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Heaving a sigh of relief, Ten dropped his backpack onto the floor and slumped into his seat at the table. "Thank god for lunch," he muttered, poking at the food he'd bought.
"Clearly," Johnny said, glancing at the mush that was on his plate as well, "you mean the chance not to be in class, and not the meal itself."
Ten ignored him. "I don't know what they expect us to learn from all this," he said. "I can't possibly have enough brain capacity to remember historical trivia, mathematical formulas and why Emma's eyes keep changing color in 'Madame Bovary.' When is this shit going to be useful in life anyway?"
"It's not," Yuta said, sitting down to join them. "Have you got all three tests in one day as well?" he asked.
Ten nodded. "I'll fail all three of them at this rate."
"At least you don't have all those thoughts rattled around in your head once a day during football practice. Not like Jackass here."
Yuta sneered at Johnny across the table. "Still upset I stole your girl?" he asked. "I was doing you a favor."
Johnny sat up straight and opened his mouth to respond.
Ten groaned and dropped his head to the lunch table. "Please don't start this again," he moaned. "Remember when we all used to be friends?"
Yuta smirked at him. "Poor Tennie here is just jealous that he doesn't have a girlfriend."
"Oh god," Ten groaned, not lifting his head from the table, "why would I want one of those?"
"Attention, sex and someone to do things with on a weekend; why else?" Yuta asked.
Ten sat back up. "Don't I get enough of that from my boyfriend?" he asked.
It felt like the whole lunch room fell silent to stare at Ten, eyes widened in shock and breaths were drawn sharply in.
Ten glanced around at his two friends, who were really the only two sitting in silent shock. "Oh, lay off. It's not like you didn't know," he said.
"We did?" asked Johnny.
Ten shook his head. "I've told you I was gay a dozen times by now, and I make jokes about it all the time. How could you not know?"
"Well," Johnny said, looking back at the food on his tray. "I always thought you were joking."
"Yeah," Yuta added. "I figured you were proving how masculine—yet open-minded—you were by pretending and joking."
Ten put his head in his hand. "I can't believe this. All this time and none of you knew?"
"Hey, guys," said Mark as he arrived at the table. "How are you?"
"Hey, Mark," Johnny said. "Did you know Ten was gay?"
Mark chuckled. "'Course, man. Totally flaming."
"No, like really gay," Johnny insisted.
Mark frowned at him. "Really really?" he asked.
Johnny nodded.
"Naw," Mark said. "Can't be."
"I am," Ten snapped. "Gay as they come. I've got a boyfriend and everything."
"You serious?" Mark asked.
Ten groaned and let his head drop back to the table. "Some friends you guys are."
"So, if you've got a boyfriend, how come we've never met him?" Yuta asked.
Ten looked up enough to frown at him. "Of course you have," he said.
"Well, then who is it?" Johnny asked.
Ten turned his frown onto Johnny. "If you can't figure it out, I don't think I'm going to tell you."
"Is it Hansol from Algebra?" Mark asked. The other three turned to look at him. "What?"
"Please give me a little credit for having taste," Ten said.
"Well, he's gay," Mark said.
"Yeah, and cold and totally weird," Ten muttered. Three shocked gazes were directed toward him. "What?" he said. "It's true."
"Who else in this school is gay?" Yuta asked.
"Are you kidding me?" Ten said. "You have to start with the process of elimination for this? You can't just figure it out?"
"Well," said Yuta, "clearly you've been dating this guy for awhile, and we've yet to notice. Since you refuse to tell us, what choice have we but to guess?"
Ten shook his head. "I cannot believe you guys."
"Let's make a game of it!" Johnny said suddenly. "Let's make it a bet."
"Yeah!" Yuta said, punching a fist into the air. "If we can guess who it is by the end of school on Friday, then you'll buy us pizza; if we can't, we'll pool and buy for you and this mystery guy."
"But you've got to bring him, for proof," Mark added.
"It's not exactly an equal bet," Ten pointed out.
"Well, you've kept him a secret this long without even trying," Johnny said, "so it shouldn't be too much harder for you to keep him a secret."
Yuta nodded. "Besides, as your friends, we're feeling a bit betrayed, since you've never mentioned this guy before."
Ten sighed. Yuta had a point. Besides, a pizza wasn't all that expensive, he could afford it. "Fine," he said. "But I'm not going to give you any clues or anything."
"Fair enough," Yuta said, holding out his hand. Ten shook it, and they were agreed.
"Is it Jung Jaehyun?" Johnny asked. Jaehyun was head of the basketball team, but as fit as that left him…
"No," Ten said, shaking his head.
"How about a clue?" Mark asked.
***************************
The four had ended up in the same English class, much to the annoyance of their teacher, and so headed off that way after lunch. The other three were still guessing ("That one?" Mark asked, nodding at a passing freshman; Ten ignored him), and were no closer than they had been at lunch.
"Hey, Taeyong," Ten called out, seeing his oldest childhood friend heading the other direction down the hall.
"Hey, Ten," Taeyong called back, swerving his path to meet up with them.
"These idiots apparently didn't realize I was gay," Ten said, gesturing at the guys behind him.
Taeyong rolled his eyes. "That's lame," he said, "I've known since-"
"And we've made a bet that if they can't guess who my boyfriend is by Friday they'll take me and him out for pizza," Ten continued quickly.
Taeyong laughed. "Sweet deal," he said. "I'll be sure not to tell them, then. See you after school," he added before wandering back on his way to history.
"Dude," Mark said, "Taeyong knows?"
Ten rolled his eyes. "Taeyong has apparently known longer than you, idiot."
"And he's met this alleged 'boyfriend' of yours, too?" Yuta asked, making air quotes.
Ten sighed and hung his head. "Yeah," he said, "he has."
"How does he know?" Johnny asked, glancing down the hall after Ten's departing friend.
"He's my neighbor, my oldest friend, and apparently far more observant than any of you idiots," Ten said. He turned away and finished walking to the English classroom, his friends trailing behind.
***********************************
The week dragged by. It seemed that half the school had known Ten was gay, and also who his boyfriend was. It was completely new news to the other half of the school, and the split soon became apparent as those who didn't know asked those who knew, and those who knew wouldn't tell.
Ten wouldn't answer anyone who asked; just his three friends who were in on the bet, although once everyone figured this out they would hand lists to those three and have them run all guesses by Ten.
Ten denied everyone. Even the few where the other guy claimed to be his boyfriend he denied. They were all false, of course.
And as the days dragged by, Ten wondered that his friends couldn't see what was in front of them.
*********************************
Friday finally arrived.
Then, slowly, oh-so-slowly, the end of the school day came.
Ten went home directly after school, where he told his mother he'd be out for the rest of the day, changed his shoes and went across the street to Taeyong' house.
"A whole week and they couldn't figure it out?" Taeyong asked, pulling Ten into a hug.
Ten sighed. "I really need to find some new friends," he muttered into Taeyong' shoulder.
Taeyong laughed and patted his back. "There, there," he said. "Even if they are unobservant, at least they are loyal."
"Yeah," Ten said. "That or they really want pizza."
Taeyong laughed.
************************************
A few hours later found Ten and Taeyong sitting at a booth in the Pizza Place, waiting for Ten's other friends to arrive.
Johnny, always early, was there next. "Ten!" he said, waving as he sat down. "Oh, hey, Taeyong. Can we still guess?" he asked.
Ten glanced at Taeyong, who was sitting next to him at the booth. "You can," he said, "but it won't change the outcome of the bet."
"Taeil from history?" Johnny asked.
Ten shook his head. "You already guessed him. Three times."
"So it's really not him?"
Ten frowned at his friend. "Just because you think he's hot, does not mean I am going out with him."
"Dude," Johnny said. "I never said he was hot."
Ten rolled his eyes.
"Your boyfriend late?" Yuta asked as he slid into the booth beside Johnny.
Ten's jaw dropped as he turned to stare at Yuta. "What?" he said.
"Hey, Taeyong," Yuta said. "We're not buying for you, though. Just this clown and his 'boyfriend.'" He used finger quotes again.
Taeyong turned to Ten, with his own mouth slightly open . "They really don't get it, do they?"
"I told you," Ten said.
"It's Kun, from third period, isn't it?" Mark said as he walked up to join them.
Ten squished even closer to Taeyong so Mark would have enough space to fit with them on the bench. "Guessing's over, and no, it's not Kun."
There was a length of silence.
"So who is it?" Yuta asked finally. "And how long are we going to have to wait for him to show?"
Ten buried his face in his hands. "I cannot believe you guys," he said. He felt Taeyong' hand slide up his back and into his hair.
"Want me to tell them?" Taeyong asked, pulling gently so Ten tipped his head back.
Ten smiled at him. "Better show; they aren't so good at tell," he said.
"Okay," Taeyong said, leaning down to press their lips together.
Maybe now Ten's friends would get it.
"Dude," Mark said. "Isn't that, like cheating?"
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Forget it , idiots stay idiots xD End ^^
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