rewrite the stars - jaywon

chapter 14

"Why do you have Sunoo's bag?" Jake asked, after he and Heeseung had finally joined Jungwon and Sunghoon in Sunghoon's car.

Jungwon hugged the bag closer to his chest, "Long story."

Sunoo had never returned from the bathroom. Jungwon guessed he'd taken his keys with him when he'd run and just ditched the rest of the period, seeing as Language Arts was their last class of the day.

Jake surveyed Jungwon sharply for a moment, searching for any chink in his armor, any weak spot he could target with another question, but Jungwon managed to keep a straight face. Jake looked away and out the window, "Hmph. Whatever."

"I hope he still comes to Jake's tonight," Jungwon said, aloud, when Sunghoon had managed to fight his way out of the student lot. He was worried Sunoo would want to maintain his disappearing act.

"Ni-ki's coming, though," Sunghoon was frowning, eyes in the rearview mirror at a car trailing just a touch too close to his car's bumper.

"I know," Jungwon rolled his eyes, "That's kinda the point."

"Point? Shit, what the hell does this guy think he's doing?" Sunghoon twisted in his seat to shoot a dirty look at their tailgater.

"Point!" Jungwon clapped his hands together, inadvertently crunching Sunoo's bag in his lap. He scowled, and patted it back into shape, "Now's the best time to make them talk things over, get everything out in the open. We can't let Sunoo just get away with pretending like he didn't confess to Ni-ki in front of Ni-ki and twenty nine other people."

"Sunoo did what?!" Jake asked, so high pitched it was almost a screech.

Suddenly, Sunghoon flicked on his hazards and pulled to the side of the road. The tailgater drove right by them, his advancement so quick he must've been waiting for the first opportunity to pass them up.

Jungwon looked at Sunghoon with wide eyes, feeling somewhat at fault. He'd provoked Jake's scream. But Sunghoon just ignored his gaze and turned around to Jake and Heeseung in the backseat.

"Sunoo didn't confess to Ni-ki. He read a poem he'd written about someone who might have been Ni-ki. Then he ran away right after, before getting the chance to get his things. That's why Jungwon has his bag." Sunghoon turned away to face the front, and carefully pulled back onto the road, "Now, you know everything."

Jungwon frowned at Sunghoon, wondering why he was acting out all of a sudden. Maybe Jungwon was too optimistic, but he could practically feel a breakthrough point coming between Ni-ki and Sunoo.

Of course, it probably helped now that he knew Sunoo didn't actually have any feelings for Jay, that he had been faking it all along for Ni-ki's attention.

The shard in Jungwon's chest seemed to be gone, all of a sudden. Vanished. The ugly, bitter taste of jealousy in his mouth vanished along with it.

Jungwon craned his neck to look back at the two boys in the backseat. They both seemed utterly shocked-- Jake's mouth formed a perfect uppercase O and Heeseung's nose was screwed up like he'd sniffed something strange and was trying to place the scent.

Jungwon cleared his throat, "You two. Now that you know everything, we're gonna need your help getting Sunoo to agree to come out tonight, okay?"

⭐

Sunghoon had refused to lend a hand to aid Jungwon's scheming, choosing instead to boil away in Jake's hot tub.