"'I can't breathe! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!' Were the last words I heard my mother screaming before my father took me away" everyone gasped and someone even whipped their eyes like they'd started to cry.

            There was a new girl in school. She was very pretty, Japanese and Korean mixed, and she looked like a doll so she instantly became popular with the boys. Because of that all the girls hated her, at first, but after she told her sob story she gained the hearts of all her classmates.

            "Can you believe that?" my best friend Tao asked me after returning to his seat when she'd brought her story to a quick finish as the bell for class rang.

            "I believe she wants attention" rolled off my tongue before I could realize that was inappropriate to say about a girl who'd lost her mother.

            Tao wanted to disagree with me, because he was always a er for sob stories, but the teacher came in before he could.

            Lunch came slowly but surely and Tao left to go get us something to eat while I waited and pulled out my phone to see if I had any texts from Jongin.

            "I don't think I've been introduced to you" someone interrupted me reading my texts. I glanced over from my cell to see the torso of a girl, her shirt tucked in and her skirt pulled high on her waist so that it would sit shorter on her legs. "My name is Kurohana, but I just go by Hana" she started to introduce herself to me.

            I debated whether or not I should keep texting and ignore her, no; I'll entertain her until Tao returns. "Oh Sehun" I reply dully, I looked around and I can see everyone who's still in the room is watching us.

            "I hope we can be friends" she smiles brightly and I flash her one in return. She seems content with that and leaves me to rejoin the group she was with earlier and they crowd around her to whisper in her ear, probably about me.

            I used to be pretty popular, because my looks are good girls want to get close to me, maybe date me so that I can be flaunted by them like a prize or something, no thank you. I'm pretty good in sports so I was confronted by plenty of team captains asking me to join their club but although I liked playing I was never really interested in being part of a team. My grades aren't bad either so I'm also liked by the teachers. However, after everyone realized that I just wasn't into being popular or being in the social ring, they grew tired of me and I was just that one that everyone noticed my presence but didn't bother.

            "Sehun, did you get Jongin's text? I just ran into him in the hall" Tao finally came back, dumping a load of snacks on the desk instead of actual food.

            "I didn't read it, why what does he want?" I asked as I picked through the pile for something appetizing.

            Tao leaned close so that only I could hear him, "He knows that Hana-sshi is in our class. Apparently she's become popular in other classes too"

            "Don't call her that" was all I had to say and he sat back in his chair with a pout. Sometimes I wondered why I put up with Tao, he was practically the opposite of me, always wanting to have attention or be up to date with what everyone is talking about. He could act however he wanted as long as he didn't try to bring me in it which he usually didn't, unless a girl he liked would try to get close to him because he was my friend, and then I would have to settle it and he'd end up being mad at me for a day or two before getting over it.

            "I think there's something off about her" I mumbled into my bread, and Tao perked up because for once I was actually talking about something popular.

            "What do you mean? She's probably been through a lot so you should just be nice to her" he hit my knee with his and I tore my eyes from where she was sitting when she glanced over at me and smiled. "I bet she likes you, don't be dumb this time and take her on a date".

            "Don't be stupid" I replied and got up to go use the restroom.

            The next day of school was odd. When I entered the classroom everyone was in their groups talking loudly. I figured it was all just gossip again and ignored it as I went to take my seat next to Tao. He was sitting with his elbows on his desk, his hands folded on each other in front of his mouth, and his eyes looked like they could burst into tears at any moment. "What's wrong Taozi?" I asked, concerned if my friend was being bullied again.

            "There's a rumor" he started and I rolled my eyes but continued to listen to him. "Last night one of the janitors quit"

            "A janitor quit?" I sat down in my seat because I wasn't as worried any more after hearing that's all it was. "Why do you care so much about that?"

            "He quit and then ran from the building" Tao looked scared, too scared from just hearing a rumor.

            "Look-" I began to tell him that there was nothing to worry about and that he was overreacting but I was suddenly interrupted.

            "You know my last school was haunted" 'Hana' sat sideways in the seat in front of Tao and let her arms fold across the front of the desk, her bracelets clanging against the wood.

            "Really?!" Tao replied, he was excited that she was talking to him even if it was about something he hated.

            "Oh yea, a lot of students and even some teachers died there. It’s pretty sad actually" Tao was obviously getting more and more scared now but she just kept going. "Something about a curse-"

            "That's enough!" I interrupted her this time, a little too rudely, and the class hushed.

            She stood up and straightened out her skirt, "The story isn't very interesting anyways" she commented quietly and turned around to leave us. When she sat back down in her own seat the room slowly filled with voices again until the bell rang and the teacher arrived.

            "Do you want to go eat on the roof? Jongin text me that everyone is meeting today" Tao whispered to me a few minutes before we'd be released for the lunch break. I nodded and continued to take notes until the teacher was finished.

            We picked up some snacks on the way and managed to avoid all teachers as we headed up the stairs to where our friends were waiting for us on the roof. "Sehun! Tao!" Jongdae announced our presence.

            "What's up guys?" Tao replied and took a seat next to Kris and I silently sat down by Jongin.

            "So you heard right?" Chanyeol immediately started. "About what happened last night?"

            "I heard he saw a ghost" Baekhyun was the first to answer him and then Jongdae agreed.

            "Whatever it was that spooked him, if that was even why he quit, I bet there is really a logical answer behind it" Joonmyun tried to calm everybody down.

            "Or the spirits of the dead are finally starting to rise up" I could hear Kyungsoo mumble because he was sitting not too far, next to Jongin, but only the two of us seemed to notice and Jongin bumped shoulders with him.

            "Let's not get too worked up over it, after all this hasn't ever happened before right?" it was Minseok's turn to speak. He put his hand on Luhan's knee next to him like he was asking him directly but Yixing was the one to answer.

            "Not that I've hear of" everyone agreed and the subject slowly died down as we ate our lunches.

            "What do you think about it?" Tao asked me as we were walking home; I knew exactly what he was talking about.

            "I don't really believe in that stuff" I replied simply so maybe he would drop it.

            "But Hana-sshi said her school was haunted-"

            "Didn't I say not to call her that?" I tried not to sound too irritated.

            "What do you want me to call her?" he didn't try as hard, clicking his tongue at me for cutting him off.

            "Call her by her last name like everyone else"

            "No one calls her by her last name!"

            "Whatever" I spat out because he was probably right, I couldn't even remember what her last name was because everyone just called her Hana, but he at least didn't need to add the '-sshi' at the end.

            "Why do you not like her?" he, again, didn't drop the subject and I was hoping we could quickly arrive home so I could go into my house and he could go into his and I wouldn't have to hear him talk anymore.

            "Why do you care? Do you like her or something?" I knew that was uncalled for, but I'd actually been wondering that because of the way he kept bringing her up so it just kind of came out at the wrong moment.

            "If I did it's none of your business" he sounded hurt and when he was hurt he became really cold towards me. "I'm going home" we reached our street and he took off towards his house.

            I wanted to call that I'd see him in the morning but it was going to be Wednesday which meant he had practice so I just went inside my house without another word. My sister was home and she had a couple of her friends over so I went quickly up to my room and flopped down onto my bed.

            I had a lot of homework to do but I really didn't feel like doing it at all so I rolled over and accidently fell asleep. I woke up to my cellphone buzzing next to me. I had to rub the sleep out of my eyes as I unlocked it and the bright screen shined brightly in my face. When my eyes adjusted I could see that I had texts from Tao. That was fast.

                        -I'm sorry about yelling at you earlier

                        -To be honest I do think she's pretty but if you don't like her then I guess it wouldn't work between us right?

                        -I really hope the school isn't haunted though

                        -I'm scared just thinking about it

                        -You should come over I don't understand these problems

                        -Are you really ignoring me?

                        -Sehun-ah, I said I'm sorry!

            I sighed and went back down the stairs; my mom was surprised because she didn't even know I was home.

            "I thought you were at Tao's house"

            "No I fell asleep in my room, but I'm going over there now to do homework" I told her as I was putting my shoes back on.

            "Okay don't stay over there too late" she let me go even though it was already getting dark outside because I'd been going over to Tao's house and Tao coming over here for so long that we were practically members of each other’s families.

            “Why are you still in your uniform?” Tao asked, completely over our little patter from earlier, when he came to let me inside.

            “I fell asleep when I got home” I followed him to his room waving hello to his mom as we passed her and she gave me a welcoming smile. “That’s why I didn’t text you back” I let him know just so that he wouldn’t be mad about it. “What problems did you not understand?” I opened up my bag and pulled out my notebook.

            “Now that you’re here I don’t really feel like doing homework” he picked through my bag and I slapped his hand away.

            “You can’t keep letting your grades slip” I was still groggy from my nap so I really didn’t want to bicker with him but this was something we seriously needed to talk about. Tao had never been outstanding in his classes, he preferred to focus on other things such as his wushu, but epically since the end of last year his grades just kept getting worse and worse. “You know I can tutor you whenever you need it”

            “Don’t treat me like I’m too stupid to do it myself” he signed and went to go lay on his bed. “I just don’t feel like studying now”

            “Taozi,” I called him by the nickname I’d given him long ago and I only used it when I wanted his attention. I sat on the bed next to him but he was avoiding my eyes. “I never said anything like that. Don’t be a baby and do what you need to do”

            “You didn’t have to put it like that” he wanted to be upset that I was calling him a baby but he knew I was right.

            I had just gotten Tao to sit down at his desk with me and concentrate on his work when his cell buzzed. “You can read it later” I pinched him when he tried to reach for it. I could tell by the look he gave me that he wanted to defy me but he decided to comply and continued to work out the problem. After only a few seconds it buzzed again, and then I could hear my ringtone coming from my bag.

            “Something must be up?” I nodded at him to let him know he could check his phone now and I went to answer mine. “Jongin?”

            “Sehun, did you just get that text from Baek?”

            He asked me and I looked over at Tao who was reading from his screen with his hand across his mouth. “No but I think Tao is reading it right now, what is it?”

            “A boy from your class was just put in the hospital. He was found lying on the floor after sneaking into the school because of that ghost rumor”

            “What the ?..” I thought allowed and Tao looked over at me like he was asking for me to come up with an answer, but I just couldn’t.

            This is just a coincidence, I thought, the janitor quitting, the ghost rumor, Hana…yeah a coincidence. Sorry, but that’s how it all started.