It was the crack of dawn and I immediately regretted waking up. Just like every other morning, I craved to sleep in. I had been sleeping in for the majority of the summer. However-

"Taemin, wake up!" Daddy exclaimed from outside of my door. 

-it was no longer summer vacation. 

Today marked my first day of junior year. I deeply dreaded this day, to say the least, because it marked the end of so many things. No more late nights with Minho. No more binge watching on Netflix. Most importantly, no more sleeping in until the afternoon. Just great. 

Aside from the obvious, there were deeper reasons as to why I specifically wanted to avoid school this year. Though this was a new school year, I felt like I was back to square one. For starters, me and Minho go to separate schools. I know for a fact that we won't be able to spend as much time together as we did this summer because even before school started, Minho had to spend the last two weeks of his summer practicing at school. It goes without saying that I was pretty upset. 

Another downer is that Minho is a senior this year. Not only will his schedule be dictated by soccer practices and games, but also by his senior activities. When would there be time for me? 

Why couldn't we have gone to the same school? At least then I could see him around in the hallways. Or even have lunch with him and show off that I'm his boyfriend. Y'know, the sappy stuff you see in movies. Though I'm not a very mushy person, I can't help but imagine what it would be like doing couple-y things with Minho at school. 

To be honest, I felt like I was running out of time to tell Minho about my past. Unfortunately, I was never able to commit to bringing up the situation. That means there had been many failed attempts at trying to be intimate with him. Even when I tried to force my feelings aside, I had never felt comfortable going through with it. It only made sense to tell Minho why I've been so distant, but whenever I even think about bringing it up, I become sickened by what happened. Either way, I will need to tell him eventually. 

Besides Minho, another downer to this school year would be the painful fact that I still barely have any friends at that school. The only true friend I have is Jongin. Though we didn't get along that much over the summer, we eventually made up because obviously he's my only friend. The school year would even more without him by my side. 

I guess the only good thing about this school year is that this time, I won't be avoiding coming home to Daddy and Jonghyun like I used to. Believe it or not, the three of us grew a lot closer from the events that took place over the summer, especially Daddy and I. The fact that I'm close enough to talk to Daddy about my problems now is relieving. I used to bottle things up then explode later, but lately, Daddy and I have had many one-on-ones where we talked about our feelings or just hung out with each other. My love for him has only intensified since everything that happened. 

As for Jonghyun, we're not 100% there yet, but I'm definitely more comfortable with him now. I'm not as annoyed with him when he tags along with me and Daddy. If anything, I encourage it because it's always nice to see him put a smile on Daddy's face. I've never seen him blush so much unless Jonghyun is around. I sometimes catch myself hoping that me and Minho will be the same way in the future, but I usually stop myself because I don't want to get too ahead of myself. 

As I got up and got ready for school, Daddy softly knocked on my door and entered before saying, "Hey, honey," with a radiating smile. 
He must've noticed my foul mood because he quickly asked, "Is something wrong?" I shrugged. "Tae what did we say about keeping things to ourselves?" 

I sighed and reluctantly answered,  "I've just been thinking about a lot. Specifically the fact that I feel shut out."

"What do you mean?"

"It's just that everyone's going to be in their cliques again and I won't know what to do. Jongin's going to be there, but I already know that he'll be gone a lot because of Exo. Even when he would be there, I know people will interrupt us to take a picture with him or ask what it's like to be in SM. I just feel like I'm mooching off of him because I have no other friends." 

He pulled me into a comforting  hug. "Oh, honey. I'm so sorry you feel that way. You're such a good person with a good heart. Maybe you need to open yourself up to others so they can see that side of you, ok? Maybe if you make more friends, then you won't feel as lonely when Jongin's not around. I'm sure there are plenty of freshman or even people in your grade that have not claimed a clique. Just think positively and things should be ok."

"Yeah if they didn't already hear about my reputation-"

"Hey, our past does not define us. The best you can do is pick yourself up and move forward."

"I guess."

He looked at me before asking, "Is there anything else bothering you?"

I blushed before saying, "I will miss seeing Minho around."

"Going to school doesn't mean you can't still see him, Tae."

"But you don't get it, Daddy. Between me worrying about academics and him worrying about soccer, that leaves little room for the two of us. I just wish we went to the same school. At least then, I could be with him-- and keep an eye on him."

He chuckled. "It's obvious that Minho loves you so I'm sure you won't be needing to keep an eye on him, but I do understand why you would want to see him everyday at school. It's cute. My little Taeminnie is in love. Just don't let this affect your academic performance in school, Tae. You're a straight A student. I don't want your feelings to distract you, ok?"

I nodded. "It won't. I have a question though. Let's just say I wanted to change schools-"

"You're not switching schools Taemin, especially not for a relationship. Don't get me wrong. You know I like Minho, but that's just too much work to do. Even if I wanted to do that for you, Minho attends a private school. I don't have that type of money, Taemin."

I scoffed playfully. "Yes you do. You and Jonghyun's income combined could easily pay for my education."

"But why waste money paying for school when you're doing just fine getting your education for free? Nice try, Tae, but it's not gonna happen."

I pouted and shrugged. "It was worth a shot." I grabbed my bookbag and began packing. 

There was a comfortable silence before Daddy said, "Your dad called this morning." I paused before going back to packing. He continued, "He wished you a good first day of school."

"How sweet," I sarcastically replied. 

"He said he misses you and he's sorry for what has happened between you two ." I said nothing as I crossed my room to take out some shoes from my closet. "He wants to see you soon-"

"Daddy, no offense, but I don't care what he wants me to do right now.  I don't want to talk about this before school because it really upsets me."

He nodded "I understand, Taemin. I just don't want you to hate him-"

"I could never hate him, Daddy. You know that. I just need time away from him. Besides, his little girl needs him more than I do." Thankfully Daddy chose not to say anything else after that. 

After I was done packing, I walked downstairs and was surprised to see Jongin lounging in the living room with his backpack on the floor. 

"Dude," I said getting his attention. "Why didn't you tell me you were here? I would've invited you up to my room?"

He whined. "I was too exhausted to walk upstairs, so I just chose to chill here until you were done." He looked exhausted. "They've been over working us lately." 

I sat next to him as I shook my head. "The company knows you're in school, right? Do you think you'll be able to balance school and being an idol?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I'll find out. Anyway, enough about depressing things. Let's go!"

I groaned, "I thought you were exhausted. How could you possibly sound excited right now."

"Hey, I'm only excited because I get to drive to school this year." Jongin got his permit over the summer and his mom has agreed to let him drive her car to school. 

"Daddy, we're leaving!" I shouted as we stood up and placed our backpacks on one shoulder. 

Daddy hugged the both of us before saying, "Be safe on the road, ok? I hope you guys have a great first day. Jongin, no reckless driving."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"Good. Taemin, remember me and Jonghyun won't be home when you get here after school. We're flying to Japan today. I'll let you know when we land-"

"Wait, wait, wait. You guys chose to go to Japan on my first day of school? What about me?!"

He gave a sheepish shrug. "Hey, I can't help our schedules. This is the first time we've both been off on the same day. We intend to make the best of it." He hugged the both of us again. "Have fun, boys!"

So while I'm boring myself away at school, my parents will be partying it up in Japan. How fancy. 

As we pulled up to the school, I received a text on my phone from Minho. 

Hope your first day goes ok. I miss you ❤️ 

I grinned like a fool before replying that I missed him too, and asking if he had practice today. Of course he did. He responded,

I'll call you when I get home if it's not too late. I love you, Tae. 

My heart fluttered, but I tried not to make anything noticeable. Of course, Jongin noticed. 

"It must be Minho," he inquired as he parked the car in a parking spot closest to the school. 

I sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

"Kind of. I'm just glad that he's treating you right-- so far."

I scrunched my brows as we exited the car. "What do you mean so far?"

He met me on the other side of the car and shrugged. "I just mean that we can never be too certain about things. You never know when a good thing may end."

"You don't think I know that? I'm well aware that there are no such things as fairytales. Besides, me and Minho are good now and that's all that matters. How are you and Kyungsoo doing by the way?"

He sighed as we walked across the schoolyard. "I don't know."

"You don't know? You guys are practically attached at the hip. What do you mean you don't know?"

"Well, I just feel like we're always around each other, which isn't a bad thing, but I just need my space y'know? We practice together, dance together, sing together, eat together, and sleep together in the same dorm. I just feel suffocated at times."

We walked into the school, making our way to the cafeteria. I scoffed, "At least you get to be around your boyfriend. I'm not so lucky at picking when I get to see Minho. I hate that we go to separate schools."

"Really? I love that Kyungie and I go to different schools. It gives me a chance to breathe. Then when I finally see him, I'm excited because I missed him so much."

As we made our way into the cafeteria, I immediately noticed the stares. Whether it was because of Jongin's superstar status or my reputation at the school, the majority of people's attention was on us. 

As soon as we'd found a table to sit at, a group of girls came over. One of the girls, Seohyun, squeaked and said, "Jongin?! We're such huge fans of Exo. Can we take a picture?"

I rolled my eyes to myself because I knew this was going to happen. As if being known as Jongin's shadow last year wasn't enough, I may as well be a ghost this year because nobody cares about the anti-social friend of a superstar. 

"Sure!" Jongin said excitedly. One thing I admired about him was that he never let the stardom get to his head. He was still the same old clumsy, goofy, nice, happy Jongin I've known all my life. 

After signing some autographs and taking pictures with a few people, he turned his attention to me. "Sorry about that, Taemin."

I nodded, "It's ok. I understand. You're a hot commodity now."

"But you're my best friend. I don't want you to feel left out."

I waved him off. "Don't worry about me feeling left out. I'll be just fine." So I thought. Jongin and I only have  classes together after lunch, so I would have to fend for myself for most of the day. Go figure. 

I had been pretty much alone once classes began. Either no one wanted to sit next to me, or they made no effort in paying attention to me. The old Taemin wouldn't give a . I used to relish in my time alone. However, I kept thinking about my conversation with Daddy this morning. I really wanted this year to be different. The only way that would happen is if I made the effort to talk to people, or at least not shut them out when they talked to me. The only problem with that is my classes are full of the same students I'd seen last year. Sadly, there wasn't a hopeless freshman roaming around in need of my services. 

When lunchtime came around, I barely had any motivation to go to the cafeteria. If I wasn't hungry, I would've skipped as always, but that wasn't an option today.

 After getting my tray, I turned to see if there was an open table. Just my luck, there was a vacant table at the far end of the cafeteria. Before it could be claimed, I quickly rushed and sat down. I used this time as an opportunity to see if I had any messages from Minho, but I didn't. As always. He's quite the busy guy. 

After moments of sitting there and picking over my food, I felt the presence of someone looming over me. Once I looked up, I saw someone who looked just as lost as I was on the first day of school. 

He timidly asked, "H-hey, can I sit here?" He must've taken my stunned silence as a no because he quickly explained, "I just transferred here and the other tables are full. I was wondering if you wouldn't mine me sitting here."

I snapped out of my daze and answered, "Sure, of course."

The new student smiled politely as he took a seat next to me. I couldn't help but stare at him. He looked very different from the usual kids at this school. He skin was a nice tan color, kind of like Minho's, but a little darker. He had tattoos, one peeking out of his shirt, and another on his arm. He was dressed in all-black with a snapback. He just seemed...cool. 

He brought me out of my thoughts when he jokingly said, "I'm not going to bite." His joke was followed by more silence because I wasn't sure what to say. 

I broke the silence by asking, "What's your name?"

He cleared his threat before saying, "Ravi. It's not my real name, but it's the name I like to go by. What about you?"

"I'm Taemin. But unlike you, it's my real name that I like to go by." I was hoping he caught on to my humor and didn't think I was being rude. When he smirked a little, I knew we were good. 

I took that as a moment to strike up a conversation. I'm not used to talking to people besides Jongin, Minho, and my family, but today marked the new and improved Taemin. I had to give this guy a shot at being my friend. 

I continued. "You said you just transferred here. Where are you from?"

"I used to live on the other side of town. I went to Honsu Academy."

My eyes widened. "The private school?"
 
"Yeah, you heard of it?"

 I nodded. "That's where my boyfriend goes."

"Your boyfriend?"

"Yeah. You may know him."

"What's his name?"

"Choi Minho. He's on the soccer team. I think he's the captain or something like that." 

He thought for a moment, his face showing no emotion. "Yeah... I know him. Everyone does." I didn't miss the bitter tone, but I decided to ignore it. 

"So what caused you to come to this dump? It's not nearly as fancy as a private school."

"That's one of the reasons why I left. I hated it there. Almost everyone who went there thought they were better than the other. I just got sick of the prissy students who never had to work a day in their lives. You see, I was there on a scholarship. My parents weren't poor, but they also weren't as well-off as the kids I went to school with. It just wasn't my type of crowd."

I nodded. I could definitely understand that because that's how I felt everyday that I was here at my school. Everyone had their own crowds and I felt like I didn't fit in. There were times where I would beg Daddy to let me be homeschooled, but of course he argued that I would be missing out on my high school experience. It felt nice having someone that went through the same thing as I did. 

I asked, "So how did you get out? You just moved and that was it?"

He sheepishly rubbed his neck. "Well, let's just say I wasn't the most obedient student. I was forced to leave."

I raised my brows, "You got kicked out?"

"Yep. It was just a bunch of stuff built up on my record. I just needed one more complaint before getting kicked out, and that's what happened. When I got these," he pointed to his tattoos, "it was a wrap."

"Wait. You weren't allowed to wear tattoos there?"

"With it being a private school and all, a lot of their rules were different than the ones I've encountered here. No tattoos, no earrings, no crazy hair colors, no outside clothing other than uniforms, etc."

I cringed. "It must have been a pain, especially the uniforms. At least you get to openly express yourself now, right?"

"Right. But it was a painful journey getting here. After getting kicked out of school, my parents were so disappointed in me that they kicked me out of the house. I'm living with my grandma now.  She lives a couple blocks away from the school, that's why I'm here now."

"Wow. And I thought my life was a mess."

He chuckled. "Yeah, that's not even the beginning."

The bell came on, signaling that we only had five minutes to get to class. 

Ravi said, "I'm sorry I spent most of the time talking about myself. We'll talk about you next time." He stood up. 

"Wait, there will be a next time?"

"Yeah, see you at lunch tomorrow," he gave a smile and  waved goodbye as he disappeared into the frantic crowd. 

I sat there for a minute connecting the pieces together. Did I just make a friend? A friend besides Jongin? It felt too surreal. To others, this may not have been a big deal, but to me, it was everything i could've hoped for. Daddy and Jonghyun will be so proud when I tell them. Maybe that's the part that makes me smile the most. 

After school, Jongin dropped me off at home before he hurriedly rushed to the Exo dorm. It still bummed me out to not have my friend to myself to complain about school, but I'm becoming more ok with the fact that Jongin is busy. After fighting with him all summer, I realized that maybe I had been selfish. No matter how long we go without seeing each other, he'll still be my best friend. 

I opened the door to a very empty house. Usually when I came home from school, Daddy or Jonghyun would be there and the tv would be on. Now, I could hear a pen drop. I wasn't used to the feeling and I knew that I would want company. I whipped out my phone to text Daddy. 

Hey, I'm home from school. Can Minho come over when he's out of practice? It's creepy being here alone at night. 

I hoped that he would say yes, but I knew he might be opposed to it. Though he and Jonghyun like Minho, they don't like the idea of us two being together alone in a house. I have no idea why since me and Minho have been out alone plenty of times. I guess it's the fact that they don't want him spending the night. Who knows?

While waiting for a reply, I lounged around the house bored. I had zero schoolwork to do since it was only the first day, Jongin was busy with Exo, and my boyfriend was busy with soccer. I desperately need to find a hobby so I can be busy with something too.

When twenty minutes passed, it chimed on me that Daddy and Jonghyun may still be on the plane now to Japan. In that case, I took it upon myself to invite Minho. It would be awhile before I heard from my parents, so why not?

Hey, Minho. You can come over after practice. My parents aren't home ;)

Ok, maybe I was being a little suggestive, but I really wanted him to come over. I hoped being flirty would make him want to come to me no matter how tired he was after practice. A text came in about a minute later. 

I'm still in practice. I may get out late, but I'll definitely be there for you. 

And that's why I love him. I texted a quick "can't wait" before putting away my phone and finding something to eat. 

An hour passed by before I received a text. I was hoping it was Minho telling me that practice ended early, but much to my disappointment, it was a notification on KAKAO TALK from Daddy. It was quite cute actually. 

The fact that these two could still be so cute in the age that they're in was kind of creepy...but still cute. 

Before I could reply, Daddy sent a message responding to what I had previously asked.

You know Minho's not allowed over while we're not there. Anyway, it's a school night so no.

I squinted my eyes at what I read because it wasn't what I expected. It surely wasn't the answer I was going to settle on. 

Daddy, I'm bored. I promise he won't stay over too long. I just need company. 

But he wasn't having it. 

You can just FaceTime him or something. Tae, you better not invite him over there. If I find out he's there, your will be in trouble. 

At that very moment, I received a message from Minho saying he was on his way. Great. Guess that means I'll just have to get sneaky.

K... 

I'm sure he picked up on my attitude when he sent a quick "I love you 😘". I just rolled my eyes and placed my phone down. 

Now was the time to figure out how I could get Minho here without getting in trouble. Even though Daddy was out of the country, he sometimes asks our neighbors to keep an eye on me. I'm sure they would tell Daddy if they saw some guy approaching my house. 

I texted Minho,

Hey. Bring your book bag with you. Just in case my neighbors see you, I can say you're a friend from school. 

Minho - ???

Just do it. 

Minho - Ok tae. Lol

I straightened up the living room a bit just to give myself something to do before Minho arrived. Once I saw his headlights, I immediately ran to the door. I waited until he knocked to open the door and rush into his arms. He seemed a bit caught off guard but quickly wrapped his arms around me. 

I walked backwards, pulling him into the house, before closing the door. I gave him a long sweet kiss that I had been yearning to do for the past few days. I tightened my grip around his neck as I deepened the kiss. Pretty soon, we both pulled away to breathe. 

Minho smiled against my lips as he said, "Nice to see you too." 

I gave another peck. "I really missed you."

"I missed you too." He pecked me again before saying, "But can you explain to me why I had to bring my book bag?" He motioned to the book bag as shrugged it off. 

"Well, I may have had to sneak you in without my parents' permission." His eyes widened and I hurriedly explained. "I mean I did ask! But Daddy said no. He didn't want us alone, but I missed you and I felt uncomfortable being here by myself at night."

Minho chuckled softly. "And so you told me to bring my book bag because your neighbors would tell your dad that I was a friend from school? Or are you just assuming that? Or are you even sure they saw me arrive?"

I sighed and placed my head in his chest before groaning. "I don't know. I just wanted to see you, ok?"

Minho gave me a tight hug and I enjoyed it greatly. He smelled amazing, probably from showering after practice. I asked, "How was your first day back at school?"

I felt him shrug. "Nothing too new. It was the same schedule, same people, and same environment. It really felt like last year. Coach is just on my more this year, but it's nothing I can't handle. What about you?"

I lifted my head and smiled brightly. "I made a new friend."

"A new friend?"

"Yeah. He went to your school actually. You may know him. Ravi?"

His brows scrunched. "Ravi?"

"Yeah...you know him?"

He sneered. "Who doesn't? He caused so much unnecessary trouble at my school, it was ridiculous."

"What did he do?" Minho wasn't the type of person to hold a grudge against someone, but just the mere mention of Ravi made it seem like Minho hated this guy. 

"What didn't he do is the question. He was just a trouble-maker is all.  The whole soccer team to hate him when he fought one of my teammates."

My eyes widened. "Wait, what? He fought one of your teammates? Why?"

"I don't know. That kid's got a few screws lose. Somehow he was able to piss off the majority of the school, especially after the fight. He was just being a disturbance for no reason."

"He didn't seem so bad when I talked to him."

That seemed to strive a nerve with him. "Tae, you've only met him once. You don't know what this guy is capable of. Please promise me you'll stay away from him."

"Why would I do that? It wouldn't be fair to judge him on his past."

"Because I don't want him manipulating you. Taemin, he's not a good person. I know it may not be easy to understand now, but I'm only looking out for you. If you only knew his reputation-"

"Hey I have a reputation too so I'm in no position to judge. I really appreciate you giving me the heads up, but I can't bring myself to push him away just because of what happened at your school. Who knows? He may have changed."

He scoffed. "Right."

I sighed before reaching down and grabbing his hands. "Thank you for looking out for me. I know you're only trying to help, but you know how I'm viewed as at my school. I'm the that's been passed around, remember?"

"Taemin, none of that is true-"

"Exactly. So what makes you think I'm going to judge this guy based on rumors and his reputation. I want to give him a chance. And if he turns out to be an , I'll let you gloat about how right you were."

That caused Minho smile slightly. He brought my hand to his lips and pecked it. "Just be careful."

I smiled. "I will. Now let's go pop some popcorn and watch movies."

We cozied up on the couch and Netflix. Though I tried to persuade Minho to eat some of my popcorn, he insisted that his coach would kick his if he knew he ate popcorn. I told him he's no fun and we had a great time. 

He left later that night when I began to get sleepy. His phone was blowing up from texts from his dad, but he insisted that the trouble he was about to get in was worth it. We kissed each other goodnight before he drove off. 

Instead of heading to my room, I grabbed a blanket and went back to the couch in the living room. After making myself comfortable, I couldn't help but think of my new friend. To any sane person, Minho's warnings would have made them second-guess Ravi, but not me. Maybe I'm a little crazy, but I became even more interested in who Ravi was. Though he told me about himself yesterday, he still seemed very mysterious. 

I was determined to prove Minho wrong and find out the type of person Ravi really was. 

Hello, people! I'm finally back. The last time I update, Obama was president, lol. Anyway, I hope this chapter made up for list time. For those who follow my other story, don't worry. I haven't forgotten about it. I'm writing the chapter as ideas pop into my head. So it's not going to remain unfinished. 

Please feel free to comment ^.~

And this is Ravi in the story. Cute, right?!