Secrets and Lies || Hoonki/Nikihoon

Chapter 12: Calm before the Storm

After waving bye to Jungwon and Sunoo, Ni-ki, holding his diary, walked down the hallway, his steps slower than usual as he made his way to class. He could feel his nerves creeping up, making his palms a little sweaty. When he finally reached the classroom door, he paused, taking a deep breath before stepping inside. He glanced around, trying to take everything in while hoping he could just stay unnoticed.

The room was busy with students chatting and laughing in small groups, most of them too absorbed in their conversations to even glance his way. Ni-ki felt a strange mix of relief and loneliness. "Another class where I don't know a single person," he thought, his shoulders sinking a bit. He spotted an empty seat near the back and headed straight for it, hoping it would keep him out of sight and out of mind.

As he sat down, he opened his diary and stared at the blank page, pretending to look busy. But inside, his mind was racing. "Maybe this will be one of those days where nobody bothers me," he told himself, trying to ignore the tiny knot of anxiety that had settled in his stomach. The memory of his first day popped into his head. He had hoped for a fresh start, a chance to just go unnoticed and be himself. But then he'd run into people like Jake and Sunghoon, and any hope of staying under the radar had vanished.

Just as he was starting to settle in, he heard footsteps near the door. Looking up, his heart skipped a beat. Jake was walking in, with Jay right behind him. Ni-ki felt a wave of panic as Jake's eyes scanned the room - and landed right on him. "Oh no... please, not today."

Jake's eyes lit up the second he spotted Ni-ki. He leaned toward Jay, muttering something with a smirk. Jay glanced over, giving a faint nod. Ni-ki swallowed, bracing himself, but couldn't shake the growing dread as the two headed his way.

Jake walked straight over and made himself comfortable by sitting on the edge of Ni-ki's desk, ignoring the stares from his classmates.

"Hey, Ni-ki," Jake greeted, casually leaning in. "So... What's written there in your diary?" His voice was laced with amusement, and Ni-ki felt his face heat up. "Does this really have to be the first question he asks me?"

"It's not a diary," Ni-ki muttered, glancing down. "It's just notes... for class." Ni-ki lied right through his teeth.

"Oh yeah?" Jake smirked, giving him a playful look. "Class notes that are all secret and guarded? Cause from what I saw, you were pretty into hiding it." He leaned closer, lowering his voice as if sharing a juicy piece of gossip. "Come on, you can tell me - who're the notes about?"

Ni-ki huffed, trying to keep his cool. "They're not about anyone. Just... stuff I want to remember."

Jake chuckled, clearly entertained. "Sure, sure. So, anything in there about me and Jay?" He said, slinging an arm around Jay's shoulders, "Or are we just too cool to make it into the pages?"

Jay, who was standing beside Jake with a soft smile, gently nudged him. "Jake, leave him alone," he said, though there was amusement in his eyes. "You don't have to pick on him just cause you're bored."

Jake just shrugged. "I'm just helping him open up, Jay. Besides, how else are we supposed to get to know him?" He looked back at Ni-ki, an eyebrow raised. "So, any big secrets you're hiding, or do we have to find em out ourselves?"

"What does he even want?" Ni-ki thought and gave him a long look, trying to keep his voice steady. "You're not gonna find anything out."

Jake grinned, clearly unfazed. "Challenge accepted." He hopped down from Ni-ki's desk, giving him a quick wink. "I'll be keeping an eye out for your 'notes' next time, alright?"