[CONTENTID1]

forty: dancing queen, only seventeen

[/CONTENTID1][CONTENTID2]

[They all looked ridiculous.]

[/CONTENTID2][CONTENTID3]

”You fought with Kai?” Sumi repeated, eyebrows raised, as they sprawled on Juyeon’s bed and shared a bag of popcorn. High Class had been allowed the entire day off before the dance, and with only two hours or so left to go Juyeon decided to tell Sumi everything that happened the day before.

”Is it that surprising?”

”Well, not with you, you fight with everyone. But it’s new to see Kai fight right back. He normally deflects anger with humour and apathy and then teleports away after having the last word.”

”I don’t get him at all,” Juyeon complained, tossing a popcorn high into the air and trying to catch it in . It bounced off her chin. “He was so angry that I danced with D.O instead of him. It wasn’t like I asked D.O specifically or anything, it was utter coincidence!”

”Isn’t he just jealous?” Sumi threw up three kernels and caught them in in quick succession. Juyeon was jealous. “They’re all mad that you asked me to the dance instead of them, anyway.”

”If I didn’t ask you, I would have gone alone,” Juyeon declared, feeling a burst of heat on her cheeks. Every time she remembered their words about wanting to be her date, she felt flustered.

”Why?”

”I-I don’t know. It would be awkward?”

”If you say so.” Sumi grinned in a very cat-like way and her fingers. “Okay, who would you have asked if you did ask one of them?”

”I … um …” Juyeon blanked. Their faces swam in her vision. Some part of her felt horrified that she couldn’t actually answer it.

”Maybe that’s why you didn’t want to ask them?” Sumi suggested casually. “You can’t decide who you like the most.”

”Don’t say it like that.”

”Why? It’s true.” Seeing the embarrassed look on her face, though, Sumi sighed and shook her head. “Honestly, you’re like a preteen going through her first crush.”

”We’re friends, so shut up.”

”Yeah, okay. Whatever. So why is Kai bothering you so much, then?”

”He accused me of seeing him as nothing but a y son of a ,” Juyeon said, staring at the ceiling and counting cobwebs. It was a good relaxation method, especially when Sumi started asking uncomfortable questions that she didn’t really have the answer to.

”He kind of is, though.”

”I know, but it was the way he said it. Like a, ‘I thought you would think differently of me’. I don’t know, it made me feel … bad? Guilty? , he was so angry. If he had Chanyeol’s fire powers, he’d have burned me to a crisp.”

To her immense surprise, Sumi threw her head back and howled with laughter.

”What’s so funny?”

”Just thinking of him being angry. God, what a sight that must’ve been. I gotta thank you for that, Juyeon. Getting that pissed would do him some good now and then.”

Juyeon frowned, sitting straight up and scattering popcorn everywhere. “What do you mean?”

Sumi picked off the last kernels, chomping on them thoughtfully. “Do you ever get the feeling that Kai is wearing a mask? Like, sometimes you see a glimpse of something and you realize the way he acts might not be the way he really is?”

”Sometimes.”

”Yeah, well, he’s always been like that. Long as I can remember. Holy hell, was he a creepy kid. Always smiling and friendly and charming, but you could tell after a while that he wasn’t really like that, that he was putting on one big in’ show for his entire life. He doesn’t get sad, he laughs it off. He doesn’t get mad, he teases you instead. And he doesn’t get happy, he just acts like he is. I tell you, it’s not healthy.”

”Why does he do that?”

”Who knows?”

What must it be like, to have to hide and bury everything all your life? Juyeon couldn’t imagine it, but she knew people who were forced to be like that. Her mom, for one.

Luckily, her mom was every bit as smart as herself, and had run away from that life before it did something irreparable to her heart and soul. But Kai, as a PC … would he be able to do the same? Would he ever break away from that mask? Or would he be trapped forever, screaming on the inside, as he lived a life that wasn’t really his?

”That idiot,” she mumbled quietly to herself, remembering just how alive Kai seemed to be when he glared at her like that. What must it be like, to see him that alive and glowing when he smiled and joked around?

Something in Juyeon ached at the thought.

”H-he also said something else,” she stammered, trying to push that feeling out of her. “He said something about the capture the flag game?”

Sumi laughed even harder.

”Dammit, you hyena, just tell me!”

”Oh, he’d be angry if I did.”

”Sumi, come on.”

”Why did you think he was so bloody and messed up, huh?”

Juyeon paused. “Well, it’s a violent game, I guess …”

”Idiot. Did you see anybody else that beat up afterwards? If Kai was actually playing, wouldn’t he have just teleported away from the danger?”

That was true. “So what you’re saying is …”

”Holy hell, Juyeon, you idiot. He got hurt protecting you!”

Juyeon’s jaw dropped. “Wait, what?”

”What, you think just a small group tried to hurt you in that game? No, Kai was fighting everybody off the entire time. Must’ve been hard for him, you’re a walking magnet for danger.”

”No ― he wouldn’t have ― I ― oh , I even yelled at him for not helping us win!”

”No wonder he’s so mad. He probably hoped you’d be over the moon about his chivalrous acts.” Sumi sniggered. “He’s so childish.”

”Why didn’t you tell me about that?”

”You didn’t ask.”

Juyeon mashed her hands into her face and groaned, digging the heel of her palms into her cheekbones. “I hate you.”

”Yeah, yeah, hate you too. So, the real question is, what are you gonna do about it?”

Juyeon grimaced, deep in thought, before turning to her beautiful white dress hanging on the closet doorknob. “I may have to postpone our date-mate dance.”

”Dear, oh dear,” Sumi said with a wide smile. “I’m hurt, but I guess there’s no other choice.”

At eight o’ clock, all the PCs were dressed in their finery and gathering in the gymnasium.

It had been tough, and probably made Pain hate them even more, but Juyeon and Sumi had managed to temporarily remodel the place from a training room into a dance hall. The pit of fire was put down, and crystal beads were filled in and closed off with glass. The giant glass wall was strewn with soft lights, and the streamers and balloons Sumi picked were placed everywhere and hanging from the ceiling.

Juyeon felt a surge of pride when she heard the whispers of awe and sheer delight on people’s faces when they walked in. It was obvious that the PCs weren’t used to such beauty in High Class.

”It’s beautiful,” a voice said behind her. She turned around to see Suho, looking almost ridiculously handsome in a simple black suit. His hair had been pushed back and styled, making him look several years older and more mature. “You and Sumi did a great job.”

”You think?” Juyeon was practically beaming with pride.

”Yes.” He smiled at her, and something in his eyes softened. “You look beautiful as well.”

”I ― oh. Well. You, um, look good y-yourself.”

He laughed quietly at her embarrassed expression, before abruptly asking, ”Are you going to make it up to Kai?”

”How do you know about that?”

He grinned and adjusted his tie. It was an unfairly attractive move, one that had Juyeon's mouth going slightly dry. “Not too hard to tell. He’s been sulking all day.”

”Of course he is. The big baby. Where is he?” She scanned the heads in the crowd. It was starting to get noisy, as some began sitting down and eating and others began to loudly exclaim for the music to start.

”Over there, with Sumi. Be nice to him, please. I hate having to look after sulking children at a fancy party.”

Juyeon had to laugh at that. “I’ll try to play nice.”

”I’ll go find the others, then.” He saw a group of PCs already attempting to sell tiny bottles of alcohol in a corner and started grinning again, before turning and gently grabbing Juyeon’s bare arm. Compared to Chanyeol, Baekhyun, and D.O, his hands were as cool as spring water, although she still had to fight back a slight shiver. “Will you save me a dance?” he asked, leaning in close so she could hear him over a particularly loud group of PCs walking past them.

Juyeon tried not to stiffen up and panic, but it was damn hard. She could feel the collar of his shirt brush slightly against her collarbone. ”I’ll find some room in my tightly-packed schedule for you,” she said lightly.

Suho laughed and let her go. She scurried away with burning cheeks.

She weaved her way through the crowd, and was surprised to find students smiling and waving at her. They weren’t just in Class 44, either. They seemed to be impressed enough with her work on the dance to mellow out, at least for tonight.

Sumi was looking beautiful in a simple but elegant black dress, her pink hair pulled back into a small bun at the nape of her neck. She gave Juyeon a sneaky grin, and the person she was talking to turned around.

Kai wore a suit but didn’t bother with the jacket, the stark white shirt contrasting sharply with his darker skin and smoothed-back hair. Juyeon actually kind of missed his fluffy locks.

”Juyeon?” He blinked at her, a little nervously, she thought. “You look ― I, ah, I wanted to apologize about yesterday. Um …”

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, and Juyeon wanted to make him smile. She wanted to heal whatever part of him was broken and made him cold and cruel and hurt, and see him smile from the bottom of his heart.

She suddenly realized she wanted to do that for a lot of people in High Class.

She reached out and, in a burst of confidence, grabbed his hand. She nearly laughed when Kai ― surprisingly ― blushed right to the roots of his hair. Sometimes, he acted much more innocent than she expected. It was so weird.

”Kai,” she said, and the music started up just in time. Violins and flutes began swelling up through speakers stationed around the gymnasium. “Will you be my first dance?”

It was pretty amazing, actually, how the small things people do can still make someone smile so warmly.

”You’re not as bad as I thought you’d be.”

”Gee, no need to compliment me that much, Kai. I’m blushing.”

”Well, seriously! You haven’t stepped on me once!”

Juyeon rolled her eyes. “Well, wasn’t there something about having a good dance partner?”

Kai grinned and spun her. Everywhere she looked, Juyeon saw pretty dresses twirling around, and the lights on the glass wall shone like stars. It was like being on the set of a movie.

”So, I never did thank you for looking out for me during capture the flag,” she said quietly.

”What was that? I don’t think I heard you.”

”You are an !” Kai just gave her a good-natured smile, and she couldn’t truly get annoyed at him this time. “But thank you.”

”I’m a flower boy, remember? I do things like protect pretty girls.” He snickered. “Oh, I forgot. You’d rather have a tree.”

”I can’t believe you remember that far back.” Juyeon’s cheeks burned in embarrassment, both from him repeating her words and because he called her pretty. She hoped it was too dark for Kai to tell, but she had a feeling he could, because his blinding white smile grew larger.

”It’s only been three months, sweetheart.