Not wanting to feel more like an absolute idiot (you had reached today's limit), you hastily plopped yourself down on the only empty chair, which was next to uhm, Wooyoung. In all honesty, you didn't mean to stare, really, but his side profile was enough to tell you that he was blessed in the looks department. He turned his face to the other side, most probably feeling your stare.
"So, ______," San began again, reclining back in his chair, "Do you have a boyfriend?" You would have grimaced and laughed awkwardly had you not been startled to death by a loud bang, Wooyoung roughly smacked his palms down on the table and you almost felt bad for it. The next thing you see is Wooyoung heatedly glaring at San and it could only be a miracle how he wasn't six feet under already.
"So, do you?" San said again, disregarding the series of snarls being sent away. Quite perturbed by this... animalistic behavior, you inched away from the blond.
"No, w-why?" You asked once the distance between you and the other boy was enough.
"Really?" the ginger head, Mingi, if you guessed right, asked, "Maybe I can help change that status." he winked at you cheesily. Wooyoung stood up abruptly, sending his chair flying back onto the floor and left without another word or glance.
To say that you were confused would be an understatement for you were on the verge of losing your damn cool. Throughout the whole ordeal, none of these boys had batted an eyelid, hell, no one in the cafeteria spared the bunch even the littlest of attention. This could only mean that this was a part of Wooyoung's customary shenanigans and that mayhap, you had chosen the wrong people to sit with.
The other seven tried to occasionally involve you in their conversations which was not of much help, considering that you straight up ignored them, wanting nothing more than to disappear the moment this godforsaken recess ended.
"Hey, don't take anything of what happened to your heart," San approached you in the next class, "Wooyoung didn't mean it. He just doesn't do well with people."
You tried your best to muster up the most genuine smile you could, "It's alright." But by the way his expression fell at your response, you could tell that you couldn't really do much to convince him.
You considered the possibility, what if Wooyoung really was awkward with new faces? It could be. Maybe he didn't mean it at all.
He totally meant it.
What. An. Absolute. Asshole.
You were walking down the main halls, looking for your locker, you were positive you had passed the notice board thrice already but you were better this way. You didn't want to stick out like a sore thumb, walking around with your nose in a map. It was only when you heard something crash that you halted. As you walked up to the Janitor's closet, you were sure the sound had resonated from there, but the sight that greeted you when you peeped through the crack of the door sent you reeling. You were absolute that your eyes were playing tricks on you but when you looked again, the scene hadn't changed, Wooyoung was strangling San.
Wooyoung was choking San. Not in a good way. He was snarling this time too, though it felt as if he had been possessed by a demon. You couldn't see his face for his back was towards you but by means of those animalistic growling being elicited from his lips, you were sure he must not look less than one.
"Was it necessary?!" The boy asked, further increasing the pressure on the other's esophagus.
"You know it was." The latter had the temerity to smirk.
"You didn't have to bring her to the table so don't give me that bullshit." Wooyoung slammed San against the wall, his grip still taut on the latter's neck.
A nauseating feeling hit you, your mouth felt dry, and your heart pounded against your chest. There was a ringing in your ears that if you focused enough on it almost felt like murmurs. As quickly as it had come it left, replaced by a familiar dread and realization. Was he talking about you?
"It was the right thing to do. She had nowhere else to go."
"I don't give a fuck. Do you realize how much da-"
You walked away. You couldn't listen more, not even if you tried. Were you really that much of an inconvenience? Moreover, did San think you were some sort of homeless puppy who couldn't manage on her own? Was that friendship charity? Motherfucker.
The walk back home was unsettling and strangely enough, lonely. Now, you were far from conceited enough to think that it was impossible for someone to dislike you to this extent. You understood when you moved that settling in would be difficult, but you would never have guessed you were dense enough to land yourself in this situation. By no means were you a stranger to being unwanted and yet, why were you feeling as though the world was coming to an end? It was an absolutely horrifying feeling, you were hurt but at the same time, why? You didn't even know the boy!
Today had been a long day.
Reaching home, you bee-lined to your room, acknowledging the deserted state of the house but not giving much thought to it. You quickly changed into your pajamas and got into bed, turning off the lights in an attempt to sleep peacefully. That wouldn't happen. Your brain was in overdrive: recalling and analyzing every single moment spent today in school trying to figure out where you had gone wrong. Eventually, you grew so tired that sleep came to you.
You didn't know how long you had been asleep, but it felt like two to three hours at maximum. Though your eyelids were heavy, something willed you to wake up, an uncomfortable feeling overtaking your body. You flipped your body around, so you were laying on your back and facing your bedroom door. Slowly you willed one eye open, though your eyesight was still blurry you managed to make out a figure standing by your door. The sun hadn't yet set, so a yellowish hue took over your room. "Gran? Where did you go?" You croaked, still trying to focus your eyes. Gran didn't respond and you frowned but were finally able to see who was standing there: none other than Haneul. Immediately you jumped back pressing yourself against the headrest while looking over to where your phone was charging on your bedside table.
"You ditched me, you bitch!" The words came out without much thought, your emotions taking control. You would have felt an instant rush of regret had Haneul not burst out into a fit of laughter right then.
"I knew you had it in you!" She giggled in childish glee, walking with quick steps towards you and plopping herself beside you. "I'm sorry, I forgot to mention I had detention during lunch, please don't ask why!" She flailed her hands in front of her maniacally.
"Oh," You mumbled, realizing how horribly you just overreacted, "That's okay." Haneul didn't hover and before you knew it, she was speaking again.
"So I was wondering, would you like to visit the diner with me? A few friends are meeting up, I could introduce you?" Without much thought, you replied, "yes." Haneul was pleased with your answer for she hummed and stood up excitedly, "Well, get ready then, I'll wait up in the living room." From the moment she walked out, your actions were robust and automatic as if they were not your own. You needed a distraction, and here it came meandering through your doorway.
You settled on a striped t-shirt and black jeans with a pair of timberlands, deeming it worthy enough for making a decent first impression and for a diner. They had a diner in this town? Maybe this place wasn't as outlandish as you had assumed.
Well, how bad could it be?