Stay ~ A Stray Kids Fanfic

Minho

Minho's POV
11:30 AM

We had been playing dodgeball for an hour. and I was beginning to question whether the universe really hated me or if I was just unlucky. Either way, it didn't stop Song Jia from being on my team as my right-hand player whenever a ball came hurtling at my broken arm.

"Hey! What did we say about Minho-"

"Jia, just...leave it."

The other team already hated me a enough that I wasn't one of their popular friends. I was beginning to think they chose these teams to make me annoyed on purpose. Besides the lacrosse team on the opposite end of the court, 2 girls from the yearbook committee were on their team. However, they were mostly there to take pictures and insisted on sitting to refrain from breaking their cameras.

At least our team had a few good players. June from the girls basketball team was there along with a few boys I knew in Geometry. If only Jia hadn't put herself directly next to me. Every time I tagged out, I only wished I could stay on the bench for once.

"You don't have to guard me. I know how to play," I mutter as she dodges in front of me, an incoming ball landing in her hands. The player on the other side was wildly upset for getting out by a girl.

For an art student, she was honestly pretty athletic.

"I just saved your ass and you're telling me that again?" A quick reply only because she had to dodge another ball. At this point, I barely moved because everyone was targeting her. "Get back!"

"Jia, oh my god, please stop," I say.

She captures a ball and launches it to the other side, completely missing. "What's your problem? I'm just playing the game-"

     "No, you're purposely targeting me like I'm your friend, and it's annoying because we'll never be friends." At that, the whistle tweets and the match ends. She's panting by now, the back of her shirt coursed in sweat. I haven't even managed a little on my forehead. I guess basketball was the only running I was willing to do.

     We retreat to the sidelines to our water bottles. The athletic boys poured the water on their heads, laughing silly when girls made flirtatious looks at them. I keep my head low, only to be met with the many stupid drawings my friends inked into the cast. I show a weak smile.

     Jia must've noticed my smile because she slid across the bench to me, her head craning over to get a better look at the drawings she's seen a million times. "You really like them, don't you?"

     I frown. "Don't you like all your friends? Why kind of a question is that?"

     "Well," she rolls her shoulders in a shrug, "I guess I've just never seen you as happy with the team like you are with them." At that, her eyes slide past me towards the kickball court where Felix was currently being carried on Hyunjin's back. I watch them for a bit, wishing I could devote the rest of today for them.

     Then I rise with my empty water bottle in hand. "I'll be back," I say, quickly regretting it as she claims her place beside me towards the fountain attached to the concession stand. The building stood behind the bleachers and track, but no one was really occupying it at the moment. "What will it take for you to leave me alone?" I groan.

     "More than what you're doing now," she says, propping her hands at her hips while I refill the bottle. I was relieved to be done, never mind my moping. Perhaps I would catch them after this and convince them to run off to the country club or something. I could use a bit of pool time...even if we were sneaking in.

     I stare blankly at the water spilling over the lip of the filled bottle. "I'm sorry, Jia," I sigh, suddenly thinking if this was the right thing to start with. Nevertheless, it caught her attention, forcing me to continue. "I don't like you like that, whatever I may have appeared to you." I didn't quite expect my tone to be this soft.

     She stared silently in surprise as well. I finally draw away the bottle, screwing the cap back on. I wasn't thirsty anyways.

     Opening her mouth, she shuts it again before finally saying, "you've got it all wrong." She scoffs into the air, her voice tentative and her eyes refraining from me. "We're nothing more than an office relationship, right? Just for work solely?"

     A smile hits my lips. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." My heart was thumping, but her reaction was quickly quieting it. Whatever I was, at least I didn't have to find out by having Jia still pursue me.

     "Yeah! I just don't wanna be some girl that's awkward in your film. I wanna get to know you guys," she says, beaming up at me as she takes her turn at the fountain. She watches the water slowly makes it way up the walls of her bottle, her smile still ghostly present.

     I was about to leave her to follow after me and reunite with the others when she spits out, "but we have to practice a kiss at some point!"

     I'm immediately taken back, unsure if I should reveal my true emotions or not. The idea of kissing any girl, let alone Jia, left an ashy taste in my mouth. 'At least...I think it does now.'

     "What do you mean?"

     "I mean we have to practice before our on-screen kiss," she says, her tone becoming more persistent by the second.

     I finally direct my whole body towards her. She tenses up. "Can't we just get it over with then? Why does everything have to be so organized for you?" 'You're such a girl,' I wanted to say but didn't think she'd take it the way I meant.

     She picks at the hem of her shorts like she got stung by bees and was resisting the itch. I stay out, unsure of what to say as she looks around hesitantly. Then she says, "let's just do it now. Get it over with like you said."

     My heart plummets to my stomach. With all these people around I couldn't let myself be seen like that. Not that it'd be the worse thing to spread around but...

     'Jisung,' I think to myself, his name echoing like a cursed chord in my body, reverberating to the beat of my pulsing heart. I could see his face, those plump cheeks smiling wildly without a care in the world. For a moment, I felt myself back in Felix's room. His breath slithering over my lips like tempting smoke, his lips soft like clouds and smooth to perfection.

     "Minho!"

     My soul descends back into my body, the shaking returning with it. "What- I mean no. No, not here." My hands are held out in front of me as if shielding myself from a bulls rage. 'More like a bull's seduction.' "We can practice it another time-"

     "Come on! Just do it now and we'll only have to do it once more on screen," she presses, taking a step towards me. I feel myself walking back with the way of the brick wall until I'm stopped by the corner, revealing just a bit of myself to the field of students flooding towards us, back towards the school. I stand pinned against an imaginary wall with Jia showing no sign of retreating.

     "I won't use tongue, I promise-"

     "That's not what I'm afraid of!"

     She blinks back what looked like claims she was holding back. Stuttering, she says, "just one. I promise it'll be .0001 seconds long."

     The crowd was coming closer. Jisung must've been closer than the rest since he was at the soccer field—the closest to the dodgeball court.

     Not wanting her to force one right with everyone peeking around the corner, I give in. Shooting out a held-in breath, I take the one step that separated us and took her jaw in my hands. The kiss was subtle, nothing to gawk over unless you were in primary school. Still, when I pulled back, I felt my reflection shatter, like I just told myself a lie.

     Her, on the other hand, stood breathless and beautiful as she always is. If Jisung would make the first move on me, I'd be making the same, lovesick expression she was.

     Students began filing by towards the school. I catch the blondes easily and make my way towards them, refusing to look back at the mess I had left her in.

     'It's just a peck. It didn't mean anything,' I try to reason with myself. However, the more times I told myself, the more I didn't believe my own words.