Our first lesson of the day was dance practice. I entered the dance studio behind the other boys, scared to look up. When I finally built the courage to lift my head, I saw him. He didn't look at me. In a way this was relief, I couldn't stand if he looked at me with the hateful gaze he gave me that night. To the others that didn't know what happened, the tension wasn't obvious. He acted normally to a certain extent. The only difference was he didn't even acknowledge me. Not one word or look. It was like I didn't exist. Some people noticed our distance, especially considering we were practical inseparable from the day I got there, but know enough to question it.

That's how the next few weeks went. We went able our business like normal but always apart. He never spoke more than one word to me and wouldn't look at me without it being accidental. A few people noticed, especially the boys, but it was quite normal for trainees to fall out, so they ignored it. It was torture. My best friend, the person who had done so much for me, brought me into this company, and he was acting as if he didn't know me.

What made matters worse was the fact Tom had become even more of a rebel to the system. In them few weeks, he was sneaking out, going drinking until early in the morning and getting caught smoking nearly every day. Even opportunity he has to break the rules, he would take it. It's like he was sabotaging himself, if he kept this bad behaviour up, they would kick him out for sure. I couldn't let that happen.

Like losing my best friend wasn't bad enough, I was still heartbroken about Taeyeon. It killed me not being able to talk to anyone about it, but I knew no one would understand. I missed our texting. They were the highlight of my mundane existence. I thought about her often, I tried not too and move on but something always brought me back to the thought of her. I hadn't seen her since that day either. It was like we were living in different worlds.

ONE DAY AT PRACTICE

I arrived on time and began warming up like any other day. Youngmin, our dance instructor, was particularly annoyed today, shouting and scolding at every chance he got.

'Bobby, where is that lazy kid Tom? He's 15 minutes late! Go find him or you'll both be in trouble.'

He mumble sour words towards me as I left to find Tom. He could be anywhere, not to mention the fact I was the last person he would want to see. After checking the obvious places like the changing rooms and dining area, I ran out of ideas. I was stuck for a minute until I remembered a place Tom and I had gone to get away from our screaming instructors. We found it by pure chance when we were avoiding one of our managers, it was a little area of the roof.

Making sure no one saw me enter the emergency exit stair case, I climbed the stairs to the top floor, where I opened a window which lead to a small ledge. From there, I could make my way to where Tom might be.

Bingo. There he was. But I was saddened to see a cigarette in his hand and smoke coming from his mouth.

'Tom..'

He spun round as if he had been caught once again by Youngmin.

'Bobby? What the hell are you doing up here?'

'Youngmin sent me to find you, we have to get back to training or he'll...'

'I don't care what he'll do.' He paused for a minute. 'He can do what he wants, I'm quitting anyway.'

My heart sunk, quitting? How could he just leave me? Was this because of me, I couldn't let him give up his dream because of me.

'Quitting? Tom, please, you've wanted to be here since childhood...'

'It doesn't matter, they're going to kick me out anyway.'

'Not if you get your act together Tom! Why are you doing this! You're acting like you want them to kick you out! I won't let you ruin your chance.'

I stormed towards him and grabbed the packs of cigarettes out his hand. I tried to throw them on the ground but he grabbed me hand, so I just put them in my pocket.

'What are you doing!?'

'Come on, we have to get back to practice!'

We headed back to the ledge and climbed through the window, but we didn't get far after that. Stood at the bottom of the stairs was Youngmin and our manager Jaeho.

'What the hell were you two doing out that window!' Jaehos voiced echoed in the stairway.

'Caught again Tom! You won't get off lightly this time, I'll make sure of it.' Youngmin sounded determined, he had said on multiply occasions Tom should have been kicked out of SM. I looked to Tom who to my surprise looked upset, like he knew what was coming. I couldn't let my best friend be kicked out of SM, not after all the hard work he had put into getting to where he was.

I pulled the cigarettes out my pocket and handed them to Youngmin. 'There mine, Tom has nothing to do with this.' Jaeho and Youngmin looked shocked, unsure what to do next.

Jaeho looked to Tom; 'Is this true?'

I didn't look at him but I could feel his eyes on me, he must have been puzzled. He finally looked back at Jaeho and nodded.

'Then you can go Tom. But consider this your final warning.' Youngmin admitted defeat and stepped aside to let Tom go.

Jaeho and Youngmin scolded me for what felt like hours, finally they came to the conclusion I should be on cleaning duties for 3 weeks.

Jaeho put his hand on my shoulder. 'This really isn't like you Bobby, don't let it happen again. With a debut around the corner, you need to be proving yourself, not making us mistrust you.' I think he secretly knew the truth, I have never smoked in my life, he knew this. But he let me take the fall to save Tom.

By the time they had finished, it was lunch time so I headed for the canteen. Before I got there, I got a phone call. It was Tom.

'Bobo, come meet me at the cafe across the street. Thanks'

I did as asked and headed towards the small cafe. We greeted each other and I sat down across from him.

'Listen, Bobby you didn't have to do that, I could've handle it...'

'Handled it? They would have kicked you out Tom, I wasn't going to let that happen.'

He looked up as if touched and smiled slightly.

'I mean, this is all my fault anyway.'

His expression then turned to confusion.

'Your fault? How is this your fault...'

'Oh come on Tom, you've only been acting out since that night, the after party.'

The mood then became serious, it hadn't been mentioned since that night. But I knew we had to talk about it at some point.

'Bobby I...' I cut him off before he started get angry again.

'Listen to me, I know you probably don't want to hear it, or care for that matter but you have to believe me when I say it wasn't how it looked!'

'Bobby, stop. I know, I've known for a little while now.'

I was stunned. He wasn't mad at all. He knew what happened and still wouldn't talk to me? How?

'I confronted Hyuna about it a couple of days after, she told me she was drunk and didn't remember much. She asked why it mattered to me and that's when I confessed to her, I told her I liked her. But she didn't say much. She just brushed me off like it was a joke. I was devastated.'

I kept silent, trying to comprehend what he was saying. I couldn't help but feel hurt for him. I knew what it was like to be rejected. He must have read my expression as he interpreted;

'Don't feel sorry for me. It was a good thing in the end. Only a couple days ago, I was talking to a few people that were at the party, they said after you left, she was all over a few others guys. Who would want to be with someone like that?'

'So why were you still not speaking to me? If you knew all this?'

'I only found out the whole story a few days ago, I was going to try and talk to you about all of this but I was too embarrassed. I had treated you so bad, I thought you wouldn't want to talk.'

'I just want my partner in crime back.' We smiled back at each other. He held his fist together and held it in front of him.

'Friends?'

'Friends.' I fist bumped him.

'Bobby, let's make a promise. We can never keep secrets from each other, we have to tell each other everything so this stuff doesn't happened again.'

'Okay, I promise.' Then I remembered what else happened that night. I couldn't kept that from him, so I told him everything. From the day we first met, to Taeyeons mother, to trying to make her jealous right to the moment she rejected me.

'Wow, I'm sorry man. It looks like both our dream girls let us down. Well, you know since you have Taeyeons number, do you think you could get me Tiffanys? I always had a thing for American-Koreans.'

I looked up with a serious look on my face, and he burst out laughing. I reached over the table and hit him jokingly on the arm.

'I just joking Bobo!'