The Bathroom Floor
My Boyfriend's Best Friend
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have a confession to make."
Sulli could hear the crowd holding their breath as she cleared . At this point, there was no going back.
She began, "The truth is, as I said, I don't deserve to be here. When I auditioned from SM High, I was rejected. No matter how well I did or didn't do tonight, I still initially wasn't good enough."
She gave the audience a moment to soak in her words before continuing.
"You may be wondering how, then, am I a student here? Well there's a simple explanation. The truth, while it is definitely honest, may anger some people and embarrass others. The truth is my parents, who are no doubt dying in their seats somewhere in the audience, actually paid my way into the school. They BRIBED the school to accept me."
A gasp went through the large crowd like a sound wave.
"I know, it's unexpected. And I might not have told you if it weren't for something that recently happened. A few weeks ago, someone tried to use this information to make me do things I didn't want to do." Sulli cringed as she thought everything she had done, what she had had to give up.
"I was blackmailed into letting someone go that I should have cherished forever.
"I am done with hiding things and choosing one thing over another. I know now what's important. Sometimes love means sacrificing the things you care about the most."
She sighed delivering the last part of her speech, Minho heavy on her mind. "A friend told me I could still fix things. I suppose it is up to you if this has fixed anything. I hope I haven't disappointed or offended anyone."
She bowed before rushing off backstage. As she passed behind the curtain, she heard people yelling at her, felt people trying to grab onto her, saw people running up to interrogate her. But she wanted to get away.
Using her small frame she maneuvered out of the crowd and down the hall before finding refuge on the dirty tiled floor of the deserted girls' washroom. She didn't cry, but a million thoughts raced across her consciousness.
Would she be able to go to next week's prom?
Would she be kicked out of school?
Would people demand she be thrown out?
What would Taemin say about we confession? Would he be proud?
And lastly,
What was Minho thinking?
She buried her head in her arms, which we resting on the top of her knees. Hopefully this could make up for things. Hopefully she could salvage they're relationship, whatever was left of it.
------
Hmm...
*If I were Sulli, where would I go to be alone?"
Minho was frantically searching the hallways, checking every nook and cranny to see if se was there. Suddenly, it dawned on him.
She probably wanted to get away from him, so she would therefore go somewhere he wouldn't go. Or she thought he wouldn't go.
Thoroughly motivated, he took off for the girls' washroom.
When he arrived at the beat-up door with a dress-adorned silhouette plastered on the door, he hesitated. It was still the girls' bathroom. He would just peek in to check if she was there, he decided.
Craning his head around into the room, he saw Sulli sitting on the floor with arms covering her face. Luckily, it looked she was the only other person in the washroom. He walked over quietly and took a seat next to her on the floor.
"You could have told me you know," he said to her, seeing her body flinch in surprise at the sound of his voice.
She lifted her head slowly up. "Minho... I didn't know you in here."
"I wasn't, as of 12 seconds ago." He smiled. "Honestly though Sulli, why didn't you tell me about Krystal blackmailing you?"
She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. "Because I wasn't sure what you would think of me."
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "You should have known I would have stood by you through anything."
"Aren't you mad at me?" She asked, her voice laced with doubt.
"Sulli... Did you hear anything I just said?" He turned her face towards him. "I will be there for you no matter what. I'm glad you had the courage to tell the truth and no matter what happens now, you have me."
He leaned towards her, catching her lips with his in a soft kiss. A kiss that had been a long time coming.
"Do you think I'll be kicked out?" She asked after pulling away.
"I guess we'll have to wait and see."
*****
Minho and Sulli made their way into the crowded restaurant. Despite the nights drama, the rest of SHINee had decided to go out to celebrate their final show. Jonghyun, Ji Eun, Onew, Luna, Key and Taemin were all crowded around a table waiting for them.
Sulli smiled as she sat down. Despite the fact that she lied, her friends were still there for her.
As she made her way across the room to sit down Taemin stood up in front of her and pressed his mouth to her ear.
"I'm proud of you," he whispered, sending a chill down her spine. There was something peaceful about the fact that she and Taemin could speak without awkwardness. Or at least that was the perception from her end.
She smiled at him as she sat down. "Thank you."
"You shouldn't have run off so fast Sulli," Jonghyun said to her from across the table. "You missed Key flipping his ."
"I did NOT flip my ," Key protested in an aggravated tone.
"Oh, so what do you call screaming at Krystal at the top of your lungs and calling her every name in the book while Onew and I had to hold you back?"
Key made a thoughtful yet sarcastic face. "I call that a perfectly reasonable response."
The whole group laughed, including Sulli who had a lot on her mind. Even though she still had many worries, she was convinced that the worst was over.
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A/N: So sorry this update took as long as it did. The final chapter as well as the accompanying blog post (I have too much to say for it just to be an author's note) should be up by week's end.
The reason it took so long is because I was working on a oneshot featuring Onew :) Which is here.
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