to school. He really is at lost at how Junsu’s brain works. His avian breed best friend doesn’t show any slightest remorse of what he had done or he had been through at all. Junsu jumps at him locking Eunhyuk’s smooth porcelain skin neck with his left arm as his greeting while sporting the very typical eukyangyang like he’s the most innocent student in the world.

“Overburned grilled duckbutt!!” Eunhyuk swears as he twists his body encountering Junsu’s too happy bright laughter. “Get off of me, you avian criminal!”

“Wow.. PMSing much, bald brained monkey?” Junsu grins wider. “Race to our desks?” His feet have run even before his sentence finishes.

Eunhyuk runs fast to catch up with the duck boy. But suddenly as Eunhyuk runs behind his fast feet friend, he can definitely saw it. A deft feet appear in a brief second and slips Junsu's fast run in the middle of the hall. Eunhyuk is way too shock if Junsu might suffer concussion or a bleeding head yet his avian friend can manage the slip well enough not to fall and continues his fast stride over his classroom. Inside he breaths a relief and when he wants to catch the culprit, none of the traces are there.

He hasn’t told Junsu about the rumor floating in school. He intentionally didn’t tell Junsu about it before because he didn’t want to dampen Junsu’s grounded situation but seeing how bright Junsu’s smile is this morning, he scolds himself for being too kind.

Right. Let this annoying boy finds it by himself what problem he has landed himself into.

By first break, Junsu already figures out people’s cynical look directed at him. Two teachers drill him with question after question during lesson. If he answers incorrectly, they would parade Junsu’s long record of detention in front of the class, punishing for his wrong answer. He is lectured ten minutes longer than usual for a student who doesn’t do homework standard lecture. Junsu, whose brain could only focus at one time at one moment, needs few long minutes to register that he’s being lectured in front of the class for small mistake. He can’t possibly know all the answers in the world, right? It’s human if he gives wrong one. His other classmates only get a flick on their head for the same mistake while he has to bear long minutes speech blah blah blah. All the teachers teaching his class today applies the somewhat similar method to make his day goes down from okay to very not okay.

During break, he gets pushed and pulled by queuing students. He’s pushed to the last line by group force (scary how girls could be so mean -_-) and when he finally makes it to the counter, the staff in charge ignores him on purpose. Junsu thinks it’s a slip at first but after four times ordering and none even looks at him, he gets it. He’s being the X students for the day. He stomps his feet showing his irritation then walks to his usual corner spot with Eunhyuk. The monkey is busy chewing and checking his phone. it’s like he doesn’t care that Junsu just gets mistreatment by cafeteria staff.

“What a kind hearted person you are.” Junsu scowls in sour mood.

“Bring your own meal tomorrow and the rest of your high school days.” Eunhyuk calmly replies.

“Why is that?”

“Can’t you even read, duck? Look at the sign bar. It’s cafeteria, not some charity market for avian breeds like you.”

Junsu kicks Eunhyuk’s leg under the table. “Shut up!”

“Just saying the obvious.”

Junsu glares. “Should I flash my student card right into your nose, eh?”

“Won’t help much.” Eunhyuk keeps on eating.

“Where’s Sungmin? He has extra hour? I didn’t see him at first break either.”

Eunhyuk chews and swallow the food in his mouth first before answering. “He can’t be seen hanging out with you, stupid.”

That silences Junsu.

“His homeroom teacher especially tells him to pick friends wisely.” Eunhyuk drinks the iced orange syrup. “Library seems a safe place for him. At least he won’t get the cold shoulder from his classmates anymore.”

The avian boy’s eyes are looking (half glaring) at the monkey friend long and dry. “You should have told me about it.”

“Naahh.” Eunhyuk leans forward. “He tried to explain it to his classmates on your behalf. They cornered him and called him names. I told him to drop it. He’s just one against the whole advance class. He said sorry.”

Junsu abruptly stands up. “I’ll go see him.”

“No, you don’t.” Eunhyuk catches Junsu’s arm in time. “This is your first day back to school, Su. You want to sit Sungmin in worse chair?”

“But he’s our friend!!” Junsu’s tone goes up. “How could you let people do that to Sungmin?”

“He’s not our friend.” Eunhyuk’s eyes are serious. “Not for a while till things calm down, okay? You are still in detention.”

“Then shouldn’t you stay away from me too?” Junsu fumes.

“I’m too cool for them.” Eunhyuk pats Junsu’s stiffened shoulder. “You’re welcome. I’m always kind. Skip the long ceremonious thanking speech, will you?”

Eunhyuk is right. By the end of the school hours, Junsu gets more homework than his classmates. The teachers specifically assign him to do twice extra longer papers than the others. Junsu begins to see the dark days ahead of him.

And then there’s rest rooms cleaning!

Who was in the hell had the idea of putting cleaning task in the detention list to do? Junsu so much wants to strangle the inventor. That’s so inhuman. Restrooms a.k.a bathrooms are the dirtiest place anywhere especially in school. Imagine how many body parts have taken advantages and abused this particular room for dirty purposes besides number one and number two human basic demands? Let alone in the changing seasons where cold, cough, vomit and other unspeakable body fluid invade them? Just seeing the brush, the pail, the gloves and the health cleansing bottle pinches sudden headache in Junsu’s head. And the entire floor at that too! God Lord have mercy!

The worst part is yet to come.

“You have to finish your detention first before rejoining baseball practice.”

“But coach Woo..

“I’m still reconsidering your membership remembering your previous contributions toward our team. Don’t make me change my mind.”

Junsu bites his lower lip. “Y-yes, coach.”

“If I hear your name involved in any mess one more time, consider you are officially excluded from our team. You nearly damaged our team's reputation. I had to make some adjustments with teacher Park because of your small show.”

Junsu bows at the coach and leaves the baseball camp in empty sad heart. Baseball is one of the best things ever happened in high school and now he is at risk of losing it from his hand. Just how bad is this silence X student punishment? Jenna hasn’t spoken to him. Aunt always mentions Jenna’s skipping school subject whenever Junsu is around making his guilt double up. Sungmin can’t be seen spending break with him and Eunhyuk and now even his most loved sport escape is about to be snatched away from him.

Maybe he indeed had done it too far.

----

“Yo! Janitor! East cubicle number four is dirty!” A group of girls laugh shamelessly as they walk past Junsu who is mopping the staff’s restroom front door. Some plastic wraps are thrown to the wet floor on purpose. Junsu grits his teeth as he bends over to pick the litter up before continuing his interrupted work.

“Oops.” Three pairs of shoes step on the newly mopped floor not far from Junsu. They leave brownish muddy shoeprints on it. The boys laugh jeering at the newly appointed student-janitor.

Hold it on. Hold it on. If he bites the bait, he’ll get prolonged cleaning up detention. It’s a week already. He just needs to hold it back for another week then he’s free of the cleaning up task and he could rejoin baseball practice.

“Hey, gangster, you forget this!” The pail containing dirty water is kicked down spilling the content everywhere. Some even splashes onto his trouser uniform.

Junsu tightens his grip over the brush in his hand. “Thanks for reminding.” He rises up slowly from his crouching down position. “Anything else?”

The boys step back a bit. Junsu might not want to get into further trouble but from what they saw in school online forum’s video is no joke. One person beating a junior without slight mercy. It took four people to stop him. They may bully him now because everyone else in the school is doing the same but they have to be cautious too.

“Let’s go. It stinks here.” One of them who is closer to the restroom door calls out. The boys leave immediately.

“Kids these days.” Junsu mutters. “Wait till we hit senior year. I’ll show you how to prank properly.”

Or maybe, he doesn’t have to wait till senior year comes.

----

“Take it down, hyung.”

“Take what down?” Jaejoong places book after book on the shelf. “Speak clearly, Min.”

“The video you posted on school online forum! Aren’t you going too far?”

The senior model student places the last thick book in his arm on the shelf before he climbs down the ladder facing the first year student face to face. “If you mean the video of annual book club outing ad, I won’t. It’s already approved by Mr. Kang. Why the sudden fuss?”

“Not that one. The cafeteria video!” Changmin’s tone is forceful. “How did you get that recorded video? I thought all recording ones have been deleted by the school authority. How can you keep one and post it online?”

Jaejoong tilts his head. “I don’t understand what you are saying.”

Changmin feels like pulling Jaejoong’s collar. “The Junsu video! You posted it, didn’t you?”

“The Junsu video?” Jaejoong frowns. “Posted? Where?”

“Don’t play innocent, hyung. I know it’s your doing!” Changmin accuses. “You started the story of Junsu pranking me and now you posted the cafeteria video. That’s not nice, hyung. I was in the video too.”

“Wait.” Jaejoong holds up his hand. “Gimme a sec.” He