ch. 45

"you're stuck in my head and i can't get you out of it."

-back to you

"for the love of god yeo, stop killing me!"

"sorry eun, but victory comes first."

"you piece of shit."

"yah, we're on the same team now so let's go find the last survivor."

"i'll let you off this time, but when i get infected you're my first victim."

the two friends frantically press on their phones as everyone else at the table watches their interaction, their scrunched faces and sighs of frustration amusing them. they may not know, but their small bickering brings entertainment to the boring lunch table.

eunbi is the first one to chuck her phone onto the table, fury written all over her face, as she smacks yeosang on the shoulder. the male lets out a small yelp of pain before glaring at his friend.

"why did you do that?!?" he slightly shouts while rubbing his shoulder. "that hurt, you know?!?"

eunbi rolls her eyes at how pathetic he looked. "i told you to go get the last survivor from the front while i sneak up from behind and yeet the shit out of them!"

"he had a sentry gun for goodness sakes! how am i supposed to get through that?!?"

"with your throwing ax!"

they turn their backs from each other and angrily pout in the opposite direction after the small argument.

mingi, who was across from them, raises an eyebrow at their peculiar interaction. "why do you guys keep yelling at each other? it's just a game."

hearing the question causes them to turn their heads toward the confused boy.

"because he/she messed up!"

simultaneously, they look at each other with the same furious stare.

"it's all because you suck at playing c.o.d!" yeosang scolds as he wags the finger at her.

the girl scoffs with disbelief. "excuse me?!? i wasn't the one who died first during the attack of the undead; i lasted longer than you!"

averting their attention from the redhead, they scowl at one another before facing away once again.

eunbi distracts herself from the angry blonde by observing the commotion of the canteen, listening to the students' chattering and laughter. people are gossiping about rumors, complaining about their teachers, or simply talking about their day to pass the time while they enjoy their lunch.

subconsciously, her eyes turn to the loudest table of the cafeteria.

as always, wooyoung has his arms around the girls beside him as he holds a conversation with his table. his foolish grin appears very frequently when he opens his mouth, probably telling the group about something funny that happened today.

siyeon and yunho are not that far from him, but they pay no attention to their friends and only focus on themselves. the light brunette carefully wipes the rice on his girlfriend's mouth, earning a small blush on the girl's cheeks. they flash each other sweet smiles before resting their heads on one another.

close to the black-haired male, san is talking to a girl from across from him. the female points at his head and shows him a thumbs-up, approving his new hairstyle. a small smile tugs on his lips and he thanks her for the compliment.

now that she noticed, eunbi takes a few seconds to appreciate his newly dyed hair: black with a patch of green lingering on the side. it makes him look more handsome than before, making her heart ache a little.

her lips curve into a bittersweet smile.

it's okay, she consoles herself. you've been through this in the past. this is nothing.

is it though?

this is different from before, where the boy she loved had his eyes on someone else.

she doesn't know if he is in love with someone.

so should she pretend nothing happened that day and act as if they were friends again?

should she be the first to recoil their friendship?

should she take the chance?

or should she let things flow on its own, letting her suffer alone?

should she?

ignoring the uncomfortable sensation, she feels a small tap on her shoulder and she turns around to see a worried expression on yeosang's face.

"you okay?" he asks, noticing how quiet she has been after their small bickering.

she answers with a small nod and brings her empty gaze to the table. placing her hands in front of her, she lets out a big sigh and closes her eyes to relax herself a little. she mutes everyone around and listens to her breathing as she inhales and exhales.

she's sick and tired of everything.

her ears twitch a little when she hears someone stand up from their seat and leave the table for a while, but she resumes resting herself until she feels something cold being pressed onto her cheek. once she opens her eyes, she recognizes a familiar packaged drink in her peripheral vision.

looking up from the table, she sees the blond male nonchalantly sipping on the same exact beverage. he makes eye contact with her and raises an eyebrow as he takes out the straw from his mouth.

"are you not going to drink it or what?"

the brunette playfully rolls her eyes at the sound of his sassiness before she grabs the drink into her hand. plucking a hole into the carton, she attaches her lips onto the straw and hums with content when she tastes the flavored beverage.

strawberry milk- her favorite.

as the awkward pair of friends they are, no one speaks and enjoy their drinks in silence. hongjoong, seonghwa, and mingi are laughing over some meme they came across on their social media, forgetting that the two were sitting right in front of them since they were so quiet.

nonetheless, the female grabs her phone that she threw across her seat and opens up the gaming app she was playing earlier. she catches yeosang's attention by pointing at the screen with a suggestive look.

"so, another round of c.o.d.?"

the male sitting next to her simply nods and grabs his phone from his pocket, opening the same app, before they immerse themselves into the intense game; they act as if nothing had happened earlier.

their fairly loud shouting brings some people's attention while they furiously press on the screen of their devices, their voices guiding one another to victory. once in a while, eunbi would tilt her head to the side and directly tell her friend something while yeosang nods with understanding. the girl then dramatically drops her phone when she sees victory written on her and her friend's screen, gasping in shock at the sight. turning over to the male, they both fist bump one another with excitement.

"oh yeah!" the blond male raises a finger when he remembers something. "i'm having trouble singing some parts of the song for the performance tomorrow, so i was wondering if-"

the female immediately shushes him by covering his mouth, so he could not speak any further. she gives him 'the look' and he widens his eyes, understanding the reason behind her actions. removing her hands from his face, yeosang takes in a deep breath after being suffocated for a few seconds.

"i am free tonight," she whispers so no one except her friend can hear her. "just call me and i'll help you with the song."

"and more rounds of c.o.d," the male adds.

with scheming smiles on their faces, they do a little handshake before giggling with one another.

none of them notice the frowns they made through their interaction.