[ ✓ ] 𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐀 , seho .

six

six

Another day on the roof, worrying about what his father would either do or not do to him. Junmyeon had begun to get tired of being scared, but that was only after realizing he had something else to be afraid of.

It was no surprise to him when Sehun forcefully opened the door, dropping his backpack next to it, then rushing to sit on the ledge next to Junmyeon.

"Hey," Junmyeon greeted. This had become routine by now—he'd already be staring down at the parking lot when Sehun would barge in. Then, they'd start their casual conversation.

Except today, Sehun stayed quiet, which was something that almost never happened. Junmyeon had gotten used to the younger's lively spirit. Seeing him so quiet made him worry.

"You okay?" Junmyeon asked as he turned towards Sehun's direction.

"I'm fine. Just really need to get away from the people I'm surrounding myself with," Sehun explained before letting out a sigh. He wiped his eyes, staring out at the landscape.

"How so?"

Another sigh. "If I'm around them any longer, I don't think I'll ever become a better person. They're all bad news," Sehun started. "Do you know Kim Jongin? He's in your grade."

"You're friends with him?" Junmyeon questioned as he recalled the behavior of that boy in his head. That guy would almost always show up to class late and never did his schoolwork. And on top of that, he had a rather sour personality. It was a surprise that he had been acquaintances with Sehun.

"Unfortunately. And he's not even the worst in our group."

Junmyeon pursed his lips, unsure of what to say. He didn't want to seem too nosy by asking about the rest of the group—he felt as if he already made Sehun feel uneasy.

"And I can't exactly cut them off so easily. They'd just get suspicious." Sehun looked down at his hands as his thoughts drifted from Yixing, then to Chanyeol, then to Jongin. He suddenly remembered every bad memory he had with them, and along with that, realized he had almost no good ones. He started feeling upset again, wishing he had never followed in Sehyeon's footsteps. He could have ended up so much better if he hadn't—he wouldn't have had to deal with having an addiction at the ripe age of fourteen. He wouldn't have been taken out of four foster homes because of it. Overall, he'd be a better person.

"Well, I hope you get out of it, sooner than later," Junmyeon praised as he glanced out past the ledge. "That must be hard. I'm not sure what they're always up to, but I know it's probably nothing good."

"You got that right. They're always up to no good. Every time I'm with them, I just end up babysitting them," Sehun chuckled. "But, I could use a distraction."

Junmyeon laughed with a confused look on his face. He was pretty sure he knew what Sehun had meant—there he is, the lively-spirited Sehun.

"And..."

"Come to my house this week. My foster parents would be glad to know I've made a friend who's not a drug dealer or an alcoholic." Sehun smiled at Junmyeon, who had also been laughing. "Just meet me up here then? Tomorrow?"

Junmyeon simply nodded with a small smile.