[ Baekhyun's POV ]

Two single beds, a bunk, and a pull out sofa. The five of us stare at the empty dorm room, crammed into the doorway so that we can all get a better look. Just like last year, we have to decide who gets which bed, and none of us ever let the two single beds get taken without a fight. I exchange a look with Chanyeol and I can already see the predatory glint in his pupils as he eyes the bed closest to the window. Ever since the issues that had occurred between the five of us and our roommates last year, Chanyeol’s aunt, who is a teacher at our university, was able to convince the faculty to allow all five of us stay in one room together. The five of us are inseparable, and because of this, our roommates last year often complained to the dorm manager because we were all hanging out in each other’s rooms, being loud and practicing our music.

And what you’re about to witness, is the exact thing that happened to us all last year. The battle for who gets which bed.

Behind me, I can feel Sehun and Minho elbowing each other for positions, while Wonho is being squashed against the doorframe because of their jostling. “Alright,” I say. “Let’s decide this fairly.”

“Right.” Chanyeol agrees, although he doesn’t take his eyes away from his target.

I slowly begin to turn and face the boys, “Why don’t we…” I pause, trying to think quick because I can see the impatience displayed on their faces as they jostle to keep their positions in the cramped doorway. “Flip a coin?” I suggest.

Minho snorts. “Screw that.” And with that, he barrels into the room, closely followed by Sehun, who is already latching onto the older boy’s arm in an attempt to stop him. “That bed’s mine, !” Sehun roars as Minho continues to force his way towards the single located near the window.

“No way!” Chanyeol yells in protest, charging after the two like an angered bull. As the three boys begin their combat for the first single bed, Wonho and I exchange glances and I can already see a smirk crossing his face just before he dashes for the second. I lunge after him with a shrill battle-cry and knock him to the side before he is so much as able to lay a fingertip on the plush mattress. “Ha!” I cackle as I scurry onto the bed and balancing myself on my knees in the center.

Wonho glares at me viciously before he lurches forward, his elbow already knocking into my ribcage as he rolls onto the mattress beside me, and attempts to kick me off. “Yah!” I bark and take one of the pillows that had been neatly arranged at the base of the headboard and shove it in his face. He immediately shoves it away and blindly flails his fists in my direction and I dodge each of his jabs and manage to grab a hold of his wrists, and pin him to the bed with.

Meanwhile, Chanyeol is attempting to remove Minho, who is holding tightly onto Sehun’s ankle, away from the bed, while Sehun shrieks a jumble of obscenities while he kicks at the air, violently jerking Minho’s arm upwards along with his flying limbs. “Let me go!” He wails and with one final kick, his foot lands in a rather unpleasant place—Chanyeol’s private parts. We all fall silent after that. Minho shoots up into a sitting position, and I climb off of Wonho and walk over to the giant who is lying in a crumpled ball on the floor, his legs curled together to protect the sensitive area.

“Alright, alright.” Chanyeol says breathlessly. “I surrender.”

“A-ah, no, hyung, you can have the bed.” Sehun stammers. “Yeah!” Minho chimes in. “I’ll sleep in the bunk!”

“I’ll take the other level of it, it’s no big deal.” Sehun adds in a haste. He’s obviously not being generous, he’s just trying to save his own from getting kicked.

“Really?” Chanyeol asks in between pants. Minho and Sehun both exchange a glance and nod.

“Yeah.” They reply simultaneously.

The room falls silent for a split second before a low wheezing sound can be heard from underneath the arm that Chanyeol is using to cover his face. I step closer with a worried expression. How hard did the youngest kick him for him to be in this much pain. However, upon my closer distance, I can detect that the sounds he is making aren’t those of agony, no, he’s laughing.

“Chanyeol?” I ask. The boy unburies his face from the crook of his elbow and bellows out a loud cackle. “I won!” He yells. He rolls backwards in order to help himself get up, and he braces the palms of his hands on the floorboards as he squirms into a sitting position. I can see the tears of amusement twinkling in his eyes and we all look down at him in complete amazement—and by feel of the energy circulating in the room, it’s easy to say that we all want to kill him.

“Wow,” Minho breathes in awe. “You’re ing unbelievable.” Chanyeol laughs again and Sehun throws a pillow at the older boy’s head. Chanyeol dodges the attack before stating, “Sehun’s the one who used foul play. Everyone knows the rules by now. Don’t we?” His eyes flick towards Sehun who flinches like a puppy being scolded. “Yes.” He says with a childish pout.

“So I get this bed, you two get the bunk.” Chanyeol declares and he gives me a sideways glance, silently urging me to intervene as well. “I’ll take the pull out.” I volunteer, swallowing the bitter loss in my voice. Same as last year. Whatever, I guess. I suppose I need to take one for the team, as I always do.

~

Later after we have all unpacked our clothes and after a few more minor arguments over things such as how many drawers each of us should get, or who gets the remote control by their bedside, the five of us travel outside of our dorm complex and towards the main hall, where we’re going to be meeting Chanyeol’s aunt—who happens to be one of the teachers on staff—at the music room to get our instruments that we had sent over earlier this week.

The January air is bitter and cold as it kisses against the bare skin of my neck, and despite the bright rays of sun shining in my eyes, it does little to warm me. I shove my hands in my pockets and beside me, Sehun begins to complain about the cold weather and how he wishes it would be summer already, and as usual, Minho responds the a snarky comment that leads to Sehun elbowing him in the stomach, as well as Wonho’s intervention of how he wishes to smack both of their skulls together like the character in cartoons, which is rewarded with a laugh from Chanyeol.

The campus is packed full of freshman and senior students milling from one end of the lawns to the other, some heading in the same direction as us, while others travel towards the dormitories. Despite the large mass of moving bodies, I find myself keeping a watchful eye out for a certain person in particular. It’s not my usual radar of hot girls who look lost enough to come to me for directions and end up leaving with my phone number and a date to the movies, it’s my hazardous radar, the radar in which I use while I avoid a certain someone who I don’t wish to encounter—at least not on my first day.

Just as we make it to the large oak doors of the main hall without me being spotted, I hear a holler from behind me and I feel my skin freeze over with something other than the biting winter air.

“Baekhyun!”

The boys seem to feel my change in attitude, and Chanyeol glances over his shoulder and his eyes shrink into slits. “You want me to take care of her?” He mumbles to me, and I shake my head stiffly. I turn on my heal in order to face the person approaching me. She finishes climbing the stairs and her ruby red heels click against the stone steps as she comes to stand before me. I wave the boys off and give them a quiet order of, “Go inside. I’ll meet up with you guys in a minute.”

Chanyeol looks rather uncertain but he nods in understanding and herds the other three indoors. I focus my attention back to the girl standing in front of me. She looks pretty, as much as I despise saying it. Her blonde locks are bunched into two tight twists on the top of her head, and she wears a knee-length fuchsia waistcoat with a pair of skinny jeans and white turtle neck underneath. She gives me a sweet grin and I feel my insides twisting.

“How’ve you been?” She asks, her voice dripping in overly sweet honey and I swallow uncomfortably before forcing myself to respond.

“I’ve been fine,” I pause. “Thanks, Taeyeon.” Her name rolls off my tongue and leaves an unpleasant tightening sensation in my throat.

“How was your vacation?” She inquires, tilting her head to the side and pursing her lips slightly. She’s being too friendly for my liking and it’s making me feel rather apprehensive. I shove my hands down deeper into my jacket as my fingers curl into fists. “Fine. How’s your boyfriend?” I’m unable to stop the question from leaving my mouth and it hangs in the air for a few seconds. A darkened expression crosses Taeyeon’s face briefly, but she blinks it away hastily before her sugar-coated smile returns.

“He’s doing great,” She is sure to stress the word “great” and my teeth clench together. “He just won a gold medal at the championships last weekend.” She brags, shifting her glittered clutch purse that hangs from around her shoulder.

“That’s nice.” I say. I jerk my thumb towards the doors before she can say anything else and say, “The boys are waiting for me. I should go.”

“Oh yeah, right!” She replies with another smile. “Maybe we can meet up for lunch or something?”

“Yeah,” I say bluntly. “Sure.”

I turn away and begin walking inside before she can so much as say a goodbye. My insides are twisted into a sickened knot as I push open the heavy doors that lead into the main hall. The hallways are packed full of students who are collecting their class forms as well as dorm addresses, while others are already storing their things inside of their lockers. I weave through the mass of bodies, and some of them scurry off to the side at the sight of me—most of which are girls that I can easily recognize from last semester, ones who liked leaving notes on my desk or locker at lunchtime. The feeling of having all eyes following me brings back a sense of familiarity and it makes me feel confident, and I shift my shoulders so that I’m standing straighter than after my encounter with Taeyeon. I don’t want my classmates to see me as the broken boy who lost his girlfriend, who has lost his “magic touch”, as some describe it.

Soon enough, a clear path presents itself to me as other students begin to recognize me and hurry to move off to a distant area. I can’t help but smile to myself at the impact that I have on this school. It’s obvious to everyone, including myself, and you can call me boastful but, it sure feels good knowing my dominant position. I round a corner as I head towards the music room, and soon enough, I can see the recognizable room that is open for viewing of others by five large windows. I push open the door and enter the room and am welcomed by the unpleasant feeling of the air conditioning. “Jesus,” I hiss. I catch sight of the boys in the far back, already beginning to pack the guitars, keyboard, and drums set into cases. A woman is standing beside Chanyeol, and I can easily recognize her as his aunt just by seeing the tight bun at the back of her head and her pressed white pants.

At the sound of my arrival, Chanyeol glances over and grins. “About time.” He says.

“Sorry, just a little… hold up.” I say and his eyebrows crease in understanding. “Hello Mrs. Park.” I greet with a slight bow once Chanyeol’s aunt turns to face me with a warm smile.

“Baekhyun,” She says and walks over to give me a light hug. “Good