He was so annoyed and frustrated. His hands dug into the rough cardboard of the box, feeling the slight weight of all the photos within it shift every time he moved even a little. He wanted to toss the photos out and forget about this project entirely. 

He still didn’t fully get what had come over Shinae. What made her think that they could work as partners? She had been just as perturbed by the partnership as he had been just the other day and then today it was like something had changed and he had the sneaking suspicion that Chanyeol was to blame. The thought alone was enough to stoke yet another fire underneath his already brightly burning rage. 

He wanted to implode and open the box and rip apart every image just to spite her. She had wanted to meet at his apartment and do this project and yet she hadn’t even been properly prepared. Did she not even care about school at all? Did she just think meeting up would be enough to make a whole project in one night? He knew they had grown apart and changed, that their dislike ran deep but he thought she might at least be a bit better prepared given that this was their senior year.

His lips twisted and he tossed the box down on the bed deciding he was done with these thoughts. He sat up straight pulling his backpack towards him, not caring about whether the sheets beneath him got wrinkled and messy in the process. He pulled the zippers down further and riffled through everything he could get his hands on till the small slip of paper stuck out plainly. He gripped it with ease, pulling it free and read over it again. He hoped doing so would maybe calm the raging storm that was brewing rapidly inside his chest. 

Typically he found that puzzles and making his brain work usually managed to completely sate any unpleasant feelings or thoughts; however, this riddle only made his chest tighten and his frustration increase.

“Small problems can grow into big ones, and big problems can shrink with time and effort…what utter BS.” He muttered to himself, shivering at the memory of that strange man that seemed to be following him. The strange man he was convinced placed this note in his locker, and that he swore nobody else seemed to see. The mess of it all was enough to drive him mad, and it did. With one last glance, he stood throwing the slip of paper into his wastebasket. 

Keeping it was a waste and if something was a waste it shouldn’t take up space in his home or his life. That was what Baekhyun lived by and he planned to stick by it regardless of the weird feeling he got every time he thought about the note and the strange student. 

It was always this prick, as though needles were stabbing into his spine and his shoulders, a more painful and terrifying version of acupuncture. He always felt his muscles shift, tightening, pulling closer till he could barely draw in a normal breath. His skin got cold and clammy like a giant was breathing down his back in a freezing tundra. He didn’t understand why his body reacted like that but he decided he would stop caring.

Nothing good came from dwelling on the unexplainable, so he changed out of his school uniform and slipped into something more comfortable. The navy blue hoodie he wore fit snuggly, its worn out fabric allowing a nice breeze to flutter across his skin. The typical black sweats that cinched in below his knees were cozy and beyond soft, giving him so much space. He felt his mood shift ever so slightly. His gaze rose, his fingers balling up the dirty school clothes lazily tossing them into the clothes hamper that stood next to his dresser. 

His own brown eyes met their reflection. He doubted Shinae had noticed the mirror when she was standing right in front of it. He doubted that she saw her face full on in that mirror while her grimy fingers reached for his private journal. He wanted to be angrier but he couldn’t. All he saw now was his own face. He saw the red anger tinge his pale cheeks, he saw the hardness that cemented his gaze, he saw the bitter twist of his smooth lips and the way his brown eyebrows furrowed. He didn’t see her, and he hoped it would stay that way.

He swiftly turned away from the mirror, grabbed his backpack and plopped down at his desk getting to work on homework for classes that were actually important. 

He was grateful to have a distraction.

The others had greater success with their projects. Hyosung had left before the
having had other obligations with the school. Chanyeol sat in his room working on organizing everything that he had gathered on Hyosung while she was there. others

Yixing and Luhan stood out in the living area saying their goodbyes to Junmyeon, as Sehun had felt content to stay in his room as well. It seemed Junmyeon was the only one with some sense of hospitality. Though Luhan couldn’t recall being mad at Sehun or being uncomfortable, albeit he was distracted by how nerve-wracking it was to think about Baekhyun and Shinae being alone together. He didn’t like it at all. 

They were planning on waiting for Shinae to leave, they thought she might want to get out of the apartment as soon as she possibly could. But her shoes remained by the front door waiting for their owner to return. Luhan’s narrowed eyes traveled to the closed door that led to Baekhyun’s room. Junmyeon’s gaze followed the same trail and he smiled softly.

“You guys should go home, one of us will make sure she gets home safely,” that gentlemanly smile that got Yixing’s heart racing spread across his face. The corner’s of his eyes crinkled ever so slightly, Yixing found his heart stuttering a bit at the sight. Luhan wasn’t as convinced, his lips turned into a twisted frown.

“I don’t know I think she’d want to leave with us,” but he was quickly silenced by Yixing’s chipper voice.

“She’ll be fine. We haven’t heard her or Baekhyun freak out so they obviously are getting along,” the explanation should’ve been a comfort but it didn’t sit well in Luhan’s stomach. He opened his mouth to protest but was cut off again, this time by Junmyeon.

“Look those two have been at each other's throats for ages. I don’t think breaking them up when they seem to be doing well is a smart move at the moment,” Luhan wanted to believe that they may be right. But something in the pit of his gut didn’t settle right at the image. This wasn’t normal nor was it like Shinae…to just be so abruptly fine with Baekhyun. She should’ve been throwing a fit of some sort or maybe even stormed out.

“Luhan let’s go,” he wanted to fight it but had no logical reason for his protests, so he turned to lea