First time favor

12. What the Heart Wants

"Oh, Johnny. I'm thrilled you gave us the honor of your presence, at last.", the teacher exclaimed with a condescending sneer as the tall student entered the algebra class.

"Yeah, sorry.", he excused himself plainly without his usual smirk or remarks. The teacher frowned at that, Johnny acting like any other well behaved student was a first.

"Uh, okay... go sit, Johnny, and try not to disturb your seat mates too much." The seat mates in question seemed just as shocked by the new behavior he seemed to show as the teacher was.

"Yo! Hyung!", reaching his seat, the tall American turned his head to face his friend who was calling him.

"Yo wassup, Markie?", he asked the smaller man sitting behind the grey desk next to his.

"Nothing. Just... algebra.", he said in a sigh with a barely concealed exhaustion.

"Ugh, tell me about it.", Johnny answered after he'd slumped into his chair in a thud.

"Ten's birthday was dope by the way." Johnny gritted his teeth and prayed his friend would quickly drop the subject.

Not noticing the fact Johnny looked like he was either about to pass out or to shit his pants, or at least not caring if he had, Mark continued to talk with a renewed energy.
"He's a super chill dude! He was really nice, he let me have all the alcohol I wanted... you're lucky to have him as your best friend, really."
If Johnny's heart hadn't hit rock bottom yet, it surely did after Mark's innocent talking.

"Yeah... I guess you could say that.", he fibbed with a halfhearted chuckle. Just thinking about Ten made his heart weigh down on his chest.

After Johnny had got out of the café, he'd raced to the school, wholly trying not to trip over his own feet, his vision blurry with tears he'd wished weren't there. He felt a whirlpool of emotions, like his heart summersaulted at the slightest mention or thought about the smaller boy.

Johnny felt hurt and betrayed, but he also thought he was stupid for feeling played when he had been the one to set the deal. He was too much of a weakling to admit the truth. It was there, hidden underneath a thick lid of lies he'd been feeding of for years, but Johnny was too afraid to admit it.

Ten, on the other hand, had remained seated after the hasty and dramatic exit the tall male had made from the café. He'd stared into his cup of fuming chocolate blankly and then at his hands on the purring cat laying on his lap. And then, he'd payed for their drinks with shaky hands and smiled at the waitress.
The cold air'd hit his face with a whipping noise as he'd stepped out.

He hadn't cried, but the way back to school had been awfully silent and draining. He didn't feel like talking or humming a song or thinking or breathing.
He just felt like shit.

And the worst part of it was that he didn't know why. Not when Johnny had snapped at him, not on his way back, not in his advanced english class and definitely not in lunch break, where he had the luxury to sit two tables across Johnny's.

Guilt crept its way into his dizzy and foggy mind as he burned holes into the American, leaving his meal untouched and his friends talking between themselves. The other boy clearly had cried, his puffy eyes and strained face told no lies, and Ten frowned watching Johnny so miserable and Taeil comfort him. Why was the small guy acting like he cared? Why did he act so sweet and protective, slumping an arm around the wide shoulders? Why did Johnny let him behave like his best friend? Why–

Ten's frenzy trail of thoughts was stopped without notice when Johnny got up and left their tables with Taeil, the smaller's arm still clasped around him with difficulty as they were standing, in an almost comical way.

Ten's frown deepened but it reached a point of no return when the pair passed by him without acknowledging his presence.
He was left all day with a pout and a deep frown, like someone had pressed his features together.