Too Loud • Meanie •

Ch.7 Tremors

I've never been the type of person who willingly gets involved with confrontation or anything of the sort. The thought alone gives me a rumbling sensation up my spine and queasiness inside my stomach. The day I had hit Joonea was shocking and uncharacteristic of me; so much so that it scared me how I handled the situation.

When I was in middle school my silence is what saved me from the bullies. One after another people soon drifted away and ignored me completely. Sure, there was a few side comments muttered under passing breaths or snide remarks from onlookers, but nothing I couldn't handle.

This. This was different.

●●

After lunch, Jeonghan and Chan offer to walk me to my next class; gym. Seungkwan and Minghao left a while before the bell, claiming they had to turn in a paper and are going on ahead to their next respective classes afterwards.

"Man, Seungkwan has gym after lunch, he could've just taken you." Chan complains weakly as the three of us make our way down a crowded hallway littered with students commuting at differents paces.

Jeonghan lets out a tired sigh, but continues walking with an arm slung loosely around the younger's shoulders. "Channie, stop whining, no one cares if you're late to your next class." We make our way out the schools back double doors and emerge into the outside's biting weather. My hands immediately find their way into my pockets, escaping the chill.

"Hey, my teacher for Home Economics is very strict if he's having a bad day!" Chan shrugs off Jeonghan's arm and jumps a few steps ahead of us deciding to now walk backwards and continue his conversation that way, fallen leaves crunching under careful steps. "Plus, you know I had to clean the restrooms the other morning because I was talking during a presentation, that was the worst nineteen minutes of my life." Chan makes swift eye contact with me and quickly averts his gaze before I can do the same.

He doesn't have to say anything because I can already tell that the younger is thinking of the situation that took place in the cramped restroom one morning.

Jeonghan clicks his tongue once, pulling me out of my fragile thoughts. "Don't stress over the small stuff."

"What if I get detention?!" Chan dramatically pauses in the middle of the walkway, but the oldest slips past him and with hesitance I follow.

"Oh, hush. This is just high school, Chan. So what if you spend an hour after school ends?" Jeonghan shakes his head in annoyance a few times before looking at me cooly. "Hey do you-"

"Wonwoo?" The three of us are stopped in front of a large building with double doors leading inside, where I currently wish I was due to the chilled weather. We all look towards the voice behind us and to my- and probably Chan and Jeonghan's- surprise, it's Seungcheol standing with a few others who I also recognise from my psychology class, and the boy from this morning, DK. "Hey, Jeonghan." Seungcheol brings his attention to the long haired male.

"Hi." The older lifts his chin a little and hikes his bag closer to his shoulder. I'm suddenly reminded of the weird atmosphere from my sheared class with the strange pair.

"Oh, Wait you know that guy too?" DK muses quite loudly and a I begin to feel red heat spread across my chilled cheeks. I quickly avert my gaze downwards once I notice the group of boys.

Too many people.

"Of course I do, he's in Jeonghan and I's group for one of our classes." Seungcheol confirms as if he's offended that DK didn't know this information.

The tiny tremors begin to occur, starting with my hands. I mentally blame it on the biting wind.

"Oh yeah, you're in our Psychology class right? You sit in front of me." One of the boys questions casually and someone answers back quickly and a little stubborn.