*RIIIIIIIIIIIIIING* [school bell rings]

“HOORAYYYYY!!”

“Kids! Keep quiet! I know , I know your exams are over but keep quiet, we are still in the classroom. You may leave after I collect all of your exam papers.” Said Mrs.Lee as she started collecting papers from the students’ desks.

Some students giggled, while some occasionally ignored her and start chatting with the person next to them.

                “So, how was it? Well I see you’re already sleeping 15 minutes before the bell rings .” I can feel the husky-voiced-boy next to me smirked as he speaks.

                “Speak for yourself Mr.Smartypants.  I’m sure a genius like you could answer every question with ease.” I replied sinistrally right back at him.

                “Of course, I know I’m such a genius, hmph” he flips his hair like a sissy with those pretty fingers of his.

                “Yeah, yeah, Baekhyun, I know you’re a genius. So, what’s your answer for number 23? I answered...B. 75 gr oxygen left.  I’m not sure, and since you’re a genius.....” I used my hand to support my head, and leaned lazily.

                “I answered...uhh, A. 80 gr of oxygen left.” He smiled with pride.

                “Did you count the gas leak after the reaction? It was an OPEN-aired reaction. Remember?” I hand out my paper to Mrs.Lee as she approach my table. Baekhyun’s eye widened, he wanted to check the paper but Mrs.Lee already took his.

                Baekhyun was dumbfounded.

‘Gotcha!’ I smirked.

                “You may leave the class now. Good day” said Mrs.Lee before leaving the classroom.

                “NOOOOOOOO! Damn! Babo! Baekhyun you’re a babo! How could you forget that simple detail! Babo!” Baekhyun buried his head on the table.

I stood up and patted him, “Aww, don’t worry it’ll be okay. It’s just one point, unless you forgot that the transition line gas forms also produce colors, so the answer to number 30 is C.” I skipped to the class’ door.

                “LEE HYERIN I HATE YOUUUUUUUUU” I laughed as he whined out loud.

---

                “Baekhyun-ah, are you done?”  I made a stop at the band practice room before going back to the art room.

Baekhyun is one of the vocalist in our school band, while I joined the art&craft club. I enjoy tinkering different materials into something beautiful.

The band members know that Baekhyun is my best friend, I stop by their practice a couple of times. So yeah, they don’t mind if I barged in during their cleaning up activity. Every year, on the last day of school term before holiday, students are asked to clean up their club rooms to make the janitor ahjussi’s job easier.

                “Oh hey, nope, not yet. As you can see all those guys do is just playing some notes instead of proper cleaning.” One of the guys throw a washing cloth to Baekhyun. He dodged it nicely

“Are you guys done at the art room?” he turned to me.

                “Hmm, I have to return this to the art room and throw away old stuffs and we’re done.”

                “Ok, wait for me. I’ll pick you up later at the art room and we’ll go home together.” He smiled.

                “Ok~ “ I smiled back.

---

Fifteen minutes passed, and Byun Baekhyun hasn’t shown up yet. That babo. Aish.

Baekhyun and I have been friends since primary school. I thought he was just a cute boy at first, his smile was so bright. I’m not such a girly girl myself back then, I used to be a tomboy but I’ve gotten much better now. Well I’m in my senior year in high school after all.

Baekhyun and I first met in the music room. I used to play the piano when I was a little girl. As we grew older, I developed an interest towards arts & craft while Baekhyun still enjoys music.

Anyway, little me was playing the piano, then little Baekhyun barged in. I almost smacked him right away for spying on me. But he said he liked my music, he asked me to play more and he’d sing. We happen to be friends ever since that day. Surprisingly, we live on the same neighborhood! We always go home together ever since.

                “Yah!” Baekhyun poked my cheek. He appeared out of nowhere.

                “You’re late!” I checked the time on my phone.

                “I know I know, I’m sorry. The guys want to play one song before we lock the room for the year.” Baekhyun rubbed the back of his neck

                “I’m hungry. We’ll stop for bubble tea and you’re paying” I picked up my bag from the chair.

                “Why do I have to pay for you?” he raised an eyebrow.

                “Coz you make me wait, and be a gentleman will you?” we walked side by side to the school gate.

                “Tsk, fine. But you’ll buy me popcorn for the next time we watch a movie”

--

                “One honey milk tea with pearls and one toffee milk tea with pearls, both 30% sugar and normal ice.” Baekhyun placed our orders and I went to look for an empty spot. Geez, Bubble teas are so popular these days. The place is always crowded every minute.

Finally Baekhyun came with our bubble teas. “Here’s yours, Hyerin-ah, honey milk tea with pearls, 30% sugar, normal ice.” He knows my preference of bubble tea all nice.

“Thanks, Baek.” I took a sip. Ah~ so refreshing. Exam’s over, school’s out, the weather’s great, a nice bubble tea in my hand.

                “So what were you thinking back then?” he leaned back on his chair.

                “Huh? Oh..nothing.”

                “Come on Hyerin, I know you all too well. Don’t lie to me.” He smirked.

                “You really want to know?” I took another sip of my bubble tea.

                “Sure, why not? Are you keeping something from me? Is there something about you that I didn’t know?” he beamed cockily. I rolled my eyes. This is what you get from being friends for years. We know everything about each other too well. Like how I know Baekhyun yelps like a puppy before he sleeps every night.

                “ I was thinking.....how could I be friends with such a babo like you, Baekhyun?” I laughed, Baek flicked my forehead and laughed as well.

I know you might be thinking, why aren’t we dating? LOL HELL NO. We’re waaay too comfortable with each other that thinking about dating each other is just waaay too weird. Sometimes either Baek or I do have our own crushes, and we’ll go hard on teasing each other.  And I do have friends besides him. But, even though it’s hard to say, even though he’s an annoying babo, he is my best friend.

                “Ah~I’m full.” Baekhyun flexed his arms after finishing his bubble tea.

                “You’re full already?from drinking bubble tea?” I chewed on my last pieces of pearls.

                “I’m not a pig like you, Hyerin-ah” he smirked. I glared at him.

                “Kidding, but seriously what will your boyfriend in the future think about you when you pig out on your date, huh? You’ll never get a boyfriend at this state, Hyerin-ah” he speaks in a serious tone all of the sudden.

                “He should love me for what I am, shouldn’t he? And enough with the dating topic, as if you had a girlfriend”

He chuckles, “Ok, whatever you say then. What are you going to do for holiday anyway?”

                “Me? I guess I’d just enjoy myself doing nothing, maybe I’ll do some art projects later. You?”

                “My mom says we’ll go to Jeju for 3 days, and the rest....nothing much. So boring, I’m going to die of boredom. Maybe I’ll crash in your place, to make sure you haven't turned into a pig.” He laughed and hit his knee on the table. Babo.

The wind blew, making a few leaves fell from the tree.

                “Hey, you know what, I got an idea.” Baekhyun suddenly beamed mischievously.

                “What are you planning, huh?”

                “How about if we play a game?”

                “A game?”

                “Yup, there’s only one rule : whoever falls in love with each other first, loses.”

                I swear I nearly fell off my chair when Baekhyun proposed the idea.

                “What?!?! Don’t tell me Park Chanyeol give you the idea? I’m going to kill him when I see him next time.”

                “Kkeke, he did actually. Since we both have nothing to do during holiday, I’d thought of giving it a try. What do you say? Just for fun”

                “........to be honest. Miho had said the same thing. She said that we’re both too close with each other already, we should’ve just date instead.” Can you believe it? Cha Miho, my very own best friend (besides Baek) said the freakin same thing. No way. Is this reality? Are they plotting on us?

                “See? Well, I know we’ve been friends for centuries, and we’re so comfortable with each other that we simply enjoy being together like this. But maybe what Chanyeol and Miho said are true. Perhaps, we should see it as..a way to prepare ourselves when we find the one for us later.”

                “Huh? Baek, are you okay? How could you say things like this?omo..” I touched his forehead to see if it’s burning hot.

                “I’m serious, so what do you say? We can make it fun. It's not like I'm romantically attracted to you or anything, because we know we WON'T fall for each other, it'll be .. uhh rather interesting” he winked.

                No. He did not just wink on me.

                “Fine, I'll do it. Be prepared to lose.” I smirk at him

                “Pfft, me? I think you’re the one who should be prepared, young lady.” He the corner of his lips.

This will be fun...