Dara's knee jumped nervously up and down as she tried to concentrate on her english test.  She had stayed up all night making note cards, and she even studied with L.Joe right before class started, but she still couldnt find the right translations. Not only that, but she kept wondering whether or not Eun Ji's mission was a success. Don't worry Dara, Eun Ji can handle it. Just finish your test and everything will be fine. She told herself. Dara read over the sentences again and tried her best to translate. 

At break time, Dara checked her phone to see if Ji Eun had texted her of any progress, but her message box was empty. "She didn't text you either, huh?" Dara looked up to see L.Joe standing next to her text, holding up his phone so she could see his empty message box. "Yeah...I wonder if everything is alright..." Dara said nervously. L.Joe put his phone in his pocket and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. Ji Eun is your best friend. She'd never let you down." He said, giving her a smile. "It's not just that..." Dara said, folding her hands. "I'm afraid our relationship will end terribly. What if he hates me....and calls me untrusting for doing this?" L.Joe tightened his grip in her shoulder. "Then I'll be right here defending you." He said calmly. Dara looked up in surprise. "But...you guys are best friend! What if her calls you a traitor or-" L.Joe grabbed Dara's hand and pulled her out of the classroom. They walked down the hallway until no one was around. "L.Joe..." Dara said shyly. L.Joe took a deep breath and looked her in the eye. They were pink and watery, as if she were ahout to cry. L.Joe was taken aback. Was this really the same Dara he knew since he came to Korea from the states in elementary school? (L.Joe knew Dara longer than Chunji). The same Dara who beat up all of the boys in their fifth grade class when they made fun of L.Joe by teaching him korean curse words when he only knew english? The same Dara gave him milk at snack time when the teacher punished him  for something he didn't do? The same one who put on a happy face for him when his dad died, even though her family life was sadder tha his? L.Joe was at  loss for the right words. So instead, he did the only thing he could think of. He pulled Dara in close and buried her head in his chest to cover her crying face. L.Joe held her tight and patted her head as she let out broken sobs and cries of pain. "Don't worry." L.Joe said confidently.  "I won't let you get hurt anymore." He said. "What are you doing? " L.Joe stopped patting Dara's head as his eyes narrowed at the sound of the familiar voice. Dara's head emerged from L.Joe's embrace, and she backed away from him as she looked at the person. L.Joe turned around with a serious look on his face. Dara gulped down a few sobs as a hot tear rolled down her face, which was now pink and puffy from crying so hard. "Ch-Chunji..."  

Ji Euni and the boys exited Etude as quickly as possible to make sure Ailee didn't  spot them. "Noona, quickly take a picture of the street address for when you give the information to Dara." Sehun said. Ji Eun nodded and quickly took a picture with her phone. "So...what now? Do we call Dara and tell her we found the girl?" Ji Eun shook her head. "We shouldn't disturb her while she's in school. We will just have to wait."

After school, Chunji had Dara and L.Joe meet him on top of the roof. L.Joe held Dara's hand on the way up the stairs. She was already flustered about the cheating,  so he didnt need her to fall down the stairs and break her neck over the confrontation. Once they got up there, he could tell that Chunji was angry. His hands were shoved in his pockets to keep him from throwing any punches,  and there was a large vein popping out of his neck, most likely because he was trying to keep the volume of his voice down. "So." Chunji said in a raspy voice. "What have you two been doing behind my back?" He asked bluntly. L.Joe's face twisted into confusion. "What?" He asked, trying not to yell. "Don't try deniying it. I saw everything. I saw you hugging her in the hallway." He said. L.Joe smirked and let out a loud short laugh. "Do you want to have me arrested for that? Dara was sad, so I hugged her to make her feel better-" "SO?! If a girl is sad does a guy automatically hug her just because of that?!" Chunji yelled. "If a friend sees his friend crying should he ignore her?  You seem to forget that I knew Dara before you." Chunji clenched his jaw in anger as he glanced over to Dara. "I don't need this..." he said looking back at L.Joe. " You...and me...we are-" L.Joe spit on the ground, missing Chunji's shoes by 1 centimeter. "I already know you punk...that we're finished." Chunji gulped in anger as his face turned red. "Alright then." He said, looking back over to Dara. "Let's go." He said.  Dara didn't move. Chunji stood still in disbelief for a moment. "I SAID,  lets GO." He said louder. Dara didn't budge. She wouldn't even make eye contact with him. "Why? Is it because you like him now?" Chunji asked. Tears began to stream down Dara's cheeks. "Then...did you always like him? Have you been...playing with me this whole time?" This statement enraged Dara, and she refused to hold it in anymore. "WHO WAS PLAYING WITH WHO YOU @#$¥☆?!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Both Chunji and L.Joe stared at her in disbelief. "WHY DO YOU CARE WHAT IM DOING WHEN YOU'RE RUNNING AROUND WITH SOME TRAMP ANYWAY?!" Dara breathed heavily to contain whatever sanity she had left. "What do you-"  Dara cut off Chunji's sentence. " I know about the girl you called, and you've been avoiding me on the weekends and afterschool...so it wasn't to hard to piece together. How could-no. Why would you do this? You asked ME. You wanted to be with me so badly you ran 5 miles in the rain so you wouldnt be late for our first date. Was it all a lie? Tell me the truth....or I swear.... IM GOING TO LOSE MY MIND!!!" Dara screamed. Chunji took a deep breath and nodded his head. "Ok, you want the truth? " he said calmly. "Then I'll tell you. Yes. I cheated with an older girl. Do you know why?" He didn't wait for Dara to answer. "Because...I can't stand to look at you anymore. The way you put on a brave and optimistic face even though your life is terrible might seem nice to some people, but to me it is disgusting. Its FAKE. Do you really think people are buying that crap? Even your friends know how your parents went on 'vacation' without you and never came back, yet you still make that face for them. I cant stand...people who are fake." "AIIIIIISH!" L.Joe yelled as he grabbed Chunji by the collar and punched him so hard he fell to the ground. Dara covered with her hands to stop herself from screaming as L.Joe jumped on top of Chunji and hit him repeatedly. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks as her eyes and chest burned from the pain of Chunji's words. She was fake. She was disgusting. Dara tried to drown out the sound of L.Joe beating him up by crying loudly, but she could still hear his fists pounding into Chunji's face and body. "STOP! JUST STOP!!!" she screamed as she struggled to her feet. L.Joe held onto Chunji's shirt as he looked behind him to see Dara's red and swollen face. "Enough." She said, swallowing saliva. "Im done...with all of this." She said. Dara turned and left them like that, not once thinking of looking back at Chunji's well deserved injuries. L.Joe sighed and looked back down at Chunji's red ans beaten face. "You...dont talk to me any more and...stay away from Dara too. Do whatever you want with that noona but dont hurt Dara anymore. Or I'll deal with you myself."

Dara ran down the stairs as fast as she could until she tripped and fell at the bottom. She lay crying for a bit until her phone vibrated she answered and yelled into the reciever. "Omo, Dara what happened?!" It was Ji Eun. "ITS OVER NOW! EVERYTHING IS OVER SO JUST DROP THE CASE OK?! IM DONE WITH ALL OF THIS!" with that she hung up the phone and ran further down the hallway until she tripped again. Unable to bear anymroe pain, Dara curled up into a ball on the floor and cried her heart out. She cried for her parents who left her, for her friends who she tricked with her fake behavior,  and for L.Joe, who gave up his friendship so she coukd be happy. She was almost out of tears when her phone vibrated again. It was L.Joe. Before she could say anything, he told her to got to the gym and hung up. Not knowing what else to do, Dara wiped her eyes and went to rhe gym.

Dara walked in carefully and looked around, but she didnt see L.Joe anywhere. "Over here!" Dara looked in the direction the voice as her jaw dropped. There was L.Joe, standing on a blue mat in a sumo wrestler suit. "Come here and fight me!" He yelled in a funny voice. Dara walked over in a trance, believing that what was in front of her was a dream. She stood in front of him on the blue mat and reached up to pinch his cheek. "Ow! You're supposed to do that to yourself if you think you are dreaming!" He yelled smiling. "Why are you dressed like that?" She asked. L.Joe smiled instead of answering. "So I can do this!" He said as he picked Dara up like a bride and spun around. Dara held onto him and tried to keep from laughing, but it was no use. When the spinning got to be too much, L.Joe fell on his back and Dara rolled over to his side. They both tried to catch their breath before speaking. "Dara...aee you still sad?" L.Joe asked between breaths. Dara shook her head. "No!" She said loudly. "Are you going to live happily from now on?" Dara nodded. "Yes!" L.Joe smiled. "Good." L.Joe turned his head to smile at Dara. "Then I will continue to be by your side." Dara looked at L.Joe seriously. "What do you-" "Dara..." L.Joe started. "Dara...I like you." Dara stared in disbelief as her heart skipped a beat. "Huh?" Was all she could manage to say. L.Joe took a deep breath. "As long as you're with me...you won't ever be lonely again. And...I will do my best to make you smile everyday."

Hooray!!!! Finals are over and summer begins! ThIs is a first day of summer present to all of my subscribers and silent readers. I notice that this story has gotten alot more views lately, so I had to update generously! BUT! with all the views it has been getting I expect nust as many votes and comments! UNDERSTAND?! If you love authornim you will do this right? Fighting!"