I woke up the next morning to the sound of my mother’s voice. It was cold since I forgot to close my bedroom window before I slept. But my mom’s voice was a warm blanket. And it felt good just hearing her wake me up.

 

“Wake up, Baekhyun.” She whispered in my ear while tousling my hair. I smiled a little and opened my eyes. The light from the sun fell on her beautifully so that the dust in the air almost seemed like little bright specks of confetti admiring her face.  I sat up and looked at her while she sat beside the bed.

 

“It’s like we’re having these morning conversations more often recently,” She said with a small chuckle. I rubbed the nape of my neck, smiling. She continued talking.

 

“How are your wrists?”

 

“I changed the bandages before I slept.”

 

“How’s your heart?”

 

“What?”

 

“How’s this doing?” she said, tapping her finger on my chest where my heart was.

 

“I think it’s fine, still beating.”

 

“You know what I meant. Baek.”

 

“I know Ma.” I sighed, gazing down at the multitudes of creases of my blanket traveling from my leg to the outskirts of the bed. “It’s still beating for him.” I played with the creases, feeling the fabric underneath. I knew what was coming. She sighed and then stood up.

 

“What happened that morning?” she asked, removing the blanket and starting folding it. I groaned, I wasn’t ready to go out of bed yet but mom was very insistent, even tugging me by my feet off the bed. We kept laughing while I helped her fix my beddings. That was when I told her everything that happened, and everything that was about to happen. She listened intently, a smile never leaving her face. She let me finish before she talked.

 

“Baek, caring puts you on a disadvantage,” she blurted out, looking hard into my eyes. “I can see that you have decided but remember that you can never avoid hurting anyone with decisions.”

 

“Are you ready if it’s you who’ll hurt in the end?”

 

I concentrated on her words and I felt something. It wasn’t a good feeling.

 

“Mom, I am happy with letting my little infatuation go. I don’t think I’ll hurt anyone.”

 

She took the pillows I was holding and piled it at the edge of the bed before turning towards me again. “From what I see, it’s no more just infatuation.” She said, caressing my cheek, “Sacrifice begets love. And that’s what you did.” I chuckled a bit. Yeah right, love. Her gaze went for the clock and then to me, before she announced.

 

“Shall we have breakfast?”

 

 

 

Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw when I opened the door that morning on my way to school.

 

Chanyeol was on the porch at seven in the ing morning.

 

“Hi!” he beamed, his teeth showing. It wasn’t hard to notice the joy on his face as he rocked back and forth on his heels. Well, it wasn’t also hard to notice the obvious surprise painted on mine.

 

“H-hey. What are you doing here?” I asked, closing the door behind me. I started walking towards the street. I heard his chuckle from behind me. He caught up with me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. My heart went to my throat.

 

“Walking you to school,” he mused, matter-of-factly. It felt good knowing Chanyeol’s arm was wrapped around me but if I have to move on, I have to let go. So I removed his arm, and instead, moved a bit farther away from him on the sidewalk as casually as possible. He stopped on his tracks but I kept on walking.

 

“Hey…” I could hear his surprise from his voice.

 

“But you never get early for school!” I remarked, looking back at him, trying to brush away the gesture.

 

“Is something wrong?” he asked. I shrugged.

 

“Nothing. It’s just… you surprised me today.”

 

He sounded confused. “Well is it a good thing or a bad thing?”

 

I looked at my feet.

 

“I don’t know.”

 

Baekhyun, you . How do you ruin a good day?

 

We continued walking until the tension seemed heavy enough to drown us both. So I asked him about what happened when he went home last night. He hesitated a bit, looking at me. But then I rolled my eyes at him, and that seemed to ease the pressure.

 

“Grandma was angry, obviously. But then after getting reprimanded, she kept asking about you.”

 

I remembered our conversation yesterday. Grandma was a total sweetheart lifting the guilt that was buried deep in my chest. I told him you were a keeper. I heaved a sigh, turning to look at Chanyeol. When I caught his eye, he was already looking at me.

 

“Baek, what’s wrong with you?”

 

“Why do you keep asking that question?”

 

“Because you look distracted, that’s why.” He placed his palm on my forehead. “Are you sick?” I brushed his hand away, smiling.

 

“I’m fine.”

 

“Jesus.” He muttered under his breath and didn’t bother asking the question again.

 

Above us, the sky was a dull gray.

 

 

 

 

The day went by unexcitingly. Today, the professors were eager on encouraging us to prepare for the college entrance exams that were just around the corner. I kept on thinking of the university in the big city, what it feels like to live in an apartment away from home. I could imagine traffic jams, late night study sessions with classmates, tons of books to read. The thoughts stirred my stomach with excitement.

 

On fourth period, Mr. Wu keenly emphasized the importance of getting into college and what it might offer us after graduation. Luhan suddenly blurted out,

 

“Sir. Kai here doesn’t want to go to college.”

 

Kai, who was busily balancing his pen on his philtrum, was brought back to reality upon hearing his name. Some of our classmates were giggling. Mr. Wu coolly looked over his specs.

 

“Is that true Mr. Kim?” But Kai hasn’t had his full attention yet.

 

“Uhh…” he glanced at me, to Chanyeol, and then to Luhan who whispered ‘say yes.’ Kai without hesitation grinned and shouted. “Yes sir!” And the whole class broke into laughter. It took Mr. Wu a handful before calming the uproar in the room.

 

When Mr. Wu started writing the lesson on the board, Chanyeol tossed me a piece of paper. It landed on my feet. It was a leaf torn from his notebook. I looked at him but he was looking attentively ahead. I took the paper and unfolded it.

 

So what’s for college? Was what was written. At the end of the sentence was a round emoticon with a cute questioning expression on its face. I sneered to myself.

 

Taking up music, I guess. I wrote, and then handed it back to Chanyeol. He was quick to reply.

 

I’ll take engineering. Is that okay? I never imagined he could be a guy for engineering.

 

I think it’s okay. But aren’t you too dumb for that? I wrote, trying to subdue the laugh tensing to come out of my mouth. When he read it, he glared at me. I answered him with a rolling of my eyes.

 

Haha. Yeah smartass. Hey, let’s go to the same university together! He added a little smiley below the line. It was blushing, imitating a hint of reserve. Or so I thought. I turned to him but again his attention was somewhere else. Instead, I watched the leaves swaying outside in stark contrast with the dull gray sky. Somehow, the breeze brought back mom’s words into my head.

 

“Are you ready if it’s you who’ll hurt in the end?”

 

I looked at the paper for a few moments and took my pen.

 

Yeah. Sure.

 

 

 

 

Five in the afternoon came and I was left to clean to make up for my absence last week. The room was so quiet, apart from the buzzing of the fans. It was also cold and the wind outside hinted to a coming rain. The few bags left on the seats were the sole reminders of activity that happened that day. One of them was Chanyeol’s.

 

After wiping the blackboard clean of chalk marks, I decided to call it a day. Stretching my arms upward, I slowly walked towards my seat, passing by Chanyeol’s bag. From the corner of my eye, I caught a piece of creased paper sticking from one of his notebooks. It was like the paper he used earlier while passing messages. I didn’t know what came to me. I took the paper and read the words carefully written in ink. I felt my throat tighten.

 

I like you.

The handwriting was too familiar. Too familiar that it was hard to admit to myself. Chanyeol wrote this and, surely, it was for Dara. I folded the paper neatly and placed it back between the pages of the notebook. Was he planning on confessing during basketball practice? But the training already started like twenty minutes or so ago. I fed my bag with my books and zipped it shut before finally strapping it on my right shoulder. I started walking towards the door.  

 

Did he, perhaps, forget the note?

 

 I took a step back and made a sprint towards Chanyeol’s chair. I took the piece of paper and after making sure the windows were shut, I dashed down the hallway.

 

 

 

 

I’ve never watched basketball practice before. As soon as I entered the big gymnasium, the screeches of girls on the bleachers and the squeaks of shoes rubbing on polished floor overwhelmed me. The lights were too bright and the people were too noisy for a normal afternoon. Although it was obvious that they had to turn all the lights on since, outside, the sky was getting darker and hinting a strong downpour. I walked idly towards the benches where the players were. On the court were two teams going head to head. Towering them was Chanyeol.

 

I tried to look away but failed. His body glistened in sweat and the black jersey he was wearing clung to him in a way that everything underneath showed in a faint outline on the clothing.  His arm tightened and relaxed rhythmically every time he dribbled the ball. He was quick on his feet, easily dodging the players guarding under the basket as he ran. He smirked at one, before jumping and making a dunk. And when he fell back to the floor, the crowd went wild. He brushed his hair back and shook the sweat off its tips so that it fell into a faint mist that intensified the flush on his face. I gulped and realized, all this time I stopped on my tracks and was holding my breath. I wondered why the hell Dara didn’t fall for Chanyeol’s charm.

 

The crowd was full of activity on the court side. I traveled my gaze to find Dara. I found her huddled between two screaming girls. She was whooping while waving a small yellow flag. I smiled to myself, pondering who she was cheering for.

 

I arrived at the benches only to find I knew no one that well. There was Yixing, an attractive Chinese exchange student whom I talked to once during flag ceremony. He was wearing earphones and his eyes looked as if they were about to fall into slumber any moment. I remembered the first time he talked to me; he was asking if unicorns were real. Later that day, Kai told me he’s been smoking pot in school. I didn’t believe him knowing how strict our school was. But then he told me how he always asks people about the unicorns and somehow I found the comfort of believing Kai. Aside from Yixing, I knew no one personally, only familiar faces I address as “Chanyeol’s teammates”. Seeing I had no choice, I called Yixing’s attention.

 

“Hey,” I said waving my hand in front of him. He instantly went back to reality, eyes wide open looking at me. I smiled as he creased his forehead for a while.

 

“Baekhyun hi! What are you doing here?” he asked, taking off one of his earphones from his ear.

 

“Are you with someone?”

 

He scoffed. “Yeah, see?” he said, looking at the two empty spaces beside him. Kai was also keen in telling me that day that no one really enjoys Yixing’s company because of his weirdness. I thought the unicorns were tolerable. Now I know why.

 

I laughed and sat beside him. I continued talking, answering the question that was left hanging. “Chanyeol forgot something. I couldn’t wait for him so I went here before going home,” he looked at me, nodding in attention. I went on. “So when’s the next break of the game?” I asked even if I was unsure of the technical terms to use. Yixing cleaned his ear absentmindedly before answering.

 

“We’re almost done in the second quarter,” he muttered, pointing at the huge LED clock at the other side of the court (which I surprisingly didn’t notice earlier). 3, 3, and 2 screamed at me from the screen, mocking my negligence. Yixing continued talking. “After the second quarter, we’ll have a ten minute break and then we’ll start the second half.”

 

I nodded, all the information. We both fell silent for a few moments just watching the ball bouncing from one player to another. I started talking again for the awkwardness to vanish.

 

“You look bored.” I shot at him, he groaned.

 

“Yeah, I’ve been benched today because Chanyeol came.”

 

“Oh. I’m sorry, that’s my fault.” I whispered, bowing my head. He laughed.

 

“So you’re the one who brought him back huh?”

 

I nodded shyly. He chuckled.

 

“That dumb kid always gets to be in the first five because of his height.” His voice trailed off. I looked at him. I wasn’t sure but his eyes seemed sad. No they weren’t just sad. Yixing looked jealous – angry even. I wanted to ask about it but before I could, he looked at me smiling. “You better treat me tomorrow lunch, then.” He teased. I joined his laughter.

 

When all of a sudden, he was rubbing my chin with his fingers.

 

I was taken aback. But I didn’t want to offend him so I just played it off by scratching the nape of my neck, moving a little further from him. That removed his hand from my face. Maybe he got the message because his arm fell to his side before saying, “Just kidding.” I snorted and told him sure I could buy for him if I wasn’t busy or whatever. He smiled and continued watching the game.

 

And then, he slung his arm around me.

 

The silence was back and it was more awkward. I looked at Yixing but he was watching the game intently nodding to the beat of whatever song was playing in his earphones.  I gulped, reaching for my pockets. I smiled nervously. It was a normal gesture but we weren’t even that close. I could feel my nape shiver as his skin brushed on mine. That’s when I heard a deafening whistle.

 

“Black jersey, number 23 sub!”

 

And then I saw the owner of the jersey walk towards my direction.

 

Chanyeol.

 

He walked coolly on the court and, I swear, the whole gymnasium fell silent. He was looking at me, a small frown settling at the center of his brows. Kai was trailing him from behind as if stopping him from exiting the court. But when he saw me, his face turned into a scowl. He stopped trailing Chanyeol and instead looked at me. Why could I sense strangeness in the air? As soon as he reached where we were, he knelt and squeezed Yixing’s shoulder. I could tell it was a firm grasp because Yixing instantly removed his arm from me.

 

“Hey, Lay how about you play for me this time, huh?” Yixing’s eyes were piercing through Chanyeol’s skull. Chanyeol’s jaw was tightening but his eyes were teasing. Finally, Yixing smirked and rolled his eyes. He stood up and removed his earphones before dashing to the court, leaving me with a sweaty Chanyeol. The schoolgirl inside me awakened from a deep slumber. His face was almost a fist away from me so that I could feel his hot breaths on my face.

 

“What brought you here?” he asked, his eyes searching mine. “Are you alright? Did he do something to you?”

 

His questions surprised me. “Wait. What? We were just talking and he slung his arm around me, of course I’m fine. It’s not as if he was holding a gun or something.” From afar, I could hear hushes from the bleachers and the scorer’s whistle that signaled the resumption of the game.

 

He sighed. “You stay away from Lay, from now on, okay?” I got curious.

 

“Why? What’s happening? He seems like a nice guy.” I took a peek from behind Chanyeol. I saw Yixing looking at us with a serious expression. Kai caught my eye too and he looked worried. Chanyeol started talking again.

 

“Nothing. Just stay away from him.”

 

The strange vibe felt heavier and I wanted to know why.

 

“I will, if you tell me.”

 

Chanyeol’s expression eased. He smiled.

 

“Because he asks about unicorns that’s why,” he said and then pinched my right cheek.

 

I yelped and gave him a good smack on the forehead.

 

He released my cheek, laughing. He then dragged himself to my side where Yixing was earlier. I looked at him. The sweat on his hair made a small trail on his side burns and I swear I could see one drop trailing down his armpit. I cringed and took my towel in my bag. I threw it at him. “You filthy piece of . Wipe yourself clean will you!” I exclaimed, moving an inch away from him. He laughed so hard I could see him bend back a little. He took the towel and wiped the wetness on his neck before swiping his underarm. “Eww.” I burst out. He kept on laughing. When he was done, he wrapped the towel around his fist.

 

“So what are you doing here by the way?” he queried reaching for a bottle of water nearby. “You always turn me down when I ask you to watch our practice.” I rolled my eyes. That’s when I remembered the little package I brought. I ped my bag and took the piece of paper tucked in one of my books. I showed it to him. He was chugging the water down. When he saw what I was holding, an obvious shock showed on his face. He stopped drinking. Noticing his look, I started explaining.

 

“I- I’m sorry if I pried. I got curious and I saw this in one of your notebooks. I guessed you were going to confess to Dara during basketball practice so I brought it to you.” He took it from me and smiled.

 

“Well?” I asked. “Are you angry?”

 

He chuckled a bit.  “Of course not!” He unfolded the paper and stared at it, a smile never leaving his face. I decided to give him a moment and watched the game.

 

On the court, time was running out. 1:20 was displayed on the LED clock. The urgency seemed to be felt by the players as they all looked fiercely ready for a battle. I saw Kai among them. He was guarding Yixing. The two were both good, judging by the way Yixing tried faking a pass once in a while and Kai never leaving the rhythm of his opponent. In the end, Yixing had to pass the ball to another. That’s when I noticed Dara was looking at me.

 

At us.

 

I gawked at her and made a little smile. She then waved her little flag before shifting her attention back to the game. I stood up and strapped my bag back to my shoulder.

 

“Well, I gotta go now.” I said, looking down at him. He gave me a questioning look,

 

“Aren’t you gonna wait for me?”

 

“You’ll finish at freaking ten, Yeol.”

 

“Please.”

 

“Nope.” I said, laughing. I leaned to him and patted his forehead.

 

“Bye Yeol.” I managed to say, expecting a plea of protest from him. Instead, I saw his lips lift at its corners. He definitely was smiling.

 

“Bye.” I heard him say before I started walking to the door.

 

 

 

 

 

I reached the school gate with my head still preoccupied by how Chanyeol treated Yixing in the basketball court. He was weird yes, and a little touchy but he seemed like a nice guy. And he didn’t feel awkward talking to people. Maybe he’s just misunderstood for his quirkiness and being a Chinese student in a foreign country. But there was something more in his eyes. Even Chanyeol shared the same expression. It was like they weren’t in good terms.

 

It was as if they weren’t teammates. It was as if they were rivals.

 

The thought actually made sense, but it was better not to come into conclusions. Might as well ask Luhan about him later.

 

That’s when I noticed the big dark clouds hovering above. They looked heavy with rain, threatening to pour any second. The wind howled and blew strongly from behind me, taking with it leaves and trash left on the ground. I kept walking, shielding my eyes from the debris. Judging from the cold wind and the dark grey above, I should have about a few minutes left before the storm comes.

 

Boy was I so wrong.

 

After passing by the café a block away from school, the rain poured. Big fat raindrops fell on me like the way cold shower feels early in the morning. The drops were heavy and cold, as if the sky held back for so long. People ran in every direction looking for shelter. Others took their umbrellas out. I reached for mine inside my bag only to realize it wasn’t there. But instead of taking shelter in the nearest building, I kept walking. The people were crowding in every establishment I passed. Suddenly huddling close beside them didn’t feel like a good idea. So I walked, never minding the moisture soaking my clothes and my bag.  I bowed my head, not just because of embarrassment but also because of the drizzle that hit my face.

 

I kept on walking, sometimes skipping on the small puddles on the road trying to enjoy my misfortune. A group of small boys passed by me and looked amused at my situation. One of them even waved at me and all I could do was wave back. I shifted onto counting the number of cobbled stones I stepped when I turned to the busiest street in town. All of a sudden, the rain stopped. Or rather, I could no longer feel the rain over me. Because when I lifted my head, I only saw water still pouring around me.

 

The rain didn’t stop. I looked above me and saw a yellow umbrella.

 

“Hi sunbae.” I looked to my side where the voice came from.

 

Dara.

 

My mouth fell open but slowly lift into a smile. “Hi! You’re home early.” I said trying to wave off my embarrassment.

 

“God sunbae, at least thank me first for my umbrella.” She groaned, and then gave the handle to me. “Here.”

 

I laughed and took it from her. “Thank you.”

 

She smiled. “You’re quite welcome, sunbae.”

 

We made our way along the shops slowly. It was getting darker and the street lights were, one by one, lit up. The cars were aggressively honking on the road as it was almost rush hour again and the traffic was annoying. The rain showed no sign of fading; it was almost as if the sky was a small toddler having a tantrum. Dara, on the other hand, was silent and I didn’t feel like talking so we walked in quiet, unconsciously decreasing the distance between us for warmth. When finally she talked, I was almost drowned in discomfort. 

 

“I actually followed you sunbae.” She said looking at her feet.

 

“I was sure you saw me earlier in the court. What happened back there? With you, Chanyeol and… and Yixing?”

 

“How’d you know Yixing?”

 

“I…”

 

She paused.

 

“I actually like him.”

 

The umbrella almost fell from my hand.

 

Dara and Yixing kissing in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. I cleared my throat.

 

“Wow.” I managed to say. She, on the other hand, buried her face in her hands.

 

“Oh my god sunbae I feel humiliated.” She said a little squeal escaping . “I thought that I might as well share my secret after you told me yours. But, oh my god, sunbae just look away.”

 

I let out a loud chortle.

 

“Hey, it’s okay.” I assured her, petting her hair. “Even if you lied to me yesterday, saying you only like basketball that’s why you’re watching, I’m okay with it.” She joined my laughter.

 

“So what happened back there sunbae?”

 

I shrugged. “I’m not even sure myself.” I looked at her. “I went to see the game. I talked to Yixing once before and he was the only guy I personally know in the bunch so I went to him and started a conversation.”

 

“But as we talked he got a little… touchy. He slung his arm around my shoulders. It was kinda awkward but it was a normal gesture overall so I just went on with it. And then Chanyeol started marching towards us halting the game just to remove Yixing’s arm away from me.” I watched my feet step on wet concrete.

 

“I’m not sure Dara, but I feel like there’s something bad going on between the two.” I returned my gaze to her, “Did they have a fight or something?”

 

Dara pursed her lips in concentration. “I have no idea sunbae. All I know is that when Chanyeol is gone, Yixing replaces him in the first five.”

 

I took in the information, trying to connect the pieces. “Maybe he’s jealous with Chanyeol?” I said, regretting the words as soon they escaped from my mouth. But Dara was cool with it, even nodding in agreement.

 

“I heard he’s like the best guy back in his school in China. Maybe he just can’t accept he’s second best?” She cupped her hands to . “Oh my poor Yixing.”

 

I was about to ask her how she fell for Yixing when from behind us, I heard a familiar voice calling my name.

 

 

“Baekhyun!”

 

 

It was as if the rain slowed into a disorienting rate, like the drops fell so slowly I could see the drops fall one by one instead of in multitudes. My mind went into panic and I almost shoved Dara to the nearest open shop. My heart started pounding hard. When I looked back, I saw him immediately even if the water distorted his image. There he was running towards our direction, holding his uniform above his head to shield himself from the downpour.

 

Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You’re an idiot, Chanyeol.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay okay I won't make promises anymore next time. i am so sorry ;AAAAAA; Due to unforeseen circumstances, it took almost two weeks for this chapter. I hope you'd still hold on for me huhu 

 

Anyway, what do you think is Yixing's role in their story? AND WHAT THE FRICKING HELL WILL HAPPEN NOW THAT THE THREE AE FINALLY MEETING OMG AFTER ELEVEN CHAPTERS YES YES Let's all see what happens next omg I am even excited lmfao 

Until next time! :)

 

P.S.: Should i change my poster or not? :(

P.P.S.: Yesterday was my birthday so I thought I should give this to all of you as a gift aww! hahaHA