Hate | Nosung

5

Jisung walked back into the classroom with heavy feet after lunch.

He'd been able to get away with an entire lunch period without seeing Lee Jeno and being bothered by him. It made a noticeable difference in Jisung's attitude, which his friends definitely noticed.

Simple how the absence of one person can brighten the day of another.

Jeno was already sitting at his desk, which must have been new for him. Lee Jeno was never to class early, at least that Jisung had known of.

"Hey, Sweetheart. Have a good lunch break?"

"Splendid." Jisung dropped his backpack and rested his cheeks on his fists, squishing his face in annoyance.

Jeno didn't actually look up at Jisung, which was also a new development. The Jock was busy looking at scribbled notes on a math paper, puzzling over its meaning. His brow was furrowed and the tip of his tongue was poking out in concentration as he focused.

Jisung glanced at him over his fists and raised an eyebrow. Watching him try to figure the notes out on his own was absolutely exhausting, and the younger boy couldn't stand it.

"Keep, switch, flip." The words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"Eh?" Jeno turned his head, a messy mixture of confusion and surprise painted across his face.

With a sigh, Jisung removed one of his hands from his face and pointed at the expression on the paper. "Keep the first fraction, switch the division sign to multiplication, and flip the last fraction. You get the same answer."

Jeno looked star-struck for a second. He looked back at the paper and scribbled on it until he came out with the answer that the teacher had given him to check with.

"Hey, that's actually super easy!" A grin of genuine accomplishment lit up Jeno's face, and Jisung stared for a moment with the same hard eyes he always did.

"Yeah, it is. Don't know why it took you a second time around to understand it." Again, Jisung was teasing in a judgemental manner, but Jeno didn't take it to heart.

Instead, the boy clapped the back of Jisung's shoulder and gave a close-mouthed smile. "You're pretty smart, Angel-face."

Jisung grunted at the harsh smack, and contorted his face in disgust. "I know."

Jeno prolonged his stare, then snapped his head to the front when the teacher began writing on the board.

There was a dull throb where Jeno had hit Jisung, and it distracted the boy during the lesson. Jeno probably didn't know his own strength, because the gesture certainly wasn't malicious. An innocent accident.

Jisung found more fault in Jeno for it. Clumsiness, and not knowing his own strength were bullet points added to the list of 'Reasons Why Lee Jeno is the Worst'.

The throbbing subsided halfway through, and by the end of the day, Jisung had nearly forgotten about it.

He packed up his things quickly before Jeno could find another nickname to call him by, but his plans of escape were ruined when the teacher called on him.

"Park Jisung and Lee Jeno, please see me after class."

Oh no. No no no, this was not optimal.

A grumble resonated deep in Jisung's throat, but Jeno said nothing as he also shoved his belongings into his backpack.

As if Jisung didn't have enough of Lee Jeno in his life.

There he stood, shoulder to shoulder with the basketball captain in front of the teacher's desk while the last of the students vacated the classroom.

The teacher typed on her little keyboard until the three were alone. The clicking was driving Jisung insane, but he kept his mouth shut and his irritation internal. She finally looked up and adjusted her glasses, observing the two boys awkwardly standing in front of her desk.

She took off her glasses and placed them on her desk as she began to speak. "Lee Jeno came to me during lunch because he's been struggling with math," she started.

Ah, so that's where he was. Jisung listened intently.

"I told him I'd help him, but it seems like he only understood my help once you explained it to him, Park Jisung." Her expectant eyes were unwittingly carving a hole into Jisung's stomach. "You're at the top of your class in many subjects, math included, and I know you are highly motivated. You're a good example and a perfect candidate to help our Jeno here."

He knew what she wanted from him, and couldn't have been more distressed by the thought of what came next.

"So I'd like for you to tutor him. You'll be given extra credit, which will be bumped up if he does well on his future assignments."

Jisung didn't want to be stuck teaching Lee Jeno how to multiply and divide fractions. He hated most subjects anyway, he was just good at them. He didn't want to have to do math for any longer than he had to, let alone while teaching Lee Jeno how to do it. "Miss, Jeno has basketball practice after school."

"Then you can take the hour before practice starts and use that time."

Jisung didn't like that idea, and scrunched his mouth. "I take that time to do my own homework to stay on top of my classes."

"Then do it after practice." The teacher was not easy to dissuade "I understand that you carpool with Coach Jung, Mister Park. You'll have time after basketball to go to the library and help Jeno with the lessons taught each day."

Jisung was running out of reasons to say no. Jeno hadn't spoken a word, but he was nervously chewing his lip while Jisung fought. "But isn't that way too long to be at the school that late?"

The teacher sat back in her seat with a sigh, clasping her hands together on the table. "Well, If you don't want to stay that late, wait for Jeno to start failing math until he's kicked from the team. You'll have all the time to help him then."

Out of excuses, Jisung bit his tongue. Jeno went white as a sheet. Clearly, being kicked off the team was one of his worst nightmares. Wide, pleading eyes reached at Jisung, who looked back at the pitiful boy.

What a drag.

"Okay, I'll tutor him." Jisung disciplined himself to speak with compliant defeat rather than an angry bite in his tone. His head hung low while he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Meanwhile, Jeno looked like a happy puppy standing next to him.

"Great! You can start today."

Great.