[CONTENTID1]

forty-five: detention

[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]

[“You don’t think they’d do that, do you?”]

[/CONTENTID2][CONTENTID3]

As it turned out, Juyeon couldn’t see Exo immediately. Instead, she found that she had been essentially grounded to her room. Two guards in the Academia’s security uniform stood in front of the girls’ dorm entrance, surprising her almost enough to make her want to sneak back upstairs without another word.

There were security guards in the normal Wings, of course, occasionally patrolling up and down hallways and investigating theft and drug rumours, but that was it. She had never seen any in High Class, odd as it might be. She supposed that normal guards just wouldn’t cut it against Problem Children.

”Jung Juyeon, you’re instructed to stay in your room,” one of the guards said.

It was stupid to argue with a grown man with a taser, but she tried anyway. “Are you kidding me right now? What, am I in trouble or something?”

”We’ve been instructed to you personally back to your dorm if necessary,” was her only answer.

Juyeon scowled at them, forcing herself not to flinch when they began to shift from their spot. “Oh, no, please, don’t bother yourself over little old me. I got the message, alright? I’m going.”

She went back up the stairs, thinking of ways to sneak past the guards. None of the plans were possible, or even wholly rational. The PC dorms were built too sturdy, too closed-off, with the intent that no PC could run away or cause mischief. Doors that locked by themselves at a certain time and only one exit—Juyeon had no ideas.

All she could do was write her homework and wait for Sumi.

At about ten o’ clock, the door opened and Sumi walked in. Juyeon jumped up from her spot staring at the ceiling. “Sumi, you’re back!”

”Yeah,” she said shortly, and went off to change without a word. Juyeon felt the chill, and was suitably anxious about it. She and Sumi hadn’t been real, true friends for very long, and she was reminded of the painful stiffness and stone-cold silence they used to have between them, and the awkward balance between friends and not-friends they stumbled along for even longer.

When Sumi returned from the bathroom, Juyeon immediately said, “Listen, I’m sorry, I was acting irrationally and—“

”And what, Juyeon?” Sumi snapped, twisting around to look at her so fast her pink hair whipped like a miniature tornado around her face. “Donovan told you not to bring Suji into High Class, and you did exactly that! Just … you always have to interfere, don’t you. You always have to be in the middle of everything!”

Juyeon flushed and tried to explain herself. “Listen, my method was unorthodox and extremely stupid, but I had no idea she was your sister, I just —“

”I’m not blaming you for that messy meeting, Juyeon, okay? I know you didn’t know.” Frustrated, she ran a hand through her hair. “It’s been painful for me too, you know, having to avoid my sister, even after finding out she came to the Academia to find me. It , okay? And I know it’s not completely your fault, but I’m still angry, and I’m sorry to tell you this, but I’m not Exo, and I’m not gonna stop being angry at you just because you bat your eyelashes and give me puppy-dog eyes.”

”What’s that supposed to mean?” Juyeon’s cheeks turned even redder. “What kind of ing insinuation is that?”

”Nothing. Nothing, okay? It’s not like I have to ing spell it out for you, I know you already know what I’m talking about, you just don’t want to admit it because that would mean you have to do something about it and you’re chicken.”

”Ouch. Smarting words, Sumi.” Juyeon was getting a little angry now too, which she tried to squash down as much as possible because it really wasn’t her place to be getting upset. “It was stupid, I know, I just … would you have told me if I asked you about Park Suji?”

”Hell no, I wouldn’t! It’s a private matter and really none of your business!” Her eyes narrowed. “You love butting into other people’s business, then get all offended when someone wants to know about your !”

Juyeon winced. The hypocrisy was hard to swallow. “You’re right, okay? You’re right! I’m sorry, Sumi.”

Sumi sighed, frustrated. “Dammit, I know! I know you’re sorry and you can’t help being a busybody, just let me stay angry for a little bit okay?”

”Alright. Fine.” And Juyeon bit her tongue and stayed silent as Sumi paced around the room and ranted about everything—Juyeon’s stubbornness, Suji, Donovan, Juyeon, Suji, and it all went around full circle until she broke down into tears.

And Juyeon was up in an instant, pulling her into a hug.

When Sumi calmed down, they turned off the lights and climbed into their beds, talking quietly as they stared into the darkness of their room.

”It was Sehun, wasn’t it?” Juyeon whispered. “You met Sehun and he dragged you into the PC world.”

”Basically,” Sumi said with a small hiccup. “I was so young, only six or seven, really, and we were just kids. Suji and I were here for the summer visiting with our parents because they’re part of the Academia’s school board for normals or whatever, and I got bored and wandered off, and ran into him in the courtyard. We played together, and I think he was really happy having a new friend, and when I told him how much I wish I could fly he decided to show me.”

Juyeon smiled into the darkness. She could almost see a child Sehun, maybe with his infamous lisp, smugly using the wind to carry him through the air to show how he can fly.

”I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but everyone found out and freaked. I was so scared at the time, I didn’t understand why my parents were crying and telling me I couldn’t come home with them, or why they wouldn’t let me see Suji. I was left here when they drove away, and I stayed here ever since.”

”That must be so horrible,” Juyeon said softly. “Did you ever blame Sehun for all this?”

”Only when I got really mad at him over something. I never could; he was just a kid, he didn’t know what he was doing wrong. He did his best to be with me when things got really rough, but we sort of fell apart as we got older. Now, I don’t know if we can be called friends. It’s not that, but something deeper than acquaintances. You know?”

”Yeah.” Juyeon was surprised to hear that Sehun sounded a little sweet when Sumi was reminiscing. She wondered what happened to make Sehun so cold and grumpy like he was now.

”Well, whatever.” Sumi shifted, blankets rustling. “What’s done is done. I’ve had to learn to fight for myself around here, and I’ve fit in more or less.”

”Then …” Juyeon thought about it for a moment longer., struggling for words. “If you’re a normal too, you know how hard it is to … why were you so cold to me when we first met? Why didn’t you tell me you were also …”

”It’s complicated.”

Juyeon threw her pillow in Sumi’s general d