“But father,” I sighed in frustration as I tried to argue. My phone was sandwiched between my shoulder and cheek since my hands were busy opening my closet doors. I pulled out a hanger that held a simple off-white dress which was tight just above the waist, had no sleeves, and was plastered with lace on the upper back portion.

“You know, it would be a great publicity stunt,” father argued, sounding obviously enthusiastic about his idea. I tossed the dress onto the bed and quickly stripped off my uniform, leaving me only in my undergarments.

            “I just don’t feel comfortable going to the ball with somebody just for publicity,” I stressed, waving my arms around even though he wasn’t here to see my exasperation. “I especially don’t want to go with a stranger who happens to be very rich and respectable in the business world.”

            “It doesn’t necessary have to be with a stranger,” father reasoned. “You could go with one of your friends like Kibum or Jonghyun. Better yet, why not go with Jinki?” My breath hitched at the mention of Onew’s name, and I swear my heart skipped a few beats. I didn’t even notice that I paused until father called my name loudly.

            “Onew is…” I trailed off, not knowing what to say. Father let out a heavy sigh, realizing how hesitant I was.

            “Look, why don’t you just think it over? The ball is on Saturday, so you have a few days,” father advised, finally being a bit reasonable.

            “Thank you, father,” I politely showed my gratitude. “Goodbye.” With a simple push of a button, I ended the call and carelessly tossed my phone aside. I dug my thumb knuckles into my eyes as I let out a loud groan. The wave of stress and uneasiness was unsettling, and I wanted so badly to throw up in hopes it would take it all away.

            “Taeyeon,” Jonghyun sang from outside of my door, interrupting my horribly pessimistic thoughts. “Are you ready to go?” My gaze snapped to the wooden portal, eyes wide. I instantly turned back to the bed and lunged for the forgotten outfit.

            “J-just give me a minute,” I called, flustered. I squirmed into the dress, pulling at the hem since it was bunched up slightly. My feet kicked off my boots and roughly pushed off my socks, so I could squeeze them into the uncomfortably, pretty brown wedges.

            “Now?” Minho asked, becoming impatient after only one minute of waiting.

            “You guys can come in if you’d like,” I exclaimed as I scurried off the bathroom. I had attempted to run, but my stumbles advised me against that decision. With a shaky hand, I hurriedly applied mascara and lip balm as the four boys flooded into my dorm room.

            “My, you are dolled up,” Key commented, scoffing at the end. “Who are you trying to impress?”

            “Shut up, Key,” I laughed in smug tone, rolling my eyes arrogantly.

            “Must be aiming for a date to the ball,” he remarked.

            “Whatever,” I waved it off before gesturing to the door. “Shall we go?”

            After our classes had ended earlier, we decided on hanging out all together in Onew’s dorm room. We split up to get comfortable in clothing that wasn’t the overbearingly suffocating school uniforms. However, as soon as I arrived to my dorm room, my father called, enthusiastically announcing he had heard about the ball. He immediately moved onto his ‘brilliant’ idea of taking a date which I obviously didn’t agree with.

            Anyways, now the five of us were currently moving to Minho and Onew’s shared dorm room, chatting idly as we navigated through the hallways. People occasionally waved to us as we passed by, and of course we’d politely greet them back. Minho received a few glares from some guys, but Jonghyun – since they are now good friends – stepped up and shot them down. Seriously, their newfound friendship was the cutest thing ever; I couldn’t stop myself from smiling and giggling whenever I saw them happily chatting about sports and such.

            Eventually we made it to our new hangout spot, kicking off our shoes by the doorstep. Jonghyun and Key slumped to the floor, pressing their backs together for support. Minho, Onew and I retired to the bed, lying on our stomachs and peering over the edge.

            “Out of curiosity,” Key began, starting up our conversation, “are any of you guys excited about the ball?” I glanced around the room, watching everybody’s answer. Minho merely shrugged, seeming disinterested by the event. Jonghyun tapped his bottom lip in thought before eagerly nodding while Onew sat there with a pout, not knowing how to answer.

            “What is wrong with us?” I questioned, laughing softly at the end. The rest of them joined in for a few seconds before letting the giggles disperse.

            “Is anybody considering bring a date?” Key continued, looking at each of us. We all simply shrugged, not giving it much thought. Key noticed that that topic was getting us nowhere and instantly changed the subject. We conversed about things ranging from school work to sports – which Key and I merely sat on the sidelines during that conversation – and eventually resided to watching a movie. All five of us tried squishing ourselves onto one bed. Key was being pushed up against the wall with Jonghyun beside him. Onew was next to him, awkwardly having his hands in his lap due to the lack of space. And I was resting on my side, facing Onew as Minho was behind me with an arm draped over my waist.

            “I am going to fall,” Minho announced as he staggered backwards. My hand, which was holding his, pulled him back into place.

            “Just hang onto me,” I laughed softly since the movie was playing.

            “Jonghyun, get your elbow out of my stomach!” Key whined as he shifted, causing the rest of us to heave back and forth.

            “It’s not even in your stomach,” Jonghyun defended, shaking his head furiously.

            “This is so uncomfortable!” Onew exclaimed as he sat up, causing me to fall a little farther into the bed.

            “Whose idea was it to have all of us on one bed?” Key demanded before following Onew’s lead to sit up. The rest of us looked pointedly at Jonghyun who sheepishly smiled as he rested his back against the headboard.

            “I thought the bed was bigger,” he confessed. I let out a giggle as Minho and I sat up. The latter scooted into the space behind me, allowing him more room. His arm, however, never left my waist, not that I really minded.

            “Well now how are we going to watch the movie?” I asked before pointing at the screen.

            “It doesn’t really matter now,” Onew said. “It’s already almost eight o’clock.” My head snapped to the table the alarm clock was perched on, noticing that Onew was right. “Want me to walk you back?” he offered with a smile.

            “Why don’t I walk you back, Taeyeon?” Minho piped up, tightening his grip on my waist to grab my attention.

            “Wait a second,” Jonghyun interrupted, leaning over to be closer to us, “you and Onew, both, live in this dorm room. There is no point in you guys leaving to just come back. Therefore, I should walk you back, Taeyeon.” He hinted his enthusiasm with those infamous puppy dog eyes along with a jut of his bottom lip. I nearly agreed, but Key quickly jumped in, cutting me off.

            “You know, actually, I’ll walk her back.” All of us turned to the smirking boy who rolled his eyes obnoxiously. “I was planning on going somewhere before curfew, so I might as well take her.”

            “Wait, you are going somewhere, Kibummie?” Jonghyun asked, shocked at the sudden news. “You are going to leave me alone?”

            “Jonghyun, what did I say about calling me that?” Key lectured, furrowing his eyebrows at the dinosaur. He scoffed softly when he received a pout. “Yes, I have somewhere to go.”

            “Could I come?”

            “No, Jonghyun,” Key simply said before pushing past him and the rest of us. He shuffled off of the bed before tugging on my arm, pulling me out of Minho’s grasp and onto the floor. “I’ll see you guys later.”

           “Night, guys,” I smiled and bowed lightly. Key, who was holding my hand now, pulled me towards the door, kicking my shoes to my direction. I squeezed my feet into the high heels, groaning slightly when I fit them in completely. Once I was finished, Key dragged me along, out the door and into the hallway. At first, we merely walked in silence, only staring ahead and not at each other. Well, that was Key. I, on the other hand, awkwardly glanced at the boy, hoping for him to speak.

            “You never answered my question earlier,” Key noted without looking my way. “You know, about whether or not you are excited about the ball.” Oh, I guess he noticed my silent cries for attention.

            “Did I not?” I asked, feigning innocence. Honestly, I intently didn’t answer and merely looked around the room. After Father’s little speech on how I should take a date – preferably Onew – I was feeling particularly distraught towards the event. Key seemed to notice as he had turned slightly to glance at me through the corner of his eye. His eyebrows were raised lightly in a questioning manner.

            “No,” Key shook his head, “you didn’t.” The monotonous tone he spoke in caused a shiver to run down my spine. Furthermore, the piercing look he gave me made me feel as if he saw right through me. Although Key and I don’t talk too often, he always seems to be the first to realize things about me. I gnawed on my bottom lip at the thought. What if he finds out I’m not actually a girl? With a quick scrunch of my nose, I let out a sign and composed myself.

            “I guess I’m indifferent about it,” I shrugged after deciding to be honest. “Honestly, I’m pretty worried.”

            “What for?” he asked as he turned back to look straight ahead. We turned a corner, rounding into the hallway the girl’s dorm was.

            “My dad wants me to take a date,” I sighed.

            “It shouldn’t be too difficult for you to get a date,” Key pointed out. “You are a pretty girl.” I laughed.

            “You are attracted to me, Key?” I joked, nudging him with my shoulder.

            “Sure, but I don’t like you like that,” he confessed, shrugging like it was no big deal. I laughed again.

            “Well, are you excited about the ball?”

            “Perhaps,” he shrugged again. The action seemed to be a compulsive habit of his. “I’m not too sure.”

            “Why is that?”

            “I’m not sure!” he repeated, laughing at the end. “That is one of the reasons I wanted to walk you over; that way, I’ll have some alone time on the way back to just… think.”

            “You seem to be taking this ball really seriously,” I noted.

            “I guess.”

            “If you are worried about dates as well, I’m sure a herd of girls would come running to be your date,” I giggled, smiling happily to the boy. His face seemed to fall actually instead of brighten like I had hoped. My smile immediately dropped.

            “I don’t want to go with just anybody, Taeyeon,” Key said seriously as he came to a halt. He turned to face me, staring intently into my eyes. I felt my lump form in my throat, making it hard for me to speak.

            “D-do you have someone in mind?” I stuttered nervously, but didn’t pry my eyes away from his. The corner of Key’s lips twitched into an awkward smile. Instead of answering my question, he spun on his heel and took off further into the girl’s dorm.

            “Good night, Taeyeon,” he announced. I looked to my side to notice the door to my dorm room. My eyes widened in shock; I hadn’t noticed that we had arrived.

            “Wait, where are you going?” I called to him, staring at his retreating figure.

            “To think,” he said vaguely before disappearing into the next hallway.

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            “Are you alright?” I asked for what was probably the hundredth time today. Key was obviously annoyed by that fact since he harshly whipped around to glare at me.

            “Yes, I’m fine,” he snarled before turning back to the front, walking ahead. The two of us were heading to the dining hall together. Onew had apologized rapidly earlier about having to go talk to a teacher about making up a grade. Jonghyun explained that he wanted to meet up with Minho since he had something to tell him. And thus, Key and I were left alone.

            However, I have been bugging him this whole time, constantly checking and worrying about the boy. After what had happened last night, I couldn’t stop wondering what had ticked off the usually confident boy. Based on his behavior the night before, I felt this horribly retched feeling that he was having pessimistic thoughts. It sounds strange, but he seemed really distraught.

            “But Key,” I urged on as I ran after him.

           “Look, Taeyeon,” he sighed, stopping in front of the door, “constantly asking me isn’t going to make it better. Besides, if you really want me to feel ‘okay’, then stop bringing it up.” That was enough to shut me up. I looked down solemnly, acting like a kicked puppy because that is honestly what I felt like. Key noticed and let out another heavy sigh. He grabbed my hand, lacing our figures together before dragging me into the dining hall.

            “I’m sorry,” I grumbled as we began to near our table. Jonghyun and Minho were already there, waving enthusiastically to the both of us. The former seemed to immediately notice my gloomy demeanor as he shakily stood up.

            “No,” Key shook his head lightly as he smiled artificially to his best friend, “I’m the one who is sorry.” Before I could reply, we were by the table and Jonghyun jumped up and pulled me to him.

            “Are you okay?” he whispered into my ear after coiling around me, restricting me in an embrace. “What happened? Did something happen?”

            “It’s nothing,” I murmured before pressing my hands on his chest. He didn’t seem to believe my obvious lie, but let it go nonetheless. The four of us sat together, silently eating lunch. Minho stared at me the whole time with worried eyes, but didn’t pursue me with questions. I guess since I am no longer ‘Taemin’, we aren’t on as close of a basis as we used to be. I let out a sigh that seemed to make Jonghyun and Minho feel worse. , I should apologize…

            “Sorry for being late!” Onew exclaimed as he scurried over to us. He took his seat beside me, pulling me close. “Ms. Kim was lecturing me on my studying habits, and so that took a while.” Upon the new presence, I instantly pulled on a smile, faking it as best as I could.

            “Oh no, it’s totally okay,” I waved it off. Onew smiled happily back to me before turning to Key and pulling the boy into a conversation. Minho leaned over closer to me and whispered into my ear.

            “What’s wrong?”

            “Just over thinking things again,” I shrugged, trying to pass it off as no big deal.

            “I know we aren’t the best of friends… yet,” he emphasized that last point, basically hinting that he wanted us to be close, “but I think we are close enough and thus I am worried about you. If you need to talk about it, I’m here to listen.”

            “It’s nothing major, honestly. It’s just the ball and stuff, and I guess I’m just worried about the outcome.”

            “Why is that?” he pressed on, eyeing me solemnly. I looked around us to see Onew, Key and Jonghyun totally indulged in their conversation, so I slowly stood up. With a nod, I gestured to the back door by the vending machine. Minho seemed to understand, and so I left first to avoid suspicion.

            Past the back door was the parking lot, decorated with an assortment of sports cars and hybrids. I noticed Onew’s sparkling Mercedes Benz just towards the front, comfortably in the corner under a tree. I chuckled softly to myself as the door behind me suddenly opened.

            “Okay, care to explain now?” Minho asked, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. The look on his face – the one eyebrow raised, bottom lip jutted outwards, eyes glazed with worry – brushed a warming nostalgic over my heart.  Even his posture at the moment was the same as before, and it made me what more than anything to go back in time. I missed his friendship, his company, his love.

            “Are your parents asking you to take a date to the ball?” I changed the subject after turning to face him. Minho shrugged, shaking his head. “Lucky.”

            “Why? Is that the reason you are so upset?”

            “I’m not entirely upset about it; I mean, I just…” I trailed off, trying to figure out my own feelings. Minho seemed to notice and let out a heavy sigh. He slumped down the wall, falling to the floor. With a wave of his hand, he called me to join him.

            “-don’t want to go with somebody because your parents told you to?” Minho finished for me as soon as my hit the floor. His left arm threw itself around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him.

            “Yeah,” I nodded, laying my head against his shoulder. His arm slipped down to wrap around my waist, allowing my head more room.

            “Well, do you have a say in who you go with?”

            “I believe so…”

            “Then,” Minho started, awkwardly scratching his head, “why don’t you go with… a friend?” My mind instantly thought of Onew, ignoring Minho’s hint. I let out a whine that seemed to disappoint Minho.

            “I don’t know,” I shrugged. “Maybe.”

            “I mean, if you want… I-“

            “Oh, there you guys are!” Key exclaimed as the door slammed open. He along with Jonghyun and Onew flooded through.

            “What’s going on?” Jonghyun questioned, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. He glanced oddly at Minho as if silently asking what he had done.

            “We were just talking,” I explained as I removed Minho’s arm from around me. After standing up, my hands dusted my . Onew approached me, carefully taking my hand into his. His thumb gently rubbed against the back of mine.

            “Are you okay?” he asked worriedly. I looked into his eyes and faked my best smile.

            “Fine.”

Author’s note: I honestly have no clue what I am writing anymore. I had the beginning and end planned out, but then there was no middle. And after figuring out something to put in the middle, the ending didn’t go as originally planned! It was all so frustrating. Furthermore, school has been really time consuming, so I apologize for my tardiness. Since this is the deciding year of my high school career, I’ve been really pushing stuff into my schedule, taking on a lot of extracurricular activities. Updates are probably going to take me a while since I’ll only be able to write and plan on the weekends, so I apologize ahead of time. I hope this chapter was decent enough for you guys.

            Now, I’m pretty impressed with how dedicated you guys are to this story. :) It really warms my heart and inspires me to continue because I’ve thought time and time again about quitting. However, you guys and my love for this idea has kept me going. Thank you all for voting on my polls. It was kind of entertaining to check on since I watched Minho go from basically last to right behind Onew. Honestly, I have an idea on who is going with Taeyeon, so look forward to that. I’m trying to stretch out the story a little longer so the ball might not be until chapter 15, still not too sure on that.

            Sorry for this crazy long rant! >_< If you guys actually took the time to read all this, thank you all so much. I’m just going to make one last note: I’ve begun to look into the art known as “one-shots”. Not that I’ve never seen one-shots before, it’s just I honestly have no clue how to write one. I’m interested and have been reading dozens upon dozens of them. I think they’d be a nice skill to learn so I can write stories without having to be too dedicated. If any of you guys would like to give me advice on how to write them, please leave a comment or inbox me :) I totally appreciate it guys. Now, until next time! <3

More news is in this blog post.  If you guys are interested...

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@SHINeeLove05 - Yeah, I feel like Taemin is really weak in this story. It's most likely due to his past and whatnot. I think everybody is pretty weak when it comes to touchy stuff, so Taemin has kind of a right :P I'm so glad you like this story, love <3 Please continue to support me

@LoveLikeOxygen1117 - Seriously, thank you so much <3 It's readers like you that keep me happy and going :) I apologize for being such a late updater D;

@Z09Z09 - Hehe, I'm so glad you are a 2Min shipper :) It's not that I'm tired of seeing all the OnTae shippers, but they are totally overpowering my comment box XD haha. 2Min hwaiting~

@SadisticSinner - I always love reading SHINee fanfics on here and seeing Jonghyun and Minho as best friends. They never get seen as anything more, so that is really interesting haha. Mm, I wonder who Taemin is going to choose... hehe, I'm such a troll XD Oh my god, you are a TaeKey shipper? haha, they are one of my ship ruiners <3 Oh, and sorry for the late update! Thanks for waiting patiently, love :)

@maxjibong - Haha, I had no clue on any other way to end the chapter. XD I'm glad somebody liked it anyways c: 

@Emmauk26 - You are so welcome :) The OnTae fluff is really satisfying my inner romantic that just wants to write a freaking kiss scene, RIGHT NOW! Haha, but that is probably going to take a while XD I'm not going to rush right into that now :P Well, I guess we will have to see who goes to the ball with who. :P Oh, did you remember your theory? I'm seriously soooo interested in it. :) hehe, Minho is such a loner XD I thought it was about time he conversed with people who wasn't Taemin. Sorry for the late chapter by the way ^^;;

@xaria2729 - Yes... no... oh wait, you said don't answer that! Hehe, then I'll leave you with a maybe :P Oh, and thanks for the suggestion :) Everybody, except one, seems to agree with you, so I think 'lm giong to be using that idea. Thank you so much, dear <3

@caribbeankpoplover - Hehe, thank you for giving me the freedom to choose. <3 Just the thought of that makes me happy haha. :) Oh, another OnTae shipper? There is so many of you guys!!! XD

@onyuunyu - 2Min vs OnTae... fangirl problems!!! haha XD I know exactly what you are going through. They are both so perfect.... it's difficult to choose!

@Emmauk26 - You comment so much on my story!! Seriously, it makes me so happy <3 Whenever the 'new story comments' alert pops up, and I check to see it's you, I squeal. Your long paragraphs never cease to make me smile. Sorry, just being a creep. :P Anyways, I think I will go with the masquerade theme idea. :) Thank you for the input. Oh, and trust me sweetie, I know you are an OnTae shipper XD haha, thank you so much for the support, dear <3

@AnnitaNeko-chan - (oh my god, your mention of the idea of Minho and Jjong crossdressing caused me to erupt into a fit of giggles. Seriously the best thing I've ever heard haha XD) hehe, it's okay dear :) Your little plan was so cute <3

@TFVice - Thank you so much for your input. The idea of Key going with Taemin as just a friend has crossed my mind a few times, but I'm not sure. I think I have a plan in mind, so I will go with my boat haha :) Oh, and sorry, but I think I'm going with the masquerade idea. I've tried drawing up some designs though for your superhero idea, but I couldn't decide who would go as who and it was just too much to plan out. :P I'm really sorry. :c But thank you for finding my story in the clutter that is the 'SHINee' tag. :) I'm glad you like it, and I appreciate your wishes <3

@Winfox - Oh my god, thank you so much <333333

@lawlee - Thank you, lovely <3 That absolutely means the world to me :)

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE WONDERFUL COMMENTS <3 There were so many, and they were all so fun to read this past couple of days :) I love you all <3