"Please everyone take your respective seats and be quiet, we are about to begin the test." The teacher called just as Ren walked into the class. His friends followed a few seconds later and scurried to their seats. Their teacher waited a few more minutes until everyone settled down before speaking again.

"You may open your envelopes. Anyone I find cheating or looking elsewhere besides their paper will receive a fifty points penalty. You may start in three, two, one." He finished and started walking around the classroom for a while. When the first student finished, he sat down behind his desk and received all the finished tests.

"Yo." Ren said after Jihoon left the classroom when he was done with his test. Jihoon glanced around the hallway, assuming Ren meant someone else.

"Uhm, is it a trend to talk to people you haven't even acknowledged in half a year?" Ren chuckled.

"Yeah. I saw Eunyoung talking to you. You seemed angry with her." Jihoon sighed.

"I wasn't angry. Well, yeah, kind of." Jihoon leaned against the row of lockers against the wall. Ren frowned.

"What were you so angry about?"

"Why? So you can torment with it?" Jihoon scoffed. Ren nodded awkwardly.

"I know I've been kind of an to you the last few months."

"Kind of? Few months?"

"Two years. Look, I know I ruined your friendship with Jessica. But, you have to admit you weren't being a great friend either."

"Yeah, I've made my mistakes. I should've acted differently with her and I definitely should've never come up with that stupid bet, but you were admittedly using her. That was just as stupid."

"We both should've behaved different. But, allow me to do something for you. Tell me what got you so upset with that freshman." Jihoon sighed and looked at his feet.

"That girl, Eunyoung, she has some stupid video of us having while I was drunk. And, now she's threatening me to sell me out as a if I don't listen to her stupid demands." Ren looked flustered.

"Don't get me wrong, unwanted is unwanted , but she is kind of hot. What's so bad about a tape of you losing your ity to a semi-hot girl?" Ren joked. Jihoon sighed and sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. Ren frowned and took a seat next to him.

"Holy . It really was your first time, wasn't it?" Jihoon nodded.

"I should have never gotten drunk like that."

"Why did you do it then, getting drunk?"

"It was the first week of school. I saw Jessica walk to school by herself, and I honestly hoped you guys broke up over the summer, so she could be my friend again." Jihoon glanced at Ren for a response, but Ren simply waited for him to finish.

"Then, I saw you two making out at her locker and I got upset." Ren chuckled.

"So that is why I didn't see you in class that day." Jihoon nodded. Ren sighed.

"I'm sorry." Ren muttered. Jihoon paused and frowned.

"What?" Jihoon stared at Ren.

"Don't make me repeat myself. I don't think I can."

"Please don't tell me that you have some deadly disease and you are going to die, so you are looking for everyone's forgiveness now." Ren grinned.

"No, relax. I'm not dying. Although, it kind of feels like I am."

"I know about the whole drunk make out session she had. Eunyoung told me." Ren sighed and rubbed his head.

"My friends are right, I'm got pissed over the exact same mistake I made last year." Ren sighed.

"At least you didn't try to her." Jihoon chuckled. Ren raised an eyebrow at him.

"Too soon?" Ren chuckled while he shook his head.

"Not really. Just, I never expected you to have it worst than me. I know you never meant to hurt Jessica. I shouldn't have driven you to the point where you did something that awful." "Yeah, well, therapy is kind of helping. I have my bad days, but I know how to take a step back now." It grew silent between the two for a few minutes.

"Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?" Ren chuckled before rubbing his head again.

"Jess did something stupid, and I did something even more stupid as a result."

"Yeah, she kissed someone else while she was drunk. That was stupid of her. You got mad. That's understandable."

"But, it was stupid of me to just break up with her. She thought it was me, I just dyed my hair blonde and the guy she kissed was blonde too." Ren sighed.

"Yeah. About that. I told her it was me with a wig. Sorry about that." Jihoon glanced around him.

"I know it wasn't you. It was Hyunseung."

"Wait, what? And he can still walk?!"

"I saw them. Worst part of all is, I did the exact same thing last year."

"You kissed a blonde guy while drunk and thought it was Jessica?" Jihoon teased.

"No, I kissed a random when I was drunk who looked like Jessica."

"Wow. And, you broke up with her? I'd expected you to just beat the guy up. Maybe have an argument with her about it." Ren rolled his eyes at him. Their phones vibrated, indicating a new post on the school site. They took their phones out and checked the post. Both froze at the sight of Jessica appearing in the frame. She wore the black dress from the party and they watched her sit on the bed, seemingly feeling unwell. Hyunseung bent down in front of her, looking worried. Ren's grip tightened when the two shared a kiss. The video continued with Hyunseung lifted her up and her legs wrapping around him. He put her on the bed, halfway outside the the frame and the two started kissing intimately. The video ended right at the moment Hyunseung slid down her shoulder straps. Ren glared at his phone silently for a while, worrying Jihoon. He swallowed hard and glanced at him. He noticed Ren's knuckles turned white.

"I'm going to kill him." Ren jumped up and had fire in his eyes. Jihoon rushed after him as he walked with loud steps towards the cafeteria. Ren took a quick glance around and found Hyunseung sitting next to Eunyoung at a table. He walked over there and jumped over the table before throwing grabbing him by hair and pulling him to the floor from behind. Before Hyunseung could respond, Ren got on top of him and threw the first punch at his face. He punched him repeatedly a few times before Hyunseung managed to block him and switched their positions.

"What the hell?!" Hyunseung shouted at him. Ren switched them again.

"You're a sick bastard, you know?!" Ren yelled back at him.

"You filmed it?!" Ren glared at him. Hyunseung smirked for a second, which was enough answer for Ren. Ren kept throwing punches left and right before he was finally pulled off by Jonghyun and Minhyun. The whole student body in the cafeteria looked on in horror as Eunyoung rushed to Hyunseung's sight when he didn't get up.

"Principal's office, Mr. Choi. Right now." A teacher glared at Ren. Ren was still glaring at Hyunseung as the nurse rushed to his side. He glanced up and noticed Jessica looking at him, white as a sheet. He swallowed hard and softened his expression, feeling embarrassed suddenly.

 

Ren sighed as he waited on the bench outside the principal's office. He leaned his chin on his hands, tapping his foot nervously.

"Hey." Ren looked up and found Minhyun in front of him. He noticed Jonghyun standing at a distance, focused on a phonecall. "They say how much trouble you're in?"

"Not yet. They're on a video call with my father right now. All I know right now, is that he's disappointed in me." Ren sighed again.

"Jesus." Jonghyun spoke loud all of a sudden. Ren and Minhyun looked at him.

"Are you okay?" Jonghyun asked. He waited for the other person to finish.

"Alright. Get home safe." He hung up and walked over to Ren and Minhyun.

"That was Jessica. She went with Eunyoung and Hyunseung to the hospital. He has a concussion, broken nose, a cut on his eyebrow and his eyelid and a black eye. And, apparently a few more injuries they wouldn't disclose to her." Jonghyun explained.

"He deserved more." Ren muttered.

"Dude, you could've seriously injure him. He was knocked out when we pulled you off."

"No offense, but I'm a little more concerned about my pending punishment, over the that took advantage of my girlfriend." Ren glared into space.

"Ren, you put another student in the hospital. That's grounds for expulsion. Is that really how you want to end your senior year?"

"Does it matter anymore? It already happened. I can't go back in time." The three were interrupted by the office door opening. The principal stepped out and gestured for Ren to come in. Jonghyun and Minhyun wished him luck and watched the door close.

"They're not going to expel him, right? He's their best student." Minhyun wondered.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they did. He fought Jihoon last year, put Hyunseung in the hospital this year. He'll either have to repeat the year, or he'll get expelled at the worst." They both sighed exasperated.

 

Tuesday, December 31st

Jonghyun decided to throw a party for new year's, as it would be one of the last parties they'd have in senior year. He setting up when Baekho and the rest of the guys came over. To their surprise, Ren showed up as well, along with the first few invited guests.

"Hey, I thought you'd be locked inside your room for the rest of the school year." Minhyun commented.

"Nope. My parents haven't said a word since before Christmas. I don't think he thinks grounding me helps anything, so he's just ignoring me."

"So, you didn't get punished?"

Aron asked as he handed him a drink.

"No, I did. I'm not allowed on school grounds for the first two weeks after New year's and I'm only allowed back if I apologize to Hyunseung, in person." Ren sighed.

"Damn, that apply is going to kill you." Aron chuckled.

"Yeah, well, it was my father's idea. Apparently it caused a bit of a scandal, so now I need to save face." Ren rolled his eyes.

"Well, that's a problem for next year. Let's just have a good time tonight." Baekho smiled and toasted them. Ren smiled and glanced around. His smile fell when he saw Jessica standing by the door, talking to Lizzy. Ren bit his tongue