School Daze - Chapter Twenty Two (For Real this Time)
"Just how long do you plan on staying here, man?" Taebin questioned Wheesung as he sat a bowl of black bean noodles in front of the boy and sat a bowl down from himself. The YG boy had elected to skip the day's classes to hang out with his friend and catch up on so much missed time.
Wheesung stirred his noodles as a small smirk appeared on his face. He effortlessly scooped up a small helping with his metal chopsticks and ate without a single word to Taebin, that smirk never once fading from his features. He didn't respond until he had swallowed and was good and ready. "As long as need be."
Taebin rolled his eyes and shook his head, somehow expecting such an answer from Wheesung. "What about school? I may not know how public schooling works, but I do know that you can only miss so many days before they toss you out on the streets."
"Oh," Wheesung replied easily after another mouthful, "they won't worry themselves about me." He winked as he said this, causing Taebin to wonder just how much mischief his friend had been up to at his new school, though he didn't dare voice any of his thoughts, for fear that Wheesung would simply confirm them. "Anyway, the question isn't how long am I going to stay here, the question is, how long are you going to let Seven think he's head over heels in love with this little SM brat of his."
Silence.
Taebin smiled stiffly, “I’m just starting to get on his good side, and now you’re wanting me to pull the rug from under him and tell him not to see that SM pretty boy?” He shook his head and shrugged, “Besides, I’ve never seen-“
“I have,” Wheesung interjected softly, taking in another mouthful. “He isn’t worth the trouble he’s going to cause, man. He needs to just left to that insufferable Jung Yunho.”
The words Wheesung spoke, the tone he used, it was something that sounded completely foreign on him in Taebin’s opinion. Had they not been discussing something so important to both of them, Taebin would have laughed at the strangeness of it all. For once, Wheesung wasn’t his usual care-free self always taking things in stride and shrugging things away. “Ya, you sound offended that he’s going after this guy. Like he should be going after someone else.”
Wheesung grinned and allowed a wave of relaxation to wash over him, “Ne. I am a little disappointed in him.” He glanced at Taebin thoughtfully, “You know who I was rooting for, right?”
Another momentary silence fell heavily between them, though it was more Taebin’s fault than Wheesung’s. Dong Wook was finally beginning to accept Taebin’s friendship once more, finally moving past that moment of Wheesung’s expulsion, finally becoming the person all of YG had come to know and love.
Some more than others.
“I’m not saying become some valiant knight and rescue him, or some shit like that,” Wheesung laughed, reading into Taebin’s thoughtful expression. He shook his head and turned his attention to his half eaten bowl of noodles and grinned. “Next time, I’m treating, you’re too much of a cheap ass to get me lunch.”
“Just eat what's given to you,” Taebin responded with a small laugh and dug into his own helping.
It was just as they were about to finish their food that a few of their dongsaengs spotted them and entered the small building they were eating in. Seung Hyun was the first to speak, but not before helping himself to the remains of Wheesung’s noodles. “Hyungs,” he began, licking his lips and swallowing the small portion of food, “today’s carnival day and the four of us are going.” He waved his hands to the three other YG students that accompanied him. Ji Yong, Bom Lee and Yenni. “Care to join in?”
Ji Yong took a seat next to Taebin and eyed his nearly empty bowl with a hungry glint, “Yeah, you could just finish up here and come with us. I’ll even help you, hyung.” He reached for the food, but Taebin instantly smacked his hand away and made a show of finishing off the noodles.
“Seung Hyun managed to get us some free tickets,” Yenni said proudly, nodding her head slightly to each of her sunbaes, “So don’t worry about money or anything.”
“And Ji Yong’s treating us to pizza,” Bom Lee supplied with a cheeky grin.
At being mentioned, Ji Yong quickly glared at her, “I didn’t say I was treating you guys to pizza!”
“I don’t know about the carnival,” Wheesung began, glancing over at Taebin with a small smirk and winked slightly.
Taebin picked up where his friend left off and grinned, “But that pizza sounds awesome.” At seeing Ji Yong’s face sink, he couldn’t possibly refuse to treat his sunbaes, the two older boys let out a small laugh. “Call us when you’re done with your child’s play and tell us where to meet you all.”
“You’re seriously going to make me get pizza for everyone?” Ji Yong began to whine. His gaze suggested that he wouldn’t be letting them go until they answered the way he wanted him to.
Fat chance of that happening.
Yenni clapped her hands together and grinned, “Oh! You should invite Dong Wook-oppa and Teddy-oppa too!”
“And Lexy-nuna,” Seung Hyun added with a nod.
“And Baek Kyoung-oppa,” Bom Lee added with a gleeful grin. “He would be pissed if Lexy-unni got invited and he didn’t.”
Wheesung noted Ji Yong’s distressed face and decided to help him out a bit, “Then we should invite Yong Bae as well. They’ll more then likely split the cost between the two of them.”
“Why don’t you just invite the rest of the whole damn school,” Ji Yong muttered rather moodily and shoved his hands into his jeans before getting up and preparing to leave. “Come on if we’re going to enjoy the last of my debt free time at the carnival. See ya, hyungs.”
All but Ji Yong laughed and chattered animatedly as they left the small shop, leaving behind Taebin and Wheesung, both smirking at the memory of Ji Yong’s priceless expression.
“We really inviting everyone?” Taebin asked, smirk still firmly in place.
Wheesung gave him a shocked and offended look, putting his hand on his chest and drawing back a bit, “Im Taebin, I’m shocked at you for asking such a question.” He rolled his eyes as Taebin laughed before speaking on, “How often does that stingy little rich boy treat us to something? If we talk about it, no one would believe us, so we have to invite everyone so they can see it for themselves.”
* * *
Changmin couldn’t help but be frustrated with Jaejoong sometimes. While flawlessly avoiding his plan to get his two hyungs to go to the carnival together, Jaejoong somehow managed to put the plan of their being alone together in play. Jaejoong would be watching Yunho’s soccer practice that afternoon, then the two would be hanging around the dorm since Yoochun insisted on taking Junsu out for a nice evening.
Though they would probably take turns thrashing one another at video games, the point was that they would have some alone time together. Hopefully it would be long enough for that damn wall to be broken down. You know the one, the wall that had Jaejoong and Yunho so separated that it was almost agonizing to be in the same room with them.
Yeah, that wall.
With gentle pressure, Changmin rubbed at the center of his chest, hoping that it would soothe the dull pang of anxiety and dread he felt there. Nothing grand had happened lately. No unexpected run ins with the less joyous students of YG Academy. All his hyungs seemed to be in good spirits, Ri In hadn’t even broken into their dorm to clean up. Not even Boa’s brief appearance had bothered him too much.
So why that nagging feeling? Why the dull pain? Why had it been a slow and constant growth within him?
He shook his head and dropped his hand to his side. He was being silly. It was nothing but his overactive imagination running away with him. Soon he would be inside the carnival and having a great time with a friend he hadn’t seen a while. There was no sense in dreading anything. Not now, anyway.
Changmin reached into the left pocket of his pants and pulled out one of the carnival passes that Boa had gifted to Jaejoong. It would allow two people in, so it came as no surprise when he instantly thought of inviting May Doni to join him at the carnival. It would be his first one in several years, and he was certain that the girl would enjoy it very much.
“Oppa!” From a distance, he could hear that familiar voice calling out to him as she ran with everything she had. She only stopped when she was a few short feet away from him. “Sorry I’m late, oppa.” She bowed slightly, attempting to catch lost breath. “I didn’t want to answer to any of my sister’s questions, so I waited until she left before I headed out.”
Ever understanding, as always, Changmin nodded and waved her tardiness to the side, “It’s just good to finally see you after so long. Kaja. Let’s go have some fun.”
As long as Changmin was at her side, even as just a friend and mentor, she would always have fun. Though being at a carnival was a bit of a perk. In an instant, the two were making their way through the crowded grounds filled with games, rides and food vendors. All thoughts of school rivalries and one sided love were put away for the time being. For now, they could enjoy themselves as they children they were.
“Look at that one,” Changmin pointed to one of the many goldfish on display at one of the game booths. He pointed to an orange and white colored fish that seemed much smaller than the rest. “It looks like a bit of an outcast.”
May Doni smiled and decided to try her luck, “I’ll win it for you, oppa.” When the vendor came around to collect the game fee, she gave Changmin the thumbs up and prepared to win a fish. Maybe if she were really lucky she would win several. “Here goes nothing,” she muttered silently, turning the small white ping pong ball in her left hand as she prepared to toss it.
Several rounds of the dratted little game later, May Doni was still nowhere near close to winning the fish for her Changmin-oppa. Things had gotten so bad that the vendor simply gave her the fish of her choosing, stating that no fish was worth the amount she was spending on it. To Changmin, he nudged the boy slightly and muttered in a low voice, "That's dedication to a loved one, boy. Make sure you keep that girl close to your heart, and take care of her."
Changmin smiled and nodded at the man, not bothering to inform him that they were not dating, that they were simply friends. But he did consider himself a loved one of May Doni's, and he was honored to feel that way. She treasured their friendship so much that she would empty her pockets, though he had tried to stop her a number of times, simply to win him a fish. Their friendship would surely remain in his heart, which was why he couldn't bare to take the fish when she presented it to him.
"You worked so hard for it, May Doni," he commented with a small laugh, remembering the look of concentration fixed on her face as she continued on with attempting to win the little fish. "I couldn't take it away from you, knowing how much heart and passion went into getting it. Besides, it really wouldn't last long at my dorm."
May Doni laughed a bit, "I should have known wouldn't be able to care for a fish. Especially when you're unable to take care of yourself, oppa." On a number of occasions Changmin had mentioned how there were certain classmates of his that would clean his room for him, cook meals for him, sometimes even do his laundry, all for the sake of having him help them with a particularly difficult assignment. Then there were friends of his that did these things--
Simply to tell his mother that her son wasn't taking proper care of himself.
"Changmin-ah!"
At hearing his name, both Changmin and May Doni glanced in the direction from which the voice had called from. While Changmin recognized it before even seeing who had called out to him, May Doni recognized him from the soccer match that had occurred not even a month ago.
"Jaejoong-hyung?" And just behind him.. "Yunho-hyung?"
The pair made their way over to their dongsaeng and informed him that the apartment had been too stuffy and lonely. Since Changmin had left the second pass behind, they had both agreed to come to the carnival and find their youngest roommate so they could all enjoy the carnival together.
"But I didn't know you were bringing your girlfriend," Jaejoong finally turned attention to May Doni, who had attempted to shrink behind Changmin's tall frame. He smiled charmingly at her and extended at hand toward her, "Annyong. I'm Kim Jaejoong."
"I'm Jung Yunho," Yunho introduced politely before smirking evily at Changmin. "You never told us you had a girlfriend, you sly dog." He delivered a small punch to one of the younger boy's shoulders and shook his head. "I'm definitely going to have to write your mother about this."
Changmin covered his hand with his face and shook his head, "It's not what you think, hyung." Only to recieve one of those 'I'm sure' looks from Yunho.
Jaejoong's attention remained focused on May Doni, who looked extremely wary of them for some reason or another. "So what's your name?"
For a moment, May Doni panicked. She knew that this Kim Jaejoong wasn't like other SM students and wouldn't look down on her for being a YG student, but it was Jung Yunho that worried her. Would she be forced to tell them where she went to school? If she didn't answer, would she look suspicious? "May Doni," she responded silently, "Kim May Doni."
"Oh," Yunho nodded, a small smile lighting is features. "What high school do you go to, Kim May Doni?"
Changmin interjected smoothly, saving May Doni from answering the question she had been dreading only seconds before. "Just look at her, hyung. Does she look old enough to be going to high school just yet?" He forced a small laugh and shook his head. "What middle school did you say you went to, again?"
May Doni wasn't sure what she had answered, but it was deemed acceptable by both boys and they proceeded on with the night, playing various games, riding only the most exciting and thrilling rides, and even venturing out to try some of the food many vendors had to offer.
At one point, Jaejoong and Yunho wandered off to ride one of the boring rides, or so Changmin had labeled them, leaving himself and May Doni.
"How is the fish holding up?" Changmin asked curiously, glancing over at May Doni, who had been staring at the fish. He assumed that her new pet was something that had been on her mind since she was so focused on it. Did she expect the small creature's life to end so soon or was she watching it simply for the sake of having something to look at? Though Changmin suspected the answer, he wanted to know what was on the girl's mind. If she would open up to him.
At first, she didn't seem to respond, but finally began to speak, and not about the fish. "Would Yunho-sshi dislike me if he knew I went to YG Academy?" While asking the question she had refused to meet Changmin's gaze, but now that she had finally gotten it off of her chest, she glanced up at him with wide, worried eyes.
He frowned thoughtfull, and though he hated to admit such a thing, he slowly nodded his head. "Yunho-hyung's prejudice of YG students extends to anyone at that campus." He frowned, not enjoying reflecting upon his hyung's flaws, "It isn't fair that he's so unfair to someone simply because of another school, and it seems to have gotten to the point where it effects everyone around him."
"What do you mean?"
Changmin shifted in his stance slightly, looking down to the ground, "Even I have been fallen into the habit of separating the two schools into 'us' and 'them'." It was a terrible confession, yes, something that he would have preferred not to say to May Doni, both knowing what category she fell into, despite their friendship.
From a distance, with a game booth separating them, Yenni could see her little sister and at first thought she was simply standing with some random hook up. "It's about time that girl caught on to my mad man grabbing skills," she muttered silently with a small grin. But further analysis of her younger sister's companion informed her that May Doni was in the company of an SM boy. Not just any SM boy..
Shim Changmin.
She frowned at this discovery, not liking what her eyes were telling her. Why was May Doni here with that stuffy SM brat? Was she not aware that YG and SM were sworn enemies? Did she not care?
Yenni always wondered why May Doni was so different from the rest of the population of YG Academy, and now the evidence as to why was right here. Right before her very eyes. Looking at the pair of them, she couldn't help but admit how good they looked from an outsider's perspective. The two probably would make a cute couple together if it weren't for their schools. Her frown deepend as she admitted why her sister was just so different from the rest of their school.
She was better suited to be one of those SM girls.
"Yenni," Seung Hyun called to her, waving her over to the game booth he was at, a worn baseball in his hand. "Come watch me beat the pants of Ji Yong."
With one final glance at her stupid little sister, she hurried over to her friends. She'd have to keep them from discovering May Doni's betrayl. Not only would it reflect poorly on Yenni, but more importantly, it would have a dramatic toll on the girl should the wrong people find out about her associations. And though Yenni loved her friends very much, she was very positive that they were most certainly the wrong people.
May Doni forced a small smile onto her face as Jaejoong and Yunho rejoined them, electing to put her and Changmin's conversation to the back of her mind. It was something that was inevitable, so it wouldn't be wise to dote on such a thing, not when it couldn't be helped.
"How was your boring ride?" Changmin asked lightly, shoving his hands into the comforts of his pockets and arranging his expression into one of pure boredom. "Dull, I assume?"
"The merry-go-round could only be described in such a way," May Doni joked lightly, causing the two older SM boys to chuckle, much to her relief. She shifted in her stance and allowed her gaze to travel across the grounds, still littered with a good number of people. "I think we've done every ride the carnival has to offer." Her small grin grew slightly more genuine as an idea struck her. "Shall we have another go?"
While Jaejoong readily agreed, Changmin and Yunho seemed a bit reluctant about the idea. While Yunho didn't handle the faster larger rides very well, Changmin had come to the eventual conclusion that while carnivals were very fun, there was only so much fun a person could endure, and he had endured his three rides into his arrival of the place.
"Ah," Jaejoong began with a small teasing smile, "they're too scared for another round, May Doni."
The girl couldn't help but agree with him and instantly held out her fish to Changmin. "Since you aren't brave enough to master the rides anymore, then you can watch Woo Jin."
"Woo Jin?" Yunho asked, glancing at the fish curiously, assuming that it was the fish May Soni was talking about.
May doni nodded, "Woo Jin. Haven't you ever seen Love Letter?" She rolled her eyes before turning to Jaejoong, "Kaja, Jaejoong-sshi!" And with that, the two had run off to take on the thrill of carnival rides. Yunho and Changmin trailed patiently behind them, politely refusing every opportunity to ride, something about looking after little Woo Jin.
For the rest of their trip to the carnival, Yenni was very careful about who they bumped into, and while they did bump into a few SM students and just barely escaped getting into a bit of a spat with them, none of the little brats were Shim Changmin or the group he was traditionally with.
Seeing her little sister with such a person had upset her to no end, but that was nothing compared to how upset Boa got when she saw the girl with her Jaejoong.