, I thought, not again, please not again!! I silently cursed myself for openly staring but it was hard not to when he was doing THAT.

 

I watched closely as Peniel started to strip off his shirt while stretching up, flaunting his chiseled abs in front of everyone. It's not like everyone else is paying attention, besides me, so he really doesn't know what he's doing.

 

Slowly he started to undo his pants and I felt a rush go straight to my lower regions. I had to look away but I couldn't find the will in me to do so.

 

"If you keep staring so hard you might kill him." I whipped my head around to look at my best friend, minhyuk, who was grinning at me with a slight twinkle in his eyes.

 

"I wasn't starring," such a lie, "I was simply looking with a purpose," I said as I myself started to take off my athletics shirt, quickly pulling on my school uniform shirt.

 

"Such a lie, babo. You know that I know that you have an obsession with Mr. Hot guy over there."

 

"Nuh uh, I just think he's pretty," I said as I changed the rest of my clothes, "and has a nice voice when he sings. And talks."

 

Minhyuk smiled and shook his head. "Let's just get to class, jae jae"

 

I sighed and took one last look at Peniel, disappointed to see that he had his uniform on, and followed minhyuk out of the locker room towards math class.

   *    *    *

Finally, I thought as the last bell rang. I pushed my seat out from my desk, grabbed my school bag, but then I waited.

 

I just wasn't feeling the whole "going home" thing because that meant dealing with my family, namely my annoying younger sister. Gah, I can't wait until I go off to college, far away from here but close enough to visit when necessary.

 

I waited until the last person walked out then decided it was time for me to go to. I got up and headed towards the door, waving goodbye to my math teacher.

 

I walked slowly to my locker to put my books away, as I was doing so I heard a crash come from around the corner. Quickly, I shut my locker and ran around the corner. When I got there I stopped dead on my tracks and I felt my heart start to race uncontrollably. There he was, on the floor at the bottom of the stairs holding his head.

 

"Are you okay?" I asked.

 

"Ugh, yeah... I think," Peniel responded.

 

"What happened?"

 

"Uh, I was walking and I got a text from my friend so I read it and I skipped a step going down and fell down the stairs, more like rolled down the stairs and then hit my head in the lockers. Gah, I'm an idiot!" No you aren't, you're perfect I thought.

 

"Here, let me help you," I said as I out down my bag and walked over to help him get up. "Oh, looks like you have a bruise coming in on your head."

 

He lifted his fingers up to his forehead and added a little pressure,"ow, yeah of course that would happen. I think I need ice."

 

"I'll walk you to the nurse!" I responded a little too quickly. I looked down and felt a blush threaten to crawl on my face. He says he's an idiot but I'm a bigger one.

 

"It's fine, I can just wait until I get home," he said, still touching his forehead.

 

I bent down and picked up his bag then handed it to him, keeping my eyes glued to the floor.

 

"Thanks, uh....."

 

"Sungjae."

 

"Ah, right. Thanks sungjae. Please don't tell anyone about this, I don't want people to think I'm more stupid than I already am, haha."

 

I looked up at him and slightly smiled, "I won't, don't worry."

 

"Cool. See ya around," he said then patted my back and walked off.

 

He touched me. The first interaction ever. My back felt like it was on fire and my thoughts were racing. I didn't get a chance to say anything before he was gone.

 

A smile spread on my face and I picked up my bag and walked off towards home.

   *    *   *

"Oh my god! Did you see that bruise on his face?!"

 

"I know, my poor baby!"

 

"I heard he got hit by some biker at a bar last night"

 

"He's such a bad boy. My kind of man"

 

Blah blah blah. All these girls are crying over Peniel. Okay, he's not the most popular boy in school but he does have a huge fan base because he is the lead singer if his band The Cliff.

 

He sat there with his friends in the corner of the cafeteria, all those girls surrounding him. He kept his attention to his friends but every now and then I saw him checking out one of the girls sitting with him and every now and then he would respond to one of their questions. He looked like he was enjoying all the attention... That jerk.

 

I don't know how many girls were surrounding him around at his lunch table but I just couldn't take it anymore. I got up from my table and tossed my lunch into the trash then stormed out.

 

Once I stepped out onto the patio I made a bee line for the tree far off to the side and sat down. I hate those girls. I hate this school. I hate these uniforms. I hate the teachers. I hate that jerk. Not really but still. I hate lunch. I hate-

 

"Hey jae jae, what was that back there?"

 

"Sorry I couldn't take those girls pawing all over him anymore. It's just sickening to see that."

 

Minhyuk sat down beside me and puffed out his cheeks. He's such a cute hyung, I sometimes forget that he's older than me when he does his aegyo.

 

I closed my eyes and leaned back, wishing away the images of all those girls. Yes, Peniel is straight. Yes, I am not. Will he change his ual preferences for me? Probably not but I will definitely try.

 

"Jae jae, maybe you should talk to him. More than you did yesterday," minhyuk said carefully.

 

I sighed and opened my eyes to see minhyuk looking down at me with a thoughtful smile. I smiled back and said "he won't even notice me. He's got all that he wants, I'm not one of his fancies."

 

Minhyuk opened his mouth to say something but then the bell rang, signaling that lunch was over. Off to chemistry then... Athletics. For the first time all semester, I didn't want to go.

   *     *     *

"Okay class, today is a free period. I don't feel well so just do whatever, but stay on the school ground," Mr. Kim, the athletics coach, said. It seems like we do more of nothing than actual physical activities.

 

Minhyuk and I simultaneously got up and walked towards the field outside. I couldn't help but look over at Peniel only to find 4 girls openly flirting with him and "caring" for his bruise.

 

I looked away, disgusted and a little jealous. He never said to anyone where he got it from but he never told people that their assumptions were wrong. He just let them think whatever and so far the main story is he went to a bar last night, flirted with some girl who had a boyfriend, the boyfriend found out and challenged Peniel to a fight, Peniel got some good hits in and the guy got one good hit in on his forehead then Peniel came back quickly and knocked him out.

 

In what world is that anywhere near true?! Not this one!!

 

I don't know how but somewhere I got lost in thought and I bumped into something. Or someone.

 

"Sorry that was my fault!"

 

I looked up to find Peniel himself standing in front of me. I looked around briefly for minhyuk and found him all the way across the field at our normal spot, watching with a twinkle in his eye and a smirk on his face.

 

I looked back to Peniel and said, "it's fine," then started to walk around him.

 

"Wait, I know you."

 

"Do you?"

 

"Yeah, from yesterday. Sungjae!"

 

I was trying to stay mad at him but his smile just made it much more hard to. "Yeah, that's me."

 

"I thought I recognized you yesterday, but I wasn't sure. I didn't want to seem like a creeper," he said sheepishly and looked away from my eyes. I thought I saw a slight blush cross his cheeks for a second but after that second it was gone. "So where are you going?"

 

"Just over there to sit with my friend Minhyuk," I said then gestured over to where he was sitting. Peniel turned and looked at him then Minhyuk waved at him like some five year old waving to their parents. He's so embarrassing.

 

"Cool. I'll go with." He said casually. My heart just about leaped out but I couldn't let him see that. Not when we just got aquatinted.

 

"Okay," I squeaked and started to walk off towards Minhyuk. I could feel Peniel following close behind, so close I could feel his body heat.

 

"Hi!!," minhyuk squealed when Peniel was sitting down. I plopped down next to minhyuk and looked over at Peniel. We were so close again.

 

"Hi I'm- wait, don't I know you from somewhere?," Peniel said, eyeing minhyuk carefully.

 

Minhyuk's smile slowly disappeared and he was holding eye contact with Peniel. "No I don't think so, other than school."

 

"Yes I do from-" Peniel stopped speaking and looked down. his face paled a little and his cheeks became red.

 

A sly grin grew across Minhyuk's face as realization hit him. "Yeah, I know where from."