-xXx-

Sunday came and went as Lay helped Miyoung with her studies while Sooyeon wondered why Lay was being more socialable than usual.

"Morning," Nabi greeted Miyoung at the gate.

"Hey Nabi," Miyoung returned with a yawn, adjusting her bag on her shoulders.

"Why are you so tired?" Nabi asked as the two walked to their lockers.

"I was up late learning how to do this one problem from when I was absent but I couldn't figure it out in the end," Miyoung answered, grabbing her textbooks and closing her locker.

"Why not ask Umma? She's in the library right now," Nabi suggested, biting into her morning donut.

"Just what I was planning. See you," Miyoung stated as she ran to the library only to find that it was closed for remodeling. She then ran towards Sooyeon's first class, hoping she was there instead and she was, but she wasn't alone.

"What do you want Jessica?" Sooyeon questioned, her voice neutral like when she was annoyed.

"I just want to spend some time with my cousin. Is that so bad?" Jessica asked, flipping through the annotated pages of Sooyeon's most recent book - Of Mice and Men. 

Miyoung dropped to the ground.

They were related?!

"What do you want?" Sooyeon repeated.

"I want to know why Lay isn't at his usual places on weekends," Jessica admitted coolly.

"Why care and why would I know?" Sooyeon threw back, her voice surprisingly icy.

"I care because rumor has it he's spending time with one of your friends - that dumb one," Jessica stated, taking the seat next to Sooyeon. Miyoung's eyes stung with tears and she darted down the hall, unable to bear hearing Jessica insult her any longer.

Sooyeon stood, packing up her things and leaving, bag slung on her shoulder. Jessica caught her by the wrist. 

"I told you to keep your idiotic friends from what was mine? Or have you forgotten already cousin?" Jessica hissed.

"Since when has anyone been yours?" Sooyeon questioned, not turning to face the female.

"I've loved Lay since he first moved in next door to you," Jessica stated with finality, childishly really. "But he barely talked to me. He insulted me all the time but I still loved him. And yet one of your little friends comes and takes him, takes what's mine. If you don't want her to get hurt, keep that b*tch away from my sweetheart."

Sooyeon remembered how the three of them had drifted apart. Jessica had actually been a kind girl and Lay had once been her friend, but Jessica had fallen in love at first sight and became possessive. She had visited Sooyeon all the time to see Lay and Lay had began to avoid her to avoid Jessica's clinginess and the three had become distant as a result. She wished that Jessica had never met Lay.

For the first time in the monologue, Sooyeon turned to face Jessica, her eyes narrowed into one of her rare but frightening glares. 

"I've had enough of your childish stupidity and idiotic jealousy. If Lay hasn't fallen for you yet, he won't ever. It's been years Jess," Sooyeon advised, using the nickname Jessica had let her use until she had declared it 'too childish and uncool,' after they had met Lay. "Don't bother my friends. You may be my cousin, but if you hurt any of them, I promise you will become the laughingstock. Don't make me Jess."

Sooyeon left without resistance then, Jessica still stunned and frightened.

-xXx-

As the day continued, Miyoung found it harder to believe that Umma was related to such a witch.

But in a way she felt good about one thing. She didn't like Lay and Lay definitely didn't like her, or at least not romantically.

She spaced out during lunch, staring absent-mindedly in Lay's direction. He was good looking she had to admit, staring at his side profile, really good actually and he was smart too, a trait that lacked in some of the idiotic boys nowadays-

"What you thinking about Miyoung?" Dahae questioned, breaking her out of her trance.

"Just looking at...Just thinking," Miyoung covered quickly. She didn't want Umma to cross that horrible Jessica. 

"Come on," Dahae urged. "The bell rang. We have to get to class."

-xXx-

"Hey Miyoung," Lay called, startling her.

"Oh hi Lay," Miyoung replied, glancing around quickly to see if Jessica was around.

"Can you wait for me after my council meeting? I'll help you study then," Lay pleaded.

"I don't know..." Miyoung trailed off, the morning's incident still in her mind.

"Please? Wait for me?" Lay requested hopefully.

"Alright. I can work on some of the remaining problems in the library," Miyoung finally conceded, her heart skipping a beat.

"Thanks so much," Lay stated with a dimpled grin before hugging her and running off.

Miyoung soon found herself in the library, remembering nothing of the journey. She pulled out her work at an empty table but found her mind still on overdrive and exhausting quickly. She tried to focus with little luck and finally, she pulled out a piece of paper, writing down her random thoughts as she always did when confused.

-Council Meeting-

"So that's it for this week," Jaejoong declared, sitting back down and putting his feet up on the table.

"Yes! We're done!" Tao shouted happily, stretching. "Let's get some food now."

"Hey you Mr. President! Where you going?" Donghae questioned, swinging an arm playfully across the male's shoulders.

"None of your business Mr. Historian," Lay threw back, shoving Donghae's arm off with a roll of his eyes.

"He's being weird lately," Tao muttered from across the room.

"Just answer your Hyung," Donghae demanded playfully.

"I'm helping Miyoung study and I'm already late," Lay answered succinctly, glancing at his watch to see that indeed he was very late.

*Hopefully she didn't leave yet.*

"Oh~ Lay meeting up with a girl? He's even excited about it," Jaejoong teased, stretching casually. "It's worthy enough I'd put it in the meeting logs."

"Who's the lucky girl and what'd she do with the Lay we knew?" Henry wondered aloud, joking as he packed up.

"Shut up guys," Donghae snapped back, throwing a quieting glare at the secretary (Jaejoong), vice president (Henry), and treasurer (Tao).

"How is it going then?" Donghae questioned, turning back to Lay as the two left the room, walking down the hall. He was referring to their relationship not their tutoring sessions, but Lay answered the latter anyways.

"She's really smart," Lay whispered, almost embarrassed. He thought about how cute she was when she scrunched up her nose in frustration and how her eyes looked while focusing and how her laughter sounded like pure music and how her hair fell in front of her face then she moved it back, running her fingers through the strands that looked like caramel in sunlight-

"Dude. Lay? You there man?" Donghae asked, waving his hand in front of Lays' face. "You're really into her I see." 

Lay was hardly listening and still thinking, he sped up towards the library, leaving Donghae behind.

"Lovesick," Donghae muttered before going back to the meeting room to get his bag.

Lay stood in front of the library doors and took a breath to calm his nerves and slow his beating heart. He walked in finally, spotting Miyoung right away, asleep on one of the tables. He walked over and put his bag down, spotting the paper under her hand. At first thinking it was homework, he read it over before finding that it was mostly thoughts that ran into each other until finally he saw the last two sentences written.

I think I'm falling for Lay.
I wonder if he feels the same for me.

He picked up her pencil and wrote under it.

I think I'm falling for you too.

-xXx-