My skin would heat up every single time the bell would ring at school, the aim of the game was to stay out of Sehun’s sight for as long as possible and sprint my way home without any surprise encounters. Of course, he knew I was doing this. I haven’t seen him ever since that morning and it was now the third day counting at school without Sehun seeing my face.

I would make sure that every day, my neck was painted in foundation; nobody was going to suspect anything on my watch.

I felt the table shake at lunch as Iri threw her bag on it and a few centimetres away from me.

‘’He’s looking for you.’’

I stood up as soon as I heard that and sprinted out of the dining hall at school, Iri was my eyes and I was the runaway car and we were a two girl team against Sehun. If one didn’t work, you add another soldier. She knew what the deal was now; even if I didn’t tell her the story, she knew what was going on.

‘’Thanks, see you tomorrow if I don’t see you afterschool.’’

I waved and made an exit before Sehun entered the dining hall. This was getting too exhausting but really, I still had no idea what was going on between me and Sehun, he changed too suddenly and I had a really bad feeling, he had control over everything and in my language that meant danger and more danger. I was sure that we were going to discuss this soon, that whole deal thing and what happened that night but I wasn’t ready.

After school hours ended, I completed a safe route outside the school buildings after I hid behind a bunch of teachers walking out, even Sehun avoided these.  I walked myself out of the gates and began my run home. I would strategically look behind me from time to time just to see if anyone followed behind me and from time to time scare myself in my own reflection as I walked past shops. I was a total mess.

Ingeniously, I moved along with the cars parked along the road and hurried walking down the drive through of my house to get to my front door.

‘’Oh look it’s Jess!’’

I froze, just like a statue and I turned around to face Sehun’s mother.

She had a package in her hand and looked in a rush but never before had she failed to greet me in the way she always does, a smile on her face and ready to give me a hug.

‘’Hello.’’

I was desperate to get out of sight.

‘’Are things well?’’

She asked and I nodded, man she did look in a hurry.

‘’I would ask the same but it doesn’t look like you have time…’’

She smiled at me and looked down at the package in her hand. Definitely in a hurry.

‘’I’ve got a meeting out of the blue and I have to drop this package to my other son, he really needs to receive this today.’’

She pressed for time.

My mother showed up out of nowhere, she was also in a hurry but was more stressed out and panicked than usual. She heatedly spoke on the phone whilst carrying her precious briefcase, probably filled with a bunch of important documents, there was a deep frown on her face and she carried a deep anger wave behind her. Every single word coming out meant business, something clearly didn’t sit very well and I knew it was because her business wasn’t going very well for the past few months.

When the time came that my mother was angry, even the Gods above were not going to stop her wrath. I turned back to Sehun’s mother. You needed to get out of her way as soon as possible or she’ll stomp on you and turn you into dust.

I stepped forward and picked up the box from Sehun’s mother.

‘’I’ll deliver it now if you want.’’

She couldn’t be any happier; she patted me and quickly got in the car after telling me I had to go to the local coffee shop and kindly thanking me.

My mother watched as I sprinted out of sight.

I didn’t dare to look back at her but I felt a strong feeling of concern cover me like a blanket, it wasn’t good and it made my legs soft. I knew my mother had found out some bad news about work and I didn’t think I was ready to add to the amount of problems I had.

I carried the box as I searched for that café, I was in deep thoughts as I had never met his brother nor did I know what he was like. I hoped deep down that they did not share the same personality. I hoped until the last moment. I hoped that he would not be a jerk or even worse, the person Sehun learnt all of his moves from.

I entered and as soon as I did my eyes stopped on this guy, for a second there I was terrified that it really was Sehun, but it wasn’t. He was the spitting image of Sehun and I had a panic attack as I really tried my best to avoid that stupid Sehun for days.

‘’Hello.’’

I raised the package in the air and got his attention; he looked up from his coffee and smiled.

Oh. This… was very… weird. He smiled.

‘’I expected Sehun to come, that bastard never wants to see me.’’

He reached and took the box.

Once again, he smiled up at me.

‘’Thanks, I’m aware that my mother was busy as usual.’’

I nodded, I was mesmerised at how polite he was.

‘’I’ll get you a drink, you look a bit stressed out.’’

I pulled on the sleeves of my cardigan.

‘’Yeah…’’

It was Sehun’s fault.

Moments later I got my iced fruit tea and my eyes glowed, the first good thing in a while. He insisted since I made an effort to come all the way here for him.

‘’Have you seen Sehun lately?’’

He asked as he fiddled with the box and its sticky tape wrapping.

 I looked at him still enchanted by how lovely it was to have a normal conversation with what it looked like a nice Sehun, it was a dream.

Please, someone explain to me why Sehun and this guy are actually brothers. They are nothing alike apart from those facial features and those eyes.

‘’In school, he’s uhhh…’’

I had a hard time trying to describe Sehun’s current status in kind words, I didn’t want to be rude and he noticed, he chuckled as he kept his eyes on opening that box.

‘’The still same old selfish and bad boy that I’ve always known, he must be giving girls a hard time at school.’’

He was on point.

‘’Yeah.’’

He took out what it looked like another box, this was made out of see through glass and inside lay the reason why I was living my nightmares to this day. My eyes widen the second I saw it and my heart jumped through.

‘’Where did you get that?’’

I gulped as I looked at this hand sized black metal car with movable doors and shiny glass headlights sitting stapled to the black platform inside the glass rectangular glass box. Looking at it now, the car looked precious and valuable compared to the time I knew of it back then, it was that same toy I once stole from Sehun when I was young and stupid and it’s the reason why Sehun was taking his revenge on me all along.

‘’An auction in Spain, I paid good money to get this back.’’

He lifted the car up from inside carefully and I saw that scratch I once made on the driver’s door. Sehun hated me for it, it must have scratched when I ran away from Sehun on that day, I fell on the ground and the car slightly hit the ground. Why was it in auction in the first place? Sehun treasured this bloody car.

‘’ I won this on a bet with Sehun.’’

My heart began to drum a little faster now.

‘’ When I was still in that house and long before I left for university, Sehun used to have this neighbour, this little girl, he would watch her from his window every morning before throwing something slimy or a bug at her.’’

I gulped as he looked up at me.

‘’This continued as he grew up and I was getting amused at how irritated the girl would get, she’d plot something back and I was sure that she was ready to kill Sehun at some point.’’

I struggled to stop myself from smiling or laughing over the tiny memories along the way. I didn’t want to give myself away, he couldn’t know.

‘’Sehun started his first year in high school and joined a basketball team; he needed to practice but was short of money to buy a basketball. Since he knew he could win any bet against me, he bet that he could get his next door neighbour to be his girlfriend in exchange for the money and I picked this car in exchange for any forfeit or loss of the bet.’’

 I focused back on that car as my heart slowly filled up and expelled blood.

‘’The idiot didn’t know that the car was worth way more than what he asked me on that bet so I accepted and besides, I knew that this time he wasn’t going to win. And he lost the bet in a single day of trying, he came back home in defeat and hadn’t mentioned it since then.’’

My lips parted but I was still silent. No wonder why at the beginning of high school he became unexpectedly protective of me for a couple of days, he tried to keep those bullies away all in to hopes to gain my trust and now it was all explained. I didn’t know it was to get to me like that, Sehun had impure intentions anyways, he was doing it for a bet and I did myself a favour to keep him away whenever he came close to me again in school, I was used to the war at home, I had enough of surprise spiders and eggs thrown at me. But even so, he never stopped protecting me after that, whenever I was in trouble, Sehun was always there for me unless it was him who was doing the wrong deeds.

 ‘’Not long ago, he called me and asked for the car back and his winning fee but I had already sold it long ago.’’

My hand wrapped around the cold condensed cup in front of me, I marked lines across the cup as I listened. This story was getting more interesting as it went along.

‘’He called me not too long ago and said that he’d soon get the girl, obviously it’s been years since I’ve been home after studying and travelling around the world but it would be a national marked day when Sehun would finally get this girl living next door to him and I would keep my word on the deal.  I got the same car back at an auction just for him and it was quite pricey. I’ll give it to him soon I guess.’’

He looked back up at me and beamed.

‘’That’s…quite a story.’’

I said and his dimples showed. This was all a bet? I felt a tiny punch to my stomach, even I knew that Sehun didn’t like to lose but still. I couldn’t get my head around it, was he still doing it for the car and the money or was there something else, don’t tell me he was serious about…

I suddenly stood up and attracted the attention of the other’s around me. I knew that I needed to sort this out now.

‘’I’ll be sure assist your plan to return the car, I’ll drop hints to the girl at school so it all goes well.’’

I slowly made an exit out of the situation and he thanked me once again as I left with fisted hands.

Sehun knew that our relationship was broken glass, another stupid joke of his and it will end that second. Unless he was still a player and thought that he could win that car again, Sehun must be serious about this relationship. Either way, I was angry I was in a bet from the start and I needed clarification. 

Just as I got home, the street setting fell to an orange, mirroring the colour of the low sun and the shape of obstructing clouds in faded shadows on the ground.  A car stopped in front of my neighbour’s house and I knew the sound of that car all too well, this was Sehun.

 This time I didn’t run, I stood there until Sehun hurried to catch up to me before he thought I dashed inside, he was hurrying until he saw that I stood still with my arms folded and a heavy look set on him. He knew something was up if I suddenly wanted to face him after many days counting of hiding and running.

‘’This is surely a rare sight now a days.’’

He used his buttons to lock his car but he kept his eyes on me and spoke very eagerly. Does he really think I’d run away even still?

‘’Sehun, did you really bet on me?’’

He frowned at me.

‘’What are you talking about? ‘’

He walked closer now.

‘’That stupid car and don’t make me remind you that you have brother.’’

He suddenly grinned.

 ‘’Were you going to use me to get that car back?’’

He stepped forward as he chuckled and tried touching me.

‘’Don’t come near me.’’

I stepped back and his grin dropped.

‘’It’s not what you think Jess.’’

He tried to come forward once again and this time I shoved him back. I wasn’t playing.

‘’Oh let me guess, you would have made me your girlfriend, you would have gotten your stupid car back and then you’d go back to that Stephany of yours that you love so much after ditching me.’’

I didn’t hear that they broke up at school yet so whatever Sehun was planning for me didn’t look any real.  It was another prank of his and I was definitely sure of it, I felt happy that I didn’t give in to him that night; I saved myself from a monster.

I walked back to get in my house, I was fuelled by anger and I was afraid that if I stayed there a second longer I would slap him.

‘’Jess, it’s really not what you think. I only wanted that car back for another reason and why not get it back when I could? ’’

I paused just as I grabbed my door handle and turned around.

Maybe there was something else…

 ‘’Why are you in a suit anyways?’’

I asked.

He frowned before both Sehun and I looked at my mother who opened the door for me. We were silent for a few seconds, my mother also paused before realising that w