I cupped my hand over my mouth in awe. "Our seashells. I thought you threw them away then.." I ran my fingers over my seashell. When we were younger we loved the ocean, so we'd go together and collect all kinds of weird bottles, shells, and remains of wildlife. We began decorating shells and selling them on necklaces, painting them, and writing on them with colorful markers. One day Minho and I coincidentally both made shells for eachother and exchanged them. I read outloud, "To Minah. Mermaid Princess." I remembered back when we would walk up and down the beach, and we'd swim for hours. I'd always beg him to stay in with me because I was afraid of sharks. Minho would laugh and say, "If any Shark tried to eat you, Poseidon would be really angry." And then he'd call me Mermaid Princess. It was a childish game, childish thinking, and is almost embarassing now. But I couldn't help but laugh. Minho said slowly, "프린세스 인어 (Purinsessu Ineu.)" and smiled. On his shell, I forgot what I had written. I picked his up out of the box and squinted my eyes to the small letters. "Minho, Merman Prince." Is what I had written. That was the first time I had addressed him as Merman Prince, and we both managed to write the same things to eachother. "Aish. How embarassing. We were so young." I laughed nervously. The shells were now fastened onto beautiful silver chains, that made the shells look out of place. "Am I suppose to wear it?" I laughed. He grabbed his. "Well I am!" Minho stopped the car infront of my house and put his over his head and fixed it to his neck. "Let's get this over with." I rolled my eyes and threw the necklace in my bag. 

      As soon as I opened the door, Minho's mother was waiting there to hug me. I took one look at her and felt sick. She reminded me so much of my Omma. Her and my Omma were so alike, in the way they spoke, the way they dressed, smelled, and acted. She grabbed me in a harm embrace and took my face into her hands. "Minha! You have become so grown up. So lady-like!" She squeeled. "Omma! Give the girl some room to breathe. She hasn't seen us in so long..and the past few days have been hard." Minho defended me. "Ah, is that so?" Minho's Omma lightened up. "Aish, you're right. I'm so foolish sometimes. Anyway, it's nice seeing you Minha. Let's all go to the kitchen." I kept pretty quiet as everyone talked around me. I sat in our old wooden seat at the table in silence. Suddenly the conversation escalated from my school work, to Omma. Minho was also silent. They began talking about her so easily, like it didn't affect them. I slammed my fists on the table. "How can you talk about your best friend like that? You abandoned her when she needed you!" I screamed, my eyes overflowing with tears. Minho shot up. "Minah! That isn't fair!" In the entire time I had known Minho, I'd never heard him yell, and hearing him yell at me after all I had been through had sent me over the edge. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't stand, I couldn't deal with their eyes burning into me. "Stop looking at me like that!" I screamed while I sobbed on my knees. The sobbing was uncontrollable, to the point my body felt lifeless. I felt like a corpse, myself. 

    I got up and stumbled to my room. Minho called after me, but I couldn't stand to let anyone see me cry. It made me feel irritated, and almost . I locked my door and laid on my bed until I heard a knock, and my doorknob shaking. It was almost Three O'Clock in the morning, so this startled me. I got up and grabbed the biggest thing I could find, which ended up being an oversized Hello Kitty plushie. When the door was opened, unlocked somehow from the outside I began pounding on whoever had opened it with my plushie. "AHHHHHHHHHHH! STOP IT!" Someone begged wrestling my Plushie to the bed with me underneath it. "Please don't hurt me!" I cried. The plushie was thrown to the ground and Lee Minho stood infront of me gasping. "If I were a real intruder what the heck was Hello Kitty suppose to defend you from? Really...Aish.." He sat down next to me. "What are you still doing here?" I questioned. "My Mom kind of got a little drunk and passed out on your couch. Your Abuji insisted we just stay until morning. Either way, you should get use to me being around." Minho smirked. "What do you mean?" I growled. "We'll be housing together. While we were in Japan, my Father passed away, too. So my Mom, and your Abuji decided I need a man around, and you need a woman. Not to mention your house must be bigger than the Whitehouse anyway." Minho laughed. "Whitehouse?" I asked. "You know, the White building in America that the president stays in." Minho answered. "Oh." I was silent. "Don't tell anyone we know eachother, and keep your distance. I don't want you embarassing me." I felt horrible saying these things, but I couldn't tell him the truth. I was too afraid. "Wow, Minah. You've always been modest..what happened? I'm already popular enough, no one dislikes me." He explained. "Sorry, you'll cramp my style." I joked. "You're being really unfair. Don't give my mother a hard time about leaving three years ago, Minah. Unless you have a deathwish! Do you have a blanket? I need to get to sleep." I handed him a blanket in silence. Don't give your Mom a hard time for abandoning my dying Omma? Yeah right, Lee Minho. In your dreams.

       I sat up all night thinking. I rolled over and grabbed my bag on the side of my bed. I took the shell necklace out and began going over every memory before he left. I really thought these necklaces were gone forever. I sat on the beach watching the waves. I had just found out that day that they were leaving. I couldn't say goodye, so instead I sat crying on the beach. Minho knew to find me there. He asked, "You aren't going to say goodbye?" and I angrily asked, "Why should I?". I threw my shell at him. He took both of them and threw them in the shallow water. "Minah, I'm leaving. If you don't want to say goodbye, then neither will I." The thought of our friendship washing away with those shells, and never seeing him again pulsed through me. I ran past him, and that was the last time I had seen him until now. My best friend. I placed the necklace around my neck and tucked the shell behind my clothes. I promised myself I would never lose it again. 

   The morning came too quickly, and I threw my clothes on like a zombie. Finishing my morning routine, shower, clothes, makeup, I sat at the table eating breakfast. Minho's Mom was too hungover to speak, and my Abuji was still sleeping. I made breakfast for her, Minho, and myself. I rushed to wake my Abuji up. "Abuji! Please drive me. Please. I don't want to go with Minho!" I whispered. He finally got up, muttering angry words. We were virtually invisible the entire day to eachother. When we had break time, I sat on a bench in the courtyard. I couldn't help but overhear Sae-Jin on the other side of the bench. Her topic of choice was Lee Minho. "Yeah I met him! We're hanging out later today. I told him I needed a study partner. Like I'm really interested in studying!" She laughed. I got up angrily. I didn't want to hear anymore. 

   Of course Sae-Jin want's Minho. Who doesn't? She can have him anyway. Stupid pig head jerk. Of course Sae-Jin is his type! Of course. Of course of course of course. Minah? I thought to myself. You're not jealous...right?