The first thing Hanbyeol encountered when she entered the classroom on Monday was Sua pouncing on her for details about her date. While she texted that it didn't go well, the short-haired girl wanted to know more. Hanbyeol firstly sat in her seat and started taking her heavy books out of her bag, surprised that Suho wasn't here yet. Perhaps he was doing errands for the teacher.

"He just wasn't my type," Hanbyeol shrugged as she told Sua, who was in the chair in front of her to face her. "I don't know, he talked too much and didn't really seem to care for anything except my looks."

Sua leaned forward with an apologetic pout. "I'm sorry; I didn't know he would be like that. I only heard of him through a friend. But what's your type then? I can look for some other guys who might suit you better and I promise they'll be good."

"That's okay. I don't think I want to go on anymore blind dates for now."

"Why?" Sua asked slyly, a knowing glint in her eyes. "Do you have a crush on someone already? Is it Suho?"

Hanbyeol's eyes widened, and she quickly waved her hands in front of herself. "No way! I don't have a crush on Suho. Why would I like that rude and emotionless boy?"

A few seconds later, Suho entered the room followed by Jugyeong. Hanbyeol let out a breath, thankful that he wasn't there to hear her. Although they had a lot of time until their first class, nearly all the students were grouped with their friends in different parts of the classroom.

"Jugyeong!" Hanbyeol jumped up and rushed over to her friend, eager to change the topic from her feelings for Suho.

Jugyeong was surprised by her abrupt greeting but said 'hi' to the other two girls. When she sat down in her chair, they chose other seats surrounding her and eagerly prepared their ears like they were at a sleepover. Suho, on the other hand, headed for his own spot by the cheerful window.

"How was your date?" Hanbyeol asked Jugyeong, resting her arms on her friend's table.

The makeup-caked girl explained everything that happened, and Soojin shortly appeared, joining in on the gossip. With the three girls leaning closer, they listened carefully and reflected Jugyeong's confusion and anger.

Apparently, her date had texted that he missed her when they finished. But later that night, he said that he had a girlfriend, and he was trying to have an affair. It was definitely a strange text.

Hanbyeol looked around the room and noticed Seojun's eyes stuck on Jugyeong. He was sitting on his desk at the back with his leg resting gloriously on his chair. From the way his stare burned into the other girl with strong emotions, she had a feeling it was him who dealt with Jugyeong's date. Hanbyeol's face fell, hoping that he just did it to be kind.

"How can you get rejected instantly?" Seojun scoffed, earning laughs from his friends huddled around him.

Jugyeong turned to glare at him, but to Seojun, it seemed like a cute pout from a puppy. Hanbyeol resisted the urge to roll her eyes; he was clearly just craving her attention, even if he didn't know it himself. Why were some boys hopeless?

After the story of the horrible cheater, Hanbyeol pat Jugyeong's shoulder sympathetically. Hanbyeol's blind date wasn't the nicest guy, but her friend had it worse. Her spirits would've been high and then crushed a few hours after by a mere message through the phone.

* * * *

Later that day, students crowded in the snack bar. It was as if lines were unheard of with the way that students waved their money and voices in the air and tried to get their favourite chips and drinks, especially in the heat.

In this daily every-man-for-himself fight, Jugyeong's gaze wandered to Seojun showing something on his phone to his friends, who all cackled like they saw Suho in girls' clothes. Or they saw Jugyeong's mud-covered face at her mum's salon. She gasped in worry. From that horrible thought, she snuck over with determined eyes and grabbed his motorbike keys from his blazer pocket before dashing off. Seojun chased after her as he called out her name, shocked and confused by her actions.

When Hanbyeol noticed the flurry of chaos, she watched the boy charge his way out the room through the bodies of teenagers. Her eyebrows crinkled together and she frowned, holding her chips she just bought.

"Seojun? Jugyeong?" Hanbyeol muttered to herself. "Where are they going?"

It was hard to hear anything due to the shouting in that fairly small room. Although Sua and Soojin were still trying to wrestle to get to the snack bar, she was sure they'd be fine without her. After making up her mind, Hanbyeol decided to follow Seojun out of curiosity. Winding through the corridors, she would catch the last glimpse of the boy as he turned corners in a rush.

They broke out to the gardens next to the ancient building, and Hanbyeol covered her eyes from the sun as she searched for Seojun. Few students strolled around with their friends, enjoying the summer weather. At the intersection of the low hedges, she saw Seojun standing there with Jugyeong, his hand gripping the other girl's wrist. Concern started to fill Hanbyeol at Jugyeong's panicked expression. Running over to the two, she sandwiched herself in between them to block the girl from him.

"Seojun, stop teasing Jugyeong," she declared boldly, crossing her arms with her bright eyes shooting lasers at him.

They were so close – just a breath away as their hearts both beat as fast as drums. Seojun's brown and volumed hair was styled with a part to the side, almost mirroring Hanbyeol's look, which made them seem like a perfect couple with their similarities and fiery personalities. Though his hand was still clutching Jugyeong, he loosened his hold as his expression softened and his sharp eyebrows relaxed.

"She stole my key," Seojun defended himself, hoping Hanbyeol would take his side.

She just glared at him as she pried his hand off Jugyeong's wrist. Whilst she could guess his feelings for Jugyeong deep down, Hanbyeol still had a strong relationship with him that had possibilities she wanted to believe in.

Before anyone could say anything else, Suho appeared out of nowhere like a hero with the sun shining a halo on him. He had been going for a walk outside when he spotted Hanbyeol standing awfully close to Seojun. There was no hesitation as he stormed over and pulled her away. With his warm hand wrapped around her forearm, he guided her towards him and her feet stumbled to follow.

"Suho," his name fell from her pink lips in surprise.

Hanbyeol peered up at him, but before she could get too far from Seojun, the troublemaker grabbed her other arm. She was now stuck between the two, just like a doll that two kids were fighting over. Glancing between both of them, she was feeling quite small and awkward. The silence was deafening.

"What's with you?" Seojun roughly asked Suho, tilting his head.

"What are you doing?" Suho threw back at him calmly as he squared his shoulders back with intimidation.

The two boys were battling with their dark eyes, and Hanbyeol was caught in the crossfire. Her heart accelerated as she tried to think of what to do. This really wasn't a situation she ever thought she would experience. Abruptly breaking free from their clutches, she put her hands up, gaining their attention.

"Stop," shouted Hanbyeol with wide eyes. "Please stop fighting all the time."

When no one responded, she sighed through gritted teeth. Why did boys have to be this difficult? Hanbyeol pointed to the right, the direction behind Seojun.

"Let's all go our own ways. You, go this way," she pushed Seojun slightly before pointing to the left. "And you, go that way," then she pushed Suho off to that direction.

"We'll go this way," Hanbyeol announced.

She grabbed Jugyeong's wrist and dragged her down the path in front of them. Jugyeong was confused but simply followed her friend, glad that they could escape the tension from the boys. As she walked off, she looked down at the motorcycle key in her hand, circling the smooth surface with her thumb. It felt cool and powerful as it belonged to a speedy and slick vehicle. She would have to return it to Seojun soon though, and she did later that day.

* * * *

After school, Hanbyeol arrived at the study café with Jugyeong, Soojin, Sua and Taehoon. The night sky shone with a blue as deep as the bottom of the ocean. Although Hanbyeol wore her blazer atop her school shirt, she still felt the cool breeze on her legs, which her skirt couldn't protect.

Sua was rambling about how she should invite some boys next time so that Hanbyeol and Jugyeong could flirt. As usual, Hanbyeol and Soojin would entertain her with their laughs and comments. They stood for a while outside the study café, a teal, brick building at a corner with mosaic windows. When Sua skipped inside, the others followed suit.

The group all stopped when they entered, and Hanbyeol was unsure why until she realised it was probably because Suho was sitting at the table right there. It wasn't that he was doing anything unusual – it was just that he was present at the place and time of when they organised their study group, the one he said he didn't want to join.

In his school uniform and unzipped hoodie, Suho looked up from his spot at the long table. The study café was cozy and smelt like an antiques shop with old lamps glowing around the room.

"What are you doing?" Soojin asked Suho. "You said you don't do study groups."

"I said I don't want to, but never said I wouldn't do it," replied Suho in his smooth voice as he stared up at them.

Hanbyeol chuckled to herself, always finding him so unpredictable yet he says funny things with such a straight face.

"Wow. Our study group has the school's first and second ranks," Taehoon remarked with amazement. "We're totally the Avengers."

They all gawked at him like he grew another arm. Rolling her eyes, Hanbyeol copied Soojin in heading for a seat. She was slightly jealous of how comfortable Soojin was around Suho and how they were both the smartest students. They would be a great couple. Shaking her head, Hanbyeol pushed that tiny, green feeling down until it disappeared.

Once everyone was ready to study, Hanbyeol somehow ended up next to Suho, not that she was complaining. She set up her books and her trusted peach iced tea before they all started working through their maths problems. A peaceful silence layered the café.

As the time ticked on, she relaxed and concentrated on her questions, feeling as if she was studying at home. Her light eyes could only see her page in front of her as she furrowed her eyebrows in thought and often muttered the equations to herself.

Next to Hanbyeol, Suho was quietly studying, but his gaze often drifted to the girl on his right. She looked cute when she was so focused. Soojin, opposite Suho, stared at him and frowned, clutching her pencil tighter. She could never hate her best friend, but she was annoyed with the way Suho paid more attention to the new girl than her, who he'd known for years.

While it may have seemed like Suho was entranced with Hanbyeol's beautiful face, his view of her was blocked by the curtain of her wavy, black hair as her head hung down. He held back the urge to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"Which questions are you doing?" Suho cleared his throat and asked Hanbyeol quietly.

"I'm doing the parabola section," she responded, showing him her identical Grade 11 textbook.

"Nice, I just finished them. They're pretty easy so you'll finish it quickly."

"How do you know? I'm not that smart."

"You are smart," Suho complimented, meeting her honey eyes. "You're now number eight in the whole school."

Hanbyeol was slightly taken aback. She observed him, from his light smile on his angular jaw to his jet-black hair that he never put any effort into but always managed to look good. This handsome boy kept surprising her, and he slowly revealed each layer like an onion.

"How did you remember that I'm number eight? Even I don't remember that. I know that you have a good memory, but why would you remember that?" Hanbyeol couldn't help but wonder, her head tilting to the right.

"I was told to always know who the top eight students are," Suho lied.

"Thought your father would've only told you to focus on the number one student," she joked, though he didn't seem to appreciate it.

Suho turned back to his maths homework, more ominous and stiff than before. "Mm."

Hanbyeol grimaced. Maybe his father was a touchy subject? She now felt bad and quite awkward. Peering around, she was relieved to see that everyone was in their own world. Sua and Taehoon were flirting, and Jugyeong and Soojin were studying while Jugyeong often asked the other girl for help. Everyone was oblivious to their flirting, except a sharp girl.

Plugging her earphones into her phone, Hanbyeol held one bud out to Suho. He glanced at it before looking at her.

"The Rose?" she offered bravely.

It took those two words for Suho to accept the other earbud and put it in his ear. Hanbyeol tried to hide her grin as she pressed play on the music. Connected by the earphone wire, the two listened to various bands as they studied. The beats pumped loudly and deeply, but her heart felt giddy and light for some strange reason.

A while later, Hanbyeol excused herself to go to the bathroom. She came out of the stall and saw Soojin leaning down to wash her face at the sink. Drying her hands with a paper towel, she couldn't help but be amazed by Soojin's bare beauty. Her pale skin was clear as a diamond and her sharp jawline was every guy's dream. Hanbyeol could only wish her face was that good.

"By the way, when did you get so close to Suho?" Soojin questioned without looking at the other girl, dabbing her wet face with paper towels.

Hanbyeol quickly faced forward again as if she was caught stealing. The girl's tone wasn't too accusatory, but Hanbyeol felt apologetic, biting the inside of her cheek as she thought.

"We're not that close," she denied. "Probably just cos we sit next to each other in class. Besides, you guys are really close too, and he cares for you."

When Soojin needed an eraser before, Suho was quick to pass his one without saying a word. She smiled as she remembered all her sweet memories with the quiet boy, a true smile that reflected in her eyes.

As Hanbyeol fixed up her hair a bit, she turned to Soojin, hesitating with a breath. She hoped the other girl wasn't jealous of her new friendship with Suho.

"We should all hang out some time," Hanbyeol suggested, the corner of her eyes crinkling with sincerity.

Soojin nodded, grateful for her best friend. "That would be nice."

Once she was all cleaned up, she linked arms with Hanbyeol, and they headed back out to the others. It was clear that studying was over, but the night was still young. 

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Sorry for the wait! I was hoping to get the next chapter out next week but I remembered that I'm going overseas next week.

So if I don't see you soon, MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 

Thanks for reading, please comment and vote :)