FIFTH CLASS

ALMOST ACQUAINTANCES

Sehun was trying to text and walk at the same time when he saw Kai and a girl. He slowed down his steps, curious, of course, seeing that Kai had been so intent on finding arm candy for Kris’ next party (insert exasperated eye roll here).

“So, thanks, and I’m sorry,” the girl said. Flipping his cap around so the brim shaded his features, despite being pretty conspicuous with his towering height, he made a turn back behind a standing sign and peeked at the couple. Was Kai getting rejected?

Serves him right.

A cellular ding interrupted his eavesdropping and he received a ;) from a friend.

When he looked back up from typing a reply back, Sehun’s frown grew deeper as he heard, “Are you mean to me because I'm a douchebag? Do you like to annoy me? Or are you just a ?"

Sehun felt another particularly hot surge of anger and quickly walked over to the two.

The girl’s mouth opened in protest, but Sehun had put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Woah man, I thought you said you wanted a girlfriend. And you can't just call girls bad names because you're upset they don't like you back."

Kai was taken aback. This idiot.

“That's not okay, Kai. I know you want a girlfriend and all and Kris this and Kris that but no matter how big your ego is, not all girls will just fall over in love with you, Jongin. Maybe you should actually try getting to know a girl before trying to get in their pants, okay?" Sehun glanced over at Jaewoong. "Now, apologize."

“Wait, no,” said the girl suddenly. “This is my fault.”

Kai’s slack jaw didn’t budge, but his eyebrows shifted up in surprise.

“Really, um,”—she searched the stranger’s face for a name to pop up, but gave up after a quick second—“he’s mad at me for a reason,” she supplied. “A good reason.”

Sehun adjusted his snapback so it was backwards again. “Oh.” His eyes tried catching Kai’s, but Kai stared at the girl. Sehun wasn’t sure whether the boy was furious or infatuated and wanted to leave before he felt even more like a .

This was why Sehun should never be so benevolent.

The girl sighed in the silence. “So, I’m really sorry, Jongin—“

“Kai,” Kai interrupted. She looked as if she as going to roll her eyes, but plowed through:

“But I feel really bad taking the phone, and I feel really bad about being mean to you these last few days—“

Kai held out a bag towards her that he clutched as if it were diseased. “I don’t care how you feel, just take the phone. Your old one broke and you need a new one anyway. I’m not losing anything by giving you it. It’s not a big deal.”

“At least let me pay you back.”

Sighing, he picked up her hand and hung the bag around her wrist. It would have been romantic, if not minutes before Kai hadn’t been swearing her out. Kai’s air of defeat and annoyance almost choked Sehun, who was intently studying his shoes. “Yixing hyung would kill me. Just take it, tell Yixing hyung that I’m not a douchebag, and let’s call it good?”

Sehun tried to hide the shock in his face at Kai’s lack of the usual dirtbag-ness he saw at home.

Finally the girl clutched the bag. “I owe you, okay?”

Kai turned around to face Sehun and the girl scuttled away quietly.

There was an aching silence between the boys until Kai said, quite loudly, “Maybe I should actually try getting to know a girl before trying to get in her pants?” His hand reached over to Sehun’s shoulder and squeezed too hard for it to be friendly.

Sehun, shuffling backwards from Kai’s face, which was seething in anger at this point, took a sharp breath to defend himself. “Well, you looked pretty antagonistic at that point in time—“

Kai dislodged himself abruptly and stepped away. “It’s great that all of you guys always expect the worst.”

His slumped shoulders turned and made its way to the stairs to the subway station, while his best friend felt like .

-

Just two days after Mr. Pyo assigned their project, Kyungsoo demanded for a meeting in one of the library's private group studying rooms after school.

Kai, opposite from his douchebag demeanor, actually tried in school. He dragged his body to the meeting while feigning his most disinterested expression.

He didn't miss Jaewoong's look as they entered the room, while the two other boys were busily bickering about something along the lines of "At least I actually have shoulders." "At least I actually have charisma." "If you have charisma, what am I? T.O.P. hyung in 71 Into the Fire?"

Jaewoong interrupted, "Are you guys gonna get married soon, or are we just going to watch your love smolder even further?"

Not missing a beat, Kyungsoo started, "Before we actually get to the project, let's lay out some rules." Kai thought the class number one ranked student looked especially funny standing in front of the whiteboard like a fidgety, narrow-shouldered professor. 

The short, notoriously outspoken-but-entertaining Baekhyun groaned and leaned forward onto the table. "Why do we need rules? We're working on a biology project, not freaking finding the National Treasure."

"Seriously, I bet we can pump it out within two weeks. Isn't that what group projects are for?" interjected Jaewoong. Kai saw her idly flip over her phone again and again, the green case he’d gotten her matching her watch.

The repulse that rose at the thought of her aegyo-filled Yixing oppa made his fingers curl unconsciously. Or maybe it was jealousy—hah, are you kidding?

She’d caught him staring—looking!—in biology class today, and he tried to suppress the resurgence of his anger from Sehun’s deprecating diatribe and his embarrassment.

He really hadn’t been trying to get in her pants! He kept finding himself defend.

Kyungsoo paused from whatever he'd started to scrawl on the white board. "This is essentially the National Treasure. Do you guys listen in class ever?" His lithe little body turned and he leaned closer to the table, face bearing the expression of an overzealous mad scientist. "Did you guys know, that not only is this a third of our grade, but our project summary will be submitted into the Department of Education for review for the Scholars of the Year awards?" He paused for dramatic effect.

"So? What about Scholars of the Year?" Out of the corner of Kai's eye, Baekhyun rested his head on his arms crossed on the table. 

 Kyungsoo glared at Baekhyun. "The receipt of Scholars of the Year practically guarantees admission into the SKY universities. Guarantees."

"Plus, they send you to Jejudo for a free vacation if you win," spoke up Kai. The others looked towards him with shock, but he shrugged them off. "I'm in."

"Same here!" sing-songed Jaewoong. Baekhyun grumbled a little, but looked at the shorter boy. "So then, what's the plan, Kyung?"

"Rules," he clarified. Kyungsoo stepped back and revealed the writings on the board. "One. No fighting. I'm not dealing with your ." He turned his eyes to Kai, who felt suddenly targeted. "And I'm talking about you, Jongin, 'cause the three of us are friends, and we saw your little showdown with Jaewoong and Suho the other day."

Kai felt indignant. "But I didn't even--"

"I don't care what it was about, so whatever bad blood you guys have, no."

"But--"

Kai looked towards Jaewoong for defense.

She smiled. “It’s okay. Kai and I are almost even acquaintances now.” The two other boys nodded, though Kyungsoo looked warily at Kai still.

Baekhyun gave Kai a light bro-smack on the shoulder. "You can tuck those lips back in, big guy."

Before Kai could angrily retort, Kyungsoo plowed on. "Two. ing answer your texts. If this becomes me talking into group texts by myself, I'm personally going to hunt you down and make you answer."

“Agreed,” chimed in Baekhyun’s bright voice.

"Three. Project before bros, hoes, and Chanyeol." Kai saw Kyungsoo's meaningful look towards Jaewoong.

Chanyeol? The tall kid with big ears? 

If they're dating, poor guy.

"Yah, Kyung, Chanyeol has a girlfriend now. You can't say that for Jaewoong anymore," Baekhyun said, cheeky grin spread across his face. 

"Please, Chanyeol's girlfriend has to be a ing goddess if she can split up Chanyeol and Jaewoong," Kyungsoo snorted.

Kai cleared his throat. "Can we please get this going? I have places to be."

"Jongin--" Kyungsoo's wide eyes narrowed and his eyebrows closed in together.

"Kai." He heard himself correct.

"Jonginnie--" Kai grimaced at the name, "--Unless your places to be mean life or death, Fifa can wait."

He heard Jaewoong snicker, and wanted to stop the blush that came with Kyungsoo’s stinging accuracy. How does he ing know?

After the seven other strict rules Kyungsoo unforgivingly gave, including meeting deadlines, triweekly meetings, and other requirements insane for a high school biology project (but not for one that could earn the Scholars of the Year honors), Kai finally was released to leave the private study room.

Or so he thought.

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo called just as the meeting adjourned and Baekhyun fled. “And Jaewoong.”

They met eye contact for a second and both froze, more than ready to break into a sprint to avoid whatever Kyungsoo’s foreboding tone would bring.

Kyungsoo’s stern expression didn’t change despite Jaewoong and Jongin’s pleading eyes. “You guys have to work out. I know it. So sit down, grow up, and make out.”

Jaewoong and Jongin simultaneously spluttered at his last command, but Kyungsoo made no effort to correct his slip-up (if it was a slip-up?) and shut the door firmly behind him as he left.

“I’m outta here,” Kai concluded after a few seconds of staring at each other in an awkward silence. He didn’t know whether to feel annoyed or angry or indifferent but he felt embarrassed above all. However, Kai stopped in his tracks after seeing Kyungsoo sitting at the table outside of their door. “Never mind.” He crept back in with Kyungsoo’s burning glare on his backside.

Jaewoong sighed. “Might as well pretend to ‘work our out,’ even though we have nothing to even work out.” She plopped into her seat, staring at her smartphone screen dejectedly. Kai followed suit a few seats down.

“I’d beg to differ. We have a lot of ,” Kai snorted.

She gave him a sharp look. “Hey, who defended you from your twinky friend? Me. Who accepted your $700 phone? Me. Who doesn’t point you out as a douchebag anymore in front of our biology class or Yixing oppa? Me.”

“Wow. Dynamic. Such grace. Much thanks.” Jongin rolled his eyes, as did Jaewoong. “And didn’t you say you owe me?”

Her neck craned up and Kai caught himself looking too hard. “I do owe you.” She turned to give him a hard look. “But you better use my IOU well because I’m pretty freaking handy, if you ask me.”

Kai laughed. “Was that supposed to sound as weird as it did?”

“You’re such a boy.”

“Why thanks. It’s nice that you’ve noticed my testosterone level as well as my captivating masculinity in our few hostile encounters.”

Jaewoong shook her head. “Who would have known pretty boy Kingka Kai is not only an , but a pretentious ?”

“Are you calling me pretty?” He batted his lashes and held his hands in a V-shape around his already sharp chin.

The door opened and Kyungsoo stuck his head in, “I said to work your out, not on each other guys.” He pulled up a chair and set it by the corner by the door, sitting in it and crossing his arms. “I’m sitting here until you guys ing make up.”

“We’ve already made up, for real!” Jongin protested. “What constitutes “making up”?”

Jaewoong nodded frivolously in agreement. “Seriously, Kyungie, we really have. I said sorry, and Kai was nice about it.” She held up the phone. “See?”

Kyungsoo didn’t budge, looking away from the pair with a stony expression. “I don’t buy it.”

“What do you want us to do, Jesus!” Kai put his head down on his desk and made his signature Jongin-whining noise.

“Fine,” Kyungsoo said. “Hug.”

They both looked at the boy without shifting a muscle. “No, seriously Kyung, what do you want us to do,” said Jaewoong.

“I’m serious.” It took him a second to get up and stand with his arms crossed, hovering above them. “Friends hug. It’s normal.”

Kai pouted unknowingly. “No, it’s not. Hugging is for my 80-year-old grandmother and her 80-year-old friend.”

“We haven’t hugged in years, Kyung!” Jaewoong argued. “You’re ridiculous.”

“But we could hug if someone asked us to,” Kyungsoo said, smirking cause he’d totally won the argument. He looked stern. “Get up.” They obeyed, heads hanging as a scary 5’7” boy bossed them around. “Hug.”

Kai didn’t know whether Jaewoong would actually do it. They both didn’t meet eyes for a passing moment, then Kai felt slender arms around his chest and he automatically put his arms around Jaewoong. They both tried to keep their heads as far away from each other’s body parts as possible.

“Now tell each other one good thing about each other.”

“Are you kidding me?” Kai mumbled, but Jaewoong interrupted.

“You smell nice, Jongin.” Her voice didn’t waver, and she was shameless saying it.

“Goddammit, it’s Kai—wait, what?”

Did she actually compliment him?

Kyungsoo nodded in approval. “Your turn, Jongin.”

He couldn’t do this. Kai was scouring his mind for something to say that wasn’t super awkward (like ‘you smell nice’ wasn’t?) or too sweet or too backhanded for Kyungsoo to make him do it again—it was suffocatingly uncomfortable enough hugging this girl that he’d been trying to hate and succeeding—and he suddenly blurted, as much like a little kid as he could sound, “I think you’re pretty.”

To his surprise and incredible embarrassment, she stifled a laugh.

KILL ME NOW! Kai flushed pink and tried and utterly failed at keeping an indifferent expression. I think you’re pretty? What the hell was that? Was he six? He could have said that she looked nice today. He could have said that she had a good haircut, or that she was funny. Or that she had nice shoes.

 I think you’re pretty?!

Kyungsoo stifled a laugh too. “That’s not what I was expecting, but that’ll do.” They let each other go and Kai pretended that his jacket needed straightening out and his zipper needed to be slowly worked. “See you guys in two days, then!” Kyungsoo said, absolutely content, and scampered off.

Oh, he was gonna get it.

Kai finally managed to glance up at Jaewoong, who had started gathering her things back into her backpack. She looked up and they met eyes.

She wouldn’t dare mention—

“’I think you’re pretty?’” Jaewoong repeated with a cheeky smile.

Kai defended fiercely, “I was just trying to think of something that’d shut Kyungsoo up!”

“Okay.” A smile was still on her lips when she slung her backpack over her shoulder.

His hand twitched, wanting to smack that smile right off of her face. “Seriously! I don’t really think—“ He stopped himself. There were two clear paths: douchebaggery and tell her she’s not pretty (which was untrue) or embarrassment and confirm that he thinks she’s pretty (which was somewhat true aside from feeling particularly violent towards her too often). He chose the latter quickly. “Okay, never mind. I’m not ashamed. I tell girls they're pretty all the time,” Kai was saying, but it sounded like he was encouraging himself.

“Okay,” she repeated. “Then fine. We both called each other pretty today. Plus, I said you smell nice. Even, right?”

“Even,” Kai grumbled, and watched her wave bye and walk out of the room.

His face was still red from embarrassment.