I live by three rules.

These are the only laws I respect.

1. Life is a game.
2. Love is a joke.
3. Death is a new playing field.

Some people live like they’re never going to get another chance to live. We don’t even understand what living means, yet we make these assumptions and standards to structure morals. There’s no right or wrong. There’s only popular opinion and a shallow desire to be “good” or more likely acceptable. We can’t all define living in the same way and that’s why there are so-called criminals. They aren’t condemned to an afterlife of torture and flames and if they are, well that . No one knows what comes next, though, and I don’t plan on finding out anytime soon because you might think that Rule #3 means I don’t value what I have. On the contrary, I do enjoy this game. I love “life”.

Rule #2 would probably label me as an abandoned, corrupt child with affection issues. Well, every doctor that spouts that can expect my fist in their face and my foot up their in the most volatile sense. Love is a joke because it’s abstract. Anything abstract is a joke. There’s no right or wrong answer and there never will be. What I feel is caused by a chemical reaction. What I think I feel is caused by even more chemical reactions. I won’t base my titles for people on just that. If I ever find someone who remotely affects me, then so be it. It isn’t love though. I wouldn’t dare consider the idea of love. What a sham.

And now we’re down to the last point of my moral compass. I don’t welcome or dismiss death. It’s just like when you reach the end of a video game. If there’s a sequel, then that’s your afterlife. If there’s a secret ending, then that’s your next move. If there’s nothing, well, then you unplug the game and start playing on a different difficulty level. An abundance of options exist, people just need to be aware of them. Most of the time, they aren’t, if you hadn’t noticed. So when I beat life, I’ll enter death and start over again. It’s not that scary. It shouldn’t be scary, to be clear.

“What’s wrong, Kyuhyun?”

I blinked, looking over at one of the few guys that weren’t afraid of me. “Going to a party tonight,” I stated, ignoring his question, “wanna come?”

He grinned in anticipation. “Definitely, where?”

“Warehouse district,” I muttered, eyes scanning over the heads of our classmates. “Third from the second row. There are two ‘X’s’ on the exterior. ” Across the room, Ryeowook was studying silently like a good kid. Next to him was a boy peeking over his book, taking sidelong glances at him. Sad. Pathetic. I wanted to puke looking at that trash. “Starts at midnight,” I finally finished, standing up and walking over to the stupid kid.

Just as I was about to reach him, a body stumbled into me. My head snapped down and I immediately felt a pang of irritation upon seeing Mir staring up at me with his damn-ugly puppy dog eyes. I already had a cute guard dog. I didn’t need two pups, especially when one of them was a sappy, ignorant . “Get out of my way,” I spat, shoving a desk in place of shoving Mir. If Ryeowook saw me throw a punch, he’d probably freak a and call his dad. It was too early to deal with annoying officers.

Mir flinched, but he didn’t seem to be backing down today. That was weird. His lips quivered and his eyes dilated. Slowly, he inhaled and said, “K-Kyuhyun, please stop this.”

What?

“I know you’ve had a hard time over the years, but this isn’t the way to do it,” he said quickly, voice rising. Mir tried to wrap his arms around me then, but without thinking I shoved him back. The kid flew and stumbled into a couple of tight knit desks. A look of surprise passed over his face.

I stared back at him, half-creeped-the--out and the other half amused. What did he think he was doing? “Don’t patronize me,” I chuckled, slamming the heel of my shoe into another desk. “I don’t give a damn about what you think is the right way.”

Mir kept his distance this time, saying, “But Kyuhyun, I know that you don’t want to do these things! We can get help. We…have other options.”

For once, I was glad that self study was taking so long. That meant no one would be coming back into the classroom for a little while. The only ones around to witness this embarrassment were a few guys in the corner, Ryeowook, and the nerd crushing on him. “There are no other options, so get out of my way before I force you to leave.” I glanced over at Ryeowook to find that he was only partially listening. Figured.

I wanted to monopolize all of his thoughts and days and hours, minutes, and seconds. If there was a way to monitor his every breath, I would. Ryeowook was the only one who I would pretend nice for, but even then, I couldn’t guarantee how nice I could actually manage to get.

“Did you just say something?” I asked Mir, looking at his expectant face. I must have missed something.

A light blush crept up his cheeks and I knew that it had to have been some emotional spiel. Mir clenched his fists shut and repeated himself, “I love you, that’s why I can’t get out of your way.”

Sickening.

“Let me get that right, you just said you love me?” I leaned forward, snatching his chin.

“Y-Yeah,” he stammered, swallowing hard.

I got even closer, hovering near his ear. “Don’t spout that to me. You don’t even know what I’m capable of and what I’ve done.” With a non-too-gentle push, I sent him stumbling backwards. It wasn’t a fall though.

Heading for the door, I slid it open, slamming it shut behind me. It didn’t take long for a small shadow to merge with mine. Without turning around, I asked, “And what do I owe the pleasure, dog?”

Ryeowook touched my wrist and I stopped. His fingers were so delicate and tentative; I couldn’t help but snatch it, holding it as I shifted around to face him.

“What’s up?” I murmured, peering down into those dark, absorbing eyes.

“You’re leading him on,” Ryeowook stated.

My mouth twitched of its own accord. A smirk was forming and I couldn’t stop it. “I’m not leading him on. Didn’t you hear me dismiss him just now? I should be praised.”

“You’re playing him again,” he retorted, a flicker of annoyance in those pretty depths, “But that’s not what I care about. If you pull him in further, then I’ll be in trouble.”

Was Kim Ryeowook really telling me off? How cute. I yanked him aside, finding privacy in an empty classroom. The light was fading in and out with the shuddering blinds. I pinned him back against one of the desks, casually pressing my legs against his. “Worried about your future?” My hand curled around his jaw, leading it up so our eyes could meet more easily. “If you’re scared, then just keep him away from me.” I popped the top button of his uniform, sliding my hand over the hickey I had made that morning, “Or better yet, keep me away from him. That shouldn’t be hard, right?” Another button came undone. “I won’t make it hard for you, I swear,” I dragged my teeth across his exposed skin, chuckling at how rigid he became.

“Why do you keep doing this today?” Ryeowook demanded, squirming away.

My fingers tangled in his hair, jerking his head to the side. I dug into his throat, grinning at the cry I elicited from him. Pursing my lips, I smoothed back over the wound, feeling him relax under the touch. “Because I only now started realizing how much fun you are.” It was a lie, but he didn’t need to know that. He had always been fun in my mind, except now, I realized just how easy he was to control.

“Don’t take things any further with Mir,” Ryeowook’s hands closed around my shoulders, his breath soft and airy.

My eyes widened and I backed up without thinking. He released me just as quickly, buttoning his shirt back up as he slipped past me. I was about to call out to him, but Ryeowook was already slamming the door shut between us.

Clicking my tongue, I leaned back against the desk. He had actually touched me…and I wouldn’t forget that. “Tonight’s going to be fun,” I mumbled, touching my lips softly.