Her face drained of color as those words left Ren’s lips. Broke his ankle…? Instantly she felt a wave of guilt wash over her, since even though she’d tried to prevent him from getting hurt, he did. Playing the scene over in her head, she tried to figure out when he could have injured his ankle. The only way she could imagine he’d broke his ankle was when she had yanked him back and they’d stumbled across the trail. God, maybe if she hadn’t pulled so hard on his hand, then again…if she’d done that, they would’ve probably both gotten hit by those stupid cyclists. Great, so either way, it seemed that Ren was bound to get hurt no matter what she’d done. The boys all seemed stunned as well for a moment, and unsure of what to do. But JR soon spoke up, “We should probably start heading back then, it’d be bad if your ankle starts swelling, Ren. You need to see a doctor as soon as possible.”

  As the other boys pulled out of their own individual shock, they nodded in agreement. Though there was still the question of how they were even going to move Ren. Two of them could lend Ren their shoulders, or one of them could carry Ren on their back. “Hey Baek Ho, you’re pretty strong ri—“ “I’ll carry him.” Alisia broke in, interrupting JR, and they looked a bit concerned. Were the feelings of guilt that plain on her face? But she was determined anyhow. No matter what they said, or how they tried to twist the situation, in the end it was still her fault, accident or not. Min Hyun opened his mouth first to protest “Alisia, look, it’s not really your fault….” She shook her head, and then smiled a bit. “I know, but it’s not like I can’t do it. I’m strong enough to carry someone on my back, anyway, don’t worry.” He let out a sigh and nodded, seeming to give in to her. With that, she turned with her back to Ren, kneeling down and Baek Ho helped to put Ren on her back.

  She felt his arms wrap around her neck, his movements seeming unsure, but she waited patiently until his grip tightened a bit, then she hooked her arms under his legs, standing up. Around her, the atmosphere seemed to have become a mix of uncertainty, worry, and tensed. As she gave a quick look around herself, she could see that the boys still didn’t want her to take this responsibility, and they seemed about to burst with protests, but she merely let out a small sigh and started heading down the path, back the way they had come. It took a few moments, but eventually the guys followed after her, but they instead practically circled her, ready to grab Ren or steady her if Ren suddenly slipped from her grasp, or she tripped. While she wouldn’t say anything, she honestly thought their protectiveness over Ren’s wellbeing was really cute. He was also lucky to have such friends that cared for and loved him so much, the thought making her honestly a bit jealous. Once, she was just shifting Ren on her back when she felt as if he was about to slip off, and suddenly the guys seemed to have all gotten within inches of her, eyes totally trained on Ren, she assumed. The atmosphere had gotten so tense with worry, and….she couldn’t help it.

  Alisia giggled a bit, trying to hide with her hand to muffle the sound but couldn’t, because her hands were currently preoccupied with a much more important task. In that moment, she was aware of all their eyes suddenly trained on her, seeming surprised and curious. Min Hyun then asked her after a moment “What is it that you find funny?” His voice seemed curious but also a little annoyed. Maybe he thought she was giggling about Ren’s situation, and even though that was totally not true, the thought he might think like that made her inwardly wince and feel ashamed. So she finally admitted to him “Ah, it’s because of you guys. It’s just soooo cute how you’re all so worried over Ren, your all like worrying mother hens.” Around her, some of the boys cracked a small smile then, some of their cheeks turning a light pink at her little accusation. Out of curiosity, she turned her head a bit to glance at Ren, just to see how he’d reacted. His was the cutest, and she had to hold back the squeal in that was about to burst through, and look away to hide the smile that was fighting its way onto her lips.

Ren’s face was bright red, and he seemed totally embarrassed the guys seemed to worry so much just because he’d injured his ankle. His caramel brown eyes were gazing down at seemingly nothing, as if he were trying to block out what she’d pointed out. Though it took a while, she soon managed to store away the image of Ren’s face away in her mind, and worked on making the smile over it that had successfully crossed onto her lips, go away. When she’d managed this, it finally occurred to her that another possibility for him looking utterly embarrassed was because being so worried about by other guys may have damaged his pride as a fellow guy. While she secretly wished she could’ve taken a picture of Ren’s cute, embarrassed face, she knew that would probably only embarrass and possibly damage his pride further. So she was determined to just keep her thoughts to herself for now. Her eyes caught Aron’s, and he smirked at her, making her realize he’d caught her reaction to Ren’s embarrassment. With this knowledge in mind, her face involuntarily flushed, and he chuckled. Just as she was about to open to make sure he said nothing, he made a motion with his hand, as if he had an invisible key that locked his mouth. This sign, although no words were spoken, made her feel a bit relieved. But Aron didn’t seem the type to guarantee such reassuring things just to make a promise to a girl he didn’t know that well, without there being some kind of catch.

  While this thought that caused her worry, she didn’t voice it for now, and now that the boys seemed in lighter spirits, they were mostly talking amongst themselves. Some of them joked with Ren, to make his injury not truly seem that bad. “Hey, Alisia, aren’t you getting tired of caring him? I’m sure he’s getting heavy by now.” Baek Ho asked her, speaking in a bit of a teasing voice that was directed toward Ren. Her stubbornness kicked back into gear, especially when she saw the uncertainty flash in Ren’s eyes. So she quickly put a cheerful smile onto her lips, and she shook her head. “Of course he’s not getting heavy; I’m fine Baek Ho. Don’t worry about it.” She saw JR and Aron seeming about to protest, and it took her a bit to not roll her eyes and groan aloud. Such worry warts. “Seriously, its fine, mothers.”

  This time, it was her voice that held some teasing, and a smile small appeared on her lips as she glanced at each of them. Aron stuck his tongue out at her, and she stuck her tongue out at him. At this he responded with a smirk and winked at her. Her cheeks turned a light pink and she made a small face, making a point of ignoring him then. “How are you holding up, by the way, Ren?” She finally asked, turning her head to look back at him. Though he’d been leaning his head more against her then she realized, for when she’d turned her head, they were practically just inches apart. If she wasn’t the one holding him, she would’ve jumped back a few feet, but instead her eyes just widened a bit, and her heart felt as if it skipped a bit. “Ah, I’m alright. The pain seems to have dulled down a bit.” He responded, she noted his cheeks had also turned a light shade of pink, and he didn’t lean against her so much.

  To their left, they both looked at Baek Ho as he suddenly chanted “Kiss, kiss!” He was teasing; she could see the mischief in his eyes, and the playful smirk on his lips. She glowered at Baek Ho in a bit of embarrassment, and she snapped “Waa, Baek Ho, shut up!!” Unfortunately she couldn’t hit him for embarrassing them, even though every inch of her body yearned to hit him. Though when she realized it, she became aware that her grip around Ren’s legs had tightened just ever so slightly, and her whole body had tensed up. “Aah, sorry Ren…” She murmured, making herself relax once more. Then as she took a quick look at their surroundings, she realized that the forest had started receding quite a bit, and she heard the familiar sounds of people talking, cars parking, children yelling and laughing. A sort of relief washed over her, and as the guys began to note the change in scenery as well, the feeling of relief seemed to be shared by the others.

  Though after the relief, her body seemed to yell at her, her arms were honestly sore, and felt as if they were about to give out. A feeling she’d been ignoring in order to keep carrying Ren, while doing her best to make up for his injured ankle. Yet even though this feeling was plainer to her now, she still refused to even let him down, or let one of the other guys carry him. “So, where did you guys park?” She asked casually, while trying to glance at Ren’s ankle, which wasn’t her best idea. It was starting to swell, and reddening, some color left her face. Even more guilt washed over her then, and her mind desperately screamed in her head, silently asking where the hell they sold ice around here. They had to ice it with something, but of course a nature park just didn’t have the convenience of an ice machine. She knew it was a bit ridiculous to blame a nature park for such a thing, but she couldn’t help it at the moment. JR looked around for a moment, then pointed out the car they’d come in. “Our car’s over there.” Alisia nodded, and they all headed towards the car, their pace quickened a little more than a usual walk, but no one commented. “Are you sure it doesn’t hurt that much Ren…?” She finally asked, glancing at him once more.

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A/N:

Sorry I haven't updated recently guys!!! I hope you can forgive me ><;; I know this chapter isn't as long as the others usually are....but on top of the fact that my dad's limited my internet access from 6-10 am (I get up at 12 or later, thank you very much, its summer vacation) and 8-11 pm. But I tend to not take note of time, so sometimes I totally miss it....Anyways, I know this chapter isn't very great, and not too much romance between Ren and Alisia, but I'll definitely try to make up for it in later chapters!!! xP Anywho, Happy Fourth of July everyone!!!