The vibrating phone of L. Joe’s wakes him up from his dreamland. Oh well it doesn’t really matter. He was about to be eaten by a giant saw-teethed worm-like creature and all he had was a freaking small torch. Thank God for the existence of the means of communication. He reads the screen to find out Jinyoung is calling him.

            “Hey dude…” His voice is hoarse. He tries to sound casual, but obviously he fails. “What’cha want?”

            “Dude, have you forgotten what we have promised?” Jinyoung sounds annoyed. “You want me to come over to tutor you Bio, remember?”

            He scratches his left eye. In a sleepy voice, he asks “I do?” He winces. “When? Why?”

            “Please don’t do this to me. Not now. I’m starting to develop a chest pain here and I’m barely a school grad!”

            “Shut your ing. Just come over. Now. Or at whatever time we promised.”

            “Gosh…” Jinyoung inhales calmly. “Okay. Oh and by the way, Jiyeon lives somewhere near your house, doesn’t she?”

            “Er yeah...?” L. Joe has his what-are-you-trying-to-pull look when Jinyoung says that.

            “She’ll come over. I asked her to join us and she agreed, after an ongoing persuasion and a -pleading. I know you don’t mind, right?” Jinyoung sounds threatening, but never in a stern note.

            “Oh joy,” L. Joe mocks. “Just- whatever. Now get your over here. I don’t want to be left alone with her.” God knows what would happen.

            “Ohohoho~~” His laugh is genuinely full of excitement. “I never thought Jiyeon could make you feel this jumpy. I guess I should learn something from her to immortalize you, and respect me more. I mean, I am your hyung.”

            “We’re only months apart you douche. Ergh, I can’t deal with you anymore. I’m hanging up.” Then the line goes dead. Exactly what you’d expect from L. Joe.

            L. Joe goes downstairs with his Biology books and some other stuff that is not related to academics at all, like Nintendo, strawberry-flavored bubble gum and an iPad. What? He has Twitter to update.

            DING DONG. A bell is heard and L. Joe’s got an eerie feeling about this. Okay maybe not eerie, but still he bets its Jiyeon’s presence. He tries his best to look super casual and much laid back when he goes to open the door.

            Jiyeon stands there, her heart’s jumping like a retarded monkey and she feels like her pits are sweating like wild boar’s pits even though she was certain she wears a damn good amount of deodorant.

            So how does the word ‘hello’ sound like again, coz none of them two remember.

            She has grown. The last time he saw her, I mean, last time them two were so damn close, she was still a kid. A twelve-year old if he is correct. Both of them were. Her long hair looks gorgeous on her, without any make-up she still looks stunning and she stands there like a life size doll, looking awkward and shocked as he is.

            “Yo.” His voice is hoarse, again. He pretty much doesn’t know how the heck his throat is functioning at this moment.

            “Hey,” she almost smiles. Gosh! Her heart beats so fast she may have to punch herself in the chest.

            “It’s been awhile huh?” L. Joe smiles back, looking super awkward and he knows that just as much.

            “Yeah. It certainly has.” Jiyeon still stands there, feeling almost left behind. Will he ever invite her in?

            If only someone could stop this dreadful situation and be over with it. L. Joe realizes the only normal thing to do now is to step aside and welcome her in. So he does.

            “Come on in,” he says.

            “Thanks.”

            “Have a seat. Anywhere you want.”

            Jiyeon’s brows collide on each other when he says that. The heck with this dude…?

            “I mean go sit on the couch over there. It’s much cozier than the floor and wiser too, I suppose.”

            “Thanks.”

            “You want anything to drink? Coke? Orange juice? Coffee?”

            “Yeah. Coffee please.”

            “Then coffee it is,” he nods awkwardly. “I’ll be right back.” L. Joe vanishes himself into the kitchen. Seconds later, looking like a fool, he comes back with a pathetic smile.

            “Now that I remember, our coffee-maker broke down a few weeks ago. And dad hasn’t got the repairman to come over and fix the damn thing, so anything else besides coffee or any drinks that is coffee-related?”

            “You know, lets just wait till Jinyoung gets here. We’ll have drinks then, okay?”

            “Okay,” he shrugs. L. Joe takes his spot on the couch, opposite to where she sits. And, oh Gosh he can’t take his eyes off her. He must say she grows into a beautiful woman now. The most beautiful one, perhaps.

            “When was the last time we ever spoke to each other? Three, four years ago?”

            “Seven years to be exact. We were twelve when, that thing happens you know.”

            L. Joe leans backward. “Oh I see.”

            “You’ve changed a lot,” she comments calmly. By a lot, she means really a lot.

            “In a good way?” he asks.

            “I don’t know how to put it. The entire school knows how a big of a playboy you are,” she answers, sounding almost hurtful. She never wanted L. Joe to be that way. L. Joe was a naughty kid, true, but that was when he barely knew what girls and meant, but now, gosh, he did change a lot alright.

            He looks offended. He then leans forward again, wanting to say something now and clearly wants her to hear every word of it. “You hate it? You hate the fact that I am now well-loved by all the girls in the school? That’s too bad. Besides, you don’t get to decide what I want to be.”

            “Where is this conversation leading to?” The topic sounds not so relaxing by now. “Do we really have to argue the first time we talk now? After all these years of not talking, suddenly we argue now?”

            “You wanted to have it your way,” he says. “You started it.”

            “Grow up L. Joe,” she rolls her eyes.

            “I am grown up. What? Are you jealous of me having a wonderful time with my girls?”

            “I really don’t give a about what are you doing with your s. Really, I don’t,” she lies. L. Joe has been her crush, and the fact that L. Joe was not what she thought of he’d be, she feels really disappointed now.

            “You said ,” he says.

            “Yes I said .”

            “I didn’t know you had the guts to say .”

            “I did say , so I obviously did have the guts.”

            “You’ve changed a lot as well. We’re even now.”

            She lays back, looking at him in agitate. Gosh she truly prefers Jinyoung than him.

            “When’s Jinyoung coming over?”

            “I don’t know.” L. Joe then puts on a mocking smile. “Why don’t you call your boyfriend, ask where he is.”

            “He’s not my boyfriend, L. Joe. We’re friends, like you and I.”

            “No,” he corrects. “You and I are bestfriends. Nothing can tear us apart, right?”

            She then looks into his eyes as they held hers with a sense of insolence. She releases a big sigh, sounding like a grandma over his lazy husband on a rocking chair.

            “I should’ve got here when Jinyoung actually has. I’ve come way too early,” she whispers to herself.

            “I can hear that.”

            “I don’t care.”

            “That’s hurtful.”

            “Still don’t care.”

            “Why didn’t you say I don’t give a ?”

            “Coz I didn’t want to.”

            “You don’t have the guts anymore?”

            She stares back at L. Joe, feeling irritated more than ever. “I truly don’t give a .” She forces a smile and raises her brow, asking, “You’re satisfied now? Okay, if we could just drop this.”

            “I like girls who use swear words.”

           She is too smart by now to answer to every sentence he says. She crosses her arms across her chest while checking up her cell phone.

           “Are you calling your boyfriend?” L. Joe asks with a slightest jeer.

           “No. I’m calling Jinyoung as the matter of fact,” Jiyeon answers calmly.

          “So you are calling your boyfriend. I see. Would you tell him to make it fast? We’re running out of time anyway.”

          Jinyoung’s numbers are called and she’s waiting for the call to get through. Finally, she could hear his voice at the end of the line.

           “Hey Jinyoung…I’m already here. Could you come here fast? L. Joe says he’s eager to get started now. I don’t know where he gets the enthusiasm. Yea? Okay. Goodbye.”

          “Aww…that was sweet.”

          “Will you stop? Seriously.” She rolls her eyes again, now her falling hair and raking it to the back.

          Moments later, before Jiyeon starts to feel even more agitated, Jinyoung is already knocking on the door. God knows how relieved she truly is.

         “Okay. Seems like your…” L. Joe decided not to push the buttons anymore. “Friend is here. Our friend.”

        “Thank you.” And she means it.

         Jinyoung and L. Joe walk into the living room together. Looking dashing in his dye tee underneath the jacket with dark green skinny jeans, Jinyoung beams when he sees the poise Jiyeon on the couch.

       “Why don’t you two go ahead to that study table over there,” L. Joe says, pointing at the mentioned table. “While I make us some drink.”

       Jinyoung’s brows collided. He is impressed. “Oh. Okay. Thanks man.” To think that L. Joe would make you some drink. W.O.W.

        “Sorry I’m late,” he says to Jiyeon apologetically as them both walk towards the table.

       “It’s not a big deal.”

       “Did you guys get acquainted? How did it go?”

        Jiyeon honestly doesn’t know how to put it. She does know L. Joe long time ago. “We kinda catch up on each other.”

       “How do you find him?” Now Jinyoung is eager to know how Jiyeon feels for his best friend. Jinyoung really hopes she doesn’t dislike him, but also not really into him.

        “Annoying.”

        Jinyoung gives a what-the- look. “Really?”

        “In a good way though.” She forces a guilty smile, looking back into his eyes. “But he’s likeable.”

       “Good to know that,” he says, smiling.