Somehow, by some sort of miracle, Jackson still hasn’t figured out that Mina is the one I’ve been so bent out of shape over. I find some sort of twisted humour in that. I chuckle to myself as I walk through the parking lot to Mina’s apartment building. She invited me to come over and hang out, so of course I happily obliged. I clutch my keys as I reach the sidewalk, heading toward the stairs. I chew my lip. Something feels off. At the foot of the staircase, I swivel on my heel and look out toward the parking lot once more. My stomach drops when I see Jackon’s truck. In a slight panic, I whirl around the stairs. As fate would have it, I come face to face with him for the first time in three weeks.

“Can you move, please?” He asks in a dry voice.

Jackson’s face is void of expression and his body is as stiff as a board. I shuffle cautiously to the side as he nods and pulls his keys out of his pocket. He walks out of my sight and I in a deep breath. I run up the stairs and swing Mina’s door open. I slam it shut behind me and pant like a thirsty dog. She looks up from her book and blinks hard. I slump down against the wall and she walks over to me with a laugh.

“Like, Snoopy. You look like you just saw a ghost!” (*Yulyeong ^0^)

She teases in a ridiculous voice.

I look up at her and shake my head. She lifts an eyebrow and then in some air.

“Oh.”

I give her a nod and she clears .

“Yeah. He came to talk to me. He wants me to enrol into your high school. He wants me to finish out senior year. I want to graduate.” Mina informs me, grabbing a beer from the fridge.

I stand up slowly and we move to her couch. I sit criss-cross applesauce while Mina lays her head in my lap. She dangles her legs over the arm of the couch and swings them back and forth. I play with her hair while she keeps me in the loop.

“What about a job? How are you paying for this place, anyway?” I ask.

Mina laughs, “My grandm