somewhere only we know | huang renjun

013 | like the back of my hand.

!like the back of my hand.

BRIGHT RED MARKER HAD NEVER LOOKED SO SCARY. a great big 40% at the top of my biology paper screamed into my eyes and i felt the blood rush to my cheeks, nearly becoming dizzy at the grade in front of me. i knew it was a hard test, but i never thought i failed it.

"how'd you go?" renjun asked from behind me, leaning over his desk to peek over my shoulder. i quickly pressed the paper into my chest and shook my head, hoping he hadn't seen my mark.

he laughed at me, reaching his arm out to pull the sheet from my grip. "come on," he chuckled, "it can't be that bad." i held on as tight as i could, but eventually lost my grip as he snatched the test from my arms. his smile quickly fell as he read the number. letting out a quiet 'oh', he handed me back the paper and looked up to meet my eyes. "it's alright," he began to reassure me. "...right?" he said, raising his eyebrows helplessly.

"not really," i explained, worried. "first the weekend incident and now this, my dad's gonna kill me!"

renjun placed his hand on my shoulder, stroking lightly with his thumb. "don't stress about it," he spoke quietly. "we can work something out," he promised. i nodded, frowning with uncertainty. what was done, was done. i wasn't so sure there was a way out of this one.

"damn y/n," donghyuck spoke, leaning over from beside me as he gazed down at my paper. "what happened? i've never seen you get any grade below 90."

i shrugged at him, my heart still beating hard out of my chest with stress.

"is that what you normally get in bio? 90?" renjun asked, looking shocked. i nodded, embarrassed at how far down i had suddenly fallen. "why don't you just ask to resit the test?"

"what?" i said, confused.

"if you've never done this badly before, she might let you have another chance," renjun explained.

"yeah," donghyuck pitched in. "you're such a goody two-shoes there's no way she'll say no," he added with a smirk, giving me a nudge teasingly.

i rolled my eyes at him, ignoring his words. "do you really think i could?" i asked, looking back at renjun.

"it's worth a shot," he admitted. "just say..." his voice drifted off as his eyes looked around the classroom, as if the perfect excuse would be written on the walls around us. "just say you had some kind of family emergency and didn't have enough time to study."

"you really think it'll work?" i asked, doubting the boys' idea.

"got nothing to lose by trying, y/n," donghyuck said, standing up and giving me a pat on the back. "you don't want to keep that score, do you?"

i shook my head, taking a breath to prepare myself before trying to secure a second chance with our teacher. the bell sounded, and while the rest of our classmates gathered their things and left the classroom in a pack, i made my way towards the teacher's desk with renjun following loosely behind me.

"hi miss," i greeted nervously.

"y/n," she replied.

"i was wondering if there was a chance i could resit the test?" i asked pleadingly, pointing to the red mark on my paper. she shook her head disapprovingly, pushing her glasses back up her nose.

"i'm afraid not, y/n. it's your final year of school this year, and there is no room for error. it's a real shame you received this mark, i had high hopes for you."

i frowned at her response, knowing my dad would never react as calmly as she did.

"it's just..." i begin to explain, "i had some... personal problems at home, and... and i didn't have enough time to properly prepare for the test," i lied, guilt building in the pit of my stomach. she sighed, waiting for a moment before opening a drawer in the cabinet of her desk, ruffling through a pile of papers sorted messily inside.

"are you free tomorrow at lunchtime?" she offered, still keeping a disapproving expression. i nodded quickly, accepting her time. "alright. meet me here then, and i'll give you another paper to sit. this will not happen again, however. do you understand?"

"yes, i understand. thank you, miss!" i exclaimed gratefully.

"run along now," she said, guiding renjun and me out the door impatiently.

"tomorrow?!" i said to renjun once we were away from our teacher. "i'm gonna fail again! that's not nearly enough time!" i stressed, nerves building up under my skin again.

"hey, hey," renjun shushed, calming me down. "i'll help you study, i know this unit inside and out. like the back of my hand," he said. "plus, i make a really great tutor," he playfully grinned with a wink.

"you will?" i said, eyes gleaming.

"of course," he assured. "we better get started now though, we haven't got much time!"