“Are those new glasses I see?” Baekhyun was loud and the smirk on his face was blatant.

Those were new indeed.

Sehun tugged at his navy-blue school tie, feeling conscious. He chewed on his lower lip as he felt eyes on him. A group of girls snickered directing their smiles towards him.

“Nice glasses nerd.”

One by one his books were pushed from his desk and Sehun sat in silence as he watched kids throw them on the ground. With a loud thud his last book fell along with his last shred of self-worth.

Cowardice and timidity took control of his body and he started tearing up, picking up his books only to be thrown down again.

The class commenced once the substitute teacher walked in and Sehun was glad that his classmates had spared him; for the time being.

The sophomore year had just begun and he already felt lost and tired.

Sehun flinched slightly as paper balls were pelted on him. 

The teacher had left and Sehun thought he’d get used to all this but here he was, a year older, feeling as miserable as he did on the first day of freshman class when he accidentally bumped into Baekhyun during lunch break causing him to drop his tray, spilling some of his food.

That day Baekhyun had poured the remaining contents of his food all over Sehun.

That day Sehun went home hungry and ashamed of himself.

That day was just the beginning of his misery.

The last bell indicated that he was free from this hellhole for the remnants of the day only to be repeated again the very next.

“I heard Jinri has a thing for you.” Jongdae had a lollipop in his mouth and his arm slung around Yixing’s shoulder as the trio walked out the school gates.

Their path fell along a small clearing through the forest of scattered King cherry trees.

Fallen yellow leaves and dead crisp pink flowers decorated the ground below. It was early spring, the beginning of their sophomore year and the scent of almond perfuming the air was undeniably present.

“I know and I couldn’t care less.” Baekhyun kicked a lone pebble on ground and watched it skid across the asphalt colliding with the base of an aging tree.

“Why? Dude she’s hot.” Yixing jumped into a puddled pot-hole splashing the dirt water everywhere. Jongdae made a face at him as he moved away from Yixing and closer to Baekhyun.

“Yeah whatever.”

Stretching his body, Baekhyun threw his head back looking up at the sky as they walked. Hazy clusters of fluffy clouds were blotched across the sky.

“Are you coming to Kris’s party tonight?” Jongdae flicked his lollipop on the ground and threw his arm around Baekhyun’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I’ll probably be there by 8.”

“Cool. See you then.” Yixing tried shoving Jongdae into a puddle but wasn’t quick enough as Jongdae expertly dodged him.

Baekhyun rolled his eyes at them and turned towards his home.

Fishing out the house keys from his school blazer, he unlocked the front