Yoona watched as Kyuhyun walked out of the classroom, with a red bag in his hand. She regarded him curiously as he came over. Valentine’s Day, the one day where she dared to hope, never turned out the way she pictured it to. Why would this year by any different?

                When he approached, he was beaming. “I got tickets to the Valentine’s Day dance. I’m just hoping the girl I want to go with wants to go with me.” Yoona felt her words catch in . If it’s me, she thought, I would say yes in a heartbeat.

                “Who is it?” she whispered hoarsely.

                He grinned mysteriously. “Not yet, the time’s not right. You’ll know when you do. Do you have a date for tonight?”

                She smiled halfheartedly, unsure of how to answer. She didn’t, but didn’t want to tell him that. He was bound to make fun of her. In all the ten years they were best friends, he never let an opportunity slide to poke fun at her. But she couldn’t lie, there was a part of her that still hoped. “No, not yet.”

                Rather than laughing, he only smiled. “Don’t worry. The right guy will come soon. Come on, let’s head to class. We don’t want the teacher to be mad at us. She already thinks we’re ruffians with the intent to ruin her classroom.” He poked her arm and marched down the stairs.

                Yoona was confused by his cryptic response. She couldn’t tell where his question had come from, and couldn’t help but wonder if this meant she had a chance. It turned out the teacher was absent, so she walked to her corner and took out her books while Kyuhyun settled near his guy friends. The rest of class, she spent huddled over her notebook until a sudden commotion alerted her senses.

                The buzzing of the classroom turned louder and she turned her head to see what had occurred. What she saw shocked her. Kyuhyun was in front of the new transfer girl, Jessica, and he held out the red bag. “Jessica, would you go to the Valentine’s Day dance with me tonight? I am hoping you don’t have a date already. I know it’s really late to ask.”

                Yoona bit her lips and prayed she did have a date, that her procrastinator of a best friend had missed his chance. She knew it was wrong to hope for his misfortune, but it would hurt too much if she said yes.

                Jessica smiled coyly up at him, and peeked from under her long lashes. “Of course, Kyuhyun.”

                Once Yoona heard the affirmation, she packed her bags and walked out. She wiped at her tears as she walked rapidly down the hallway. The loud thundering of her footsteps mocked her and she winced when a nearby door slammed shut. What could he be thinking? She thought back to the times when she had tried to convey to him that she liked him.

                All these years of friendship, of teasing him, of being there for him, he has completely forgotten. Or maybe he never realized, she countered herself, dryly. She wanted to cry. And why of all girls, Jessica? Ever since she transferred from her fancy school in California, she has been slowly taking over the school. While she didn’t outright act like the Queen Bee, Yoona knew it was only a matter of time before Jessica took over the crowds. Already they have had two nasty encounters, but Yoona always dismissed it as the American mentality.

                She couldn’t possibly fathom what he saw in her. Her lips twisted bitterly and she continued walking, unsure whether she should walk out of school or stay. Her head couldn’t stand the thought of having to hear the news spread over the campus, but her good schoolgirl roots forbade her from leaving. As she hesitated in front of the doors, a sudden flash appeared.

                Yoona took a startled step back and raised a hand to cover her eyes. “Mianhe! I just wanted to get a picture of you.” The mystery guy lowered his camera and smiled sheepishly at her. She felt a rise of both annoyance and pity. It was Shim Changmin, one of the dorkier people at the school. He was adorable, but had a weird sense of humor and was socially awkward.

                Yoona forced a smile on her face but he took a step closer to her and surprised her by raising his thumb to her cheek and capturing a tear. “You’re crying. Why?”

                She shrugged and looked down at her shoes. He led her by the elbow and sat down on the steps. “Tell me. A pretty girl like you can’t be crying for now reason.”

                She smiled at him, wondering where all this sudden compliments came from. His large eyes stared back at her and he waited. “It’s my best friend. He just asked a girl to the dance, and I don’t have anyone to go with.”

                Changmin smiled, something that did wonders to his face. It lifted his eyes and the adorable curl of his lips was more prominent. “Well, Im Yoona, I’ll take you. I honestly was thinking of asking you anyway, but I assumed you would be going with that tall guy you hang out with, Kyuhyun I think his name is? This is great. I know I may be a poor substitute for who you wanted to go with, but I’ll take you.”

                She was touched by his offer and felt a little glow of happiness spread through her. Changmin’s smile widened when she nodded and he lifted his camera once more. “Let me take a picture of your smile. Say pabo!”