“Oh my God,” Taerim muttered under her breath, hurrying to Minho's side. “Are you okay? Did he hit you hard?”

Minho touched his jaw carefully, finding it in himself to smile a little. “Jongin doesn't hit well,” he replied.

“I'm so sorry,” Taerim said, unable to stop talking. “It really came out of nowhere. He's been really upset lately-”

He stopped her with a raised hand. “I know,” he said, pushing himself to his feet. “But this makes things a lot worse.”

“Worse? What do you mean?”

Minho shook his head. “The only way I could get Jonghyun to not go to the principal immediately was to convince him to talk to Jongin first. And now...”

Taerim's heart sank. “I did this.”

“What do you mean?”

Taerim mussed her hair, frustrated. “This is all my fault! I got mad at him when he came, and now he's gone to do God knows what...”

“Don't say that,” Minho urged, resting his hand on her shoulder. Taerim's skin tingled from the contact even though he wasn't touching it directly. “Whatever happens is Jongin's fault. He's a loose cannon right now.”

“Still...” Taerim paused, thinking. “He really wanted to forgive me. I mean he really came to tell me that everything was fine. So why did he get so angry?”

Minho blinked, surprised. “He came to forgive you? For... Thailand? He really wanted to let all that go after everything?”

Taerim thought back to what Jongin had said. Were you in jail? What happened to you there? Was it hard? What did you have to do to survive?

“That bastard,” she breathed. “Trying to make himself feel better for -” she glanced furtively at Minho and stopped. The last thing he needed was to hear that Jongin had kissed her.

He didn't suspect anything. “There's nothing we can do now,” he said grimly. “We just have to wait for Jonghyun to come through.”

~~~

Two boys met on the stands above the soccer field, acknowledging each other's presence with a cautious nod. They sat down side by side, hands deep in pockets to protect them from the evening chill.

“Taemin,” Jonghyun said. “You knew?”

Jongin looked over at him, unsurprised. “Yes. And you?”

“I figured out.” Jonghyun shrugged. Pretending to be nonchalant. “But now I have a new problem.”

“What's that?”

“What to do about it.”

Jongin's breath misted slightly in the cool air. “You're thinking of doing something?”

“Minho has to pay.”

That was a given. “And Taemin?”

“She has to go.”

“Go?”

Jonghyun glanced at Jongin. “I want you to help me get all my facts straight. Then I'm taking this to the principal.”

“I don't think that's a good idea,” Jongin said.

“What do you mean? You want an imposter messing around in our school?”

“That's not really what this is about. There's more to it.”

“What more?”

Jongin shrugged, unwilling to say. “If you take it to the principal, it's going to blow up in your face. Big time.”

“What's going to blow up?”

“There's a lot more going on than just Taemin being a girl. I'm figuring it out, so you should just stay out of it.”

“How can I stay out of it when –“ Jonghyun paused, looking at Jongin incredulously. “Wait... what is it with you and Minho? Every time I mention Taemin you both get all touchy. What's going on with you? Is it – God, don't tell me she's leading you both around. You're sleeping with that piece of , aren't you?”

Jongin's hands were clenched on his thighs. “So what if I am?” he said.

“Hah!” Jonghyun laughed, half out of disbelief and half out of pure enjoyment. “That's what that has been so busy doing all this time! She's got you and Minho wrapped around her little finger now, doesn't she?”

Jongin's breath came in short, angry puffs. “Minho has got nothing to do with this!” he hissed, his voice low and intense. “He's just a stupid jock.”

Jonghyun scoffed. “A stupid jock who's bumping uglies with your little boy crush.”

Jongin lunged and grabbed Jonghyun by the collar of his jacket. “Shut up!” he yelled. “Just shut up about Minho already! !” He let got of Jonghyun's jacket and pushed him away roughly.

Jonghyun straightened his jacket, unbothered. “I'm going to blow this wide open,” he said. “I don't care if this tarnishes your reputation of being a perfect little angel. Even if it means you get kicked out too, Taemin has to go.”

“She's not going,” Jongin said flatly. “Not yet. Not until I decide.”

“Since when were you capable of deciding anything about Taemin?”

“She's mine!” Jongin snapped. “I promise you can get your revenge, and you can get it soon. But first, I have to crush Minho.”

A/N: My goals for this fic are sod all, besides some vague plot things, so I'd be glad to take requests! I am thinking the next chapter might be rated M...? For reasons? Honestly, not a clue. At least I'm having a grand time, right?