His conscience

"Pushing me further, pulling me closer, some sorta chemistry
I think I'm addicted to the title, 'you and me'."
....

Star is right. Sometimes we do need music.

I'm having a really bad day and the only thing saving me from having a breakdown in the middle of school is the variety of pop songs I've been listening to for practically the entire day.

I've been exploring a lot of Stray kids songs and I absolutely love their music. They're so unique and I just can't get tired of their songs no matter how many times I listen to it.

“la-la-la-la…rock 'n' roll, we dancing 'til we fall
No stopping, here we go, 24-7 keep it going on…” I sing as I place my text books into my locker and shut it with a sigh. I don't have classes at the moment so I'm free for a whole hour.

I feel very lonely yet I'm the one who’s doing my best to avoid every single person who comes up to talk to me.

Why am I like this?

I stroll past a few classes to get to the bathroom. I'm not even halfway there yet when I feel the sleeve of my t-shirt being yanked from the right.

“Yeah…life is so goo– woah!”

I'm pulled into a dark, dingy space and I feel something soft and warm over my mouth.

My first thought is I'm finally getting kidnapped. Finally.

Until I hear Star’s sarcastic voice over the ringing in my ears. My heart relaxes and begins to race simultaneously…if that's possible.

“Yeah just keep screaming like a little girl let the whole school think you're being kidnapped or something…” she whispers before letting go of me.

I retreat in the claustrophobic room and after a few seconds of getting used to the darkness and recognising the faint smell of bleach, I realise we're in the janitor's closet. Classic.

“So I'm not being kidnapped?!”

She sticks her hands into her hoodie pocket and looks at me like the idiot that I am.

Then it hits me, she doesn't talk to me in school. Why is she talking to me now? And why here?

“This is the only place…and time we can talk today…” she starts to explain and I have to turn my headphones off because I can't be listening to chk chk boom and be having this conversation at the same time.

“What do you mean?” I ask as I recline against a shelf, trying my best not to glance at the mop standing sexily beside me.

“I…” she begins and then takes a deep breath. “My best friends can't know I'm hanging out with you.”

“Why…?” I ask slowly.

“Because…they'll hate both of us.”

“Huh?”

She takes a deep breath and I make myself more comfortable with the mop because I sense it will be a long speech.

“Well…see, Sam got taken off the basketball team,” she begins and my heart drops. The amazing player whose spot I ‘stole’ is Star's best friend? “and you just came but you're automatically in his spot. And basketball is like…the thing he loves most in this world. Well…besides Emily. But anyway, he already yaps about how much he hates you for stealing his dream from him and if that isn't enough, Emily likes you. Like she's head over heels. She can't stop talking about you and…it's frustrating. Like…she knew you even before you started at school…and I did but I didn't know it was you. And when I found out I didn't know how to tell you because it was all weird and if she finds out we've been hanging out a lot, like even before school started…she's gonna feel betrayed.”