𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 ☾︎ changki

C H P - 2

If only he had taken that dread as a warning.

----

"Alright, start packing up your things! We'll continue tomorrow, so make sure to put away your materials. I'll see you all in math!"

The science teacher waved at all the students from the front of the room, his wide, gummy smile melting whoever bothered to look up at him.

"Yeah, see you later Mr Min," Kihyun mumbled to himself more than anyone else, putting his group's cup of glue in the zip-lock bag given to them; they wouldn't want it to dry out before they could use the rest. He let out a silent sigh, and despite being so tired that his limbs wanted to give out beneath him, his pink lips still managed to twitch upwards in a smile. Their next class--second period--was Band, and he loved Band. He loved playing his flute, though sometimes he was teased because other people who thought they were better than the rest of humanity said it was a "feminine" instrument; but really, he could care less. His flute was his baby, and playing it, playing music of any kind of music, gave him a sense of calm.

He retrieved his binder from the linoleum floor and strung the strap over his right shoulder, just as he always did. He gave a quick wave to their teacher before stepping out of the classroom and approaching his locker, located towards the end of the hallway. Unlike the private spaces belonging to his peers, the inside of his locker was bare, decorated with absolutely nothing except the emotions from the previous years that had seeped in. He set his binder down at the very bottom and reached for his instrument, placed on the top and only shelf.

"Excited?" Minhyuk asked with a grin, popping up behind his friend and setting his head on his shoulder. It was obvious he was excited, as he loved playing the flute just as much as his friend did.

Kihyun smiled with a light heart and closed his locker. "Of course I am. I couldn't say the same about the others, though." He gestured to the students standing in line just outside of the band room, who looked more and more upset with each breath they took. "You know how they are."

The blonde, letting out an annoyed groan, strung his arm across his friend's shoulder and walked him over towards the line, where they joined in on the back.

"Just because they were forced to participate doesn't mean they matter. I mean, they completely ruin the whole mood. Sometimes I just wish I could--"

"Minhyuk," Kihyun interrupted immediately. He knew that his younger friend was on the verge of saying something that had to do with murder, and he didn't want to chance Minhyuk getting in trouble just because some teacher had overheard. "Rant to me later, after school, alright?"

The blonde grinned, clicking his tongue. If his hands hadn't been busy holding his instrument and music folder, he would have sent his friend a set of satisfied finger guns. "Of course."

With that their conversation ended, and right on time, too, as their band teacher had just stepped out of the room and gestured for the students to come inside.

The routine for them was the same: pick a place within your section to sit and set up your instrument, then warm up with a Bb Major scale. Their teacher reasoned it was a good warmup, and even if it had done nothing in helping the students get ready to play music, Kihyun wouldn't have argued. Any playing was worth it.

"What do you think he's gonna make us play today?" Minhyuk whispered conspicuously from the seat beside him.

"More sight-reading, definitely."