"I'm going to ask you a genuine question, Donghyuck, and I want a genuine answer."
"Well, that depends on what the question is," Donghyuck replied, not looking up from his book. It was raining heavily that evening, hence why there was no one outside. Friends could only communicate through texting, and the constant vibrating of Donghyuck's phone annoyed Renjun to no end.
"Why is it that any time I go anywhere, there's people whispering? Like, even when they were just talking they immediately go quiet. Why is that?"
"Ah, see that you may just need to ask them," Donghyuck sarcastically grinned. "Sorry."
"You have a point, I guess," Renjun sighed and flopped on his bed, narrowly avoiding hitting his head on the backboard. "Why me?"
"Reasons. I mean, no offence, but have you not realised you're a bit of an outcast here?" When Donghyuck said it like that...
"Of course I have."
"Then think a bit further. Or ask someone else."
"Aren't you supposed to 'know' a lot?" Renjun raised his eyebrow at Donghyuck, figuring he might be able to persuade him a little.
"Yes. And I do."
"So why can't you tell me?" Donghyuck threw his phone on the bed.
"Fine! Since you want the information so badly apparently..."
"No wait! Am I going to regret-"
"...the school kinda sorta thinks you and Lee Jeno are dating." Renjun stared at Donghyuck for a few seconds, incredulous. "Which I personally think is bullshit. I mean it's such a reach, don't you think? But then again..."
"Why the fuck would the school think that?" Renjun was now starting to sweat, and his hands subconsciously formed a fist. Donghyuck simply shrugged.
"Apparently someone saw you two on Saturday when Jeno was practicing. He never lets anyone see him practice, and I mean never. Something to do with 'the surprise element'," he shrugged again and went to plug his phone in to charge. "So then they told someone and then the someone told someone, and you know how it is."
"...amazing," Renjun muffled out, lying face down on his pillow. His brain ran through a list of new questions now, but they all amounted to this one: why him?
Knowing what the whispers were about was a whole new experience, and one Renjun disliked almost as much as everyone else as a whole. He'd earnt attention, but at what cost?
"Is it true?" His seatmate, Jisung, once mumbled to him.
"About what?" Renjun said, knowing full well what he was asking about.
"That you and Jeno are dating? He refuses to tell us anything," he whined.
"If he refuses then I do too," he coldly answered. The teacher walking past them both made them shut up temporarily, but it wasn't long before Jisung said something again:
"Do you want my guess on things?" Did he really want his guess? Not really. Did he say yes anyway?
"Go ahead."
"I have a theory he's questioning...stuff. And-" the teacher glared at them both before Jisung continued quickly, "-and since you're new, it makes you like..."
"Easy to use? Somehow, I doubt he has bad intentions."
"Of course not, but like-"
"Jisung..." the teacher warned, and he hung his head, pretending to write something on the worksheet he'd barely started. Renjun was almost finished.
"Like I said, if he's not telling then I won't."
Jisung didn't say a word more to him for the next couple lessons.
"Not a thing," Jisung shook his head, approaching Chenle at their usual place under the east sakura tree. The latter patted a place beside him on the grass.
"I told you so. If Jeno won't talk, of course he wouldn't." Jisung sighed and lay across Chenle's lap.
"It was worth a try."
"You tried," Chenle downed the rest of his juice box. "Anyways, you know how Jeno is. Better than me."
"But still. Nothing else could explain it. We're his closest friends and he never lets us! And Jaemin-" Chenle stroked his hair gently, taking in the breeze.
"Don't get too worked up about it-"
"-Jaemin did riding before right? And they've been friends for ages-"
"Shhhh. You know how they were after that." Jisung slowly nodded, gratefully taking the pretzels Chenle offered to him.
"I suppose so. I still don't get how it all happened to be honest."
"Long story short, they're salty. All of 'em."
"Donghyuck more than them, right?" Chenle nodded.
"That's just how he is. After Jaemin asked him out it just went meh from there. They'll snap back," he crunched a pretzel loudly. "They've been friends since primary school days. They're sure to." Jisung swatted away falling crumbs onto his torso, and blew away flies from the pretzel packet.
"Like we did?"
"I mean we didn't have a Donghyuck to get in the way; kinda incomparable."
"You know, I don't think he's all that bad," Jisung commented, staring at the clouds through the buds. They would bloom any day now, and cover the ground in a blanket of pink.
"He isn't," Chenle said. "Just a tad prideful. Other than that, I mean I got nothing against him." A paper plane landed beside him, and he threw it back to the laughing group of students near by them. It didn't go very far- looping back and landing by Jisung's head. Without sitting up, Jisung tossed it backwards; soaring right to its destination. He clicked his tongue and Chenle rolled his eyes.
"You too."
"What do you mean?"
"You're also a little egotistic too, you know that?" Jisung attempted to throw a pretzel into his mouth, instead it landed on his nose.
"A healthy amount. I'm perfect."
"There you go, point proven." Chenle leant down slightly to place a kiss on Jisung's forehead. "Jeno will tell when he's ready." He sat back up, leaning against the tree trunk and blowing a stray leaf from his shoulder.
"In other news, your theory was correct. I asked just now via notes."
"You ought to stop with the notes. People can read."
"What's said in the notes, stays in the notes. Try it someday." Jisung munched on.
"I'll pass. My theory was right?"
"Yeah. He said he's bi-curious."
"Stellar." A couple birds flew ahead, and the clock chimed for the next classes to start soon. The pair stayed there for a while more.
"Anything else?"
"Other than the literal stack of past papers I got for maths? I don't think so." Jisung laughed at that, pointing at Chenle teasingly.
"It's what you get for being big brain." Chenle pushed him off his lap, gathering his things and stuffing the half-empty pretzel packet in his bag. It would probably be finished by the end of the day.
"Everyone here's big brain though."
"Then biggest brain. My Chenle is biggest brain," Jisung grinned and elbowed him in the side. Chenle frowned at the "my" but let it go this once.
"Thanks uh...Jisung," he buffered whilst trying to think of a nickname and buried his head in his hands as Jisung stood still to laugh.
"You tried," he pretended to wipe a tear from his eyes and Chenle giggled along.
"I suppose I did. I'll think of something good one day."
"That day will come after I die," Jisung said. "But 'til then, I'll enjoy just my name. It sounds so sweet when you say it."
"...stop," Chenle facepalmed. "Stop!"
"Never!"