Our school's Math Team was one member short during the mock competition the following week, so even when Lichen and I had perfected all three rounds and Yixing had managed only one mistake in the difficult round, we still lagged behind two schools in the initial ranking. On top of that, we had already garnered ten demerit points for the actual competition.

"Sorry, I messed up the last item," Yixing had implored to Lichen and me as he rubbed his nape.

I clapped his back in return, grinning.

"Third place's not bad at all," Lichen gibed as we rejoined with our trainer and retreated to the Faculty Building. "And we've still got the finals. We'll definitely win this."

It was to our convenience that the mock's venue was just in one of the school's spacious conference halls. It was enough to house twelve teams of four each - except ours, which only had three.

"Still," our trainer muttered as he held the door open for us, "the school would have fared better if Sojin was around." The statement was a dagger plunged straight into my chest. "You're lucky her registration wasn't nullified during the short period when she had transferred, and that her absence today didn't raise suspicion from the IAC's overseers." He snorted, releasing the door shut as soon as all of us were inside. "Clever Head Principal settling the matter privately. Everyone totally believed Sojin didn't show up just because, and not due to her breaching offenses." He grunted sharply again, and this time, it was a spear stabbed numerous times into my very core.

To say that Sojin had been looked upon with scorn would be an understatement. My so-called infraction of rules and abuse of power had paled significantly to Sojin's breaching offenses. I didn't even understand how it happened but suddenly, nearly everyone, Seniors in particular, started to cringe away from her when I was supposed to be the root cause of all this crap.

Two weeks later I saw Yixing and Lichen hanging out by the field when I had just finished my third quarter exam week patrolling duties. How convenient it must be for them, being exempted from third quarter tests and not having additional duties like myself. I wanted to leave them alone but Yixing had waved me over before I could exit.

Lichen scoffed the moment I settled on a separate, adjacent bench. "What?" I asked.

"Hate it when she does that." Lichen motioned across the field to a girl skipping towards us, streaks of the late afternoon sun bouncing off her sleek black hair.

Sojin was holding out two snack boxes from Moji's when she reached us. "I know this is long overdue but, better late than never. Congratulations you guys!" Her dimples sat deeply on either end of her contagious smile.

Lichen grabbed one box and glowered at the beaming Sojin. "Can you stop smiling when you're up against the world? It's improper."

Sojin grinned wider. "Can you stop frowning when you're up against nobody? It's disturbing."

Lichen rolled her eyes, devouring a handful of fries while passing the box to Yixing.

"And since you're all so mean you won't tell me the details of the mock," Sojin recommenced, offering me the second box, which I accepted but didn't attack. "I just, uh, interviewed Professor Kwon myself. He's still giving me the cold shoulder, by the way, but seven-thirty over a thousand, you guys are awesome!"

"Thank you, Sojin," Yixing said. "That final item was a waste, though. We would've placed second if I hadn't messed up."

"Not again.." Lichen swallowed another mouthful. "He just can't get over it, I swear. It won't even bear a weight in the final contest so stop stressing over it, will you?"

"Yeah, you're right." Yixing flashed a dimpled smile. "How 'bout you, Sojin? How's the investigation going?"

Instead of Sojin, it was I who felt slandered. Maybe because our trainer was right - that the team would've aced the mock if Sojin was around. Or perhaps because Sojin never deserved such injustice and that it should've been me in her compromising place.

"I'm good," she supplied. "Nothing's still been concluded yet."

Lichen glared at me before clawing again at the snack box. The girl was miffed and hungry, wasn't she? "What's taking them that long, I wonder. Gosh, this tastes exquisite! How's your exams, by the way? Piece of cake?" She winked.

Sojin smirked. "Something like that."

Yixing jeered. "Show-off."

The three of them shared a freeing titter that I couldn't bring myself to join. Clearly, Sojin had not told them that her marks were good as nothing. If she had, I doubted they'd be as cordial - Lichen especially.

I peered across the field to consider Sojin's current situation. How exactly was she holding up? I couldn't start to imagine it; attending classes, taking quizzes, studying for exams that wouldn't even be recorded. It had only been two weeks but it didn't change the fact that in those two weeks were a myriad of tests, seatworks and of course, the quarter exams. People outside school believed that Sojin had to take her exams because she hadn't showed up during the mock, whereupon her quarter grades were supposed to be based. Contrarily, the Seniors in our school knew that she had to take the exams because she wasn't allowed to participate in extra-curricular activities until after a decision was arrived with regard to her.. violation. In truth, though - and perhaps only Sojin and I and the Head Principal knew - she was only taking her exams for show; her marks would not be credited. And that was just pure.. torture.

"By the way, Luhan." Sojin turned to me, suddenly austere. "Remember that party I was talking about?"

Yixing and Lichen's demeanor morphed accordingly.

"What about it?" I asked.

"Well.. um.. forget about it.. okay?"

"Why?"

Lichen barely gulped down a lump of what I imagined was a big bite of hamburger that her words came out an uncomposed gibberish when she asked, "Whut parr-ey?"

"Nothing."

"Wait." I took Sojin's wrist. "You haven't told them? I thought -"

"I forgot," she interrupted, shaking her head. "Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore so don't think about it."

"You haven't answered my question, Sojin."

She seemed excited when she'd invited me. Why was she pulling out now? And if she hadn't invited them, was I right to assume then that it was really some sort of special invitation?

I will love you and love you and love you
Gonna hold you and hold you and squeeze you
I will please you for all times

Lichen gasped. "Is that..?"

Sojin hauled out her phone but didn't answer it. She wasn't even looking at us when she said, "I'll go ahead." She just scurried off.

"Sojin -"

But Lichen's hand chained me in place. "Luhan, let her go."

"But -"

"It's her birthday."

"What - today?"

"On that day, the event she was talking about, it's her birthday. Now, chill, will you?"

Far ahead, I saw Sojin slowly disappear. Her birthday? She had invited me to her birthday? Or rather, she had uninvited me to her birthday?

Lichen shot me a murderous look. "Oh heavens, don't tell me you don't know?"

"Well, I.." I sank back in my bench. I wasn't that much of a fan of my own birthday, though I knew it should be different with Sojin. Why didn't I know when her birthday was anyway? "How'd you know?"

"I didn't."

"We didn't," Yixing corrected. "Her mother called us -"

"It's supposed to be a surprise b