I haven't seen Mir in two weeks. Regrettably, I was not able to wrangle his camera from him and delete that picture, much less destroy the camera, but the time will come, I'm sure.

The couples are going out today and they decided, for unknown reasons, to drag me along.

Of course, I try to wheedle my way out of it. "Seungho, I'd rather stab myself than fifth wheel with you guys."

"As much as I'd like to fulfill that request," he says darkly—he still hasn't totally forgiven me for the whole bitter mochi thing, though you have to admit it was funny, "we, as your friends, worry about your social competence so we're taking you out."

"Hey, I am totally socially competent," I protest as he yanks my arm. "I am a freaking social butterfly, okay!"

"Shut the hell up and let's go!"

I surrender to him when he threatens to toss me into a bag and record me trying to get out as blackmail material. I refuse to let him have any dirt on me unless I have equally horrifying information about him.

He jerks on my jacket lapel as I grumble my dissent. “You guys are gonna couple up and I’m gonna be the odd one out again, so what’s the point? I don’t need you guys around to be social!”

We reach the car and Seungho roughly throws me into the back. I land with a huff and bounce, almost concussing myself on the door frame.

I glare as I cradle my precious head. “You could’ve killed me, idiot!” I snap.

Seungho shrugs dismissively and says, “Surprise! You won’t be alone.” Then he shuts the door so hard and fast I almost don’t have time to get my feet in and he jumps into the driver’s seat.

“Hey, Saera.”

I groan and rub my forehead without even turning to look at him. “You, again?” I whirl and pin Mir with a fierce stare, smirking when I see his camera dangling from his neck. I point at it challengingly and declare, “Just you watch, mister! I will steal that instrument from hell away from you today and destroy it as completely as possible.”

He just chuckles, doesn’t even raise his hands to protect the camera, to my dismay. Does he not view me as a threat? I vow to make him regret that.

“Oh no, please, spare my camera,” he says laughingly as I grow more and more disgruntled with his attitude.

“Why are you even here? I thought you were only friends with Seungho.” I buckle in my seatbelt and fold my arms across my chest with a pout on my face, like a kid.

“I know the other three casually too,” he responds cheerfully as they all pile in and greets them. “And, of course, I know you. I can’t wait to take more pictures!”

I practically growl. “What happened to the wide-eyed boy from New Year’s? I swear you were scared of me!”

He laughs out loud this time. “I didn’t realize how harmless you were then.”

“Wha—”

“Saera, play nice,” Aemi chides maternally.

I stick my tongue out at the back of her head. “You can’t tell me what to do! Nyah!”

“I’ll rip that tongue out,” Seungho mutters darkly as he turns on the ignition and backs out of the parking space. “You know I will. I’m still mad about the mochi.”

I guffaw, though I’m careful not to let my tongue hang. “All in good fun, dear Seungho, all in good fun!”

“Saera, you should stop before Seungho decides to kill you when we get off the car,” Joon advises and Rani giggles at his words. Aemi tries to hide her smile, but it’s obvious.

“It’s a conspiracy! You’re all against me! Ugh, why am I even here!”

Mir grins at my whining and raises his camera but I whip my head to face him and shove my hand in his face so quick he actually yelps.

“Don’t. Even. Think about it.”

Mir slouches back slowly, but I catch a glint in his eyes that tells me he’s only just gotten started. Great. Now I’m gonna be a paranoid fifth wheel. Yippee-ki-yay, motherer.

A few minutes pass in amiable silence—well, amiable on everyone else’s part, but resentful on mine, naturally—until finally I can’t help it anymore.

“So where are we going?”

Seungho groans his I-want-to-throttle-you groan. “Saera, you better not—”

“Are we there yet?”

“Goddammit, I will pull over and strand you on the side of the road, Saera!”

Mir, Joon, and Rani are practically in tears from laughing so hard but trying to be silent about it, while Aemi chortles daintily into her hand.

“Do it! I dare you,” I say with an evil grin.

“Are you thinking I won’t? You know I will. Have you already forgotten that time when I posted your wet dream diary thing online?” he reminds me of our good ol’ high school days.

Aemi gasps, Mir gapes, and Joon and Rani cackle their little noggins off. I roll my eyes and ignore the light color in my cheeks. “It was an dream diary, not wet dream! Sheesh, get it right. And at least it was good reading, you have to admit.” He snorts and shakes his head, half-amused, half-incredulous at my shamelessness. “Besides, don’t you remember that time I strung all your ‘My Little Pony’ boxers in the halls leading to your locker? Man, that was great.”

“You did what?” Mir exclaims disbelievingly while Rani cries mirthfully, “You did not!”

Aemi is redder than a cherry and she can’t look at Seungho directly. Seungho himself is flushed hotly at the recollection. His long-buried anger and embarrassment is palpable in the air.

Er, maybe bringing that up wasn’t the best idea. But it happened so many years ago! Aren’t we supposed to look back and laugh now?

I glance at Seungho’s murderous face.

Maybe I miscalculated. Should’ve waited a few more years. Damn.

“Yeah? Well, how about when I dunked you into a barrel of tie-dye and your face was blue for a week?” he challenges.

I shrug nonchalantly though it had taken all of my bluffing to laugh at myself with all of my classmates at the time. “I always wanted to be an avatar. Plus, now I know what I look like with blue hair if I ever wanna dye it again. Thanks, pal!” I grin. “Anyway, I don’t think that can even begin to compare to that time when I helped that guy—what was his name again? Byung…Byungbi? Byungmi? Wait, it was a guy…Byunghee? Byung-something-or-other—confess to you? You got all excited getting those love letters, thinking they were from a girl! And your face when he finally confessed!” I slap my knee. “I felt bad for the guy, but your face was something out of a comic!”

Seungho has finally reached his boiling point. His face and neck are on fire and I can see his veins straining and pulsing against his skin, threatening to pop out. “That’s it, Saera, when we get out of here, you better be prepared to die.”

“Only if you’re prepared to go down with me!” I retort but I’m actually thinking, Oh , I’m a goner. I am a dead girl walking. Sitting. Whatever. I’m already dead. , I hope there’ll be a bathroom nearby, because .

“You guys are so crazy,” Rani finally wheezes as she tries to calm herself down. She’s panting and gasping for breath like she just ran a marathon. “But thank god we’re friends.”

I smile smugly. “You know you love me.”

“Shut up, Saera,” Seungho growls.

“Yessir!” I salute him jauntily.

This is our dynamic, me and Seungho. We’re kind of the same and we’re kind of not so we always clash. But at the end of the say, we’re still best friends.

At the very end of the day.

But he’s got Aemi now, so he doesn’t have time to play around with me anymore. I hate to admit it, but he’s pretty much half the reason I feel so lonely nowadays. It used to be us two against each other but more so against the world. Now…now it’s just me.

It’s hard being much less than perfect among a group of flawless people. Especially when I actually like them all.

I fall silent and stare contemplatively out the window, trying to think of ways to make new friends so I don’t seem so pitiful that they have to drag me out and invite, for all intents and purposes, a stranger to keep me company while they have lovey-dovey fun. I’m too pathetic, and too proud to stay that pathetic.

I’m so deep in thought I almost miss the subtle shutter click of Mir’s camera. It takes me a seconds to process the sound and then I turn to face him so fast I almost break my neck and get whiplash.

“Did you just—” I start but then I cut myself off because I’m thinking way too highly of myself. Just because we have this little picture game going on doesn’t mean every picture he takes is of me. I shake my head and face the window again, rolling my eyes at myself.

“That’s surprising,” Mir comments with a smile in his voice. “Not gonna call me out?”

“Well,” I say without turning around, “it’s possible you weren’t taking a picture of me. Don’t wanna make a fool of myself when I don’t have to.”

Mir seems to realize I’m in a different mood now, not one for joking, and doesn’t reply.

The more I think about it, the more I realize how unsociable I really am. What do I know about making friends? All I know how to do is insult people. And make fun of them.

The more I think it, the more I realize what a horrible person I am.

I sigh silently, not wanting to think about it anymore. New year, new revelations, and all that.

I hate when I get introspective.

We finally arrive at our destination—the beach! It’s been so long—and Seungho and Aemi go off together, completely forgetting about me.

Better for me, really. Now I don’t have to go hide out in the toilets.

I smile fondly as I watch the two couples walk off, Joon and Rani easily linking hands while Seungho and Aemi shyly walk too close to each other to be seen as “just friends.” I really do love them, even though I’m mean to them all the time. I wonder if they know.

I hope they know.

Blowing a raspberry, I swing my hands in sync as I stroll along the beach with shoes in one hand, sea-cold wind in the other. My hair trails behind me like a river current and the sun is warm and welcoming on my skin.

During times like these, I can almost believe that I am truly at peace.

I close my eyes and smile blissfully.

Click.

It’s faint. Probably just some other beachgoer taking pictures of the gorgeous waves.

Click. Click.

It’s probably not Mir. And even if it is, he’s most probably not taking pictures of me.

Click. Click. Click. Click.

Okay, that’s it. Someone is being annoying as hell.

My eyes shoot open and I glare towards the sound. Lo and behold, it’s Mir, grinning at me from behind his camera. He raises an eyebrow—something I still can’t do, dammit!—and tauntingly takes another shot.

“Mir,” I say warningly. He tilts his head innocently. We stand stock-still for a heartbeat. And then I leap into action and he screams as he scrambles away from me.

“Did you think I forgot my promise to destroy you!” I shout after him as I sprint forward, flinging my shoes in his direction. One misses completely, but the other smacks him solidly in the middle of his back and he yells “Aghhh!”, but barely falters.

“Why are you so fast!” I bellow at him. “Slow the frick down!”

“Not a chance!” he tosses back over his shoulder, wincing slightly and touching his back where my shoes had hit him.

Did I throw it that hard? I frown. Oops. I didn’t mean to maim the weakling, just slightly injure him. Well, he won’t die anyway.

After running nonstop for a good ten minutes, I can feel myself dying so with my last burst of adrenaline, I sprint as fast as I can and launch myself at him with an uncouth roar. He glances back at me just before I land and his eyes widen comically.

“Ow!”

I open my eyes and blink a few times to orient myself. I had expected that to hurt more.

There’s a grunt of discomfort and probably pain from beneath me and I look down to find Mir groaning and shifting in the sand, camera safe in one hand, my waist secure in the other.

Wait, what?

I squeal embarrassingly when I realize I’m lying on top of him, our legs tangled and touching. He must have turned at the last moment and taken the fall for both of us. Even sand hurts with enough force.

“You idiot! What the hell are you doing?” I scramble out of his limp—but very warm and firm—arm and flip him over, making sure the camera doesn’t get sandy.

He lets out a painful noise and his face plops into the sand.

“Hey, Mir. I’m pretty sure sand’s not healthy for you. Does it have nutrients? Minerals? It’s made of rock right?”

Gurgle.

“Oh right.” I refocus on him. “Where does it hurt the most?”

He turns his head to the side to answer. “Errwhere.”

I roll my eyes. “So useful.” With a sigh, I place my hands lightly on his shoulders and gently massage his back, steadily working my way down. He’s surprisingly more muscular than he looks.

“Argh.”

I freeze. “What? What happened? Did that hurt? Am I pressing too hard?”

“Shoe.”

“What?”

“Your shoe.”

“Wha—oh. Oh!” Right, I threw my shoe at him. I remember that. My aim was on point, if I do say so myself. “Does it still hurt? Did I throw it that hard?”

I carefully slide his shirt up his back and grimace at the light bruise in the middle of the smooth expanse of skin. So smooth. And warm. And touchable. Wait what?

“Oh, er, wow, that’s, uh.” I whistle loudly. “I didn’t think I threw it that hard! Sorry. Guess I got carried away.”

He grumbles something.

“Huh?” I lean down by his mouth to hear him better.

“I said, you hit me with that hardass heel!” His voice suddenly booms in my ear and I screech uncannily like a monkey as I jerk away.

“I said I’m sorry! Jesus! I think you made me deaf!” I ferociously rub at my ear, working my jaw around.

He finally sits up and for once his face is cloudy. I gulp. He looks oddly menacing. Maybe not more than Seungho’s passive face but I’ve gotten used to him. Mir though…I’ve only ever seen him scared or smiling. This is…actually really intimidating.

He fixes his gaze unwaveringly on me and I have to fight the strongest urge to bow my head. Still, my eyes can’t help flitting to the sea every few seconds. I fidget with the hem of my shirt.

See? This is why I have no other friends. I’m too abusive.

“I…sorry. I really didn’t mean to hit you that hard. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll let you hit me back. Here.” I turn and offer him my back, almost more relieved at being able to look away from him than scared of the ensuing pain.

“Really? I can hit you?” The skepticism is dripping from his words.

“As hard as you want. I’ll take it like a man!” I nod resolutely.

He scoffs. “You’re sure? Not gonna take it back later when I punch you too hard?”

I almost turn around in offense but I don’t want to see whatever’s floating in his eyes so I keep my gaze firmly on the roiling water. “Who do you think you’re talking to, boy? I may be the rudest you’ll ever meet, but I never take back what I say! How dare you even insinuate—”

“Say cheese!”

Before I can finish my sentence or school my expression, Mir’s arm wraps around me from behind, hugging my back to him and settling his chin on my shoulder, while his other arm stretches out in front of our faces with his camera and quickly snaps a picture.

He pulls away and checks the photo with a huge grin on his face, laughing. “This is perfect! I’m keeping this picture forever.”

I’m so shocked and confused that I don’t move. First I was talking and then there was warmth and his chin on my shoulder and my hair in my teeth and a click and huh?

“Yah! Mir! I told you, no derpy pictures! For god’s sake, do I really need to destroy that godforsaken device that only captures my worst moments! Mir!”

He runs off with his camera, my shoes, and the brightest smile I’ve seen in years, bright enough to rival that of the sun, and just as warm. He runs off, laughing…

And he takes a piece of me too.

A/N: Wow IDEK where all that came from, haha, I literally just sat down to do my astron homework but I opened this document and just started typing.

LOL I'm sure the voice is a little different, a little less fun and happy-go-lucky, a little more snarky sarcastic and thoughtful, but I think I wanted it to go like this anyway. So yay!

And OMG I'm seriously so so so so so so soooo sorry it's been so long! I swear I haven't abandoned any of my stories; but it takes me time to write them, especially because I've been writing such long chapters lately.

Anyway, I really love this story a lot because Saera thnks a lot of my personal thoughts :D so it's rather dear to my heart, in comparison to other ones. But I love all my stories and I'm so thankful for everyone who reads them! Thank you! I hope they make you happy for a little while!

BTW, anyone catch the "Die Hard" reference? I'm die-hard for "Die  Hard." Bruce Willis FTW!

Also a little G.O for y'all, lol. I don't think he'll be making much of an appearance in this story, sorry. :/ We'll see though!

Enjoy!

skyblaze208, OUT!

© Copyright 2014 by skyblaze208