Douple Update! Go Back A Chapter! :)

It wasn't until the month was up that I realized how lucky I had been compared to how unlucky I was now. Now Kai was back with the rest of EXO, and promoting. That meant practicing non-stop, which was hell for me.

Can you stop?

'No. Stop being selfish.'

I buried my head under a pillow and groaned. I've been doing that a lot lately. Jaeson gets me, but my parents never understand, just like they don't now.

"You okay?" asks Mom.

"Yeah," I cover. "Just remembered school starts tomorrow."

There was that, too. School, the one I was supposed to have graduated. I didn't have anther option but to restart my whole last semester. Hana was going off to university, and so was Thalia. All of my other classmates graduated too, except this one boy named Andrew who failed too many classes to make up for in summer school. He was the only one left, and I was worried people would look at me, then look at him, and think we were in the same situation. I hadn't failed my classes, I was actually doing very well until the accident.

At least I still had all of my notes from last year. It that I couldn't reuse my assignments...

"Are you ready? Do you need anything?" Dad asked.

"For the fiftieth time, Dad, I'm as ready as I'll ever be. I just want to get it over with and graduate already." I turned over on the couch so that now I was on my stomach. I could hear my parents sigh, probably looking at each other in despair.

Jaeson took me out to dinner that night, a good ole' McDonald's meal. Feeling gross and yucky, yet somehow accomplished after finishing a Big Mac, two boxes of nuggets, a large fries and a McFlurry was a thing that helped me take my mind off of things for a while. I don't think I've laughed that much in a long time.

"Thanks," I said as he drove us home.

"No problem," he replied. Keeping his eyes on the road, he reached over and ruffled my hair. "Anything to get your morale up. It takes a lot of that to go to war."

I smiled.

'Hey, at least you'll be distracted and let me practice in peace,' said Kai.

Honestly, do you never sleep?

'What's sleep?'

Right. I forgot you work for Slave Money Entertainment.

'No comment.'

I shook my head.

"What's he saying?" Jaeson asked.

"He's being overworked and treated like a slave, and if that didn't mean no peace for me, I would've enjoyed his pain." I made sure to think each word as I said it so that he could hear me, too.

'Oh, I hear you loud and clear.'

"Well at least you have 24 hour company, if you get bored in class." My brother laughed at his own joke.

Ever since I told him about the link, he's slowly been seeing this as an opportunity to learn not to hate EXO. Obviously that's never going to happen. Jaeson just doesn't understand. He isn't a K-pop fan like I am. He doesn't have to deal with crappily written fanfiction to soothe his most fantastical desires. He doesn't rely on ships and headcannons to feel. He doesn't get the importance of keeping to your own side in a fanwar. He just isn't a fan.

'God, keep your weird fan-written ships away from me. That stuff is gross!'

You've read your own fanfiction?

'It was an accident. It happened. It was short, but oh so to the point.'

I snickered. "He read fanfic of himself," I told my brother.

"Gosh, is he that desperate for validation?" Jaeson said sarcastically.

Back at home, I went over the contents of my school bag and when that was done and nothing was missing, I helplessly sighed and climbed into bed. It was going to be a long five months to come.

Before I knew it, Jaeson, Mom, and Dad were all saying in singsong, "Rise and shine! It's time to go to school!"

I groaned as Mom snapped my blinds up, letting the bright California sun infiltrate and burn my eyes.

The thing that woke me up was the realization that finally, Kai was sleeping. I couldn't waste these precious moments doing the same. I quickly sat up and dashed to my closet, pulling out the outfit I'd prepared days ago.

"That was too easy. Are you okay, Jinhee?" asked Dad.

"Yeah. I'm fine and dandy." The hanger in hand, I went to the washroom in the hallway. I came out with pink and white plaid overall shorts over an old white Troublemaker shirt. I pulled long white socks up to and over my knees and pulled my makeup box closer from up against the mirror. I applied primer and concealer, and then some black liquid eyeliner with wingtips. I went for a peppy pink lipstain and nothing else.

I was back in my room, and only Jaeson was there now. I threw my pyjamas onto my bed and pulled my hair into a bouncy ponytail.

"Are you excited?" my brother asked.

"No, not really," I replied.

I picked up my bag and dropped it off by the front door on my way to the dining table, which already had a bowl, a spoon, milk and a box of my favourite cereal. Breakfast was down my throat quickly. I ran and brushed my teeth, then headed to the kitchen to hug my parents goodbye. I grabbed my bag and slung it over a shoulder, then stepped out.

I liv