The door of the swimming pool room opened with a loud bang and there were panicked faces looking back at him.

Baekhyun could hear the detention teacher yelling behind but he could hardly feel himself breathe.

Because suddenly the whole world didn't seem functional anymore.

He felt like his knees would give out any moment, his lungs feeling empty.

Chanyeol was lying motionless on the floor, people surrounding him.

They were right about time slowing down whenever your heart wouldn't; because it sure felt like it.

He shoved them away and pumped air into Chanyeol’s mouth, both hands pushing down on his ribcage.

He wasn’t breathing.

Baekhyun tried again.

He wasn’t breathing.

And again.

Chanyeol wasn’t breathing.

Tears were forming in his eyes but it didn’t matter even if the entire school saw him cry. Because right now nothing mattered to him.

Baekhyun felt he couldn’t go through this again.

Not again.

It all happened so fast that he felt dizzy. Perhaps it was due the fact that Baekhyun had forgotten how to breathe.

Chanyeol was sputtering out water, heaving on the floor.

Teachers barged in yelling at everyone.

Kris was pushing Baekhyun away from Chanyeol.

Chanyeol was coughing his lungs outs.

Chanyeol was crying.

Chanyeol was clinging onto Kris.

Chanyeol was breathing.

“Chanyeol?”

“Mm?”

“It’s boring here. Let’s go swim?”

Chanyeol gasped loudly and started shaking his head.

“No! no no no I will drown.” He repeated it over and over again.

Chanyeol was panicking and Baekhyun knew he had to calm him down.

“Chanyeol! You won’t drown, I promise nothing will happen.”

“No Baekhyun, no!”

Baekhyun was taken aback from Chanyeol’s adamant response. His friend was never so stubborn about anything.

“Well… I’m going then.” He got up and dusted his red shorts. Hurrying away, Baekhyun didn’t hear the ‘don’t leave’ softly escaping Chanyeol's lips.

His class mates were messily running about, splashing water on each other. The entire 3rd grade was enjoying the field trip to the waterpark much to Chanyeol's dislike. Baekhyun’s favorite teacher Miss Seulgi tried to make Chanyeol join everyone. But he refused.

Not because he didn’t want to.

It was because he couldn’t.

He spent the afternoon watching Baekhyun from a distance, hoping he’d overcome his irrational fear one day.
 

“That means he’s my step cousin!” Yixing exclaimed raising his brows. The afternoon cafeteria was bustling with students.

“What, how?” Jongdae asked savoring his caramel pudding.

"Well Kris's my cousin and he is his step brother so..." Yixing answered, his voice trailing off.

Baekhyun’s lunchtray was left untouched as he played with a pen. Boredom was blatantly written across his face as he showed no interest in his school food.

Jinri walked towards their table and Baekhyun sighed.

“You should’ve told us he’s your cousin.” Jinri snapped her chopsticks in two, pointing them at Yixing.

Her tray corner nudged Baekhyun’s slightly and he clicked his tongue loud enough for everyone to hear. He thought he was indifferent towards Jinri but he’d thought wrong.

Yixing defended himself by saying that he’d also lea