Hard to Love - (chanbaek)

71

Baekhyun fixed his uniform one more time before hesitantly putting his hand on the car door. He looked up at his brother, who simply nodded. Daehyun gave him a reassuring grin, his head shifting towards the school entrance.

"Baek... you'll be fine. If anything happens, I'll be here in a heartbeat." The smaller sighed, feeling a bit calmer. He gave his brother a tight hug, his hands still trembling from nerves. He opened the side door and finally bundled up the courage to walk to the entrance. Baekhyun griped his bag, the leather texture grazing against his fingers. He stared at his phone, seeing the missed calls and unread messages he had piled up. He blankly passed through them, reading them with a frozen stare. He could feel the eyes piercing through his body. His peers were staring at him, some in shock... some confused.

After the shooting, it wasn't a surprise to see Baekhyun taking some time off. The boy had held an unconscious, bloody body, a bullet going through his shoulder in addition. Anyone would assume the smaller was mentally or physically traumatized. It was an awful experience for the individuals in the crowd. Imagine how it was for someone who had front row seats? They just didn't expect to see him so soon...

Baekhyun bit his lip, his tongue feeling the bitter metal taste. His hands shook as he tried to type on his phone. His uncle had stayed over at Daehyuns house for the week to check up on him, similar to a personal nurse... only difference was Heechul was incredibly loud and kept nagging. The older had notified him in the morning that he would go back to Daesungs place to check up on his sister. It had been so long since Baekhyun had spoken to his mom, and he wanted to see if she had finally woken up.

Daesung had told them about the problems her heart was having. The monitor connected to her kept falling on the continuous line, the loud ring making all the doctors panic. They didn't understand why the patient was having a heart issue. They kept her healthy and checked on her body regularly. She was fine for the first few weeks, but now she is slowly letting go... The decision to survive was up to her.

Baekhyun just hoped he could talk to her one more time. Tell her a funny joke and give her a big hug, it didn't matter if her touch was cold... Baek was determined to warm her up again. He just wanted to see her smile, even if it was for a few seconds.

He sighed, finally sending the text message with his shaking fingers. Baekhyun slid his phone into his pocket before proceeding to walk into the school. He was still very nervous; however, even if he wanted to go home, he technically couldn't. Daehyun was in a meeting that ranged from nine to ten. If he wanted his brother to pick him up, he had to wait a few hours first. A strong shoulder hug made him jump out of his thoughts. He turned to see Daniel grinning with excitement.

"I thought you were going to skip again." Baekhyun shook his head and went to his locker. Opening it, he smiled, seeing the new books on the bottom layer. A small yellow note stuck onto them.

Don't worry about the work you missed. I finished all of it beforehand, so don't pressure yourself. I hope you are feeling better, Baek. I'm here if you ever need me. I understand that you may want some space, though... so please just take care of yourself.

Don't worry about Jongdaes dumbass either. I gave him a good earful. He'll probably be having hearing problems for days.

- Love Lulu <3

Baek smiled at the note and set it aside before seeing a hoodie on the top section. He pulled it down and felt the strong yet sweet cinnamon apple smell hit him. Daniel leaned over his shoulder, seeing the black sweater. He didn't miss the way Baekhyuns grip tightened. The smaller looked at the soft hoodie with a saddened stare, his eyes becoming slightly teary.

Stay warm, baby.

He hugged it tight, remembering the day before their game. Chanyeol had left him the hoodie so he could use it after the baseball match. He didn't want the boy to feel cold after sweating all night. Baek gave the clean sweater a kiss before putting it inside his locker. He closed the door and smiled at Daniel with his tearful eyes. The guard could see the sadness that laid behind the fake smile... but he decided to keep his questions to himself.

They got to homeroom, and everything seemed pretty normal. Baekhyun kept checking the back row seat, hoping the taller would magically appear.

Chanyeol... where are you?

He tapped his pen against the wooden table, his hand on his thigh as he looked towards the window. The sky was cloudy, filled with dark grey clouds, their tears approaching the time to drop. Baekhyun looked back to the class and frowned. He hated this. He hated every second of it.

.
.
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Time flew quickly. Baekhyun and Daniel stood in the science lab with a beaker in hand. They had to pair up for a project, so, being the only close friends in class... they decided to team up. Chemistry and Daniel were not the friendly couple. Smoke kept appearing from the erlenmeyer flask. How? Not quite sure- but Baekhyun was no better. He somehow made foam come out of his test tube when that was chemically impossible. Main point, Science is not their thing.

Baekhyun leaned against his chair, feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket. He checked it casually, knowing the teacher would prefer him to use his phone instead of actually grabbing any of the lab equipment. All that needs to be said is... a lot of glass had to be disposed of.

Baek checked his phone and saw the unread text from his brother.

'I'm going to pick you up right now.'

He raised a brow, confused. Did his meeting already end? Was there a problem? He sighed and packed his bag, preparing himself to leave, making a mental note to return to his locker to get the hoodie. He turned to Daniel, who was smelling the beaker with a smile.

"Hyung, I added the vanilla oil, so it smells good now!" Baekhyun stared at him, questioning how he stole the beaker from the teacher? Along with where he even found vanilla oil? Baek grabbed the glass container from the younger before he could intoxicate himself even more. He stared at the clock and wondered what might've happened, the thought of Chanyeol still roaming his mind as well. Little did he know, that would be the least of his concerns in a few seconds.

Everyone froze when they heard the announcements go off with a frightened voice.

"Lockdown! I repeat, lockdown!"

The intercom suddenly turned off...

But the sound of screaming could still be heard from a distance.

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