The math book laid neatly untouched in front of him, the pen case opened but he hadn't written a single thing in his book from the moment he had sat down in the library. It was quiet as always. Normally it would have felt relaxing and comforting, but at the moment Baekhyun couldn't find it any of that, the soft ticking of the clock seemed like a mockery toward him, a bitter reminder of how much time passed: how half an hour had turned into a whole, and then before he knew it, two hours had flown by and you hadn't come yet. Baekhyun's position screamed frustration. His cheek pressed against his palm as his lips twisted into a frown, the index finger tapping on the table quickly.

Jongdae huffed his cheeks, boredom written all over his face as he dangerously swung back and forth on the two back legs of the chair, tightening his hands at the edge of the table; wondering for how much longer Baekhyun was going sit there and waste time like an idiot when they could go somewhere else and have fun.

The more Baekhyun thought about the fact that you hadn't come yet, the more started to kick in the fact that you weren't going to come any time soon. His face expression became even more sour and pitiful as the realization hit him. Involuntarily his heart throbbed painfully against his ribs, a sudden wave of worry crashed upon him, where were you? Were you in someone else's company right now? Wait, did that mean that you were already dating someone? Was it someone he knew? Someone who was probably much more handsome than him, perhaps manlier aswell. His teeth dug deeply into his lower lip, not being able to stop the picture of you holding hands with a nameless boy, smiling and sending meaningful looks to each other, from popping into his mind. Though he regret letting his imagination flow because a second later he felt his heart crack. He didn't want to know if you were dating someone after all. The thought hurt too much for him to handle, probably because he knew that the chance was very big. You were such a beautiful and pleasant girl. It would only be weird if no one had tried to win your heart yet.

Maybe he was the last one in the crowd.

Jongdae noticed the look on his best friend's face, it wasn't new, through all the years of their friendship he knew what every expression meant and this one was no exception. He was overthinking; probably comparing himself to someone that maybe didn't even exist. With a sigh Jongdae intended to tell his friend to stop worrying over silly things, though before he could even part his lips the big glass doors opened, taking him by surprise. Baekhyun's eyes shot to the same direction, hope glistening in his eyes, only to be bitterly disappointed by the view of Caramel boy walking cooly in. He couldn't deny it himself, he looked absolutely perfect; with his slim body and luscious hair that moved into a nice flow when he walked. His stare charming and Baekhyun wouldn't be surprised if girls felt butterflies while sharing stares with him.

Baekhyun expected him to disappear somewhere between the shelves, but the tanned boy proved them wrong and as soon as his eyes caught the view of Baekhyun's pink head; his eyes glistened with something neither that Jongdae or Baekhyun could figure out and much to his dislike, he started making his way towards them.

"Hey, pink head! Wassup'?" Caramel boy chirped with a smirk planting on the curl of his lips, his ass leaning on the side of the table. Baekhyun's face was in an ugly cringe as he at the same time carefully moved his stuff away to prevent them to come into contact with Caramel boy's bum.

"Why are you guys still here though? All of the students should have left by now," He asked without giving Baekhyun any time to greet him back, not that he would have anyway. A dangerous curiousness shone in his black irises as his arms crossed over his chest, the infuriating smirk making its way back on his plump lips. Baekhyun contemplated ignoring him at least ten times before deciding that he didn't want to play the rude part in this story.

"...Just studying." He eventually grit out through his teeth as he as composed as possible started packing his things back into his bag. Caramel boy's smirk seemed to widen proudly at Baekhyun's bitter tone, noticing that there was much more than just displease in his regards.

On the other side was Jongdae desperately biting on his lip to not laugh at the hilarious view of his cute friend with venom threatening to shoot from his mouth. The tanned one lifted a cheeky eyebrow at Baekhyun and asked something that neither he or Jongdae had expected to hear.

"Were you waiting for Y/n?" His voice had turned into an oddly softer tone, and Baekhyun's widened eyes searched for his, mouth agape as he didn't even try to deny that he had indeed been right and instead, he answered with another question.

"Do you know where she has been?" The urge in the pink head's voice took the other male off guard and his eyebrows shot up with surprisment, but the expression faltered almost immediately and got replaced with another smirk before answering;

"Yes, of course." Three simple words that Baekhyun had never known would be able to cause him such a strong pang of jealousy. "She was out with me just an hour ago, she's home now." Continued the handsome boy and for some reason, he sounded too genuine and sincere to even be doubted. The pain spreading in Baekhyun's chest was almost inexplicable, it felt like there was a hand fisting his heart until its burst point. Maybe it was the obvious way Baekhyun's face had fallen that Jongdae suddenly felt defensive, he glared at the taller one and fired a question.

"Why are you here then?" Caramel boy didn't hesitate to answer Jongdae's question which made him only frustrated because he couldn't tell whether he was lying or not.

"I forgot some important books for an assignment and figured that I'd make a quick visit here." Jongdae could only nod because obviously, there was nothing wrong with his answer; and while it shouldn't have bothered him it did the exact opposite. Baekhyun's gaze rested on the curled fists in his laps, his skin turning white into the tight hold. With that, the tanned male seemed to have gained another ounce of confidence, one too much, perhaps. He flashed the two a friendly smile, though it felt more like a mock than anything else, his eyes as crescent moons, though the sparkle promised anything but good.

"Well I'm off now, have a great time, boys'." Caramel boy winked before pushing himself off the table and headed towards the many shelves. Baekhyun couldn't help the little "I hope you walk into a shelf," that he said under his breath as soon as the said male was out of sight, Jongdae stilled a laugh at the lame remark of his friend.

***

The next day Baekhyun had headed to school earlier than usual. He hadn't been able to sleep a single wink the night before and if he would have a stayed a single minute more in that bedroom he would have gone crazy; so he decided that the earlier he was out of the home, the better.

He was shaking his lap under the desk as he at the same time read through one of his favorite Japanese comics, hoping it would have helped him take his mind off Caramel boy's words from the day before. No matter how much he tried to concentrate on the written words he couldn't understand any of them, he read the words but in the end, they always lead him to think about what that boy had said. Frustration, all he could feel was a deep frustration mixed with the unavoidable jealousy consuming him on the inside. He had never expected himself to be such a greedy person, he had never been, but now... When he looked at that boy, all he could think about was that he wanted you for himself. So much.

When you entered the classroom, Baekhyun's upset expression didn't go unnoticed and before you knew it there was a guilty feeling in your gut. You had felt bad for not coming at your weekly meet yesterday but you hadn't had either of his or Jongdae's number to call them and tell them that you wouldn't have made it.

Your heart throbbed when you sat down next to him, only to have him avoid your gaze that was now apologetic. Usually, he would have greeted you with one of his shy yet adorable smiles, eyeing you with his two crescent twinkling moons and his round glasses at the point of his nose. When you had gathered some courage you let a sigh escape your lips before you turned your body towards his. The thought that you had for once not been able to come didn't sound so dramatic, but the deep frown on Baekhyun's face made you feel like you had hurt him more than you had meant to. In reality, it was Caramel boy's words with the jealousy and insecurity that it brought with it that pushed him over the edge more than anything else.

"Baek, I'm sorry that I stood you u-" Your sentence got cut in the middle by the icy frown that the said male sent you, and there you felt your heart clench again, you didn't like this. Baekhyun giving the cold shoulder was something so not him and you already knew that you would never want to experience this ever again. Baekhyun's heart couldn't help but flutter when you bit your lip shamefully, even though he felt hurt by you, you still managed to make his heart go wild. Unfair, he thought.

"I was just-" You attempted again but got interrupted again, this time though, Baekhyun was just looking at his feet instead of giving you that unfriendly stare that you didn't even know he was capable of, relieved by the fact that on his face was a softer emotion.

"Were you with him instead? I mean not that you can't, but I waited for you and I didn't hear a single thing from you and then that boy you talk to came and said that you had been with him and well I felt a bit mad and-" Baekhyun rambled, he hadn't noticed it himself how fast he was talking and you frowned at the few words that you had managed to catch.

"Wait, what?" This time it was your turn to cut him off and he immediately stopped talking, his eyes wide when he looked at you.

"I-uh, were you with that guy?" He repeated himself, this time softer yet you could still hint the urge in his voice. The yearning to know was almost consuming him. Baekhyun couldn't find it in himself to keep your gaze when you sent him that disapproving frown.

"You mean Jongin?" So that was his name, Baekhyun only nodded.

"No, I wasn't with him." You started softly yet your gaze turned ever so slightly harder when you eyed Baekhyun and he couldn't help but notice how that frown didn't suit your soft face at all. You were still unfairly beautiful, but a smile enlightened you even more. "And I never leave my friends hanging to be with someone else, to begin with, I was just feeling sick and so I went home." You explained, suddenly aware of the fact that you oddly felt very hurt by the fact that Baekhyun had thought that you had stood him up to be with someone else. You'd never do that. Guilt flashed clearly in his eyes when he understood how ridiculous he was acting. With a sigh you faced away, an annoyed pout displayed on your oh so pretty lips.

You eventually spent a good amount of the lesson avoiding talking to him, Baekhyun bit his lip, knowing that you were upset with him. He just couldn't stand that fact. He had upset you with his stupid jealousy and it was only then that he realized how really small things were the ones to turn into the big yet avoidable problems. A frown creased on his forehead thoughtfully as he contemplated with himself. You weren't forced to be with him every single day and it certainly wasn't his place to judge if what you had been doing was acceptable or not just because his heart liked to play tricks with his brain.

Before he could hesitate, Baekhyun took a chance when the teacher was scribbling on the whiteboard while talking. As quietly as possible he pushed his chair closer to yours. Despite his overloading shyness, he leaned closer to your face, shutting his eyes tightly when his lips were close enough to have his breath tickling your neck so that he could whisper:

"I'm sorry..." It came out as a soft murmur and you flinched at the sudden sound yet a little part of your brain was still able to catch on how nice the tone of his voice had sounded when so low.

Facing him with big scared eyes you noticed how the blush on his face was spread all the way to his ears and his glasses rested a bit too low on his nose. You locked eyes with him, though he soon looked away, too shy to hold your gaze. Shy Baekhyun was back and you couldn't even explain the relief.

"I overreacted and uh I- I'm sorry that I upset you, I have no reason to be ma-" he was muttering in a whisper through a frustrated pout and your heart involuntarily melted at the view. How could you ever stay sad at such a view? It was like a guilty puppy asking for forgiveness to his owner.

Baekhyun stopped in the middle of his sentence when your index finger reached to carefully push his glasses back up his nose, making his cheeks become wildly alive again. His mouth hanged slightly agape with his heart beating in his ears. Though not long after his teeth dug into his mouth to keep himself from smiling.

What do I do? I still like you so much.

***
An hour or two had passed and the two friends were eagerly tapping the colorful buttons on the joystick. Jongdae huffed when he won again, this game wasn't nearly as fun as it used to be before. Baekhyun and he had never been excellent gamers but he knew for a fact that Baekhyun had always been a step ahead of him. Nothing seemed to be wrong until Jongdae won for the tenth time in a row, and by then something started striking off as wrong.

"Are you letting me win or something? You are really playing with your ass today, it's annoying." Jongdae stated with dissatisfaction dripping from his words as he squinted at Baekhyun from his spot on the floor.

The pink head only faced him in complete silence, eyes fazed and Jongdae frowned when he couldn't make out whether he was happy or sad, maybe both, he concluded.

"Y/n got mad at me today," Baekhyun eventually breathed out and Jongdae's eyebrows shot up with surprise as he opened his mouth.

"Wow, she can get mad too-"

"Shut up, of course, she does, doofus." He interjected before his friend could say something stupid, feeling suddenly defensive towards her. Baekhyun cleared his throat and continued.

"Jongin lied, she never was with him to begin with, he-"

"Just wanted to see you fume with anger, which he managed really well." Jongdae finished his sentence with a snort, although it was meant to be a joke it couldn't have been more accurate and Baekhyun shot his friend an ugly grimace.

"Seriously though," Jongdae started, "You need to step up your game, that Jongsu or whatever his name is, he's clearly a good amount of steps ahead." He reasoned thoughtfully, locking a serious gaze with his best friend.

"Jongdae," Baekhyun sighed, "Y/n is not a competition-"

"And your looks go nowhere near his, so like," The friend butted in.

"Wow, thanks?" He didn't even know if he should've taken offense for Jongade's cruel honesty anymore, in response he only shrugged.

"What? I didn't say it's not fixable." Baekhyun only sighed, suddenly very discouraged as he stared depressingly in his lap. Jongdae bit his lip, knowing that he had to do something to help him. Baekhyun was an incredibly shy boy and the chance that he was going to man up by himself was very small. The friend couldn't believe himself at the idea that dared to cross his mind

He stood abruptly, earning a startled look from Baekhyun.

"Yah, go home already, you are no fun," Jongdae said while kicking Baekhyun's leg, making him groan as he sprawled on the floor. Jongdae kept nudging him and telling him to go.

"Jeez fine! I'm going!" Baekhyun hissed while rubbing the hurt spot on his thigh as he reached the entrance, not going away before giving his friend a weird and questioning look.

When the male was alone, he allowed himself to sneak into his older sister's bedroom. She wasn't home yet and he was sure this was going to be safe, as far as he knew, she would be working till late today. Jongdae was no relationship expert. At all, and he wouldn't ask his sister or parents for advice even if he would get paid. Well no actually, scratch that one. But he was still against having an embarrassing and odd google searching history either, so for Baekhyun, he went against his own life promises.

He had years ago promised himself that he'd never touch a Shoujo manga in his whole life after that time when his sister had whacked him in the head real hard for touching her comics. He had only wanted to know what the big deal had been about and eventually had regretted it when he had randomly opened the romantic comic in the middle of a passionate kissing scene.

No matter the strong resentment he felt towards those he still pushed himself, do it for Baekhyun, he encouraged himself while pulling out a random volume out of the collection. The cover was obnoxiously pink and flowery for his taste and he cringed heavily at the gigantic sparkling eyes of the drawn girl, the main character, he guessed.

After a few minutes, Jongdae had already gone through half of the manga, thoughtfully studying the characters' behaviors and actions. He knew that Shoujo mangas were nowhere real reality, but he was for a fact sure that girls wanted a guy like the ones in those painfully cheesy stories. The male lead was indeed well designed, handsome with black hair, something that Baekhyun didn't have. Oh well, too bad, another footfall back.

The mangas kept piling up beside him as he read and read, Jongdae was telling himself that he hadn't just read almost a whole shoujo series because he had enjoyed it but because this was the sole purpose of helping Baekhyun. Next to him was a notebook where he had written what could serve as advice.

Just an hour before he was sure his sister would be back, he eagerly put the last volume back where it had been placed before, relieved that he was done reading that nightmare.

"I am such a good friend-" He started chirping to himself.

"Jongdae, did you just read my entire series of-" A female voice breathed out from behind and Jongdae felt his heart in his throat as he screeched with fear and embarrassment.

***

Baekhyun almost yelled when Jongdae suddenly pulled him aside, a proud smile playing on his lips, he was obviously eager to start telling him how to "step up his game", though as much as Baekhyun tried to figure out what his mischevious friends had been plotting; he couldn't quite see through the blinding smile.

"Alright lover boy, listen to me, I got everything." Jongdae started, speaking in hushed tones so that other students wouldn't mind the conversation that they were going to have.

"For a first, you should compliment her more, the girls love it when a boy makes her know that he thinks she's pretty. Also, you should seriously start controlling your blush because you will not be convincing if you try to be seductive and then have that redness all over your face." Baekhyun cringed at his friend's words.

"Did you just go through a shoujo manga or something, Jongdae you sound so weird-" The said male was slightly blushing at Baekhyun's statement but covered it with a lame cough.

"Just trust me, Baekhyun, I went through a lot to help you." Jongdae eventually muttered and shoved Baekhyun towards their classroom. Baekhyun tried considering his friend's words but no matter what, he couldn't even imagine himself walking over to you with the same amount of confidence that Jongin had. He would never be able to smile seductively at you without becoming a tomato. No, he just couldn't. The sole thought made him want to dig a hole and hide there forever.

On that note, Baekhyun was slightly nervous to meet you. After your little moment with the other day, he didn't know how to act. Even if you weren't upset at him anymore he felt awkward with himself, not even acting like himself seemed like a good option at the moment. The doubts were soon swept away with another kind of worries. Because Jongin was sitting on his desk, again, talking to you comfortably. Baekhyun was jealous yet again, he also wanted to be able to conversate with you smoothly without blushing madly. Jongin looked at Baekhyun from the corner of his eye, smirking massively when he locked their gazes, reaching out a hand to your face, carefully pulling a stray strand of your hair behind your ear. You stared at Jongin with big eyes, completely clueless of Baekhyun's presence at the classroom door. Jongdae was sure that Baekhyun had pretty much become a steam train by now.

Suddenly, Jongdae's corny advice didn't seem so bad.

As soon as Baekhyun had reached his home that day, he threw the bag off his shoulder, keeping his wallet. Rushing out to the nearest store and picking up a shopping basket before entering the gates, conditioned air hitting his flushed cheeks. Before he could hesitate anymore he took three packs of the darkest color he could find and put it in the basket, reached the cashier, and handed out the bill.

hi lovelies, I feel like this is v e r y cringe and I am starting to regret posting this uuhmm, don't hesitate to comment or vote or whatever you want, you know what motivates! ✨🍓

Anyways Y'all should praise me, I managed to study really well today AND update this shitty story, how many of you were even waiting for an update coUGHS its okay, be honest.😂✨💖