CLICHÉD

C-14

C-14

My stomach grumbles as I walk out of our classroom. I smack my head as I regret the decisions I've made in life.

Why did I run away earlier?!

I smack my forehead once more when I remember my foolishness.

"G'day mate! We're back-- oh, who is she?"

Oh no.

I pull on Minho's sleeve and he immediately steps in front of me.

"What are you doing here?" he asks the two boys standing in front of us.

They must be Chris and Changbin.

I peek from Minho's back and immediately retreat when I see the men in black looking at me too. My heartbeat is so fast that I can almost hear it. Why am I like this? They're Minho's friends, so they're not gangsters like what the rumours say... but I still feel so nervous.

"Oh, I see. Is she the girl?" the blond one asks while the shorter boy just smirks.

I can't take the awkward atmosphere anymore, so I let go of Minho's hand and walked back. "Hey... I'll go now. See y-you in class!" I didn't wait for his reply and I hurriedly flew out of the rooftop.

I know they're not bad people because they're Minho's friends, but being surrounded by three boys who are quite emo is surely going to make anyone nervous.

Stupid Y/n! They might not approve of me as a candidate to be Minho's friend now. What have I done?!

Minho ended up not going to class so I had to endure the rest of the afternoon overthinking. It feels weird not having a seatmate because I got so used to his presence already.

As I'm walking, I spot Felix and Seungmin on the bench by the school garden. Felix sees me and waves.

"Oi, Moon!"

"Hello, Felix!" I wave back and try not to disturb Seungmin who's reading with his earphones on.

"Come here." He scoots closer to Seungmin and pats the space next to him excitedly.

I giggle at his enthusiasm. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing serious, I'm just saving some memes." He shows me his phone. "What's serious is what I'm about to tell you. Guess what?"

"What?"

"We're friends now! Isn't that great?" He smiles brightly.

"Really?" I point to myself. "Y-You want me as your friend?"

"Of course! Who wouldn't want a soft girl like you as their friend, right, Seung?"

"Huh?" Seungmin looks confused when Felix nudges him. He seems to only notice me now as he waves a little.

"I said Y/n is our friend now."

"Did you ask Jisung for permissio-- ow!" He hisses when Felix accidentally steps on his foot.

"What about Jisung?" I hold my breath. "Did he say anything about... me?"

"Don't mind Seungmin. Smart people are usually weird." Felix grins sheepishly. "It's really nothing, just some stupid bro code to keep us away. We genuinely want to be friends with you, so do you accept the offer?"

"Oh..." I slowly nod and give him a smile. "Okay!"

"As a token of our friendship, I'll give you one of my beloved cheese sticks and sausages."

I accept his present with both hands. "Thank you, Felix."

"Let me have some." Seungmin tries to take the snack.

"No, it's all mine!" Felix shields the paper bag as if his life depends on it.

"Just one, you're so unfair."

"It's my sausage! Why are you touching my sausage?"

"What the hell, Felix?" Seungmin looks disgusted as he scoots as far as possible.

I giggle at their childish banter and take it as my cue to leave. "See you tomorrow!"

I'm happy that I made new friends, but my smile falls when I'm alone once again. I pass by the locker area with a sigh as I wonder where Minho is. I sigh again when I remember that I have to go home alone because Jisung's mother is sick so he's taking care of her.

I reach the gate and am about to walk out when I feel a tug on my sleeve. I turn around and see the guy I've been thinking about since lunch break.

"Hey," Minho says.

"Um, hey."

"Going home?" he asks and I nod. "Okay, let's go."

He starts pulling me and I don't even bother to stop him because I'm used to it now.

"Where to?" I ask him.

"My house," he says and I almost trip.

"W-What?"

He smirks. "I'll take you home tonight."

"Eh?!"

"You heard me."

"I-I can't... I don't..."

"I'm just kidding. I'll walk you to the bus stop, alright?" He shakes his head amusedly.

For a moment, we're just walking with our hands glued together and no one's talking. Finally, I get the courage to speak.

"I'm sorry I ran off."

"It's fine."

I stop walking and so does he.

"I'm sorry, I just got really intimidated and nervous. I promise I'm not thinking that they're bad guys..." I look down in shame.

"Hey, look at me." Minho tilts my chin up until I'm directly looking in his eyes. "It's not your fault that you got scared and you don't have to be sorry. It's their fault for showing up like grim reapers unannounced." He chuckles. "But trust me, they're not like what people have been saying. The rumours make them sound like cool people but they're really just dorks when you get to know them."

"I believe you," I say, squeezing his hand a little.

"I know," Minho says, and for the first time, I see his genuine smile.

The air is cool as the sun starts to set, but my tummy feels oddly warm. Maybe it's because Minho just opened up to me and it makes me really happy.

"Thank you for walking with me." I smile at him as we reach the bus stop.

Minho raises his hand and hesitates for a second, eventually reaching for my head and gently ruffling my hair. He turns around and hurriedly walks away, his ears looking so red.

Is he sick? I hope not. It's not even that cold today.