I’m not sure how I became the unofficial leader of the group, but as such, I developed a sixth sense for when the others were in trouble. My Onew senses flared up again halfway through my math class several weeks later and I glanced out the window just in time to see Key stomp out the door, hands deep in his pockets.

When the teacher’s back was turned, I ripped out a page of my notebook- I had long given up on actually paying attention and was trying my best just to stay awake. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Jonghyun fast asleep, drooling on his desk. He had no such inhibitions; I was surprised he wasn't snoring. Balling up the paper, I threw it at his head and he woke with a start.

He blinked at me, a puzzled look on his face and I jerked my head towards the window, where Key was brooding on the edge of the curb. I smiled and raised an eyebrow and his face lit up.

With the rest of the class nodding off, no one would rat us out The teacher was still facing the board as she gave a long-winded answer to a short problem, made longer by her continuous errors and “umm”s. Jonghyun silently slipped out the door first, with me close behind him. Before we shut the door, though, I stuck my head back in and called, “The answer’s three.”

And with that, we were sprinting down the hall, laughing over the fit she was sure to be throwing right about now. Too bad we didn’t get to witness it, but at least the class would be entertained.

Minho was already outside, calmly standing with his hands in his pockets as Key huffed and kicked rocks around the curb. Presumably, he’d followed Key outside to make sure he didn’t get into any trouble.

“Let’s blow this joint,” Key grumbled the moment he spotted us, though a hint of a smile touched his face. “I’m never ing going to that class again.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“That old douchebag Kwon was giving me a hard time in history,” Key growled. “Asking me dates and names and all that crap. Like I give a damn about history. Dead old men and bloody battles.”

“I like bloody battles,” Jonghyun retorted. “They’re fun.”

“Hey,” I cut in before Key could snap something back at him, looking at Jonghyun sternly. “He got us out of trig, remember?”

Key was still glaring at him and was about to retort, when something else caught his eye and he groaned out loud. “I am not in the mood for this…”

I turned and saw Taemin coming towards us, hands awkwardly shoved in his pockets. “Kwon drives a navy blue Corvette, right?” the kid asked.

“How would I know-”

“Yes,” Minho cut in. “He does.”

Without another word, Taemin turned around and headed towards the far end of the parking lot. “Hey! Where are you going?” Key called after him, but the little punk didn’t answer.

Instinct told me that whatever he was up to, I wouldn’t like it. My suspicions were confirmed when I found him behind the raised hood of the car he’d just described. “Taemin,” I demanded. “What are you doing?”

“Stealing it,” he grunted. There was a sizzling sound and he cursed.

Jonghyun’s eyes were bright as he ran his fingers along the hood of the car. “You’ve got to be kidding me! That old guy drives something this sweet?”

“Done.” Taemin slammed the hood of the car and reached for the door handle, but I smacked his hand away.

“You’ll set off the alarm, idiot,” I snapped.

"Then you open the door, old man,” he retorted. “You can pick locks, right?”

I blinked. “What? Hell no! I’m not getting busted because you want to steal some teacher’s car!”

“You’re sure this is old man Kwon’s?” asked Key. I’d lost him; all his antagonism towards Taemin was gone as a cold smirk crossed his face. Revenge was sweet, and he was hungry for it. He gave me a sideways glance. “Onew, you could break in, right?”

“It’s not the same as picking a lock…”

“Come on, Onew!” Jonghyun cheered. “Do it already! Let’s take this baby for a ride!”

I glanced at Minho, who merely shrugged at me in return. Three-to-two, he knew we’d lost and he wasn’t going to fight a losing battle.

With a sigh, I walked back towards the school and picked up a door wedge. “I’ll need a screwdriver,” I said to no one in particular. Taemin raced off and came back a few moments later with the tool in hand. I jammed the wedge into the door and slid the end of the screwdriver in, wiggling it around. Jonghyun was practically bouncing with excitement as I heard the click that signified the car door unlocking.

The moment I opened it, Taemin slipped inside, taking the screwdriver from me. He jammed it between the wheel and the column, unlocking it. After a moment, the engine sputtered to life and he climbed out of the driver’s seat, grinning at Key.

After a moment, Key smiled back. “You know, maybe you’re not so bad, brat.” He climbed into the driver’s seat, testing out the controls.

“Shotgun!” Jonghyun cheered, jumping into the passenger seat before any of us could argue.

“This is a stupid idea,” I muttered to Minho, who shrugged, as Taemin climbed into the backseat.

"Come on, Onew! Burning daylight here!” Key called, the manic smile on his face a mile wide.

I got in, closing the door behind me as Jonghyun finally figured out how to open up the roof. In a mess of squealing tires and burning rubber, we roared out of the parking lot, the wind blowing our hair straight out and back. Taemin and Key were laughing as Jonghyun whooped; even Minho had a quiet smile on his face.

And I couldn’t stop a grin from spreading across my face as well, even as I wondered how long it would be before the cops showed up.

Jonghyun’s cheer of delight blended with the wind whistling through our hair as he kicked off his shoes and socks and ran straight into the surf. A few moments later, we all heard him holler, “! It’s cold!”

I sighed and shook my head as Key muttered, “.” He took off his shoes and socks, placing them to the side as he slowly waded into the water.

“Why the hell are we at the beach when it’s freezing out?” Taemin grumbled.

“Key likes the ocean,” I replied simply, watching my friend slowly turn a circle in the water, a smile making its way onto his face. That was before Jonghyun burst out from underwater and splashed him from head to toe.

Taemin stared as Key began spewing expletives and chasing after Jonghyun. “That happens a lot,” I explained as a stray splash struck a startled Minho in the face. As Minho angrily charged forward and shoved Jonghyun’s head underwater, I turned to Taemin. “How did you learn to boost cars?”

The punk shrugged, shoving his hands deep in his jean pockets. “A couple guys I met a while back showed me. Who taught you to pick locks?”

“My dad.” I smiled wistfully. Taemin gave me a long sideways glance. He opened his mouth as if he were about to speak, then pressed his lips tightly together, kicking a shell towards the ocean with a particularly hard kick. I smiled; he really was transparent. “You want me to teach you how to do that?”

He scowled and shrugged, neither yes nor no. But of course, we both knew the answer was yes.

“No,” I said simply.

He raised his head indignantly and glared at me. “Why not, old man?”

“Because you’re retarded,” I replied. “You can’t keep yourself out of trouble. Picking fights with guys you clearly can’t beat, shoplifting from the checkout counter where all the security cameras are, boosting a car in broad daylight…”

Taemin scowled and kicked a rock, watching it roll and stop at the edge of the water. “I didn’t see you trying to stop us there,” he retorted. “And you didn’t object to taking the car for a ride.”

“That’s because I know that Kwon never leaves his office until thirty minutes after the final bell, which gives us plenty of time to bring it back. I knew that none of the hall monitors would be paying attention halfway during third period. And if any of the teachers noticed Kwon’s car missing, they wouldn’t bother to report it to him, figuring he deserves it.”

Taemin was staring at me, shock and awe struggling for dominance on his face. “But what if-”

“Kwon won’t notice his car is missing because he gives powerpoints all day, which means he keeps his blinds down,” I added. “And because he’s old and senile, he forgets to put them back up.” I tried not to look smug as I turned back to the kid. “I anticipate everything and calculate our odds of getting busted before I let them take off on one of their crazy plans.” I nodded towards my friends, where Key and Jonghyun had ganged up on Minho and were chasing him along the edge of the water. “You can play at being tough, but what’s the point of that when you wind up in jail?”

The kid glared back down at the sand, scuffling his shoes along as he picked up a rock and skipped it along the water. It hopped three times before sinking.

“Nice,” I commented. He didn’t look at me- I knew he was still trying not to seem impressed with me.

“Onew! Behind you!” Minho yelled and something cold and clammy poured down the back of my neck. I let out an un-manly yelp, causing Taemin to double over with laughter, and whirled around, striking out at Key with my fist.

“You bastard!” I hollered as he dodged away and shook his head, saltwater trickling down his face as he shook the remaining drops he’d poured down my back off his red fingers.

“Welcome to hypothermia-ville!” he yelled back as he jumped out of my grasp and ran back towards the water, where Jonghyun high-fived him, the two of them laughing like the idiots they were.

I shuddered as the growing seawater stain on my jacket soaked into my skin and I tossed it to the side. “Come on, Taemin! Don’t just stand there like a loser!”

A grin touched the corners of his lips as he eagerly shrugged off his sweatshirt and followed me into the surf, sprays of icy water splashing up around our bare feet.

I staggered out of the car, hanging onto the door as Minho tumbled out after me, groaning as he leaned against the trunk hard. Behind him, Taemin swayed once, and fell over, sprawling across the back row of seats.

“Do not toss your cookies in this car,” I warned, even though I was feeling the strong urge to do just that myself.

Jonghyun climbed out of the driver’s seat, grinning broadly as Key walked around from the passenger’s side on shaky legs.

“Who taught you how to drive?” he snapped. “Your mother?”

“My gramps, actually,” Jonghyun retorted.

“I thought he died when you were eight,” I frowned.

The briefest of shadows crossed Jonghyun’s always-grinning face. “He did,” was all he said as he reached back into the driver’s side and opened up the fuel tank door. “Anyone have cash on them?”

“Chill, this one’s on me.” Key reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, flashing his dad’s credit card at us.

“You’re so screwed,” I sighed.

“He won’t even notice,” Key retorted, picking up the nozzle to fill up the tank.

Minho sighed and straightened. “What time is it?” he asked me.

I glanced at my watch. “We have an hour, at most. We’ll be able to make it, although we’ll have to hurry if we want to make sure no one sees-”

“Sweet ride, missy,” a voice sneered and I saw Key’s eyes narrow slightly.

The guys loitering near the back of the gas station had been eyeing our car ever since we arrived. I’d noticed them, but I’d hoped they wouldn’t approach us.

No such luck.

“Mind if we borrow it for a bit?” the guy asked and his friends laughed stupidly.

Key ignored them as he continued filling up the tank, while Minho straightened and ped his jacket. He glanced at me, but I shook my head. Not yet.

Behind me, I sensed Taemin straightening up, hopeful for a bit of action. “Taemin, stay in the car,” I said in a low voice.

He bristled, but stayed put, one hand resting on the door handle.

“Look at these rims,” another guy whistled, reaching a hand out to touch them.

“Aww, it’s almost unfair to steal from pretty little wusses like them,” a third guy said. “But hey, finders keepers-”

“Now,” I murmured and Minho leaped forward, knocking the guy who’d called us wusses away from the car with a kick. His fists and feet blurred as thugs fell right and left. He wasn’t exactly angry that he’d been called a “wuss”- it was being called “pretty” that was unforgiveable.

“What smells like pot and screams like a girl?” Jonghyun asked as he grabbed the wrist of the dude about to touch the car. He twisted the guy’s arm back until it cracked and the guy shrieked in pain. “Good answer.”

Key kicked a guy into the pump next to ours. The nozzle fell out, splashing a couple of the guys with gasoline. “Missy, huh?” Key grumbled. “s.” He set the nozzle back into the pump, paid, and climbed into the driver’s seat. He rested his elbow on the window, propping his head up with his palm as he waited for us to finish up.

As I knocked yet another idiot to the ground, I heard the distinct “click” of Taemin’s lighter. Whipping my head around, I stared in disbelief as he lit up a cigarette. What the hell was he up to, the retard?

“Taemin!” I said sharply.

He looked bored as he drew the cigarette from his lips. Sighing, he lazily tossed the cigarette towards the guys that had approached us. Tip still glowing, it landed on the ground.

Next to the slowly growing puddle of gasoline.

.

“Key, get us out of here!” I hollered, leaping over the door into the car, Jonghyun and Minho following by milliseconds. Key slammed his foot on the gas pedal and we peeled out of the gas station, tires squealing.

We’d made it around a corner, going at about eighty, when we finally heard the explosion. Glancing back, I could see the flames rising from the gas station, towering over nearby trees and spreading faster than mono.

Slowly, we turned and glared at Taemin, the one variable I could never account for, who merely shrugged. “Oops.”

“‘Oops’?” Key bellowed as Jonghyun yelled something obscene. I couldn’t even speak. I thought I was starting to get through to him, but apparently, I was wrong. Taemin wasn’t just heading towards hell, he was running headlong towards a jail cell with his name on it in pink neon letters. The vicious cycle would only begin from there: court, bail, jail. Lather, rinse, repeat. He was an idiot. He was a completely unlikeable retard and a frickin’ bastard to boot, but not even he deserved that.

I’d never called myself a guardian angel. If I was, I’d probably be the most hypocritical angel in existence. Either way, I was pretty damn sure not even a miracle would be able to dig Taemin out of his own crap in time.

Didn’t matter, though. Taemin wouldn’t be going to jail. I’d make sure of it, wings and halo or no.