At ten minutes after seven, I started to worry. Jisoo was known for her punctuality and Irene normally texted when she was running late. I opened the front door and looked up and down the street. Still no cars. Still no friends. My parents has excused themselves to their bedroom to give my friends and me some privacy and I could hear loud sounds of the movie they were watching.

I opened the tub of Red Velvet ice cream I had bought, took a spoonful, and plopped down on the couch. I took a few more bites of the ice cream, getting a brain-feeze, before continuing a few more.

I surveyed all the different bowls of snacks. I didn't like most of this food. I'd gotten my friends' favorites. I groaned and flopped back on the couch. Where was everyone? Had they forgotten?

I held my phone in my hands, staring at the groupchat I'd brought up. Did I really have to beg my friends to come over? I shouldn't have to remind them. I sent them a fancy invitation. We'd just talked about it the day before!

If they weren't here, there was a good reason. They both had some sort of family emergency. That had to be it.

Wait. What if that was it? I swallowed my pride and sent a text.

Are you both okay? Should I put the candy away or are you just running late?

When there was so reply five minutes later, I sighed. I could feel sorry for myself. It was my birthday, after all.

I would get high on sugar and have a party for one. I scanned the candy again. There was nothing I wanted. I hadn't even bought Skittles.

I stood, determined to remedy this.

☘ 𝔏𝔬𝔱𝔱𝔬 𝔏𝔬𝔳𝔢 ☘

"It's favorite pessimist," Jieun from K-mart said.

"Pessimist?" I asked, trying to remember what I'd said to earned that title.

She pointed at the Powerball sign next to the register that now said fifty million. "Remember? You have a better chance of being struck by lightning?"

"Oh. Right. I think you mean 'realist,' but whatever."

"So I take it you're still not here to buy a ticket."

I held up my kind-sized bag of Skittles. "Just this."

"That's right. You're not eighteen yet, anyway."

"Actually, I am eighteen now. And you're right, give me a Powerball ticket."

"What? Really?"

"Yes. Why not? Luck is on my side today." I almost laughed when I said it because it was so far from the truth.

"Now you're talking."

"How much is it?" I asked, realizing I might not have enough money.

"Two thousand won a ticket. How many do you want?"

I had only a little over 2000 won left in my account. The party candy and paying for lunch had depleted my cash. I dropped the bag of Skittles with the other candy. "Just one, please."

Jieun rang me up and handed me a small square of paper that had several printed numbers on it. I stared at them. What was I thinking? Now I didn't even have any candy, and I was beyond broke.

"The drawing is tonight," she called after me as I headed for the door.

I waved but didn't turn. What was I even supposed to do with this ticket? Did I have to enter it into some drawing? Register it somewhere? I tucked it in my pocket. "Happy birthday to me," I mumbled. "You got a two thousand won piece of paper."

Empty handed, I sat on the bumper of my car for a moment and looked up at the dark sky. It was hard to see the stars in the city, but the moon wasn't out tonight so I could see the brighter ones.

A car pulled into the lot and flashed its lights at me. Was I in the way? I held up my hands and moved around the side of my car. The other car parked and just as I was about to open my car door to leave, I realized who the driver was. He hopped out with a big smile on his face.

"Suzy!"

"Jimin! You do exist outside of the zoo!"

He smiled. "Barely."

It was funny to see him in something other than his gray zoo T-shirt. He wore black jeans, white T-shirt, and a red leather jacket. Like a regular guy, not just a member of my zoo world. His eyes were reflecting the parking lot lights.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Getting myself a lot of caffeine because I'm about to pull a Harry Potter all-nighter with my brothers."

"Fun. So this means you're free of your sentence?"

"No. Still grounded." He patted his pockets as if to show me he had no phone. "This is why I'm about to watch movies with my brothers."

I smiled.

"Hey," Jimin said. "I thought you were having a birthday party tonight. Wait . . . it's your birthday. Happy birthday!" He gave me a big hug and I laughed. He let me go, then waited for me to respond.

I pointed over my shoulder with my thumb, as if that would explain where everyone was. "Yeah, I was, I am. A really fun cool birthday party."

He lowered his brows and looked over my shoulder. "Is it happening over there somewhere? That dark alley maybe?"

"Um. At my house. I left to get . . ." I trailed off because I had nothing in my hands. "I was going to get candy but I didn't bring enough money."

Jimin nodded. "I am going to buy you candy. For your birthday."

"No, that's okay -"

"I am. It's too late." He started walking backward to the door. "You should tell me your favorite now or I'll come back with my favorite."

"Skittles!" I called.

"Ah. Taste the rainbows."

"What?"

"I'll be right back." He opened the door and went inside. 

Taste the rainbow? From the commercials?

The store was brightly lit, so I stood outside and watched as Jimin filled a massive Styrofoam cup with soda. Then he walked to the candy aisle and the amount of time it took him to find Skittles let me know he didn't buy them very often. Then he was at the register talking to the insulting checkout lady. She didn't seem to have anything insulting to say to him, though. She laughed and so did he. Jimin was easy to laugh with so it didn't surprise me. Then he was back, walking toward me.

He placed the bag of Skittles in my hand. "Happy birthday, Suzy."

For some reason that simple act made my eyes sting with tears. I held them in, knowing how embarrassing it would be if I started crying right now, over a bag of candy. "Thank you," I whispered.

He tilted his head. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, when I really wanted to say, No, hang out with me, don't leave me alone. A long crack rand along the asphalt between us, like a dividing line, and I had the urge to jump over it, join him on his side of the line. Instead, I toed it with my shoes.

Jimin sat on the bumper of my car and took a long drink from his soda. His feet were out in front of him, his shoulder hunched a bit. He patted the bumper next to him.

"I don't know if my car's bumper can handle our combined weight.

He patted his flat stomach. "What are you trying to say?"

"No, you're, I . . ."

"I'm joking, Suzy."

"I know," I said, but my cheeks still went hot.

He smiled, then stood. "Hold this for a second." He handed me his big drink and went around to the driver's side. He began drawing something on my dusty car window.

"What are you doing?"

His fingers moved across the window. "Is Suzy a nickname?" he asked.

"Yes, the English version of Sooji." I said, tilting my head. "Why did you want to know?"

"No reason." He kept drawing or writing or doing whatever it was he was doing on my window that I couldn't see because it was dark and his body was blocking half of it. "Why do you go for the English version?"

"I thought it was be kind of unique to have an English name."

Jimin stayed at the window for several more minutes.

"If you take much longer, I will be forced to drink some of your soda," I threatened.

He glanced at me over his shoulder. "Really? You don't seem like the type."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm sure you have some statistic floating around in your head about mono and high schools."

I laughed. He was sort of right. I did have a thing about germs because I knew how easily spreadably they were. But just to prove him wrong, I resisted the urge to wipe the straw with my sleeve and took a long drink so he wouldn't think I was uptight. It was Dr. Pepper.

He smiled with a short bow of his head as if to acknowledge his mistake, then turned to face me, still not clearing the way for me to look at whatever he'd done to my window. "Well, I better let you get back to your friends."

"Right. My friends." I handed him his soda.

"What did they get you?"

"What?"

"For your birthday? What presents did you get for your birthday? Aside from my awesome offering, that is." He pointed at the candy I still held like it was the most precious gift in the world.

"Oh, um . . . I'm not sure actually, we haven't gotten to the gift giving portion of the night." That was the truth; we hadn't gotten anywhere close to that. "But I did get a pair of cacti socks earlier."

He frowned. "Cacti socks? There are socks made out of . . . cacti?"

I laughed. "No. They're regular socks with pictures of cacti on them."

"But Korea don't even have cacti."

"I know," I said.

"Was it supposed to be ironic?"

I shrugged. "Let's say yes."

He gave me a half smile. "Right. Well, I 'll see you later, Zoo Suzy."

I laughed. "Did  you just call me Zoo Suzy?"

He bit his lip. "Sorry, sometimes that's how I refer to you and it just slipped."

He referred to me in conversations with other people? "Yeah, me too. With you, I mean."

"Really?" he asked. "You call me Zoo Suzy?"

"Funny, Zoo Jimin."

He smiled. "That is funny that we both call each other that."

"Probably because that's the only place we ever see each other."

"Until now," Jimin pointed out. "The stars have aligned."

I looked up at the sky like I thought his statement might actually be true, then met his eyes again. "Right. Until now."

He took a few steps toward his car. "Speaking of the zoo, are you coming to the staff meeting tomorrow?" I nodded as he opened his car door. "Cool. See you then," he said, getting inside.

I almost wanted to ask him to stay. I could've fessed out about my missing friends, but it would just make me sound pathetic and possible make him feel like he had to entertain me. But there was nothing he could do. He was grounded. It wasn't like I could beg him to let me in on his movie marathon or make him stand with me in this parking lot for hours.

"Bye," I said.

"Happy birthday again." He waved and drove off.

"Yes, happy," I whispered.

I turned to my car, pausing in front of the window he had spent several minutes on.

Happy birthday, Sooji, (I'm trying to rhyme.)

I'll see you again. At that place we call the zoo . . . ji. (Almost worked.)

I laughed. He was such a dork. I climbed into the car. Maybe it hadn't been such a bad day after all.