Of Prom and Madness

ft:  jung soojung + ensemble cast

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​Homework:

English: pg 12 of textbook due Friday
History: essay on some historical stuff--ask Jinri!!!
Biology: n/a
Chemistry: chemical equations pg 87
Advance Maths: pg 90 no. 1-3 (get answers from Taemin)


--


So, have you found someone to take you to prom? - S.Y

As if. All the hot ones are already taken, and all the not hot ones are not even going. - S.J

You aren’t trying hard enough! - S.Y

Easy for you to say, I don’t have a senior boyfriend like you do, Sunyoung! - S.J

Come on, your sister is THE Jung Sooyeon, how can you not find any suitors to bring you to prom? - S.Y

Uh, because this is a SENIOR prom and no one would even bat an eyelash at my direction because I’m a freshman? - S.J

Hence, your sister??? - S.Y

Her life doesn’t revolve around mine, yknow. - S.J

That’s your loss, then. - S.Y

You’re supposed to be helping me think of ideas, not making me feel like trash! - S.J

Alright, fine, fine! Do you remember the auction to raise funds for prom this Friday? I heard that the S.C is auctioning a pair of tickets for non-seniors to prom!!! - S.Y

What the hell, and you couldn’t have mentioned this earlier??? - S.J

Um hello, have you forgotten that your cousin is the S.C President??? - S.Y

Oh please, like Yunho would tell me what is going on with pr--


--


Homework:

English: pg 12 of textbook due Friday + 250 words essay on why passing notes in class ought to be prohibited due tmr THANKS A LOT MR. LEE
History: essay on some historical stuff--ask Jinri!!!
Biology: n/a
Chemistry: chemical equations pg 87
Advance Maths: pg 90 no. 1-3 (get answers from Taemin)


--


Soojung frowns, her fork still twirling on the same strands of spaghetti on her plate. It’s a little past eleven; recess would be over in fifteen minutes, yet Soojung has barely eaten her lunch that day.

“Are you going to eat that or not?” Jongin is the first to break the silence, and Soojung darts a quick glare in his direction. “What? It’s...just a question.”

“You just broke my train of thoughts, thank you very much.” Soojung sighs, putting her fork down and looking at her best friend in the opposite seat. “Jinri, help me, you have a brilliant brain, and I need your brilliant ideas now.”

Upon hearing her name, Jinri breaks her attention from whatever Taemin is telling her. “What is it, Soojung?”

“The auction is after school on Friday, but I have detention on Friday. What should I do?” Soojung half whines, half cries, banging her fists on the table repeatedly.

Taemin snorts a little too loud, fighting a laugh down his throat when Soojung reaches over to smack him with her fork. Jongin watches on in amusement, since he isn’t from the same class as them. “What happened? Why was Soojung given detention?”

“For passing notes to Sunyoung in class.” Jinri fights the urge to laugh as well, especially since Soojung is giving her a death glare from her seat. “But that’s not the funniest, because Mr. Lee decided to read--”

“Can we please not relive that horrible moment?” Soojung interrupts loudly, stabbing her spaghetti a few times with her fork before pushing the plate away grumpily.


“Whole class knows?” Jongin mouths as subtly as he could.

“Whole class knows.” Jinri confirms, hiding her chuckle with an abrupt cough.


Soojung heaves a sigh so loud that everyone quickly turns their attention back towards her. “What should I do? I can’t go to the auction now because of that dumb detention! Unless...”

Jinri immediately shakes her head at the look and sudden sweet smile Soojung is giving her. “No, no. No can do, Soojung. Taemin and I are going to Busan this weekend, remember? We’re leaving after school on Friday.”

Soojung’s face falls, Taemin shrugs apologetically. “Sorry, mate.”


Soojung’s attention on them didn’t last for long, as she now diverts her attention to her other best friend who has decided to eat her leftover spaghetti. “Jongin...Oh my dearest Kim Jongin…”

“Vot?” Jongin looks up with a mouthful of spaghetti as he resumes chewing. Soojung remains smiling, leaning closer to him as she waits patiently for him to finish eating.

Jongin reaches for his cup of water. “What? I don’t like the look you’re giving me.”

“Jongin...you know I love you right?” Soojung begins, blinking rapidly. Before she could continue though, Jongin pushes her forehead back with a finger. “No.”

The smile on Soojung’s face disappears as she narrows her eyes. “I haven’t even said anything!”

“Every time you look and blink at me that way, you’re always up to something no good.” Jongin retorts, shaking his head twice. “So forget it, don’t include me in your malicious plan.”


Soojung sulks, though she refuses to give up. Jongin is the only person who could help her now, no way is she giving in so easily. “There is nothing malicious in helping me buy the extra prom tickets! It’s like...queuing up to buy food!”

“Except that you have to bid until no one else bids. I am not buying food that way.”

“This isn’t food!”

“You were the one who compared it to buying food first!”


Taemin and Jinri exchange looks with one another, wondering if they should wait for their friends or leave the cafeteria. Both shrug at the same time.


“Jooooongggiiiiiiinnnnnn! Why won’t you just help me?”

“I have an important football match to watch with Sehun! I’ve promised him since months ago!”

“It’s just stupid football!”

“It’s just stupid prom tickets!”


“Let’s just go.” Taemin whispers just as Jinri nods in mutual agreement. Quietly, the both of them moved away from their seats, sighing in relief when Soojung and Jongin showed no signs to realizing that they’ve left.


“This is my future, Kim Jongin!”

“Stop acting like a brat! It’s just a stupid dance at the end of the year, anyway.”


Soojung gasps out loud dramatically, unaware that recess is already over and people are already leaving for class. “Excuse me? Stupid? Going to Senior Prom in your freshman year is an accomplishment. Prom is the mother of all dances! It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. You get worshipped after that.”

“You want people to worship you???” Jongin scoffs, shaking his head a few times out of disbelief.

“No, idiot.” Soojung rolls her eyes. “It’s the recognition that I want. The feat.”

“Going to prom in your freshman year is a feat?”

“Oh,” Soojung throws her hands in the air exasperatedly. “what do you know?”

Jongin stands, wiping his mouth with a tissue as he prepares to leave. “I do know that my football game is more important, so find someone else to fight for the tickets for you, Soojung.”


Soojung rages, pulling her own hair as she watches Jongin leave. “HEY, I’m unfriending you, Kim Jongin, you hear that? UNFRIENDING YOU.”

Jongin stops in his tracks and turns around. He arches an eyebrow at Soojung and smirks slightly. “So can I assume that our ice-cream plan after school today is cancelled? Since I’m paying for them.”

He waits; three seconds, four, and then Soojung flashes a smile. She gets up from her seat and makes her way towards her best friend. “Jongin, Jongin, dearest Jongin...”


Jongin fights the urge to roll his eyes. “Soojung, Soojung, evil witch Soojung.”


She smacks his arm once before flashing another insincere smile in his direction. “You know I was only joking right?”

“Sure, whatever you say.” Jongin shakes his head and walks off, much to Soojung’s dismay.

“You’re still treating me to ice-cream later right? RIGHT???”


--


The second the bell rings to indicate that detention period is over on Friday, Soojung flies out from her seat, smacking her bag squarely onto Nam Woohyun’s face. “Sorry! 911 emergency! Gotta go!” She cries, not looking back even though Woohyun has mumbled something in response. Right now, her priority is to get to the school’s gym where the auction to raise funds for prom is held.


No amount of please, please, please could however, change the fact that when Soojung arrives in the gym, the auction is already over. Her face falls just as she spots her cousin clearing the tables on the stage.


“Yunho! I mean, oppa! I mean, Yunho oppa!”


Soojung tries to brush aside the sudden looks that every student council members are giving her as she waves for Yunho’s attention. When he finally spots her, Yunho nods back and makes his way towards his cousin. “Hey, Soojung. What’s up?”


“Is the auction over already?” Stupid question, but perhaps…


Yunho looks around the empty gym except his council members, raising an eyebrow. “Yeah.” He answers in a tone Soojung could clearly perceive as isn’t this the most obvious thing in the world tone. She closes her eyes and smacks her forehead. “Damn it. Is everything auctioned off already?”

Yunho grins at this question, clearly happy that the auction had been successful. “Yeah, it’s amazing, really. The support from all the teachers, parents and students are--”

Soojung waves her hand nonchalantly in the air, not at all interested at Yunho’s elaboration. “Who got the two tickets for prom?”

Soojung is holding her breath, heart hammering beneath her skin as she waits for the answer. Yunho shrugs, looking behind his shoulder. “Boa, who got the extra tickets for prom?”

Looking behind Yunho’s shoulder as well, Soojung spots a petite senior sweeping the floor. She has never really talked to her before, but Soojung knows who she is--everyone in the school does, given that she’s the student council’s vice president.


Boa glances up and frowns, thinking for a few seconds before answering. “Uh...a freshman named Seulgi, I think?”


If it’s possible, Soojung feels her heart breaking into two.


--


I can’t live my life like this! It’s meaningless! - S.J

Oh honey, I’m really sorry you didn’t get those tickets. Have you tried buying them from Seulgi? I heard she bought them for almost 300 thousand won.  - S.Y

Of course I did. She wouldn’t budge, that lil twerp! Jongin is a , he doesn’t even realize that all sane freshmen have been aiming for this exact same purpose since they stepped into high school! - S.J

Boys will never understand. Jinki didn’t even want to go, yknow, until I convinced him to. Seriously! - S.Y

All those wasted tickets could have gone into better hands! The rule of not allowing non-seniors to go unless if you’re going as dates is stupid. Yunho should change that rule! - S.J

You know he can’t possibly do that. The seniors will cause a riot. - S.Y

I can’t believe my cousin is the S.C President and he can’t even give a ticket to me. - S.J

*hugs*. But why are we writing/passing notes in English class again? - S.Y

We’re rebels, remember? - S.J


Before Soojung could reach over to pass her reply to Sunyoung, she jumps in her seat when her name is called out from the front. “, not again.”

“Soojung! Come here.” Mr. Lee repeats, Sunyoung quickly buries her head into her textbook as she watches Soojung walk to the front from the corner of her eye. Even Jinri glances briefly from her textbook to look at her poker-faced friend.

Soojung puts on her best blank expression, as if she has no idea what is going on and had been quietly doing the homework her teacher had assigned her class to do. “Yes, sir?”

“The student council members are currently having a meeting in their room, could you pass this to Yunho?” Mr. Lee asks, waving an envelope in the air. “This is extremely important, but I can’t leave the class unattended, so since you’re here…”

Soojung mentally breathes a sigh of relief; she isn’t caught for passing notes in class! Huzzah! “Of course, sir.” She says in the sweetest voice she could muster, quite positive that Taemin is gagging for air at the back of the classroom.


--


Soojung nearly gets lost trying to find for the student council room--which is rather ironic given that Mr. Lee had assumed she would know the way there the best. What Mr. Lee didn’t know is that, although Soojung is Yunho’s cousin, she has never actually gone to visit him in his second home in school before.

After all, Soojung has much more important things to do.

Like getting tickets to prom.


She paus