“NO FREAKIN’ WAY! THAT OLD MAN REALLY DID THAT?! HE REALLY SUSPENDED YOU?”

Donghae covered his ears as he judged openly how exaggerating his Heechul hyung had become since he told him his conversation with their principal. It was already 9 PM and they might really get complaints from their neighbors due to the older guy’s shouts and screams.

“Hyung, I swear if you don’t shut up I’ll personally kick you out,” he threatened but Heechul is still in his own stupor. “It’s freaking 9 at night and can you please calm down? It’s not like it’s a big deal or something.”

“Are you kidding me, Hae? Of course it is a big deal. Imagine the impending chaos if the whole student body found out about your suspension.”

“It’s just for two days.”

“Even if you are suspended for a goddamn thirty minutes, the school would explode. I mean, you? The great Lee Donghae? The consistent top one for years? Woah! Did you know what you just gave them? An opportunity!” The older exclaimed, bouncing on their leather couch.

That couch was expensive, Kim Heechul!

Donghae had to pause, several thoughts persistently fighting for attention in his head. As much as he did not want to admit it, Heechul had a point. Two days of school without Lee Donghae would drive others to capitalize the opportunity to get ahead. The two-day-suspension may appear as nothing much but he could not be too sure.

Because of his consistency to maintain his rank in their school and inconsistency to maintain a good relationship with his school mates, he might not have established the greatest reputation. Everyone—with the exception of Heechul and the freshman kid Henry Lau who looked up to him surprisingly—thought of him as a competition. Someone they have to defeat.

What they failed to notice was that Donghae was pretty much aware of everything. He was aware when one time, someone stole the History exam paper prior to the exam day and purposely hid it inside Donghae’s locker. He was called to the student tribunal and questioned as if he was some sort of a criminal. But of course, with his detailed and perfect alibi, he managed to prove his innocence. His hidden camera installed inside his locker also helped his case. He may or may not have predicted something like that would happen to him.

There was also a time when a senior of his who failed to graduate last year paid a gang to beat the living crap out of him. The reason? So he would not make it to their final examination day. And yeah, he did not make it obviously. How could he when he was beaten terribly to pulp and the last thing he remembered was being left alone beside the abandoned garbage truck five blocks away from their school. He did not even know that was still a thing. But at the end of the day, their dean allowed him to take the exams he had missed, and Donghae being Donghae, he took them whilst sitting on a hospital bed, with bandages wrapped all over his battered body.

When he recovered, he appealed his case to the student tribunal with the help of Heechul to find out who was behind that incident. His appeal almost got denied but with the help of his phone camera who captured perfectly the faces of those who beat him, the officials traced the perpetrator and the latter was kicked out after. Talking about karma!

“Hae? You still with me?”

“Huh? What?”

Donghae looked up from his lying position to face his best friend. Heechul stared at him disapprovingly from across the room.

“I asked you what happened after Dean Cha suspended you. I did not see you in school and you didn’t even text me,” the gray-haired pouted and Donghae rolled his eyes.

“As shocking as this may sound, I was at the grand park,” he answered and he heard a rather loud gasp. Only milliseconds had passed and Heechul’s already on his side with a questioning look.

“You mean the children’s grand park? What the hell were you doing there? I thought you hate crowded places.”

“I wasn’t alone, okay?”

“What? Who were you with? Last time I checked, I’m your only friend.”

“I was with Hyukjae.”

His roommate stared at him and shrugged. Donghae felt like the older’s looking for something in the expression on his face, but probably did not find it.

“Oh okay!” The gray-haired answered nonchalantly and it was now Donghae’s turn to stare at his hyung.

“Okay? That’s it? You won’t ask me for more details? Won’t you ask me why I was with Lee Hyukjae? Of all people?”

“What do you want me to ask? Hyukjae’s a nice person. I feel better now that you were with him to be honest. He may seem like a jerk and insensitive, but that’s just how he is. Though I must admit, I was quite shocked. I thought you hate him,” Heechul said calmly, without a hint of interrogation nor judgment but of plain curiosity.

Donghae must have had spaced out for quite some time because next thing he knew, warm arms suddenly circled around his waist while they’re in a sitting position and he felt Heechul pulling him to his embrace.

“I know you’re devastated, Hae. You don’t have to hide it from me of all people. I can see it all in your eyes.”

Donghae strongly fought the urge to cry and bawl like a baby. He really did but his eyes had minds of their own. Next thing he knew, he was crying his heart out, tightening his embrace further. During moments like this that Donghae felt like a kid in the warm hold of a mother.

His mini escapade with Hyukjae earlier somehow managed to erase his worries. It was almost like a dream. But now that he was back to reality, everything felt so wrong once again. No one in this world knew how much his studies meant so much to him aside from Heechul. Two days without studying—something that keeps him sane might break him.

“I don’t know what do, hyung. What if—what if they found out? They would kill me, Heechul hyung,” Donghae whispered, face still hidden in his hyung’s chest. Tears slowly seeped through his hyung’s shirt and he was thankful that the older did not mind—or maybe Heechul minded, he just did not say anything. Either way, Donghae was thankful for Heechul.

“It’s okay, Hae. Everything’s going to be okay. They can’t kill you just like that. They have to kill me first, you hear me?” He felt Heechul chuckled. “And for the next two days, I want you to enjoy yourself. Forget our lessons. Forget school for a moment. I will cover everything for you, okay? Do you understand me, Fishy?”

Donghae nodded.

“Thank you, hyung.”

The grip on his