“Well, someone’s up early.”

I blinked groggily as I entered the kitchen, rubbing sleep from my eyes. Even the delicious smell of bacon and eggs couldn’t make me want to go back to bed any less.

“Jaeeun woke me up with her loud music and I realized I could maybe make it to school early for once,” I murmured as I sat down at the wooden kitchen table, my eyes closed. I sat there for a few seconds before I laid my head down, still breathing the scent of my mother’s wonderful breakfast.

She hummed from behind me, where she cooked over the stove. “Good, maybe you’ll get out of your bad sleeping habits,” she said.

I would’ve snorted if I was awake enough. “Don’t count on it,” I said, sighing deeply and pressing my forehead to the cool table surface. I really wanted to go back to bed. My mom banged on the table as she placed my food in front of me, telling me to wake up. I groaned and opened my eyes but still kept my head down.

“Why can’t school be at night?” I asked, eyeing my bacon.

“To teach lazy people like you to get up early and make something of their lives,” my sister butted in, walking into the kitchen. I eyed her choice of attire: skinny jeans with a pastel pink, oversized sweater. Seriously, how does she always get up so early? Clearly, she had been up a while because her hair was curled and she sported a full face of makeup. I made a face at her before sitting up to eat my food, thanking God for wonderful bacon.

“God’s going to make you choke because you didn’t say the blessing,” Jaeeun whispered over her plate of scrambled eggs.

I opened my mouth, showing her my chewed food. “I thanked God for my bacon, thank you very much,” I said through my mouthful.

Jaeeun made a disgusted face, her long nose scrunching up, before returning to her own breakfast. Whilst eating my own, I watched her precisely eat her food, trying not to mess up her ombre lipstick. Though her long nose matched our mom’s, she had our dad’s lips and eyes. Sometimes, when I heard guys talking at school about how they wanted girls with small lips, I was jealous of my sister for being born with naturally petite and pink lips. I may have gotten my dad’s eyes too, but I had my mom’s full lips. My nose didn’t look particularly like either of theirs.

Jaeeun suddenly showed me full of chewed food. “Stop staring, you brat,” she said before pulling her phone from her jeans pocket and unlocking it.

I scrunched my face up before gobbling my bacon and eggs down. I glanced at the clock hanging above the kitchen entrance and decided I should hurry up if I don’t want to be running into Oh Sehun on the way to my locker. Like I can really avoid him.

I told my mom and sister bye before running out of the kitchen and heading to school, where I saw Kim Taehyung as soon as I walked through the school gates. Such a cutie. I didn't understand why he got bullied; you would think girls would be all over him and his light brown hair paired with full plump lips. He was sitting on the steps leading to the front entrance, skimming over a math book.

“Hey,” I greeted him, standing over him as I rubbed my cold hands together. “Good morning.” I gave him a friendly smile when he looked up at me, squinting at the bright morning sun.

He smiled back at me. “Good morning, Choi Eunhui.” He his lips, closing his book. “How is your morning?” he asked.

I shrugged. “I’ll let you know once our sunbaes show up,” I mocked, starting up the steps, but I turned back around to face him. “What about basketball tryouts?” I asked, remembering what he said a few days before.
Taehyung paused for a moment before grinning.

“Think you can come watch?” he asked. I gave him two shaking thumbs up before stuffing my hands back into my jacket pockets. Wondering how people could stand being out in the cold, I hurried inside.

As usual, the hallway was packed. Stupid girls fixing their makeup in mini locker mirrors, guys checking them out not-so-discreetly, teachers ‘trying’ to control the chaos going on throughout the school. Try harder, teachers. Out of nowhere, someone shoved me out of their way, two guys carrying on a lively conversation not even caring they just shoved an actual person. No surprise – it was two of the jocks: a soccer player and a basketball player. I scowled at their backs before adjusting my backpack and continuing on my way.

I groaned quietly in my head when I saw all of the idiots were present when I got to my locker. Was I going to have to show up at 4AM to beat them? They had a guest with them, though. A jock.

“We should all watch the cheerleading tryouts together tomorrow,” Tao was saying. I made a disgusted face to myself. Nasty little s.

Sehun laughed, obviously enjoying the fact that his girlfriend wasn’t around to hear the conversation between him and his fellow s. “We should be the ones picking the cheerleaders. Did you see the one girl they let on the team last year? Disgusting. Someone needed to tell her to lay off the chocolate,” he said with a scoff. All the boys erupted into laughter and agreements, banging their hands on their lockers.

“And remember I kept making cow sounds every time she walked by?” Luhan snickered, causing Tao to shriek in laughter before imitating a cow. Beyond angry with the words those boys spoke, I almost tuned my ears out, but then their guest spoke.

“Why don’t you guys try out today? Coach is going to to make me let all these little brats who think they’re good on the team. You guys are way better than they are,” the captain of the basketball team, also known as Park Chanyeol, complained. “Seriously, I’ve already heard the nerds in my class talk about trying out. If they’re any good, I have to let them on the team. Our image will be ruined.” I rolled my eyes. Oh, boo hoo hoo.

“Sorry, I’ve got dance,” Kai excused.

“I’ll stick to soccer,” Luhan said.

“Yeah, no,” Sehun refused.

I heard Chanyeol sigh. “Brats. I’ve got to get to class,” he said with footsteps accompanying him.

Tao suddenly shouted, causing me to jump in surprise. “I’ll try out, hyu