The five of us were walking down the hallway, chatting casually since school was now over. Although, I shouldn’t say we were all chatting; it was mostly just Jonghyun and Minho who were talking so happily about some soccer tournament that had aired the night before. Key and Onew talked a bit about school work and whatnot until an awkward silence took over. I, on the other hand, stared at the ground, unable to get over what had happened before.

            Sure, it was really nothing. I mean, it wasn’t like Minho and I were secretly doing something promiscuous in the back of the school; I was simply laying out my problems, and Minho was giving me friendly advice. And yet, why did I feel so guilty when Onew, Key and Jonghyun suddenly came barreling through the door?

            I shook my head at the thought, frustrated with myself. Clearly, I was just over thinking… again.

            Onew unexpectedly took hold of my hand, lacing our fingers casually as he leaned forward to ask Jonghyun if we were hanging out at his dorm or the latter’s. Onew acted as if the small affectionate action was such a normal thing for us, but then again, it was. However, Key took one look at our clasped hands and pressed his lips into a thin line, like it was such a strange sight. In the back of my mind, I knew exactly what he was thinking; that I was just complaining to him yesterday about how I didn’t have a date and yet I was acting all fond of Onew.

           “Aren’t we acting lovey-dovey?” Key whispered into my ear after leaning towards me. When he pulled away, he gave an inquiring look, as if he just didn’t understand me and my actions.

            I let out a small huff. “Yeah…”

            “So you are going to the ball with him then?” I eyed Key warningly.

            “No.”

            “But it seems like-“

            “Key, no.” I shook my head carefully. “I can’t take Onew.”

            The diva let out an exaggerated sigh, shaking his head disapprovingly. “I don’t understand you two. Don’t you guys like each other mutually?” he mumbled under his breath, and my heart squeezed a little as I turned my head away.  

            “So where are we going?” Minho asked curiously, looking over to eye all of us.

            “Weren’t we going to Jonghyun’s room?” Onew questioned, confused.

            “Again?” Key groaned. “Why is it always our room?”

            “Well, where would you rather hang out, Kibummie?” Jonghyun tried to inquire. Key thoughtfully tapped his bottom lip, racking his brain for an idea. His eyes lit up when he finally decided on a location.

            “Why don’t we go to the park?”

            “Which one?”

            “We could just stop by the one across the street,” Key shrugged. “It has a nice playground, a trail and everything!” The rest of us pondered on the idea, all seeming to really like it.

            “Sounds goo-“

            “Hey, Onew!” an unfamiliar voice suddenly called. We all stopped to turn around, seeing some guy running towards us, waving enthusiastically with a wide grin on his face. His slightly wavy, brown hair bounced as his long legs carried him over to us. As he got closer, I saw how bright his eyes shined; I couldn’t help but think this guy was pretty attractive.

            “Joon,” the older greeted, smiling happily at the now named stranger. “What’s up?”

            The boy slowed his pace as he got closer and closer to us. He stopped in front of Onew, but nodded politely to the rest of us.

            “Hey, guys,” he said softly before turning to the person he really wanted to talk to. “Anyways, Onew, I have good news.”

            “Is it about the test?” Onew asked knowingly, suddenly sounding kind of nervous.

            “Yeah! We both passed!” Joon cheered, immediately receiving a high five. As the two of them celebrated together, I looked to Key and Jonghyun in confusion. They shrugged, obviously not knowing what was going on themselves.

            Onew and Joon seemed to notice our silent conversation and snapped out of their little reverie. “Oh, sorry,” they apologized together. As soon as the words left their lips, the two cracked a smile and laughed.

            “Guys, this is Joon,” Onew introduced his friend gladly. “We met earlier today since we both went to Ms. Kim’s room to retake a test. Joon, this is Jonghyun, Key, Minho and Taeyeon.”

            As Onew called us out, he pointed to each other us individually. When he got to me, Joon and I made eye contact for a split second before he casted his gaze downwards.

            “N-nice to meet you,” he politely said with a shy voice. Onew slapped him encouragingly on the back before throwing the arm over the boy’s shoulders.

            “They aren’t going to eat you, Joon,” he chuckled. “No need to be timid.”

            “Yeah,” Jonghyun agreed, friendly personality beginning to seep out. “Why don’t you come hang out with us?”

            “Are you sure?” Joon asked, surprised at the sudden invitation.

            “Definitely,” I jumped in cheerfully. “We’d love to have you, Joon.”

            That seemed to be enough for Joon because the next thing we knew, we were all heading down the hallway again.

            As it turned out, Joon was an extremely awkward person upon first encounter – that much was quite obvious. However, with the Onew’s guidance, he slowly opened up and easily fit into the group.

            “Joon is a pretty athletic guy. He used to do soccer,” Onew announced, eyeing Jonghyun and Minho. The two lit up at the mention of their favorite sport and quickly scooted closer to the boy.

            “I’m on the soccer team,” Minho said, looking to Joon with a smile. “You should try out next season.”

            “Oh, I’m not that good,” Joon shook his head. “No way could I play on a team.”

            “You’re probably just being modest,” Jonghyun argued, smiling encouragingly. 

           “He is also a really good dancer,” Onew boasted, clapping Joon on the back. Key was immediately interested in the boy and began to converse with him about the different dance styles they knew. I gnawed at my bottom lip, wanting to join in on the conversation. Onew noticed my uneasiness and tried to – literally – push me in. When he saw I wouldn’t budge, he let out an exasperated sigh.

           “Taeyeon loves to dance too, you know?” Key suddenly exclaimed before nudging me towards Joon.

           “Oh really?” Joon enthusiastically asked with a smile. When I shyly nodded, Joon’s smile widened. “What kind of dances do you do?”

            “I’ve touched on a lot of them like… ballet-“

            “I do ballet too! We should dance together sometime,” he cheered, glancing over at Key as in indicator that he was included. The latter nodded eagerly, happy to have found another friend with similar interests.

           Onew slyly grabbed my hand before giving it a tight squeeze. He grumbled a “thanks” under his breath, and I realized he was referring to us allowing Joon into the group. I merely shook my head in response, knowing he would understand what I was thinking.

           “Hey,” Jonghyun suddenly laughed, turning to face us. “I just realized: the ball is tomorrow, and none of us have dates.”

           “Oh yeah,” Minho chuckled lightly, shaking his head in disapproval. “Maybe next time.”

           “Actually,” Key cut in, halting our laughter. We all glanced his way, waiting to see what he had to say. My eyes widened slightly when I noticed the serious facial expression he wore along with the clenched fists at his side. “I have a date.”

           Usually, we’d be a supportive group, cheering happily for him and slapping him on the back. However, there was utter silence. I peered past Joon to see Jonghyun just staring in sheer disbelief at his best friend, mouth agape and eyes as wide as saucers. He seemed to finally grab hold of reality and blinked a few times to make sure he was awake.

           “Wait a second,” Jonghyun spluttered as he furrowed his eyebrows. In the blink of an eye, his whole demeanor flipped from bewilderment to unreserved fury. Jonghyun’s nose scrunched as his gaze shifted from Key to the ground and back up to Key. “What do you mean you have a date?”

           “I’m taking Nicole to the ball; simple as that,” Key replied stoically, scoffing lightly at the end. I caught his eye for a second and gave him a sharp look of warning, but he paid it no heed. Jonghyun looked so emotional at that point, seeming to have a hard time deciding on whether he was angry, distraught, or downright depressed. I stepped forward to go comfort the older, but Onew pulled me back before moving ahead.

           “Guys…” he started, attempting to get between them. He placed a cautious hand on both boys’ shoulders and lightly shoved them apart. Jonghyun slapped the hand away viciously, letting out a harsh growl.

           “Why am I just now hearing about this?” Jonghyun hissed sharply. Minho shifted away from the pair and towards me, wrapping a comforting arm around my waist. Joon was obviously confused and uncomfortable with the situation since he was new to the group; he didn’t understand completely what was going on.

           “What does it matter, Jjong?” Key sighed, looking down at the older like he was an annoying child. Jonghyun let out a squeak.

           “Key, don’t you think y-“ Onew tried to in again, only to be cut off by Jonghyun.

           “We are supposed to be best friends.”

           “We are best friends,” Key tried to assure him, eyes widening slightly in worry.

           “Aren’t best friends supposed to tell each other everything?” Jonghyun argued, voice raising in volume. “Not once have I heard you mention Nicole or any potential feelings you might have for her.”

           “Does it matter?” Key grumbled, backing up a step.

           “Yes!” Jonghyun exclaimed with emphasis, looking at Key with hurt clear on his face. His voice soon dropped down to a whisper as his gaze fell to the ground. “It matters to me.” He shut his eyes so tightly that his nose scrunched up intensely. I immediately wrapped my arms around Minho’s torso, squeezing roughly in worry for Jonghyun. Minho rubbed small circles on my back, shushing softly in my ear.

           “When did you ask her anyways?”

           Key turned his head and looked away. “After I walked Taeyeon back to her room.”

           Jonghyun let out a throaty groan to accentuate his frustration. “I just wish… I just wish you had told me that you wanted a date.”

           “Why?”

           “I don’t know. I guess… I was looking forward to just going with my best friend,” Jonghyun grumbled.

           “Jonghyun, it sounds like you are just making excuses…” Key deadpanned, staring intensely at the older.

           “Well, maybe I am, I mean… ugh,” Jonghyun grunted at the end before shaking his head furiously. “Forget it, okay?” Key looked disappointed by the response he received, and he took a measured step back. Onew glanced between the two before letting out a sigh of defeat.

           “Minho,” he said, turning to face the taller boy, “do you think you could take Joon and Taeyeon to the park? It’s just further down that walkway.” My eyes widened at this request, and I immediately squirmed out of Minho’s grasp to run to Onew.

           “What?” I shook my head as I grabbed the elder’s hand. “What about-“

           “I’ll take care of them, okay?” Onew smiled solemnly to me. “Just trust me, Taeyeon.” I took a second to stare into his eyes, looking for the reassurance I needed. Onew seemed exceptionally serious like he would stay true to his word and look after Jonghyun and Key. I let out a heavy sigh before nodding. Minho jogged over to me and took my hand into his before leading me and Joon away.

           The three of us walked to the park lazily, and I kept checking over my shoulder to see if the others were close behind. Of course nobody was following us, and I was left with disappointment. Minho and Joon continued to converse, not mentioning what had just happened between Jonghyun and Key. I found it rather difficult to jump into the conversation since I was so shaken; I mean, the two were the best of friends and hardly ever fought for real. It kind of reminded me of when Minho and I were best friends since we were just as close as Jonghyun and Key.

           Unconsciously, I gave Minho’s hand a tight squeeze, and it quickly caught his attention.

           “You okay, Taeyeon?” he asked worriedly, gesturing to our connected hands.

           “Peachy,” I assured him with a nod, smiling sweetly at the end. His eyebrows knitted together, and it seemed he didn’t buy my response completely. Before he could pursue any further, my phone rang. I would have been thankful if I hadn’t seen the caller id. With a heavy sigh, I shook my hand out of Minho’s hold before scooting away from the other boys.

           “Yes, father?” I answered politely, pressing my cell phone into my cheek.

           “I was just calling to see where you stand for the ball,” he said, getting right to point. I barely resisted the urge to sigh.

           “Actually…”

           “You don’t have a date, do you?” Father interrupted me, disappointment clear in his voice.

           I shook my head solemnly. “No.”

           “Taeyeon,” he sighed heavily, “the ball is-“

           “I know that, but I just need a little more time.”

           “You don’t have much anymore. Is Jinki there? Why don’t I just ask him to take you?”

           “Father,” I groaned as I turned around, noticing immediately that Minho and Joon were already at the playground, waiting for me. A frown surfaced when I saw Jonghyun, Onew and Key approaching them.  The former and the latter weren’t talking to each other; they wouldn’t even face each other.

           “Taeyeon, give the phone to Jinki,” Father demanded, finality set in his voice. When I tried to argue again, he retaliated with a string of threats and curses. After I released a sigh of defeat, I my heel to call Onew over. To my surprise, however, I ended up crashing into Joon who had suddenly appeared.

           “Uh, hey,” he mumbled shyly before looking down.

           “Hey,” I awkwardly said back, unsure what to do since Father was still on the line. The latter seemed to hear the new presence and immediately began to question it. However, I quickly pressed my cell phone into my shoulder, muffling his voice profoundly. “What’s up, Joon?”

           “Sorry, I know I am interrupting,” Joon apologized, shaking his head slowly. “… I should… Should I just wait until you finish?”

            Since my other option was to hand my phone to Onew so Father could ask him to the ball for me, I excitedly shook my head. “No, go ahead.”

            Joon seemed a little shocked by the response, but smiled nonetheless. “Okay. Uh… I know we just met and all, but…”

            “Joon.” My eyes widened tremendously at his words, knowing what was about to come. There was no possible way for me to ever expect this to happen.

            “But I think you are a really great girl, and-,” he was talking so quickly, trying so hard to finish what he wanted to say. My hand dropped to my side; my cell phone completely forgotten. 

            “Wait, Joon-“

            His eyes shut furiously as he ducked his head, bowing forward. “ – so would you please go to the ball with me?”

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A/N: Oh god, I finally finished this ing chapter. Sorry for my language, but I really hate this chapter. It was incredibly rushed, and it totally shows. I really just want to get this over with. After writing and planning a few oneshots, I am having difficulties continuing this story. Which because I really love this story and the idea. I'm trying really hard, guys; I swear. Hopefully next chapter will be better. 

Anyways, Joon was the character I had been planning to add in. My love for him is not the only reason for his addition to the story. I SWEAR. I know it's super weird. Joon and Taemin being a couple, like what the hell? Eh, you'll see what will happen. 

Thanks for all of my subscribers for being so supportive and understanding. I know I went missing for like three months, and then I kept updating my other story and writing oneshots instead. I'll try to visit this story as soon as I get inspiration.