Nayeon headed to her usual desk, about to throw down her things, when she noticed there was a problem. A problem in the shape of a girl Nayeon didn’t recognize, sitting at her desk in the back. It was the desk she always claimed when she sat through detention—which was often—so her name might as well have been written on it. Actually, if you looked under the desk, you’d see her name really was written on it in red pen. How it got there, well, that’s another story altogether.

Nayeon huffed with petty annoyance, deciding to plop down in the seat directly to the mystery girl’s right. Taking a peek at the fresh blood, Nayeon surveyed the girl closely. She liked to make it her business to know everyone in her school, and she knew she’d never seen this girl around before.

The girl had medium length ginger hair—more of a light orange than red. It was a bright yet pleasant color which suited the girl. She looked to be about Nayeon’s age, maybe slightly younger. Sporting a casual blue summer dress, the girl certainly looked out of place among the other students in slacks and jeans. But it was more than just her clothes that set her apart, it was her aura. Nayeon couldn’t really put her finger on it, but the girl just gave off this different kind of energy she wasn’t used to. It intrigued her more than anything.

Nayeon herself liked to look presentable, but today was Friday—her minimal effort, basically roll out of bed and hope she looked okay—day. Adjusting her rectangular glasses on her nose, Nayeon leaned back in her seat and decided to strike a conversation with whom she could only assume was the new kid she heard whispers about. The new kid was a junior, a year below Nayeon.

“You’re the new kid, right? Wait. Hold on. I know you,” Nayeon said, leaning in the direction of the ginger girl sitting at the desk next to her.

“I don’t think we’ve met,” the girl deadpanned, not even bothering to lift her head from her phone screen.

Nayeon raised a brow and held up a hand, annoyed with the girl’s apathetic behavior. “I don’t need to meet people to know them. Your mommy and daddy are rich—they give you everything you want, but they have expectations. I’m not talking, ‘be happy and kind’ types of normal expectations. I’m talking: ‘you better graduate with a masters in medicine and open up your own practice before you turn 30’ types of expectations. The whole, ‘we did well in life and we expect you to do even better.’”

This caught the girl’s attention. The girl’s name was Mina, but Nayeon wouldn’t find that out until later. She set her sleek iPhone down on her desk and slightly turned her head so that she got a glimpse of the talkative brunette next to her.

“But you don’t want that. Nope. So you do what you can to be rebellious. You take that image your parents have of you of being the perfect daughter, and you visualize tearing it apart. Sometimes you act out. You do stupid things, just for kicks. You know it’s stupid and you know the consequences but it’s worth it because it’s the only way to get your parents to see you. Not their precious, little girl, but the real you. The one who wants to go after something non-conventional, like acting, writing, maybe even cooking. You think that maybe getting detention will finally snap them out of their perfect reality. Maybe they’ll actually listen to you for once when you say you wanna be an actress, without laughing at the statement and dismissing it as a joke.”

Mina, who has been silent during this over dramatic monologue, simply leaned back in her seat as if stretching her lower back. She never took her eyes off of Nayeon, watching her, now, with mild interest.

“So tell me, Richie Rich, how’s this whole detention thing working out for you?”

The nickname grinded Mina’s gears, but she took a breath and ignored it. “Well, for one thing, I didn’t expect to be psychoanalyzed, very inaccurately, by a stranger.”

Nayeon smiled at that. “What can I say...I just understand people. They speak to me. For these evaluations, I normally accept cash and checks, only. But since you look like you had a rough day, I’ll give you a discount.” The senior winked—charm practically oozing out of her.

Mina rolled her eyes, crossing her arms and frowning. It seemed she was unaffected by the girl’s normal antics. “And here I thought you couldn’t get any more annoying.”

“Ouch,” Nayeon muttered, but she still wore a smirk on her face. “Tough crowd today. Maybe next week I’ll have better luck.”

“I don’t plan on being here next week,” Mina said.

“Oh really?” Nayeon asked. “Had a taste of detention and it’s too much for you to handle?”

Mina scoffed, picking her phone back up. “I’m not supposed to be here. This was a mistake.”

Nayeon arched a brow, obviously amused. She propped her head up on her desk with her hand. “So...you’re innocent?”

Mina sighed and quickly checked the time on her phone. “I was covering for someone,” she mumbled, without making eye contact with the girl beside her.

“It ought to have been someone pretty damn special if you took a detention for them...on a Friday, no less. I try to avoid detention on the weekend but, sometimes it can’t be helped.”

“Seems like you’re the rebellious, rich kid, after all,” Mina replied. “Are you sure that psychoanalysis wasn’t autobiographical?”

Now, it was Nayeon’s turn to scoff. “I wish. I’d have a fancy phone like yours and not this dumb flip phone.” Nayeon reached into her backpack and pulled out a sleek, black phone with a dog sticker pasted firmly to the back.

“Alright everyone, detention starts now. Remember, no phones. And I need complete silence.” The teacher looked pointedly at Nayeon and Mina, who both sheepishly tucked their phones away. “You should use this time to get some homework done. You know, do something productive with your life?”

It was clear the teacher did not wanna be stuck at the school on a Friday afternoon, just as much as the few students in the room didn’t.

Mina pulled out a homework worksheet from her backpack to pass the time. Predictable. Nayeon gave the younger girl a look before she leaned forward onto her desk, resting her head in her arms, and closed her eyes. She spent each hour of detention napping, which was a good way to re-energize after a long school day.

However, today something was nagging at her. As if her thoughts were a force of their own, unlinked to Nayeon’s will and refusing to let her sleep, the girl lifted her head and sighed. While she’d had her head down, the teacher had disappeared to do who knows what. It was common for the woman to disappear for almost the entirety of detention, only for her to show up at the last minute again to retake attendance.

Eyes traveling left, Nayeon caught a glimpse of the new girl again, who had snuck her phone out of her bag in the teacher’s absence and appeared to be playing some sort of puzzle game.

“Psst,” Nayeon whispered, practically making Mina jump out of her seat. At the girl’s startled expression, Nayeon couldn’t help but snicker. The girl shot Nayeon a look of daggers, pouting a bit before mouthing “what?”

“Wanna get out of here?” Nayeon asked.

Wait. What? “Get out of here? And go where?” The girl looked at Nayeon as if she were a raving, mad woman.

“I don’t know. Somewhere more fun than this. And don’t worry, I’ll get you back here before Mrs. C returns. She always shows up right at the end again, like clockwork.”

Mina pressed her lips together, sizing Nayeon up as if to get a read on her seriousness. Was the senior pulling her leg? Playing some sort of prank?

“That’s a terrible idea. And if you’re trying to play games with me, like a new detention initiate kind of thing—“

Rolling her eyes, Nayeon laughed. “Oh please, I’m trying to be genuine here but it seems like someone isn’t exactly the most trusting. I’m not hazing you. I just wanna show you around.”

“I’ve been toured around, thank you.” The school was big but not that big. In the first few days Mina had been at the school, she had picked up its layout rather easily. Being a student for about a month now, Mina considered herself an expert of the building’s twists and turns.

“I have some secret spots no one else knows about…I wanna show you, just cause I’m feeling generous. And besides, someone needs to continue my legacy after I graduate.”

Mina loved puzzles and mysteries. Like a fisherman casting out into a small pond, Nayeon’s lure was shining and bright amid the dull and stuffy exterior of the classroom.

“There’s this door that leads to the roof. It has a pretty nice view of Suburbia. And of course, my favorite spot, the Dark Room. Only photography students are allowed access, but you happen to be staring at one herself.”

Nayeon shot Mina a loppy smile, and Mina had to admit that did sound fun. A lot more interesting than the trigonometry on the worksheet in front of her.

There was a look of mischief in Nayeon’s eyes, paired with that confident grin. Nayeon could sense the desire in Mina’s waivering conviction as if it gave off a smell. She loved that—making people take chances, change their ways of thinking, because of her. The feeling almost made Nayeon hungry.

“C’mon,” Nayeon teased. “It’ll be fun, and I’ll only give you this chance once. Take it or leave it.”

Mina wanted to go…but, but what about the teacher? What if she came back early to find Mina gone? She’d surely earn herself another detention. Why should she risk getting in trouble for an annoyingly confident stranger who made assumptions about who she was before she even opened ?

Before Mina could really consider her next move, Nayeon was already standing up, gathering her purse. Sitting like a fish with an open mouth, Mina watched as the girl began to walk toward the door. Quickly turning her head to glance around, Mina noticed that no one else in the room seemed to care—some kids were sleeping, others with headphones in, most had their phones out. No one really seemed to care about the fact that Nayeon was about to open the classroom door and venture outside.

Gathering her own things hurriedly, Mina stood up as well—her chair making a cringy, loud squeak as it slid backwards—and walked quickly to catch up to Nayeon, who stood waiting at the door with an eyebrow raised.

“I knew you weren’t boring,” Nayeon chided, giving Mina a grin before the two girls stepped outside into the eerily quiet halls. “We’ll stop by the Dark Room first, and then head up to the roof.”

Nayeon strode confidently forward, and Mina struggled to match the girl’s pace. Sensing this, Nayeon slowed slightly and stuck her hands in the pockets of her sweatpants. “So how long you been here?”

“A month,” Mina responded plainly.

“Hm,” Nayeon huffed. “One month and you’re already in detention...dang.”

“Like I said, it was a mistake. It won’t happen again.”

Nayeon simply shrugged. “You know, it’s not that hard to get detention. I’ve seen all sorts of people come through the pipeline, even kids that would surprise you.”

Mina looked at Nayeon, who was looking at her. “Are you in detention every week or something?”

Nayeon stopped in front of a door on the right of the hallway. “I tend to be here a lot, yeah,” she replied, vaguely. The girls stepped into the art department, which was a large room that smelled vaguely like wet paint. “Here we are.”

Mina wasn’t enrolled in any art classes, so it was interesting to see this part of the building. It was organically messy, unlike the rest of the classrooms she’d been in that were hospital-clean. The room seemed to breathe life, and Mina couldn’t help but stare at the works of art in progress—various paintings and sculptures only half complete but still intriguing nonetheless.

“Do you like art?” Nayeon asked, watching Mina wander around on her own, examining everything. It was such a broad question. Who doesn’t like art? Art is everywhere around us—it’s in everything we do.

“Of course.” Mina turned back around to face Nayeon, as if being pulled out of a trance.

“What kind of art?”

Pressing her lips together, Mina considered the question. She enjoyed art in museums, like paintings and sculptures, she really enjoyed fashion and staying up to date on the latest trends, and she enjoyed watching movies and TV shows, too. However, she wasn’t artsy by any means. Never having really picked up drawing, or even writing, she felt somewhat unqualified to even be in this room.

Then it dawned on her that she’d been forgetting something very important. “Dance,” Mina answered. “I like dancing.” Not the ‘out with friends, going wild at a club’ kind of dancing, but the choreographed, painstakingly crafted kind of dancing. The kind you put your heart and soul into and practiced for hours on end, staring at yourself in the mirror and carefully watching each of your movements. Mina liked precision—no, needed precision, in her life.

She didn’t say any of that to Nayeon though, just simply letting the word “dance” hang on its own in the air.

“You dance?” Nayeon asked.

Mina wondered why the girl was asking so many questions. “Yeah, I’ve danced since I was a kid.” She shrugged.

Nayeon looked at the girl with interest, as if sizing her up. “That’s cool. I’ve never taken dance classes or anything. Photography has always been my thing.” Suddenly, Nayeon felt stupid for saying that. After all, she had told the girl she was in a photography class and was going to show her the Dark Room now. It was obvious she was into photography. Feeling her face flush slightly, Nayeon wordlessly headed to the back corner of the large room where the Dark Room was.

“When we get into the room, it’ll be pitch black,” Nayeon explained. “Don’t be scared or anything.”

Mina scoffed, offended the senior would think she’d be scared. She then realized the thought of being in a dark room with a stranger she’d just met did actually seem intimidating. The thought must have been displayed on her face, because Nayeon gave the girl a friendly smile.

“Relax, there’s a red light I’ll turn on so we won’t be in the dark for very long.”

Nayeon opened the door and ushered Mina inside. She didn’t like not being able to see, and shuffled forward slowly once Nayeon closed the door behind them.

There was a small feeling of panic rising up in Mina’s stomach before there was a satisfying click and the room was illuminated in a red hue. Turning to examine her surroundings, Mina took in the surprisingly small room. It consisted of two, long metal tables with various tubs of liquids sitting inside them. Strung up above the tables were clotheslines where developing photos were attached, hanging down—glossy and stark.

“When you first develop film, you have to learn to unspool it from your camera in the darkness, and reload it all without being able to look,” Nayeon explained.

“That sounds difficult.” Mina was looking at the photos hanging from the clothesline—pictures of people and landscapes. There was even some pictures of an egg in various settings.

Nayeon got a look at the pictures too, seeing what her classmates were up to. “It just takes practice, but it’s not that hard to pick up.”

“Are any of these yours?” Mina asked, figuring it was her turn to start asking some questions.

Nayeon shook her head. “Not at the moment. I’m still taking pictures for a project, right now.”

Wanting to know more, Mina looked at the girl beside her—seeing her profile lit up in red—all of the lines of her face seemed to glow.

“I was thinking, though,” Nayeon began. “Can I take your picture sometime? For my project, I mean.” The older girl suddenly sounded embarrassed, and avoided making eye contact with Mina all together.

Mina could feel her own cheeks heating up, surprised by the question. “What’s your project?”

“It’s all about contrast. And your hair is…” Her voice trailed off.

Mina didn’t quite know what to say. This girl was still a stranger—she didn’t even know her name—and yet, Mina could sense a gentleness inside her, buried beneath the show of confidence on the outside. She’d definitely have to ask her friends about this girl later—they might know more about her.

“After school, maybe,” Mina replied. “As long as you make me look good and I get approval of the pictures you use.”

“You doubt my eye?” Nayeon gasped, referring to her artistic vision and eye for a good shot. “Of course, yeah you get final approval.”

It was settled then.

“Wanna show me the roof, now?” Mina suggested. The smell of the chemicals in the room was starting to make her feel a little light headed, and her stomach had not yet stopped doing somersaults at the thought of being alone with this girl.

Nayeon nodded and turned off the red light, opening the door. A flood of bright, fluorescent light rushed in, and Mina squinted at the intensity. It took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the brightness of the school, as they began walking to another part of the building.

“That sign clearly says restricted personnel only,” Mina pointed out, crossing her arms and planting her feet firmly in front of the door Nayeon had led her to.

“And?” Nayeon asked, shaking her head at the younger girl. “You’ve come all this way and you’re gonna chicken out, here?”

“It’s just—”

Nayeon held up a hand again. “I’ve been coming up here since freshman year. There’s no security cameras or alarm or anything. I think maintenance kind of forgot this door even exists, to be honest.”

Mina wanted to protest, but Nayeon had a point. She’d already left detention and risked getting it again just by being here with the older girl. What more harm could going into an off limits space really do?

Mina sighed, really hoping she didn’t regret this. “Okay.”

Nayeon internally cheered, smiling smugly and opening the door, which was unlocked. “See? If they really didn’t want students up here, they should learn to lock the door.”

Not looking convinced, Mina narrowed her eyes at the other girl but didn’t say anything. Leading the way, Nayeon stepped into the small hallway which immediately led to abandoned looking stairs. They went up several flights, as the school was three stories tall, and finally made it to another equally sketchy looking door.

Pushing the door open, Nayeon pressed against the heavy frame outward and revealed the rooftop. It was largely bare, with guard rails encompassing the perimeter.

“Hope you weren’t expecting anything fancy,” Nayeon called, racing ahead to the south side of the roof and catching herself on the guard rail. Mina slowly approached her and the edge of the roof, looking down at the school’s parking lot and surrounding buildings. She could spot students walking to their cars, trickling out from after school clubs and sports. The running track, football field, and baseball fields stretched out next to the parking lot.

The view wasn’t extraordinary, but it was nice. It sure beat sitting in that classroom, Mina thought. She was glad she tagged along with the older girl, after all.

“It’s nothing special,” Nayeon replied, as if she had heard Mina’s thoughts. “But I still like it. I come here when I wanna be alone and think. It makes the school seem kind of small, doesn’t it? Even though there’s hundreds of us packed inside.”

Mina hummed in agreement, breathing deeply and taking in the fresh smell of spring grass. “Thanks for showing this to me.”

“Like I said, someone needs to carry on my permission after I graduate.”

“Are you really gonna graduate on time if you’re in detention every week?” Mina couldn’t help but tease.

Nayeon looked surprised at the girl’s playfulness. “Hey! I’ll have you know I’m actually a good student.” The girl’s face scrunched up as if she’d just eaten something sour, causing Mina to smile sheepishly and then laugh.

Nayeon’s face unscrunched at the sound, and her eyes lit up, regarding the girl beside her with fondness. “Really, I am a good student though,” Nayeon whined.

Mina laughed once more, and then let a lazy grin remain on her face. “Okay, I believe you. How did you pull that off, then?”

Nayeon gripped the railings of the guard rail and leaned back on her heels. “It’s a mystery.” Of course, she winked, causing Mina to start feeling that panic bubbling inside her again.

“Speaking of mysteries...I still don’t know your name,” Mina said. She looked at Nayeon expectantly.

“It’s Nayeon, pleased to meet you.” She bowed in an over dramatic fashion. “And you are?”

“Mina,” the younger girl stated. Suddenly, just knowing each other’s names, the girls felt closer to each other than before.

There was an awkward beat.

Mina reached into her purse and pulled out her phone, examining the time. “It’s been 45 minutes...should we head back?”

Nayeon nodded, feeling slightly bad that she’d forgotten about the time. They’d have to hustle back to the room before the teacher returned. “Oops, yeah, we gotta haul there.”

A look of shock formed on Mina’s face and she suddenly began to fast walk toward the door. Now it was Nayeon’s turn to laugh, only half heartedly though because she really didn’t want to get Mina into trouble either. The two girls rushed toward the door and flew down the stairs, giggling together for no reason other than the fact that they were sharing this absurd moment together.

Nayeon’s sneakers squeaked against the school’s floor as they raced toward the classroom, making a few turns before they arrived. She threw the door open in a dramatic fashion—which went unappreciated by the still half-asleep collection of students in the room. Mina and Nayeon plopped down back in their seats and both sighed loudly, giggling again.

Nayeon was slightly out of breath, Mina noticed, so she had to bite her tongue so she wouldn’t laugh as the teacher swung the door open and wandered in. The woman’s eyes surveyed the students carefully. By then, everyone had managed to put their phones away in time. How they’d sensed the teacher coming, Mina was unsure, but also intrigued by it—like it was their very own spider sense.

“Alright, your time is up for today. I’m going to take closing attendance and then you can go.”

The teacher grabbed a clip board with the students’ names. Leaning back against her desk, the teacher began to recite from the list.

When Mina’s turn came, she let out a quiet “here.” Then in a flash, they were being dismissed, and students were practically running out the door. She looked over at Nayeon, who was collecting her things with an expressionless look on her face.

The two girls waited for each other, walking out together. “So for my project, can I just text you so we can schedule a session?” Nayeon seemed a bit nervous about asking, but Mina happily complied, telling the girl her phone number. “Well, I’m driving home. See you around? Not in detention though, right?” Nayeon teased.

“Not in detention!” Mina confirmed enthusiastically. At least, she hoped she wouldn’t end up here again. It was her friend’s fault she was here in the first place.

In trigonometry earlier that day, while students were passing in their homework, her friend Momo had realized she’d forgotten to do it the night before. Their teacher was crazy strict, so missing one of these assignments meant an automatic detention. Momo was on the track team—one of their star athletes, in fact, and couldn’t afford to miss practice right before her upcoming sectionals meet. Therefore, she begged Mina at the last minute to erase her name on the worksheet the girl had filled out and to write Momo’s name instead.

The teacher didn’t look closely enough at their handwriting to determine whose it actually was, anyway, so a quick switch of the name on the top would do the trick. Mina didn’t want to do it, but she knew Momo wouldn’t ask her to do this if it wasn’t important. And so far, Momo was really the only friend she’d made since she moved to this school. So, begrudgingly, Mina agreed. That’s how she earned herself a detention.

Mina watched as Nayeon gave a slight wave and began walking toward the student parking lot. She glanced at her phone, hoping Momo would finish up with track practice soon so she could get a ride home with her.

It was only then it dawned on her—Nayeon’s name was never called in that final attendance.