During lunch at school the following Monday, Minhee was dragging Ara around.

“Where are you taking me?!” Ara demanded grumpily.

“I’m looking for Kai, we can eat lunch together,” Minhee said, looking around the matrix as she looked for Kai.

Ara pulled away, “Forget it.”

“Why?” Minhee blinked. “Do you like him?”

Ara rolled her eyes, “Try again.”

“Oh come on! He’s actually really nice, you know,” Minhee said.

“Then you go eat with him,” Ara said turning away.

“No! I became friends with you first so I want to eat with you too!” Minhee tugged at her arm.

“I don’t like people,” Ara repeated for the fiftieth time. “I’ve barely gotten used to you.”

“It’s okay, you’ll like Kai,” Minhee insisted. Minhee had, quite forecfully, attached herself to Ara in a friendly way. Ara had come to get used to Minhee’s presence, even feeling lonely when she wasn’t around. She thought Minhee had turned out alright.

Ara sighed and just let Minhee drag her around.

Minhee found Kai sitting on a bench in the foyer of the school. He was listening to music and his eyes were closed while his bag was beside him.

Slowly, Minhee sat down beside Kai with Ara slowly dragging herself along.

Minhee took an ear bud out of his ear and said, “HI!”

Kai jumped, causing the other earbud to fall out and his eyes snapped open.

Minhee laughed while Kai popped one earbud back in his ear.

“Don’t do that,” he said, leaning back as he moved his bag to make room for Minhee

“I couldn’t resist,” Minhee grinned, sitting down. “Ara! Hurry up!”

Ara sat on the other side of Minhee.

“You don’t mind if we keep you company do you?” Minhee asked chirpily.

“Nope.”

 “Kai neither of us knows how to bake,” Minhee said. “Maybe we should have accepted Hana’s help.”

“Absolutely not,” Kai said flatly. “I thought you knew how to bake!”

“I said I’d help you so that Hana wouldn’t have to spend extra time with you as you very well know,” Minhee said.

“So we’re screwed,” Kai said casually.

“Do you know how to bake?” Minhee turned to Ara.

Ara hesitated and debated about her answer for a while before nodding.

Minhee’s face lit up, “Really? Could you help us then?”

Ara stiffly nodded, “Okay.”

Minhee nudged Kai, “What do ya say?”

Kai shrugged, “Sure.”

After that, the three had become a sort of trio, stuck together with a glue called Minhee.

Kai and Ara weren’t what you’d call best friends, but they both had become close to Minhee, it was really quite unexplainable. In the beginning, they had all been so distant, but over the course of a couple of small events, Minhee had turned out to be a very friendly and kind person who was very keen to have the two as her friends though most would stay away from them.

That week, for Kai, was adjusting to Minhee and Ara’s presence. It was weird at first, but by Friday he was starting to quite like their company (though Ara never talked much). Kai had always been social (that is until Sehun had been sent away) and was beginning to feel that his social side was coming out again. He had become rather rude and reserved when he started high school without Sehun.

Sunday rolled around again and Minhee and Kai were at the library, doing the usual. But this time Minhee had taken to poking Kai in the sides when he least expected it.

“Yeuch!” Kai yelped as he reached up to put a book away and felt Minhee’s small finger poke his side.

Minhee laughed, “I never thought such funny sounds would come out of your oh-so cool mouth.”

“You know, I’m being nice right now but if you continue this nonsense you will regret it,” Kai said, pushing the cart along the row, bumping into Minhee’s legs on purpose.

Minhee stuck her tongue out and took a couple of books to put away. Kai finished with the cart and put it away before finding Minhee in a different aisle. He snuck up behind her and gave her a large jab in the ribs.

“AH!” she whirled around to find herself looking straight into Kai’s navy blue shirt.

Kai slyly grinned down at her, not moving.

“Funny, really funny,” Minhee said, crossing her arms.

Kai shrugged, “You started it.”

“What’s going on here?”

Hana came strolling into the row they were in, eyeing the two of them. Kai stepped back from Minhee and coolly looked at Hana.

“Are you two fooling around on the job?” she demanded.

Minhee shook her head but Kai just put his hands in his pockets.

“Minhee, labels on the new books, Kai reading to the kids,” Hana instructed. “And mind you stop doing stupid things, this is a library.” and she walked away.

“What’s bitten her behind?” Kai asked once she was out of earshot.

Minhee shrugged. “Well good luck with the kids,” she grinned before leaving the aisle as well.

Kai sighed, he put the cart away in the back room and then went to the read aloud section to pick out yet another book.

After another horrendous read aloud session, Kai wasted no time in saying goodbye to Minhee and then quickly leaving. Minhee hadn’t forgotten to give him a good poke in the stomach as he left though.

“This isn’t over,” Kai hissed as he spotted Hana coming out of her office. Minhee laughed while Kai gave her a look and then left.

Though the read aloud hadn’t been fun, he actually didn’t dread going to the library as much as he did before.

It was about time he discovered what friendship meant again.

Weeks went by and for the first time, Kai felt happier than he had before now that he had someone to talk to. He talked actively, laughed from is heart, and smiled true smiles.

There were only a couple of days left until the fundraising event and Hana had asked Minhee and Kai to help set up on the Friday and Saturday before.

“Kai, are you coming today to the community centre?” Minhee asked Kai at lunch.

Kai nodded.

“By bus?” she guessed.

“Yup.”

“Just come with me then,” Minhee said. “My brother can drive us.”

Kai didn’t say anything, he wasn’t so sure about going with a cop like Luhan.

“Don’t worry, he was just worried that time you saw him, he’s not that scary,” Minhee promised.

“I didn’t say I thought he was scary,” Kai said.

“So that means you’ll come?” Minhee grinned. “Great! Come to the front of the school at the end of the day.”

So three hours later, Kai found himself waiting outside the school with his hands in his pockets, slightly nervous though he had no idea why.

“I’m here!” Minhee panted as she stood beside Kai.

“What took you so long?” Kai raised an eyebrow. “We left class at the same time.”

“Stopped by the bathroom,” Minhee said. “Come! I see my brother!” Minhee took his arm and dragged him to her brother’s car.

“Hey oppa!” she breathed when both she and Kai were in the car.

“Hi,” Luhan smiled from the side view mirror. “How are you doing, um-”

“Kai,” Kai said. “I’m doing fine thanks, you?”

“Alright,” Luahn said as he drove off. “It’ll be a forty five minute drive, you two might want to go to sleep.”

“I’m wide awake,” Minhee said chirpily. “You?” she looked at Kai who nodded in agreement. Minhee then struck up a conversation and Kai freely talked back with occasional tidbits of conversation from Luhan.

When they arrived, Luhan dropped them off in front of the building, saying he would be in the parking lot until they were done.

Kai looked around this area of the city, it wasn’t far from the orphanage where he had inquired about Sehun and found out he had run away.

How funny would it be if I found Sehun in there?

Kai smiled to himself at the absurdity of the sentence as he and Minhee walked inside.

“Which way?” Minhee asked as they stood in the foyer and looked between the left and right hallways.

“Dunno,” Kai shrugged and pointed to the left, “Let’s try that way.”

They walked through the hallway and heard music, presumably a dance class was going on.

A man walked out of one of the rooms, holding a clipboard. A woman followed after him, “Lay, wait!” she caught up to the man called Lay. “Here’s the list of the ones helping up with setup.” she handed Lay a piece of paper.

“Oh, thanks,” he smiled and walked on as the woman disappeared through the door again. He spotted Minhee and Kai, who looked rather lost and confused.

“Are you two looking for someone?” he asked politely, stopping in front of them.

“We’re helping with the fundraising event, the librarian manager told us to come here,” Minhee replied.

“Oh, you’re in the wrong area,” Lay laughed. He pointed to the direction of the foyer. “Go that way and continue down the other hallway.”

“Okay, thanks,” Minhee smiled, she and Kai bowed before following Lay’s direction.

“You at finding your way in a building,” Minhee said as they walked. “You took us in the completely wrong direction.”

“I’m actually good with unfamiliar surroundings,” Kai said in a matter of fact voice.

Minhee snorted but didn’t say anything as they went down the right hallway when Hana emerged from a pair of double doors.

“You two are late,” she tutted. “Follow me, this is the hall the event will take place in.”

They followed her through the double doors into a large hall with a stage at the front. There were tables on the sides of the room and on the right side were tables for them to be placed.and stands for the books.

“Today I’ll just have you help me with the books,” Hana said and after that Kai and Minhee became busy in shelving all the books by genre and playing their poking game.

“Sehun!” Lay called from across the room. The kids were taking a break and Sehun was sitting on the other side of the room. “Come here.”

Sehun stood up and walked over to Lay.

“Can you hang these up inside the hall and outside the doors?” he asked, handing Sehun some posters and tape. “Then give some to the librarian manager, she’s in the hall with some of her volunteers.

Sehun nodded and took the items, “Sure.”

He left the dance room and headed to the hall where the event would take place. He stopped in front of the doors and taped a poster onto each one. They were colourful posters for the fundraising event, with things like books, entertainment, and food being used to lure people to come.

He grasped the doorknob and was about to push the door open when–

“Sehun!” one of his co-workers by the name of Hyeri came bounding up to him.

“I was in the photocopy room and the machine isn’t working,” she panted, even though the photocopy room was across the hall. “Could you fix it and photocopy the permission form I left there?”

“Sure, let me just finish with these posters,” Sehun agreed. He was quite handy when it came to broken machines and such, which was why Hyeri had come to find him.

“I’m in a hurry cause the kids need the forms today after class, I’ll do the posters,” she took the posters and tape form his hands. “Just get the papers and make 17 copies. When you’re done, I’ll meet you back in the practice room, okay?”

Sehun shrugged before walking away, “Alright.”

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