Break up, Make up, Man up

“Can you for once stop snapshooting at useless thing?”

Taemin almost threw a banana to Minho’s direction if he doesn’t remember he needs his help later on modern literature class. The said boy has been taking picture of late summer sky from different angle, which Taemin couldn’t find any special about it.

“Let the boy live,” Jonghyun covers his face with the book he’s been reading. The three of them are enjoying the recess on the wide grass near the botanical garden at their school. Minho found it before winter break of their first year, abandoned and not really used beside as an open space where the students passed from the botanical garden to the annex of Fine Art’s building.

Since then, other students also hang out there, but keeping their distance from their spot—right under the apple tree near the broken fountain—as a thankful gesture to let them use it to hang out as well.

“It’s just stupid. The sky looks the same since fifteen minutes ago. Yet he already took, I don’t know, maybe thirty pictures already.”

“It’s not stupid. Do you think the left side of your face is the same with the right one? Do you think your face looks the same from below your chin and by your temple? It’s about angle, idiot.”

“Oh, here we go again,”Jonghyun mumbled under his book.

“Sky is so wide and vast is doesn’t have angle, you idiot.”

“For Pete’s sake, I’m here avoiding my girlfriend and her brother quarreling yet both of you doing exactly the same with them? What did I do wrong to be punished like this?”

Minho scoffs from his spot, “I know you’re taking the theater for extracurricular but I don’t think you should rehearsing here, Hamilton.”

“You’re here not to escape their quarrel. You’re here to save your from being kicked by Jeffrey. Admit it.”

He tosses his book aside so everyone can hear his frustration, “Nobody is kicking anybody! Also. It’s Jaehyun! Not Jeffrey! Not Jay! He’s not in the states anymore!”

“Jeffrey suits him better.”

“It doesn’t!” he screams to the voice’s direction.

“It’s just a name,” Kibum can’t help but shouting in frustration, “Why are you so worked up?”

“And why are you still walking together with him? You’re not boyfriends anymore!”

Jonghyun is half yelling to Kibum who’s side by side with Jinki approaching the other three. He snorts when Kibum just looks at him in pity, then snatches Taemin’s cereal box and starts eating his feeling.

“Did he wake up at the wrong side of the bed?”

“You are his roommate, aren’t you?” Kibum gives him side eyes before he sits next to Taemin.

“Yeah, but when I woke up he’s gone already. Bed wasn’t made at all,” Jinki lie down and naturally—still—using Kibum’s thigh as pillow, “Can you pass me some, Choi?”

He pointed to a bag of M&Ms sitting on the top of Minho’s bag.

“Sure,” he hands the chocolate to him, “I’ve made sure Hyungsik didn’t take the blue ones.”

“You’re the best.”

“Yeah, besides his stupid habit of taking a picture of the same thing thousand times,” Taemin rolls his eyes before he lie down on his stomach and playing with his phone, “You’re buying me one if you finished it, Jong.”

Jonghyun muttered ‘whatever’ and continued munching on the cereal. Taemin’s contemplating whether he should smacked Jonghyun’s hand from the box or not. But then he remembers he also needs Jonghyun’s help on Korean History. So I better not, he thought.

“I saw Krystal in the hallway this morning and she didn’t have the present we picked. Did you give it to her yet? Or she just realized it’s about time to cut any associate with you?”

“Hex my relationship once again and you’ll taste your own medicine,” Kibum rolls his eyes to the threat, “Actually, not yet. Just.. haven’t found a perfect timing.”

“Are you kidding me?”

Taemin scoffed and raised from his tummy for few seconds in disbelief, the weird eyes exchange between him and Jonghyun intrigues Kibum.

“Why? We ordered it like weeks ago.”

“Because Jaehyun is clinging to his sister all the time. Our Prince is taking all the cautions in the world not to get kick right in the ,” Taemin singsongs without eyes leaving his screen, “By the real prince.”

“That kid is tall for nothing. Why he’s always glued to her like a toddler?!”

“Because he knew his sister is dating a moron. He feels the need to protect the princess from unwanted visitor.”

“Jinx, I thought you’re different.”

“Just stating the matter of fact. Momma doesn’t raise a liar.”

Jonghyun sighed again, he discards the cereal box and lies back on the ground. Eyes focused on the sky above him while wondering when he can have his own time with his girlfriend. Without these morons around him, without that almost perfect little brother who gives him slight inferiority whenever their eyes meet.

“I hate your guts sometimes but you are my best friend,” Taemin quickly rescued his cereal, “Starting tomorrow the dance club will start grinding again. He will be quite occupied, thanks to your superb friend over here, because I’m doing the drill for the new recruits right after the school hours until at least dinner time.”

“Dude.”

“What?”

“Don’t play with my heart like that.”

“Oh, are you kidding me?” Kibum automatically reaches for his phone, “Y’all be teasing me when I was dating this kid over here but Jonghyun is the actual mushy one. And nobody talked about him? Unbelievable.”

“How nice listening to your ex talking about you in the air and open like this.”

“Shut up or scram and get off my laps.”

Jinki makes a zipping gesture on over his lips before everything got out of control.

“He’s in the dance club as well?”

“Apparently, yeah, Choi. Why?”

“I just saw him doing really great with the bowling club couple days ago when I was on my way to the track.”

“Kid is actually very talented. He got the built to be a good dancer.”

“Or good athlete.”

“No wonder every girls on the first grade are all over him.”

“And this irked you? So you wanted to make him hostage for you with the dance club as an excuse?”

“Okay, Mr. Kim. Should I cancel the schedule so you have no lovey dovey time with your girl or what? I mean, I don’t mind slacking a bit. Ah, yeah. Probably I should just go easy with the new recruits. I mean, we have no competition or event to perform yet. So I th—“

“Sssh. Lee Taemin is my religion and only for him I offer my soul.”

“Good choice,” Taemin’s satisfied with Jonghyun’s suddenly kneeling down next to him he smirks and back scrolling his phone again, “Yo, Jinx. I just found Jordan 1 Retro Banned with your size here. Do you want me to buy it for you?”

“That would be great. But check the authenticity first. And compare with this one shop I usually buy in G-market. Just texted you the link to the shop.”

“Okay. Why is it that hard to buy shoes for you?”

Jonghyun shaking his head slowly, “That’s why I never get him shoes. An advice from a roommate, get him latest gadget. New phone, new game console, new coffee maker, something like that. This dude lives in the past for too long. Besides, boy is good at handling his own shoes obsession, why bother giving him some assistance?”

“I’m not listening to you, Jong. I’m good with my stuffs,” Jinki doesn’t even look at Jonghyun and Taemin, “Bam. Look at these.”

“What?