A/N: Thanks for reading! I hoped you enjoyed the previous chapter and will enjoy this one! "Mild" language. I might rate this story M though? Not sure. And I tossed in a new character! :)

Right when I arrived home, after plowing my car through the wind and my fury, I brushed my teeth in haste. But even after Listerine and the minty flush of Colgate, my lips and mouth felt foreign. How could I kiss, how I think of even touching Kai? That womanizing, man- of a bastard! And I kissed him? I kissed him. It wasn’t that he made the first move on me, I had leaned into him.

I tried to flush the image of the wrestling of our lips, the intense focus. And how … how sickeningly right it felt. His lips, plump and round, pressed so comfortably.

And ugh.

It was a major mistake, an insanely stupid mistake that I know I will never do it again. As crazy good looking as he is or as good as his lips felt pressed against mine.

From now, I would not even think about it anymore. Kai would be abandoned from my mind. He’s already vanished from my mind.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and shifted through my purse, pulled it out and answered it. “Hello?”

Sooyeon was at the other end, sounding like she was enjoying every minute at the current moment but tried her best to sound concerned. “Where are you at _____?” she asked, the rhythmic beat of the music in the background still enveloping the earpiece.

“I’m home,” I said curtly.

“So do you want us to catch a ride home with someone?” Sooyeon said breathlessly, probably too busy drooling over her current dance partner.

I wanted to discuss the night’s events with her. I needed her to console me. But I knew she was enjoying herself and I had already spoiled the previous evening with the equivalent reason of yesterday’s. If I did reveal what occurred between me and him, she’d persuade me to verbalize the way his lips felt. I know that I didn’t want to relive those horrific moments once more. Or worse yet, face him again.

“If that’s not too bothersome.”

“No, it’s not!”

“That’s good. I’m sorry.” We said our goodbyes and hung up. And I still felt like crap.

I threw my phone on my dresser and then considered it once more before straightening it and charging it. OCD was really annoying sometimes. I changed out of my clothes and threw on a tank top and boxer shorts. I lay in bed, surrounded by the smooth and punctually folded blankets. This gave me more time to brood over the kiss. Which was exactly what I didn’t want to do.

A car alarm clicked outside and I scurried to my window, watching as my father’s gray Honda rolled into the driveway. My dad didn’t usually get home this late. It was already eleven p.m., and he regularly arrived at seven. I knew, without even having to think, that he was avoiding us. Avoiding my mother. His skinny, tall frame walked reluctantly to our front steps and disappeared inside.

Before, I would run to him and kiss him on both cheeks. Even as I got older, it became a habit that I would not break. We would eat dinner like the ideal perfect family, seated around a round table, questioning one another’s moods and happenings.

I stopped when my parents began to altercate and there was no more eating supper together. Occasionally, my mom or my dad decided it was a splendid idea to separately go on vacations and leave their only child home just so they could escape their arguments for a week and resume once we all rejoined.

I tumbled down the staircase, hoping to catch a glimpse of my father before he slipped into the shower or to grab a beer. Although he had never gotten violent with drinking, there were many times when he had one too many. And as silly as it may seem, I was fearful of those times, when I was around him.

“Hi Dad!” I burst out in the most fake, cheerful voice I could manage. And he did have a beer in front of him. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked up at me with glazed eyes.

“Oh … hi honey,” he managed to say coarsely, before continuing on his binge.

I ran up to my room again, wishing I had something to clean.

The next day was an entire flurry of attempting to avoid Kai. I had no alacrity to see his face and confer with my friends about his sharp his jawbone was shaped, how daringly dark the shade of his features were, how plump and appealing the shape of his pink lips were.

When the lunch bell rang, I quickly rushed to grab my meal and seat myself down at my usual table with my friends. Sooyeon was already there, tugging on a curly strand of her light brown hair and observing the contents of today’s lunch. It was a mixture of cheese with meat and I didn’t want to know what it was. I sat down and she subtly shoved the tray to the side, eyeing my sandwich with renewed interest.

I thought of our long friendship, blooming when we were mere six year-olds. Now eighteen, that tie hadn’t been severed and I was always amazed at how she dealt with my stubbornness and need to lash out at everything. Sooyeon could have effortlessly joined a clique full of pretty girls who were all willing to accept her. But she chose to side by me. Sooyeon always ameliorated all my problems with grace. Maybe telling her about kissing Kai was for the better.

“Soo …,” I began, the wrapper of my food.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“If I tell you something, promise not to tell anyone?”

“Sure, whatever.”

“Are you sure you won’t discuss this with ANYONE. I mean anyone.”

“Yeah.”

“For sure, right?”

“Yes! What is it?”

“I kissed someone specific last night.”

“And who is this specific someone? … And hey, can I have some of your sandwich. You know,” she asked, her attention still directed toward the granola bar I pulled out.

I proceeded. “Sure, take some. The school’s womanizing playboy.”

Sooyeon looked up at this, warm hazel eyes widened, aghast. “As in … Kai?!” she asked softly, dropping the bread with haste.

I nodded sullenly.

“Oh my god! What? Why did this happen? Don’t you hate him for being such a ‘manwhoring jerk’?”

“I don’t know!” I squeaked. “It was just a thing that happened that I didn’t want to happen, okay? If I could take anything back from my life, I would take back kissing him because it’s nasty.”

“Why would you do that for?” she said, mock frowning.

“God, help me here Soo! Am I like … in the same category as he is now, or what?”

“You’re not a , _____, don’t worry. And oh my god, how was it?”

“Just shut up already!” I whispered, slapping her hard with my binder. Sooyeon stuck her tongue out, taking a quick bite of my ham-and-cheese. Min joined us soon after and I immediately forgot all the past ordeals of the previous night, other than the person who I kissed so stupidly last night.

Lunch ended and Sooyeon along with Min had to sneak back to Mr. Choi’s room for their lunch detention. Which left me quite alone. I could always do my homework in the library. I decided to avoid having to complete the complications of calculus at home and wash myself in the distraction of television.

As I was making my way to the library, a hand was placed on my shoulder, the same amount of pressure applied to one hand that I had become so disgustingly familiar with. I spun around, growling and facing Kai’s considerate and bemused cocoa eyes and smirking lips. He didn’t react to my hostility.

“What, is that a request for more tongue?” he asked in a confident, airy voice. Many girls would just have melted in that spot, but I had the urge to stab him with my pencil.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said cockily. I decided to take the “don’t-know” path.

“How would you not know? You were the one who made the move and shoved your lips on mine.”

“I didn’t shove my lips on yours, okay. Stop stalking me. I can report you for ual harassment you .” I wasn’t limiting my vocabulary when talking to Kai. I wanted him to know exactly how he was.

“You must like me a lot huh?” he grinned, grabbing my wrists and pinning them against the wall, like the classic move for boys to corner girls, smothering them with their so-called coolness. There was no coolness in this. I felt like vomiting the contents of my lunch on the spot.

“This is ual harassment,” I managed to snarl.

He grinned, leaning down, his eyes fluttering shut, long black lashes meeting like the muscular wings of ravens, mussed black locks starting to blend with the dark hallway, cheekbones aristocratically shaped. I found myself pushing forward too and I willed myself not to return his look.

Kai suddenly released me, laughing loudly. “Interesting how you wanted me to kiss you so much,” he gloated.

“I did not want to kiss you, idiot.”

“I saw that so clearly in how you leaned in.” He continued to chuckle, and I wanted to kick his shins and watch him double in pain.

“Just leave me alone. You’re making me miserable,” I said seriously, continuing to walk ahead down the empty hallway. Why was it vacated now, of all times?

“Because I didn’t kiss you, right?”

“No, really. Just go away.” I confronted him with an austere look. I clenched my fists tightly, trying to vanquish all of my anger. I wasn’t really in the mood to get arrested for violent abuse.

“Are you okay?” Kai asked, all hints of mischief vanished. He sounded genuinely concerned. I couldn’t let him plague me with foolishness. Before I decided to answer or retort smartly, I ran down the hallway, into the sanctuary of the library.

As comforting and silent as the library was, I could avoid Kai for only so long. Because the next morning, after a restless sleep, Kai had transferred to my homeroom, AP English, much to the satisfaction of so many girls and the dismay of mine. I could practically hear the screams of Eun and Cho Hee. As if they weren’t already loud enough without Kai in our class. And unfortunately, Ms. Kim didn’t take mercy on his new entrance and decided to implant him within our rigorous assignment immediately.

“Okay kids, since you all seem to be lacking in the reading department, much to my disappointment, and your lack of in-depth analysis, I’ve decided to create a project. Read any novel you want and it has to be in English. And analyze anything pertaining to that novel. I would recommend analyzing the characters, especially the protagonist and antagonist, or the theme. You’ll be working with partners—,” The class buzzed with excitement at this, Eun already getting up to call dibs on Kai. “Which I will be assigning.”

Ms. Kim pulled out the roll sheet and she decided that the only Kims in the room should be family. “Kim Jongin and Kim _____ will be paired together.” I groaned.

She continued to ramble off the list of names, pairing Eun Mi with someone she didn’t want, who tossed me growls and unpleasant, menacing looks. I was surprised that someone with that much menace and bird-brain like functioning managed to get into AP English.

Ms. Kim continued to ramble on. “MLA format guys! Twelve-point font, Times New Roman. Yes Jung Eun Mi! I know how ugly it is! Nevertheless, MLA formatted analysis! It better be good! I’m giving you two weeks! I expect this done. It’ll be worth a good quarter of your grade!”

The bell rang thankfully, helping me avoid having to interact to Kai’s snarky comments in class. I ran to my friends and explained the whole situation. And to my dissatisfaction, they gave me looks of envy.

“Well you at least get to work with Kai. He’s pretty smart you know. He’s also in AP Calculus.”

“I don’t care!” I burst. Although I hated any guy who managed to get advanced placement for anything I was only mediocre in. And now I hated him even more than I did before because of the previous reason, because I kissed him and now I was his partner for a paper that I already hated.

The bell rang to signal the beginning of classes and I rushed off to my second block of the day, fortunately without the presence of Kai. But luckily with Kim Junmyun. If only he was in AP English for first period, then I would have easily been paired with him. We could have made an amazing duo and I would have melted in puddles and rainbows listening to his soothing voice.

School ended and I headed to my locker to gather my belongings before driving Sooyeon home along with me. I grabbed my calculus book and my jacket before slamming my locker shut. And just as expected, he was leaning on the other side, staring at me intently. I hated how I had to look up at him, which only showed that he was much more physically stronger. And cooler. Height-wise. He ran his slender fingers through his tousled hair.

“We’re partners, you know. So maybe you could stop looking at me like that.”

“Never,” I growled.

“Stop that already. I’m just trying to get a good assignment in. I’m not here to hit on you.”

I was alarmed at the seriousness of his voice and how his lips were pressed into a straight line. I never expected anything like this from the resident manwhore of this school.

“So, your place or mine?” he asked, crossing his arms.

“I’m thinking my place—,” I began. But before I could continue, a sophomore-looking girl dashed up to Kai, smiling at him with such adulation that I felt the need to puke. I watched, interested and repulsed at the same time. He grinned at her with confidence, hugging the sophomore before listening to her speak. I watched him as he watched her, looking as if she was the most important person in the world. As if.

She looked at him with big, adoring eyes. “Kai, I was wondering if …” Here she stopped, turning her sentence into fits of giggles. Kai looked patient enough. “If you could maybe save a dance for me? You know? At homecoming?”

Kai grinned, inconspicuously glancing down her shirt before agreeing. “Of course. Don’t worry Seo.”

“Seo” nodded, replying with a “Oh my gosh, thank you Kai!” and bounced off into her group of friends who all squealed with excitement.

I scoffed. “I see the excitement you give to young sophomore girls before you get in their pants.”

“Hey, I’m just being nice. You were saying?”

I rolled my eyes. “We’ll meet at my house,” I said. I didn’t want to be within a hundred feet of Kai’s Greek-styled mansion. Not now, not ever.

“Why? Are you afraid I’ll seduce you?”

“I thought you were trying to be serious.”

“Fine. We’ll meet at my house.” I left, intentionally not saying goodbye. I passed the jeering jocks and disgusting couples, hanging on to each other as if life was going to be wiped out tomorrow and the only way to drown it out was by pressing against one another. Sounds like someone familiar, correct?

I ran to the parking lot, finding Sooyeon already waiting there, along with Min. They were shivering in the cold weather and I quickly unlocked the doors. “Let’s get the hell out of this fugly place!” I shouted, pulling out of the school’s lot and heading for Min’s home, which was closer.

“Guess what guys!?” Min said in a peppy voice, bouncing up and down in the backseat like a child handed a lollipop.

“What?” Sooyeon asked in a disinterested voice.

“Baekhyun’s coming home!” Min squealed. My stomach plummeted, and a struggled to grip the steering wheel. Byun Baekhyun was coming back to the home? After disappearing to college for two years? Sooyeon tossed me a concerned look before feigning a smile for our friend.

“That’s great! When?”

“In about three days. And he’s bringing Myunghee too!”

I felt defeated, deflated of all energy, wiped of emotion, pressured with shock. I was startled at her sudden announcement, that her beloved older brother, was returning to Incheon after so long. I dared to look in the mirror at a stoplight and I spotted the confusion ablaze in my brown eyes, lips pressed into a frown. I was stripped bare when I heard that Myunghee was coming along. It was a vicious blur of misunderstanding and hurt and reminder and memories and wishful thinking.

“R-really?” I managed to ask. If I didn’t say anything, Min would realize what was wrong. And I didn’t want her to. I didn’t want her to know something had occurred between her closest friend and her dear brother.

“Yeah. Myunghee and Baekhyun are engaged.”

It was a mixture of fury and betrayal. It was an uproar of unspoken things that remained pressed inside, forever condemned to silence. A pound of unrelenting rain, the throbbing of my heart beating in my head. I drove, silent the entire time, and I dropped Min off.

Sooyeon didn’t speak the rest of the way either, seemingly understanding of how I felt although she probably couldn’t. And I appreciated how she didn’t voice her concerns because I wasn’t in the mood of talking.

I felt like I was fifteen again. Young. Gullible. Stupid enough to believe everything Baekhyun said. Everything he wished. Everything he wanted.

“Myunghee doesn’t mean anything at all. Listen to me _____, you’re more important than she is.”

“Who's Myunghee?”

“No one. It’s okay. You’re the one I love _____.”

“Baek, I don’t know if I can do this anymore.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you. I never did. She truly means nothing to me.”

“Okay.”