“What do you mean?” I asked, turning in my seat to face her.

            “In high school.  I was an English tutor for a couple of terms, remember?  Well, one time, I had this one kid show up for me to tutor him.  He was so cute.  So different from Jae Hyo.  He was shy and quiet and, I don’t know, just wonderful.”  My friend shook her head and let her face fall into her hands for a second.  “Every time we talked and every time I saw him, it was bad.  My heart would skip a beat.  I felt terrible!”

            My eyes widened.  My friend.  My little, innocent friend Amelia had fantasies about a guy other than her Jae Hyo?  “So what happened?” I asked.

            She shrugged.  “Between us?  Nothing, but I still felt bad.  Like I was doing something wrong because I was thinking about that other guy.”

            “How’d you get over it?”

            A smile spread across her face and she covered her pink cheeks before covering her eyes with her fingertips.  “I realized when I closed my eyes, even now years later, I see Jae Hyo,” she confessed, eyes still closed.  “I don’t know what that was with that boy from school, but Jae Hyo is the one I like to see in my mind’s eye.”  She opened her eyes and looked at me.  My cell phone buzzed just then.  Without looking, I knew it was my dad calling to tell me the limo had arrived and my parents were waiting for me to come down.

            With another smile, Amelia hopped off my bed.  “I hope that helped,” she said.

            “Yes!  Number one again!” Jordan shouted from out in the living area.  Beki began hooting and whooping.

            Before I could reply or explain, Amelia scurried out of my room to join the excitement.

            I nearly fell five times from my dorm to the limo.  Stupid stilettos.  I didn’t know how to get into limo gracefully and I was pretty sure I ended up flashing my underwear to some passerby as I fell into the back of the limo.

            The whole time I played catch up with my parents on the ride to the hall where the ball would be held, my mind kept replaying my conversation with Amelia, but I wasn’t sure what to make of it.

            When we arrived, I stumbled all over the place trying to get out of the limo and into the hall.  I managed to get myself together a little more so that when I had to meet everyone and his brother with my parents, I didn’t look like a fumbling idiot.

            Until I found Hyun Joong as I was coming back from the bathroom after dinner and the Korean President’s speech.  At least by this point, I’d met everyone I needed to meet.  My dad had shown me and my mom off to every important person in the area.  I had been dismissed.

            Hyun Joong grinned.  Oh. My. God.  He was in a navy suit.  His hair was gelled back and he looked smoking in that suit.  I almost forgot my own name when he came up to me.  For some inexplicable reason, I found it incredibly y that he walked with his hands in his pockets.  “Hi,” he greeted me.

            I opened my mouth, but I only exhaled.  “Hi…” came out in a long breath when I tried again.  He frowned.

            “Listen, Maddie, about the last time we met-”

            My eyes widened and I waved a hand in front of my face.  “No worries.  No harm, no foul.  All’s forgotten,” I told him quickly.  He nodded and smiled lightly, looking down at his feet for a second before his eyes found mine.

            “You look very beautiful,” he told me, eyes lowering to take in my entire appearance.  I laughed, feeling a tad stifled, as my cheeks flushed red.

            “Thanks,” I mumbled.

            “So where’s your date?  I haven’t seen you with anyone other than your parents all night so far.”

            I sighed.  My hand subconsciously going to where my cell phone was hidden in the sash tied around my waist.  I strapped it there so that I wouldn’t miss it if it vibrated against me when Kyung called.

            He hadn’t yet.

            “My date…” I began, looking everywhere but at his deep brown eyes.  “Yeah, I, um, I guess he couldn’t make it.”  My arms fell to my sides.  I wanted so badly to hold onto the hope that Kyung would still make it.  That had to mean something.  While I was all sorts of excited to see Hyun Joong, the disappointment I felt at still not hearing from Kyung was overwhelming.

            “That’s too bad,” Hyun Joong mused stepping closer to me.  The hallway we were standing in suddenly felt quite small.  And empty.  Not another soul was in here.  “For him,” he added with a smile.  “Good for me.”

            I found myself stepping away with each step he took closer.  Until I was backed against the wall with no where left to run.

            “I would never stand you up,” he said quietly, his own cheeks a little crimson.

            “He-he didn’t…”

            “Where is he?”

            “Busy…”

            The sigh he let out made me think that would be the end of that, but it wasn’t.

            He must have just been mustering his courage because he lowered his head, inching his face closer to mine.  I have no idea what came over me, but I tipped my face up allowing him to come even closer and meet my lips.

            And I felt nothing.  Not a damn thing.  No fireworks.  Not even a spark. 

            When Kyung and I were kissing – my entire body caught on fire.

            What I felt for Hyun Joong was clearly not the same and nowhere near as strong as I what I felt for Kyung.  I was so relieved.

            A second later, I turned my face away from Hyun Joong.
            “Hyun Joong,” I said, perfectly calm.  “I’m sorry.  We’re just friends.”

            My hands on his chest, I managed to push him to an arm’s length away.  He placed a hand on my arm.

            “Can’t blame me for trying,” he replied with a shrug.  I could see the embarrassment in his eyes, but I hoped he could get over it.  This turned out to be a good thing.  Well, for me.  Selfish, but true.  Whatever it was I felt – or thought I felt – for Hyun Joong, didn’t hold a candle to my feelings for Kyung.

            “What’s going on here?”

            I turned to the side.  My stomach dropped into my feet before the sense of complete and total bliss took over.

            “Kyung!” I squeaked.  Forgetting, completely, about Hyun Joong, I made a mad dash to the end of the hall where he stood.  Looking breathlessly handsome in his black dress pants, white button down shirt and that y black tie.  “You made it,” I sighed, running into him.  Kissing all over his face, I hugged him.

            “I snuck out during the fan meeting,” he told me.  That was when I realized he hadn’t hugged me back and he wasn’t looking at me.  I stepped aside, staying close, but out of the way.  My arms curled around one of Kyung’s arms.

            Hyun Joong appeared behind me.  The two boys locked in a stare.

            “Hi,” Kyung stated, voice flat.  He bowed lightly.

            “Hi,” Hyun Joong repeated, returning the bow.  “You must be Maddie’s date.  She’s been waiting for you.”

            “I got held up,” Kyung replied.  “I didn’t catch your name.”

            “I’m Hyun Joong.”  He pointed between me and himself.  “We know each other from school.  We had to do a project together.”

            Realization washed over Kyung’s face.

            “Ah, yeah.  Nice to meet you…” Kyung said.

            Hyun Joong nodded and smiled.  With one more glance at me, he excused himself and made his way past Kyung and out of the hallway.

            I repositioned myself in front of Kyung and hugged him close.

            “I’m so glad you’re here,” I sighed against his neck.

            “What’s going on, Maddie?  What was that all about?  Was he going to kiss you?”

            Kyung still hadn’t hugged me back as he fired questions at me.

            He hadn’t seen it.  How was I going to explain this?  He would understand, wouldn’t he?  I met his eyes and shook my head.

            “You were pushing him away,” he continued.  He was smiling now.  “Do I need to beat him up?”

            I laughed.  “No, no.  It’s fine.”  My stomach knotted.  It didn’t even occur to him that I would allow something like this to happen.

            Abruptly, his smile faded as his eyes set on something on my face.  The color drained from his face.  A look of disbelief filled his eyes.  He reached up and touched a finger to my bottom lip.  He shook his head.

            “Your lip gloss is smudged.”

            “I…”  I reached up and shakily smeared my fingers across my lips.

            Kyung’s hand stopped midair as he was pulling his arm back.  He shook his head again.  “He kissed you.”  I swallowed.  Sort of.  I let him.  It wasn’t good that this happened.  I shouldn’t have needed that to happen in order for me to see things clearly.  I was so stupid.  How could I be so damn stupid?!  “He kissed you?!  You let him kiss you?!”

            “Kyung, wait, that’s not…”

            Tears filled his eyes as he stepped away from me.  “You…that’s the guy you did the project with?  For your marketing class?  The one you’ve been meeting all the time?  How many times have you kissed him?” he demanded.  The tears were gone.  His eyes were dark and filled with rage now. 

            “No, Kyung, that’s not it at all.  I…”

            He rushed forward, causing me to slam back into the wall.  He pounded a fist against the wall by my head.  “What else have you done with him?” he growled near my ear.  “How many times were you with him?”

            My eyes turned as big as saucers.  “Never!  Kyung, this was the first time we kissed!  I’ve never-”  Damn it.  How could I say that?

            “Kissed,” he repeated.  He placed both hands on either side of me, caging me in.  “Kissed.  What else have you done with him?  All those times you met him,” he paused to scoff.  He looked so hurt even though he was trying to sound tough.  “All those times.  Was that project just a front?  So you could meet him alone.  Where else did he touch you when you two were alone?”  His voice was becoming deeper.  More hateful.  His eyes narrowed.  “Has he been in your room?  Did you let him do the things I do?  Was he better than me?  Did he make you feel better than I did?  What wasn’t I doing that made you need him?” he demanded.  “Answer me!  What did he do better than me?!”  He reached around me and placed one hand on my .  “Was he the one you really wore this y dress for tonight?”

            I was the teary eyed one now.  “No, you know that isn’t true!  He’s never been in my room.  I haven’t done anything with him!” I defended.

            He pushed off the wall and stepped back.  “You kissed him.”

            “Yes, but let me explain.”  He shook his head.  I leaned forward to grab his hand but he held them up, palms out, still shaking his head.  I froze.

            “That explains it,” he stated.