toxic|chan

~fourteen~

"Summer!" JeongIn hops up from the ground and rushes toward me. HyunJin slips into the room behind me and shuts the door.

"Hey, Innie." I wrap my arms around him and smile.

"How are you doing?" Felix asks softly as he lingers a few feet away. He scratches anxiously at the back of his neck.

"I'm okay, Lixie." I reassure him as I pull back from JeongIn.

"Ah—hey—I thought you'd take a bit getting here." MinHo slips into the room forcing HyunJin and I further toward the center of the large practice room.

"She was ready faster than I expected. She's spending the day here—as long as it's okay with everyone." HyunJin glances around to gauge the others reactions.

"Did you really think we'd object? Of course, she's one thousand percent spending the day here. I won't let her leave." SeungMin stomps her foot annoyed with HyunJin's hesitation. He tosses him a glare before setting his phone down and walking towards me.

My eyes trail after Felix as he makes his way toward the couch. He distances himself from me and falls down. He pulls his phone out and attempts to look distracted, but I can tell from his body language something's bothering him. He's not my happy Sunshine. It's like he fell beneath the horizon and can't find the strength to break through again.

I tune the others out as I watch Felix. What went wrong? What did I do? This isn't him. He's always the one cheering me up. I don't know how to make him happy. I don't know how to make anyone happy. I snap at them. I make sarcastic comments. I correct every little thing they do that isn't perfect. That's what I do. I don't fix what I create.

"Don't worry about him. He's been like that all morning. I think he's just tired. He was up most of the night." SeungMin attempts to capture my attention. I nod weakly and sigh in defeat.

"I got him." HyunJin squeezes my shoulder before making his way toward Felix. He sits down beside him, but Felix keeps his eyes glued on his phone.

"Do you want to hear our song? It's not the final version, but it's better than nothing. We can show you what we have for the dance, too." JeongIn chirps as he tugs on my arm playfully. I force myself to turn towards him with a smile. I nod weakly and allow him to drag me toward the speakers.

"It's called Mayday." SeungMin explains as he watches JeongIn scroll through his phone in search of the song.

"It's about losing the person you love in a storm of emotions and misunderstandings. The intense feeling of regret and terror make you cry out for help. In the end, the only person who can help you is you." MinHo mumbles as he reaches around JeongIn to set his phone down.

"Lixie—come dance." MinHo turns his attention from me to Felix. He makes his way toward the two on the couch and takes Felix's hand in his. He pulls him up onto his feet and drags him toward the wall of mirrors.

I glance over at them to catch Felix watching my reflection closely. He swallows hard and lets out a soft sigh before he stretches a bit then gets to his place.

"Sit down, Love. We'll show you the dance." HyunJin takes my hand in his and leads me toward the couch. He motions for me to sit down and I obey. I fall down on the soft couch and patiently wait for them to start.

I watch closely as they settle into their places. The moment the song starts over, it feels as if someone has their fingers wrapped tightly around my heart. I know this song. Chan wrote it years ago. It was one of the first songs he ever wrote. He wasn't proud of it though. It's not exactly the same—it seems like he fixed it up—but it's his. I know it is.