The Butterfly Effect, a butterfly flapping its wings - LJN
Pairing: Jeno x reader
Genre: angst, fluff, highschool!au
Warnings: none (?)
Words: 5,3k
Summary: the story of how your last year of high school gets marked by new unexpected friendships and a boy of which maybe you grew too fond of. There’s only one problem.
He’s Lee Jeno.
or
in which you get stuck into a twisted game of love and friendship that could potentially fuck up your last year of high school.
A/N: A second part will be posted (I hope soon). I hope you enjoy the first one here :) Link will be added when pt.2 comes out.
[Part 1] [Part 2]
Have you ever wondered what happens when things just don’t go as they should?
Have you ever wondered what happens when you get yourself into a troubled situation that you hope will end soon, but instead it gets more and more twisted until you can’t escape even if you tried?
Well, they call it the butterfly effect.
It’s when you do a small action which, over time, evolves continuously into something bigger until it comes to have devastating consequences: “a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a tornado half way around the world”.
Needless to say, we don’t have to be this drastic: this statement just helps you understand how seemingly small changes can modify entire situations forever. But don’t worry, if you don’t get it now you’ll surely get it by the end of the story, since that was exactly what happened to you - or rather - what you had gotten yourself into.
As any other high school student, you balanced your time between school, family and friends. But let’s take a closer look at your life: not being exactly an extroverted girl you hadn’t that big number of friends, just a few that you cherished a lot.
In the first place there was that big head of Zhong Chenle - that’s how you affectionately called him -. You two had basically grown up together, going from playing with each other at a tender age under the adoring gazes of your mothers to skipping school and getting scolded for being such bratty kids, from gaming until late at night - occasionally (actually, more than occasionally) swearing at each other since the two of you were competitive as hell - to sitting side by side, a cup of ice cream between your hands, the passing of years regarding you with a laziness that prevented you to do anything else.
However, your high school years helped your social life, bringing you other friends with which you would laugh and talk during and between classes, or spend some time occasionally in the afternoon.
And you would say that the person with whom you bonded the most was Yeeun.
You considered her as one of the closest friends you had: both of you being quite shy and introverted, you matched very well. Neither of you liked being under the spotlight, preferring staying at home reading a good book instead of going out and partying. Not to mention, both of you were those brilliant students of which every teacher is proud of, always helping each other when one of you missed something from the lesson or just couldn’t solve an exercise, and always getting the highest grades in every test, earning you the appellative of “the geniuses” by your classmates.
And then there was Lee Jeno.
Well, you didn’t consider him a friend at first since you weren’t that close. But then, at some point during your fourth year of high school*, he began to grow closer and closer to you. You don’t even remember how everything started, but you certainly knew that you went from talking casually during breaks, to hugging, joking, laughing together and chilling during the afternoon, with him always asking you to help him study those hard subjects in which he wasn’t very good.
You didn’t necessarily like him – you told yourself – but it was pleasing to know that the Lee Jeno, of all boys, wanted to spend time with you. Hell, have you seen him? He had every girl melting because of his adorable eye smile and drooling over his slender and sculpted body, especially during gym classes when he played soccer - or volleyball, or whichever game your teacher had in mind that day - with that serious and determined frown of his. You didn’t deny that you also would throw an occasional glance at him before quickly shifting your attention to your own – poor - physical activities. And you didn’t deny that a small blush would creep up your cheeks every time Chenle teased you with the assumption that said Lee Jeno had took a liking on you. You would always contradict him – “Yah! What the hell are you saying? We’re just friends” – but deep in your heart, a small part of you was swaying with pride.
Soon, the friendship you developed with Jeno expanded, engulfing his best friend Jaemin - a really nice guy both in personality and appearance - and your friend Yeeun. Being classmates, the four of you bonded really fast, until you could say you became a group. In fact, each one of you perfectly balanced one another: while you and Jaemin tended to be on the louder and crazier side, always teasing each other and making sure that people launched you strange looks – was it for spilling water all over the table or for tickling each other in public, you name it - Jeno and Yeeun were characterized instead by a calmer personality, always being the ones who would facepalm at your demeanors and prevent you to embarrass yourselves more than you’ve already had.
You were happy. It’s not like Chenle’s friendship wasn’t enough for you - no matter what, you would’ve always considered him your best friend – but it was nice to know new people and to expand your small circle of friends. Besides, the four of you got along so well that it felt like a lifelong friendship. Everything was fabolous, everything felt just right.
Until one day everything fell apart.
The day was a Friday morning.
You were attending your History class when your already low level of attention – because come on, you found History so boring – was completely thrown away by a notification showing up on your phone. And it was from Jeno.
Strange, you thought. He rarely texted you privately, preferring to use the group chat and tagging you if the text concerned you personally.
Instinctively, you turned around to glance at the boy who was sitting a few rows behind you, to which he responded with an awkward smile.
From Jeno
Can you meet me at the bench later? I have to tell you something -
Sure - you quickly texted back, before moving your phone away.
You glanced at Yeeun, who was on your left and deeply immersed in whatever your teacher was on about, and then at Jaemin, who was beside jeno, blatantly scrolling on his phone.
Also strange, you thought. The two were basically the same person, however even Jaemin seemed to be clueless about this whole matter.
Relax, you’re making this sound like a big deal when probably all he’s going to ask is your help for his embarassingly poor knowledge in math.
Relaxing a little, you decided to at least try to assimilate as much as you could from the words coming out of your teacher’s mouth (You already knew you were going to forget everything as soon as you put a foot out the door).
But no matter how hard you tried, all of your attempts to focus back on the lesson were useless, because now everything you were thinking about was the message Jeno sent you. Your mind going 100 km per hour, trying to guess what he wanted to talk about. He had to tell you something, but apparently it was something very important since he was waiting to be face to face with you.
This was more than enough to make you feel anxious.
Not that it took a lot anyway.
“Hey! You’re already here” you greeted while waving your hand at him.
Standing up from the bench, he smiled almost shyly at you, his gaze shifting on something different every second, his fingers fidgeting against each other. You have never seen Jeno act this way.
“Jeno are you okay?” you asked, sincerely concerned.
“Yeah yeah, I’m good” he reassured with a small smile. “Can you… uhm… sit with me for a second?”
You quickly obliged, taking a seat on the bench next to him, occasionally glancing at some kids who were playing around and screaming incoherent words.
“So… I have something to confess” he began.
Your heartbeat increased, anxiety devouring you whole.
“Okay… what is it?” you asked as calmly as possible. He looked like he was about to faint, so you didn’t intend to pressure him by any means.
“I… I like Yeeun”
You gulped, an uneasy feeling inexplicably spreading all over your insides.
“Oh, that’s… great!” you pondered your last word, attempting a smile.
“Yeah it is, but I don’t think I’ll ever find the courage to confess to her since… I don’t think I’m good enough for her”
You furrowed your brows. “What are you saying? Of course you are Jeno! Don’t ever think so low of yourself. And remember that school grades don’t define the person you are, if that’s what you’re referring to. You may be not the best at school, but trust me, you’re great in every other thing you do” you sincerely stated.
“Yes, I know but- She’s so good in everything she does. She’s pretty, and smart, and always willing to help…”
“Then- uhm… I guess you guys should talk more often and spend some time alone, so that you can grow closer to each other” you suggested, the idea not particularly enticing you, though.
Oh wait, what were you even thinking? Yeeun was everything a guy could want in a girl: as he said, she was pretty and kind, everyone liked her and her timid nature. And now that you thought about it, you came to the conclusion that the two of them were the perfect match.
“Yeah… but the problem is that I really can’t, you know, talk to her alone or even text her. I can do it with any normal girl but not with the girl I like. I guess I get kind of… shy?” he added, softly giggling.
Any normal girl
“That’s why I wanted to talk to you about this” he concluded.
You slowly nodded your head, still processing everything he had just said.
“Does Jaemin know about this?” you finally asked.
“Yeah, but he doesn’t really know what to tell me. I was thinking that maybe you could help me with this? I mean, if you want to”
So you should have helped him to grow closer and possibly date one of your closest friends. And well, since you and Jeno were just friends you guessed that helping him was the right thing to do. You were always that type of person who would have done anything for a friend in trouble, and right now Jeno needed your help more than ever.
Without much thought, you decided that yes, you would have helped him to become Yeeun’s boyfriend.
It was the right thing to do, right?
“Of course I’ll help you. That’s what friends do anyway” you affirmed, smiling brightly at him.
It wasn’t long before he engulfed you in a warm hug.
“Thank you, you’re the best”
“I know” you jokingly responded.
And ladies and gentlemen, this was officially the beginning of the end.
“The fuck did he say?”
A bewildered Chenle asked, watching you with a facial expression which no mortal language could ever describe. On the other hand, you were looking at him amused by his reaction.
As per usual, you dropped at his place after finishing your homework, his parents rarely being at home due to their job. And there, after having comfortably sprawled on the couch of his living room, you told him everything that happened that morning.
“What the… how, just how” he simply added, not even knowing what to say at this point.
You just laughed at your best friend’s response, throwing your head back on the cushion, some tears escaping from your eyes.
“You should see your face” you attempted to say amid your fits of laughter.
“I’m serious Y/N, what the hell? He totally fucked up the scenario I developed in my head. By the way, do you wanna hear it?”
“Oh please no”
“Well, since you asked so nicely…” he cleared his throat while positioning himself so that he was in front of you. You covered your face with the cushion, still laughing from his previous actions.
“So, in my head Jeno eventually confesses to you in the most romantic and chivalrous way. Of course you say yes because everyone knows you’re totally whipped for him while Jaemin obviously asks Yeeun during a double date with the freshly made couple (which, by the way, is YOU and Jeno). I mean, perfectly balancing each other. I planned all of this perfectly, I’ve also made the names of the ships and now this asshole comes and ruins everything? Oh, there’s no way”
You cannot help but laugh at the ranting your friend let out. Oh how much you adore Chenle.
“Oh come on, that’s not that big of a deal. You can just review your scenario and everything will be fine”
“Unbelievable” he muttered under his breath, arms crossed and head shaking in disapproval.
Pulling yourself together, you regained your posture and grabbed some snacks lying on the small table in front of you. In the meantime Chenle sat beside you.
“How do you feel about that?” he suddenly asked, at which you freezed.
Too occupied by Chenle’s hilarious reaction, you didn’t even stop to think about yourself. Or maybe you actually didn’t want to think about yourself.
“Uhm… how do I feel?”
“Like… what are your thoughts about this situation? Are you happy? Sad? Mad? Jealous?”
“Why would I? They’re both my friends so of course I’m happy if they get together” you quickly stated, wanting to avoid any kind of misunderstanding.
The black haired guy eyed you suspiciously, scrutinizing your expression to find any hint of a lie.
Sometimes you were scared of him, honestly.
“I don’t have a good feeling about this, though” he seriously added.
“What do you mean?”
“When there are hidden feelings involved, it never ends well”
“Hidden feelings? Chenle, as I already told you, we’re just friends. I don’t see any harm in trying to help a friend ending up with his crush”
“Yeah yeah whatever…” he mumbled, not convinced at all.
“Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you” he adviced before sinking into the sofa.
Mocking his voice, you then shifted your attention to the movie which was playing on the screen in front of you, his words strangely lingering in your head.
When there are hidden feelings involved, it never ends well
The following days, in order to keep your promise, you dedicated yourself to the cause.
You became a full-fledged accomplice of Jeno and Jaemin, the three of you looking for every possible excuse that could make Jeno and Yeeun stick together. Your outings became more frequent (with your parents questioning you if there was anything between you and one of the two males) and in every one of them you cooperated in order to make sure that the two friends stayed alone as much as possible. While not so long ago the four of you would eat together at lunch, now you and Jaemin would always excuse yourself because “Y/N has to help me with Math, so we’ll sit at another table ‘cause we don’t want to bother your lunch” or something else. The same thing happened when the four of you would go out or would simply chill at someone’s house. But you didn’t mind, though, since Jaemin’s company always made sure not to bore you, with him, being Na Jaemin, never failing to make you laugh by simply telling a joke or teasing you as always.
“Do you think she found out?” Jaemin, who was walking beside you, quietly murmured into your ear.
It was a warm afternoon, the sun of late May making sure to underline its presence, a perfect time to spend walking around and playing in the park. Shifting your gaze from the display of your phone to the blond haired girl who was a couple of meters ahead, you noticed how sweetly she was smiling at the boy beside her, who had just gifted her with a flower he probably found amongst the grass. Your heartbeat let out a thump heavier than usual.
“He’s being a little too obvious” he added.
“Maybe she’s just naive and didn’t get the hint”
“Or maybe she did and she’s playing along because the feelings are mutual” he stated.
“Oh… that’s a possibility too” you murmured quietly, your eyes fixed on the ground. A sudden sense of uncomfortableness washed over you, so you shifted your attention elsewhere.
The atmosphere in the park was bright and joyful, with children running around and playing with each other, their parents or even with their pets. They seem just so carefree and so happy that you wish you could experience that age again. However, your thoughtful state was soon interrupted by Yeeun, who took your hand to bring you close to her.
“What’s up?” she asked, her smile as bright as the sun.
You couldn’t blame Jeno for falling for her
“Nothing, I just spaced out a bit” you simply replied, reciprocating her smile.
“Oh look there’s an empty swing right there, let’s go!” you suggested, quickly running towards the said object. The petty thoughts of some seconds ago now completely forgotten. An attempted request for you to slow down was heard from behind you, but you couldn’t care less, you had already made your way to the swing before anyone else stole it from you. Not long after, the girl joined you on the other one. “Don’t you feel bad for stealing this from some child?” she laughed, starting to swing back and forth. “No, because Im a child myself”
“Whoever goes the highest wins!” you added joyfully.
And when the two of you found yourselves laughing and having fun together, just as two little girls playing at the park and enjoying a sunny day, a pair of eyes was looking at Yeeun with an adorable smile plastered on them. But what you didn’t know, though, was that another pair of eyes was looking at you, just with the same amount of tenderness.
The clock ticked, the sky dusked, and before any of you realized, it was already late in the evening.
“Guys, I have to go home now. My dad’s here” Yeeun stated after looking at her phone.
“I’ll walk you to him” Jeno promptly offered.
“There’s no need, he’s right there” she reassured.
“Okay then… see you tomorrow” the black haired boy surrendered before engulfing her in a tight hug.
Like the ones he used to give me, you sadly thought before shaking your head in disbelief.
What am I even saying now?
All thoughts were washed away when Yeeun ran between your arms to say goodbye.
“Bye Y/N, I’ll miss you the most” she pouted.
“Oh shut up, you’ll see me tomorrow” you jokingly replied, hugging her back.
After she gave a quick hug to Jaemin too, now it was just the three of you on a bench, with you between the two boys, patiently waiting for your respective parents to come and pick you up.
“Sucks not to have a driving license” Jaemin stated, at which you and Jeno agreed with a hum.
After some minutes of silence, it was again Jaemin who spoke up, straightening his posture to face the boy beside you.
“Man you’re being too obvious with her. Trust me, it’s a miracle if she hasn’t found out yet”
You let out a laugh at the rant he let out to his best friend, almost scolding him like a mom does to his child.
“Wait that’s not true. I’m not being too obvious. I’m just being nice and friendly to her”
“Yes, because nice and friendly is giving her flowers, praising her, blushing every time she smiles, and always paying for her” the younger boy explained while keeping count of said things on his fingers.
Jeno let out an exasperated sigh before turning to you. “Has he drank too much coffee perhaps?”
“Surprisingly only one” you let out giggling.
Other minutes of arguing between the two boys passed before Jaemin stood up.
“Guys I’m sorry to leave you but my mum’s here too”
“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine” Jeno reassured.
“Won’t you offer to walk me too?” Jaemin jokingly asked, at which Jeno replied with a serious “Go away”
Jaemin brought his hand on his chest, just where his heart was supposed to be, feigning hurt.
“Thank goodness you’re not as mean as he is” Jaemin praised while bringing you into a hug. “Who knows, maybe I am” you playfully responded. “Nah, you’re too good”.
After saying your goodbyes, you realized that you were now alone with Jeno, and it was a long time since this happened. Ever since that day when he told you he liked Yeeun, the two of you hadn’t found the chance to be alone. He didn’t ask you to chill with him anymore, he didn’t ask for your help with studying (preferring to have the other girl as his tutor) and he didn’t text you anymore, except for asking you for some advice regarding his crush. And you would be lying if you said that this didn’t affect you, because, actually, it hurt you.
You felt as if you lost a friend.
No, you felt as if you lost Jeno.
It was like a heavy wave of uncomfortableness crashed over you after Jaemin’s departure, making you face the sad reality: that things were beginning to change between you and Jeno, you were not the friends you used to be. And you were sure that he felt that too. In fact, none of you dared speaking, preferring to just scroll on your phones.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a notification from your mum informed you that she was there to pick you up, at which you internally thanked God.
“I… uhm… I’m gonna go now” you simply said, rapidly grabbing your bag.
“Oh” he shifted your gaze to you, who were already standing in front of him. “Yeah… uhm… do you want me to walk you there? ”, unsure words slipping out of his mouth while he was looking up at you.
“No, there’s no need. Bye Jeno” you lightly smiled at him before turning away and leaving.
Your sombre mood didn’t go unnoticed by your mother who was waiting for you inside the car, and when she asked you if you were by any means sad or something, her question was just brushed off by the excuse that you were just a little bit tired.
“Can I talk to you for a second?”
You were surprised to find out that the one who softly grabbed your arm in the middle of the hallway was Jeno.
“Sure” you let out, although a little bit confused.
Now holding your hand, he quickly brought you into a classroom which was empty due to everyone being out or having lunch. Your hand tingled a little bit the moment he left it.
“Alright” he began, settling himself against a desk. “I’m here to tell you I’m sorry”
Still confused, you lifted a brow.
“You’re sorry?” you repeated.
“Yes, for… like- neglecting you for the past weeks. I know that maybe you’re angry at me and you’re absolutely right because I - you don’t deserve this”
“Jeno, don’t worry, I’m not angr-“
“No, please, don’t lie to me”. Your attempt to pretend that everything was fine was promptly stopped by the boy who stood in front of you and was looking at you with a face full of regret. You guessed that Jeno knew you more than you thought.
“I know things are not right, and I’m sorry that I realized only last night. You know… only after I was left alone with you I understood that something just didn’t sit right. You haven’t spoken a word to me, and neither did I because… what could I even say? It’s been a long time since we last talked. I was so caught up with Yeeun that I wasn’t aware of the fact that… I was totally ignoring you.”
You listened to everything he had to say, with your eyes staring at the ground, unable to stand his eye contact. You couldn’t deny that you felt like you were invisible to him, you also came to consider his behavior highly selfish: talking to you only when he needed some advice regarding Yeeun. But then you reminded yourself that he liked her, so it was normal that he saw only her and no one else.
But no, it wasn’t normal at all. And he acknowledged it.
“Remember that day I told you that you’re the best? I still mean it Y/N” he finally added. “Will you forgive me for being a neglectful asshole?”
You raised your head to look at him, who was practically watching you with puppy eyes.
“I forgive you” you gently smile.
It didn’t take long for him to embrace you tightly, his chin resting on your head, your cheek pressed into his chest. You tried to pretend that a small tingle (or more than one) never happened inside your stomach.
“Thank you Y/N, I’m so sorry. It won’t happen again, I promise”
However, every good thing eventually comes to an end, because the sweet moment was interrupted by a sudden knocking at the open door.
“Here you are” Jaemin greeted “we were looking for you two”
You and Jeno parted, your eyes now on the boy who was standing at the doorframe.
“Don’t worry, we are coming” Jeno reassured him.
Yeeun joined you as well, and soon the four of you found yourselves sitting on the same table, Jeno throwing a wink at you before directing his attention to the girl beside him, a way to tell you that no, he won’t make the same mistake again. You smiled at this. You’d finally gotten your friend back.
“Is everything fine? I mean… did something happen with Jeno?” Jaemin suddenly asked you.
You turned your head to him, almost startled by his question.
“No no, everything’s fine, I promise. We just had a talk about some misunderstandings, that’s all”
He slowly nodded, and then went back to eating.
“I wouldn’t have forgiven him if I were you”
“Chenle, you’re angry at him because he ruined your plans by liking Yeeun instead of me”
“And for acting like a jerk to you. And I’m also angry at you for forgiving him so easily”
“Chenle…” you sighed, your best friend turning his shoulders to you and acting like a child.
“Don’t talk to me, I’m angy” he stated. Although his tone was serious, you knew him well enough to tell that he was only playing with you.
Giggling, you wrapped your arms around the boy, an evil idea crossing your mind.
“And what if I tickle you?”
Numbers, letters, numbers and more numbers.
That’s all you were seeing for the past 2 hours. Why the heck did you have to choose a scientific high school* of all things? You swore you deserved at least a 3 months-long holiday to relieve all the stress you were accumulating for the past years, the subjects becoming more and more difficult as time passed by.
Someday I’ll quit studying and I’ll open a garage, you always said to yourself.
Or maybe I’ll find a sugar daddy. Now that idea appealed you.
A buzzing noise attracted your attention and, diverting your gaze from your papers to your phone, you realized that Jeno was videocalling you.
Panicking, you quickly discarded all of your books, papers and tools while trying to style your hair in a manner that wouldn’t make him think that you were straight out of a madhouse. When you finally accepted the call, you were greeted with none other than Jeno’s cute eye smile.
“Hi there” you greeted while smiling at him.
“Hi Y/N, wait, hang on a sec… I’ll add Jaemin so I can talk to you both”
You hummed and mere seconds later, a sleepy and messy haired Jaemin made his appearance at the bottom of your display.
“Dude I was having the best nap of my life” he whined, rubbing his eyes.
“Then you should mute your phone when you’re sleeping” Jeno quickly replied.
“You two look like a married couple” you joked.
“Watch out Y/N” Jaemin stated with a smirk “whatever… can I know the reason why my beauty sleep was interrupted?” he continued, letting out a yawn.
“Okay okay hear me out…” Jeno began, and the both of you were watching him in expectation.
“I asked Yeeun out and… she said yes” he happily affirmed.
Your phone fell from your hands, letting out a loud thump.
“Shit- Y/N are you okay?” you didn’t even know which of the two males spoke, as the only thing you could hear at that moment was the increasing sound of your heartbeat, which soon matched your breathing.
You blinked once, twice, realization hitting you like a truck.
Swallowing, you quickly tried to retrieve your composure before facing your phone again.
You smiled. Falsely, hurtly, but you smiled.
You were happy for him, you said to yourself. You should be happy for him, you said to yourself. You should collect those selfish thoughts of yours and bury them in the pit of your mind because you don’t have any right to think them, you said to yourself.
“Yes I’m okay” you lied.
“I’m happy for you Jeno, I’m glad to have helped” another lie. “I hope you two are happy together” you finally added while forcing back a tear that was threatening to escape.
“Congratulations man” Jaemin cheered on the other side. The boy was to occupied with cheering on his best friend, and the latter was too blinded by happiness to notice your trembling lips.
Oh no, you were not crying in front of him.
“I’m sorry to interrupt you two but I have a lot of homework to finish, bye” you excused yourself and well- technically this wasn’t a lie since you really had quite a few problems to solve before calling it a day.
“Okay okay, bye!” the two of them said their goodbyes to you, but you hung up before they could complete their sentences.
Finally all by yourself, you let a tear fall, and then another, and another, until everything you saw was a big halo of indefinite shapes and colors.
You knew this was bound to happen, you really knew, but still a small part of you hoped that Jeno would have eventually given up, or that she wouldn’t reciprocate his feelings. But who were you going to fool, if not yourself? It was impossible for someone to not fall for Lee Jeno’s charm, smile and personality, let alone reject him. Who were you going to fool, if not yourself? Happy endings existed only in fairy tales, and you surely were not living in one.
And that’s how you ended discarding all of your books away, mentally cursing your math teacher, and on your way to your best friend’s house.
Chenle knew what happened from the moment he saw the frown on your face and your red and glossy eyes, but he didn’t ask you anything, nor did he awarded you with a typical “I told you”, but he simply hugged you while you silently cried on his shoulder.
Being the bestest of friends he is, he brought a cup your favorite ice cream while settling himself on his couch, inviting you to do the same. And that’s how you ended eating ice cream with Chenle beside you, both of your gazes fixed on the TV – which was turned off-, your heart already a little bit lighter with his company.
“Men are trash” he let out out of nowhere, casually eating from his spoon.
“Men are trash” you repeated after him, before diving yourself in your coffee and chocolate guilty pleasure.
To be continued...
*A/N: you may find some references to a school system with which you are not familiar (they are marked with a *) . That’s because I’m from Italy and I’m using Italy’s school system as a reference.
Here’s how it works:
Basically when we are about 14 years old (after middle school) we choose a high school (there are many kinds such as scientific high school -the one depicted in this fic- in which the main subjects are math, science and so on..., artistic high school -you mainly study art, history...- and many others). Even if every high school is a specific type, we study all the subjects, except that more attention is put to the ones that are specific for that kind of school.
There are five years of high school, at the end of which there’s a huge exam which will determine if you can get your “diploma” (which is basically graduation). After you graduate from high school you enroll in a university.
I hope a was clear enough and that it didn’t confuse you so much 😅