Leaving California

Well, the angels left this city and they won’t be back again...

“Shh, you’re going to wake her up” Min furrowed her eyebrows and shifted to her side with a small groan, clearly upset she was awakened from her slumber. “Who cares? She’s been sleeping for too long. MINNIE MIN WAKE UP!” “Can you guys keep it down” She moaned, pulling the small blanket over her head. 

"Too much beauty sleep is bad for you. Look, Min, Zelo’s driving!” Upon hearing that exclamation, Min immediately sat up and rubbed her eyes. She leaned forward and sure enough the youngest member of the trio was behind the wheel. “Can I ask why a 17 year old, who doesn’t even have his permit, is driving?” Min asked, stifling a yawn and raising an eyebrow at the young man that was supposed to be driving."How else is he supposed to learn?” Daehyun said, sitting comfortably in the passenger seat with his hands behind his head. Min shook her head, “Daehyun, you’re supposed to be driving” She stated, not liking one bit that she slept through the driver change.

“Relax. He’s pretty good”, Youngjae said, his eyes not leaving his Nintendo 3DS. Min sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “Pull over, Zelo” Zelo pouted and glanced back at Min from the rearview mirror. “Do I have to?” He asked, using his cute voice that usually made Min forgive all his sins in a heartbeat. Unfortunately for him, Min wasn’t very sympathetic the first few minutes after waking up. “Yes. Pull over” She repeated sternly. After Daehyun was back on the wheel, Min went to sit in the front seat, but eventually she felt the strain of her previous dance class and went to sleep again.

A few hours later, a loud honk woke her up. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, then looked out the window. It was nighttime and she shivered when she noticed they were driving on a one-lane road. “I hate these roads” She mumbled, “Dae, you should've woken me up earlier. Get off the next exit so I can take over.” She said, turning to face Daehyun, but was taken back to see Zelo driving again. 

“Zelo?” Zelo twitched and she noticed him glance at her with heavy eyes. “Pull over” She ordered, but her heart skipped a beat when Zelo’s eyes closed and he turned the wheel to the left. Min didn't even have time to scream. The truck on the other lane hit their small car. Min's arms instictly reached for Zelo and pulled him to her side as the car was easily thrown up into the air. She closed her eyes and held onto Zelo, but before knocking out, she heard the terror filled screams of Daehyun and Youngjae in the backseat. 

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Min sat up, gasping for breath. She ran a hand through her hair and noticed it was damped with sweat. She held onto her head as her eyes adjusted to the darkness covering every inch of her room and waited until her heartbeat and breathing returned to normal. Why tonight? She thought, getting out of bed and grabbing the robe that lay on her lounge chair. Min walked to her bathroom and the light, ready to inspect herself. Upon seeing herself in the mirror, she frowned. Slowly she traced  the dark circles under her eyes and shook her head. "Of course tonight" She said in a whisper. After splashing her face with cold water, she walked back to her dark room and switched on the lights. “What time is it?” She mumbled, grabbing her phone from the nightstand. 4:56am. 

Min glanced at her bed, but instead of getting back in, she made her way downstairs and the coffee maker. As she waited for her coffee, she cooked herself a small breakfast burrito and sat down on the kitchen island. She knew she had made some noise, but her grandparents were very heavy sleepers and they wouldn’t come down to check up on her. It was fortunate that she was now a light sleeper or she would be very weary of falling asleep in their house. Min chewed on her food slowly and thought about her nightmare. She knew she was returning to a place that brought back so many painful memories, but she didn’t expect to dream about the accident so soon, especially not on her first day back.

Though it pained her to think about them every time she awoke from the nightmare she was slightly relived she hadn’t forgotten Daehyun's and Youngjae’s faces. They were so clear in her head that sometimes she wondered if the accident had actually happened. She thought that maybe she had seen them the day before and that’s why she remembered them so clearly, but once she was fully awake, reality struck. 

They were dead.

Min didn't exactly want to come back and her parents weren’t very thrilled about her returning either, but Min convinced them (and herself) that she needed a break from dance. She honestly never thought those words would come out of , but in reality she had been using dance as an excuse to not talk about what she was feeling inside. She loved to dance, but at the moment she felt she needed a break to gather true inspiration and she knew that she had to return to the city where she first began to bust out moves. New York had been good to her, but it wasn’t helping her with her pain. 

“Hey, did I wake you?” Min asked the 6-year-old cocker spaniel that entered the kitchen. Lu merely yawned and walked over to her water bowl. Min stood up and washed her dish before going back upstairs with her coffee. By the time she took a shower and changed into a soft black muscle shirt and maroon denim shorts, it was 5:45am. Min grabbed her worn out converse and her wallet that served as a phone cover, then quickly went downstairs. “Bye, Lu. I’ll see you later” Min said, patting the sleeping dog on the head after leaving a note for her grandparents on the kitchen island. 

She took in a deep breath of the morning air and although it was early, it already felt warm, meaning the rest of the day was going to be hot. Min had missed the warm weather of California. She didn’t necessary liked how hot it could get, but she was used to it. Min got into her black beetle and put the top down. After starting the engine, she put on some tunes and backed out of the driveway.

Min drove mindlessly until the sun came up. Driving helped her relax, especially when there weren't many cars on the streets. After her peaceful drive, she returned to the main street that lead to her grandparents house, “What to do today?” She asked as she drove down the familiar North Hollywood streets. She nodded to the beat of the song playing and took a left turn without thinking. "Oh" She pressed on the breaks and was taken back when she saw that she was driving towards her old school. The Elementary/Middle School where she got close to Zelo, Daehyun and Youngjae. She swallowed and quickly parked when she saw a car was behind her. 

She stared at the school as her hands trembled and constricted. She looked around and bit her lip when she remembered that this was also her old neighborhood. She wiped her eyes and watched as dog slept on her old home's porch. Why did I come here? She thought, shaking her head and pounding the steering wheel. She took a few deep breaths and looked forward getting ready to leave, but there was another surprise in front of her. She watched the familiar young man walk towards the car parked in front of her, with wide eyes and a heavy heart. 

Yongguk had his sunglasses on and was fiddling with his phone, so he didn’t notice her at all. Min held her breath, thinking if she moved he would turn to look at her and she didn’t want that. She had left Los Angeles to avoid his family, yet the idiot decided to merge into their old street. Min was mentally slapping herself as she watched him. Yongguk, without even glancing once at her, got into his car and Min let out a breath of relief when she heard the car engine start. She leaned her forehead on the steering wheel and let a few tears roam.

Min would be lying if she said she didn’t miss her old friends. Daehyun and Youngjae were gone, Zelo didn’t want to ever see her again, Jongup had tried to keep in touch, but eventually they parted. Himchan was her friend, but he was closer to Yongguk and Yongguk was Zelo’s brother; he had to stay away from her for his little brother’s sake. She hadn’t really made new friends in New York. She put all her focus in dance and didn’t really make an effort to befriend anyone else. Sure, she got along with her classmates, but she was traumatized with the pain of both letting them down and losing them. She promised the three boys parents that she would take care of them and she failed. Min still couldn't smile at the past memories. It still ached to think about them. She pretended to be happy for her parent’s sake, but Min was truly sad and lonely. Her thoughts were cut off when she heard a tapping sound. Her head snapped up and when she turned her head to the window, her eyes went wide when she saw Yongguk standing next to her door. Min wiped her tears and lowered the window.

“I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come here, I’m sorry”, Min said, avoiding his eyes. “Get out of the car” Yongguk said in his all too familiar deep voice, but Min simply gripped the steering wheel harder. “Min, please. Get out of the car” He pleaded, this time a lot softer. Min closed her eyes; these brothers sure knew how to tug on her heartstrings. Zelo was the little brother she always wanted and loved to spoil him rotten. Yongguk was his good looking older brother that had always given her butterflies. To this day Min's heart fluttered every time she thought about him and the relationship that was blossoming into something else. In fact, when she came back home from the roadtrip, Yongguk was supposed to take her on their first date, but then the accident happen and then she chose to leave him behind. 

Min slowly unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door. She stepped out, but before she could say anything, Yongguk had pulled her close to him and buried his face in the crook of her neck. “It’s you” She heard him whisper, his breathe tickling her neck. Min was a bit surprised, but the sudden warmth had given her the strength to wrap her arms around him. She hid her face on his shoulder and took in his familiar scent. It was then that she realized just how much she missed him. Min felt her feet lift up from the ground, but she didn’t raise her head. Instead she just tightened her grip and accepted the physical contact she desperately wanted. 

Yongguk set her down and pulled away gen