3 is a Magic Number

F o u r

[🐵: hi please read these usernames– you'll only need to know some of them but it's the 2nd years' groupchat so, like, I figured I'd put them all in (also so I can remember them as well lmao) okay have fun reading]

#slayqueen: Hayoon
Rickle Pickle: Renjun
Jenocide: Jeno
twink™: Jaemin
sugar_daddy: Donghyuck
Heather😎: Yangyang
Totoro: Shotaro

•HR•

Friday's were always Renjun's favorite day of the week. Besides the obvious it being the end of the school week, Renjun had a very enjoyable routine on Fridays. He, Hayoon, and Donghyuck would hang out after school because none of them had extracurriculars on Friday; Jeno, Jaemin, and Yangyang joined them when they could, but it was likely that they would have something come up (be it lacrosse games, swim meets, or Yangyang's job). The rest lived across town and had less of an opportunity to hang out, so it somehow always ended with just those six.

This was fine with Renjun, he became quite close to Donghyuck a lot faster than he was expecting to. When the guy wasn't high or fawning himself over Mark, he was pretty chill. (Mind you, those two scenarios were fairly unpredictable, not to mention Donghyuck's personality in general was pretty cracked, so he was still a very...interesting individual.) It was only a bit concerning to see how constantly zooted Donghyuck was, but Renjun wasn't one to stick his nose in other people's business. He, of anyone, knew how invasive that could be.

"So," Hayoon says, putting her flashcards on the table. "How far have you guys gotten in your research?" She continues to place her school materials out in front of her as she waits for an answer. They –Hayoon, Renjun, Donghyuck, Yangyang, Jeno, and Jaemin– had agreed to start a study group after school because classes were kicking into gear and their AP Korean History teacher had assigned them all a 10-page research paper. At the moment, they were at Moon Cakes preparing to get some work done.

"Hayoon, let's wait till our food gets here, yeah?" Yangyang says, looking at the table nervously. Renjun tried (and failed) to cover a snort, his hand raising to his mouth as Hayoon shoots him a glare.

"Don't start laughing Huang, I see how you sleep in Ms. Im's class at the end of the day; we share that block, remember?: Hayoon raises an eyebrow and Renjun quickly covers his laugh with a cough, now also looking at the table.

In truth, Renjun had barely taken any notes down for his paper. His outline was only half a page long and he had no interest in lengthening it any time soon. Normally Renjun was a very studious person, and history had always been his favorite subject, but there was just something about the way Mrs. Park taught that bored Renjun to death. He had quickly come to learn, when he first came to the school, that many other students thought the same; but Mrs. Park was also super kind and understanding, so the students never complained about it to other faculty.

"Ah, 'Yoon, we've been busy, y'know? Cut them some slack," Jeno says in an attempt to relax her. Hayoon was sort of carrying the entire friend group in terms of academics, seeing as she was the smartest and most studious. This came with the downside of her making sure each boy was always on task.

Renjun always felt a bit bad, but he tended to make up for it by giving her first dibs on his bi-weekly cupcakes that he makes.

Hayoon purses her lips but says nothing more and it's at this moment in which Jaemin and Donghyuck walk over with their food. Realizing she's fighting a losing battle (no one else had taken out their school supplies), Hayoon puts her things away and listens to the boys' conversation as it moves elsewhere.

There's a Halloween party next weekend, hosted at Yukhei's house, meaning only the 2nd and 3rd years were invited. From what Renjun had figured out about the party culture in the town, some kids did drink and smoke, but there wasn't any real pressure to join in on the activities. He had seen Hendery and Donghyuck vaping every once in a while, but they never pressured him (or anyone else) to join, so the general vibe was very laid back. Renjun assumed Yukhei's party would be much of the same, with some kids bringing booze but not everyone wanting to drink it.