Na Jaemin grumpily shut his locker door, fed up and ready to kill someone even though he was an entire fifteen minutes into the school day, only then to come face to face with an overly sunny bastard. "Hyuck, get your face out of my face —"
"Good morning, honey!"
Jaemin looked around carefully to make sure there were no teachers around to hear him, before he popped the lock on his locker door, clicked it shut and subsequently told Lee Donghyuck to go mind his own business before he found something very smelly in his bed. Jaemin found that the use of colourful imagery was wonderfully effective when used against best friends and worst enemies. Of which, Donghyuck was both.
"Being your usual bubbly self, I see! I have to ask your opinion on an issue of mine before you start moaning about some headass-ery," Donghyuck replied, smiling, all teeth, way too mockingly after completing his sentence. Early birds are really terrible people.
"What is it, Lee?" Jaemin monotoned, and Donghyuck looked around, pretending to be confused.
"Are you talking to me? There are loads of other Lees here!" He practically shouted, and at least six other guys and three girls looked up from whatever they were doing, looking around in confusion for who had called them. One girl a few lockers down was side-eyeing them warily, probably wondering about whether she should leave.
Jaemin rolled his eyes at how dramatic the guy was. "You can't ever tone down the volume, can you?"
"Nope, life would be shit, and you know that!" chirped Donghyuck, looking at Jaemin knowingly when he winced. Once, Donghyuck had shut up for a whole day, just to see what would happen, and the principal herself had pulled Jaemin out of class to ask him what was wrong with his best friend.
Instead, Jaemin eyed Donghyuck warily, "Is there anything you want to ask me before I head to geography to toss myself into a volcano? You won't find me after that."
Donghyuck shrugged, "I'm sure I would, eventually. Volcanoes are easy to navigate if they're extinct, and I'd assume you're headed to one of those, as you naturally lean towards dead things. Anyway —" strayed Donghyuck, "— What do you think I should get Mark for our six month, because I..."
When Jaemin realised this was about a damned anniversary gift, he tuned Donghyuck out rather effectively. After all, he would probably just talk about it again later, preferably when there were more people present to annoy, so Jaemin decided to just tune him out and daydream about coffee. However, he found his eyes being drawn to the gym door down the hall — a guy from his own year was being kicked out of it by Jaehyun — Jaemin was on the basketball team with him. Looks like this kid had gone and pissed Jaehyun off before nine AM.
The very tall teen was now following after the guy with an intimidating glare, which Jaemin recognised as the you've mildly annoyed me face. "Later, the sign said. You can't ask for favours, Lee. That's not how we do stuff here." Jaemin rolled his eyes, yet another Lee. Donghyuck was actually right.
"Lee" held up his hands in submission, saying something that Jaemin couldn't make out, and he was unable to see this guy's face so he couldn't even attempt to lip-read. All he could see was a rather nice looking back under a bright yellow shirt, and he almost couldn't complain, except the shirt was about to give him a headache. He was almost about to go over and ask Jaehyun why he was scaring people shitless so early in the morning, and also see who this guy was, as Lee turned to start walking away. Jaemin caught a pair of specs, and was about to compute his features, perhaps to apologise — it would be a viable excuse to talk —
"Na Jaemin, were you even listening to me?" Donghyuck snapped from somewhere, shockiing Jaemin into turning around. When he looked back, Lee was gone. He turned back to face Donghyuck with extreme reluctance, annoyed that Donghyuck had stopped him from... whatever he'd been doing.
"No, I wasn't." Jaemin stuck out his tongue childishly.
"Ugh, you kids these days," Donghyuck rubbed at the bridge of his nose with his thumb and his pointer finger. "I'll just have sex with him or something," he continued wearily, waving his hand at Jaemin like you're dismissed, and walking off down the hallway.
Jaemin's eyes widened, "What the — Donghyuck! Get back here! Whatever it is, don't do that! Sex isn't always the answer!" He jogged off after his friend because you really never did know when he was actually joking.
=
Jaemin fiddled with his pen as his eyes flitted from the teacher to the board to a yellow-clad back. This Lee guy was in his history class, though he had never noticed. It was pretty stupid that he didn't know his name, but the teacher never let them talk in class or do any group projects, so there wasn't even a chance.
He remembered the guy's face now, however — glasses, yes, and a funny little blue bag that seemed to able to carry endless books. Jaemin heart suddenly thudded in excitement, as he suddenly remembered that he was attractive. Jaemin's cheeks coloured and he looked down at his desk. The girl beside him looked at him in shock — and she should have. Jaemin never blushed.
Jaemin recalled watching him walk into class at the beginning of the year, the memory suddenly clear as day. Jaemin had looked up — and Glasses had looked at him for a couple seconds, gaze like a stony resilience, and then when Jaemin had gotten flustered and looked back down, he'd never acknowledged him again. All Jaemin could remember thinking was "That was hot," and even though they never spoke, Jaemin had been thankful to be in the same class as him. Then he'd forgotten — until now. Why now?
He hadn't even been in time for the roll-call so he could have paid attention for once to hear his name, because before class he had been too busy trying to convince Donghyuck that he should give Mark something other than his own fucking virginity for their six month anniversary.
Jaemin's philosophising was interrupted by a harsh: "Jaemin, would you like to say something to your friend here?" Jaemin started and dropped his pen onto the floor at the sudden address from the teacher. Flushing with angry embarrassment, he bent down to pick it up, all the while realising that he must have been mindlessly staring at Lee's back while he had been mulling things over. He came back up, only to come back to find a few people staring at him in interest.
There was silence for a beat, then another student put his hand up, speaking before she'd had the chance to see him, "Miss? Who are you talking about?"
Miss Jeon coughed and pushed her glasses up her nose, before nodding at who Jaemin had been staring at. The poor guy, still unaware, was currently scribbling something into the back of his copy with complete and utter concentration. "Lee Jeno."
His head shot up so fast he must have gotten whiplash. He turned around and looked at Jaemin, looking just a little clueless. Hey, thought Jaemin dimly, he's still pretty cute.
Wait a minute. You only just learned his name.
"Again, Jaemin, would you like to ask him something?" There was a snigger from the corner of the classroom, and Jaemin almost whipped around to see who had done it.
Clenching his fist, holding back an eyeroll, "No, miss. I was just thinking while coincidentally looking at him."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Very well. I hope you were thinking about the French Revolution. Extra points if it was Robespierre." She returned to teaching the class, leaving Jaemin to wonder about how this Jeno character could be so cute without trying. Did he even try? He made some headache-inducing highlight yellow t-shirt look good, for fuck's sake.
Jaemin chewed on his lip, staring at the board this time. I should talk to him after class, he decided, but whether it was to apologise or to flirt, he wasn't sure.
The bell signalled the end of class, and Jaemin resolutely picked up his pencil-case and stuffed it in his bag, but when he looked up Jeno was already speed-walking out the door.
Jaemin froze and watched him hurry down the corridor and turn right. I can still catch him, he thought desperately.
No, that's ridiculous, you can't just chase him around the school —
He swung his bag onto his back and gave chase.
***
everyone in this book is so dumb lmaoo
hyuck's my favourite character who's urs