*This is a re-up. There was a sentence missing in this chapter when it got posted earlier and I have no idea how it even disappeared. Some of you may have noticed a weird part, where something didn't sound quite right, but it was only one sentence so if you don't feel like re-reading, don't worry, you won't miss anything.

It was too easy to end up skipping school the next day, considering it was the last schoolday of the week and would leave me to the weekend as soon as the bell rang.

Unfortunately, the same seemed to be dragging on much longer with only one hand able to give me any use. After an emergency room visit, my hand was x-rayed and I ended up having three broken fingers. Sadly, my right hand was also my dominant hand and with three out of five fingers wrapped in a thick mold, it wasn’t all that easy to use.

Tao and Baekhyun had eyed me like a circus freak when I had showed up that morning and struggled to open my locker with my left hand. I almost showed up late to class because of fumbling around with my books.

It was during lunch when I was having a hard time opening my locker to get my packed lunch, courtesy of my mom, that I found my chance to speak with Kim Taehyung. He was putting some things in his locker when I came up and began my struggle.

“What happened?” he asked, pausing his own actions to watch me.

With an irritated sigh, I dropped my arm, the muscles aching from my useless fiddling with the lock on the door.

“Do you really have to ask?” I sounded a bit snappy, but I was tired and hungry and my right hand was aching even though it hadn’t done much of anything since having a cast put on it. I wanted to break Taeyeon’s face and let her know what pain was like.

Taehyung set his things inside his locker and pushed it almost closed. “Do you mind if I know your combination?” he asked.

I shook my head, telling him the number. Not like I had anything worth stealing or anything embarrassing hiding inside.

“Thanks,” I mumbled when he moved back to his own.

It was a few moments of silence before I spoke again.

“How is basketball going? I heard Senior Night is coming up.”

The look of excitement that crossed his face was soon replaced by an awkward shudder of guilt. I looked away.

“Are you coming?” he asked.

I shrugged, tearing at a piece of paper sticking out of my math book.

“It would probably be best for me to stay away, considering what usually happens when I go out in public,” I told him.

He sighed quietly, seemingly no longer having a purpose to be standing there with his locker open.

“I have some friends you could sit with . . . I don’t think they would mind, if you really wanted to come,” he said quietly.

I looked over at him, seeing he was staring absently at the chipping locker paint. Remembering how he asked me to come support him at the tryouts and everything stung a bit, having thought I had a friend in him and him a friend in me. He had seemed harmless and still did. He also seemed to want to fix things but was just as clueless as I was.

“Do you want me to?” I asked.

He looked up, eyes surprised and hopeful. It was a bitter-tasting thought to consider what he had done. Betrayal was such a harsh thing to give. But given all the sins committed against me and how little guilt I ever saw on the face of my persecuters, I didn’t see why I couldn’t find a way to forgive and forget when he did look and (seemingly) feel remorseful. I most likely wouldn’t ever give him much more than a friendly chat in the hallway and a wave from afar, but it was better than skulking around him and pretending he didn’t exist because of one childish mistake. Trusting him wouldn’t be an easy thing to do, more than anything else, but giving him another chance wouldn’t be too difficult, I thought.

“Only if you want,” he assured.

If I could have a civil conversation with Oh Sehun and see him in the hallway without running for my life, I could give Kim Taehyung another chance.

I nodded. “Okay.”

The look on his face made me feel a bit better about my choice. He seemed to be genuinely happy that I agreed and seeing that kind of made me want to go.

He hesitated for a moment, looking as if he might’ve been about to say something else. “I’ll see you around, yeah?” he said, leading me to believe he indeed had more to say but didn’t.

I gave him a slight nod before watching him leave. He must’ve been going to the canteen to sit with his team. I chewed on my lip for a moment before grabbing my lunch out of my locker and heading towards my usual spot.

Although he hadn’t shown up again since that time two weeks ago, I always hesitated about going into the locker room in case Sehun might’ve been there. I still had lingering thoughts about what was going on with him, especially after really meeting his mother. Like I had overheard bits and pieces of a conversation, so it only sounded like gibberish.

Why did his father and brother treat him like so while his mother was an angel?

A lot of things didn’t make sense. Not even classifying Sehun as some disobedient child who just liked to piss adults off made sense because he still didn’t even seem to be like that. And again, I wondered what all Jongin knew, Tao also. Just all of his group or what used to be of it. Who knew what and how much did they know? Or was Sehun keeping everything from them?

I guess it really didn’t matter to me; it shouldn’t have. After all, I had helped him, done my part, and was no longer left with any ties to him besides passing in the hallway. Technically, I had no reason to worry any further. That didn’t really stop me from thinking about everything for the remainder of my classes.

And it definitely didn’t stop me from noting how bad his smoking habit had