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It was supposed to be a productive day. You know, one of those "let's meet at the café and study hard" days with Donghyuck. I'd promised myself-no, we'd promised each other-that we'd take schoolwork and studying seriously this time. We even shook on it.
But as you might have guessed, promises in Donghyuck's world don't last long.
"So much for being responsible." I muttered, eyeing the dark neon sign of the arcade we were standing in front of.
Who would've thought we'd stumble upon them-Juli and Jaemin-just as we were headed to our supposed study session? I could practically feel the universe smirking at me.
"This is fate, man!" Donghyuck grinned, throwing his arm around me. "The school gods have spoken. No studying today."
I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that. Yeah, sure. Fate. But deep down, I wasn't complaining. Seeing Juli unexpectedly? It was like a little bonus gift for the day, even if it came with a side of tension thanks to Jaemin.
The moment we stepped inside, Jaemin and Donghyuck were clinging to each other, laughing like old friends. Right, totally forgot Donghyuck 'hated' Jaemin... for me, of course. I'd been so used to Donghyuck scowling every time Jaemin's name came up that watching them wander off like best buds was weird.
And just like that, I was alone with Juli.
Alone with Juli. In an arcade.
I swear I wasn't complaining.
Except... she was quiet today. I mean, she was always more on the reserved side, but there was something different in the way she carried herself-like the weight of the world had decided to sit on her shoulders for the afternoon.
"You alright?" I asked, breaking the silence as we stood awkwardly near the entrance.
I tried to sound casual, but my voice wobbled a bit. Being alone with her still made me a little nervous.
She gave a small smile, one that didn't quite reach her eyes, and I got it. She was tired.
With the cool weight of arcade coins in my palm, I glanced around. The arcade was buzzing with energy, flashing lights and beeping sounds from every corner. Other students had clearly ditched school too, which made me feel a little less guilty. See? We weren't the only slackers around.
"What do you wanna try?" I asked her, flipping a coin in my hand with a grin.
Her eyes scanned the games like she was mentally checking them off.
Then she saw it.
The basketball game.
She pointed to it, her lips pulling into a faint smile. "What about that? You're, uh, supposedly a great basketball player, right? I remember you practiced a lot when we were younger."
