Eleven

Kyungsoo

I didn't know what to expect when we returned to school on Monday. It was safe to say we were dating, but I didn't know if he wanted that to be public information. I didn't even know if I wanted that. I wasn't necessarily worried about what the other students would say, but I knew word could spread fast and end up reaching his parents. Although I had yet to meet them in person, based on everything Kai had told me about them thus far, I knew being caught by them would not be good for us. 

Luhan and Tao were hanging out by my locker when I entered the school building, and I walked over to join them. "Hey there," Luhan said to me as I walked up to them. "How was your date with Kai? Are you still a virgin?"

"There's no way he is," Tao cut in as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Have you seen Kai? He definitely got some action."

I rolled my eyes and proceeded to unlock it. "You guys can calm down," I said with a light exhale, pulling some books out of my locker. "Nothing happened. Well, we made out, but that was it."

"I can't believe it." Luhan shook his head in shock. "You had him alone and you didn't take advantage of it?"

"No, I didn't take advantage of anything, nor did he," I responded, eyes widened a little as I looked at Luhan. "Why is it such a big deal anyway? I actually like him a lot. I don't want to just have sex with him."

"Whatever, you're boring," he said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants. I just chuckled at him and continued moving stuff from my bag to my locker. Once I was finished, I shut it and turned around, happening to see Kai walking toward me. I tried to contain my smile, but just the sight of him made a spark of excitement roll down my spine. 

"Hey you," he said, coming over to stand at my side. I smiled as he pressed a quick kiss to my temple and then smile lovingly at me. Giggling sounds coming from Luhan and Tao caused Kai to turn his head in their direction. Their expressions straightened the moment we caught them.

"You remember Luhan and Tao, right?" I asked him.

"Yeah," he said, nodding his head and clearly trying to hold in a laugh. "It's nice to see you again."

"It sure is, isn't it?" Luhan said, getting a laugh from Tao. They burst out in laughter after a few seconds of letting their faces inflate and turn red. I shook my head in embarrassment.

"Don't mind them," I said to him. "I promise they're not usually like this." Kai just laughed. 

"We should probably get to class now anyway. We'll leave you two alone now," Tao said, beginning to pull Luhan along. I rolled my eyes at them as they continued down the hall. Luhan gave me one last excited face before completely turning around.

"Sorry about them. They can be a little much sometimes," I said, shifting to face Kai.

"No, it's fine," he replied as he laid his arm around my shoulder, forcing my body closer to his. "It's kind of cute anyway."

"Cuter than me?" I asked as I looked up at him, eyebrows raised. He chuckled and pecked my lips.

"Nothing and no one is cuter than you," he said with a faint smile. I smiled back at him and then we started strolling down the hall.

Chanyeol

I rushed my usual routine on Monday morning because I was so anxious to see Baekhyun. I spent practically the entire weekend working and perfecting the lyrics because some part of me really wanted to impress him. It was difficult to explain why, especially considering that we had literally just met. I didn't really stop to question it, though. 

I looked for him as soon as I got to school and spotted him at his locker not long after I came in. He had his earbuds in and I could tell by the way his lips were moving that he was singing along with whatever song he was listening to. I walked up to him and he smiled, pulling them out of his ears when he saw me.

"Hey," I said, coming to a halt a few inches away from him.

"Oh hi, Chanyeol," he said, sounding like his usual shy self. "So...d-did you get a chance to finish the lyrics?"

"Oh yeah, I did. It's kind of a rough draft." I rummaged through my bag and pulled the notebook I used out, opening it up to the pages and handing it to him. His eyes scanned over it and a smile developed on his face. "You can change anything you want on it. Like I said, it's a draft. It's been a minute since I wrote anything new."

"No, it's great. I love it," he said, bringing his eyes up to meet mine. I felt a smile grow on my face. "They fit the theme you talked about well."

"Cool, I'm glad," I said, my cheeks blushed slightly. "I can't wait to hear it. Maybe I'll like them better with the music. Should we meet at lunch?"

"Yeah, we can. I'll be there anyway, like usual," Baekhyun said with a few nods of his head. I nodded back and then smiled again, lowering his head for a moment. "See you then I guess," he added.

"I'll be there," I replied, giving him a small, awkward wave. He smiled and turned around, disappearing down the crowded corridor. 

I smacked myself for acting like such an awkward fool in front of him. It wasn't like I had a crush on him. 

Kyungsoo

"How about I take you out on another date to thank you for helping me pass that English quiz?" Kai said as we talked in the hall between classes.

"Just as a thank you? Not because you want to go out on another date with me?" I replied jokingly.

"Well, of course, I do, but I also want to thank you for doing the impossible. I never thought I'd see the day when I got higher than a D on an English quiz. I'm pretty sure Mrs. Yoon didn't either." I chuckled at that. "So, is that a yes to date number two?"

"As long as it includes a totally unplanned make-out session at the end," I said, making him laugh now. 

"Got ya. An unplanned make-out session will be on the agenda." I laughed again and then the bell for the next class rang. He said bye to me and I was about to walk back into the classroom when I heard someone start talking to me again. 

"Well aren't you two just the cutest couple on the face of the planet?" It was Chanyeol and he was walking back to class, too. 

"I think so, yes," I said, rubbing his sarcasm back in his face. "And where have you been? You didn't talk to me all weekend and we literally live right down at the street from each other."

"I've just been busy. I do have a social life outside of you," he said with a small laugh as we walked back into the room. "I've been helping Baekhyun write a song."

My jaw dropped open when I realized who he was talking about. "Ah, I see what's going on here. You guys are an item now?" I asked suspiciously as we sat down in our seats.

"Well, not really," he said, shrugging. "I mean, we just started hanging out. There's not much to say yet."

"Yet? Aw, my Yeollie has a crush," I said, getting an eye roll and a low, embarrassed laugh from him. "He's growing up so fast."

"Shut up," he said. Our teacher walked into the room not long after and I glanced at Chanyeol once more, smiling to myself as I looked away. Everything in my life was starting to feel better than it was before. 

Baekhyun

By the time lunch came, my mood had turned completely sour and I only had Taeyeon to thank for that. I knew she was just trying to be nice and clear the air between us, but it was still a sensitive topic for me. It reminded me of my insecurities and the terrible feeling of guilt I had about our breakup. 

Because of this, I was a little late getting to the music room at lunch, so Chanyeol was already there when I arrived.

"Ready to test out these lyrics?" he said, smiling brightly at me. I just nodded and smiled back. His eyebrows furrowed in the next moment. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said as I set my bag down by the door, forcing a smile as tears were forming in my eyes. I tried not to look at him, hoping he would just drop it.

"No, you're not. I can tell." His voice was so soft, it made me just want to run up and hug him. "Tell me what's wrong." Our eyes connected and I could tell that I could trust him, but I was still hesitant. The longer we looked at each other, though, the more I felt the words coming up on their own.

"My ex-girlfriend talked to me today for the first since I told her I was gay," I finally admitted. He looked surprised, but I wasn't sure at which part. "She apologized to me, but just her talking to me made me relive and re-feel everything I did when she dumped me. All the shame. All the guilt. All the hate I felt towards myself and still do..."

Chanyeol kept quiet the whole time, so I was beginning to wonder if he was still listening. I sighed and rested my back against the wall.

"You shouldn't hate yourself, Baekhyun," he said. I looked at him and the serious expression on his face. You shouldn't hate yourself because you did something you felt you needed to do. Coming out to her wasn't selfish. You were doing her a favor actually. Telling her before she found out from someone else was the best thing you could have done."

"I know that." I sighed and looked down at the floor. "Deep down, I know it was the best thing for me to do. I just...I can't let myself feel relieved yet. You should have seen how upset she was when I told her. She didn't show it, but I could see how hurt she was in her eyes. It killed me. She didn't deserve to be hurt like that."

"But she also didn't deserve to be keep being lied to," he pointed out, now standing and walking toward me. "Trust me, she would have been way more upset if you had kept it up. She'll get over it and so will you. You just have to let yourself move on. I mean, you came out to be happier, right? So let yourself."

I just watched him and nodded my head slowly, moving my eyes back to the floor. He unexpectedly wrapped his arms around me in a hug, causing me to freeze in place. I didn't know what move to make or if I could even make a move at all. 

"You're amazing," he said in a low, whispering kind of voice. "You need to stop telling yourself otherwise."

More tears entered my eyes as he kept hugging me. Eventually, I slowly began to raise my arms up and hug him back, a warm feeling instantly coming over me. And for a while, we just stayed like that, silently embracing each other.