The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful. Ten talked to his mom and she sympathized with him, saying she'd talk to his father. Ten's dad gave permission for the talent show on some conditions, one of them being that his parents were going to come and he better make this performance worth it. Ten didn't mind. Every one of his performances were amazing. All he wanted was to not let Byeol down.
Sunday, filled with studying, passed by in the wink of an eye.
Monday morning, Ten smiled at Byeol as she walked into English. Her eyes flicked from the empty seat next to him to the one in the far back, then back at Ten begging for an answer. He slightly gestured with his chin for her sit away from him and she nodded, walking away. He was going to talk to Elaena during lunch. Byeol didn't want to be there.
"Alright everyone, settle down..." Mr. Adams started and the class began. The rest of the day was pretty regular. Byeol never made eye contact with Elaena and she stuck close to Taeyong and the other boys. Not Ten, though. Not just yet.
During lunch, Ten zoned on the conversations as he tried to prepare his words. He saw Elaena walk by him with her little gang of girls and they sat a few tables away. He just needed to go up to her and say–
"Ten? You good?" He looked up suddenly at the sound of Doyoung's voice.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm... I'm fine. I'll be right back." Ten sighed and stood up, walking over to Elaena's table. He felt the girls' eyes latch onto him like moths to a flame. Elaena smiled and tilted her head cockily once he neared their table.
"Elaena." Ten said lowly. The girls exchanged glances, interest piqued. "We need to talk."
"Aw, babe, I'm coming. Is something wrong?" She cooed as she stood up and walked towards a deserted hallway. Ten stopped right before they entered it, which meant everyone else could still see them and realize they were arguing and, like, nothing else. Elaena saw how he didn't follow her and shrugged, leaning against the wall as Ten glared at her.
"So, love, what's up?" She asked, fixing her bangs with her acrylic nails.
"What's up is that you keep hurting Byeol."
"Aw, sweetie, this again–?"
"I told you to stay away from her, didn't I?" He talked over her. Elaena paused.
"You're so funny, baby." She said and Ten felt like throwing up at the revolting nicknames. "You think you have the upper hand here. You're so funny."
"What are you talking about? Of course I have the upper hand– I have proof of you hurting Byeol. I can go ask admin to check the cameras at any time." Ten said, hoping his strong glare didn't show how he was slowly loosing confidence on the inside. Elaena started laughing and Ten was just... confused.
"That's so cute! Okay, let's make a bet. Byeol is your best friend or something, right? She'd never let you down– especially when you're counting on her the most. Let's see if she's really that good of a friend. I bet that she's going to stand you up just like she did last week, right when you need her the most. If I win, you don't talk to her ever again and we get back together." Ten just looked at her with a flabbergasted expression.
"What the hell are you talking about? I'm never going to agree on that! A-And I'm telling you to stay away from her. You freaking hurt her! She... she... I'm not letting you out of my sight, you got that?"
"Mmhm, I got you." She said, then stepped extremely close to him with a disgusting smile. "See ya later, babe."
Ten simply stared after as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked away with a triumphant smile.
YOU ARE READING
Counting on Stars // NCT Ten
Fanfiction"It's just me, you, and the music." Byeol has moved schools again. It's normal. But just because things happen often doesn't make them easier. Throughout her difficult time adjusting to the new settings along with leaving so much behind, Byeol meets...
