"i've... got to go home.." Was all Kiyoung could stutter out of her jumbled up mind.

"Can we walk together?"

"Did I say home? I meant work!" Kiyoung laughed nervously then mentally hit herself when she realized they worked together. She had no idea what was going on. What she did know was she wanted to be alone to think to herself.

"I can walk you there as well. I work in an hour so-"

"Yixing! I want to be alone!" With that shout, she ran off. She took a left instead of right turn towards home and when she knew she wasn't being chased bby him, she happily stopped running to  catch her breath.

She didn't know what to do, what to think, how to react. She had no idea what was going on. The second Kris comes into her life more often than he use to be, because she was wrapped up in Yixing, she starts to feel like she is falling for him. However, Kris is a jerk, in an aspect for deciding his reputation is worth more than Kiyoung's friendship. Why should he put up a fight for Kiyoung?

"Yeah, why should he?" She thought aloud. "Not like he likes me. He just tells me I'm a good friend for showing him around the school on his first day and for helping him with homework when he didn't quite get it.. He's never really asked to hang out.." She starts listing on her fingers all the things she got herself wrapped into. "I was always asking him to eat lunch with me last week. He invited me to basketball practice once, probably because he felt sorry for me and the other times were because I invited myself.."

With a deep sigh, Kiyoung sat on a bench and took in a deep cold breath. Her cheeks and nose red as a rose from the cold. As much as she hated it, it some how calmed her beating heart and cold off her anger she had; for what reason though?

"But why am I so angry? Is it at Kris? Is it at Yixing? Both?" A sudden outburst of a scream startled a guy who was walking by with his head phones in.

"Damn, girl. You should be in a horror flick with a scream like that. I heard it through my headphones."

As if Kiyoung's cheeks couldn't get more red, they did. She crossed her arms and looked away.

The boy disappeared then came back, holding a hot chai tea can to her cheek. She hissed from the warmth she wasn't familiar to in the cold air. praticaly watered at the thought of chai tea but she declined the offer. "I don't have money to pay you back."

"Nahh, don't worry about it. You seem to be havin' a rough day as it is."

As stubborn as she would like to be, she was cold and chai tea was her weakness; strange, how did he know?

"Do I know you? How'd you know I liked chai tea?"

The boy snorted and tried to keep back his drink that he just sipped. "I don't know you. Chai tea was the only thing hot wise left in the vending machines just a few ways down."

Kiyoung cleared in embarrassment and nodded slowly, "Ohhh... well.. thank you. By the looks of it, you go to that expensive private school, right?"

The boy nodded and shrugged his shoulders, "Thats true."

"Are you my age?"

"Well, that depends on how old you are?"

Kiyoung smacked herself in the forhead. She was making herself feel so stupid.

"Seems like you have a lot on your mind. Don't you have any friends?"

Kiyoung snapped and looked at the boy, "Of course I have friends!"

"Okay, okay! Sorry! I wasn't trying to be rude... I was just going to offer my friendship to you, thats all."

Kiyoung sighed and sipped her chai tea, burning her tongue but shook her head as she tried not to make a face from the pain she suddenly felt. "Don't be. I'm just in a bbad spot right now."

The boy was checking his watch as she spoke and stood up, with a sincere frown, he put a hand on her shoulder then offered his scarf to her, wrapping it around her neck.

"Look, I don't mean to bolt on you right before you tell me what happened and I give you not so good advice, but I have a really important place to be. Next time we meet you can give me back my scarf and I'll listen to everything you have to say in return. Deal?"

Although it was sad to see the one kind person she just met leave before she could get to know him, she shook his hand to make the deal official. "Deal."

"See ya!" The boy sprinted off, but before he could disappear out of sight, he stopped and turned around, "My name is Kai, by the way!"

With a giggle, Kiyoung stood up and cupped her hands over , shouting as loud as she could back, "Kiyoung! My name is Kiyoung!"

The two did a final wave  as the man disappeared. She sat back down on the bench and pulled out her headphones, popping them into her ears as she some music to calm her racing heart. The scarf smelled good, but the scent made her heart sink into her stomach and suddenly, she began to cry.

The stress, the tension, the overwhelming emotions that came over her as she was whaling in the middle of the day. She wasn't sure if it was because she felt lonely or if it was because of how confused her heart was making her feel. Maybe, even both.

Ever since Jiah and Luhan became friends, Luhan doesn't talk to her much any more and Jiah seems to stop messaging Kiyoung to hangout. Kiyoung will text her, check up on her, but never recieve a response back. When Kiyoung approaches Jiah at school, she makes little contact then gets up to speak to Luhan.

Was Yixing all Kiyoung had? Was Kiyoung all Yixing had? Or maybe Kiyoung grew fond of Kris because she lost the friendship she had with Jiah and Luhan and yearned for it again.

Regardless, Kiyoung wiped her eyes and sipped her tea, collecting her thoughts. She may be home alone a lot, but never once, sitting here on this bench, has she ever felt more alone. Strange, isn't it? To live by youself but truly never feel alone.

After finally collecting herself, even though her thoughts were still scrambled like eggs, she decided to head home in case she gets lost.

And she did. She swore she headed back the same way she ran but ended up walking herself into circles. Itwas getting dark and with darkness came more cold air. Unfortunately for Kiyoung, she had been out in the bcold now for a little over an hour and still in nothing but her school uniform, a heavy jacket, and the scarf the handsome friend gave her.

She gave out another scream of frustration. By now her warm drink was chugged down and thrown away. She didn't see any faces she recongized and the second she went to call Kris for help her phone shut off on her.

Deciding to get out of the cold, Kiyoung headed across the street and into a cafe. She had no money on her so she sat in the back and messed with her phone. As she tried to turn it on, the phone flashed the dead battery sign before shutting itself off again.

She was too much of a coward to get up and ask around for any one for a charger. After she rested for what seemed like an hour, which was only fifteen mintues, Kiyoung decided she'd rather not waste any more time while there is still somewhat of a sun out. 

Last thing she needs is to kill time hoping someone will rescue her while her phone is dead and let it get darker outside. She cleared , bundled herself up and headed out the doors. She stood on the side walk, waiting for the sign to show walk. She had her arms crossed and her bag close to her chest as she held on tight to it for warmth.

She crossed the walk way, heading for the other side of the side walk to return to the spot she originally was at, to make it easier for her to find her way home.

Halfway across the street, a hand grabbed at Kiyoung's arm and pulled her back, "Kiyoung?"

Kiyoung stumbled back and looked back at the man grabbing her arm. With a questionable look, she muttered out, "Yixing?"

She followed Yixing back to the side walk, keeping her arms crossed.

"Kiyoung, what are you doing this far into the city?"

"None of your business... Why aren't you at work?"

"Because I didn't hear you come home and I know how easy it is for you to get lost. When you didn't pick up your phone...uh... Well." He shrugged his shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck.

"So you skipped work?"

"Its fine..the old man said he wasn't busy.."Yixing muttered half-heartedly.

He quickly pulled his gloves off and his scarf and handed them over to Kiyoung. She shook her head to decline his gifts but he put the scarf on her anyway. 

"Don't decline a gift when someone is being nice, it makes them feel awkward.."

"Sorry.." Was all she could mutter out.

"Why are you out this far?" He questioned her.

"Why are you out this far?" She questioned back.

"Call it fate."

Kiyoung scrunched her nose then quickly pulled the gloves on, sticking her tongue out. "Whatever!"

"Let's walk home." He said as he motioned her to follow him.

It was silence, like always. But, this time, Yixing broke the silence.

"I'm sorry. I know I've been saying it a lot but I mean every word. I've been ignorant and reluctant and blind. I wanted to focus on studies and helping my grandmother, but the second someone like you walked in, you stirred up emotions I thought I never wanted to have. But I'm sorry, for today. I pushed my emotions on you, I overwhelmed you." 

He stopped walking, keeping his hands in his pockets he turned towards Kiyoung, and with a deep sigh and a sincere look on his face, he spoke, "From now on, its me. The real me. I want to prove myself. I want to make you love me, like you use to. So take your time. Don't give me your answer. Give it to me when you're ready."

Kiyoung's cheeks turned red some more; all she could do was nod her head and look away from him. "Thank you." She muttered and walked ahead. 

Yixing walked beside her and with  a chuckle he put his head up, his lips.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because, I can finally ask you the question I've been wanting to ask you about for a long time."

"What?" Kiyoung muttered, looking up at him curiously.

"You don't have a sister, right?"

"Right." She nodded firmly. "Is that all?"

"So, were you that girl who would greet me every morning by her mail box, for almost two years straight?"

Kiyoung's eyes got big and she cleared , "No!"

"No?" Yixing asked, looking down at Kiyoung. "Hm, what a shame."

She cleared and glared up at him, "Why do you ask?"

"Because, I always thought she was cute, and one day, I'd greet her too."