“What’d you pick, what’d you pick??” Kibum’s high interrogating voice echoed throughout the hallway, while Taemin embarrassingly looked down at the paper in front of him to check his schedule. It was a beautifully disgusting Monday morning, as most Mondays are. The climate was especially humid, and Taemin’s bangs stuck to his forehead due to a slight perspiration. They awkwardly stood in the middle of a busy hallway before class had started, due to Kibum’s excitement that just couldn’t wait.
“Let me see…” Taemin scrolled down his schedule with this finger until he found his chosen elective. “Ah, I have speech/debate”. Kibum dramatically sighed and pointed to his elective, which read “computer design”. They both frowned to each other knowing they would only see each other during lunch, just as the first bell rang, signaling them to depart and wait until they see each other again in lunch. Taemin began walking alone, as he usually does, to his homeroom. His heart sank further which each step he took; he was a little disappointed because of his elective which was decided for him, because he knew there was no way in hell Jongin would ever choose debate. He probably got weight lifting or something. Although he didn’t necessarily want to be in the same class as him, it was surprisingly a bigger let down then he expected. It suddenly became harder and harder to drag his unwilling feet to class.
~~~
The anticipating was chewing at his anxiety. All throughout the day his thoughts battled together; optimism versus pessimism.Stop wasting your breath Taemin, there’s no way he’s in your class. But what if he is? It’s a possibility. No, no it’s definitely not possible. Taemin hadn’t seen Jongin in the hallway that day, which was a frustrating addition to his marathon-paced mind. It was already 5th period, and his elective was 6th. He gnawed on his pencil ferociously and watched the clock as he recently started doing more often due to the same mind-occupying, flawless, angelic, piece of . With that thought, Taemin’s pencil snapped under his breath and fell, broken into shards, onto his paper.
The bell finally rang, and Taemin was the first one to leave. He practically tripped over his feet and slammed into the door until he opened it up and took his first long awaited scan of the room. There wasn’t anyone there except for a girl sitting by a window, slowly twirling her curls and staring out into the clouds. He realized he was too early for anyone to show up, so he sat in the back of the class, keeping his eyes fixed on the door. Groups of kids began to enter the classroom, smiling cheerily and asking the teacher if they were in the right class. Jonghyun entered the class appearing dazed and wondering if he was in the right class too. Taemin waved his hand in the air to attract his attention, and Jonghyun’s expression sprung to life and he jogged over to the seat besides Taemin. “I didn’t know you’d pick debate, Taemin”. Jonghyun rested his hand to the side of his head and stared at Taemin. “I didn’t know either. The class I wanted was full so…” Jonghyun patted him on the back and smiled joyously. “Well arent’cha glad you got this class instead?” Taemin didn’t necessarily know how to respond, nor did he want to. The bell rang, which meant class was now beginning and all students should be in their assigned classrooms. He didn’t bother looking up to see in Jongin was there, he knew he wasn’t.
It was at that moment, that precise moment Taemin lost all hope, did he hear footsteps coming closer down his aisle of desks. He instinctively glanced upwards, and doubted his vision. Kim Jongin was walking towards the only empty desk in the classroom which happened to be a few seats adjacent Taemin. He effortlessly dropped his backpack besides his desk and gracefully tilted his back into his seat, his chestnut hair falling slightly the further he stretched his neck.
It took everything Taemin had to stop himself from drooling.
Is this seriously happening. The unthinkable miracle that could have fulfilled Taemin’s lonely heart was sitting before him, in the first class they had ever had together. His palms grew damp, and suddenly the seat he was sitting in didn’t feel as comfortable. His body position changed into his reputational reserved formation, and he tried to take his focus off of Jongin who hadn’t even looked at Taemin yet.
