Now, where was she?

Chanyeol peers into another classroom and comes up short when he doesn't see the familiar face, moving out of the way as students file out to go to lunch. Sehun was lagging a few paces behind him, surfing on his phone with a bored expression as people walk around them.

"Hyung, she's not here." He states in a monotone and Chanyeol turns to look at him.

"You don't know that." He insists and Sehun flips his phone around so he could see the instagram photo of Suji and Minho at his house. She took the day off to take care of him. Chanyeol groans and walks with the flow of people this time, heading to the cafeteria.

"Why are you so hung up on this anyway?" Sehun asks and Chanyeol opens his mouth to reply, until a gaggle of fangirls surround them in the halls and they keep quiet. Better they keep this away from the gossiping peers and to themselves if possible. The girls smile at him and spark up conversations with him about classes and the musicals he's been in, and he's inclined to respond, which makes them blush and giggle to each other in excitement.

So maybe that's why they always follow him. He never understood how being a certain person could be so popular, or maybe it was because, unlike the other "hot" guys in the school, he didn't flash around his popular girlfriends and/or play around. Theater leads were always strangely popular as well. He's never actually told anyone about being gay either, though, so they were set up for disappointment.

By the time they both make it to the lunch hall, they had passed through walls lined with girls, and a few guys, from all grades. Chanyeol swears he must be losing his mind if he never noticed them before Kai mentioned it, but, then again, he barely pays attention in school, let alone passing time.

They part like the Red Sea for him to cut in front in the lunch room, but he brought his own food so he waves goodbye to Sehun. Their table was close to the doors, and close to the lunch lines, so it was easy to steal when the freshmen were encroaching on their space, even when it was only three of them - or was, until Kai and Sehun signed up to host a few students from China for the year, Luhan and Zitao. 

He must say, Luhan reminds him of a girl much more than he probably should, and Zitao mildly terrified him until he saw the panda backpack he walked around with after martial arts club. Luhan spoke the language very well, but Zitao was still learning. Sometimes it was adorable to listen to.

"I can't contain my potato." He cries, looking at his phone. Chanyeol oversees a scene from a popular drama and Kai chuckles.

"Emotion. It's pronounced emotion." He corrects and Zitao shushes him as he continues to listen. Kai looks up as Chanyeol comes by and the taller sits down next to him, pulling his lunch from his back pack, "By the way, these are for you."

Kai pushes a couple cupcakes in his direction on a paper plate, their pink and blue frosting covered with rainbow sprinkles. Chanyeol lights up as he sees them and picks up the pink one, remembering what Kai said earlier. He gazes over the crowd until he sees a particularly red-faced girl with a small friend group watching him as well. He waves and gives a gesture of appreciation, which makes her cover her face from embarrassment, but the friends squeal.

"Do you know who was in charge of the talent show last night?" Chanyeol asks, pulling the wrapper off the cupcake as he speaks. Kai types something on his phone for a second before responding.

"Wasn't it the class president? If it's not him, then he'll probably know who it was." He replies without looking up. Chanyeol takes a bite of the cupcake and smiles again, rocking back and forth in his seat - it was the broken one that spun if you tried, but too hard and it'll come off. Zitao makes a gasping sound and clenches his fist as he focuses on his phone screen, holding on for dear life to whatever scene was unfolding.

"Junmyeon, right?" Chanyeol asks and Kai nods, finally looking up and locking his phone.

"Yeah, actually I think he's right over there." he gestures to a table by the other doors. Half of the table was the DnD kids, and the other half he recognized from his grade. He's sorry to say he can't remember most of their names, but Junmyeon's the one everybody knew. They all voted for him.

The others at the table are a mess of variations - Minseok from English, Jongdae and Kyungsoo from choir. Junmyeon calls someone over from the lunch lines in Chinese and a smiling, dimpled boy comes over with his tray, sitting down in a saved spot. A second guy comes around the corner to follow and Chanyeol has to stare because he's straight up six feet of y, but then he's looking at the president again and trying to figure out if they had any classes together.

He had to find out who the singer was.

Oh, just thinking about the voice gave him chills. He lowers onto the table to rest on his crossed arms in thought. Soft, warm, and those sweet puppy eyes that came with it - petite body and those skinny jeans. Honestly, Chanyeol has to pay more attention to people. Maybe if he did he'd know who it was - by recognition of the voice or the familiar body structure - but he doesn't, and he really needs to work on it.

"What country was that Yifan guy from again?" Sehun asks as he sits at the table with his lunch. Kai and Chanyeol shrug in unison and Zitao turns his phone off, pulling the head phones from his ears with a sigh.

"Him? He's from Canada." They turn to stare at him and he looks up.

"Canada?" Kai asks and Zitao nods.

"Yes."

The friends glance at each other and Kai shrugs, so Sehun goes back to eating and Chanyeol finishes his cupcakes. Luhan finally shows up with his tray of food and sits next to Zitao, a Hello Kitty bag on his back.

"Still stressing out?" Kyungsoo asks and Junmyeon sighs.

"The committee is demanding a name and face for the winner of the show, but no one knows, and Suji is even willing to forfeit first place to keep it a secret. The principal wanted to celebrate the winner by the next pep-fest, but we have nothing to announce." Junmyeon complains and Yixing rubs his back soothingly.

"Everything will turn out alright. Maybe you could announce Suji and not the stranger?" Yixing suggests and Junmyeon shakes his head. 

Baekhyun's scribbling in his folder, playing with the piano app on his phone with one earbud in, but he pauses as the conversation gets deeper.

Kyungsoo pulls out his homework for tomorrow and starts working on the problems, to which Minseok stops eating long enough to explain an Algebra problem to him. Minseok chokes for a second and Jongdae pats his back to help as Yifan types on his phone.

"What if you put him down as a mystery?" Yixing suggests and Junmyeon shakes his head again.

"It would also have to include that the winner gets a reward. Most of the school would show up saying that they're him." Junmyeon states.

"Then have everyone that comes forward sing. Do a school-wide search. Soon you can rule them all out." Jongdae jokes

"Wouldn't the pressure make him avoid it more? If he hid his face he probably doesn't want to be found at all." Baekhyun pipes up from inside his book and Kyungsoo looks up at him from his math.

"That's true. I don't believe we'll be able to find him by going public. I'll just have to talk to Suji again. You have her number right?" Junmyeon asks him and he slowly closes his folder, nodding lightly.

"She hasn't answered for a while."

"Didn't you write the song? I feel bad because I didn't go to see it." Jongdae asks and Kyungsoo nods his head in agreement.

"Me neither."

"The committee recorded it if you wanted to hear it." Junmyeon offers but Baekhyun shakes his head, hugging his folder against his chest.

"No no! The song isn't that good, really. I'll be embarrassed." He objects and Junmyeon smiles.

"Alright I won't play it. If it won first place I'd say it's pretty good, though." Junmyeon jokes and Baekhyun slides his folder into his backpack. Kyungsoo eyes him from the side before looking back down at his math problems.

"Is Chanyeol walking towards us?" Kyungsoo asks when he looks upwards. He nudges Baekhyun under the table, and receives a glare in response.

Jongdae turns in his seat to look, "Theater Chanyeol? Hey, Junmyeon. I think he's looking at you."

The Class President is jostled when Jongdae kicks him under the table and finishes chewing his lunch, "Me?"

"Well I don't really think he knows who we are, so probably."

Junmyeon still has food in his mouth, so he works on swallowing it and glances at the classmate approaching without appearing like he knew he was coming. When he's sure he is, he waves in greeting and Chanyeol responds with his own, "Hey, Junmyeon."

"Hey. Did you need something?" It's not that Junmyeon was suspicious as to why he was talking to him, but people who sought him out at lunch typically needed information on school events or test times. He doesn't remember any information about any of the drama stuff, and those students usually sought out Mr. Quinn - the English teacher in charge of performances - themselves. No one really liked Mr. Quinn, but they did it anyway since he was always so fickle with dates and times.

"Who was in charge of the talent show. I mean, I judged, but I wasn't sure if it was Mr. Song, or the girls in the committee?" He almost forgot that Chanyeol judged with the teachers. If it was ever a student, it was usually alumni from choir who were asked to come back for the event. Junmyeon still isn't sure why they made the decision for a current student to have that role.

"Actually, Mr. Song arranged it with the school, but I think it was Amber who was in charge - technically. She worked with the crew and the contestants to put it all together."

Baekhyun, who had taken out a pencil to think about his own algebra homework, snaps the lead when he presses it against his paper, "Crap."

Kyungsoo hands him a pencil sharpener with a sigh. Baekhyun twists it on his pencil to until he's satisfied with the results and hands it back, but Junmyeon looks at him form over Kyungsoo's shoulder.

"Hey, Baekhyun. You were at the show, right? You said you wanted to go to support Suji when she performed."

Jongdae rises and has a smug grin, "Ah, yes. Baekhyun here wrote the song, too." He throws an arm over his friend's shoulder, who tenses and looks at him in horror. Chanyeol leans in suddenly and sits where Jongdae was before he stood up.

"What - really? Oh my gosh, I loved it! It worked with Suji's voice so well, and it was really well done! I only wish I knew who sang it with her."

"Did you see anyone with Suji before the performance?" Junmyeon asks and Baekhyun grabs Kyungsoo's knee under the table. He avoids Chanyeol's stare of admiration that makes a blush travel to his face and he shrugs, looking into his homework and letting his bangs hang over his eyes.

"I sat down before she went backstage. I don't know."

"I doubt she'd find someone so fast that she knew to sing with her. He could've come from another school entirely."

Junmyeon makes a sound of defeat and covers his eyes with his hands, "Oh, I hope not!"

Chanyeol purses his lips in thought and the hand on the table makes a fist. He shakes it slightly and stands again, "Okay. I'll talk to Amber about it."

Junmyeon brightens, "You're going to help me look for him?" With Chanyeol in the investigation, all sorts of people could be put to work seeking him out. At least one person has to have heard his voice before.

"I have to find him." Chanyeol gives a little sigh and he scans the lunch room, "Does Amber eat in this building for lunch?"

"I've seen her in the courtyard before, but I don't know for sure." Junmyeon stands now to join and Chanyeol nods. Both of them leave the lunchroom together when the Class President picks up his backpack and carries it with him.

The rest sit at the table and watch them leave. Jongdae sits back in his spot and leans against the table on his back, crossing his legs, "Well . This mystery dude has some tough people coming after him now." Minseok snorts and looks at the time, smacking the table to get his attention when he realizes he only has ten more minutes to finish his homework for the next period. Jongdae spins around at the alert and grimaces.

Kyungsoo gives Baekhyun a smug grin, who's forehead rests on the table to hide his face. When he's elbowed, he looks up, but doesn't want to.

"Hey, look who's getting attention now?" He teases and Baekhyun groans, shaking his head against the table to object, "He said he likes the song!"

"As if! Besides, I wouldn't want to lead myself on because it's not like anything I want will happen." Baekhyun sits up, but then slouches and leans on his elbows, flicking his pencil so it rolls up the table. Kyungsoo makes a face.

"You don't know that."

"Yeah, but you at least know that Jongin isn't gay. How do you even deal with that?" Baekhyun sits up and gestures across the table at the said male in question. Kyungsoo shrugs.

"There's tons of male celebrities I know aren't gay. Doesn't mean I can't admire them."

"Wait, are we still talking about Chanyeol?" Jongdae puts his pencil down in confusion and Baekhyun clams up, turning red. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, "Theater Chanyeol?"

"Dae, there literally isn't another Chanyeol."

"I know, but Chanyeol? He's so totally gay."

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun make faces, "What? How do you know that?"

"He's in theater."

"You're in theater."

Jongdae grins and raises an eyebrow, "Your point?"

Kyungsoo opens his mouth to retort, but he purses them back together and pulls back. Baekhyun makes a face, "So, Taehyung?"

"Gay."

"Onew?"

"Gaaayyy."

"What?" Baekhyun points his finger at more people, "Kyungsoo, you were in the musical your second year - with Kai! But Suji and Minho have been in plays before!"

"Not everyone is, of course, but most. Typically lead roles." Jongdae shrugs. Baekhyun still doesn't believe him.

"Taehyung didn't play a lead role! His character died!"

Jongdae throws his hands up, "It's not a science! I don't know how it works, it just does!"

"Okay, well, before we jump the gun on this one, I had a question for you." Kyungsoo cuts off the conversation and they quiet down, "Could you write Jongdae and I a song for our Cabaret performance?"

Baekhyun makes a face, but he taps his finger on his paper, "When is it?"

"After Christamas break."

"Does Mrs. Bang even allow that stuff? I thought you only choose pre-written songs for the performances." The time is running short for them, so Baekhyun put all his stuff and away and makes the short trip to throw out his lunch tray.

"She said she'd allow it if she viewed it over first, so we'd have to start soon." Kyungsoo hands him his tray with a smile and Baekhyun rolls his eyes, but throws it away for him.

"You told her I agreed already? What makes you think I'll do it?" Baekhyun narrows his eyes and sits back down. Kyungsoo grins again, but his stare is dead.

"I'll just kill your family."

"Well damn - gosh, at least Suji was classy about it! Fine!" Baekhyun holds up his hands in surrender and Kyungsoo nods his head, grinning victoriously. Minseok looks at his phone and glances around.

"Junmyeon says Amber isn't outside. Did any of you see her today?"

The bell rings and they all ditch their attempts at getting anything done. Yixing follows Kyungsoo to Health and the rest group to go to the other side of the building for their separate classes.