X: The Mush Inside

I was now in English class, sitting next to Kai, who I also was chatting up while we did our first seatwork. The chatting particularly revolved around the fact I was going to be doing a group project with Dae-Hyun at will be doing it his house.

"At least Andy will be there. He would never let that jerk do something to you." Kai grumbles.

I raise a brow and purse my lips, "Is Dae-Hyun really that bad?"

"Lilac," he groans out as he turned his body to me, "How can you even give him the benefit of the doubt after what he did to you?"

I groan and curl my arms together, resting my head on them, "I don't know, I just... I don't work like that. I'm hopelessly optimistic sometimes."

Kai sighs, "You wanna know somethin'? I resent him most."

"Why?"

He chuckled dryly, "Why? Well, because he and I used to be friends at one point in time."

My jaw dropped; I nearly fainted. "You, you in all your cute sunshine, used to be friends with people that go around pouring vinegar on other people?"

He clenched his jaw then rested his chin on his hand. 

Then after a moment of silence, as thought sprang into my head, "No, don't tell me he used to be a good person and just got jacked up because of the other kings," I frowned as I spoke. 

Kai breathed out a soft chuckle, "Nah. I wish that's how the story went, but it's more of the other way around." He pressed his lips into a thin, curved line, "I used to be a bully."

At that moment, time froze and I actually gasped.

"I know. But what disgusting kind of idiot I was before I have eternally left in the past." he spoke softly. "I guess, in a way, I should also kind of be thankful he became my friend. 

"Before I used to boss people around, get them nervous and riled up enough to do things for me. Then when I moved to Langley and saw how the infamous golden knuckles made other people do things for him, I rolled out with him and became Dae-Hyun's best friend or right hand man. At first when we hung out, I was kind of... indifferent about it, how he'd literally push people around, shove, and occasionally trip them, but then came a day he punched this scrawny, defenseless guy square on the jaw, breaking his glasses, and making him spit out blood. That was it for me. I realized how wrong and sick what I was doing was. Now... I can't even believe it took me that long to see it," he somberly admitted.

He turned away from me with a pouted frown and turned back to his notebook, scibbling nothings just to turn his attention. 

"Hey," I placed a hand on his shoulder, "don't feel ashamed. It's something to be happy about, realizing your wrong-doings." I tucked hair behind his ear and smiled, "It's one thing to realize what you did, another to change it, and another to admit to both of it. That takes true courage, to accomplish all of them."

Kai turned to me and my hand I placed back on his shoulder. "Lilac," he chuckled through a blush, "if you don't stop this I may fall too madly in love with you."

At once we both broke out in loud laughter, which instantly cause us to get scolded by missus Bedivere who raised her brows and warned us, clearly not having any of it.

"Do you have my phone number?"

"Gail for the last time, I do!" I shouted through laughter. 

"What about mine?" Cece frowned. 

"And mine!" Nina blurted. 

"I know you have mine." Kai spoke before chewing on a chocolate bar he pulled out of his pockets.

"Guys, I'll be fine." I smiled and chuckled, gripping the straps of my bag. 

"She's right. Don't need to worry, super Andy is here to save the day." then appeared a gleeful, grinning Andy who looked between my friends. It's funny to think he was so bright when he had such a goth look, with all his tattoos. It goes to show, never judge a book by its cover.

"Oh, thank goodness you're going with her." Cece advanced towards Andy, "if anything happens to her, you're dead. D-E-A-D, dead."

The tall? blue eyed man chuckled, "Yes ma'am, I accept the just sentence."

Cece smiled. "Good then." She then walked back in satisfaction.

He and I turned to each other and non verbally agreed we were set to go so, while I waved and I said a simple "BYYYEEE!" 

Andy nodded their way, "Ladies, Kai." 

"Word." Kai pointer with gun fingers as Andy and I walked off to the parking lot.

"Can I ask you a question?" I turned to the taller man to my right. 

"Shoot."

"What was with the Forest Gump thing Gail mentioned in history?"

He turned to his feet then smiled, "Oh... uh, I, uh.... well... like Forest... I also have a Jenny."

I smiled, "Really?"

"Yeah, and just uh, like his, my Jenny doesn't seem to interested."

I frowned, "Aww, what happened."

Andy huffed.

Before he could reply however, a loud, obnoxious honk caught us off guard, making us jump slightly and whip our heads to the source of the noise. 

"Any day now, slowpokes."

We both grumbled at the sight of Dae-Hyun smirking in the front seat of his car. 

As we made our way to the car, Andy mumbled the reply to my question, "It's complicated."

"EOMEONI! ABEOJI!" Dae-Hyun shouted the moment we stepped into his massive house. From what I remember during my trip to South Korea, what he said was mother and father. 

Due to the silence, he then moved further in the living room and headed to the kitchen were his face lit up at the sight of someone, "Hyung, eo--" Dae-Hyun was cut off with a voice of someone speaking a foreign language. Clearly, it was Korean.

Dae-Hyun knit his brows at that as the other person looked up from the bowl of cereal he gazed upon while sitting on a black, marble kitchen counter. 

"Who's this?" he asked more likely out of formality than curiousity. He looked similar to Dae-Hyun and I could bet he was his older brother.

"O'Whitely and Dahlberg," he dismissed, turning about and storming off to wherever. 

Having had contact with the stranger, I smiled softly at him before following after my classmate.

Andy and I having caught up with him, I knit my brows and spoke, "What did he say?"

"My parents aren't here, like always." he grumbled. 

I felt a little nervous because of that, "But you said they were here."

He scoffed, "Now I'm telling you they AREN'T!" he shouted, making me knit my brows in a flinch.

Andy stepped forward, "Well, we should just get started with our project," he stepped between me and Dae-Hyun.

Both being tall, but Andy being an inch taller, I felt awfully uneasy by the stare down they were having. Thanks to my impulsiveness, I caught both of their wrists, causing them to turn to me, "I agree with Andy," I let them go, "I can't stay for long anyway."