My mom and I live in an apartment on the outskirts of town. The apartment was at this moment covered by gloom. I spent the evening seated on a stool in the kitchen doing my algebra homework accompanied by Victoria, our housekeeper. Mom works for an auction company. This week she flew to New York. Her job required a lot of travel, and she paid Victoria to cook and clean, but I'm pretty sure her job description included keeping an eye on me.

"How was school?" Victoria asked with a slight Chinese accent. She stood at the sink, doing the dishes.

"I have a new biology partner."

"Is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Suji was my old partner."

"A bad thing, then."

I sighed in agreement.

"Tell me about the new partner. What is she like?"

"It's not a she, it's a he. He's tall, white, and annoying." Taemin's eyes were black orbs. Taking in everything and giving away nothing. Not that I wanted to know more about him. Since I hadn't liked what I'd seen on the outside, I doubted I'd like what was deep inside.

Oh screw it, this wasn't true. I'd liked a lot of what I'd seen. Lean muscles, broad shoulders, and a smile that was part playful, part seductive.

At nine o'clock Victoria had finished and locked up on her way out. I was alone.

I took register of the feelings inside me. I wasn't hungry. I wasn't tired. I wasn't even that lonely. But I was a little restless about my biology assignment. I told Taemin I wouldn't call, and five hours ago I meant it. All I could think about now was that I didn't want to fail.

I went to the kitchen and picked up the phone. I looked at the numbers on my hand. Secretly I hoped Taemin wouldn't answer my call. Feeling hopeful, I punched in his number.

Taemin answered on the third ring. "What's up?"

In a matter-of-fact tone I said, "I'm calling to see if we can meet tonight. I know you said you're busy, but—"

"Jinri. Thought you weren't going to call. Ever."

I hated when I was eating my words. I hated Taemin for rubbing it in. I hated Coach and his crazy assignments. "Well? Can we meet or not?"

"I can't."

"Can't or won't?"

"I'm in the middle of a pool game." I heard the smile in his voice. "An important pool game."

From the noise in the background, I believed he was telling the truth—about the pool game.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"Shin's Arcade. It's not your kind of hangout."

"Then let's do the interview over the phone. I've got a list of questions right—"

He hung up on me.

I stared at the phone in disbelief, then ripped a clean sheet of paper from my notebook. I scribbled Jerk on the first line. On the line below it I added, Smokes cigars. Will die of lung cancer. Hopefully soon. Excellent physical shape. I immediately scribbled over the last statement until it was unreadable.

The clock blinked to 9:05. As I saw it, I had two choices. Either I make up my interview with Taemin or I drive to Shin's Arcade. The first option sounded tempting but I didn't know enough about Taemin to trick my way through a whole interview. And the second option? Not even slightly tempting.

I found a coin in the kitchen drawer. "Heads I go, tails I stay." I flipped the coin in the air, flattened it to the back of my palm, and dared a peek. I sighed.

Determined to get this over with as soon as possible, I grabbed my car keys and backed my car down the driveway.

Shin's Arcade turned out to be farther away than I would have expected, a thirty-minute drive. I pulled the car into a parking lot behind a large building with an electric sign flashing SHIN'S ARCADE, PAINTBALL & POOL HALL. I tried to keep my thoughts nonchalant, but my stomach felt a little uneasy.

I stood in line, waiting to get past the ropes. As the group ahead of me paid, I walked past, toward the maze of blinking lights.

"Think you deserve a free ride?" I swung around and blinked at the tattooed cashier. I said, "I'm not here to play. I'm looking for someone."

He grunted. "You want past me, you pay."

I didn't have cash. And if I had, I wouldn't waste it to spend a few minutes questioning Taemin about his personal life. I felt a flush of anger. I only needed to find Taemin, then we could have the interview outside. I drove all the way here and I'm not going to leave empty-handed.

"If I'm not back in two minutes, I'll pay," I said. I ducked under the ropes and headed through the arcade, looking for Taemin. I couldn't believe I was doing this. At this point I just wanted to find Taemin and get out.

The cashier followed after me, shouting, "Hey!"

Making sure Taemin wasn't on the main level, I ran downstairs following the signs to the pool hall. At the bottom of the stairs, dim lights lit up the place. Cigarette smoke almost as thick as the fog clouded the ceiling. Taemin was fixed across the one farthest from me, attempting a difficult shot.

"Taemin!" I called out.

Just as I spoke, he shot his pool stick. His head snapped up. He stared at me with surprise and curiosity.

The cashier climbed down the steps behind me, and held my arms. "Upstairs. Now."

Taemin's mouth almost moved into a smile. Hard to say if it was mocking or friendly. "She's with me."

The cashier loosened his grip. Before he could change his mind, I shook off his hand and staggered through the tables toward Taemin. But my confidence slipped through the closer I got to him.

I immediately realized something different about him. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I could feel it like electricity. More hatred? I don't think so.

Those black eyes were getting to me. They were like magnets sticking to my every move. I gulped and tried to ignore the frenzy feeling in my stomach. Something about Taemin wasn't right. Something about him wasn't normal. Something wasn't...safe.

"Sorry for hanging up," Taemin said, coming beside me. "The reception's not good down here."

Yeah, right.

With a tilt of his head, Taemin motioned the others to leave. There was silence before anybody moved. The first guy bumped my shoulder as he walked past me. I took a step back and looked up just in time to receive cold glares from the other two players as they left. Great. It wasn't my fault Taemin was my partner.

"Eight ball?" I asked him, raising my eyebrow and trying to sound completely sure of myself. Maybe he was right. Shin's wasn't my kind of place. "How high are the stakes?"

His smile widened. This time I was sure he was mocking me. "We don't play for money."

"Too bad. I was going to bet everything I have against you." I held up my assignment. "A few questions and I'm out of here."

"Jerk?" Taemin read out loud, leaning on his pool stick. "Lung cancer? Is that supposed to be predictive?"

"I'm assuming you contribute to the global warming. How many cigarettes a night? One? Two? Twenty three?"

"I don't smoke." He sounded sincere, but I didn't buy it.

"Mm-hmm," I said, setting the paper down on the pool table. I accidentally nudged the purple ball while writing.

"You're messing up the game," Taemin said, still smiling.

I caught his eye and couldn't help but match his smile—briefly. "Hopefully not in your favor. What's your biggest dream?" I was proud of this one because I knew it would bewilder him.

"To kiss you."

"That's not funny," I said, holding his eyes.

"No, but it made you blush."

I lifted myself onto the side of the table, trying to look cool. "Do you work?"

"I serve tables at the Mexicali. Best Mexican food in town."

I slid off the table and stood up to him. He has a good one to two inches on me. "Suji told me you're a senior. How many times have you failed tenth-grade?"

"Suji isn't my speaker."

"Are you denying failing?"

"I'm telling you I didn't go to school last year." His eyes teasing me. It only made me more determined.

"You were an absentee?"

Taemin placed his pool stick on the table and gestured a finger for me to come closer. "Let me tell you a secret," he whispered. "I've never been to school before."

He was lying. Everyone went to school. There were laws.

"You think I'm lying," he said through a smile.

"You've never been to school, ever? Then what made you decide to come this year?"

"You."

The urge to feel scared hit through me. Standing still, I tried to act annoyed instead. "That's not a real answer."

He took a step closer, leaving our bodies separated by only a thin line of air. "Your eyes, Jinri. Those cold, pale brown eyes are irresistible." He tilted his head, as if studying me. "And your killer lips."

I stepped back. "That's it. I'm out of here." I walked past him but was stopped by his hand holding my wrist.

"Are you sure you're done?"

I looked up at him. "You seem to know a lot about me," I said. "You seem to know exactly what to say to make me feel uncomfortable."

"You make it easy."

A spark of anger fired through me. "So you're doing this on purpose?"

"This?"

"This—provoking me."

"Say 'provoking' again. Your lips look tempting when you do."

"We're done. Finish your pool game." I grabbed his pool stick from the table and pushed it at him. He didn't take it.

"I don't like sitting beside you," I said. "I don't like being your partner. I don't like your smile." My lips twitched—something that only happens when I lied. I wondered if I was lying now. "I don't like you," I said convincingly, and shoved the stick against his chest.

"I'm glad Coach put us together," he said. This time he took the pool stick.

"I'm working on changing that," I opposed.

Taemin thought this was so funny, his teeth showed through his smile. He reached for me, and untangled something from my hair. "Piece of paper," he explained, flicking it to the ground.

As he reached out, I noticed a mark on his wrist. At first I assumed it was a tattoo, but it revealed to be a birthmark. It was the shape of a raindrop. I was little frightened that it was so similarly positioned to my own mark.

Sensing my gaze, Taemin casually but noticeably pulled his sleeve down over his wrist. "Any more questions?" he asked.

"No."

"Then I'll see you tomorrow."

Later that night a crack! woke me out of sleep. I held still, all my senses on high alert. My mom was out of town at least once a month for work, so I was used to sleeping alone. The truth was, I never felt completely alone. Right after my dad was shot to death, a strange presence entered my life. Like someone was watching me from a distance. At first I thought it was my dad's spirit. The thought was usually comforting, but tonight was different. It felt like ice on skin.

Turning my head a little, I saw a shadow across my floor. I flipped around to face the window, but nothing was there. By the time I get the courage to get out of bed, the yard below me was calm and still. The only noise came from my own heart beating.