Forever only

Chapter 2

The next day in school:

"Don't worry, Chenle. We're new, but we'll get used to it," Renjun said confidently, adjusting his backpack strap as they walked toward the lockers. He glanced at his younger brother, who had been fiddling with his schedule for the past five minutes. Chenle scrunched up his nose. "Easy for you to say! You're older, and you've always been good at making friends. Me? I'm just trying to figure out where the cafeteria is."

Renjun laughed softly. "Cafeteria's that way," he pointed down the hall. "And don't be dramatic. You'll make friends in no time. Jisung is a friend of mine, he's in your year. I told him to keep an eye on you." "Yeah he's a nice guy. I sit next to him in math class. And great, the 'keep an eye on my little brother' thing. Thanks for making me sound like a baby." Chenle rolled his eyes. "If you keep doing that your eyes will either stay in that position forever or fall outta your head" Renjun teased and gave Chenle a slight slap on the back of his head. He glanced at his watch. "Look, I've got class, but you'll be fine. You'll meet Jisung and his friends, and by the end of the day, you'll probably forget you were even nervous. Just... don't do anything too weird, alright?"

"I'm not weird!" Chenle protested. Renjun waved him off and went down the hall to his own class.

Chenle stood alone for a moment, feeling the usual flutter of nerves that came with being the "new kid." But before he could think about it too much, he spotted a tall guy awkwardly waving in his direction.

"Hey! Chenle, right?" the guy called out.

Chenle waved back, relieved to see a familiar face. "Yeah, that's me! Hey Jisung!"

Jisung nodded. " Renjun's told me a bit about you. Said you're a piano guy or something?"

Chenle blushed slightly, scratching the back of his head. "Uh, maybe? I just play a lot."

"That's so cool. You should play one time. Welp we have a pretty chill group. C'mon, I'll introduce you."

Jisung led Chenle through the bustling hallway towards the cafeteria, where his friends usually hung out before class started. Chenle, felt a slight panic creeping up his spine, not because he was afraid of meeting new people, but because he had no idea what to expect. New school, new friends, it was a lot to take in.

They reached a table near the back, where four students were chatting. There was Yangyang, who was laughing so hard he had to hold onto the table to keep from falling out ofhis seat. Keeho sat across from him, dramatically rolling his eyes, while Winter and Sunghoon scrolled through their phones occasionally showing each other memes or something.

"Hey, guys," Jisung called as they approached. "This is Chenle. He's new and in our year. Renjun's little brother."

Yangyang stopped mid-laugh, his eyes lighting up. "Ah, the brother! You do kinda look like Renjun...but, like, taller."

Chenle laughed nervously. "Uh, yeah. I guess."

Keeho, who had been resting his chin on his hand, sized up Chenle with an exaggerated smirk. "Wow, Renjun's brother, huh? Don't worry, we won't hold that against you... too much."

Chenle blinked, unsure of whether Keeho was joking or being serious. Before he could respond, Yangyang grinned and leaned in, whispering dramatically, "Don't let Keeho scare you. He likes to act all sassy and intimidating, but deep down, he's a total softie."

Keeho shot Yangyang a glare. "I will literally end you."

"See?" Yangyang laughed. "Totally soft."

Winter, still scrolling through her phone, finally looked up and gave Chenle a once-over. "Don't worry about them. They do this to everyone. I'm Winter, by the way." "I'm Sunghoon nice to meet you" the boy next to Winter said and looked back at his phone without giving Chenle another look.