Having earned a harsh scolding last night, I knew I probably looked like a sleep-deprived zombie this morning. With lazy steps, I sauntered into the classroom. I hadn’t even taken two steps inside yet when Eun Byul called out my name. She had her hands up in the air, swinging them back and forth to announce her comeback. I chuckled at her silliness, at the same time delighted to see her back. 

“Yo girl, what’s up? You looking like a mess this morning.” 

I clucked my tongue playfully “Yah! We haven’t seen each other in a week and the first thing you do is criticize my appearance?”

She giggled mischievously “No but seriously what happened? Your under-eye bags are showing. Did you pull an all-nighter?”

I slumped into my seat and breathed a deep heavy sigh then I confessed “Couldn’t sleep last night.”

Eun Byul leaned in closer, carefully studying my expression before she questioned in concern “Is something wrong?”

My mind flashed back to all the incidents that had broke out in just a matter of days. The past week had been rough. Of course during the time we didn’t see each other, we did talk on the phone and I shared most parts of my life with Eun Byul leaving out the bits related to Sehun. I pondered hard over whether or not I should tell her what happened last night at my house. It’s true that I never kept any secret from the girl but I didn’t think it was wise to disclose someone’s family disgrace without their consent. It’s not that I didn’t trust Eun Byul but I just thought that it wasn’t my place to tell her.

“Nothing is wrong. I just couldn’t sleep.” I lied.

She eyed me suspiciously, looking like she was skeptical of my reply. I bet she could sense that something was not right though knowing Eun Byul, I knew that she wouldn’t urge me to spill out the details. That’s what I loved about our friendship.

During class, we didn’t further discuss about me or my life during the period of her absence. Our conversation consisted mostly of Eun Byul complaining about how boring her week had been and how excessively protective her parents were. We were busy chatting while taking notes, our talk occasionally interrupted when the teacher glanced our way. Surprisingly today, I felt that the first half of the day went by faster than usual. I guessed I just really enjoyed Eun Byul's companion I never seemed to realise how time flew by because all of a sudden it was time for lunch break.

“Sunbaenim!”

High-pitched squeals echoed throughout the now relatively empty classroom since most kids had already made a dash for the cafeteria as soon as the bell rang. I turned my head to the doorway to find out what the fuss was all about. My eyes widened in surprise when I saw Oh Sehun standing by the entrance with his uniform worn to perfection though his hair slightly messy and his sharp eyes appeared exhausted.

I snapped out from my thoughts when I felt a nudge from my side so I turned to Eun Byul and saw her eyes fixated on the guy.

“What's he doing here?” She whispered.

I shrugged. Truth to be told, I didn’t know either. Whatever his intention was, I was positive it had nothing to do with me. But boy, was I wrong because I saw him walking over to where I was seated and with a few long strides, he was already standing in front of my desk. I looked up at him, a little nervous when I saw his sharp eyes boring into mine. 

“What?” I snapped.

“Can we talk?” He spoke, his tone impatient and demanding, the kind that wouldn’t take no as an answer. 

Just before I could answer, I saw three of his friends making their way inside my classroom, casually smiling at the welcome squeals my fellow classmates showered them with. 

“Sehun-ah!” Jong In called out, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Hey girls!” Tao waved to us then he looked at Eun Byul and added “Yo how’s life? I heard you were suspended.”

I heard Eun Byul click her tongue though I could tell that she wasn’t actually offended because judging from his teasing tone and playful smirk, the guy was only playing a joke on her.

It turned out that I wasn’t the only one sensing the tension radiating from the man standing before me because I heard Kris clear his throat awkwardly.

“Chae, can we talk?” Sehun repeated and I felt a shiver down my spine as soon as I heard my name roll out of his tongue.

But I managed to keep my calm when I answered “Then do it now.” 

“In private.” He asserted.