[CONTENTID1]

thirteen: show-offs [/CONTENTID1][CONTENTID2]

["My gift gets all the girls."] [/CONTENTID2][CONTENTID3]

Juyeon just wanted the day to end. It already felt like it had been dragging on forever. Now, with Sehun's words still ringing in her head, she just wanted to take a nice, long break. To possibly regain her sanity.

Unfortunately, that would have to wait. Juyeon had two classes left before school was over.

English was taught by a woman called Professor Struggle. She was an elderly woman with short, whispy hair that was a light grey, and had an ancient, wise look to her. She was quiet and more gentle than the other teachers, but none of the students dared to mess around with her.

Mathematics was taught by a man called Professor Horror, which was accurate considering the subject he taught. He had a shaved head, with a stern face that looked like it was carved from stone. He also had a short temper and Juyeon quickly learned he was notorious for throwing chalk at students who irritated him. Kai experienced that a lot.

Speaking of Kai … he tried to get her attention a few times. Baekhyun as well. Even Chanyeol called her name once or twice. But Juyeon kept her head down and ignored them. She clearly remembered what Sehun said: once they lost interest in her, they wouldn't be as nice.

Juyeon had a feeling the boys she was mixing up with were infinitely more dangerous than she realized. If she was going to survive High Class for the next two years, she needed to avoid PCs like them. She could handle being alone. Maybe.

After being assigned a ridiculous load of homework by Horror, Juyeon was relieved to leave the classroom. Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed the back of her shirt.

Juyeon turned, stomach dropping right down to her shoes, expecting it to be Sehun again. Instead, it was Sumi. She narrowed her rose-pink lips into a tight, pinched line.

"Don't escape just yet, normal. I need to show you your locker."

Sumi stomped down the hall and slapped one fist against locker number 135.

"Here's our locker. As roommates, we're supposed to share it. I don't really use it, so you can do whatever. Code is 55-26-12. Later."

She walked away without another word.

Juyeon stared after her in stunned silence. Then she sighed and memorized the code. Might as well remember if she ever needed to use it, although Juyeon normally just kept everything in her dorm room.

Speaking of rooms … Juyeon really hoped a bed would arrive soon. She wasn't too keen on sleeping on a floor littered with chip crumbs. And hopefully they'd also give her her school supplies. Juyeon was too terrified to ask for more paper from the boys and was forced to use the single sheet given to her in history for all subjects. It was covered front and back with tiny, messy notes.

Juyeon looked down at the pen in her hand, the one Baekhyun lent to her. It wasn't just a dollarstore ballpoint pen: it was one of those expensive, fancy kinds, with the smooth, rich ink that are often on display in jewelry stores.

Juyeon held it up to examine it―black with gold lining, and strange gold writing on the side that she couldn't make out. It looked like calligraphic English, but the script made it hard to read.

Juyeon bit her lip. She wanted to run to the safety of her new dorm room. At the same time, Juyeon knew she should return the pen as soon as possible. She would have been annoyed out of her mind if someone didn't return her pens right after class.

Juyeon made up her mind. She stuffed her single sheet of notes into her pocket and ran down the hall, in the direction she had seen all the students go.

Juyeon managed to catch up, and she saw his light brown hair bob away in the background. "Baekhyun!" She called out. She had to do it a few times before he finally heard her.

Baekhyun turned, looking surprised, and Juyeon tried to catch her breath and speak at the same time. "This―forgot to give it―back―pen―it's yours―"

Baekhyun gave her a ridiculously sweet smile, and Juyeon cursed being born a girl and reacting as one. "You chased me down just to return it? Aww, your normal habits are so cute." He affectionately pinched her cheek, and Juyeon on reflex slapped his hand away immediately.

She cringed, wondering if he would get mad, but Baekhyun just laughed. "So, Juyeon, wanna come with us? We're going to special PC training classes."

"Uh, no, that's okay―"

"Nonsense! Come on, we'll get you a good seat. You can be a spectator." Without waiting for an answer, Baekhyun placed his hand on Juyeon's back, right between her shoulder blades, and pushed her along with enough force to make her go with them. Juyeon helplessly stumbled along, trying to avoid Sehun's glare.

They entered a sort of gymnasium hall, except the ceiling was incredibly high and completely filled with glass panes, making the entire roof of the room a skylight. One entire wall was also made of glass, overlooking a view of the forest and the lake. Natural light streamed in, giving a glow to the weapons display on the wall and the fiery pit in the center of the room.

Wait, what?

Awaiting them was a silver-haired man who looked about sixty but acted