world outsiders, nct dream

chapter sixteen

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE NEW GIRL

❝WE SHOULD JUST PLAY IT SAFE.❞

━ DREAM FOCUS ━

"Donghyuck," Jeno shook the boy lightly.

Donghyuck opened his eyes slightly at the older boy shaking him, "what do you want?" His voice was groggy, the fact that he had been sleeping evident.

"Someone's arriving today," Jeno told him, taking a seat at the end of his roommate's bed. Donghyuck adjusted his potion a bit to get more comfortable.

"What are you talking about? We haven't gotten a new person since you arrived two years ago." Donghyuck yawned, sitting up.

Jeno leaned forward, helping brush down some of his bed hairs. "I know but that's why I'm talking to you about it."

"What are you wanting to talk about?" Donghyuck asked, standing up to stretch some.

Jeno shrugged, "I don't know. When you guys heard about me coming were you excited, unhappy, scared? How should I feel right now?"

Donghyuck laughed quietly, "depends on who you ask. Renjun wasn't scared, more like annoyed someone new was coming. At the time, he had just gotten over Jaemin coming in and wasn't the happiest hearing he had to get used to someone new again. I, personally, was a bit worried, I guess. I didn't know what you were like, how you acted, anything. Jaemin was the happiest out of us, he heard you liked playing sports and such. Renjun never liked going outside and I never fancied it either so he hit the jackpot when you entered."

"That doesn't answer my question at all," Jeno sighed, falling onto Donghyuck's bed. He stared up at the ceiling.

"I guess we should just be careful. We don't know what this guy is gonna be like- wait. Do you know if they're a dude or a girl?" Donghyuck paused.

Jeno shook his head no, "I overheard Minju talking to one of the nurses earlier. She just told Minju that there was someone coming and she better be nice."

"Ah. So they're probably a girl if Minju is already being told off. She's so annoying. I don't understand what she gets from clinging to you and Jaemin like a koala bear. Before you came and it was just Jaemin she was obsessed with, there was another girl. She came here when we were 15 and Minju was so mean when Jaemin had arrived that the other girl was transferred because Minju was bullying her so bad."

"Really?" Jeno sat up. "I hope she's not like that with the new girl. I already feel bad enough for the way she treats you and Renjun. I can't be feeling bad for another person."

"Renjun and I don't need your worry, Jeno. We've told you and Jaemin both multiple times that we're big boys. We don't need either of you getting upset Minju treats us like trash. We do, however, need to watch out for the new girl. No telling what Minju will do to her if she gets jealous."

Jeno's body shook just at the mention. He hated the way Minju spoke and acted towards his only two friends left. If the new girl was nice, he'd be nice as well. But that also meant he'd have to be extra careful talking to the new girl. For her own sake.

"What if she's just as mean as Minju, though? What if she fights back at fire with fire?" He asked, standing up. He bent backward slightly and began stretching with Donghyuck.

Donghyuck shrugged, when he was about to speak, their bedroom door was opened. In walked the two remaining boys, Renjun and Jaemin.

"You guys heard about the new girl too?" Jaemin asked, making way to Jeno's bed to lay down while Renjun sat at the end.

"Yeah, Jeno's afraid she's gonna be mean like Minju or something."

Jeno smacked Donghyuck on the shoulder, "it's not that I'm afraid she's gonna be like Minju. It's that I'm worried she's gonna fight with Minju. It's already tiring enough with Minju alone but if another girl shows up and starts fighting with her, I don't know what I'll do."

They all turned their heads towards Renjun. He always had the most logical explanations and ways of doing stuff that worked out in the end. The other three boys naturally just looked to him for help even though he was rather quiet and closed off compared to them.

He shrugged. "We should just play it safe. No being extra nice or extra mean. If she talks to us, we answer. If not, we don't talk to her. For now, we need to keep our distance from her until we know what she's really like."

The others nodded at his words. For now, they just needed to be cautious around the newbie.