Perfect Imperfection| ZCL

³newton's first law

I try to gather up my things as fast as possible after the physics class, pretty bothered by the fact that I didn't understand half of today's lesson. Well, true, that might also be because I was sketching out some ideas on my writing notebook rather than paying complete attention to what the teacher was saying.

As I try to make my way out of the class, I bump into somebody. Why do I have to bump into somebody everyday lately? I drop my books like a loser and mentally slap myself for not taking time to put them in my backpack instead of deciding to carry them in my hands. I rush to gather them all and my eyes meet a furry of fiery hair. I feel myself smiling.

Zhong Chenle. The actual sun of my year. And not just because of his newly dyed orange hair, but also because of his blinding-bright personality.

I've never been close to him, to be honest. We have never been closer than classmates are supposed to be because I simply couldn't find any reason for me to do otherwise. He was smiling to everybody, friends with everybody and nice to everybody. But at the same time, he belonged to no one, which is why I personally thought his new hair color suited him perfectly- he was like the sun: warm but at the same time, far, far away.

He lifts his head to look at me while gathering his books and gives me a small smile that, if I didn't know him at all, I would take as a play-boyish smirk. But no, that's simply his natural smile.

"Haven't seen anybody rushing so much out of the class lately," he chuckles. "You okay?"

"Just trying to leave the bad energy behind as soon as possible," I say and his loud laugh echoes in the class, some of the other kids throwing him annoyed glares. But he didn't care.

"People usually tell me all the bad energy disappears when I step into the room," Chenle says and it's my turn to chuckle.

"Well, I guess the level of bad energy from this specific class is too much for you to handle."

I stand up and he does the same. I look at him and smile without being able to hold back. Then, I leave. But if I had looked behind me just once, I would have seen him looking back.

That evening, Jeno and Donghyuck came over with a box of cookies freshly baked by Jeno's mom. She loves me and Hyuck loves her cookies, therefore the combination. Despite the fact that it was supposed to be a study night, we end up talking about random things while emptying the cookie box.

"So, are you still writing if you're not in the writing contest?" Donghyuck asks me, his chipmunk cheeks stuffed with cookies, crumbs around his mouth.

"Of course," I say smiling. "I'm not writing just for contests."

"A mundane like you wouldn't understand," Jeno adds and I laugh at the sight of Hyuck's frown which made him look like an annoyed squirrel.

"As if you're not a mundane, too..." he mutters.

"I am one of the chosen mundanes," Jeno smirks and Donghyuck rolls his eyes, making me roll back on my bed in laughter.

"But I want to be one of the chosen ones, too..." I hear Hyuck saying and before I can react, he stands up and heads towards my desk.

Heck no.

"Don't you dare, Lee Donghyuck!" I shout as I stumble towards him.

But I'm not fast enough. He picks up the notebook from my desk and opens it with pure curiosity on his face.

"Hyuck, Hyuckie, please just don't, it's really personal-..."

"Newton's first law of motion predicts the behavior of objects for which all existing forces are balanced," he reads and I stop in the midst of my action. "I mean... it's truly personal. So personal that I think I have written the same thing in my physics class last year."