I'm sooooo sorry! I'll explain everything tomorrow at school! please don't hate me!

That was the text from Jisoo that I woke up to on Sunday morning. I stared at it for several long minutes, not sure how to respond. It's okay, didn't quite work because I had no idea what had happened. And there was still radio silence from Irene.

I decided not to respond. It was my passive-aggressive way of telling her I was still angry and hurt.

I pulled my laptop into bed and spent the morning researching Busan University website. After carefully combing through each link, I decided not to send a desperate email about my acceptance letter might have ended up in the trash. If I was accepted, the would send out their own email a couple weeks after the hard copies were sent. So I was safe still. If I was accepted.

Before long, it was time for the zoo staff meeting. At least that would take my mind off things.

☘ 𝔏𝔬𝔱𝔱𝔬 𝔏𝔬𝔳𝔢 ☘

Jimin sat in the very back row of chairs has been set up in the staff room. Namjoon stood at the very front of the room, checking people off as they came in. My instinct was to sit in the front row, middle, my normal seat in most classes, but Jimin smiled my way and I found myself walking to his row, crossed at the ankles, the picture of relaxation.

"Hey," I said. The stiff material of the work shirt twisted at my neck as I sat. I tugged the collar.

"You really did get sloth socks," Jimin said, looking at my feet.

I pulled up the cuff of my jeans so he could see them better. "I don't lie about socks, Jimin."

"That seems like a weird thing not to lie about."

"If we can't be honest about the little things, then where are we?" I said, feigning seriousness.

He smiled. "Indeed."

Our exchange was cut short because Namjoon called our attention to the front.

"Thanks for coming out, all. I like to have refresher courses like this every so often when things are brought to my attention or when new procedures are introduced." Namjoon then went on to review things we already knew. Things we already did.

A black pen sat on the floor beneath the chair in front of Jimin. He used his foot to slide it toward him, then picked it up, reached over, and drew something on the back of my hand. When he pulled away, I saw it was a tic-tac-toe board. He'd drawn an X in the center square. He held out the pen for me.

"Are you sure?" I whispered. "I will destroy you."

He continued to hold the pen in front of me. With a quick glance toward the front to make sure Namjoon wasn't looking, I took the pen and filled in the top left square. We went back and forth and ended in a draw.

"Is that how you destroy people?" Jimin asked.

I narrowed my eyes at him, then drew a board on the back of his hand, filling in the top right with my O. He studied the board, as if I already had a strategy by not going in the middle spot. He must've decided I didn't, because he went there.

We'd taken two more turns when Namjoon said, "And please, don't ride on Jin's cart. He has work to do, and if he gives you all rides, he can't get it done." He seemed to glance in my direction.

My cheeks went hot. I wasn't used to being scolded. I was a rule follower.

Jimin leaned over, took the pen out of my hand, and whispered, "That doesn't apply to us."

"I think it was only said for us," I replied.

"Jin loves us. I can't give up the cart."

I held back a laugh and kept my gaze on Namjoon. I didn't want to get scolded twice today.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jimin fill in the remaining squares on his hand. "Oh, look at that. I won."

I pursed my lips, grabbed the pen, pulled his hand toward me, and lined through the game. At the top I wrote, Suzy rules.

It wasn't until I was done with my modifications that I noticed I had put Jimin's hand on my thigh in order to write. Now my cheeks were more than pink.

"Did you have a question back there, Suzy?" Namjoon asked, and every single head in the four rows in front of us turned back to look.

I pushed Jimin's hand off my thigh and crossed my legs. "No, I'm good. I won't ride Jin's cart."

"We were past Jin's cart," Namjoon said.

"Oh, right. I'm sorry."

He smiled and said, "I'd like you all to review your paperwork on file and make sure your personal information doesn't need to be updated. I've had trouble getting ahold of a couple of you with the numbers provided." She put a file box up on the table. "That's all for now. Thanks so much for all you do."

Chairs scraped the floor as people stood and moved toward the front of the room to look over paperwork.

"This is why you should always sit in the front," I said to Jimin. "Now there's a line."

"You sit in the front?"

"Most of the time."

"But the front it's impossible for you to draw hearts on my hand."

I let out a small gasp before I realized he was joking. "Yeah, yeah."

I got in the line. I thought Jimin would join me, but when I looked back he was talking and laughing with a girl named Rosé. She had blonde hair that's pulled back lightly, thin, and tall. I didn't really know her well, but she lived in the next town over and was always getting assigned to Monkeys. Jimin was the friendliest guy ever. His easygoing personality seemed to attract everyone to him. It didn't surprise me that I wasn't his only friend here.

Taehyung and Jungkook, two guys I rarely worked with, walked over and began talking to the guy in front of me. They eventually joined the line, nearly stepping on my foot. I tripped backward before I regained my balance, but they didn't seem to notice.

"Suzy!"

I looked behind me to see Jimin wave and then point at the exit. I pointed at the box waiting on the table. He shook his head and yelled, "My info is right!"

I waved, not wanting to yell across the room. But others didn't care because a handful of people in the line called out, "Bye, Jimin." He waved again and he left. I didn't Rosé anywhere. I wondered if they'd left together.

Taehyung and Jungkook were talking now and I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but they weren't trying to keep their voices down either. "Did you see that someone from University High won the Powerball Saturday?" Taehyung asked.

The Powerball jackpot. I'd forgotten all about that. My ticket was still tucked in my jeans in my dirty clothes basket, useless because I never registered it, or did whatever I was supposed to do. I wondered if I could register for the next drawing. I also wondered if I knew the winner. University wasn't a huge city, but in Busan, students from other towns could come to University High.

"Who won?" Jungkook asked.

"They're not sure yet, the person hasn't come forward."

"What do you mean hasn't come forward?" I blurted out.

Taehyung turned toward me. "What?"

"Don't they tell people when they win? Don't people register their tickets or something?"

"No. If you win, you have to go to them," Jungkook answered.

"To who?"

He shrugged like my questions were getting bothersome. "I don't know. The lottery people I guess. I've never won."

"Ninety-nine percent of the world hasn't. You'd be more likely . . ." I trailed off. They didn't need to know the random facts that were floating around in my head.

"Which store sold the ticket?" Jungkook asked.

The two of them turned their backs on me again. "The Kmart on Mint and Rocket Hill," Taehyung said.

My heart skipped a beat. That was where I'd gotten mine. "Did you say Mint and Rocket Hill?" I asked to their backs.

"Yes," Taehyung said, turning to face me. "Why?"

I took in the long line in front of me waiting for the paperwork and stumbled back a step. "I have to . . . I . . . will you tell Namjoon I had to go? I'll check my paperwork next time. I think it's right, anyway."

"Sure," Taehyung said. "What's your name again?"

"Suzy," I said, and then I fled.