10

DESPERATE FOR (YOU) A TUTOR

Nothing happened after that day. Absolutely nothing. Most things went back to normal—Jinyoung went back to tutoring Sandeul, and Gongchan went back to sipping madly on his straw while watching them (instead of studying math). Everything returned to the way it was, except for Baro's sudden appearances, of course. Or at least that's what he had thought.

Sitting against the same old tree, sipping on to his drink was Gongchan, still watching Jinyoung and Sandeul laughing in the distance. It was all still the same to him. Absolutely nothing had changed between them, and Jinyoung hadn't said a word to him all week. He kind of missed being bothered so much by him—as if he had actually enjoyed it before—but he somehow knew that it would be a while until that were to happen again.

"Yo, yo, Chan." Baro said, taking a seat next to him with his lunch in hand. Hanging out at lunch together had become a routine for them, a mutual agreement they had never officially made. "What's cooking?"

"Just, don't." Gongchan cringed, looking away.

None of them ever said they enjoyed hanging out together.

"Fine." Baro muttered, picking at the grass. It seemed as though their small talk would stop there, as usual, but it wasn't just a normal day. "How's math going?"

"Shoot."

"Who on earth could I possible ask to tutor me?" Gongchan shrieked as he and Baro walked out of the school's perimiter. "Seriously, who?"

"You could always ask—" He stopped mid-sentence, noticing how Gongchan glared at him. "Jinyoung." He coughed awkwardly, pretending to have not said a word.

"I barely even talk to anyone besides you! I literally don't know anybody else!" He continued, suddenly stopping in his tracks when his phone began to ring. "What the—"

He unlocked it and began to read the message he had been sent, ignoring Baro who had been impatiently tapping his feet in front of him.

"Wait—It's Wednesday?!" He yelled, frustrated.

"Umm... is there something wrong with Wednesdays?"

Gongchan just groaned, pocketed his phone and began to run back to the school building, muttering something along the lines of 'Jinyoung' and 'basketball practice.' Baro frowned, sighing as he realized how frequently he had been ditched and mistreated ever since he began to hang out with him. Oh, well, it was his fault after all.

His legs were burning by the time he entered the gym doors, panting heavily. Practice had already started, so the majority of the team was unfazed by his appearance, from the exception of two people who he had known too well.

Jinyoung stopped running across the court as soon as he spotted him, giving the boy a smile and a small wave. Gongchan sighed and walked towards the bleachers, too tired to give the other a response. He didn't notice the sad expression afterwards, nor did he see the distant eyes watching over him.

Gongchan didn't actually want to be there waiting for Jinyoung to finish practicing, but his mother had told him to stay back and wait for him since Jinyoung got worried easily when he walked home alone. That wasn't something new, it was something the elder had done ever since they were younger. It was either go with him, or don't go at all. Of course he was old enough to go by himself now, but Jinyoung always thought otherwise and he wasn't one to complain.

Practice wouldn't be over until another hour or more, so Gongchan reached for his backpack and took out his math book. He was still indeed failing, and not doing his homework seemed like he was digging his own grave. Sure, he knew most of it would be wrong, but it was worth a shot. Besides, what else was he going to do during that time?

"Hey, what you got there." Someone said. Someone he