Jinri innocently kicked a pebble off the sidewalk as she waited for her long time best friend, Zelo, to arrive and walk to school with her.  Zelo appeared with an unusual grin on his face and Jinri sighed.

   “What nonsense are you going to involve me in this time?”  She sarcastically asked.  She began marching off and Zelo watched her apologetically.  He skipped to catch up with her before she could notice his delay.  

    About halfway to school, Zelo stopped abruptly in front of her and she blinked up at him in surprise.  She kicked him to move but he kept his spot before her.  

   “Zelo, move!”  She ordered.  As she tried to get around him, he shouted rubbish that she couldn’t have predicted.

   “Will you go out with me?!”  He yelled.  He had squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fists.  Jinri stepped back and crossed her arms.  She knew he was up to something.  Regardless, she wasn’t able to stop blushing.

   “Why?”  She asked.  “We’ve known each other since we were babies.  I know you, and I also know that you do not like me.”  

   He looked at her with a grin and flicked her forehead. 

   “Exactly.  I don’t like you like that.  You don’t like me like that.  It’s perfect.”

   “Last time I checked, that’s not how relationships work,” she laughed.  “So, what exactly are you talking about?”

   “I’ve come up with a plan,” he announced proudly, to which Jinri rolled her eyes.  “We’ve never dated anyone before.  Ever.”

   “Yep.”

   “We’re awkward, and the idea of dating people scares us,” he softly admitted.  Jinri nodded in agreement.  He leaned forward and whispered, “We haven’t even had our first kisses.”

   “Hey!  Don’t remind me!”  She yelled and hit him.  He grabbed her fists and put them down by her side.

   “Jinri-ah, our senior year of high school just started.  Not to be pompous, but we’re both pretty popular.  People are going to start pressuring us to go out and date, but let’s face it: we’re both too afraid to live up to those standards.”

   “So you want to lie to everyone to avoid being judged?”

   “I know it sounds pathetic, but--”

   “It is very pathetic, Zelo.  Why can’t we just be ourselves?  So what if people pressure us?”  

   “Oh, get off your high horse, Jinri.  You know as well  as I do that when people pair us off with others, you’re going to be scared, and you might do a lot of things that you don’t want to do.  It’s the same for me.  I’m just trying to protect us,” he argued.  She stomped off and he groaned.  “If you won’t do it for yourself, at least do it for me!  Please!”  He shouted behind her.  

   She kept marching and thought it over a million times.  As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Zelo was right.  Her girl friends were going to be on her case if she didn’t have a boyfriend.  Zelo, on the other hand, was seen as a lone wolf, but everybody liked him.  Girls threw themselves at him and he tried his best not to run away from it like a coward.  They frightened him, however, and he would always tell Jinri about it.  She sighed at the thought and turned around to see Zelo following in her tracks like a lost puppy.  

   “I’ll do it, and I’ll do it for the both of us,” she said monotonously before entering the school.  Zelo jumped for joy and quickly raced in to go to his first class.  

***

   “YOU AND ZELO ARE DATING?”  Eunjung asked with a big smile plastered on her face.  “He’s totally cool!”  She gave Jinri two thumbs up, who couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at all the rings she was wearing.  Woori grabbed her attention before she could say anything.

   “I think it’s really cute; especially since you guys have known each other forever,” Woori interjected.  “I always guessed that you guys would end up together.”  

   “Oh, don’t be too sure,” Jinri mumbled under her breath.  She stabbed her rice with her spoon and shoved it in .  

   “Oh!  But why isn’t he here, right now?”  Eunjung asked.  She scanned the large cafeteria and managed to find him.  Without hesitation, she hollered, “ZELO!  COME EAT WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND!”  

   Zelo froze and looked at his “girlfriend.”  She shrugged and he had no choice but to listen to her friend.  When he came over to their table, he brought an unrecognizable guy with him.  Eunjung and Woori quickly started gossiping about how hot the boy was.  Jinri rolled her eyes and continued eating.  

   Zelo sat next to Jinri and the stranger sat on the other side of him. 

   “Girls, I want you to meet Oh Sehun.  He’s new here and I think I befriended him in Physics today when I made a Uranus joke.  Am I right?”  He turned and asked Sehun.  Sehun grinned softly and nodded.  Jinri couldn’t help but have similar thoughts as her friends; he was very handsome.  He had a forlorn look on his face that was emphasized with his big, brown eyes.  His brown hair, unlike Zelo’s messy blonde curls, fell perfectly across his forehead.  Zelo noticed Jinri checking him out and kicked her under the table.  She pinched her eyebrows together and he shook his head.

   “Having couple quarrels already, are we?”  Woori asked.  

   “No, just a regular one.  Jinri-ah, you better not think of leaving me.  You got that?”

   “Of course,” she blandly stated.  Zelo grabbed her shoulders and lightly shook her.

   “I need you!  You need me!”  He loudly claimed.  Everyone at the table, including Sehun, laughed.  Jinri couldn’t help but wish he hadn’t heard that.  

   “Whatever you say,” she responded.  Zelo sighed and began eating his food again.  He secretly prayed that she wouldn’t give up on the plan too quickly because she had a crush on Sehun.  

***

   “What was that in the cafeteria today?”  Zelo asked as they walked home.  “You looked as if you were studying a specimen; that specimen being Oh Sehun.”  

   “I can admire anyone I want to admire!”

   “But you can only date me!”

   “Don’t you think that’s selfish?”

   “No, it’s the truth.  If you go around with more than one guy in one year of high school, you’re labeled as easy.  I’ve got you; you’re stuck in my trap,” he grinned.  “We have to date until the end of the year.  And if we break up, you can’t go out with Mr. Bubble Tea.”

   “Mr. Bubble Tea?  Who’s that?”  She asked.

   “Sehun.  He doesn’t talk much, but I was able to acquire from him that he likes Bubble Tea, with extra pearls.”

   “Okay, then...  How about you?”

   “What?”

   “What do you like?”

   “You know everything about me,” Zelo whined.  “What are you saying?”

   “Why do you have to make everything so difficult,” she complained and threw her hands in the air.  “One answer, that’s all I wanted.  Then, I was going to say ‘I’ll remember to never get you any‘ but nooooo, you had to ruin it,” she laughed.  He ruffled her hair and she blushed.  “Don’t do that.”

   “I know you like it,” he teased.  She became flustered and angry all at once.  If he didn’t like her, it was not okay for him to be cute with her.  Not okay at all.  She was afraid of falling in love, but since she already loved Zelo like a brother, she was close enough to actually consider liking him.  She shook her head at the thought. 

   “And I know you like to get home before dinner.  Go,” she commanded as she walked up to the door of her small house.  He saluted and began turning away.  “Bye, boyfriend,” she quipped.

   “Bye, girlfriend,” he laughed out.  He waved and went home, thankful that she hadn’t shown many signs of developing a crush on his new friend.  

***

   A few weeks passed and Sehun could almost always be found with Zelo.  Jinri had started admiring him a little too much but didn’t dare tell Zelo.  They were all invited to a party Eunjung was throwing.  Actually, the whole school was pretty much invited.  Her parents were going to the country to visit some cousins for the weekend and she had the house all to herself.  

   “Do you like parties?”  Jinri asked Sehun.  He shrugged.

   “I like the food,” he honestly replied.  She laughed and he smiled at her response.  Zelo quickly and spastically put an arm around Jinri’s shoulders to remind Sehun that she was taken, but he didn’t seem to mind.  Zelo wasn’t sure what to think.  

   “So, are we going to this party?”  Zelo asked.  Both of his friends nodded and he stretched his hand out in front of them.  “Put your hands in.  Hwaiting on three.  1, 2, 3!  HWAITING!”  He shouted.  The other two had joined hands with him, but they did not join him in chanting.  He pouted while they high fived each other and laughed at him.  

   The party was semi-formal, so the guys had to wear khakis and the girls had to wear dresses or pant-suits.  Jinri went shopping with her girl friends and they found her a pretty purple dress that fell a bit above mid thigh and had halter straps made from chiffon.  When Zelo came to pick her up, he actually checked her out when she walked toward him.

   “How do I look?”  She asked innocently and twisted her hips repeatedly in an attempt to make her dress make a funny noise.  Zelo smiled genuinely and patted her on the back.

   “You look beautiful,” he answered in a soft tone, which shocked Jinri and caused her to go into an unnoticeable yet nerve-wracking fit.  She had calmed down on the walk to the party, but Zelo made it difficult for her to breathe as he grabbed her hand before Eunjung welcomed them in.  “Just to make us look more couple-y,” he explained.  She nodded and folded her fingers over his hand, hoping that her palm wasn’t clammy.  

   They walked in and everyone was chatting.  Although Eunjung was holding this party behind her parents’ back, it was classy.  There wasn’t any music to grind to and everything was fun and enjoyable.  A slow jazz song came on after they had separated and before they could find each other, Sehun found Jinri.  

   “Will you dance with me?”  Sehun blurted.  Jinri’s eyes widened as she nodded.  “Sorry, I know you and Zelo--”

  “It’s okay,” she laughed.  “He’ll have to put his jealousy aside for a moment.”

   She thought she was only joking, but Zelo was standing across the room and was trying to contain his sadness.  He wanted to dance with the prettiest girl in the room.  He wanted to have her close to him.  He didn’t want to watch Sehun sweep her off her feet.  It was too awkward.  

   “You’re a pretty good dancer,” Jinri complimented.  “For a guy who doesn’t talk much, I feel like you’ve got many hidden talents.”

   “I talk more as you get to know me,” he sighed.  “And thanks, I guess.  I actually really like to dance.”

   “Oh really?  Can you dip me, then?”  She asked jokingly, but he twirled her and dipped her with ease.  She let out a soft scream before he pulled her up again.

   “Does that answer your question?”  He laughed.  He saw Zelo watching them and felt a little guilty.

   “Maybe I should let you dance with Zelo.  He--”

   “He’ll get over it,” she insisted.  “I want to dance with you, anyway.  I don’t get you to talk often, so it’s nice getting you to do something social,” she joked.  He smiled and softened his grip on her just as the song ended.  She curtsied, he nodded, and he watched as she skipped off to get some punch.  Zelo hurriedly joined her and Sehun sighed.  

   “Why does she have to be his girlfriend,” he mumbled to himself.  “She’s so cute it hurts.”  

   Meanwhile, Zelo was interrogating Jinri.  “What did you guys talk about?”

   “How he doesn’t talk.”

   “Is that all?”

   “Yes.”

   “You’re not falling for him, are you?”  He asked.

   “Jeez, you’d be a possessive boyfriend,” Jinri snapped and gave him a cup of punch.  “No, I’m not.”

   “Good,” he blurted.  She rolled her eyes and they both gulped down their punch quickly, out of habit.  They threw their cups away and were going to continue exploring the house when Eunjung grabbed them.  

   “HERE THEY ARE!”  She shouted and everyone became silent.  She dragged them to the middle of the room and clapped her hands.  “They haven’t kissed yet!”  She announced.  

   Both of them stared at each other in shock and shook their heads.  Zelo, in a panic, grabbed her hand and started nervously rubbing his thumb across the back of it.

   “What are you talking about?  Of course we have!”  Zelo assured.  It didn’t matter; Eunjung started up a chant.

   “Kiss!  Kiss!” The entire room began shouting.  Every time one of them tried to escape, someone threw them back into the center.  Someone threw Jinri a little too hard and Zelo caught her before she could stumble to the ground.  She looked up at him with a frightened expression.  He sighed and stuck his index finger to her lips.  

   “I’m sorry,” he said as he cupped her face.

   She began squirming but it was too late.  Zelo had placed a soft kiss on her forehead, which made the entire audience “awwww.”  He grabbed her hand and nodded.

   “Ready to leave?”  He asked, turning on the balls of his feet.  Jinri understood that this meant they were going to run, and she nodded.  He jerked her along as they pushed through the crowd and made their way out the door.  Sehun followed and they all ended up at Jinri’s house.  She let them in and they quietly had snacks.  No one said anything; they all anxiously ate their food.  Sehun was the first to leave and was shortly followed by Zelo.  Jinri watched them leave and felt confused.  Who was she crushing on?