I slump into my seat and drum my pencil on the edge of my notebook. It’s only been five minutes since school started and I’m already tired of this place. I look around. The same girls gather in the corner talking about their new favorite drama called The Lovely Ones. A few kids play video games under their desk. Some boys horse around with their friends, playfully punching each other in the gut. I slip in some earbuds to drown out all the noise and lay my head down. Until I feel my desk rattle under me.

“Hey, Mouse.” It’s Sehun staring back at me. I had the unfortunate luck of him being my desk neighbor.

“What?” I don’t even try to be cordial. It’s a Monday after all.

“Can you go get me a drink from the vending machine?” He smirks. Which translates to buy me a soda with your own money.

“Class is about to start.”

“You can hurry. It’ll only take five minutes.”

I can see the teacher already heading toward the class so five minutes is not gonna cut it.

“Hurry. You’re only wasting time.” He urges.

I slip out of my chair with a click of my tongue and try not to make eye contact with Sehun’s face that glows with satisfaction. The other classmates whisper as they watch me leave. Seems they got nothing better to do. I’m pretty used to the way things work around here by now though. It’s been a long two years at this no-good high school.

The soda machine is in the corner near the stairwell, dusty and old with only three sodas worth buying. I bend down and fish inside the change dispenser. Recently someone’s been dumb enough to leave their change down here and I can get away with using that instead. I pop three quarters out. Looks like I won this time.

The grape fizz rolls out of the tray and I resist the urge to just shake that baby up, those sweet seconds after it hits Sehun’s face would just bring the greatest joy to my life. But the out-of-tune school bell rings throughout the halls and brings me back to reality. The reality in which I’m late for math class. Again.

Great.

When I enter the classroom, the teacher is in the middle of a sentence about exponentials. She pauses and her eyebrows twist, the chalk almost breaking in her tense fist. She calls me over, turning me so that I face the class. All their beady eyes trained on me.

“Ji Ho, do you have a reason why you’re late to class again?”

“I had to go to the bathroom. It was an emergency” I lazily respond. The class tries to the suppress their giggles while the teacher’s frown gets deeper.

“One more time Mrs. Lee and I’ll be seeing you in the principal’s office. Back to your seat”

I plop down at my desk and slip the soda from inside my jacket into Sehun’s outstretched hand.

“Took you long enough.”

Other than the first period, today goes by uneventful and as slow as ever. The wall clock taking twice as long to just reach noon. Lunch goes as usual with me eating a filled bread on the back stairwell, the kids who walk past me didn’t even see me anymore, not even when one of the almost steps on my hand. But it’s not like I want to talk to them either.

Sehun doesn’t give me anymore issues throughout the day, he’s too occupied with his friends or jotting down notes. I can’t really concentrate on the lectures today, so I spend the time just doodling on the edge of my assignment, pictures of animals and clouds until the last bell rings.

The herd of high school students flock out of the grey two-story building flooding the courtyard like ants. A lot of them wait on the sidewalk until cars pull up to the curb and open their doors, some walk shoulder to shoulder with their friends to hang out for the afternoon, others hop on the bus to head to the after-school classes. Me, I watch them all fade away, until no one is left. Then I make my way solo, into the downtown area.

Maybe its my own fault that I run into trouble. I mean if I just went back home every afternoon, I wouldn’t be in any kind of mess, but I just had to wander around aimlessly every day.

I’m in the middle of downtown when I pass the glow of the 7-11 sign and freeze. My head tilts to the side with memories of last week and the thrill of sneaking those candy bars out. Something in my body urges me to go back in, like an itch. A desire to try it again but this time for myself. It’s something I know I shouldn’t be doing but I was already inside by the time I came to my senses.

I mean, my life is pretty crap. Don’t I deserve just one-

I move slyly to the back.

Just one treat.

It’s easier than it was on Friday and it almost scared me how calm I am this time as I slipped a gum packet into my front pocket. It’s not like they’ll even miss it. Of course, that’s what I just keep telling myself as I pretend to look around the rest of the aisles so that I don’t look to eager to leave the store. Just when I check that the coast is clear and start moving toward the exit, I feel a hand on my shoulder.

Whatever calm I had before is replaced by pure fear. I could feel the blood rising to my cheeks. Turning around, I see the 7-11 red uniform, my eyes travel up to the employee's face which is twisted in a hard to read expression. He’s tall but seems around my age, with wavy brown hair poking out from under his cap. The name Chanyeol on his name tag.

“Can I help you check out?”

I pause, trying to figure out what he was saying, his voice hard to hear behind the heavy drum of my heartbeat in my ear. He glances to my pocket where I stashed the stick of gum. I was caught.

I try to regain my composure and hide the shakiness that rattles my voice when I meet his eyes again. “I was just about to go to the cash register.”

He nods, probably not buying it, but it’s not like I left the store with anything yet. Can I really be accused of anything? I think of my Dad and what he’d say when he went to bail me out of jail. Calm down, I watch the boy’s back. He hasn’t reported me.

And he didn’t look like he was going to as he silently took his place behind the register. But it was still embarrassing to say the least, when I fish out the gum and slide it over the counter, and hand the young boy my money. He has the decency not to ask me if I want a receipt. He just stares at me, with that same weird expression.

God, just take me now.

I pretty much bolt out of the store afterward trying to fan away my flushed face.

What’s wrong with me, honestly. I must have lost my mind. I fumble with the pack of gum in my hand and glare it. What in world did I think would happen? I chuck into the street watching as it disappears behind passing tires before I run to the closest bus stop.