The next morning, Woozi played guitar in the early morning, trying to wake you and Coups up. Coups responded how you would’ve if you weren’t so drowsy; by kindly telling Woozi to stop or else he would “throw Martin out the Goddamn window.”

            Woozi stopped immediately, grunting “the one time I try to be what you people call civilized-“

            “Did you name your guitar?” You mumbled, twisted in your sheets. Dragging your heavy head off of the pillow, rubbing your eyes and looking at him.

            “Whatever.” Woozi scoffed. “Brush through your hair, it looks like a squirrel crawled in it last night and died.”

            You were woken up at seven, so you could meet the rest of the group down at the lobby by eight-thirty. Coups pulled up the car, and everyone climbed in the back. Coups honked the horn and yelled at two figures that were sitting on the curb. “HEY! Hurry up.”

            They stood up, and they were two of the tallest guys you had ever seen

            Currently, Joshua and Jeonghan where up against the back doors of the van. Hoshi and DK lying in open middle space, already asleep (They had went to bed three and a half hours ago.) You were against the back of the passenger seat that held a sleeping Dino (also went to bed at that time; Coups was not pleased.) Woozi at the side door.

            The oncoming boys slid open the door, and Woozi scooted to the side as they peaked in, muttering hellos to everyone. They crouched down and climbed inside, going for the open space next to you, behind the driver’s seat.

            Both of the guys had black hair. The taller of the two had big eyes, and an tan oval face that slid into a small chin. He had a full upper lip and eyebrows groomed in a way that they caved in. His hair looked superb, gelled back perfectly to reveal a smooth tall forehead. The shorter of the two, but by no mean short by any other standard, had sharp pointes eyes. Looking almost as if he was half asleep at all times. He had a skinner taller nose of the two, a thicker chin, and a tad rounder face.

            “Everyone in?” Coups yelled from the front, as he reared the engine. Woozi slid the door closed. There was a collective yell and the car jolted forward, rocking everyone for a second. You brought your legs close to your chest, feeling very claustrophobic

            The taller of the pair started up a conversation with Coups, the one with sharp eyes engaging in conversation only by adding grunts of agreement every once and a while. The shy one, who was sitting next to you stared at you, his emotionless face boring into you.

            “What?” You hissed, automatically defensive.

            The guy looked away without saying a word. The tanner one next to him turned his face to you at your voice. “Hey!” He said loudly. “Aren’t you Joshua’s fake girlfriend.” He stated bluntly.

            Joshua shrunk in the back, pressing himself into the corner of the van, pulling the top of his dark navy beanie over his face.

Hoshi, who apparently wasn’t sleeping, reached up from his horizontal position and grabbed the tan one’s foot that was next to Hoshi’s face. “Subtle, Mingyu.” He groaned.

“She is not my girlfriend.” Joshua yelled from the back, his voice muffled by the beanie he was trying to shove in his mouth.

“I said fake.” The guy moaned. “I know she isn’t real. I mean after the whole sleepover incident-“

The car jerked and shook for a second as the van reached the highway. Everyone shook a little bit. Joshua slid over Jeonghan, Hoshi and DK rolled up against Woozi who was at the side door. And the two strangers slid toward you. Your body, that was already pressed up against the left side had no effect. But your head banged up against the glass window.

“.” You moaned, your head dropping to your hand, white spots dancing beneath your eyes.

“Are you okay?” You heard Joshua say.

“I’m fine.” You groaned. “Just slow it down up there Coups.” You pounded on the backseat.

“Sorry.” Coups grunted, his voice not sound apologetic at all.

“I’m Mingyu.” The taller of the two spoke, raising a opened palm up.

“Wonwoo.”

You felt the uncomfortableness well up inside of you. You had to make a good impression. Keep it casual. Surely, jokes were the best option. Everyone loves jokes. “What? Are those another one of Hoshi’s stupid nicknames?” You laughed nervously.

You heart Hoshi splutter out a laugh, quickly disguising it as a cough. Joshua was trying to wave you down. His hand facing him, fingers bent and waving back and forth on top of his throat. A strained expression, one side of his lip pulled back to expose his teeth.

“No. Those are our actual names.” The one called Wonwoo spoke slowly, in a deep rich voice. His naturally narrowed eyes locked on you.

            “Smooth.” Woozi commented.

            “Oh, no, I wasn’t saying-” You spluttered. “Its not that your names are weird. Its just Hoshi is always… you know doing those things. So I just assumed. You can’t blame a girl from assuming. Hoshi is always doing that stuff. Hoshi is a nickname, even. Half of these people on his bus has nicknames. Correction. Have nicknames. Another correction. This isn’t a bus. I know this isn’t a bus. It’s a van, obviously. I’m not completely stupid-“  Your mouth was going rouge, rambling without breathing in-between rapid-fire sentences.

            “Stop!” Woozi half yelled. “Take a breather. Chill out.”

            The one called Mingyu. “Oh my gosh, she does that same thing that Joshua does whenever she gets uncomfortable.” He laughed.

            Joshua sunk further into the corner.

            It wasn’t until you reached the park again that you realized that you had no idea where you were heading. In fact, you were clueless to what this week-long trip had in store. You just got in a van with ten guys without any foreknowledge of what the trip ensued.

            “We’re back here again?” You asked as people started filing out of the van.

            “Yesterday was rollercoasters.” Joshua said. “Today is the waterpark.”

            “I didn’t bring my swimsuit.”
            “None of us did. We just go in our clothes.”

            The group starting walking to the entrance. “Why do you go in your clothes?”

            “First time we came here,  we all forgot our suitcases. It happened the second time as well. After the second time, it just became tradition.”

            Mingyu walked up to the side you and Joshua, Wonwoo following quietly beside him. “So I’ve heard a lot about you.”

            “Thank you?” You shot a look at Joshua. “I think.”

            “Its nice to finally know your name too, instead of just referring to you as The Roommate.” He said the name, imitating the disgust when it is said.

            “Who calls me that?”

            “Woozi, when he is upset with you.” Joshua said.

            “Thanks Woozi.” You yelled, he was walking in a line with Coups in front of you. You stepped on the heel of his foot as he walked. The nickname couldn’t get more detached if Woozi had tried.

            “I don’t call you that anymore.” He hissed. 

            The first few rides were alright. You weren’t a huge fan of water rides. Jeonghan seemed the most into it out of all of them. His long hair pulled up into a high man bun. This day seemed more relaxed than the last, more focused on the entertainment of the park then anything else.

            Joshua walked in back of the group, away from Jeonghan and Woozi. Not chiming in on the conversation as the group waited in lines as he normally did. A few times you tried to walk with him but he put on a very obvious façade. A smile that didn’t reach his cat like eyes.

            The group had just gotten off a ride. Dispersed amongst the group of people getting off the ride. The group always met after the ride at gate to that ride. It wasn’t until the group starting walking to the next attraction until you noticed.

            “Where is Josh?” You tapped Woozi on the shoulder. Woozi looked around, his eyes scanning the crowd.

            “He has his phone.” Woozi dismissed.. “If he can’t find us, he’ll call us. Just wait a second.”

            The group haulted, waiting for Joshua. But Joshua didn’t come; ten minutes, now fifteen, now twenty, no sign of Joshua.

            “I’ll look for him.” You offered. “You guys go ahead to the next ride.”

            “You don’t need to do that.” Woozi scoffed. “He’s older than you, I’m sure he’s fine. Lets go to the next ride.”

            “You can go. I’ll look for Joshua.” You insisted. The fact that Joshua was missing sunk in your stomach. You couldn’t shake the sight of Joshua, bloodied and bruised, from your mind.

            “Here.” Woozi pulled out his phone for a second, rolling his eyes at you. Seconds later you felt your phone vibrate. A notification popped up to alert you that you had been added to a group chat with twelve other people.

            “Keep in contact.” Woozi told you, and him and the rest of the group set off in the other direction.

            You looked for a good half an hour. You tried the music store first, no sign of him there. Joshua wasn’t at the help desk either, nor was he at the foods stands. You had circled the whole park twice at least twice. Every round made the lump in your throat increase in size.

            You were getting a drink from the drinking fountain, attached to the side of a very small restroom. The refreshment was short lived. Cut short when you heard the faint playing of music. A raspy voice against a backdrop of acoustic guitar.

            Joshua was sitting down, up against the backside of the building. His beanie pulled over his face. His phone perched on his shoulder, playing the loud tune in his ear. You swallowed the lump in your throat with ease, looking down at his peaceful form.

            “Hey there, handsome.” You said nonchalantly, leaning up against the wall, looking down at him.

            Joshua jumped for a second. He snatched the beanie away from his face, and looked up with wide eyes. After seeing your identify, he relaxed, slumping back against the wall. One hand grasping at the fabric on his chest.

            “How did you find me?” He droned, pulling his beanie over his mess of hair. You slid down the wall, siting on the dirty concrete next to him.

            “I’ve been looking.” You said. “But I now see that you don’t want to be found.”

            Joshua smirked up at the sky, his eyes slightly downturned. “I guess.”

            “Well, if you want me to leave-“

            “Ehh, don’t bother.” He waved his hand, his back sliding further down the wall.  “You’re here anyway. I just came here because I wanted to be alone. It just all gets a little much sometimes.”

            “Well if you want to be alone then I should go.”

            “Its like what you said before,” Joshua breathed. “No one really wants to be alone.”

            You smiled faintly. “Is everything okay?”

            “Just…stuff.” Joshua groaned, rubbing at his eyes and stretching his mouth in a yawn.

            “Obviously.” You hissed. “But you won’t tell me about any of it.” You hinted in a high voice. Joshua looked over at you, his eyes stripped of amusement. The blue bags under his eyes reflected in the harsh sunlight. “But I guess I could stop making your life so stressful and stop asking.”

            Joshua turned away from you, relieved. “That would make things better.”

            “No pressure or anything. But just so you know, sometimes I sit around and think about Poor Joshua Hong, that sad little boy who sat on my toilet seat all beaten and bruised. And then I have a little cry, letting myself eat away my worries with ice cream, Justin Bieber playing for mood music in the background. ” You scooted next to him, and placed your chin on his shoulder, sighing dramatically.

            Joshua cracked a smile, shrugging you off. “Get away.”

            “Never.” You half whispered. Joshua was normally the most joyful of the two of you. And it felt strange that you had to make up for the missing boost that he normally provided.  “Come on, it stinks here.” You slid up the wall, tugging at the end of his sleeve.

            “I don’t want to go back. There is too many of them… I feel so crowded.”

            “Introverted much?”

            Joshua slid off the wall. “I normally get my alone time during the slow parts of the day at the guitar shop with Taylor.” He grunted. “But I didn’t even bring her along!”

            “Taylor… your guitar?”

            “Yea. Who else would it be? My girlfriend?” Joshua laughed, rolling his eyes up to the sky.

            “Can I just point out that you made a joke about you being forever single, and then laughed to it?” You stood on your toes and slung a arm around his shoulder.

            Joshua grimaced, ripped off his beanie and pressed it to his face. “Uhhhh… I’m so tired. I only got two hours of sleep last night,.” Joshua threw himself up against the brick wall, , hitting his head against it.

            “Whoa, there buddy.” You lead him away from the wall. “Lets get some caffeine in you before you go crazy of sleep deprivation.” You led him out from behind the structure, one hand on his back.

            Joshua walked with slumped shoulders. His eyes half open, fighting against the upper lids that were threatening to cave in.

            “Its too late, I’m already there. I’m gone. No hope.” He said dramatically.

            “Just wait to you get some pop in you.”

            “I can’t drink it.”

            “Yes, you can. You look like .”

            “You were always the best when it came to compliments.” Joshua groaned, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I guess I could make an exception today.”

            You latched onto Joshua’s arm, your fingers curling around his upper forearm, as you walked to the nearest food stand.  You gave the lady your money. “I’ll buy you a pop next time.” Joshua offered as you were handed the energy drink.

            “Don’t bother.” You shrugged. “You made me stir fry last time, so we are cool.”

            “But the stir fry was to make up for buying me tea.” Joshua argued, looking down at the pop. You grabbed the pop from his hands and opened it with a hiss, and then shoved it back in his hands, shushing him.

            Joshua drank it, and the two of you sat there; Joshua quietly sipping on his drink while the two of you observed the park for an hour or so. But within a span of ten minutes, Joshua went from almost falling asleep to completely… whatever the hell this was.

            “I haven’t had one of these since high school!” Joshua enthused, sitting down in the seat but  bouncing his legs up and down. Rubbing his hands up and down his thighs.

            “Yea…” You drawled out. “Are you okay?”

            “I’m fine. Completely fine. Do you want to go somewhere. We should get some food, YEA FOOD.” He yelled midsentence, you jumped back a bit. “Oh man if I stay still for one more minute I’ll burst.” Joshua stood up jogging around in place, a frantic wide eyes looked coupled with a friendly smile. “Come on. Lets go. Lets go.”

            “Hold on a second,” You held a finger up your and pulled out your ringing phone. You answered it. “Hello?”

            “Hello?” Woozi scoffed. “So you’ve been off the grid for hours, not responding to my texts and you just say hello?”

            “That is quite a dramatic greeting.” You droned.

            “Where are you?” A voice that you were pretty sure was Dino’s said distantly.

            “Uh, at a food stand. Joshua was tired. He’s just finished his energy drink so we’ll be right over.”

            You heard laughter in the background. Hoshi yelling. “WAIT, what did she give him?” The voice was breathless,  choked out by laughter.

            “Oh, please tell me you didn’t give him caffeine.” Woozi droned.

            “Is he not allowed to?”

            “He is extremely sensitive to that stuff.”

            “So?”

            “So?” Woozi scoffed your words back at you. “I mean extremely sensitive. Have you ever seen Josh drinking pop. No? That’s because he doesn’t drink any form of caffeine. The only thing he drinks is his stupid tea, and even that is caffeine free.”

            You spared a glance at Joshua, who was jumping up and down to the corny music playing over the park’s speakers. Joshua starting enthusiastically doing a air-guitar solo during the song. Joshua mouthed to you, a wide grin plastered on his face. Head banging to the imaginary guitar. People passing by where stopping at pointing at Joshua who was completely obvious to the strange attention.

            You turned your back for a second. “Well, he is certainly more outgoing than he used to—Joshua NO, don’t touch the baby. I’m so sorry ma’am, carry on.” You had Joshua grabbed by the back collar.

            “Who’s on the phone?” Joshua turned his head around, screaming the words inches away from your ear. You hissed at him.

            “Put me on the phone with him.” Woozi growled.

            You gave the phone to Joshua. Woozi said something and Joshua began looking around. “I dunno, we are near a churro stand, I don’t know where. But dude this baby was wearing a- oh yea sorry, I’ll stay focused…..I don’t know where that is-? Near the what? Oh sure! Cool” Joshua handed the phone back to you. Woozi had hung up.

            “Where are we going?”

            “Near the old kid rides.” Joshua said, walking with a spring in his step. “Woozi said he’ll meet us there. They shut down. A while ago.”

            “Why? Shouldn’t we go to them?”

            “Don’t ask me.” Joshua gave you a grin, leaning is head to the side. His long legs striding next to yours.

            The caffeine seemed to had quite the impact on Joshua. Certainly, he was more talkative, and you had never seen him more comfortable around strangers before. He waved at almost everyone who passed by with forceful wave. This version of Joshua reminded you a bit of Hoshi; ADD included.  But Joshua still told better jokes than Hoshi did.

            Sorry Hoshi, you thought.

            “I’m so glad you’re on this trip.” Joshua said, not looking at you. His head whipping side to side, concentrating on something different every two seconds.

            “Thank you, Joshua.” You bored, clinging on to his arm. To outsiders, it might have looked like you were clinging to him from desperation. But you were just using his arms as leverage to keep him on the desired path.

            “Like, I am soo glad you’re here.” He laughed. “Now maybe we can be all one group. Like you’re my best friend, and they are my best friend. And now we can all be friends.”

            “I’m your best friend?” Your heart pounding.

            “Of course! I spend more time with you out of any of the guys.. wait. No, I spend more time with Jeonghan at the shop.”

            You repressed a smile. “I’m your best friend.” You whispered to yourself, those words were a stranger to you. Never before had you met someone who was willing to call themselves your best friend. And before Joshua, you weren’t sure if you would’ve been happy if anyone had. But he… he was something special. He stayed with you in hospital when you were cold-hearted. And he managed to break through every rule you had established with a lazy flick of hi calloused fingers.

            And you knew he was going through some serious now. There was no denying it, and it was your turn to finally pay that back. You would be there for him, even it dragged your sorry out of town. Even if you had to beat up those sons of es yourself. You would make it up for him. You wanted to be like Joshua was to you. Joshua needed a friend like Joshua right now. You would support him, not leave him alone. Be persistent until your voice died of the awkwardness of the unanswered texts, the babbling voicemails. Everything he did for you, you would return with interest.

            “Woozi’s roommate: my best friend.” Joshua sighed. “We have some serious trio material right here. We could be like DK, Hoshi and Seungkwan. Well, that was before they went to college. I wonder how Seungkwan is. Hope he is doing well. “

            “Joshua stay on the path.” You snapped, dragging him by his arm now.

            “That lady had a tattoo!” He pointed behind him.
            “Look, see? I have one too,” you pulled down the front of your T-shirt to reveal your collarbone. “Stay focused.”

            “Yours isn’t real.” Joshua sighed. “I’ll just wait to see Woozi, then.”

            “His is fake too.”

            “Not the one on his wrist, the one on his back.” Joshua groaned, walking faster now. His longer legs made it harder to keep up.

            “Woozi has a tattoo on his back?”

            “Uhh, he doesn’t like to talk about it. He probably wouldn’t even let me see it even if I asked. He hates it.” He sighed. “I forget sometimes that you know nothing about us. I just feel like you’ve always been there, you know?”
            “Whatever you say, Joshua.”

            Joshua stopped. “Woozi wants to meet us here.”

            The the left of you was a huge chain fence that read “EMPLOYEES ONLY- DO NOT ENTER”. There was a plastic mesh material covering it, making the scene behind it barely visible. The place was in between a bathroom and the arcade. There were a few deserted benches perched to your sides. The distant screams of the park echoed in the distance, no one was here.

            “Do you want to go in?” Joshua whispered to you, leaning down over you.

            “Where?”

            He trust his head behind you, the tall fence behind you. “Uh, lets wait till Woozi comes first.” You said.

            A few minutes later Woozi appeared, sweat around his collar, his fringe pulled back in ponytail that sat on the top of his head.

            “Hey Josh.” Woozi said cautiously with his furrowed eyebrows; eyes scanning over him. “How are you doing?”

            “Good. Fine. Brilliant. Great.” Joshua mumbled, his eyes looking past Woozi, hovering over the active park.

            “I can’t believe you gave him caffeine.” Woozi hissed at you under his breath.

            “I didn’t know! I’m pretty sure that at one point Joshua mentioned drinking some type of pop.”

            “Joshua just says those things to make himself feel cooler.” Woozi grunted.

            “Oh, like I was supposed to know that.”

            “You’ve been around long enough!”

            “Oh so you’re blaming this on me, now?”

            “Yes. Yes I am. You don’t even know what happens to Josh when he’s had caffeine.”

            “I guess we’ll find out then.” You hissed, looking back behind you for a second. You turned your head back to Woozi, and then snapped your head back behind you, wide eyed. “JOSH!”

            Joshua was halfway up the metal wire gate, his foot resting on the “EMPLOYEES ONLY- DO NOT ENTER” sign.

            “Josh!” Woozi said in a constricted voice. “Get down from there!”

            “Relax.” Joshua rolled his eyes, continue to climb. You and Woozi ran to the fence. Both of you too worried to pull on his legs.

            “Grab him and I’ll catch.” You ordered.

            “I can’t do that. You grab him.”

            “I can’t reach him.”

            “We are the same size! How did you think I would be able to grab him if you can’t?”

            “Hurry up!” Joshua said, hugging the top of the fence and with a swing, he disappeared on the other side.

            “Joshua!” You whispered, pressing your face to the fence. You could make out Joshua’s blurry figure safely land  on the other side. He shot you a charismatic grin and gave a thumbs up. “Come back.”

            “Come on. The climb isn’t that bad, I promise.”

            “The climb isn’t the problem Joshua!” Woozi set one of his feet in between the links of the chain link fence as you were talking, his hands grabbing the links in front of him. “You aren’t seriously going to follow him.”

            “Well he isn’t going to come here.” Woozi grunted, scaling the wall quicker that you thought he could’ve

            “It says employees only.”
            Woozi laughed, looking down at you. Now halfway up the wall. “Oh and because signs in all caps have definitely thwarted me before? Oh, no it’s a sign, the terror.”

            You heard a yell of excitement from the other side of the fence and Joshua was running away, further into the depths of the forbidden park area.

“Joshua! Stay right where you- damnit.” Woozi grumbled under his breath, his forehead creasing. “When that kids sobers up I swear to God he is in for an beating.”

You put your hands on the fence and hoisted yourself up. Oh, did you really want to do this? I mean, it was for Joshua but rules. If you got in trouble….

“What are you waiting for?” Woozi yelled from the top. “You have to come and get him too! This is your fault in the first place.”

You starting climbing. “Well I don’t know every aspect of Joshua’s life.”

“You spend so much time together by now you should.” Woozi spat then jumped off the fence.

You hurriedly climbed after him. You were at the top now, your chin resting on the top link of the fence, Woozi looking up at your from the other side.

“Come on!” Woozi ushered you, waiting for you to get over.

“My foot is stuck!” You jiggled the fence.

“HEY YOU!” A voice yelled. A man in all black was pointing at you. Two other guys behind him wearing similar uniforms. “Get down from there!”

You frantically tried to shake your foot from its holding. “Woozi! some Security just saw me!”

“She is talking to people! There are other people on the side of the fence!” The guy bellowed at the others now at the base of the fence. He turned and whispered something into his radio attached to his chest, looking up at you.

 “Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to get down.”

“I’m stuck.” You yelled down, a stressful smile on your face.

The security guard whispered to the two others. The one in the middle pulled out a key and opened the main lock. He grasped his hand around the poles.

“Woozi don’t run, it will only-!” You yelled, as they pulled the fence door open. But Woozi’s blonde head was already bobbing into the distance, security guards darting after him. You felt a hand on your foot and saw two more guards tugging at you.

“You guys just multiply… don’t you?” You laughed nervously.

“Ma’am, you need to get down.” The security guard ordered you, two more security guards running through the open gate. Woozi yelling curses loudly in the background.

“Will you catch me?”
            They nodded. And you let go on the fence, and you felt hands soften. “Thank you, I really-“ But your thanks were cut short. After straightening up the three men were surrounding you with serious looks on their faces. One of them put their hands on your shoulder, adding just enough pressure

“I hope you can comply and come with us.” The guard said in a dangerous tone.

“Yes, of course….sir.” You added quickly.

They took you to an office where they sat you down on a chair in front of a desk and a computer. Everyone left, except for one guard who stayed there to watch you. You tried to ask him questions but he didn’t answer.

“We’ve got one here. She’s compliant.” He spoke into his radio.

“We’ve got one here. He’s resisting.” A voice grunted back, breathlessly.

“Get your ing hands off me!” Woozi’s voice echoed in the crackling radio.

You set your head in your hands, rubbing at your eyes.  You could not go to jail again. You wouldn’t! This was all a huge misunderstanding. You told Woozi it wasn’t a good idea to climb that fence. You told him. Why did you have to be such a ing idiot and follow?

The door opened at two guards dragged Woozi in, holding him by his arms that were folded behind his back. This hair was disheveled, no longer in a ponytail, falling over his reddened face. The men let him go with a slight push on his arms. Woozi turned to them, fists clenched at his sides.

“Woozi, sit down.” You said, nudging the chair next to you.

The guards stayed behind, standing over you. “Name. Birthdate” They ordered, sliding you a piece of paper. They gave one to Woozi also.

“On what grounds?” Woozi threw the paper on the ground, his eyes aflame. He rolled his long sleeves up to his elbows jerkily.

“Woozi, just do what they say.”  You sighed looking up at him through your fingers. Then taking the pen on the desk, wrote your name on the liver of paper. As you the wrote the name you winced. The pen writing the letters that you hadn’t seen in a while.

Woozi sneered. “Whatcha going to do? They’re just security.” Woozi stood with his chest puffed out.

“Police.” The guards corrected him tone faced, pulling out his badge and flashing it to both of you.

“Even better” Woozi spat, a cracked grin on his mouth. He took an intimidating step towards the man, jutting out his jaw. “I hate police even more.”

“Woozi.” You leaned forward in your seat and ripped  him back with a tug on the back of his shirt. “Now is not the time. Do as he says.” You pried open his fist and shoved the pen in it.

Woozi looked down at the pen, biting the inside of his cheek. He sighed and grudgingly threw himself in the chair. He wrote on it and  handed it to the man.

The man took a seat behind the desk and began typing at the computer. You risked a glance at Woozi whose lips were pursed and he stared down the officer,

His radio crackled and a voice spoke. “We found another one.”

You groaned. The man looked up, Woozi still glaring back at him.

“How many of your little friends do you have in there?” He asked, leaning with one elbow on the desk.

“It doesn’t concern you.” Woozi spat.

“No one else.” You said quickly, stepping on Woozi’s foot.. “Just us three.”

“Can you tell me why you guys thought you should go in the restricted section of the park?” He droned, eyes fixed on the computer screen, his fingers typing away.

“That friend went in first, we were trying to stop him.” You said compliantly. “Please this is all a misunderstanding.”

“If that is true, then why did your friend,” The man pointed his pen at Woozi. “run and resist the guard as well almost assaulting them.”

“He has authority problems.” You blurted out before Woozi could make another smart- comment. “I came quietly, I’m sure Joshua did too.”

As if the sound of his name suddenly summoned him, the guards led a very disgruntled Joshua in. One of the guards handing the guy behind the desk a slip of paper with Joshua’s name and birthday on it. “He was compliant.” The guard said. “It seems like they were just being reckless, no bad intentions it looks like.”

The guy behind the desk grunted. “Protocol.”

Joshua was rubbing a red spot on his head, you looked at him in concern. “I fell and hit my head on a tree.”

“How do you fall and hit yourself on a tree?”

“The roots in the ground.” Joshua moaned with a kind of sanity that was absent before. The knock in the head most likely enough pain to bring him out of the crazed state.

“Well I did the background checks. And you seem good.”” The man said pointing at Joshua, the blue glow of the computer reflected in his deep set eyes. “However, you two have quite the record.”

Joshua shrugged for a minute, not surprised but then his head snapped to you, wide eyed.

“Petty thefts, drug distribution, several acts of assault, vandalism, disturbing the peace, suspected gang activity, minor in possession of alcohol, possession of drugs, damage of private and public property, bribery of public officials-“ The man listed off.

“Wait, which one of them are you talking about?” Joshua said, leaning forward in his chair. Woozi and you both sinking in yours.

“Disclosure.” You said quickly. “You aren’t legally allowed to answer that question.” You knew this made you sound guilty. Truthfully, some of the things he listed of were on your record, some of things were Woozi’s. But you didn’t want Joshua to distinguish between the two.

“This is all my fault.” Joshua admitted quickly, somehow suddenly in his right mind again. “I went into there first and they followed.”

“Well no damage was done to the property.” The man said hesitantly, chewing on the edge on his pen. “So we aren’t going to make a formal report.”

“Thank you.” You said desperately.

“But I have no choice but to ban you from the park.” The man said lazily.

Woozi groaned, sinking himself further in the chair. Joshua set his head down in his lap.

“We’ll have some guards you out.”

And they did just that. Within a few minutes Joshua, Woozi, and you were sitting on the curb of the entrance of the park. Watching as people flooded into the gates. “What are we going to tell the guys?” Joshua groaned, pulling at his beanie.

“Nothing.” Woozi said. “We get a taxi back to hotel, saying that you weren’t feeling well.”

“But what happens when you come back tomorrow?”

“The amusement park is only two days.” Joshua said. “This is the last day.”

“Then we should do that. Not tell anyone.”

“Agreed.” Joshua moaned. “Besides, my head is killing me. I think I’m crashing.”

Woozi got out his phone and called a cab to come and you up. When at the hotel, you discovered that Joshua was the only one with a keycard in the group. Immediately after entering the room, you flung yourself on the bed.

“I need a nap.” You declared, your voice muffled against the pillow.

“Go at it.” Joshua said, flinging himself on the other bed and turning on the TV. You felt something drag across your body; Woozi was pulling a spare blanket over top of you. Your eyes narrowed.

“What are you doing?” You groaned in a low voice.

Woozi dropped the blanket, it falling on your face. “Are you blind as well as stupid? What does it look like?”

“Thanks, Woozi.” You mumbled, pulling the  blanket down, only exposing your eyes.

“Whatever.” He scoffed, and he sat next to Joshua. Joshua was lying his his feet towards the headboard, pillow under his arms. Resting his head on the surface. Woozi had taken off his shoes before situating himself next to Joshua, his messy hair sticking to headboard.

The boys were watching some action movie that involved a lot of noise. Joshua changed the channel mumbling that the noise hurt his head.

“Is your head okay?” Woozi asked.

“Yea, just hurts a bit.”

“Good.” Woozi said, and you heard an echoing slap on skin. “You idiot, what were you thinking- climbing that fence?

“Hey! Don’t hit me! It wasn’t my fault. It was the caffeine’s.”
            “You know your own limit, .” Woozi scoffed. “You should’ve never drank it in the first place.”
            “She convinced me to!” Joshua said, his voice going a bit high. Joshua made a sound as if he was going to speak but then he cut it off short. “Is she asleep?”

You suddenly became very aware of your body. Lying limply, face covered by the blanket. “Why are you asking me? Go check.”

“You’ve slept in the same room with her for four months.”

“She’s asleep.” Woozi groaned, just saying it too much of an effort for him to be bothered with. “If she wasn’t asleep she would be lying on her side, not her stomach.”

Did you do that? You weren’t aware. How many other things did you do that you weren’t aware of?

“How many of those things that the officer listed were yours?” Joshua asked.

Woozi grunted, a rustling of sheets. “ Uh, I don’t know. Most of them, almost all. One of them wasn’t mine.”

Liar.

“Which one?” Joshua asked.

“Like I’m gonna tell you that. Besides you know most of what I’ve gotten arrested for, deduct the rest for yourself, genius.”

“Besides that,” Joshua whispering now. “Her name is fake.”

“What?”

“Before we left, I looked at the piece of paper she handed the police officer. It wasn’t her name, not the same she told us anyway.” Joshua whispered avidly. “And the picture on the screen… it looked like her, but barely. Her hair was black and she had-“

Woozi interrupted him with a grunt. “Stop digging into other people’s business, Josh.” He said lowly.

You put every once of concentration on keeping every limb still. Your lips trapped the breath in your throat, every inch of you on top alert.

“Oh come on, don’t pretend you aren’t interested in what she is hiding.”

“If you want to know, ask her yourself.” Woozi said. “Like I did.”

“You asked her? What did she say?”

“She threw me in the pool with a big you.” Woozi laughed. “Yea, if you want to go ask her, be my guest.”

“But you were probably an about it.” A pillow was thrown. “I bet you if I’d ask her she’d tell me.”

“No she wouldn’t”

            “Of course she would, we’re close.”

            “That is exactly why she wouldn’t tell you.”

            Joshua let out a frustrated yell, and sounded like he was hitting the pillow. “Why are girls so complicated.”

            “She is nothing like regular girls.”

            “Just as complicated as one.” Joshua groaned. “I mean a fake name? What?! That is completely absurd!  Who have we been living with?”

            “I have been the one that has been living with her, you just won’t leave her alone.”

            “Since we are on the topic, is it just me or have you guys been civil? I haven’t seen you guys fight more then five times on the trip.”

            “More than five times.” Woozi repeated, laughing.

            “From what Hoshi has reported, you used to fight at least ten times a day.”

            “More on weekends.” Woozi added, sounding proud.

            “What happened?” Joshua said desperately.

            “Just… she’s not as horrible as I thought she was, that’s all.” Woozi grunted under his breath. “What? Don’t look at me like that.”

            “I can’t believe you said that.” Joshua said in a high voice. “I can’t believe you- you are friends with a girl? First time in years, I’ve ever heard say something nice about the female race.”

            “I didn’t say anything nice!” Woozi retorting, a low growl in the undertones of his voice. “I just said she’s not as bad. NOT AS.”

            “Yea, Yea.” Joshua sang. “Whatever you say. I’m just glad you aren’t angry with me anymore.”

            “Don’t delude yourself, Josh. I’m still pissed as at you.” Woozi’s voice getting dangerously low. “But now… we’re in this together-“

            “Woozi,” Joshua said softly, his tone sounding as if he was a a funeral. “Don’t-“

Woozi interrupted this quickly “Don’t you dare say anything Josh. You helped me out last time, its my turn to drag your sorry out of it this time.”

            “I’m such an idiot.” Joshua groaned. “Stupid bastard.”

            Woozi said nothing, and the sound of the TV was turned up.

It wasn’t until you woke up in the semi-darkness, distant noises stirring you awake in the bed, that you realized you had fallen asleep. The covers were taken from you. You curled up at the chill. You sat up, rubbing at your eyes. Figures were lying on the floor, the bed next to you had four people in in. One lying at the foot of it, three crammed in horizontally.

            “Finally woke up?” A voice asked, you jumped. Woozi was lying in bed next to you, silhouetted against the light. Round glasses framing his face, his blonde hair freely falling down over his forehead. You looked down to see that he had taken ninety percent of the blanket coverage.

            “What are you doing here?” You scoffed, grabbing at the covers.

            “We only had the three rooms for first night.” Woozi said. “Second night we lost two of them.” Suitcases were piled up against the door again.

            “Get out of the bed.” You said pressing yourself against the wall, and using the force on your back to push him off with your legs.

            “We share a room, how is this any different.” Woozi grunted, fighting against your legs. “Besides I didn’t want to do this, we drew straws.”

            “You drew straws?”

            “The shortest straw had to share a bed with you. It was down to me or Wonwoo.”

            You shuttered at the thought. “Thanks for saving me from that.” You thought of his piercing  eyes.

            “Don’t tell me he intimidates you? He just has resting face. I promise you he is nothing like that.”

            “He’s eerily quiet.” You sat, lying back down. This was okay. You are Woozi were roommates, you had lived with each other for four months now. Being in close corridors was nothing new.

            “I’m glad you finally went to sleep.” Woozi whispered, his head turning to you, turning away from the book he was holding in one of his hands, resting on his chest.

            “Me too.”

            “I mean I could’ve told Joshua the truth, the fact that you actually snore when you sleep. I don’t actually know what position you sleep in.”

            You felt yourself go red, you yanked the covers from him. The warm yellowing lamp light casting itself on your heated face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You mumbled.

            “I think he is going to pretend he doesn’t know.” Woozi scoffed. “Joshua probably doesn’t want to embarrass you.”

            “Embarrass me?” You scoffed, rolling your eyes, your hands picking at the blanket. “Like he could embarrass me. What is there to be embarrassed about? Nothing obviously. Psh, Embarrassed, please.” You rambled quickly.

            “Go back to sleep.” Woozi said, shifting more of the covers to your side.

            You laid down, your face cast in shadow as he sat lying down; his head up against the headboard. The light reflected off of the rim of his round glasses.

            You turned over, facing the wall. “Thanks.” You whispered. “For not telling him. About my record.”

            Woozi coughed, you felt him shift in the bed uncomfortably. “Anytime.” His voice adjusting. “I must say, is it bad I am kind of proud that you have all those felonies?”

            Your lips lifted in a soothing smile. “Almost. I guess we are more alike than I thought.”

            “Its not like I’ve been trying to tell you that for months.” Woozi scoffed.

            “Don’t ask Joshua for my name.” You murmured quickly, your head hunched over on the pillow, staring deadly at the wall in fall inches from your face. “You know too many contacts; it would be too easy for you find out.”

            “I won’t.” He sighed. “I must say at least we are even now. We both don’t know each other’s names.” Sometimes you had to remind yourself that ‘Woozi’ wasn’t his real name.

            “No.” You corrected him. “The name I told you is my name. That is me. That name is me, right now. The other name, the one that Joshua saw, technically she is me… but she is a completely different person. She was the me of a long time ago.”

            “That is why I like to go by Woozi now.” He whispered. “Even though it is some stupid nickname, I prefer it. I did to many things I wasn’t proud of under my birth name.  The name I used to go by… the person that used to be called that name, you wouldn’t even recognize him.”

            “Strangers again.” You murmured into your sheets.

            “I think… that sometime…. I might want to meet her. The you who goes by a different name.” He whispered in a tense voice. Every word sounding forced “And then, maybe… she could meet...him. The guy who shares my face but with the different name.”

            “That would nice.” You whispered “He seems like he would be nice.”

            “Don’t get your hopes up.” He replied. “He’s got a long record of felonies behind him. He couldn’t be that nice.”

            “She has quite the record on her as well. She isn’t very nice either.”

            Woozi clicked off the light. And the wall in front of you melted in the darkness. The setting of Woozi’s book down echoed through the silent room. He shifted in bed. A clinking; Woozi took off his glasses.

            “I think they would get along. I hope that they can meet someday.” He whispered, his stiff voice melting in the darkness

            “I think she would like that.”

GUYS! This fact has been KILLING ME. Have you ever noticed that i never called her Y/N? I chose to keep her name a secret for the story because it gives her a lack of grounding. That she really has no identity and it adds a sense of mystery. It kind of symbolic, that whenever it says 'she introduced herself' it is her mind glossing over the fact. She doesn't like to think about what her name is, or the meaning behind it or that fact that is isn't her real name. Her name symbolizing a lie and her runnign from her past. So by her always ignoring her name in the story, that i her well... BINGO you got it, its symbolism for her ignoring her past. Pretending its not there. There is some serious repression going on in this character. 

I know as a author I shoudl expose these things to you.. but yea. Oh well

And I don't know why but every time I wrote this chapter i kept playing the song 'Bluegrass' by Matt Phillips- Spotfiy it

For all the people who love Joshua- look forward to next chapter. 

Leave a comment telling me what you thought! I always read every one :)