“Just what did you do?” growled Alan angrily, “Were you trying to be funny? That little stunt was not anything to laugh about.”

                “S-s-soorrrrrrrrry!” I choked, “But you should’ve seen your face!”

                Alan threw one more dark, venomous glare at me before turning on his heel and exiting the front door, slamming it behind him.

Hmmmm…I hadn’t meant to make him mad. I guess it just happened. Idly, I wondered if he’d come back. But them my mind returned to his shocked and frightened, completely vulnerable expression when the noise and the color came whirling at him from the tv and I started laughing all over again.

That night, I settled comfortably into bed and said a grateful prayer that I was back home. I didn’t check, but I knew that Alan Luo had returned, because the shadows had a more life-like quality as I rested in the dark. Briefly I wondered if I should apologize for scaring him. I was surprised that he hadn’t realized what a television was. It had just been so funny, but he had been embarrassed and angry. But then I scowled. Just because he was embarrassed did that give him a right to be angry at me? I didn’t think so.

                I decided that it was easier to just not worry about it, and so I let myself fall asleep knowing I’d have to come up with an excuse for my friends at school tomorrow.

                When my alarm clock woke me up, I felt like I hadn’t slept a wink. How could I still be so tired? Maybe after all that I had been through, my body didn’t feel sufficiently recovered. I traipsed into the bathroom and freshened up, then slumped down the stairs to the kitchen. I still felt unnaturally tired, and I didn’t want to make a huge, elaborate breakfast, so I grabbed a bagel, slathered it in cream cheese and started devouring it. I almost didn’t see Alan behind me. I barely made him out from the corner of my eye and whirled around choking on a mouthful of bagel and cream cheese.

                “Can you not do that?” I demanded. Demons always seemed to sneak up on you when you didn’t know they were there. I was seriously getting sick of not knowing what to expect when I turned around.

                Alan didn’t even look ruffled or nervous under my glare. He glared right back and I realized that I really had scared him the other day with the whole remote incident. Okay, alright, I admit it. I did feel bad for scaring him, but it wasn’t like I was trying to hurt him or anything, right? I just thought his expression was funny. I didn’t need to apologize for anything, right?

                “What do you want?” I sighed setting my half-eaten bagel down on the counter and folding my arms wearily across my chest.

                “You’re going to school then?” his voice was cold. I shivered and nodded rubbing my upper arms uncomfortably.

                “Yes I am. Well, I’ll be leaving then,” I slipped past him feeling his eyes boring intensely into my back. I made it to the closet and slung on a jacket and my book bag. I was a little bit of a coward. I didn’t want to be in the same room with him at the moment. Rushing outside, I started my short walk to school. But he walked right behind me, dark as a shadow, and just as silent. I was determined not to look at him. I guess I really had expected too much that Alan would let me go to school alone. Looking up at the beautiful sky, I remembered Jonghyun and Jin and the war. I wondered if it was still going or if anyone else I knew had died. At the recollection of Onew’s death, my eyes began misting up.

                I was surprised when Alan who had silently drawn closer to me without my knowledge handed me a tissue to wipe my eyes with. How had he known I was crying? I took it tentatively and nodded my thanks wiping savagely at my eyes. It wouldn’t do for me to show up at school crying my eyes out.

                Forcing the tears back, I lifted my head as I headed toward the school gates. Park Shinhye was waiting for me searching for my face through the hundreds of students filing through. I put my arm up and gave a little wave. Her eyes rested on me and then widened in delight. Before I even got to cry out a hello, she had suddenly leapt toward me like a little, cutsey, panther and tackled me backward in a gigantic bear hug.

                “Sh-Shinhye-ah can’t b-breathe!” I choked. Instantle she drew back putting her hands on my shoulders and looking straight into my eyes. I saw relief, followed instantly by anger. I guessed the anger was because I hadn’t called or given an excuse as to my unreasonably long absence.

                “Where in the world have you been?” Shinhye demanded trying hard to glower at me, but not quite succeeding because the worry seeped through her features, “When you just disappeared, I called you like a million times. When you didn’t answer, I was sure something horrible had happened to you like maybe you were in some kind of accident and I didn’t know!” She looked at me very fiercely and even though she looked like a young, sweet, girl who couldn’t hurt a fly, she gave me a look that said it just might be in her to hurt more than a fly.

                “I was worried sick. But I believed you would come back, so I made sure to take extra copies of all the notes and homework that you missed for you. You owe me. Big.”

                “Ohmygosh. Thank you so much, Shinhye-ah!” I smiled sincerely at her to show her that everything was fine, or at least sort of fine for now. “We’re going to be late for class. Meet me at lunch break, and I’ll tell you everything, okay?” There I thought. That will give me enough time to make up an excuse that she’ll actually believe.

                I met with the school officials and made vague excuses to my absence that luckily, somehow satisfied them, and was allowed to go back to class. Alan also enrolled in the school as a new transfer student, and was actually put i