If regret was a river, Jaemin was definitely drowning in it. 

It would be amazing if he was able to say he had already apologized to Doyeon, but it was currently Thursday and he still hadn't spoken a single word to her. In his defense...he had none. But, his excuse would be that the moment hadn't arisen. After they ate dinner and watched a movie, Jaemin went straight home; not having the courage to speak to her after how he'd treated her. Then on Tuesday, Doyeon would glare at him anytime he so much as looked at her, so fear of being beat up stopped him from speaking with her. Wednesday wasn't much different, except for the fact that they'd actually looked at each other without any hidden messages behind it. 

And now that it was Thursday, Jaemin knew he couldn't push it off anymore. But, as Jaemin walked into the classroom, he decided that he didn't need to do it right now. Jeno and Doyeon were speaking in hushed tones, probably trying not to annoy anyone else in the classroom. "Really?" She asked, her eyebrows raised. 

They didn't react to Jaemin as he sat down. Jeno nodded, "Yeah, apparently she really likes laser tag, so Mark wants to surprise her with a birthday party at Lights Up." Jeno explained. Jaemin already knew what they were talking about, Mark had filled him in the day before. Mira's eighteenth birthday was coming up on Tuesday, so Mark wanted to surprise her with a little party tomorrow night. It was surprising that Mira liked laser tag, since she seemed more like a...tea party type of person. But, Mark said she actually really enjoyed the competition.

Jaemin puffed his cheeks out, maybe he'd apologize tomorrow during laser tag. Then if she gets mad at him, she can just shoot him instead of throwing an abundance of harsh words at him. He nodded to himself, that's what he'll do. He honestly couldn't wait to just get past all of this, he knew how ridiculous he was being. He just hoped she'd understand. 

~~~

Doyeon looked at Jaemin from out of the corner of her eyes. She was trying to focus on the teacher, but she couldn't help but stare at him. He had his cheeks puffed out, yet again, and looked to be thinking of something other than school. She felt the need to talk to him, but she just couldn't. She still didn't know why he wasn't speaking to her, but it was becoming exceedingly annoying with each day that passed. Maybe she was being ridiculous too, maybe she should have just asked him why he was ignoring her. 

Doyeon finally forced herself to look away. It would have been nice if she wasn't so hard headed, then she wouldn't have ever decided that beating fire with fire was a good idea. She knew they'd be at the same laser tag place tomorrow...maybe she  should just talk to him first, then she'd be able to speak to him...or maybe even yell at him, though she was never the type to get so angry, at least when it came to anyone else. 

"Class is dismissed!" Mr. Kim said, picking up his briefcase and bidding the class a farewell. Doyeon stood up from her chair, grabbing her bag that had slipped off her chair, and landed on the floor at some point during the class. She should have heard it, she must have been too distracted. Doyeon sighed as she said good-bye to Jeno, she didn't really feel like waiting for everyone else today. Jeno probably sensed that, since he just gave her a worried look and told her he'd see her tomorrow. She slipped out of the room before any of her other friends could see her. She quickly stopped by her locker to get the jacket she'd left in there earlier. 

As she walked out of the school building, a shiver ran down her spin. It was a foggy day, not anything new during the fall. Doyeon slipped her hands into her packet, walking down the sidewalk in her normal slow way. Despite how chilly it was, Doyeon didn't feel like heading straight home, so instead she took a step off the sidewalk. The grass was much more uneven, but it felt almost like a perfect representation for her mood. She didn't want to walk the known path to her house, so she walked an uneven path to who knows where. 

As she got farther and farther away from her school, she found herself in town, walking around one of the fields that the festival had been held at. Since everything around her was empty, she finally allowed her thoughts to entertain her. 

She thought about how she'd walk alone around her old town when she lived with her grandparents. 

She thought about how she felt when she cooked the first family meal for her father and brother after her family had split up. And how even as she did that, she didn't allow herself to feel sad, because why would she be sad about people who had left?

She thought about Jinah, and how her sister had no say in anything, and how her mother probably didn't want everything to end the way it did either. It was funny how she was able to not think about them for a while, but then something would trigger some deep seeded memory, and she'd suddenly remember everything. Like how she and her sister used to talk about graduation, and how they were going to decorate their caps in some funny way, that the school probably wouldn't even allow. It hit her that her sister had already graduated, and that she'd missed it...and that her sister would miss her graduation too. She shook her head, trying not to fall into some deep hole of memories she'd rather not bother with right now. 

And lastly, as she turned a corner and headed back in the direction of her house, she thought of Jaemin. And how much she missed his company. How she wanted to tell him about the silly things her and her sister used to say, all the hopes and aspirations they had together. But, here she was, being in a similar situation with Jaemin. The dilemma of knowing someone, and still not being able to speak to them. She blinked, pressing her eyes together extra hard to help stop the swelling feeling in . What was wrong with her? She never got so worked up, but here she was being sad because Jaemin wasn't around. Being mad because he was ignoring her. 

But the feeling that stuck out the most was wanting. She wanted to talk to him, to laugh at him, really she just wanted to know what was going on. 

Tomorrow. She told herself. I'll ask him what happened tomorrow.

~~~

The train that her small promise to herself rode on, stopped at the station, as that time known as 'tomorrow' finally arrived. The group, consisting of Doyeon, the guys, and Mira, finally arrived at the laser tag place. Mira had been more than surprised to find out where they were all going, but luckily it was the good kind of surprise. She looked beautiful, even though she was just dressed in a casual outfit, as she beamed at everyone and thanked them for celebrating with her. 

There was an employee briefing them on the rules, but Doyeon wasn't paying much attention. She was too busy trying to figure out how to put the stupid vest on. She didn't seem to be the only one, since she could hear Chenle whining about it somewhere off to the side. When the employee finally opened the door that led them to the laser tag room, Doyeon had successfully finished tightening her vest. 

The second they walked into the room, it was game time. 

Teams had been split into a group of four, and a group of five. Doyeon, Mark, Renjun, and Jaemin got stuck b