LUNCHBOX FRIENDS | changlix

.05

"we part ways now," jeongin dramatically sighed as they stopped in front of the biology classroom felix was supposed to disappear in. "have fun spreading frogs up or whatever you're into. freak. see you soon!"

"bye-bye," felix said as he watched jeongin go away, feet skipping as if following the beat of a fairy tale musical. he didn't understand the judgment about the frog thing, though. some people were vets!

it felt as though jeongin's presence was a bag of rocks fastened around felix's feet that kept him grounded at all times. and, as everything in real life went, felix only noticed the effect once it was gone. now he floated up to space, and though his body was still standing at the door of bio 101, his mind reached the skies like a hot-aired balloon.

there was a sudden motion, the kind that didn't leave space for small catastrophes: a chain reaction or a domino effect. only the domino was as big as a door, and it hit felix square on the nose.

"owie!" the sharp strike at his face quickly dissolved into a hot burning sensation on his nose and he wondered if he was bleeding.

"you are late," a commanding voice barked at him. felix could swear he'd been isekai-d into a dystopian world in the middle of a rebellion. should he grab a high-tech missile weapon or bow in respect for his great tyrannical leader?

"oh, heavens, am i?" felix managed to moan out through the pain.

the man with the booming voice wore a moustache like an old rich aunt wore a tiny chihuahua: a fashion accessory. while still managing to look like a martial arts mentor straight from the 80's.

he was definitely familiar, if not strikingly so. were they relatives? felix could swear he'd seen him hanging in a portrait on the wall — oh, wait, that was in miss yang's wall! the boy in the picture.

felix gulped. was he having a concussion?

"four minutes late," kim taeyang, the biology teacher, said.

felix touched his nostrils with two fingers and then looked at them. no blood. good god.

"i thought we had..." felix sniffed, "five minutes of tolerance?"

the teacher looked down at his watch. he took some time studying it, as if in trance. but once felix opened his mouth to say something, he turned back to him.

"five minutes late," he said.

felix widened his eyes. but, once reaching for his phone (not the janet wilson one! miss yang had given him orders to not parade it around in the school), he realized it was, indeed, 10:05 am!

"your mother will receive a notification."

felix let his hand fall, with his phone and all, to his side, defeated. "okay..."

after being made a fool by the new teacher and finally let inside the classroom, felix decided to occupy his mind with the process of signature falsification. it had been a really long time since he'd needed to fake one, and that was because felix had been a good boy and not skipped many classes anymore.

and while he wandered around the class like a dog that had its leash torn in the middle of a busy street, felix realized there was not a single seat available.

well, not a safe seat available.

"sit next to mr seo," ordered the teacher, "there is a vacant spot by his left."

felix did not need to have that pointed out at all.

he was sure the whole classroom could listen to him gulping. and the sound of his feet could not be mistaken by anything other than hesitation.

was it finally the moment? no, it couldn't be — there was no guarantee that changbin would even talk to him, even less start a conversation and get married... oh, he went too far ahead.

the strings of his bag fell from a shoulder, than the other. felix hung it over the chair before sitting on it. he didn't look at changbin's direction.

but what was he doing? if he completely ignored him, changbin would think he hated him! then there'd be no chances at all! what if felix started the conv—

"hey," in a sudden bust of confidence, which dissipated as soon as he turned to the older boy, felix surged forward to rest his elbow on the desk. it was supposed to seem natural. "what's your name?"

changbin had his mouth open in either shock or surprise, though felix couldn't figure out if it was in a negative way. damn it, had he gone too strong? that was his only chance for a first impression!

"i'm seo-"

changbin was interrupted by a voice felix was growing to hate: "changbin! i thought you had learned about not talking in class," mister kim had his eyes slit into thin threatening lines, "i have heard from other teachers you are quite difficult."

changbin gulped. felix admired his adam's apple jump up like a second heart.

tum-tum.

"i'm sorry, mister...?"

mister kim ran two fingers over each side of his moustache, pinching them at the end.

"kim," he answered, "kim taeyang."

felix felt the phone in his pocket burn like a response to those words.

"it is, however, good you are all acquainted with your seating neighbors, because..." felix dreaded every word that came out of that man's whisker-hooded mouth: "i will be putting you in pairs for a group project."

felix could feel the start of a coughing fit coming up his throat. he should've checked out his horoscope before going to school. how come there was school work already? in the first week, of all times?

jeongin should never know this, or a storm of humiliation would be delievered to him in forms of serves you right! and now who's laughing now? since felix made it clear to state his amusement at jeongin's chemistry project hell.

also, felix had either finally ascended to a better place or really spaced out, because there was an egg on his desk.

felix looked up. the mouth under the overgrown pubic face hair said, "treat it like it's gold."