"I heard you and Luhan-shii fought," Jongin whispers, hurrying to walk beside me.

I nod absentmindedly.

"What's going on? I thought you liked him," he says.

"Liked," I repeated. "I liked him."

"Sehun-ah... Are you okay?" he asks softly.

"No," I whisper. "No, I'm not okay."

Before I know it, Jongin's pulled me off to the side in the hallway and pulled me close, hugging me tight. I bury my face into the crook of his shoulder, letting out a quiet whine as my tears fall, soaking his shirt.

"Shh... It's okay, it's okay," he whispers, rubbing my back as he holds me close.

"J-Jongin hyung..." I whimper, clenching his shirt between my hands tightly.

"It's okay, it's okay..." he murmurs, sliding his other hand into my hair. "I'm here... I'm not going to let anything happen."

"I'm sorry," I whisper. "I... I didn't mean to let it happen..."

He sighs softly. "It's okay... I thought he liked you... He's always dropping people but... He seemed different around you."

"Jongin hyung... I'm sorry," I whisper.

"Sehun-ah... Taemin hyung and I..." he starts quietly.

I pull back from his chest, looking up at him. "You... You guys..."

"Yes," he murmurs. "We're dating."

I nod. "I... I thought so..."

"You're still my friend, Sehun-ah," he says.

"And you're still my best friend, Jongin hyung," I say with a smile.

And surprisingly, it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would.

He uses his sleeve to wipe my eyes and cheeks before taking my hand and walking with me, talking to me about random things, anything he found interesting or wanted to tell me about.

"Can I sit with you at lunch?" I ask nervously.

"What?" he practically shouts, dropping my hand and turning to face me.

"I..." I flush and turn away. "Nothing..."

"Of course you can," he says, ruffling my hair. "You're my friend, aren't you? Of course you can sit with me."

I smile gratefully at him. "Thank you."

"Though... I think Kris-shii and Tao-shii have taken a liking to you," he admits quietly. "So they might miss you."

I snort. "Impossible. None of them will ever miss me."

He shrugs. "You never know... They're looking at you now."

"Where?" I ask, snapping my head around to meet Kris's gaze.

I flush under his stare but realize that it's not filled with hostility but rather sadness and remorse. My eyes flick to Tao's and they're the same. Xiumin, Lay, and Chen however, are not looking at me and either are ignoring me or don't notice me. Luhan's face is blank and it's as if he's looking at me but when I go to meet his gaze, he isn't. His eyes are empty and he has no emotion whatsoever on his face and it scares me.

"They want you to come back," Jongin whispers quietly, bringing my attention back to him.

"Only Kris hyung and Tao hyung," I say. "If anyone."

He shrugs. "They do."

"I'm not going to embarrass myself in front of them again," I growl.

"I wasn't suggesting that," he says. "I know that if Tao-shii weren't with Kris-shii, he'd want to be with you."

"How can you tell?" I ask.

"He's always looking at you and he cares. He doesn't miss a beat and his eyes are always moving," he answers. "He can tell the relationship between two people with a single gaze."

I turn to look at Jongin. "You really think so?"

He smiles. "I know so."

"Who do you think would like me the most out of all of them?" I ask.

"Luhan-shii," he answers.

"After him?" I ask.

"Tao-shii," he replies.

"Anyone else?" I ask.

He hesitates. "Lay-shii."

"Really?" I ask.

"Didn't he take a liking to you on your first day?" he asks.

I flush, remembering the way Lay comforted me and told me it was okay.

"What, you're not going to hook up with Lay-shii, are you?" he asks.

I shrug. "I might."

"Sehun-ah..." he whines. "You can't play with Lay-shii to make Luhan-shii jealous."

How did he know?

The hair prickles at the back of my neck. "I never said I was going to..."

"You didn't need to," he says quietly. "Let yourself get over Luhan-shii and then decide if you still want Lay-shii."

"I don't think I'll ever get over him," I whisper quietly.

He gives me a sad smile. "I hope you will, Sehun-ah, for the sake of your head and your heart."

~

"Sehun-ah!" Tao shouts from across the room, grabbing my attention while weaving his way through the desks towards me.

My first instinct is to run away and hide from him, but he's already there in front of me. I turn to look at him with a forced smile on my face.

"Why aren't you sitting with us anymore?" Tao asks.

"Because Luhan hyung and I aren't together anymore," I say.

"That doesn't mean you have to stop sitting with us!" he exclaims. "We all miss you! And Luhan hyung isn't the same anymore..."

My heart starts to beat a bit faster at the mention of his name. "What do you mean?"

"He barely talks to us anymore, only ever Xiumin and Kris if he wants to... And... He's fooling around a lot, not just with us but with everyone and a lot more than he used to... Almost every night," he admits quietly.

"What's this have to do with me?" I ask, annoyed. "He blew up at me so he's none of my business."

"No, I... I didn't mean that... We just all miss you, even if Luhan doesn't. I think Lay missed having you to sleep with," he says quietly, letting out a soft chuckle.

"L-Lay?" I ask.

He nods. "Mhm. I sometimes think he needs a cuddle buddy to sleep with and we all get boring for him."

"Oh," is all I can say.

"But I don't think he'd ever get bored of you," he adds, smirking at me.

I flush. "Tao hyung! I've only slept with him once..."

"Just come back to us," he says quietly.

"I-I'm sorry, hyung..." I say.

"It's not going to change anything," he murmurs.

"What?" I ask.

"It's not going to change anything," he repeats, looking up at me. "Between the groups, you know... No matter what you do, we're always going to fight for dominance."

"Tao," a voice booms from behind us.

I turn and flinch upon seeing Kris standing tall, his head cocked to the side as he watches us.

"A-Ah... Kris hyung..." Tao stutters, flushing. "I... I didn't mean for... for anyone to h-hear that..."

"Careful what you say, Tao," Kris says flashing the younger a grin but I can tell that it's filled with warmth and feeling.

Tao bows his head. "Y-Yes, of course..."

"Sehun-ah?" Kris says, turning to face me.

I can't help it as I flinch upon expecting his icy stare but instead, his eyes are warm.

"Come sit with us," he says and my eyes widen in surprise. "On contrary to Tao... I do think it would make a difference and change a lot..."

"Of the hierarchy?" Tao asks, eyes widening.

Kris lets out a breath, pausing before shaking his head. "No... The hierarchy will always remain the same... But perhaps, we might be able to tolerate each other and Sehun-ah might be the one to bring us together."

"Then I shall take on that role," I say, my voice stronger than I expected.

Kris and Tao's eyes widen as do mine.

"Don't forget where you belong," Kris murmurs, looking up at me.

"And where is that?" I ask.

"Follow your heart but think with your mind. Perhaps that will tell you," he answers with a faint smile on his lips before he turns, taking Tao with him.

"Thank you," I say quietly.

I don't think that he's heard me but the subtle nod of his head says otherwise.

~

"You're... You're sure about this?" Jongin asks quietly.

I nod and answer quietly. "Definitely. I know Lay the most."

Jongin tilts his head to the side. "But... Them? You could date Kyungsoo maybe."

I scrunch up my nose at the thought of dating the doe-eyed boy at which Jongin laughs.

"I don't blame you," Kyungsoo says from across the table. "I wouldn't date myself either."

"Sehun-ah," Chanyeol says from the other end of the table. "How about that date? Let's go out after school for bubble tea."

I shrug, rubbing the back of my neck. "I don't see why not... Jongin, are you going to come?"

Jongin shrugs. "Probably not... Taemin and I... We're going to see a movie," he admits and instantly flushes.

I grin and wiggle my eyebrows at him. "Have fun."

He ducks his head, dropping his gaze, his face growing impossibly redder.

"Hunnie," Baekhyun coos. "Although I enjoy seeing Kai flustered, don't too much~"

I glance over at him and when I see that he's being genuine and not trying to ruin my life, I grin at him and he grins back, showing off his bright smile.

"Stop," a voice growls from behind me.

I turn to see Luhan standing there, his hands balled at his sides, his feet shoulder-width apart.

"What a surprise," Baekhyun says, his voice flat a small smirk on his face and for some reason, I grin upon seeing it.

"Luhan," Chanyeol says, his voice not cold but not warm either, standing up so abruptly that his chair falls backwards onto the floor.

The sound of his chair falling is the only noise that can be heard throughout the entire cafeteria because everyone knows not to interfere or talk during showdowns between Luhan and Chanyeol.

"Chanyeol," Luhan replies but there's an edge to his tone.

"What do you want?" Chanyeol asks airily as he sits back in the chair that Baekhyun has picked up for him, Luhan's presence barely bothering him.

"Him," Luhan says.

When I look over, it's me that he's pointing at.

"He's not your toy, Luhan," Chanyeol says, his gaze stone cold. "And he's in my group, so no."

"I want him," Luhan says, his voice low. "I want him."

I glance back at Luhan to see if he's actually pointing at someone else and instead come face to face with Luhan's hand.

"And I said no," Chanyeol says.

"Chanyeol," Luhan says and I can hear his voice clearly now, almost begging.

"I'll let him choose," Chanyeol says, turning his stone cold gaze from Luhan to a warm gaze on me. "Take your pick..."

"Don't worry," Baekhyun whispers, leaning towards me. "It doesn't matter what you choose."

The corner of my lips tip up in a smile because I already know that I'm staying in the group where everyone is nice and welcomes me, no matter the past. But when I glance at Luhan and the clear desperation in his eyes, quickly disguised by annoyance when our gazes meet, my heart thumps erratically and I don't know anymore.

"I think... I think I'm going to stay..." I whisper.

"What?" Luhan asks.

"He's staying," Baekhyun says, looking up at Luhan.

"I asked him, not you," Luhan snaps, his eyes flaring with anger as he stares at Baekhyun before glancing back at me.

"I'm going to stay," I repeat.

Suddenly, his hand is on mine and he's pulling me up out of my seat.

"Luhan," Chanyeol growls warningly.

"One minute," Luhan says at which Chanyeol growls again but doesn't interfere.

"What?" I ask and I can feel my walls breaking as I stare into his eyes, my own hope reflected in his.

"I... Sehun-ah.... I need you," Luhan whispers, his voice cracking as he leans forwards to rest his forehead against mine. "I can't live knowing that you don't belong to me, I can't live--"

"I'm not your toy," I growl. "I don't belong to you, I don't belong to anyone."

"Sehun-ah... Sehun-ah, please..." Luhan begs and I can see the tears filling his eyes.

"I don't want to be one of your stupid bets," I snap. "So if you want the money, get it from somewhere else."

I turn and sit back down in my seat but then I'm being turned around and his lips are on mine and his tears are falling and I can taste the saltiness and I can't breathe because everyone's watching and I'm terrified because I don't know how everyone will react and I don't know why Luhan is kissing me here in front of everyone...

But when he pulls away, looking up at me with tear-filled eyes, his eyes asking me what his heart wants and what his mouth won't, all my worries disappear because I know that aching in my heart won't go away until I'm with him and he's with me and we both want each other.

"Home," he breathes. "Is just a room full of my safest sounds."

I swallow, my own tears threatening to build up and fall. And I know that if I open my mouth even just to breathe, I will break down in tears.

"And your voice is all I need to hear to feel safe," he whispers.