Merriam Webster defines status quo as “the existing state of affairs”. It is a mutual understanding between a large group of people of the things that should and should not be. It is something only a few people have dared to challenge, and only a handful have achieved to change. The status quo isn’t simply applicable to a state, a city, a country… this phenomenon can be found anywhere- even somewhere as small as a university.

Between the students of a university, there are divisions. Divisions that people are supposed to stick to because defying it would mean committing social suicide. The dynamic between these peers can also be illustrated by explaining the workings of the food chain in the animal kingdom.

At the very top of the food chain, we have the quaternary consumers. In school, you might know them as the kingkas, or the ‘popular ones’. They consist of mostly the good looking students, the students with plenty of money to spare. Almost all of them are sons or daughters of a well-accomplished business tycoon, an owner of a school, or even a celebrity. You can find these quaternary consumers in the middle of a crowd, because the attention of their peers is what they thrive on.

Next, we have the tertiary consumers. They are not as popular as the quaternary consumers, but they are still feared amongst their peers. Tertiary consumers are mostly the members of the student council – someone who always has a hold on your current standing as a student. The secondary consumers are somewhat feared, somewhat ignored. It all depends on their luck, really. Mostly these are the school athletes. Yes, they can be pretty popular, but they can’t quite reach the level of the quaternary consumers just yet. They also fear the tertiary consumers since they can easily kick them off their sports team for inappropriate behavior. The regular students fall under the category of the primary consumers. They blend in with the crowd. They also mostly go with the flow.

At the very bottom of the food chain are the producers. These are the geeks, the people the top consumers run to if they want someone to do their homework for them. The people who don’t know the meaning of the word ‘no’. They are easily threatened by the top consumers because of their own insecurities. As much as they would like to climb up to the top, they find that they are scared of heights, so they stay just where they are.

And then we have Luhan. A person who is practically invisible, but at the same time manages to catch the attention of the top quaternary consumer in the university. A person who wants nothing more than to stay hidden behind his dark rimmed glasses, but at the same time someone who the ever so popular Oh Sehun sees right through. Luhan thought he could hide from it all, but apparently he was wrong. Because, how can he stay hidden when the one person who could put him under the microscope is staring at him like he wants to murder him at the moment?

“You broke my bike.” Sehun began in a calm tone. He looked down at his bike, then back at the boy who was nervously readjusting his glasses.

“It wasn’t my fault.” Luhan bit his bottom lip.

Sehun raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying that this was my fault? Because we’re the only people here, and if you’re saying it isn’t your fault, then it’s mine.”

“I didn’t-” Luhan inhaled deeply to stop himself from saying anything that could jeopardize his reputation. He knew who he was talking to. He knew him all too well. “Can we just forget about this? You’re not the only one who broke something.”

Sehun’s gaze flickered down to Luhan’s hands which held a broken camera. He scoffed. “Spare me the drama. My bike costs way more than that stupid camera of yours.”

Luhan bit his shaking lip. It took all of his energy to stop himself from crying. Yes, Sehun’s bike may have cost more than Luhan’s measly camera, but it was a special camera. His parents had given it to him just after he graduated high school, before the accident happened.

“You don’t know what you’re saying!” Luhan snapped. He finally gained enough courage to look Sehun directly in the eye. “This camera-”

“Hey, Sehun!”

Before Luhan could say anything else, a boy with tanned skin and tousled brown hair interrupted them. He was jogging towards the pair.

Sehun’s gaze didn’t falter from Luhan’s trembling form. He was in the middle of a glaring contest with Luhan, and he wasn’t planning on backing down any time soon.

“Sehun,” the tanned boy repeated. He stopped when he reached Sehun’s side. When he realized that his friend was still ignoring him, he turned to follow his gaze. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of a trembling Luhan. “Um… hi?”

Luhan blinked twice to clear his vision. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights when he looked up at Sehun’s friend.

“Are you a friend of Sehun’s? My name is Kim Jongin.” The tanned boy beamed, reaching out a hand towards Luhan.

“I’m sorry. I have to go.” Was Luhan’s curt reply before he sprinted off towards the opposite direction.

“Well that was… strange.” Jongin muttered. He tucked his neglected hand inside the pocket of his jeans, then turned to Sehun. “You make friends with some weird people, Sehun.”

“He’s not my friend.”

“Then who…?”

“Some idiot who broke my bike.”

“No way. He broke your bike? Someone alert the media, pronto!” Jongin’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

“This isn’t a joke, Jongin.” Sehun barked.

Jongin raised his hands defensively. “Hey, I know, I know. Your father’s going to kill you. So what, big deal. He’s going to buy you a new one next week, anyway.”

Sehun scowled at Jongin in annoyance.

“But by any chance…” Jongin rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Do you know this ‘idiot’s’ name?”

Sehun squinted his eyes at him. “No. Why do you ask? Are you interested in him, perhaps?”

Joning shrugged and shot Sehun a teasing grin. “Maybe, maybe not.”

“Well if ever you do catch his name, tell him he needs to pay for my bike.”

“You are so stingy, Oh Sehun.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

☆ ☆ ☆ 

Luhan angrily capped the lid of his camera lens, hot tears running down his cheeks. He couldn’t accept the fact that he broke his camera. Correction – the idiot Oh Sehun broke his camera. It was all Sehun’s fault, really. Luhan was minding his own business, taking pictures around the campus as part of his assignment in photography class when someone rammed into him and sent his camera flying towards the opposite direction. It all happened so fast. All Luhan remembered was seeing his camera fly out of his hands and crash down on the ground. It was in synch with the sound of his heart breaking as well.

“Stupid Sehun.” Luhan said in a shaky whisper. His back slammed against the wall as he slid down the carpeted floor of the library. “Stupid, stupid Sehun.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

Luhan gasped at the sound of the familiar voice and looked up.

“Baekhyun-ah,” Luhan cried.

“Lulu, what happened?” Baekhyun’s voice was filled with concern. He hurriedly sat down beside Luhan on the floor. He gasped when he saw the broken camera in Luhan’s hands. “Oh my… how did that happen?”

“Sehun,” Luhan snapped, wiping his tears with his sleeves in frustration. “He ran into me while I was taking pictures for photography class.”

“Did he at least apologize?”

Luhan shook his head sadly. “No. He was too busy whining about how I broke his bike.”

“What an idiot.”

Luhan smiled sadly in response.

“Give me that.” Baekhyun said as he grabbed the camera from Luhan’s hands. “I know someone who knows someone who knows how to fix these kinds of things.”

“Really?” Luhan’s eyes glistened with hope. He looked like an excited little kid on Christmas day.

“Yes, really.” Baekhyun chuckled. He ruffled Luhan’s dark hair playfully. “You are so cute, Lulu.”

“Aish. Stop calling me that. It sounds like a girl’s name.”

“That’s because you look like one!” Baekhyun playfully chirped.

Luhan scowled, while Baekhyun waved a finger at him.

“Now now Lulu. Do you want me to get your camera fixed or not?”

Luhan gasped. “Of course I do! I’m sorry, Baekhyun-ah. Can you please help me get my camera fixed~?”

Now it was Baekhyun’s turn to scowl at Luhan. “Aish. You know it’s impossible for me to resist that cute baby face of yours, right?”

“I know.” Luhan beamed in response. “Thank you, Baekhyun. You know how much this camera means to me.”

“Yeah, I do.” Baekhyun replied with a small smile. “That’s why I’ll do everything in my power to get it fixed.”

☆ ☆ ☆

“Luhan.” Jongin said, slamming his lunch tray on the cafeteria table.

“Uhh… bless you?” Was Sehun’s smart response.

“What?” Jongin looked at him strangely before waving his hand. “No, no. I meant the ‘idiot’ guy who broke your bike. His name is Luhan. He’s majoring in Photography.”

“Someone broke Sehun’s bike?” Chanyeol guffawed from beside Sehun. “Oh man, your father’s going to kill you.”

“Shut up.” Sehun mumbled. He stirred his drink with the straw he was holding. “Luhan, huh? Majoring in Photography?”

Jongin nodded enthusiastically. “Isn’t it cool? I’ve always been curious about photography.”

“Since when?” Chanyeol asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Since… recently.”

“Oh really.” Sehun wasn’t convinced at all, and neither was Chanyeol, but neither said another word.

“So… are you, uh, planning on talking to Luhan again about your bike?” Jongin tried to mask the excitement in his voice.

“Yes.”

“Really? When?”

“When are you not available?”

Joingin tapped his chin in thought. “Well, my mom signed me up for vocal lessons, so I won’t be available tomorrow after class.”

“Then I’ll see Luhan tomorrow.”

“What?! You can’t-” Jongin noticed the peculiar look Sehun was giving him, so he cleared his throat in an attempt to act cool. “Okay, cool. Let me know how it goes.”

Their table was silent after that.

“Jongin?”

“Yes, Chanyeol?”

“Did your mom really sign you up for vocal lessons?”

“Yeah, why?”

“… But your voice .”

“… Screw you, Park Chanyeol.”

aaannddd ladies and gentlemen i present to you, the first chapter! tsk tsk, our little Sehunnie's being mean >_< but then again, everyone loves a bad Sehun every now and then. hehehe.

to everyone who has subscribed, thank you so much :") see you on the next chapter!