tuition and fees ☆ z.cl | ✔

04

You were very, extremely uncomfortable. For many reasons.

First was the heels and somewhat poofy dress you were wearing, feeling much more comfortable in your swimsuit than your current ensemble.

Second was the awkward ride with Chenle's parents to the venue, you having to pretend that it was your first time meeting them, not your second after the initial offer to pay you to befriend their son.

Third was the eyes that followed you through the rather lavish ballroom, scrutinizing you as an outsider.

Last was the fact that you couldn't even cling onto your boyfriend for any sort of comfort, you had to be satisfied with his arm loosely looped with yours.

He had informed you when he'd first invited you to this event that you wouldn't be able to be as affectionate as you normally were, needing to keep up appearances and properness or whatever. You had agreed but didn't expect the sensation of a rash breaking out just from a few unpleasant glances from the other patrons. Sure, you probably didn't have hives colonizing your neck, but that was the closest analogy you could make to how you felt right then. Oh, and like you needed to puke.

Mr. and Mrs. Zhong walked a couple steps ahead of you two, in a similar position as you, except much closer. Chenle was keeping you even further away than when you'd first started your hesitant friendship, something that didn't go unnoticed by you.

You leaned over to whisper to him, "Is this a royal ball of some kind?"

"What? No, there's not real royalty anymore, Y/N. It's just one of my father's business partners' son's birthday party." He replied, clearly bewildered and also hoping that nobody could overhear your hushed conversation.

"I'm kidding, LeLe. So who's the birthday boy anyway?"

"Over there, with the red sash." He nodded towards a group of older boys, where one stood out in his dark black ensemble and flaming red sash hung around him. "Nakamoto Yuta. He graduated from our school a couple years before we became freshmen."

"Oh, so he's super old?"

"It is his 24th birthday party." He implicitly confirmed your statement, making the both of you giggle.

Mrs. Zhong suddenly turned around, giving you both a disapproving look at your snickers, but was rather pleasant as she requested, "Chenle, Y/N, you all should go say hello to Yuta and his friends."

Chenle nodded in assent, guiding you across the room towards the circle of boys you all guessed to be at least three years older than you. You thought that you might have recognized one from the swim team your freshman year, but you couldn't be quite sure.

"Is that Y/L/N Y/N?" The boy who you were now definitely sure you knew called out in disbelief, a flabbergasted grin across his mouth. "Oh my god, you've grown so much, freshie!"

"I'm a senior now, Jaehyun." You informed him, a fond smile on your face nonetheless.

Jung Jaehyun was the boys' captain your freshman year, which had been his senior year. You hadn't seen him since the graduation party he had invited you to where you had felt small, poor, insignificant, and alone. Until Donghyuck inevitably found you like he always did and practically forced you to have a good time. You weren't particularly overjoyed to be seeing your old teammate again, but that didn't mean you weren't at least a little happy. It was just that you met him in a rather upsetting time in your life.

"They grow up so fast," He sighed dramatically. "Mark's been telling me that you're killing it this year, Y/N. Four new school records and one Regionals record?"