Dark to Baby: A Changjin Story

Chapter 12

Hyunjin's sigh could be felt from the back of the classroom where Minho giggled at his misery.

Mental Log, Day 7:

I have been relegated to the front row because my last name happens to start with H, while my friend is rewarded with the back row for having a name four letters later in the alphabet. It's the worst.

Now I have to pretend to pay attention in math class by staring at the weird symbols on the board and trying to make pretty pictures out of them on my paper. That probably requires more thought than what this old lady wants us to do but that's beside the point.

My symbols currently look like a deranged cat, and I think the girl next to me saw it because she's trying not to laugh right now.

The annoying analog clock above the board reads 3:10 pm, only 15 minutes until freedom. Chan has asked to meet me after school so we can discuss the Felix thing. I don't know where we're going though. Hopefully I won't get kidnap-

Hyunjin's internal monologue was cut short by a piece of paper hitting him in the back of the head.

He looked behind him. Not that he needed to, he knew who the culprit was. As they made eye contact, Minho winked and gave him an amused smirk.

Hyunjin shook his head in disappointment before leaning down and picking up the balled up, pink sticky note.

Quickly unraveling it and reading the content, Hyunjin flicked his eyes towards the girl beside him to make sure she hadn't seen. Discreetly, he scrunched the note back up and stuffed it in his desk before raising his middle finger slightly above his shoulder without turning around to see Minho's reaction.

Not surprisingly, another note hit his head a second later. This time with more force.

Hyunjin's head lulled backwards in exasperation as he lazily leaned over to get the note, almost falling over in the process. Dragging himself back up into a seated position, he uncrumpled the note, only to see that Minho had thrown his sentiments right back at him, literally. However, the winky face at the end of the note sent a different message.

He knew Minho was joking, he had Jisung for a reason, but that didn't stop his ears from turning red. Hyunjin was tempted to throw it back at him, but he had bad aim and didn't want this note, let alone any of the others Minho had written to him over the past week, to make it into anyone else's hands. He crumpled the note and stuffed it into his desk with the other one.

Minho's laugh echoed through the room, causing him to get called on by the teacher. Hyunjin snickered quietly, but stopped and gave Minho an annoyed glare when he easily answered the teacher's question. Smartypants.

Turning back to the clock, Hyunjin's face fell when he realized that Minho's drama had only wasted five minutes and he still had ten left.

Doodling next to the deranged cat, Hyunjin made a mental note to ask Felix what this class was supposed to be about. If the boy's quick calculations at the diner right before they got kicked out were any indication of his overall math skill, he might actually be of some help.

Getting lost in his doodling, Hyunjin tuned everything out until he noticed people finally packing up their things to leave. Excited, Hyunjin shut his notebook and shoved it into his backpack along with his math book and calculator, waiting for the bell to ring like a little child clinging onto his straps.

It didn't take long because soon Hyunjin was trying to push Minho's arm off his shoulder as they left the classroom.

"What the flip was that?"