The next school day continued like it was the day before. Weeks past and I got closer to Daehyun. We became better friends, and even began to walk to class with each other in the morning. We talked about all kinds of things.

“So how’s biology going?” he asked with warm eyes

“What do you think? Horrible, it’s like Yong Guk hates me or something.” I said making a pouty face.

“He doesn’t hate you.”

“Right you expect me to believe that?”

Daehyun laughed, “I’m telling you the truth, I live with the guy I would know.”

“Wait?” I stopped walking, he continued for a few steps and then noticed I wasn’t at his side. I turned around and walked to me. “You live with him?” I continued.

He paused for a moment without saying anything. “Yeah we are roommates.”

“Why would you room with him? I think he’s evil, no I know he’s evil.” I said, “Are you smiling? I think you are”

He let out a little snicker, “Yes I am smiling your getting good at reading me. And no Yong Guk isn’t evil, you have to get to know him like I do.”

“Well that will be impossible, because he’s so mean to me.”

“Do you want me to talk to him for you?” He said laughing

“NO! Daehyun he will think I cant fight my own battles! He already thinks I can’s support myself.”

“Okay Okay I wont then.”

“Thanks for the offer though” I said lowering my head.

He put his hand on my shoulder and turned to me, “I’m not afraid of him, but I know you are.”

“Hell yeah I’m afraid of him, he’s scary, mean, and scary. Not to mention always angry.” I looked up at him with big eyes.

“You said scary twice.”

“I know cause he is!” I said walking in the classroom we took our seats.

“I wont let him hurt you, I promise.” Daehyun said trying to reassure me, “are you sure you don’t want me to talk to him?”

“Yeah… I’ll be fine.” I said trying to be confident “I just wish you could” I muttered under my breath.
“What?”

“I didn’t say anything.” Trying to cover up what I said.

“Oh I thought you did.” I eyed me suspiciously.

 We sat through class, and then worked on the math problems together. When class had finished we walked out together, he stayed and talked with me until CL got there.

“Are you sure?” He said raising and eyebrow

“Yes I’m sure.” I said as CL walked up

“Sure about what?” She asked

“I’ll explain late.” I whispered in her ear.

“YAH! Daehyun!” a booming voice came from behind me. Daehyun’s head snapped up. CL and I turned our heads to meet the angry gaze of Yong Guk. “Daehyun! What are you doing talking to this child?” He asked giving him the death glare. Daehyun’s eyes hardened and he glared back. I thought to myself ‘so much for not being afraid of him’.

“I’m talking to my friend.” I jumped when Daehyun replied, his voice sounded like a growl.

“Why are you friends with her?” Yong Guk growled back, glaring at me.

“Because she’s nice! Who said you were in charged of whom I can be friends with.” He growled. I was surprised that he was standing up for me.

“Whatever! Let’s go! You can talk to these twerps later.”

“Twerps?” CL butted in, “You have no right to call my cousin and I that!” she snapped at him. Her face read anger all over it. Daehyun’s eyes narrowed, as he stared at Yong Guk.

“Yeah you’re a Twerp too!”

“And why is that?” I looked a Daehyun, his eyes sill showed anger, but when he glanced at me they softened.

“Because you have to constantly stick up for her!” he pointed at me.

“YAH! That’s not true!” I butted in.

“Yeah it is! She fights all your battles, like you’re a little kid.” He growled to me, “besides I feel bad for you.” He said glaring at CL, “you have to put up with her all day and night. Doesn’t ever get tiring taking care of a kid?” The arrogance in his voice came through the growl. As if he was making fun of us.

“This girl you’re talking about has a name, and its Jeo Jeo! And Jeo Jeo is my best friend and just so happens to be my cousin too!” She snapped back.

“Whatever you say… you…”

“Hyung! Cut it out!” Daehyun cut him off, “You need to respect my friends!”

“Yeah, whatever… let’s go we are going to be late.” He then grabbed Daehyun by the arm and started to drag him away. 

“Let go of me!” said Daehyun as he pulled out of Yong Guk’s grasp. He gave his hyung a glare, then stormed off.

“This isn’t over.” Yong Guk growled, his ears read, and his hands clenched in fists. He too stormed off after Daehyun.

CL and I stood there trying to register what had happened. We both stared blankly down the hall toward them as they disappeared into the crowd.

“Well that was….”

“Interesting” CL interjected

“That wasn’t really the word I was looking for, but close enough.” I said with a shocked look on my face.

“Whatever, Daehyun knows what’s right he’ll figure it out. He’s not stupid.” She said, “Let’s get to class before we are late.”

We got to class a minute before it started. “Ah we just barely made it.” I said taking my seat.

“I know, hopefully we wont have anymore obstacles today.” She said sitting next to me. We both saw Himchan’s eyes. He creepily stared towards us. “What are you looking at?’ CL turned and said to him.

“Huh?” said Himchan looking surprised.

“YAH! I’m talking to you?” She said, glaring at him.

“I-I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said, his eyes widened and he was in total shock. He then looked away, and stared at the front of the classroom.

“CL it’s not worth it, just let it go.” I said as the professor walked in.

She sighed, “You’re right” she said turning toward the front of the class.

The day started out good and had gotten worse as it went on. I dreaded going to biology and sitting next to the jerk. I was scared. I knew that I shouldn’t be, but I was. I slowly walked to class. As I grew closer to the room my heart beat faster. “Why am I getting like this?” I thought to myself. “He’s not worth getting all worked up about,” I kept telling myself as I proceeded into the classroom.  Students were in their seats, and I looked to mine. No one was there. “Oh Yeah!” I thought to myself, “he’s not here yet… Thank God!”

I walked to my seat and sat down placing my things on the desk. “Sweet silence,” I thought and started to doodle in my notebook.

“Scribbling like a baby…” a deep voice said from behind me. My headshot up, “You know once you’re done with that, you have to color inside the lines.” He said with a cocky voice.

My eyes narrowed, “I didn’t ask for your opinion.”

“Well you got it.” Yong Guk said, plopping himself down in the seat next to me.

“Can’t you just leave me alone? I don’t bother you and I certainly never did anything to make you this angry.” I said continuing to doodle.

“Leave you alone?” He said looking at me with a surprised look. “I’m only stating the obvious truth. Besides you did do something to anger me.” There was a smirk on his face.

“Well please enlighten me because I don’t recall anything I did to you.” I said rolling my eyes.

“Oh you don’t know…” I could hear sarcasm in his voice, “You sat in that very seat.” And he pointed at the spot I was sitting in.

“Aww gee I’m so sorry” I said sarcastically, “there was no other open seat! And It’s not my fault the professor wanted to ask me questions.” I gave him a glare and went back to my doodling.

“You could have avoided it by not coming here at all.”

“I don’t know what you’re saying.”

He shook his head and laughed to himself. “You amaze me. You can’t even see that you don’t belong here. The professor even questioned it! So are the rest of the students! No one wants you here.”

“That’s not true, I have made quite a few friends, and they are happy to have met me.” I said trying to re assure my self.

“Sure… You keep telling yourself that.” His voice had a teasing aspect to it. I tried to ignore what he said. “It’s not worth getting worked up over.” I kept telling myself over and over.

We worked on the lab that we had to get done. With little conversation, I did my part and he did his. Once we finished, he turned in the lab. He came back to get his stuff. As I was packing up he said, “it must be hard being adopted, your real parents didn’t want you, your adopted parents sent you away to get rid of you, and your cousin cant stand you that’s why she moved away.”

“That’s not true, I live with CL and she is my best friend too.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” He said with a smirk, “No one loves you or wants you.”

He left the room leaving me there alone. My face began to get hot, and my eyes became watery. 

I walked out of the room, trying to keep the tears back. The things Yong Guk said had finally gotten to me. I really began to think that they were true. The tears began to fall down my face. I sniffled and tried my hardest to keep them back. I went to wait for CL in the corner of the hallway, hoping no one will see me crying. I quickly tried to dry my eyes, and pull myself together, but it wasn’t working like I planned. I sniffled even more. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to crawl into hole to hide. As I was drying my eyes, I felt a warm hand on my shoulder.

“Are you ok?” The sweet voice asked. I turned to see Daehyun standing there.

“Yeah I’m fine.” I turned away. I didn’t want him to see me like this.

“If you’re fine, then why are you crying?” he said softly, placing his hand under my chin and truing my face toward him.

“It’s nothing really…” I said drying my eyes.  He pulled me close to him, and embraced me in a hug. Placing his hand on the back of my head and pulling me against his chest.

“If it’s nothing you wouldn’t be crying.” He whispered softly in my ear, “Did Yong Guk say something to you?” he pulled back making eye contact with me. I looked down and away from his kind gaze.

“No….” I muttered softly under my breath hoping he didn’t hear it. Daehyun then took his hands and caressed the sides of my face, wiping the tears away.

“I don’t believe you.” He said, once again wiping the tears away. “You’re lying, he did say something to you, tell me.” His voice was warm and soft as he spoke to me.

I looked down and said, “It’s a long story.”

“We have time, lunch is next. Now tell me what Yong Guk said.” He demanded in a kind voice.

I took a deep breath and told him. I told him everything Yong Guk said, from the beginning of class to the very end.

“He said all those things to you?” Daehyun asked.

“Yes… He also told me that nobody wants me, that my real parents didn’t want me, and that my adopted parents sent me away because they didn’t want me, and that CL moved away because of me.” I said sniffling.

“Ugghh, What am I going to do with him?” he looked at me, “Please don’t cry. You’re going to make your pretty eyes all red.” Daehyun said softly, pulling me into a hug. He hadn’t ever hugged me until this moment, or touched me this way. It made me feel safe, but I was also uncomfortable.

I sniffed again, “What does it matter if my eyes are red and puffy? It’s not like anyone cares about me.”

“I do,” he said staring in my eyes. I could tell his face was serious, even though the mask covered half of his face. His eyes gave it away. “You’re a beautiful girl, I don’t know why you think you’re not.”  He then created space between us. Looking down to me.
“I was never told that before by anyone.” I said drying the last of my tears.

“I find that hard to believe.” His eyes sparkled; I knew that under his mask he wore a smile.

“It’s true, the only people who have told me that are my parents and CL, but they have to tell me that because they’re my family.” I explained, “I never had anyone else tell me that. I’ve always been picked on, and made fun of for my looks.” I sighed, looking down.

“Where you made fun of because you don’t look Korean?” Daehyun asked with a serious look in his eyes.

I nodded; “It’s not just that, I was also made fun of for being ‘weird’” and I made the quotation fingers.

“Well those people don’t know what they missed out on by not being friends with you.” He placed his hands on my shoulders, and looked deeply in my eyes. “You may be weird, but being weird is more fun than being normal.” He said raising an eyebrow. I smiled, he always knew how to make me feel better. He pulled me back into a hug, laughing. “Now this is the Jeo Jeo I know.” He squeezed me tightly, and I struggled to breath.

“Wow Daehyun is a lot stronger than I thought,” I thought to myself.

“YAH! What’s going on?” CL said as she walked up to us. Daehyun the released me from the hug, and I could finally breathe.

“Nothing,” Daehyun replied, giving me one last look.

“Uh huh, sure… that didn’t look like nothing.” CL said eyeing us suspiciously, her eyes looked us up and down.

“Really it was nothing.” I said looking down.

“Riiighhht. Will one of you just tell me the truth.” She demanded.

Daehyun looked at me and I nodded to him. “I was just comforting her, she was crying.” He said. I wanted to slap myself in the face. It wasn’t that I was embarrassed it was because I knew how CL was going to react. She stared at him and then at me. I counted down in my head, “Three, two, one….”

“WHAT! What happened?” She exclaimed, grabbing me by the shoulders, “Are you okay? Did someone hurt you? Who was it? I’m gonna kick their !” That’s what I was afraid of. Her reaction, she just went all CL unnie on me and I didn’t know what to say.

“It’s alright now, we talked about it. I’m going to take care of the problem.” Daehyun said, placing his hand on CL’s shoulder. “Just calm down.”

“Calm down? Calm down?” she questioned him, “Who made you cry?” she asked me.

Daehyun’s eyes softened, when I looked at him. I knew what he was thinking, there was no way getting around not telling her.

“Yong Guk” I said shuttering at the thought of him.

“Oooo, He’s lucky I wasn’t there I would have…”

“You would have done what?” Daehyun interrupted, “He’s a lot bigger and stronger than you CL, but not to mention that you’re a girl.”

“And what does me being a girl have to do with it?” she asked, giving him a death glare.

“It wasn’t meant to be offensive, he just wont pay any attention to you.” He said and continued, “Trust me I know, I live with the guy.”

“Why do you live with him again?” I asked

“He’s really not all that bad.” CL and I both looked at him confused, “don’t look at me like that. He really has a kind heart, you just have to get to know him.” He said trying to fix the problem.

“He makes it really easy not to want to get to know him.” CL replied

“He comes off that way, you just have to get him to trust you. But I don’t know why he’s acting like this; this isn’t in his nature to be like this. I’ll talk with him.” Daehyun said, trying to convince us, but it seemed like he was trying to convince himself as well.

“Well let’s just go to lunch, I’m hungry and I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” I said, trying to push the both of them in the way of the dinning hall.

That day Daehyun came and sat with CL, Dara, Bom, Minzy and I at lunch. It was a bit awkward, because the girls didn’t expect to have a B.A.P boy at the table. And all the other girls in the dining hall were staring our way. I knew that they were whispering and talking to one another about how Daehyun was sitting with us. Little did we know that two more of the B.A.P boys came to sit with us. The two high school boys came… The troublemakers Zelo and Jongup.

“A-YO Bbooing bbooing!” and energetic voice yelled from behind us, “I hope you don’t mind but we want to sit with you noona.” Zelo said dropping his tray across from me. Jongup then took the seat next to him. I was in between CL and Daehyun, and Minzy was on the other side of her. On the opposite side of the table Jongup, who was across from no one, Zelo, Bom, and Dara. I saw Jongup eyeing Minzy. I introduced the girls to the boys, and we started a conversation about dancing.

“Jeo Jeo Noona is in our dance class.” Jongup said,

“Yeah She’s a real good dancer! It surprised me cause she looks like she would be awkward dancing.” Zelo added.

The girls laughed, and I glared a Zelo, “Thanks… I thought you weren’t supposed to judge a book by its cover.” I said to him.

“You’re not a book.” He said confidently with a childish smile.

“It’s a saying Zelo” Daehyun replied.

“Ehh whatever, I still complimented noona.” He said laughing, and then everyone joined in.

“Why are you in her class?” asked Bom.

“Yeah aren’t you guys in high school?” Dara added.

“Yeah we are in high school, but we were placed in the college credit classes because you skill level is above what we can learn in the high school classes.” Jongup explained, there was cockiness in his voice.

“You’re so full of your self.” Daehyun said, “way to be modest.”

We all laughed again, and Jongup threw his napkin at Daehyun.

“Oh no its going to be an all out war! Take cover the B.A…. The boys are going to fight!” Minzy said, she tried to cover up what she was going to call them. I knew that she didn’t want to use the label she and the rest of the students refer to them as. The boys didn’t take notice of it, and continued their fun. I looked over to where they normally sat, only Yong Guk, Himchan, and Youngjae sat there. Yong Guk looked up towards us, and gave a death glare. The other two boys looked my way too. I pretended I didn’t see it.

I then turned to Daehyun and asked, “Are you having fun?”

He looked down at me and replied, “Yeah your friends are funny, and I’m having more fun here than where I normally sit. I think I’ll be joining you more often.” His eyes sparkled, which meant he was smiling. Everything started to get better, and the rest of the day went by fast without any drama.