chapter TWO.

Just one more chapter?" Hyoyeon begs.

"No," I say. "You have to get to sleep."

"Mom always reads us two," Minseok remarks.

He's right. "Okay, one more and then bed." They both nod. I settle back into the beanbag. At this rate, I'll never get my English paper finished. I hate admitting it, but sometimes I resent my mom for dumping all of this on me. But then I'll look at Hyoyeon's sweet smile, or Minseok will say something that makes me laugh harder than I can ever remember laughing and I'll feel really lucky to be so close to them. That is, until they do something awful, like shaking up a can of soda and opening it just to see how far it will spray. (The answer is all over my latop)

I finally get Hyoyeon and Minseok to bed with promises to send Mom up when she gets home. Feeling sticky-nasty from chocolates, cheese sauce, and the four spoonfuls of peanut butter that were my dinner, I decide on a shower. I stand under the hot water until I realize it's making me sleepy. Knowing I still have about two hours of homework in front of me, I twist the knob, sending cold water raining down on me. I have to stifle a scream. It's horrible, but it does the trick. I am definitely awake.

I hurry into my pajamas, trying to make my teeth stop chattering. I drag my newly refurbished laptop onto the bed and open a file. I stare at the blinking cursor until it threatons to hypnotize me. I have to write five to seven pages of brilliance and I can't even come up with a title for my paper. "Focus," I tell myself. If I can't finish this paper tonight, I'm going to have to rework my schedule for the rest of the week. I rub my eyes, trying to concentrate, but then I hear a noise on the roof.

Normally, noises on the roofs scare people, but not me. A noise on my roof means one of the two things: Either the ginormous pecan tree out front has finally fallen on the house like my stepfather, Yunho, always worries it will—and come on, that's never going to happen, or it means that Sehun's home.

There's another big bump on the roof above my head. I quickly hop out of bed and grab a sweatshirt from the closet. I hurry to the window and open it. A blast of cold air hits me hrd, making me gasp. My room is the smallest one in the house, but whats it lacks in size, it more than makes for with access to the roof. I grab the chocolates Changmin gave me (minus the two I gave Hyoyeon and Minseok) from my desk and climb out on my windowsill, using the trellis to hoist myself up. My mother would freak if she knew I was up here. But I'm such a good daughter ninety-nine percent of the time that I figure I'm allowed this one bit of rebellion.

"Hey," I say into the dark. "When'd you get home?"

"Couple of hours ago."

I smile towards the dark shape outlined against the sky. Sehun and I have been friends over since his family moved in next door nearly eight years ago. I walk over and sit beside him, hooking my heels on the guttr.

"Here," I say, sliding the bag of chocolates over towards him. "I can't promise anything."

"Oh man, I was hoping—" He opens the bag and pops one of the truffles into his mouth. I hear him chewing and then silence. "Um, Soo Rin?"

"Kalamata Caramel," I say.

"As in olives?'

"Yep," I say, trying hard not to laugh. I couldn't bring myself to try them.

"Huh," he says, popping another one into his mouth. "Actucally, they're pretty good." Sehun puts the bag down on the roof between us.

"Minseok and Hyoyeon liked it," I stated. "Of course, I didn't tell them they were olive-flavoured."

"Did you make this?"

"No," I say. "I don't think in a million years I would have guessed that olives and caramel might taste good together." But that's why Changmin's the artist and I'm the bookkeeper. Six months ago, Changmin did finally get me to make something. He helped me create a whole line of unusual taffy flavours. At first it was just the underappreciated fruit flavours like plum and cantaloupe. Then I really started branching out. The breakfast collection (flavours included bacon, orange-juice and pancake) was mentioned on the Seoul Journal Constitution last fall along with the Reader's Picks. Changmin was really proud of me. The added exposure, along with the new Flavour of the Month truffles,, helped earn Changmin's the title of Best Candy in Korea. My mom's flower shop was named the Best Florist for the third year in a row.

"So what do you have brewing for Valentine's this year?" Sehun asks.

"Well—" I pause for a dramatic effect. "Consternation Hearts." Sehun doesn't say anything. "You know, like conversation hearts—but instead of I LOVE YOU or SAY YES, mine say BUZZ OFF and NO WAY."

"Pretty clever," Sehun says.

"I know, right?" I say. Sehun shakes his head. We sit there looking out at the lights of the city and the handful of stars you can see from in town. "How was your trip?" I ask finally.

"Okay," he says.

"Okay? What about all those California girls you were talking about before you left?"

"Well, that part was pretty good," he says.

"Heart breaker," I joked.

Sehun puts up his hand. "No hearts were broken."

"How was it with you mom?" I ask.

"Weird," he says. Sehun's mom and dad split up at the end of last summer and his mom moved out to California. This was his first trip to see her.

"Weird how?" I ask.

"Just weird seeing her without my dad, you know?" I nod. I'm familiar with that kind of weirdness, having lived through my mom's two divorces.

"Tell me it gets easier," he says. I can't see his face in the darkness, but I can hear the sadness in his voice.

"It gets easier," I say, but I can't muster any conviction. It took me a long time to get used to seeing my mom with Yunho and its never been easier seeing her without him.

"The truth, Soo Rin," he says.

"It stinks," I blurted.

"Yeah, it does." We sit like that for a few more minutes just watching the twinkling lights from downtown. "So how's it going with Chans."

"You really have been gone for a while."

"Already?" Sehun asks. "I thought he'd at least make it through the end of the month."

"Had to cut him loose," I say.

"Why did you agree to go out with him anyway? I thought you had a no-dating policy."

I sigh. "I thought that maybe it wouldn't be awful."

"Well, what did him in?" Sehun asks. "Bad breathe? Cold hands?"

I shake my head. "We were watching The Day the Earth Stood Still. But instead of calling the guardian a robot, he kept calling it a row-."

"So you broke up with him because he mispronounced a word?" Sehun shakes his head. "Harsh."

"I was nice," I say. "I just told him we probably shouldn't see each other anymore."

"On account of his row-."

"Exactly."

Sehun shakes his head again. "Harsh."

"Harsh? At least I was honest. Guys just sort of evaporate," I say, thinking of Daehyun. Sehun doesn't have a response to that.

"Hey, I brought you something," he says. "Close your eyes." I do, listening to the rustle of plastic, and then silence. "Okay," he says. I open my eyes to see Sehun holding onto what looks like a heart, but not a Valentine's Day heart. A real heart.

"Eww," I say, poking at the heart shaped blop in his hand. It's not solid, but made out of silicone, so it even feels like a real heart. Or what I imagine what one would fee like. "It's awesome," I say, poking it again.

Sehun shrugs and hands the heart to me. It feels cold against my hand. "I know you collect them." I laugh. What Sehun really knows is that I definitely do not collect them. It's more like other people collect them for me. Because my birthday is on Valentine's Day, everyone gives me things with hearts on them. However, this is the first anatomically correct heart I've ever gotten.

I look over at Sehun, but he's staring up at the sky. "Make a wish," he says, pointing above us. I look up just in time to see the falling star. "What did you wish for?" he asks, looking at me.

"I can't tell you," I say.

"Afraid it won't come true?" he asks.

"Well, duh," I say.

"I should go," he says, standing up and brushing off the back of his shorts. " I still have to finish my trig and my chem lab write-up." Sehun doesn't go to the private school I attend. He goes to public, but he's in all honors classes, which means he usually has as much or more homework than I do.

"I'm slammed too," I say. I stand up and start making my way back towards my window, catching the edge of the roof in my hand.

"Stop by tomorrow after school," I say.

"Can't," he says. "I have practice." Sehun is totally dedicated to swimming. Most of the time his hair is slightly greenish and he reeks of chlorine.

"Friday then." Sehun mumbles something as he hops across to his roof. "I'll bring chocolate."

"I'm there," he says, ducking inside. He sticks his head out. "Can you get Changmin to make some Peanuttiest truffles?"

I laugh. "I'll see what I can do." I climb back into my room, closing my window tight behind me. I lay my heart on my desk, smiling as it quivers when I release it. Yuck.

I climb back onto my bed and pull my comforter around me, trying to get warm. I stare at my laptop. I give up after my eyes start blurring again. I decide to get some sleep and get up extra early in the morning to work. I set my alarm for 4.30 and climb under the cpvers.

I lie there thinking about Sulli and Daehyun and Minseok and Hyoyeon and poor Miss Kitty. I think about how tired my mom must be and olive candies. I think about The Plan and Taeyeon's assertion that we need one. And I think about how I lied to Sehun. It's not that I'm afriad my wish won't come true if I tell him what it is. It's that I didn't make one. I don't believe in wishes. Wishes make you hopeful and being hopeful is just a big setup for disappointment.

author's note. 

As promised, I posted up another chapter! A more in depth detail on the relationship between Soo Rin and Sehun or him and you.^^

Either ways, I hoped you enjoyed the update and I'll see if I have time for more tomorrow! And please excuse me, I have some ranting to make.

I—

cant.

OH SEHUN, Can you just not. He looks so freaking good and I can't contain my feels and asdfghjklasdfghjklasdfghjklasdfghjklasdfhjjklasdfghjklasdfghjklasdfghjklasdfghjklasdfghjkl.

Sorry.