"Yo, Hyuck. Can you like, lean away? Your breath stinks like jalapeno."
Barely acknowledging Renjun's insult, Hyuck leaned back on his chair.
They were in the back of their English class, sitting beside each other as per usual.
But instead of razzing each other and throwing spitballs, like usual, Hyuck was completely silent.
He had hunched over in his chair, staring blankly at the floor.
Renjun had been talking at his face all day, but he wasn't really getting much of what the other was saying.
"...been like this all weekend," Renjun was complaining. "Something happened at that dance."
Yes, Hyuck thought, something certainly had happened.
He hadn't told any of them about his adventures with the Princess.
He didn't want anyone knowing. Talking about her hurt, just like thinking about her.
Hyuck wasn't really one for melodramatics, but he had a feeling he was about to start understanding Shakespeare a lot better.
He felt like someone had stuck a needle in his skin and started pumping his blood with carbon monoxide, turning him into dry ice.
His weekend had literally been spent sending emails to her phone. He must have sent over two hundred.
At some point he'd cracked, and spilled everything – who he was, his address, phone number, everything. She never replied.
Eventually he sent an angry message that basically said, 'have a nice life.' He regretted it a second later, of course, but there was no turning back after something like that.
She must hate him. She must have decided she hated him during the dance, or she wouldn't have run out like that.
Maybe he was too much of a troublemaker.
Maybe she found him boring and dull.
Maybe his breath really did stink like jalapeno.
Last night, he spent all night clearing a space on his dresser where he could put her shoe.
He was keeping it for...well, he didn't know what. The day she returned? Yeah. Not likely.
Apart from Renjun, his friends had barely noticed. They were caught up in their own lives. Or, actually, in their girlfriends.
It made Hyuck's blood boil, and if he hadn't been so sad, he probably would have duct-taped their mouths shut hours ago.
"Can you believe Jaemin won the freaking costume contest, though?" Renjun asked, shaking his head. "He had the dumbest costume out of everyone."
He waited, clearly baiting Hyuck. Normally, Hyuck loved instigating Jaemin. But his heart just wasn't there.
Renjun grumbled to himself. "Whatever. You can just go be moody by yourself."
Thank you, I will, Hyuck almost answered. Instead, he slouched lower in his seat, bringing his knees up and pressing them against the wood of his desk.
A blaringly loud ringtone jolted Hyuck out of his thoughts. It was loote, although he only knew that because they was Renjun's favorite
He frowned at the girl, who quickly pulled out her phone and closed it. She smiled sheepishly at the rest of the class and tried to look inconspicuous, but it was too late.
