My mind goes blank for a second. My heart stings a little. Am I feeling guilty?

It's not like we were dating, we're friends. Friends, nothing more, nothing less. But I still can't help it, because I'm irrational, and I'm terrible, and I'm not thinking straight. I turn away from Sunggyu and run down the stairs two at a time, shoving the door out of my way and crashing into the open air. 

Other than a few students mulling around or cutting class, the schoolyard is seemingly empty. "Niel!" I cup my hands around my mouth and yell, not that I honestly  believed he would respond if I called. He has no reason to. 

"What am I doing?" I scold myself, hitting my fist on my head. "This is stupid, he's overreacting." Against everything I feel, I turn around and start the journey back to the school building. I'm not going to hunt him down. It's his fault for running away anyway. 

----

[Niel's POV]

I hear the door clatter open and step into the shadows behind a pillar. "Niel!" she calls. I don't care, I don't care. I shake off my stupid thoughts. Why am I even angry? What am I trying to accomplish? 

I suddenly notice the silence hanging in the air. I peek around the pillar, just enough to see, but she's gone. She gave up this easily...I thought we were friends. I guess I was just thinking that all on my own. I in a breath and sigh. Why does it hurt this bad? 

To not be cared about is...well, frankly, not fun. I ruffle my hair and step out of the shadows of the pillar and into the sun.

It was my dream to be in the sun. Even when I lied and said it wasn't, it was because I was scared of the light. I'd been living so comfortably in the shadows. There was no one to step out and tell me that I wasn't good enough, that I was weak, or that even with all the effort I put into my talents, it would never be enough. More than anything, I feared being in the light, because being in the light means that you can be seen. 

The whole time, I still wanted to be seen. Now, more than ever I want it. My dream has become something imminent. Now that I'm on the path towards it, I want to run to it, I want to reach. But that crazy girl, acting like this. It makes my head spin. 

I shake such heavy thoughts out of my head. What I need now is to focus. I let the sadness I feel boil into anger, let it burn like fire inside me. I won't lose to that Sunggyu. No matter what, I won't lose. 

----

[regular POV]

I shut the school door behind me. Sunggyu's gone. It doesn't surprise me, when I ran off like that. At this rate I'm going to lose everyone who's important to me before I even figure out what's going on. There's one person who can help me with this. I trot up a few steps and plop down, smoothing my skirt out so I don't flash anyone.

I flip open my ancient phone and punch in the numbers.

"Uh..Ji Eun? Why are you calling me in the middle of school?"

"Boram it's me!"

"I know it's you, duh! Ji Eun. Look up."

I raise my eyes and Boram waves at me with her sleek black phone in her hand.

"Boram-ah!"  I practically fling myself at her and hug her.

"Whoa!" she barely keeps from falling over, "What the heck is going on?"

"A sleepover. Tonight. My place. Be there by 7, got it??"

"6:59 it is."

----

As promised the doorbell rings at exactly 6:59. I rush down the stairs of our tiny brick two-level and open the door. Boram, dressed up like she's ready for one rough night, stands with her hands on her hips. She slings a black backpack on her shoulder, and a sleeping bag under her arm. I'm not surprised by her boyish pajamas, baggy sweat pants and a black T shirt.

"You gonna let me in?"

"Oh oh! Of course!" I move out of the way and she steps inside, shaking her head to get the hair out of her eyes.

"Wow, nice..." Boram swivels her head all around taking in my house. Omma decorated it herself, along with my older sister, Eun Ji, before she left for college. And yes, I'm Ji Eun, she's Eun Ji, thanks a lot Appa.

"My room is this way, c'mon." I take Boram's hand and guide her up the stairs into my modest bedroom. I used to share the bunk bed with Eun Ji, but the top bunk has been empty since Eun Ji went to college. "You're on top," I motion up the wooden ladder. Boram throws her sleeping bag onto the top bunk, and then clambers up the ladder.

She peeks down at me, "So..what is it you so desperately need to talk about?"

"Girl stuff." I reply honestly.

"Get up here, girl! The closest I get to girl stuff is when I have to bug Taemin to stop playing videogames in my room!"

Obediently, I climb up to the top bunk and sit cross legged.

"So," she eyes me fervently, "who's the guy?"

"I...don't know."

"ooooh," she leans in, "go on."

"I don't even know if I like him! I just.."

"Just?"

"You know..sometimes, when he does stuff...I like it."

Boram leans back and looks at me with raised eyebrows, "If you say it that way, it sounds weird."

"Not like that!" I blush, "I mean, smiles, or talks to me...that sort of thing."

"Then you probably like him."

"Which one?"

"Oh god. There's more than one?"

I nod shyly.

----

Yeaahhhh Short chapter!

Sorry it took so long! I've had some serious writer's block. I really need to get the romance started! Be prepared because it'll all pick up from here (And I mean it this time!)

I've been writing an EXO fanfic these days, if you have time, check it out!

http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/432943/i-love-you-fox-fantasy-romcom-exo-exok-kai-luhan-tao

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