Day 4. After a painful sleep, I woke up in better spirits. I knew the prime suspect. All I needed to do was to find him, right? I was one step closer.

            I’d just gotten to school and was at my locker, when I hear a conversation around the corner.

            “Kai, let’s go out.”

            “No.”

            Some sniffles ensued. “How can you be so harsh?”

            “And how can you be so annoying? Now leave.”

            “B-But--”

            “Leave.”

            The girl – I recognized her to be this girl named Minah – ran away in tears. Kai remained emotionless.

            Such a jerk. I was utterly disgusted.

            I closed my locker door shut and turned around, only to bump into the jerk himself. We did that whole side-step thing and I was getting frustrated.

            “Move,” I snapped.

            “You’re the one blocking my way,” he retorted.

            I stepped to the side but he blocked me. I stepped to the other side but was blocked again. I stabbed my heel onto his toe, sending him hopping with pain.

            “What the ?!”

            I smirked and walked past him. He deserved that.

            “HEY!” Kai said, limping over to my side. “That was uncalled for.”

            “Your very existence is uncalled for.”

            The two of us entered first period English class together. He stumbled over to his seat. I stopped by Ms. Choi’s desk.

            “Ms. Choi, I was wondering if I could get a seat change,” I said.

            “Do you have a good reason?” Ms. Choi asked.

            I hated it when teachers inquire you like that. What could I possibly tell her? That I hated my English partner’s guts?

            “U-Uh…” I thought of a viable excuse. “I feel like Kai is not challenging enough for me as a partner. I would like someone who is more of my level.”

            “Hmm that’s strange,” Ms. Choi said. “Kai is actually the smartest kid in the classroom next to you, Hyemi.”

            My mouth seemed to drop. “HUH?”

            “He had extremely high test scores at his last high school. I’m sure you’ll be challenged enough having him as a partner,” Ms. Choi assured.

            So much for that attempt of getting away from him. How the hell was he considered smart?

            I went to my seat and punched his arm.

            “AH what the hell is wrong with you?!” Kai grouchily asked.

            “You have high test scores and yet you make me do all of the work on the assignments?” I barked. “Is this some kind of joke?”

            Kai peered over at Ms. Choi. “You were asking her for a seat change?”

            “Yes. Because you disgust me.”

            “Well you disgust me.”

            “Fine.”

            “Fine.”

            I sank into my seat and made a notion to scoot farther away from him. He did the same.

            It was PE. My teacher informed me that our class will be playing dodgeball against another class. I was all pumped up, ready for a fun game with my friends.

            That is, until I saw that Kai person.

            Apparently, he had PE the same period as me. Lucky me.

            The class I was in was smaller in comparison to the class Kai was in, so the other team passed on some of their players onto my team. Kai was one of them.

            Which because I really wanted to hit him in the head with a dodgeball. Kai must’ve known this also because he smirked at me as he passed.

            “Okay…BEGIN!”

            Shots were fired, the game was on. I was one of those girls who just stood in the corner trying not to get hit. The guys did defense in front. Kai was really into the game, catching the ball and swiftly throwing it. He got a ton of people out with his throws. This certainly caught people’s eye, boys and girls alike.

            I wanted to barf.

            Then I thought back to how Taemin had been good at dodge ball too.

            People kept getting out but I was still in. Some guy on the other team had the ball and was aiming for me and I knew it. In panic, I dashed to the other side of the court, clumsily colliding with someone and falling onto the floor.

            Coach blew the whistle. Kai was on the floor, holding onto his ankle. He was wincing in pain.

            “Jongin, are you okay?” Coach asked as he knelt down to touch Kai’s ankle.

            “It…it hurts,” Kai said.

            Coach sighed. “Hyemi, take him to the nurse.”

            My eyes widened. “What?”

            “You were the one who knocked down our star player,” Coach chastised. He seemed to be enjoying the game but I had to ruin it for him. “Now take him to the nurse.”

            “B-But…” I knew there was no use arguing. Coach was definitely mad at me.

            I sighed and reluctantly walked over to Kai, helping him off the floor. He wrapped his arm around my back for support. I had to hold onto his back. It was horrible.

            The nurse was chewing gum and filing her nails when we came in. She handed us an icepack then scurried off to who knows where.

            “Some nurse,” I mumbled. Kai sat on the cot, his right leg still. He actually looked kind of sad.

            I didn’t want to apologize, especially since I didn’t like him and wouldn’t want him to have the upper hand. So all I did was stay silent as I sat in one of the chairs and held the icepack on his ankle.

            “Does it hurt?” I asked.

            “What do you think?” Kai grew annoyed and snatched the ice pack from my hands. “I’ll do it myself.”

            I shrugged. “If you say so.” Thank goodness. Now I can leave and go back to—

            “Yah, you know you owe me for this, right?”

            I turned back. “What?”

            “You owe me,” Kai said again. He had that mischievous look on his face.

            “No I don’t,” I insisted. “It was an accident.”

            “So? I’m still practically crippled. You owe me.”

            I crossed my arms. “What do you want?”

            “Your phone number.”

             “Huh?”

            Kai held out his hand. “Give me your phone.”

            “Why do I have to give you my phone? Where’s yours?”

            “Mine is in my backpack.”

            “But why the hell would you want my number?” I asked.

            Kai rolled his eyes. “You think I’m interested in you? I’m just struggling with the new material in English class and since we’re partners, who better than to call for help in my times of need?”

            “That sounds like bull.”

            He shrugged. “It’s the truth.” I still seemed reluctant to hand over my phone so he added, “I could be asking you for money or some other . But I’m just simply asking for your number. Is that so difficult?”

            In truth, I didn’t mind giving him my number for the purpose that he’d just explained to me. It made perfect sense.

            What was holding me back were the memories of Taemin that suddenly flooded my mind. Him texting me, our late-night conversations over the phone. Right now, as Kai looked at me with those big brown eyes, I couldn’t help but be reminded of my missing boyfriend.

            But in the end, I did hand him over my phone. Kai grinned smugly and punched in his number, then sent himself a text via my phone.

            “What’d you even send yourself?” I asked him.

            He held up my phone so that I could see:

            “WHAT?!” I exclaimed. “I said no such thing!”

            That night, I felt kind of depressed. Thinking back to my little incident with Kai in PE today made me miss Taemin more than anything. I glanced over at my phone.

            Jackson had told me that Taemin had written stuff about me in his journal. I had the sudden urge to read it; perhaps it would lighten my mood to hear his voice through my mind again.

            But when I looked through my phone, the pictures of the journal were gone.