"At least she didn't spill anything on you this time." Alice smiled, pointing at my clean shirt as we walked down the hall after art class. I made a little laugh as Lily let out a sigh.
"I said I was sorry," she mumbled, looking down.
"Hey, hey, hey," I smiled, poking her arm. "I forgive you, it's no big deal."
"I'm not gonna live it down from her though," Lily said, poking Alice's side. Alice laughed, waving as she cut off towards her classroom. Lily made another sigh and looked forwards, suddenly with a smile. Nearly skipping down the hall, she grabbed my hand and swung it back and forth, dragging me along the hallway.
"Wha..." I mumbled, then apologizing to the people I hit with my arm as Lily weaved through the crowd of people. We arrived right in front of Mr. Cona's classroom in seconds, much earlier than we usually would.
"What are we doing here this early?" I asked, quickly shushed by her finger. She made a little giggle as she peeked into Mr. Cona's classroom, completely ignoring Mr. Cona who stood at the doorway. He raised an eyebrow at me that I replied with a shrug and questioning look. He took a few steps away from us, standing in the middle of the hall to direct traffic.
"Look, look!" Lily whispered yelled, pushing me a little forwards into the open doorway. We had arrived so early that some people from the previous class were still exciting, and unfortunately Lily had pushed me to block the exit just as someone was leaving.
"Sorry," I apologized quickly, but the person just walked past quickly, not seeming to mind as they merged into the hallway of people. I saw Lily's hand from the corner of my eye as she pulled me out of the doorway and at a side angle so I could peek inside.
"What am I looking for exactly?" I asked, looking at her instead of inside. She made an annoyed sigh, using both of her hands to turn my head.
I looked around the room, everything looking normal as always. A few random people gave me confused looks as they walked out, while a few girls passed both of us, giggling with Lily and high-fiving her as they passed. I turned around, confused. "Okay, what am I missing?"
One of the girls that passed laughed, replying, "Markson."
"What?" I began, but the girl had already disappeared. I turned towards Lily for an explanation for the 50th time, only to be replied with another sigh.
"The light hair." Lily said, pointing inside the room. "Pink highlights. That's Mark."
I glanced inside the room, it almost empty now. It was finally easy to find him, especially since he was sitting on the teacher's desk. My eyes widened and I quickly glanced at Mr. Cona, who stood casually in the middle of the hall. Pushing Mark was Jackson, attempting to push the other off the desk, messing up a few papers in the process.
"Stoppp~" Mark squeaked loudly, his voice being shaken as his body was rocked back and forth in Jackson's attempt to tip his weight off the edge of the table. There was a sudden scream as Jackson lifted Mark off the table, the trapped one flailing around to find the floor with his feet. He didn't find it though, because Jackson carried him to the door, setting him right outside the classroom.
"Go to class, dumb-" Jackson began, only to be cut off by Mr. Cona who now stood closer to the door.
"Don't finish that," Mr. Cona said simply, causing Jackson to shut his mouth and make a tiny nod. Mark made a big grin, making hearts with his thumb and finger and waving them under Jackson's bowed head. The latter looked up, laughing quietly.
"Have fun, Wang." Mark said holding the two hearts up against the other's cheeks as if to pretend-pinch them.
As the other walked towards his class, Jackson made a loud sigh as we followed him back in the classroom. "Why do I still deal with that guy...?" He asked himself, heavily plopping into his seat.
Lily was sitting in BamBam's seat as people started coming into the room, staying with Jackson and I. "Because..." Lily began with a smile.
"Shouldn't you be over there?" Jackson asked with a hint of annoyance. Lily made a pout, quickly standing up and making her way back to her seat. BamBam quickly took her place in the seat.
"Hng, warm seat," BamBam commented through Jackson's annoyed silence. When he didn't respond, BamBam quickly leaned over and whispered something in Jackson's ear. Jackson made a loud laugh, pushing the other back towards their seat.
"Go away, Dab-Dab," Jackson laughed. BamBam leaned in a second time, only to be replied with a flying pencil to the face. It hit his nose and fell onto the floor, but BamBam only laughed as well.
~~~
"You agree, right?" Lily asked as we exited the room, saying goodbye to Mr. Cona who held the essay I had just turned in. He handed everyone who was leaving the homework assignment which I quickly stuck in the pocket of my binder.
"For the last time, I'm not joining your shipping cult." I said, hitting the top of my locker and grabbing my bookbag. I carefully picked up the duck and the attacked sticky note and held it carefully in cupped hands.
"Aww..." Lily sighed, disappointed and not surprised at the term "shipping cult." Lily carefully pet the top of the duck's fluffy head, making a smile. "It's cute. What's its name?"
"Uh," I began, "I'm not sure yet."
"Name it... Gray." Lily said after a moment of consideration.
"It's yellow." I started, walking along the clearing hallways.
"Yeah, alright, fine..." Lily said, thinking about a new name.
I quickly pulled out my phone and turned it on, checking the newest texts and trying to keep the duck safe in one hand. There were the messages from lunch that they had sent about Saturday, but my poor memory didn't remember if they had said anything about after school. I opened the group chat typing out a simply question with one finger.
Rona:
Rehearsal?
Hoseok:
I've got work and Namjoon's my ride
Rona:
Alrightie cya
"How about Sean?" Lily blurted out after a long silence of thinking. I put the phone in my pocket, then shook my head.
"That doesn't really make sense." I said. "I'll just let him survive without one."
"Fine..." Lily sighed, turning the corner to the "forest."
"I'ma go do some homework stuff. Wanna join me?" she asked.
"Sure," I replied, following her into the room that she held the door open for. When I entered there were already a number of people there. Alice and Sayeon waved towards us, so I went towards their open table.
"Welcome, welcome," Alice greeted, patting the chair next to her. I sat down, followed by a peppy Lily sitting across from me. I quickly got out my homework and a pencil, starting before anyone at the table could say a word to me.
"Eager?" Alice asked pointing towards the first question already done on my paper.
"You could say that." I said simply, underlining a few sentences of the text. It stayed somewhat quiet in the room, only minor whispers around the table for lead or a few answers. I was almost done with the last set of questions when my name was shouted from the other side of the room. Almost as if I had just been woken up, I quickly raised my head and looked around. On the other side of the room was BamBam, wearing a dark cap that confused my brain and his identity. I pushed my chair out and stood up, on my way towards his table where Jackson and Mark sat.
"I need-" BamBam shouted loudly, not realizing I was a few feet behind him. Jackson let out a loud "Shhh" and he turned around noticing me standing behind him. I put one hand on the back of the chair, leaning over to look at the crumpled papers on his desk.
"What'cha need?" I asked, scanning the scribbly writing on the new homework.
"Are you done with Mr. Cona's homework?" he asked, turning around so he faced me.
"Basically, why?" I asked. BamBam's eyes seemed to light up as he nearly jumped up hit his arm against the side of the table.
Cringing a little, BamBam quickly perked up. "Can I please, please see it?"
"I'm not gonna let you copy it-" I began, quickly cut off by more pleading.
"Please, please, I don't understand any of this!" he exclaimed. I rolled my eyes and started walking back to my chair. I felt something brush against my back, probably BamBam's attempt of grabbing my shirt, and then a loud thump as his chair tipped over and he hit the ground. Jackson couldn't help but laugh at his friend's pitiful state and I turned around to help him up, only met by an offer.
"I'll stop dabbing for all of next week," he said, opening his eyes wider with a hopeful smile.
"What...?" I breathed.
I looked over and saw Sayeon quickly look up from her work, staring right at me. "Do it." she said with serious expression on her face as she nodded at her answer.
"What? No!" Lily objected, "You can't do that! That's like taking away his identity!" Lily quickly turned towards me, pleading almost as much as BamBam, but for a different subject. "Don't do that to him!"
I couldn't help but laugh, which must've made me seem like sadist waiting for a better offer.
"C'mon, I won't dab for all that time..." BamBam trailed off, then without a response continued, "How about like 2 weeks?"
"No!" Lily nearly shouted, standing up like she was volunteering as tribute.
BamBam made a confused expression towards Lily, then holding up his blank homework and shaking it a bit. "This," he began, "is kinda a quiz grade."
"BamBam, I'm not-" I tried to say, cut off by a list of options.
"Okay, I can give you a ten- actually I think I have a twenty-" BamBam said quickly then shuffling through his backpack for his wallet. "You know what," He began after searching for a few seconds and finding nothing, "I'll buy you dinner or something."
"Wha...?" I trailed off, tapering the end of my unformed sentence.
"Where do you wanna go? Like, what do you like to eat?" He asked quickly, setting his backpack down. As he spewed out questions, eager to complete his homework, I heard Mark whistle from across the table. Jackson and him shared a laugh, but BamBam didn't seem to notice.
"But not like, that, expensive. I'm not rich." BamBam added after a few more questions I had tuned out of.
"Alright, how about I just help you instead of giving you answers." I offered, kneeling next to the table to be able to see his paper that now laid on the desk. BamBam turned around with a little smile, picking up his pencil, then using it to point to the first question. I was about to start explaining the directions but was cut off by a voice.
"Aww, well that's no fun," Jackson sighed, making both of us look up. "I wanted BamBam to do something,"
"Yeah Bam, be a gentleman and actually do something in exchange," Mark added with a smirk, leaning back in his chair as he scrolled through his phone without care.
I stayed quiet, rereading the question multiple questions to avoid conversation.
"If she doesn't want anything I'm not gonna make her pick something." BamBam argued towards his friends that both sat laughing to themselves.
"BamBam," I called, trying to get his attention back to the homework. He immediately turned back towards the paper. "The key word of the question is 'his tone of voice' - it's the character's, not the author's voice." I said, using an extra pencil to underline part of the sentence. Upon getting that information he crossed out two of the answer choices, then pausing for a second with the pencil hovering over the paper. He slowly looked towards me and I couldn't help but let out a breath of laughter.
"What?" BamBam questioned. I quickly shook my head, then pointing back to the paper.
"Okay, okay, there's a fifty percent chance of getting it right. Just pick one." I said, smiling.
"Then... A?" He asked, letting the pencil hover above the answer.
I quickly moved my hand to press down on his pencil with a nod.
"Nowww..." I continued, "You circle the answer,"
I heard Jackson let out a loud scoff of amusement and I looked up. He shook his head, beginning, "Don't look towards me, I'm just scrolling through my phone."
I tried to shoot him an unamused look, but it only made the two of them whisper a little.
"BamBam, you should rap for them," Mark suggested a few questions later, changing the quiet atmosphere of the room.
"Why?" BamBam asked, multitasking as he circled an answer, still looking at the paper.
"Because you owe her," Mark responded. BamBam tapped the pencil a few times, then crossing out answer choice 'A' and 'B', then moving his pencil above C. I bit my tongue as he also crossed out C and he quickly read the last answer, crossing it out harshly as well.
"Plus it's good practice-" Mark continued, suddenly cut off by BamBam's harsh slam of the pencil on the table.
"If you would shut up," BamBam half-shouted, "then maybe I could finish this and do that!"
With the sudden outburst BamBam's cheeks had turned red and he kept himself facing away from the boys and head close to the paper. I glanced at Jackson and Mark, both of which who were silently evaluating BamBam's strong statement. I didn't know what to say, but I glanced at the paper where BamBam was writing something out slowly.
"Can we just ignore them?" the note asked. I gave a little nod, erasing all four of the crossed out answer choices. I drew little arrows to 'A' and 'B' and wrote in small letters, "These two answers are basically the same."
I used my pencil to point at the third paragraph at the top of the page, and BamBam's pencil followed, circling one of the main points in the paragraph before circling the correct answer. He made a little smile afterwards, looking for acknowledgement.
"Good job :)" I scribbled next to the question.
~~~
BamBam quickly finished the assignment and I made my way back to my seat to pack my things away. I put every paper snug in my bookbag and paced around a bit as people talked before the bell was to ring.
"Let's just go," Grace said impatiently, also walking around in her eagerness to leave.
"Teachers'll get upset if we're wandering the halls." Lily told her for the second time so far, grabbing her arm to prevent her from running into the wall.
"But people are all over campus anyway," she argued, "I bet everyone's already gone home."
"They aren't wandering the halls though," Lily objected.
"Rona's outside almost everyday," Alice butted in in statement, quickly getting shot a sudden glance by Lily.
Grace and Sayeon looked towards me simultaneously. "What?"
"What?" I repeated, caught off guard.
"Uh..." Lily began, "Yeah... Rona likes the outdoors, right?"
"Oh, yeah," I agreed slowly.
"What... does that even mean?" Sayeon asked. Both of them seemed extremely confused.
"That I like going outside?" I said, mentally cursing myself for making it sound like a question. "I usually just hang out outside and than do homework inside. That's why you never see me along this hall." I explained.
"Hang out?" Grace asked suspiciously.
"Uh, yeah, usually I listen to music or practice certain things for dance." I said. Grace gave me a probing look, looking directly at me for more answers.
"With the guys?" I added with a questioning tone. If I sound casual enough they won't ask questions, right?
They seemed to immediately know who "the guys" were, and Sayeon looked towards Lily, who sat quietly.
"Why isn't she freaking out?" Sayeon questioned, pointing at Lily half-accusingly.
"Me?" Lily asked innocently, looking back and forth between the others.
"Yeah, you're supposed to start fangirling when they're mentioned. Unless you already knew," Sayeon said, almost accusingly at the end.
I found myself looking towards Alice, her expression both apologetic and urging me to explain myself to the others, as well as both Lily and her who only knew the outline of the situation.
Just tell them, it's not like I'm doing something illegal. I thought as Sayeon started arguing with Lily, showing a side of her I hadn't seen anytime earlier. When Sayeon was arguing, she argued. I found myself tuning out the shouting from both of them and staying within my own thoughts. There was a little silence that I didn't know what to say to fill, only to be completed with a deeper voice than my own.
"She's their choreographer, give her a break."
~~~
;] Thanks for all the support on this story! -1P