Eun Mi

I don't know how long I sat there on the bench. All that registered in my mind was that Dayday and I were no longer anything. Tears dripped down my face, leaving trails on my cheeks. There was a piercing pain in my chest and I felt like I couldn't breathe. Hugging myself, I rocked back and forth, crying silently. 

The sound of my phone ringing brought me back. Blinking a couple times, I looked down to see the screen lit. It was Annie. I hit 'Ignore'. A little bit after, she called again. I knew that no matter how many times I ignore her calls, she would just call back again. This time, I answered.

"Hello?" the voice that came out of my throat was raspy and sounded alien to my ears. 

Annie knew something was off right away. "Eun Mi? What's wrong? Are you crying?" 

I couldn't reply. All that came out was a small sob. 

"Where are you? I'll come pick you up." In a weak voice, I managed to tell her my location. 

When Annie saw me, formed a small o. She blinked and her eyes hardened, her face turning into a mask of stone. Annie hauled me up and walked me to her car, strapping the seatbelt across my body. Wordlessly, she got into the car as well and put the key into the ignition, eyes straight on the road and never wavering once to look over at me. 

Somehow, she was able to get me into the house and up the stairs without waking my family. Annie changed me into pajamas and tucked me into bed. She grabbed my phone and turned it off, leaving it in a corner far away from me.

"Try to get some sleep. I'll grab the air mattress and I'll be on the floor right here, okay?" She offered me a smile and left the room.

My eyes started to water and unspoken thoughts of gratitude filled my mind. Ever since we were little, Annie and I would always take care of each other. We've been best friends since grade 2. When one of us was hurt, the other would immediately take control of the situation. This time was no different. 

I called in and took the next day off, saying I was sick. For the next few weeks, I was an emotionless ghost. No longer did I smile or laugh, instead serious expressions and blank stares took over. I tended to forget things. But Annie stayed vigil over me, watching everything I did. She was always there, calling me throughout the day to make sure I was doing alright. She and the girls, excluding Sun Hee, did the same. Each told me that it was going to be okay. They kept me busy with lunch dates, shopping trips, and visits to my house. 

I avoided Sun Hee. I avoided her like the plague. If I saw her, I knew that I'd just crumble into nothing. Instead of eating lunch in the staff room, I'd walk over to a nearby cafe and eat there. I made sure to leave as soon as the last student left, so I wouldn't run into her at the parking lot and arrive at school just one minute before the bell rang.

Without my knowledge, Annie had deleted Dayday's number from my phone. She took down all the photos of us together, putting them in a box. Along with those pictures went the ticket stubs from the baseball game and the little clue cards that I had saved from our second date. 

I suppose this was for the better. Out of sight, out of mind. 

______________________________

Dayday

"Hello?"

"Hey, Dayday, bud," Inati greeted me. 

"Hey! How's your wife and Jun?" 

"Mi Yon's doing good. We're expecting another kid." I could hear the happiness in his voice.

"Congrats! Maybe the guys and I will throw you a party." 

Inati laughed. "Yeah, maybe. So I was wondering if you could hang out with Jun today? Just for a couple hours. I gotta take Mi Yon for an ultrasound." 

"Yep. Just drop him off." 

Two hours later, Jun was sitting on my couch reading a book. When I walked by, he looked up. "Dayday?" 

I turned to him. "What's up, little guy?" 

"Can I ask you something?"

I frowned. Jun was usually a happy go lucky little kid, but right now he was so serious. It was strange.

"Sure. Go for it."

Jun waited a bit before continuing. "What's wrong with Miss Lee?"

Hearing her name made my heart clench. "What do you mean?"

Now it was his turn to frown. "She's not the same anymore. She doesn't smile, laugh, or joke around with us." He made a face. "I like the Miss Lee from before." 

I thought about what I was going to say before I replied. "Miss Lee is just going through some stuff right now. She'll be back to being like before in no time."

 All of a sudden, Jun said, "Did you break up?" I nodded.

"Oh. That's why. I'll be extra nice to her then." 

I patted his head. "That's a good idea." 

The phone rang and I got up to get it, not hearing Jun mumble, "I think you miss her too."