The weekend flew by in a very boring fashion. Donghae was still recovering from his all-nighter petting Eunhyuk, so by the time Sunday came and he went to church, he almost fell asleep listening to Pastor Lee’s droning seminar.

That night, Donghae passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Mornings were the worst, especially Mondays. Donghae was peacefully lumbering around in dreamland, enjoying the serenity, when his alarm started beeping almost maniacally, purposefully shaking him out of his slumber. But he knew his parents had to work and couldn’t drive him, so he forced himself to prepare for the day.

On the bus, he fell asleep.

He barely got up to get off the bus, but Sekyung’s bus was pulling up, too, so he stepped out and waited for her to come off. She caught sight of him, smiled, and looped her fingers around his.

In peaceful, tired silence, they trudged up the walkway to the front doors. Donghae was slowly waking up, energized by the lively chatter and gossip around him. He saw Taemin at his locker and playfully punched his shoulder. Taemin spun around, angry, but as soon as he saw it was just Hae, he smiled.

“Hey, Hae.” He laughed at the similar words.

“Hey, Minnie.” Hae delivered another punch. Taemin greeted Sekyung. Donghae loved how nice Taemin was to Sekyung, but never bordering the thin line of flirting. It was always platonic, and Hae was fine with that.

The trio walked down to their classes. Taemin left at Mr. Hall’s social studies class, and Sekyung left as soon as they hit Mrs. Kite’s English class. Donghae walked the still-crowded halls to find Mr. Song’s science class. Stepping in the door, he noticed a nervous buzz in the air. Looking around, he saw nothing different. He slid in the chair next to Sunny, a girl who was very pretty and madly in love with Donghae. Sunny smiled happily.

“Hey Donghae,”

“Hey Sunny. Why’s everyone so nervous?”

“Not nervous, just excited. Because of Hyukjae.”

“What the?! Who’s Hyukjae?!”

Sunny gave him a look. “You didn’t see Hyukjae?! He’s a new student. He’s sitting right over there.” She waved a finger to a seat in the back.

Donghae craned his neck to see, but Choi Minho’s tall figure blocked his way. “I guess Mr. Song will introduce him.” He shrugged and went back to his seat. Sure enough, Mr. Song’s lanky body slunk into the room. He straightened his blue and white bowtie and cleared his throat.

“Welcome back, I hope your weekends were fantastic.” He did not look like he cared.

“I’d like to introduce someone. He’s new in this class. Or, rather, in this school. Lee Hyukjae, please stand up and come to the front of the room.”

Everyone watched in anticipation as the new kid stood up. Donghae eagerly waited and heard Sunny gasp.

This new kid, Hyukjae, had shiny platinum blonde hair. It swept over his eyes, like he hated haircuts. His warm brown eyes were soft, but on alert, since he didn’t know anyone. His lips were a sweet shade of shell-pink. He wore a white sweatshirt and tight black jeans. They weren’t tight enough for the boys to make fun of, but it was tight enough for Donghae to notice the girls eyeing him up and down, up and down. His body was slim, but built. He looked like a dancer. A black star was on his left hand.

Donghae snickered at Sunny, who was still gaping at the new student. He nudged her elbow.

“New crush?” he smiled. Sunny turned red.

“Shut up. It’s not my fault he’s gorgeous.” Donghae laughed playfully at her.

Sunny continued to watch.

Hyukjae said the basic things…his name, where he moved from, etc. He went back to his seat and class continued. The bell rang. Donghae stopped for a second to talk to Hyukjae.

“Hi, I’m Donghae. Welcome to East Sea High.”

Hyukjae had an odd look in his eyes, like he already knew him. But he simply said “thanks” and walked away.

The day continued, and Donghae was thinking about the mysterious new kid the whole night.