SIXTH CLASS

SHOTS FIRED

Tao was waiting for him in the living room, sprawled out on the gold-stitched couch in a display of his long limbs. As soon as Kris entered the room, he rolled his eyes at the younger boy.

“Get your feet off the couch, Tao,” he announced briskly, turning on the TV and sitting on the matching armchair across from Tao. The white-gold ring on his pointer finger stood out well against his dark grey v-neck he’d just changed into. Tao was still in his Daechun uniform, the dark navy making his skin look even brighter.

Tao only moved his face into a smile. “Having an air of relaxation and confidence makes me hot, don’t you think? Hence, feet up.”

His friend laughed at him with upturned eyes. “I guess if you call narcissism hot.”

“Says the world’s biggest narcissist,” Tao quipped back.

Kris just laughed. “You need to get yourself a girlfriend.”

The younger suddenly got up and sat in a position that showed his contemplation. “I’m trying, but I don’t get women! Whenever I tell them I skipped a grade, all the girls, even ones my age, suddenly run from me like I’m a disease!”

Laughing again, Kris just shook his head with his eyes focusing on his cellphone. “Well, don’t say you’re younger, then.” At Tao’s befuddled expression, he supplied in sardonic emphasis, “That’s what lying is for.”

Tao just harrumphed and leaned back on the chair, folding his arms. “Honesty is a virtue.” He looked up at Kris again. “There’s a secret to women, isn’t there, Kris? Just tell me. Help a friend. I’m struggling.”

Kris laughed again. “There are a lot of secrets. Not all women are the same, either, jeez, Zitao.”

But Tao had stopped listening and plowed on with his eyes shining. “Did you hear that Kai was totally rejected by some girl in front of Penny’s Café? I heard he got so mad that Oh Sehun had to stop him from demolishing her.”

“Who was the girl?” This piqued Kris’ interest, as well as his eyebrow.

“I don’t remember—“ Tao said while Kris groaned in response “—but Luhan hyung told me. There’s so many people at Daechun, so it’s kind of hard to remember all the names.”

Kris was already texting Luhan, the school’s second biggest gossip (behind Tao) to find the name.

After a moment, Tao said, “Are you going to… you know, date her?”

Kris shrugged in response, still absorbed in whatever he was typing.

“You know, Kris, I know you and Kai have the whole competition thing, but don’t you think there isn’t a fight anymore?” Tao said. Kris was silent, but had raised his eyebrows to show he was listening. Tao continued, “Like, you were like homecoming king or whatever, and you’re like captain of the basketball team, and you did better on the college entrance exams.”

His gege finally responded. “But Kai still thinks he’s kingka.” Tao stared at him blankly as if he were supposed to be surprised at the news. “He still tries to hook as many girls as can, and he’s the soccer captain, and he was homecoming king last year, and he beats me so hard at every quarter exam.”

“It’s not like any of that really matters, though, hyung,” said Tao quite bluntly. Kris shrugged, not even looking up from his phone. “I still think it’s kinda dumb, not gonna lie, and so does everyone else in the world.”

“It’s a personal thing.”

Rolling his eyes in the bratty way he was known for, Tao loudly asked, “Do you guys still hate each other because of Haein?”

“I guess,” Kris, unsurprised by his bluntness, answered. There was a grimace on his face. “She was my first girlfriend. I really, really, really liked her. You don't understand, obviously,” he said dryly.

“I think I’ve heard the story four million times, but yeah, you loved her in freshman year, then Kai stole her when you guys were dating, or slept with her or whatever,” he started in a belligerent tone that would normally get him tackled, “And then she moved to Australia before you could even break up with her.” His tone was impatient, sarcastically animated, and hurried. “You guys blame each other for making her move, because she never told you why she did and neither of you have heard from her since. That’s why you guys hate each other. Who really would have won Haein over? You guys always ask yourselves. Then you try to prove who would have won with all your other petty competitions-- I know.” Tao stood, overtly and purposefully annoyed. “But it’s been forever. Sorry, ge, but get over it. Haein’s been long down under, and she probably forgot about you two and can’t even imagine that you guys still compete over her. Because it’s ridiculous.”

Tao made a grand exit to his room, leaving Kris just slightly surprised at Tao’s monologue.

He was more occupied by Luhan’s quick text confirming the mystery girl that had supposedly rejected Kai so hard:

Her name’s Lee Jaewoong. But don’t even try, Kris, she likes someone else for sure.

Kris smiled. He always liked the chase.

-

“Jaewoong!” A girl’s voice cried down the long Daechun hallway, and Jaewoong heard several quick steps make her way. “What the hell? Kai? Kim Jongin?” Jaewoong’s friend had approached Jaewoong now, excitedly gripping her backpack so she couldn’t escape.

Jaewoong groaned. “Dahee—It’s a stupid story— but wait, what the hell, how do you know about Jongin anything…?” Her eyes were wide. “We’re on the same biology project team, if that’s what you mean.”

“No, I know that, but everyone’s been saying how you rejected him so hard that Oh Sehun had to break it up.” Jaewoong’s expression dropped into incredulity, mouth opening wide. “It isn’t true?”

She scoffed. “Of course not!” How the hell did people even know about her seeing Jongin—just once—in front of Penny’s?

“Then you guys are dating?”

“Ugh, no!”

Baekhyun’s well-groomed hair popped in between the two girls. “Did Jonginnie really confess to you? And he hardly ing looked at you during our meeting yesterday?” He demanded, Baekhyun-esque swear words tumbling out. “You better have ing rejected the out of him because you deserve better than that —“

“Okay, Jongin’s actually not that horrible of a person—“ Jaewoong interjected, and received wide-eyed stares and a few seconds of pause from her friends.

Then they both cried, “You didn’t reject him?!”

“Oh my god—No!”

“What!” Dahee screeched. Baekhyun stared at Jaewoong like she was sprouting wings.

Jaewoong groaned again, trying to plead sense into Baekhyun and Dahee’s crazy eyes. “No—It’s that he—“

Suho’s hand laid on Jaewoong’s shoulder before she could finish. “It’s not true, is it? Didn’t we tell off the kid a few days ago in bio?”

“You’ve rejected him?” Baekhyun and Dahee again cried together.

“No!” Jaewoong answered. The trio looked even more shocked. "Wait, that's not what I mean!"

Baekhyun scrambled to hold his phone and type in a quick text. “Chanyeol’s gonna be hella mad!”

“Then what do you think about, you know, like, Kris?” Dahee said in an urgent tone.

The class president gave her a hesitant face. “I don’t know Jaewoong, you know Kai’s reputation isn’t the best…”

“Guys, Jesus Christ, no! We’re not dating—“ trilateral gasp “—we’re not anything, the hell! What the heck’s this rumor?! I don’t even know the guy!” defended Jaewoong.

Baekhyun looked skeptical. “There’s no smoke without fire.”

“It’s okay, Jaewoong, if you are dating him and all,” assured Dahee, though it looked like she was trying very hard to keep an unbiased face.

“We just don’t think it’s a good decision,” added Suho quickly. Then they all started exchanging quick phrases more quietly, as if Jaewoong couldn't hear: “What the ” and “Kim Jongin?!” and “Isn’t there that crazy rumor about him on the 10^th grade camping trip?” and “Do you think Chanyeol knows?”

Jaewoong’s head shook. “Guys, holy balls, would you listen to me?”

They all finally quieted down and stared at her.

She sighed dramatically, though the situation required such heaviness. “We met at a café so he could give me something—it was just my cellphone cause we got into a tiny accident—and Sehun stumbled across and said hi. End of story.”

Baekhyun gave her an accusatory look. “Kyungsoo said that he called you pretty.”

“What?!” Suho demanded. “He called you pretty!?”

“Sounds like you’re dating to me!” concluded Dahee.

Taken aback again, Jaewoong raised her arms so Baekhyun, Suho, and her friend would back away. “You guys are ridiculous. He didn’t confess to me, we’re not dating, and Oh Sehun hasn’t ever said a word to me.”

There was silence.

“Yeah guys. Just rumors.”

Jaewoong was too annoyed (and almost late for her world history class on the other side of campus) to say anything else and scurried away from the confused trio.

-

Jongin was checking his phone just before his calculus class when he wrinkled his brow in confusion at a text. It was from Chen, and it read:

Chen: lol did you hear the rumors about you and Lee Jaewoong?? how she broke your heart and sehun had to come and carry you back home LMFAO

Kai was typing up a response when he saw Kyungsoo’s:

Kyungsoo: DID I NOT SAY NO BETWEEN OUR GROUP MEMBERS? JAEWOONG, OF ALL GIRLS? REALLY? I KNOW YOU THINK SHE’S PRETTY BUT REALLY NOW??

Kai had been confused at Chen’s text, but Kyungsoo scared the out of him and he was four inches shorter than him.

Where the hell were these rumors coming from?

He looked up from his phone, to see a few classmates giving him weird(er than usual) looks.

His phone dinged again.

Yixing: what is this i hear about you and Jaewoong having a fight? I thought you said you guys were alright now? Kai…

And why the hell were the rumors popping up now, a few days after the fact? No one had been at Penny’s, and no one had seen him and Jaewoong together other than Sehun and Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo would definitely not say anything: He cared more about their group chemistry than anything else.

Oh ing Sehun.

Just as Kai was typing up a very, very angry all caps text message to Sehun, he felt a nudge to his shoe.

And unpleasantly saw Kris Wu, tall and blonde, smirking at him. “Rejection hurts, doesn’t it?”

Kai sighed inwardly. Kris had made his way from the opposite desk of the classroom, with Tao just trailing him. But he responded anyway, “Quite like the time Haein slept with me, while dating you?”

Kris just smiled wider and faker. “What were Jaewoong’s reasons? She doesn’t like little boys or the cute pout you have when you’re angry?”

“You don’t know anything,” retorted Kai. “Don’t go around believing every rumor you hear.”

“But,” Kris drawled. “Jaewoong’s single, then?”

Kai’s eyes widened, but he coolly said, “Find out your ing self.”

The teacher took his stance at the podium, and Kris gave a final wink before he and Tao retreated back.

Holy , he needed to find Jaewoong.