Jonghyun didn’t make a move, like he was petrified. I was horrified, I felt tears running down my cheeks. I ran away before Jonghyun or Yuri could say something. I ran home although I still had classes in the afternoon. I couldn’t take it and it surely would be impossible for me to listen to the teachers. When I arrived home, I bumped into my mother. “Minho? What are you doing here?” she asked as soon as she saw me. She came closer and understood something was wrong. “Honey, are you alright?”

“I don’t feel well,” I told her. She touched my forehead and said I must have a fever. Then she told me to go in my room to rest. I did as I was told. I lay down on my bed. I was exhausted. I kept crying and crying. My nose was running, my head was aching. But the worst was my heart; it hurt, it hurt so much. I didn’t want Jonghyun to know. When I remembered his face, I cried even harder. He seemed confused, more like deceived. Thinking about it broke my heart in a million pieces. Why did I have to say it? Why I couldn’t I just shut my mouth? I didn’t blame Yuri, she just wanted to help. But I should have at least told her that it wasn’t a good idea to talk about it at school. There was a knock on my door. I quickly wiped my tears away just in time before my mother opened the door. “I brought you some meds. Here, take this,” she said as she handed me a glass of water and pills. I took them then gave her the glass back.

“Thank you, Mom,” I whispered.

“You’re welcome, Sweetie. Try to sleep a little. Maybe you’ll feel better after.” She gently my hair then stood up and left the room. As soon as she had left, I started crying again. I finally fell asleep after having cried my heart out.

I was taken ill the next day, due to exhaustion and heartache. I spent the rest of the week in my bed. My mom told me some of my friends came to cheer me up but I refused to see anyone. I wanted to be alone, to think about my life, my feelings. And I feared to see Jonghyun. I knew it was quite impossible for him to come and see me after what had happened. But what if? What if he came by? What if he decided to reject me properly, even though I was sick and weak? What if he wanted to make fun of me? I didn’t want to find out what would happen in that case. I also asked Yuri not to come by. She accepted but said I wouldn’t be able to live like a hermit all my life. And it was true, I knew it. When the week would be over, I would have to go back to school. I didn’t want to.

On Monday morning, Jonghyun was waiting in front of my house. I saw him from the window before I got out. “Mom?”

“Yes, Honey?” she shouted from the kitchen.

“Could you drive me to school?” I asked her.

“Why? Don’t you usually walk… or take the bus?” she said as she came towards me.

“Please?” I used my best aegyo, she was weak against it. She was going to say yes, I could see it in her eyes. But suddenly she averted her gaze. “Sweetie, don’t try to soften me with your aegyo. It doesn’t work anymore.” She chuckled as I huffed. “But I’m gonna be late!”

“You have enough time to walk to school,” she answered, pointing at the clock.

“But?”

“No buts, young man. You are walking to school, period!” She went back to the kitchen. I put my shoes on and as I opened the door, I shouted: “It’ll be your fault if I don’t come home tonight!”

“I love you too, Honey.” She shouted back.

I went out, laughing. But I stopped as soon as I passed our gate. Jonghyun was still there. He hadn’t seen me yet, maybe I could just hide until he left. “Minho.” Too late! I started walking as if I was alone. I heard him follow me. “Minho,” he said once again. I didn’t answer but instead walked faster. “Yah! Minho!” he shouted, “Stop ignoring me!” I said nothing. “Minho! I’m your Hyung! You must listen to what I say!” he exclaimed. He was almost running beside me.

“Why can’t you just give up?” I shouted, exasperated.

“Not until we’ve talked about what happened.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I answered. Please Jonghyun, stop it! Stop it right now!

“Liar.” He yanked at my arm to stop me. “Please, stop walking ten seconds,” he pleaded.

“Let go of my arm!” I said.

“Not until you’ve told me the truth!”

“You wanna know the truth?!?” I screamed. “I was lying!”

“You were lying?” He looked at me, he seemed… disappointed? No, Minho! Don’t get your hopes up!

“Yes.”

“Oh.” He said nothing more. What was that supposed to mean?

“So leave me alone!” I shouted and walked away, leaving him alone, dumbfounded. After that morning, we didn’t talk to each other anymore.

On Friday evening, I went to Yuri’s house. She had told me she wanted to spend some time with me so she invited me over to watch a movie. When I entered her room, I realized something was wrong. “Where is your TV?” I asked her.

“Taemin wanted to watch a movie with his girlfriend, so he took it.” Suspicious!

“But didn’t you say we were gonna watch a movie tonight?”

“Yeah… But… We can do something else.”

“Like?” I raised my eyebrows.

“Like talk.” Okay! Now I understood everything. She was going to talk about Jonghyun Sure thing! “Why is Jonghyun avoiding you?” Bingo!

“What? He’s not!”

“Liar! Last week, he kept waiting for you to come back to school and now, every time he sees you, he turns around and leaves. Why?” She told the truth. At least, I knew her last statement was. He was avoiding me. Like this morning, when we had bumped into each other in the hall, he had turned his back and left, almost running away. I sighed. I knew she would scold me after I would have told her what I said to Jonghyun. Anyway, I hadn’t really a choice. So I told her everything that had happened. How he had waited in front of my house. How I had ignored him. How I had shouted at him. How I had told him I had lied, I didn’t love him. How I had run away. I didn’t tell her about the look I had seen on Jonghyun’s face because I didn’t want to remember it and I didn’t understand myself why he had seemed so… hurt. When I stopped speaking, she sighed exaggeratedly and looked at me, annoyed. “Minho! Sometimes I really think you’re an idiot!” She stated.

“I do too,” I answered.

“And you even know it? It’s even worse.” I couldn’t stand looking at her any longer so I averted my gaze and looked at my hands. After all the time I had stared at them lately, I thought I would even be able to know how many millimeters my nails would have grown. “Why didn’t you just tell him he heard you right and see what would have happened next?” I said nothing. “At least, you could have told him to forget it. But you said you lied!” She stood up and started to walk back and forth in her room. “You told him your feelings were all lies! I can’t believe you did something this… Stupid!” she exclaimed. She came in front of me and I was sure she was going to slap me. I hoped she was going to do it. That way, I would have a reason to be hurting. But she didn’t slap me. Instead, she put her arms around my shoulders and hugged me.

“Aren’t you mad at me?” I asked, surprise clearly noticeable in my voice.

“I am,” she answered, “but you’re hurting, right?” I nodded. “I knew it,” she said. “Here, you can cry on my shoulder if you wanna.”

“Thanks, Yuri. But I think I can no longer cry.”

“Cried too much already?”

“Yeah.”

“I understand.” She let go of me and sat down beside me. “By the way,” she said after a minute of silence, “are you gonna do something at the school festival?” I was glad she had changed the subject.

“No, I don’t think so. What about you?”

“Yeah,” she smiled, “there’s a singing contest. I think I’m gonna enter it.”

“Really? But I thought you hated things like that,” I said, confused.

“It’s not that I don’t like them. I’m just afraid. But I think it’s time for me to overcome my fear,” she exclaimed. Her eyes were shining and she had a look on her face that said Don’t try to stop me, I’m going to win this battle! I chuckled. “What? Why are you laughing?” she asked, blushing.

“Nothing,” I answered, still laughing “it’s just… you were acting like someone who’s gonna kill all their enemies.” She started laughing too.

“I must be brave!” she exclaimed, “and you should be too,” she softly added. Maybe I should. She stood up once again, or I would better say jumped up, and said: “You know what? We’re going to the karaoke!”

“What?”

“Now.” She tugged at my arm.

“Now, like right now?” I asked to .

“Yeah, right now.” I didn’t move an inch. “Come on Minho. It’s Friday evening.” She started singing “Tonight, we are young~”

“Okay, okay.” I stood up.

“Yeah~!” She screamed.

Half an hour later, we were both singing our hearts out. I felt much better.

A/N: Oh no! Minho! What did you do! Is it going to be the end of Jongho? And Yuri is up to something! What will she do? Anyway, I didn't make you wait too long, did I? ^^ Oh, and the next chapter will also be the last. The school festival is coming and maybe all misunderstandings will be cleared. Maybe. See you soon! =)