I woke up the next morning to an annoying tap on my shoulder. I chose to ignore it and go back to sleep. I felt the tapping again and groaned until I heard Daddy's voice. 

"Taemin, why are you sleeping in the living room? You should be in school right now."

I got up immediately and checked the clock on the wall. It was almost 10:45. How in the hell did I oversleep?! I checked my phone and saw I had some missed calls and angry texts from Jongin, probably pissed off that he drove here to pick me up, but I wasn't awake to open the door. 

I looked up at Daddy and Jonghyun who wore patient and confused faces. "Taemin," Daddy said to get my attention. 

I sheepishly shrugged. "I'm sorry. I guess I was more tired than I thought."

"You've only been in school for one day. You can't possibly be this tired. What time did you go to sleep last night?"

I thought for a moment before saying, "I know it was after 12."

"After 12? What were you up doing?"

"I was watching Netflix."

"By yourself?"

My face heated and my heart started racing. "Yes."

"And there was no one else here with you?"

Did he know? There's no way I'm giving myself up. "Nope."

He looked like he wanted to question me more, but decided against it once Jonghyun said, "Key, yesterday was a long day for him. On top of that, his body is probably used to waking up late during summer break. He needs to get used to waking up early again. It's understandable really."

Daddy sighed and mumbled. "I'm getting you an alarm clock." Then he went off upstairs. 

It was just me and Jonghyun in a silent living room. He broke the silence by gently saying, "You know, if you're trying to hide something from us, you're doing a terrible job at it."

I looked at him surprised. "W-What? I'm not hiding anything."

"Minho was over here last night, right? That seems to be the only thing that makes sense."

How could he know? Minho left zero evidence of him being here. "What?" I asked again, refusing to give up my act. 

Jonghyun put his hands up defensively, "Hey, your secret's safe with me. I promise. Just please don't start lying to your dad too much. It's hard to keep secrets away from him." 

I smiled softly and nodded. As he was walking away, I stopped him in his tracks by asking, "How did you know?"

He scoffed playfully. "I've done it all by the time I was your age. Sneaking someone in is nothing new. Now get dressed. We're taking you to school." Then he went upstairs with his and Daddy's bags. 

I couldn't believe that Jonghyun saved me again. This was starting to become a pattern. I would be on the brink of getting in trouble or even getting grounded, but Jonghyun would always step in, with good reason of course. It was moments like these that made me appreciate him more. If only my Dad could be that way, but he has his own family to take care of. 

I shook off those thoughts and swiftly got ready for school. After a quick shower, outfit change, and a speedy car ride, I arrived at school a little before lunch time. 

Before I could escape the car, Daddy lectured, "Don't you ever do this again, Taemin. Do you understand? You're missing schoolwork that could probably set you behind."

"Daddy, it's only the second day of school. We don't get real work until like next week-"

"I don't care. You're still missing important information. I can't always be home to wake you up for school. You're old enough to make your own wise decisions, and staying up late at night to watch Netflix was not very wise of you."

I sighed internally. The only way to end this was to agree with him. "I know, Daddy. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"You're damn right it won't because next time you'll be walking to school." He changed to a sickeningly sweet tone, "Now have a great day, sweetie. I love you."

"I love you too," I quickly said just to get out of the car. 

I waved goodbye to Daddy and Jonghyun before walking into the school. I went to the office first to get a late pass. Surprisingly, I wasn't the only student showing up at this time of day. After getting my pass, I walked to my locker to place my bookbag in. At that time, the bell rang, signaling the start of my lunch period and the time to change classes for those who didn't have lunch this period. 

I was pulling a folder out of my locker when an obviously irritated Jongin stood next to my locker. I smiled politely. "Hey, best friend."

"Don't, hey best friend me. Dude! Where the hell were you this morning? I waited outside of your house for about thirty minutes. I was almost late to school!"

"I'm sorry, Jongin. I overslept and my phone was on silent. Trust me, I would've rode with you this morning instead of getting lectured by my dad the whole ride here."

"Why didn't you at least text me after you woke up to let me know you're ok? For all I know, someone could've held you hostage or something and I could've saved you!"

I couldn't help but burst out laughing. "You have a wild imagination, my friend."

"But I'm being serious-"

"Look, I promise it won't happen again, ok? Now go to class. You're going to be late."

He paused for a minute not knowing what to say. Then he hugged me and I gladly hugged back. "I'm just glad you're ok."

"Yeah, yeah. Enough with the sap. And thanks."  We smiled at each other then went our separate ways. 

I went straight for the lunch line since I didn't eat anything yet. After getting my food, I scanned the lunch room for a table. My eyes lit up when I saw Ravi sitting at the same table we were at yesterday. 

Approaching the table, I smiled and said, "Hey, Ravi."

He looked up from his phone and smiled. "Hey. Taemin, right?" I nodded. "I started to think you wouldn't show up."

"Dude, you have know idea what I've been through this morning. I just got to school."

"Wait, you just got to school? Pretty ironic that you got here right at lunch time."

I chuckled. "Hey, a guy's gotta eat. But seriously, I overslept this morning. My dad gave me an ear full."

"I can only imagine."

At that moment, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. When I took it out, I saw that the message was from Jonghyun. 

Just to give you a heads up. Kibum knows. A neighbor told him they saw someone. Didn't say who. You better have your story together when you get home. I can't lie for you. Sorry!

"," I dragged as I reread the message. 

Ravi asked, "What's wrong?"

Before I could answer, an idea quickly formed in my mind. "Hey, do you want to come over my house after school? I swear nothing crazy will happen. My parents will most likely be there."

Ravi smiled slightly. "I'll ask my grandma, but sure. I do have to ask though, why all of a sudden?"

I sighed. "Ok, listen. Last night I invited my boyfriend over when I wasn't supposed to. A neighbor told my dad that I had someone over, but they didn't specify who. So I thought that if I brought you to my house, I could convince him that you were at my house last night. I guess you being there in person would make it more believable."

"So...you want me to be a part of your lie?"

I groaned. "I'm sorry. I know it sounds crazy. I don't even know why I asked. Just forget it-"

"No, I'm fine with it. Really," he chuckled. "It's funny."

That caused me to smile. "So you really don't have a problem with it?"

"I swear. Besides, I'm curious to learn more about you."

I snorted. "I don't know why. I'm not that interesting."

"I'll be the judge of that," he stated with a lingering gaze. 

"Um...so after school, you can meet me in the parking lot. That's where my friend Jongin will be waiting to take me home-"

"Wait, you're friends with Jongin? The dude from Exo?" I nodded. "Wow. And you say you're not interesting."

"I don't just go around announcing that he's my best friend. Lots of people have ill intentions."

"Trust me, I know. I have plenty of idol friends. One of the reasons why I wanted to leave my old school was because no one wanted to get to know me for me. They wanted to know me to get to my idol friends. It was annoying as hell."

"Finally, someone who understands!"

"Yes, we may be more alike than you think, Taemin."

"Maybe. Anyway, Jongin's a nice guy so I'm sure he wouldn't mind driving you to my house. Would you have a ride back?"

"Yeah, I could call my cousin that lives near here. He'll get me if I need him. And your parents won't have a problem with this?"

"They would probably be confused at first, but no, especially since they want me to make new friends this school year."

"What about your boyfriend?" 

I paused, a little thrown off by the question. What would Minho think about me inviting Ravi over? "Umm, well Minho gives me lots of room to make my own decisions. It's not like he controls me. So I'm sure he wouldn't mind. He trusts me."

He nodded as looked off somewhere. "Interesting."

Later that afternoon, I stood by Jongin's car waiting for Ravi to show up. Jongin was busy on the phone with Kyungsoo while I stared off into space. I honestly felt like scratching my own eyeballs out if I had to stand there any longer listening to Jongin and Kyungsoo's conversation. 

"No, I love you more," Jongin cooed into his phone. "You're so beautiful, hyung.... I miss you too... no, I miss you more."

Right as I was losing my sanity, I spotted Ravi walking out of the school building. I waved my hand above my head to get his attention. 

He sprinted on over to the car with a sheepish smile. "Sorry I took so long. I forgot my locker combination."

I chuckled. "It's fine." I turned to see Jongin was finally off the phone. "Ravi, this is my friend Jongin. Jongin, this is Ravi."

They waved and Jongin's eyes immediately lit up. "Wait, I remember you! You were at that party over the summer, right?"

Ravi responded, "Oh, yeah! I forgot all about that. Nice to see you again, man."

I coughed, feeling out of the loop. "There was a party over the summer that you didn't invite me to?"

Jongin shrugged. "You were grounded for most of the summer, remember?"

Oh, right. 

I scoffed. "Whatever," and got into the car. They both laughed as they got in as well, Jongin in the drivers seat and Ravi in the backseat. 

"Taemin," Jongin asked as we pulled out of the parking lot. "Why is it that he's going to your house again?"

"Well I needed an alibi."

"For what exactly?"

"You ask too many questions my friend. To make a long story short, Minho came over last when he wasn't supposed to. Somehow, a neighbor saw and told my dad, but they didn't know who it was. So I'm bringing Ravi over to convince my dad that he was there last night."

"Wait, wouldn't you still get in trouble though since you weren't supposed to have anyone over?"

"Yeah, but it definitely wouldn't be as bad as me telling him that Minho came over."

"Or you could've told him I came over."

"Dude, my dad's not stupid. You know he has connections in the entertainment world. He would probably call around to see Exo's schedule or something."

Jongin nodded. "Good point."

We pulled up to my house a few moments later, both of my parents cars signaling that they were already home. "Bye, Jongin. Thanks again for dropping me off. Come on, Ravi."

We both got out the car and waved goodbye to Jongin. I could see that Ravi was a little nervous. 

"Dude, you'll be fine," I said as we walked up the driveway to the front door. "My parents are not going to kill you."

He cracked a smile. "I hope not. I'm just an innocent bystander."

We entered the house, making our way into the living room. Before I could even set foot into the living room, I noticed daddy sitting on the couch next to Jonghyun with a face that screamed annoyance. Once he noticed me, he stood up from the couch and began his tirade. 

"Taemin, please tell me why Mrs. Song told me she saw some tall guy with dark hair over here last night."

"Well-"

"And don't even lie! Because I know it was Minho. Who else would it be? He was the one you were watching Netflix with last night wasn't he?"

"Dad-"

"I'm just so disappointed in you, Taemin. It's not like we don't already allow Minho to come over. We just don't want him here when we're not around. But the one night we're gone, you decide to be sneaky? What type of sense does that make?!"

"But-"

"And another thing-". He stopped as his eyes panned over to the person behind me. "Who is this?"

I looked back at Ravi and smiled. "This is my new friend Ravi. He was the guy I had over last night, not Minho. I'm sorry, daddy. I know I shouldn't have done that, but the only reason he came over was to give me something I had forgot at school."

"What," he said dumbfounded. Jonghyun looked just as lost as well. Daddy quickly snapped out of it and smiled at Ravi. "Nice to me you, Ravi. Sorry you had to see me like this. I promise I'm usually very nice."

Ravi smiled shyly and bowed. "Nice to meet you as well."

Daddy placed a shocked hand over his mouth. "I can't believe Taemin has made a new friend. Come on over," he said as he guided Ravi further into the living room and onto the couch. This was going better than I expected. 

As daddy talked Ravi's ear off, I sat sheepishly next to Jonghyun on the  adjacent couch. The look on his face told me I needed to explain. 

"How did you pull this off," he quietly asked. 

"Well, I met him yesterday. So it's not a lie that he's my new friend, and he agreed to come over today to help me out."

"Wow. Impressive. Just don't make a habit of doing this. I don't want you taking advantage of people, especially people you just met."

"Yeah, yeah. I know."

"I'm serious. Also, Kibum was very upset. Not even angry, but just devastated when he found out you'd lied to him. Sneaking Minho in may not have been that big of a deal to you, but to Kibum, it meant that you guy's trust was broken. I never want to see him feel that way again. So please don't do this again. This is coming from me to you, two people who truly love Kibum dearly."

I nodded, not knowing what to say. I had no idea that it upset Daddy that much. I mean it's true that we've built up trust between us, but I didn't think he would question that. It's not like I'm making it any better by lying to him about Minho coming over, but everything's going smoothly now. I'll just make sure this doesn't happen again. 

"So, Ravi," I heard daddy ask, "would you like to stay over for dinner? I can drive you home afterwards if you like." He looked towards me to see if it's ok and I nodded. "Sure, Mr. Kim. I don't mind."

"Great! Taemin," he said getting my attention, "why don't you and your friend go upstairs while me and Jonghyun start dinner."

Needless to say, dinner was a bit awkward, but only because I wasn't sure what to say. I didn't want to talk too much and give myself away, but I also didn't want to shine the light on Ravi. He's just trying to be a good friend by helping me out. 

"So, Ravi," said Jonghyun, "Are you a new student at Taemin's school?"

"Yes, sir. I just transferred this year from Honsu Academy."

Daddy gasped, "The private school? How did you wind up at Taemin's school?"

He shrugged, "I didn't really like it there. The kids there didn't get me. Plus, I hated seeing my parents struggle to pay my tuition while other kids, whose parents were loaded, would goof off all the time. They acted as if money grew on trees."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's not as prestigious as the school claims itself to be."

Daddy was astonished. "Wow, that's crazy. Well at least you're getting a free education now without worrying your parents. Taemin's school is pretty good. Did he tell you that he makes straight A's?"

Ravi chuckled and glanced at me. "No, he didn't."

I defended myself. "Hey, who goes around telling people their grades?"

Daddy answered, "It's quite the accomplishment, Taemin. You should be proud. Being smart is an attractive trait. Maybe that's why Minho likes you so much," he teased. 

"Wait," said Jonghyun. "Speaking of Minho, did you ever see him around since you two went to the same school, Ravi? He's Taemin's boyfriend."

He took a pause before answering. "I knew of him, but we were in different crowds. So we never interacted." 

I could tell that Ravi was a bit uncomfortable. For some reason, whenever Minho is brought up, he starts acting all weird, or maybe it's just me thinking about it too much. Minho also seems to not be a huge fan of Ravi. I'm not sure why yet. Though I've only just met him, he seems cool. Hopefully I can get Minho to see the same thing. 

At that moment, my phone began to rang and I looked to see that it was Minho calling. "Um, I'll be right back," I said as I excused myself from the table. 

Once I made it to the living room, I answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, Tae. I got out of practice early. I was wondering if it was ok for me to come over. I want to see you."

That caused a smile to quickly spread across my face. "Aww, I want to see you too." Then I remembered that Ravi was over. "...But I can't.  I'm hanging out with Jongin and Daddy already made dinner." Jongin's going to kill me. 

"Oh," he sounded taken aback. "Well, that's ok. I guess I'll see you sometime soon."

"I'm sorry." I really was. I wasn't apologizing for saying no, rather I was apologizing for lying to him. Then again, I wasn't sure how Minho would react to the news of Ravi being at my house. 

"It's ok, Taemin. It's not your fault that I have soccer practice all the time, but I promise I'll make some time for you soon. I love you."

"I love you too."

"I have to go now. Be sure to tell your parents and Jongin I said hi."

"I surely will. Bye." Then we hung up. 

What am I getting myself into?

Soooo I know it's been awhile. I'm trying, ok?! Lol, anyway I hope you guys enjoyed. 

As always, please comment ^.~