Kyungsoo wanted to cry. He had greeted Kai but the other had walked straight past him without acknowledgment. He figured he hadn’t been forgiven for eating lunch with Luhan. He dug his fingers into his pant leg nervously so he wouldn’t cry. He hadn’t had a panic attack in a long time but it was building up in his chest. His breathing was becoming short as the anxiety set in. Kai couldn’t hate him. Then he’d be all alone again. He drew out his inhaler and took a puff as his eyes filled with tears.

“Kyungsoo, are you okay?”

He turned and saw Luhan looking at him in concern. He nodded quietly as he willed himself to calm down. “I’m okay…”

“You don’t look okay. Did something happen to you?”

“No…No, I’m okay. Really.” Kyungsoo glanced towards Kai, who was conversing with Sehun by his locker.

“Did Kai do something? I’ll kick his for you!”

“No. I’m okay. Thank you though.”

Luhan frowned some. He crossed his arms. “Do you want to come to the party tonight? They told me I could bring a friend and I don’t want to be stuck with my brother. I have to meet all of the Kim family and officially announce our engagement. I have a feeling Kai will avoid me the whole time…”

Kyungsoo nodded. “S-sure…”

“It’s sorta formal, so wear your best.”

The shorter boy nodded. He couldn’t bring himself to admit that the nicest thing he owned was his school uniform. He wondered if Kai would be angry he came in attendance as Luhan’s guest. He figured it wouldn’t matter. He and Kai had really drifted apart. It seemed like Luhan liked him, so he still had at least one friend. He’d never been invited to Kai’s house before anyways. Maybe they really hadn’t been the best of friends.

-------------x------------

As he was preparing for the party, his father called him downstairs. He went down to take the phone call he had. As he wondered who it was, he immediately recognized the number as the organization who provided his scholarship.

“Hello?”

“Good evening, Kyungsoo-yah.”

“Oh, hello.” He wasn’t sure why they were calling. He wasn’t usually contacted by them.

“We see you’ve been doing well in school. We’re so happy that you are our scholarship representative. That being said, we unfortunately have some bad news.”

Kyungsoo felt his heart stop. He trembled, gripping the phone tightly. “Y-yes?”

“Our funding for scholarships is being cut at the end of this year. We unfortunately will be unable to continue paying for your schooling after this semester. We are terribly sorry, Kyungsoo-yah. We will recommend you to other scholarship programs.”

“T-thank you…” He managed out.

He hung up the phone and went back up to his room. He couldn’t really process the news. He was just going to ignore it. He would have fun tonight. The small young man changed into his best outfit and then got his parents to drive him to the address he had been given. He gazed upon the largest house he’d ever seen as he walked up the long walkway.

He knocked and was let in gently. Kyungsoo felt overwhelmed. He had no idea where he was or who anyone was once he was inside. He wandered around for a while before his arm was gently grabbed. He whirled around quickly and came face to face with Suho.

“Suho!”

“Hi Kyungsoo. What are you doing here?”

“L-Luhan invited me…but I can’t find him.”

Suho chuckled some. “I’ll take you to him. They just made the announcement about the marriage.”

The elder led Kyungsoo to his younger brother and fiancé. Kyungsoo waved at them some. They actually seemed to be getting along. He gave a small wave at them.

“Kyungsoo! You came!” Luhan cried happily.

He gave him a hug and Kyungsoo was a little surprised at the affection. He nonetheless smiled and returned it. He looked at Kai and felt a little nervous but Kai gave him a smile.

“Hey Kyungsoo. Sorry about how I treated you this morning. I was mad, but…I get you were just trying to be a good friend. You’re right. Luhan is kinda cool…” He gave a sheepish smile. “Thanks for being my friend.”

He brightened some. Kai had said they were friends. He hadn’t felt this happy in a few days. The party was noisy and confusing but Kyungsoo was having a great time with his group of friends. He found out Sehun was actually a pretty decent guy. He also saw that Kai and Luhan were warming up to one another.

“We should go skiing during the break. Wouldn’t that be fun?” Kai said.

“I like snowboarding,” Luhan grinned.

“I could definitely go for a fun vacation,” Sehun agreed.

“You should come, Kyungsoo!” Luhan added.

Kyungsoo felt his heart sink. It hit him that once this semester ended, he wouldn’t be going to school with them anymore. He wouldn’t be able to be friends with them anymore. They all believed he was a rich kid but he wasn’t. He merely gave a soft nod and then excused himself for a moment. The others took no notice but Kyungsoo was trying to hide. The realization had hit him and he was panicking. He was happy. He didn’t want to lose this. He was panting as his chest tightened in pain.

“Kyungsoo, can I talk to you?”

He looked at Suho and nodded silently. He didn’t want to draw attention to his panic attack.

“I just wanted to say thank you for looking out for Kai. I really appreciate it. I can’t thank you enough for being there for him and encouraging him towards the marriage. I just…really, you’re the best friend I could ask for my brother. Thank you so much.”

Kyungsoo nodded. The panic in his chest was still painful and the kind words only added to it. Once the semester was over, he wouldn’t be with Kai anymore. He began to cry then and Suho was startled.

“K-Kyungsoo?! Are you alright?”

“I-I’m sorry…I just…” Kyungsoo felt himself start to hyperventilate and he cursed himself for not bringing his inhaler along.

“Kyungsoo!”

That was the last thing Kyungsoo heard before he felt himself black out.