“Why can’t we have a free period everyday like this?” I said wistfully as I tilted my head back and soaked in the sun.

There was a ceremony today that involved all the teachers, so all of us had been let out of class early. We weren’t allowed to leave school, but we were allowed to hang around anywhere we pleased. A few of the students made a beeline for the cafeteria the minute we were freed from class, while a majority spilled out onto the courtyard or the fields to sit and bask under the sun. The basketball team took it as a chance for some extra practice, this time within the presence of an audience as their friends and fangirls filtered into the court to cheer for them.

Some of the clubs held meetings as well, including the Camping Club that Chanyeol joined. Baekhyun, unable to arrange another practice session due to his band mate being engaged in another activity, had decided to hang around with me at the soccer field instead.

We were sitting on the bleachers, the wind whipping back our hair and plastering our clothes to our bodies. The soccer field was by far the windiest place in the school, far more comfortable than the suffocating basketball court, the air fresh and uncontaminated with the smell of chemicals like the pool.

“I know, tell me about it,” Soojin said.

Baekhyun’s advancements had amounted to a good result; she now constantly wanted to be with him. She had developed a habit of following him around wherever he went, even including herself as an additional member in our little party of two. I suspected her attachment had something to do with the feeling of abandonment she suffered when her friends disassociated themselves from her ever since she became acquainted with Baekhyun.

To admit the truth, I had a strong suspicion about those three ever since I met her. They seemed too ditzy and airheaded, a strong contrast to Soojin’s logic and intelligence. I always suspected she was the outcast of the group, accepted only because of the history they might have shared sometime during middle school or elementary school. None of them shared the same interests with her and neither do they have the slightest inclination towards academics. Instead, they gossiped and flirted with boys day and night, and they were always whispering in the hallways, insulting the school’s top kingkas’ girlfriends.

Over the past week, Soojin seemed to barely hang out with them; in fact, I had never even seen her in the same room with them. She was becoming increasingly attached to Baekhyun, and was always seen waiting for us by the gate whenever we arrived at school.

I understood that she must have felt hurt and wanted a shoulder to cry on, a person she could rely on now that her so-called friends treated her like an outcast. I could hardly blame her for trying to get closer to us. It was even a good sign for Baekhyun; she liked him enough to attempt to strenghten the bond between them.

In fact, her intentions clearly showed by how hard she was trying to be friends with me. She and I had known each before I introduced her to Baekhyun, so naturally, we had no problems accepting each other. However, I suspected that she was also trying to get an approval from me. Baekhyun and I had known each other for years; therefore, it was only natural that she assumed I had a strong influence on him.

I’m not saying that she wasn’t sincere –she was – but I also saw that she was trying really hard to make me like her.

And I do like her, I really do. It was nice having another girl to chat and have girl talk with, someone who I could tell things that I wouldn’t dare say to Baekhyun. But sometimes, I couldn’t help but feel annoyed as well. It used to only be Baekhyun and me, the inseparable duo. Soojin’s addition felt like an intrusion to our long-lasting friendship, a foreign intervention in our exclusive circle.

But she was a nice girl and it had been a month now since Baekhyun tried to court her. I had no idea why I felt this way now.

I smiled at her, trying not to notice too much that the hand she had resting on the bleachers was just centimetres away from touching Baekhyun’s.

“What do you have right now?” I asked her.

“Art,” she replied, sticking her tongue out. “Thank God I get to skip it; I hate art.”

“How come?” Baekhyun asked.

“I’m terrible at drawing,” she stated. “What’s supposed to be human being looks like a deformed egg with uneven sticks attached to the bottom.”

Baekhyun laughed.

“You can laugh,” she said with a pout. “At least you’re good at everything artsy.”

She knew that? I felt a pang in my heart. Back then, I was the only one who did. Baekhyun never took art classes, but he was a natural artist, just as he was a natural musician.

To dispel this uneasy feeling pooling in my chest, I decided to change the topic.

“I wonder why the soccer team isn’t practicing,” I said casually.

“Why? Are you hoping to catch a glimpse of someone?” Soojin asked with a teasing lilt to her voice.

I felt my cheeks get warm. “I was just wondering,” I said defensively. “I mean, since the basketball team’s practicing and all...”

“Yeah, of course you were,” she said, but her smile indicated that she didn’t believe me.

I mentally face palmed myself. Was I really that easy to read?

“Oo, you’re in luck,” Soojin suddenly said, her gaze locked on one corner of the soccer field. “They are going to practice.”

My head whipped towards the entrance, where boys in blue soccer uniforms were coming through. I watched as they marched in, absently passing a ball between them as they spilled into the field. My eyes locked onto one particular figure, currently receiving a ball that one of his teammates had passed. There was another boy walking with him, tall, with bronze hair that contrasted with his blonde. He toyed with the ball for a while, performing little tricks on it with his legs before shooting it far out into the field, sending a few boys running to retrieve it.

“Which one?” Soojin whispered in my ear, as if trying to keep Baekhyun from hearing what was supposedly a private girls-only conversation. Little did she know that Baekhyun knew much more than she could even guess.

“No one,” I said, hoping that she would be derailed from the topic.

Unfortunately, it was at  that moment Luhan decided to turn around. His eyes met mine, and I saw the smile that carved itself into his delicate features. I saw him say something to Sehun before separating himself from his team and coming over towards us. I sat there, frozen, my heart hammering from shock and anticipation.

“Hey,” he greeted once he was near enough, smiling at me first before doing the same to Baekhyun and Soojin.

“Hi,” I said as breezily as possible, “are you going to practice?”

He nodded. “Captain insisted. I’ve been looking for you.”

“For?”

“Remember that day when you promised?”

I blinked, a little surprised about the topic he was about to bring up. My eyes flickered towards Baekhyun and Soojin, who were both watching us. Luhan seemed to remember that they were there too and cleared his throat.

“To watch me dance,” he added hastily, “at the Dance Stage.”

“I’m really sorry,” I said apologetically, “I really did forget how to get there.”

Luhan grinned, looking boyishly attractive. “No need. I’ll be dancing somewhere else.”

I looked at him, confused. “Where?”

“This Friday night, there’ll be a dance competition at the town square, near the fountain. I’d like you to come.”

“Why? Not enough fans to cheer for you?” I asked jokingly.

Luhan laughed. “No. I just need one more,” he said with a wink at me. I smiled at his playfulness. “Anyway, I’ll be dancing a duet with a friend, the one who I told you about.”

I nodded, feeling a little bit overwhelmed. Luhan’s eagerness to make me come and see him dance left a light, fluttering feeling in my heart. I recalled the first time I watched him dance, his light movements, the look of concentration on his face and the subtle bursts of power that accompanied his moves. His dancing was what attracted me, and I was eager to see it again.

“Of course,” I said.

Luhan’s eyes lit up.

At the moment, a voice bellowed Luhan’s name from the field. We glanced down to find Choi Minho, the soccer team’s captain, standing below the bleachers, yelling at Luhan to hurry up. Luhan nodded and gave him an ‘okay’ sign. He turned and flashed me another smile. “See you Friday night then. I’ll be looking for you in the crowd.”

I nodded. He smiled at Baekhyun and Soojin before turning and doing quick hops down the stairs, hoisting himself over the fence and into the field.

“So, Luhan huh?” Soojin asked once he was gone. She was smirking at me.

I opened my mouth to answer. The words got stuck in my throat, and my shoulders deflated. I ended up mumbling, “Shut up.”

“He’s cute, isn’t he?” She was trying to bait me into saying more.

“He’s just a friend,” I insisted.

“Alright,” Soojin said, “we believe her, don’t we, Baekhyun?” She turned to Baekhyun with teasing glint in her eyes.

He didn’t answer. I turned to look at him. I was hoping that I could get him to distract her with something else, but I stopped once I saw the look in his eyes. He was staring at me, his eyes dark and unfathomable.

“Have fun,” he said finally, and then turned away and stuck a pair of earbuds in his ear, as if he was trying to drown out everything else.