Yuta keeps an eye on Hansol every day, he watches him coming to school, changing his shoes, dragging his backpack to the classroom, never having any eye contact with anyone, always keeping his head up, always dining alone in the cafeteria and always disappearing in the breaks.

Hansol is cool and cold, a tough guy, students are afraid of him and Yuta should keep away, yet he wants to get closer to the boy.

There’s a buzzing sound, classes already started and Yuta turns around to see Hansol clicking his tongue at the screen then shutting the device down and sliding it inside his pocket he lifts up to leave the class.

Yuta stops the other in his tracks “Class already started, where do you think you’re going?”

“What are you, my mother? off!”

“I’m coming along then, and you will ruin my grades as well”

“Hmph” Hansol scoffs “Like I care, leggo” he shakes Yuta’s grip.

Yuta would like to follow, would like to find out what Hansol is involved in that has always bruises on his face if what Taeil told him is true, but he cannot afford skipping classes and let his mother know he did it.

He reckons over what is good and bad, but the curiosity is stronger than his will to behave and be the perfect kid, overlooking what goes around him.

“So this is where bad boys hang out, huh?” Yuta spots Hansol on the school’s rooftop, next to a pile of old desks and other pieces of school furniture.

“Go back to class” Hansol shoos him away not even bothering to give him a look, ahsing his cigarette

“I do whatever I want, what’s that?” Yuta says grabbing the cigarette from Hansol’s hand

“Give it back” Hansol bores a stare into Yuta’s eyes.

“Yuta”

“What?”

“That’s my name, you can call me that, and I will call you Hansol”

“I don’t care, give it back, you don’t know how to use that”

“We’ll find out soon” Yuta says taking a deep inhale of the cigarette.

He knew what cigarettes are, he knows his father is smoking even though he does it away from his eyes, he caught him few times doing it, but he never tried it. It should be simple he thinks but he definitely did something wrong since his lungs itch and his throat feels scratchy.

Yuta coughs uncontrollably tears forming into his eyes, soon a hand pats hard at the back of his neck.

“What the did you do, why would you drag off like that, breathe it out, breathe it out!”

He started laughing at Hansol’s panicked face, throat still stingy.

“Never touch them again, you’re too idiot for these” Hansol takes back the cigarette.

“Then you throw them away so I won’t be tempted” Yuta tries to laugh off between the choughs, his throat aching.

“Ha! Sure, forget it”

Yuta pouts and for the first time, Hansol eventually puts the cigarette away, pursing his lips looking somewhere in the sky.

Yuta shut himself in, he barely shares his worries with Taeyong, he barely asks the other about his own struggles, he feels he’s growing apart from Taeyong and he feels guilty.

Under the pretense that he cannot study, he calls Taeyong over to study together, they sit at the same old table they sat over so many times, that go blunt in time, and still their favorite one to study on.

They have it all the books, the cookies, the milk, Taeyong always focused on what they must do, and Yuta only focusing on studying the other boy’s facial expressions and frowns to whichever paragraph he reaches in a book.

His heart feels so much at ease with Taeyong around, and he knows that this is how he wants to keep Taeyong forever, his best friend.

“Tae, do you want to go with me for club enrolling?”

“Why are you bring it now, we have to study”

“I saw the captain of the football team yesterday, Choi Minho, he said he will accept people from Monday”

“Yu…look, I wanted to tell you but…I don’t know how”

“What do you mean, we’re best friends, we tell each other everything, why can’t you say it?”

The ‘we tell each other everything’ rolls so weird on his tongue, but he chooses to ignore it.

“I am thinking of enrolling in the literature club, with Youngho”

“Tae…”

“Look, I’m sorry, it’s-“

“Why are you sorry, silly? Go for it, explore it and also work on your poetry”

“You’re not mad?”

“Of course not, but you have to show me first your works it’s a-“

“Deal” they say in unison

“Tae?”

“Yes?”

“I can feel it”

“Oww pretty late, your nose is getting-wait a minute, did you just…”

“Your nose is getting old as well, a response to response, it was a good one Tae”

“Farting bastard”

“You started first!”

“We sleep together tonight you know that”

“Tae, please promise me no tickling, please!”

“Hmm I will think of it, maybe if you succeed with your math homework”

“No, not math, please!”

“Yuta, you have to pass tests”

“I think I’ll look for a tutor”

“Ask Taeil, remember he’s in the math club”

“Not a bad idea”

Aside from the times Yuta tries in vain to befriend Hansol, there’s nothing he looks forward in high school at the moment.

Taeyong already enrolled in the literature club, now it’s Yuta’s turn to follow his desire, he follows the noise that comes from the football club whose captain Choi Minho advertises through a speaking-tube.

“Yuta’s my name, I’m aiming for the striker position” Yuta gives the enrolling form to the boy that takes the application forms.

“Ok, did you play before? You know you enroll but to get a place on the actual team will take more than just this application”

“I was a star in middle school, I can prove myself in 5 minutes” Yuta says, and it sounds cocky but he knows that when it comes to football, he doesn’t have to be modest.

“Is that so?” he hears a voice behind him “Then I’ll be looking forward, I’m Choi Minho”

“Nakamoto Yuta, make sure you remember my face” Yuta shakes the hand that was extended for him and winks towards the captain.

“Be sure I will if you’re worthy”

Something swells in Yuta’s chest, the blood in his veins pumps with intensity because of something he is looking into, proving himself to the captain and the rest of the team, entering again on the field, and feeling the fresh grass under the soles of his shoes.

He dreams with his eyes open, the snap back to reality is given by a shadow and the familiar smell of cigarettes, and Yuta doesn’t hesitate following him, this time not surprised at all about the direction the other took to the school gate, somewhere outside.

But Yuta keep following, corner after corner, street after street until he has no idea where he is, he lost track of where he turned left or right and Hansol suddenly stops and turns around.

“Are you going to follow me forever? Look above you, soon it will be dark, do you even know where is this?”

Yuta turns his back staring at a wall, it’s obvious he followed and he has no idea where he is, so he clears his throat.

“Ok, when did you figured I’m behind you?”

“Go home you shouldn’t be here” Hansol rises a hand in dismissal and continues his way.

Stubbornness is one of Yuta’s greatest weakness and he knows that someday it may bring troubles, not that he expects that day to be exactly today.

“Hey Hansol, bought a friend over? Now that’s a first, why don’t we play a bit?” a group of four people stop them blocking their ways.

A bald guy that looks in his 30’s and three other that are probably just a bit older than him and Hansol, wearing sports, dusted clothes.

Yuta smiles, even though these guys look dangerous he thinks of not stereotyping and rises a hand “Hey, I’m Nakam-“ Hansol shushes him.

“He’s not my friend” Hansol shoves Yuta aside, and the latter is petrified, mouth running dry.

“Ha-Han-Hansol, what are you talking abo-“ Yuta tries but he’s cut off with a punch in his stomach.

“I said he’s not my friend, let him go, we’ll deal this between ourselves” he tries again, but the bald guy laughs hysterically.

“Not your friend, huh, don’t around, he wears the same uniform as you, get him” he signals the other two boys to catch Hansol and they kneel them down “I told you, you don’t dare ignoring my calls, my orders”

Yuta looks shocked from a side, Hansol is being hit by the bald gu