"Jaehi, you're so lucky to have Jongin!" A girl from my English class commented as I passed by her in the hallway.



"Thanks." I smiled politely.



All day, I've been hearing whispers as I passed through the halls. The praises I had been getting from some seemed never ending. Really, it almost kind of suffocated me. 'Jongin is not really who you think he is!' I wanted to say, but I couldn't; not when we're this far in the game. People glared at Kris, and they just couldn't keep a straight face whenever they saw Mingki. I took a few secretive glances as we walked to our next class. He was walking proudly with his head held high. I wondered where he finds all his baseless confidence from. He was walking around the school half- and he still didn't mind the attention! I wanted to dig my head into the ground like an ostrich, Mingki on the other hand was embracing the new found popularity.



It looks like he sensed my occasional stares because he snapped his head in my direction.



"What?"



I was caught red handed, staring at him again. "Uh, nothing."



I saw a grin flash across his face, "It's not my fault I make a y cupid!"



'Hold up, what?' My feet froze completely. "Mingki, I'm saying this because I love you: A grown man in a diaper is most definitely not y." I swatted his arm before looking forward again.



"For gay men it most definitely is!" He replied in a sing song voice. My eyes widened and I choked on my own spit. "My ears didn't have to hear that you know..." I deadpanned.



. . .



"Burn. Burn... Burn!" I stood at the foot of my bed and stared at the delicate layers of white silk that were gracefully draped over each other. This was out of the ordinary; I wouldn't be caught with anything like this in my closet. I wanted for a swarm of moths to enter my room, drill holes into the dress that Hana got me, and fly out. Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate the dress at all; in fact it looked beautiful. But I wasn't... I couldn't possibly pull it off.



I walked over to the full length mirror beside my bathroom door. 'I can't do this...' I looked like I was stranded on a deserted island. My face was swollen. Immediately, I thought of the truck load of Valentine's day chocolate I had; it was a good idea then, not so much now that I saw the after effect. "Ugh, I look hideous." I whispered while inspecting my state. My lips were cracked because of the winter cold and they looked drier than the Sahara Desert itself. As for my hair, you could fry chicken with the amount of oil that could possibly be wrung out. "People won't pity me, they'll pity the dress for having to be worn by me." I said aloud.



As if on cue, Hana and Haemi waltzed in with major baggage. "What the hell is that?" I tried to to keep the worried tone out of my voice but I don't think it worked. I cringed while thinking about Hana applying my makeup. She wasn't all that gentle when she played make up artist. The memory of her jabbing the mascara brush flashed through my head. My eyes grew huge: 'Is it too late to back out?' I looked at Hana as she inched towards me with an armful of beauty products. "Make over time!" She flashed a toothy grin which in my imagination turned into fangs. '...'



. . .



"My poor, poor, poor, poor, poor legs!" I didn't know waxing could hurt that much. I examined my legs in the mirror and smoothed out the dress which I put on. It felt like my legs were attacked by a swarm of bees and the stinging sensation just wouldn't go away. Haemi let out a little giggle and I shot her a glare through the reflection of the mirror. Hana smirked,"Beauty is pain- by the way, what shoes are you wearing with the dress?"



I wrung my hands together, "Um, my Converse?" I squeaked as both Hana and Haemi gave 'the look'. I'm clumsy enough barefoot; even mere shoes are a gamble for me. "There's no way I'm wearing death in the form of heels. Especially after your leg torture..." I explained. Hana narrowed her eyes and tossed me a pair of black stilettos. "Hey! I'm not a dart board!" I hollered. Haemi glided over beside me, "You will be if you don't put those on..." She said in a low voice that left me in shock. I just got a threat from sweet little Haemi. I fumbled with the heels and slowly inched down to put them on. "That's better!" Hana said as she made her way to the washroom with her own dress in hand. I turned to Haemi as I heard her snicker. "So evil..." I whispered, scared that Hana would hear me from the washroom. I had one heel on and was balancing while trying to put on the other. Standing, alone, was a challenge. Before I knew it, I was toppled on the floor. "Ow! Ugh, not again." I looked up at Haemi's red face. She was stifling her laughter. "The floor really likes me doesn't it?" And that triggered her to go off.



Hana emerged from the washroom in a blue dress that flowed around her knees. The cloth delicately framed her top half and gracefully made its way down to her knees. She looked perfect with her hair in a clean up-do. While I stood there and admired at how beautiful Hana looked, I completely missed Haemi. She looked hot. She stood there adjusting her sequined red dress that shimmered with every movement. It screamed 'y' at one glance which was out of her norm. The both of them looked absolutely gorgeous. I dragged the both of them into a huge hug. It was moments like these which made me realize how lucky I was to have them. "I love you guys!" I said as I drained air out of their lungs with a tighter squeeze.



Hana was the first to pull away, "Geez, don't cry okay! You'll mess up your make up!"



'Oh yeah!' I thought. I nearly forgot that I was ready too. I sidestepped to my full length mirror while holding my breath. There I stood: curled hair, soft pink lips, flawless makeup, a beautiful dress, and awkward shaky legs. I felt a warmth grow inside me. I actually thought I looked pretty - and I couldn't help but hope that Jongin would think the same.



. . .



"Awe, baby! You look stunning!" My mother gushed as she made Jongin and I pose for another photo. '103...' I counted in my head when the flash went off. My jaw was tensed from smiling so much and my feet were already killing me. "Mom! This isn't even Prom!" I whined as Hana, Haemi, and Mingki joined the picture. I'm sure everyone in the house was grinning like mad except for my dad and I.



Dad wasn't very happy with Jongin's arm wrapped around my waist. I could sense his glare penetrating through my "ignorance bubble". He'd pretend to have a coughing fit whenever he thought that Jongin entered my personal space, which was almost every two seconds. "Too close." He muffled his words with another cough.



"Mr. Kang! I think you might be coming down with a cold or something!" Jongin smirked as he wrapped both arms around my waist from behind me. I saw my dad's face glow red and his eyes were practically bulging out of his eye sockets. I stiffened as I felt Jongin place his head on my shoulder as my mother snapped another picture as if she was part of the paparazzi.



I slapped on a fake smile and turned to tug at Jongin's sleeve, "Can we please go?" I forced the words out from tightly sealed lips.



Jongin looked down into my eyes and caused my surroundings to fade. "Sure princess, anything for you." He purred as he gave my hand a tight squeeze. He let go and walked over to talk to my mother and father. If it wasn't for the little side table beside me, I think I would have ended up on the floor again.



Leaving me swooning, a few moments later I found myself being ushered out of my house and into Jongin's car. "So, what kind of magic did you use?" I tried to initiate small talk as we made our way to the school for the dance. He glanced at me with a confused face. "My mom stopped taking pictures and my dad let me go without bugging me with a tracking device... So, did you use black magic? A potion? A spell?" I joked.



He clearly thought it wasn't funny as he gave me a look meant for some psychopath, "Actually, they couldn't resist my good looks and charm." He winked and changed lanes. I snorted, "If only you were Pinocchio... Not only me, but the world would know of the endless bull that comes from your mouth." I teased.



He laughed sarcastically, "Funny." He deadpanned as he looked into the rear view mirror. "By the way, you know that Hana's tailgating us right?"



I looked into the side mirror only to see Hana's car inches away from Jongin's bumper. The only thing that was more dangerous than Hana's little schemes was her driving. "Satan's spawn..." I mumbled as I turned my head to the road.



Jongin choked on air, "And you're not?"



I snorted again, "Hypocrite."



"You sound like a pig. You know? With all that snorting." He pressed the horn to make the car in front of us accelerate a bit.



I swatted his arm, "Hey, at least I don't eat like one."



Jongin pulled into the street that lead to our school, "I eat like a human, perfectly normal."



"Sure, and if you chewed any louder people would think that Godzilla is feasting along with them." I chomped the air and leaned towards him to make my point.



"Pft, lame."



Jongin turned into the school's twisting driveway and right away I heard the music pumping through the hallways and out to the open. I smiled as I saw more cars entering in after us. 'Time to show Kris; I'm not a game. I'm not easy.'



Jongin parked and made his way around the car to open the passenger door. The door clicked and I saw the locks close. "Jongin you -hole!" I panicked and started pulling the handle. "Let me out!" I screamed over his muffled laughter. I felt light headed while I kept tugging at the handle. With another click the door was opened and a hand hovered outside to help me outside. I pushed the hand away and took in a huge breath of air to scold Jongin. I stopped myself halfway when I locked eyes with Kris' bewildered ones. In shock, I turned my head to Jongin and he was practically boring holes in Kris' face with his eyes alone. 'Tension. Holy.'



I didn't know what else to do so I laughed. Not a small laugh; I bursted out and forced an awkward laugh as I made my way to Jongin and wrapped my arms around his neck. "You're so funny, babe!" My eyes were bugging out of my head. Automatically, Jongin's arms wrapped around me and swayed me from left to right. "I know!" He grinned.



I pulled away, "Kris! What are you doing here?" He had a blank look and held his hand out. Jongin snatched the keys that were in his palm. "I, uh."



"We're parked; no need for valet." Jongin sneered. He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the school's entrance. As we walked away, my arm linked in his, I whispered, "I hate you." He chuckled, "Yeah, love you too!"



We walked through the lit up garden to get to the school's plaza where the dance was being held. The roses were still in buds and the February air was crisp. It was cold outside but the lights gave off a warm feeling.



We entered through the doors to find ourselves blinded by disco balls and coloured LED lights. The student board who organized the even had completely turned the place into a nightclub. There was already a crowd of students dancing to the music that was blared out of the speakers by the DJ. We were halfway down the aisle that lead inside when a spotlight flashed straight into my eyes. I rapidly clutched Jongin's arm tighter, afraid that I'd fall. It was bad enough with heels alone, now I had my eyes to worry about too.



"Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Cinderella and Prince Charming, Rome and Juliet. Please welcome, Jongin and Jaehi!" Hana's voice blared through the speakers. She must have sweet talked the DJ into borrowing a mic. I watched the entire dance floor die down as heads turned towards us.



"Did she just refer us to a dead couple who both committed suicide?" Jongin questioned. "Yes. She just did." I was still in the midst of processing what was going on in my mind. Again, I really disliked all this unwanted attention. And the spotlight that Hana had thrown on us gave us no hope of escape.



I simply looked at the sea of faces before me. Some showed awe, some jealousy. Some were completely lost... But, one face especially stood out. It was a face of anger and hatred. It was Kris'. Jongin put on a smile and pulled me closer. "At least someone thinks I'm charming." He dragged me to the dance floor.



I laughed as Jongin tried to dance with me. Honestly, I kind of expected him to know how to dance since he was always with girls. I guess not. He wasn't at the point where he had two left feet, but he wasn't that good either. He spun me around enthusiastically while mocking others. 'Maybe he's dancing horribly on purpose.' I thought while he spun me around again. "Whoa!" I lost balance and fell into his chest. I looked up at him to see him smiling and my thoughts became clouded. It felt good to have arms there to catch me. It felt even better knowing that they were Jongin's arms.



In my head, we were having a "moment", which he totally ruined. With wide eyes he said, "Jae! I'm gonna go mingle a little." He spun me around once more and let himself be carried away as fast as his feet could take him without looking awkward. I watched his back turned to me as he made his way out of the crowd. 'He's gonna go hook up with another girl.' I thought. It brought my mood down a little, but that's Jongin. So I didn't let it get to me.



I danced my way over to Mingki and Haemi. Bouncing to the music, the three of us laughed at Hana who was on stage bossing around the DJ. "She can be really scary sometimes!" Mingki screamed over the booming of the music. "Not as scary as you, cupid!" Haemi replied in a fit of giggles. We were all smiling and having a good time. This was the happiest I had been in a very long time.



My laughter was cut short as I saw Kris making his way towards me through the tight crowd. My heart leapt and I felt my palms begin to sweat. His eyes were directly on me.



He suddenly stopped and a look of sadness flashed across his face. He looked away, brown eyes clouding up, while he shoved his hands deep into his pockets and stalked off towards the refreshments table.



I shook my head in confusion with a crinkled forehead. 'What just happened?' I turned around to see what scared him off, where his gaze had left to. And there was Jongin fumbling with the curled ribbons on a wrapped little box. He walked up to me, took my hand, and pulled me away from the crowd. "Jongin! Where are we going?!" I asked while the music grew quieter as we made our way out.



With a few twists and turns, he led me outside into a little gazebo in the corner of the garden. There was a long bench that lined the inside, and the gazebo as a whole was warmly lit with lights. "Jae, sit." He said to me. I, too struck to talk, simply complied and took a seat. Jongin walked over and sat beside me.



"I got you something..." He scratched the back of his neck. This was a new side of him. Bashfulness? Is that what it was. He handed me the wrapped square. "Open it." Without a word, I slowly opened the wrapping. I'd normally tear it apart, but I felt like it was much too delicate to attack.



I removed the wrapping paper and held a clear crystal-like case. Inside was a corsage. White beautiful petals decorated with peach swirls at the tips. He removed it from it's case and slipped it in my wrist. "You look beautiful tonight!" I felt my cheeks heat up. "You don't look too bad yourself Jongin." I replied, still smiling from his previous compliment. "Well duh. I always look hot." Of course, he wouldn't be Jongin if he didn't add some sort of snarky comment.



I took a deep breath and stood up, "We should get back! Now!" And hurried off back towards the venue. I knew if I stayed behind with him any longer Jongin would see my face transform into a red tomato... Again.



I walked through the doors and towards the dance floor as the music faded. Moments later Jongin was at my side and Hana was on stage with a mic and pink glittery envelope in her hand. "All right! Thank you to all who voted for this year's Valentine's Day couple!" Her bubbly voice echoed through the plaza. "This year's campus couple is..."



Of course Hana loves suspense; unfortunately she never got to announce the winners since a red haired girl in combat boots swiped the mic away from Hana. "Kim. Fricken'. Jongin. You have some explaining to do!" Her hair looked like it was on fire because of the spotlight.



I watched the scene unfold in front of me as Hana and the girl start bickering on stage. Hana absolutely hates it when her spotlight is stolen. She looked to Jongin and I, eyes begging for us to do something. I looked up to my right to search for an answer in him.





Immediately, he stiffened, "Oh crap."



 

Here's an update! And muahaha I left you all at a cliffhanger XD

WHO'S THIS RED HEAD?! 

hehehe, that's for me to know and for you to find out XD

Thank you all for subscribing, following, liking, and commenting!
It means SOSOSO MUCH!

<3

-tickleherheart