Hunter: "Dang, man. And I thought my weekend was rough."

Azalea: "Rough? You got to spend it with me, Hunter!"

Alex: "Yeah, well, the week that followed was ten times worse anyway."

Hannah Ivory Mun:

The next Wednesday was Mathletes practice, and the word awkward didn't even begin to describe it. I really felt like Dr. Wade had done so much more harm than good at that counseling meeting the week before. And it was obvious that Stefan was avoiding me. He sat as far away as he could, and he left to go to the "bathroom" at least three times during the first forty-five minute session.

What's his problem? I remember thinking to myself. Why's he acting like I'm some she-devil? He and his brother tormented me for years. How DARE he pretend that I'm the monster here!

About five minutes before practice ended, Stefan saw me staring at him and got up to leave again. I rolled my eyes but said nothing, waited patiently for Azalea to dismiss us all.

She thanked everyone for still working hard despite everything that had happened, then wished us luck on midterms.

The moment she finished, I was the first to spring up to go. I practically ran from the room before darting up the hallway, brain on high alert as I shot feverish glances left and right. I sprinted through a set of double doors at the end of the first hall, then flew past the collection of plastic chairs and golden tubas staring back at me from choir room. Where is he!? I'm going to give this kid a piece of my—

Sobs.

Out of nowhere, I heard sobs.

What the...?

"Hey, dude, are you okay?"

That sounds like Evan. But why would—?

"Yeah," sniffled a weak voice in reply. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Come on, Stefan. You can't keep running in here every time you look at her."

Stefan, I growled internally.

"I know," he said between sniffles. "I just don't know what else to do. She hates me—she hates me!"

"Aw, come on, dude, you don't know that."

"You were there at Dr. Wade's session, Evan. She basically said she wanted to stab me in my sleep! I just wish I'd done something—said something—earlier."

"Look, Stefan, if you really like Hannah this much, you at least owe it to yourself to tell her."

"She's just gonna shut me down."

"Hey, man. You never know. She might surprise you."

"No," he said, hopelessness in his voice. "She's not that kind of girl. I know that much."

I was fuming. HOW DARE HE! I was about to march in there and kick both of them in the balls when I heard Stefan speak again:

"I really like her, and now she'll never know...all because I didn't stand up to Eric...or my parents."

I froze on my feet, heart thumping suddenly with curiosity.

"Come on, Stefan. You gotta say something, man. I know she's hard to talk to, but if you're sure you feel this way about her, isn't it at least a little worth it?"

Stefan sighed again. "I don't know. I—I just feel like I really missed my chance. And she doesn't seem like the kind of girl who—"

That's it, I thought, snapping back to reality. He has no right to decide what "kind of girl" I am. I stormed inside the room, swinging the door so ferociously wide that I thought I might've left a dent in the wall as the metal knob slammed against it. "Hi there," I spat, waving in as mockingly cute a way as possible.

Stefan eyes rose in horror to meet mine.

"Hannah," Stefan began, "I, I just..."

"WHAT!? YOU JUST WHAT, STEFAN!?" I blared. "I heard every freaking word you said! How dare you sit here and diagnose me like I'm some freaking case study! Don't even try to act like you're the victim here! You have no right, you weak and spineless little jerk!" Blood rushed to my cheeks, bursting, burning in a relentless wildfire of outrage.

"I—I'm just gonna go now," Evan said shakily, then turned and dashed from the room. My rage-filled eyes followed him out the door, daring him to turn back and face me again.

Seething, I twisted again to Stefan, anger all over my face, then saw a single tear run down his cheek.

"You're right," he said after a moment's pause.

I stood still, unsure of what to anticipate but ready to meet whatever came next with all the wrath inside my soul.

"You're right," he repeated. "I didn't...I wasn't trying to make you feel sorry for me." He shook his head. "I deserve everything you just said, and probably a lot worse. I get why you hate me." He rose from the chair where he'd been slumped, eyes downcast, and started to walk away, tracing the same path Evan had frantically run only moments before. "I'm sorry you had to know me, and I'm sorry I never told you how I felt. Goodbye, Hannah," he said through tears.

My eyes were still drawn thin as he neared the door, as he reached weakly for the knob...as the tiniest prickles of regret began stabbing at me—

No! I screamed inside my own brain. I will not feel sorry for him! He doesn't deserve my sympathy!

But it seemed anger was a poor guardian, and wrath was no match for that slow and steady whisper, that stridently soft voice as it swept through my raging mind. He's the child of two Asian parents, it said. He's just like me, and he's had to prove himself just as much as I have...

I shook my head vigorously. I don't care! I don't! I won't!

But standing there, watching those sad dark-brown eyes of his as the dragged along the carpet, I just couldn't keep screaming at him. He looked so sad, so frail. "Stefan," I began. "Listen. Maybe I shouldn't have shouted at you."

His head was still down, and his hand found the doorknob. He wasn't expecting mercy.

"I'm sorry," I said, after much deliberation. "Really, I am."

He looked up, the faintest glint of hope flickering in his eyes.

"I mean, I'm not gonna lie, when you said you liked me, I was kind of flattered. It just hurts that you really thought I was so...hateful."

"I didn't know what else to think," he muttered emptily. "Especially after last Wednesday." He hesitated for a moment. "I know it's hard to believe, but I always felt bad about how Eric and my parents treated you. I was just...afraid...to say anything. My whole family is so terrifying—or maybe I'm just pathetic." His eyes fell to the floor again.

"Stefan, don't say that!" I said sharply, quicker than I'd expected. "You're not pathetic. If anything, you're the only decent person in your entire family." I paused, then tilted my head to the side and smiled. "And honestly, decency is at least a little attractive."

"Th-Thanks," he said meekly. "I guess that's a compliment, right?" He shook his head, sighed heavily. When he finally looked up at me, he spoke in all small voice: "Look, I know I'm not as...cool or...as brave as Alex, and it's obvious you really like him." He shivered. "Thanks for not hating me, but you don't have to pretend you like me."

"...Who said I was pretending?" I smiled again.

His eyes widened. "Wait...w-what?"

"You're right—I do really like Alex. But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate how sweet you've been. And honestly, if that's really how you feel...then I'd say any girl would be lucky to know you."

"A-are you saying—"

"I don't know," I teased. "But there's only one way to find out."

"Hannah," Stefan said, his confidence rising with his voice, "would you...I mean, um...would you maybe come to Starbucks for coffee—with...with me?"

"I'd love to," I sang, my words echoing with joy as he smiled from ear to ear.

****

Stefan opened the door to Starbucks like a real gentleman. Once inside, we both strode together to the register and placed our orders. He paid for me, albeit awkwardly, but it was sweet.

We sidled over to a twin booth with cushioned chairs, taking our seats with steaming cups spewing tiny clouds scented by dark espresso.

The moment I made eye contact, Stefan dropped his gaze nervously to the table, where he toyed with his brown paper napkin before clearing his throat. "So, how about competition next week?" he finally said. "I hear Gates-Bennington is really good at math."

What a Stefan question.

Gates-Bennington Academy was one of Gallensley's biggest rivals. From what Azalea had told me about years past, Eric always made a big deal about defeating Esther Jung, the captain of the Gates-Bennington Mathletes.

Just hearing Stefan bring up Mathletes made me cringe. I thought of Eric's face and winced.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Did I say something—"

"No, it's fine," I tried to reassure him. "I just thought about Esther and, well..."

"I get it," he said. "Sorry for bringing it up. I just...don't really know you that well." He paused uncomfortably.

"It's okay," I said. "I guess you don't really have anyone at home to talk to about this kinda stuff anymore now that Eric's..."

He bowed his head.

It was my turn to apologize: "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go there. I really didn't."

"It's alright," he said eventually. "I mean, I guess I've gotta talk about it with someone. And my parents won't say a word."

"I just don't get it," I said. "What happened? Why did Principal Hollendale—"

"Because Eric was smoking weed." Stefan sighed. "I knew about it, and my parents did too. But they didn't care, and they expected me to just...do as I was told. He was my brother, my role model, the smartest senior on the face of the planet. He was going to be the most successful engineer in all of America, and whatever he did in private was not mine to judge."

"Wow," I marveled. "Were you at least allowed to talk to him about it?"

"Not really. If I ever said anything while my parents were around, they gave me this look like they'd slit my throat with a butcher knife." He sighed again. "I was just trying to look out for him, to make sure that something...something like this didn't happen."

"Do you know who turned him in?"

"No. But my dad thinks Principal Hollendale does."

"And what, he's just keeping it to himself?"

"Well, think about it, Hannah. If it were a student, who knows what Eric might try to pull? And honestly, my parents would probably help him. They were pretty mad when they got that call from Principal Hollendale."

I paused. "So...how is he? Eric, I mean. How's he holding up?"

"I wouldn't know." Stefan looked off. "After he got caught, he spent the first few days shut up in his room, but then..."

He shuddered.

"But then what?"

"He just...left." Stefan shut his eyes. "This past Saturday, in the middle of the night, I woke up and heard him leaving. By the time I made it to the front of the house, he was...gone."

I gasped. "What?"

"And that's not all," Stefan said. "On a hunch, I went and checked the cabinet where my dad keeps his gun." He paused. "Hannah, it was empty."

I felt ice run through my veins. "Whoa."

"Yeah," Stefan replied, "and we haven't seen him since. My dad reported it to the cops, but they haven't turned up any leads."

"Do you think...maybe he figured out who turned him in?"

Stefan looked down. "If I'm being honest...I don't know what to think about anything anymore. I've always had Eric there. Even though I hated having him and my parents always breathing down my neck, at least...at least all I ever had to do was bring home A's and awards." He paused, bereft, lost. "I guess my house never really felt like a home, but now it's like it's not even mine."

I was speechless. How could I possibly respond?

"I'm sorry," he said finally, "I know I'm dumping a ton of stuff on you." He turned his eyes away from where I sat. "Thanks for getting coffee with me."

"Stefan, wait," I said, reaching out to grab his arm. "Thank you," I smiled. "I'm glad you told me. I'm glad you trusted me enough."

He was silent, and his eyes burned with grief and insecurity.

"That's kind of how my parents were," I tried. "I mean, they always expected me to get the best grades...the highest marks in everything I did."

"Yeah, I know," he said in an even more fallen tone. "I was there, remember?"

"Oh, come on!" I interjected, my voice rising. "I didn't mean it like that. Look, can we just forget about what happened between our families for a minute? We have a lot in common, Stefan."

"Yeah, right." He pouted, dropping both eyes.

"Well, for one thing, both of our parents are absolutely terrifying," I said, trying to make light. "Did you know that my mom is almost sixty years old but still teaches a karate class at that gym near Stanford?"

Stefan grinned. "Hannah, cut it out. You're pulling my leg."

I smiled and shook my head. "Not in the slightest—Lucy Mun never fears walking home alone at night." I giggled lightly, and Stefan laughed too.

He reached his hand upward to grip mine where it rested on his arm, his eyes content and his smile genuine. He chuckled a little more, then sighed. "It's...it's probably getting late," he said in a subdued tone.

"Stefan," I drawled, giggling once more. "It's like not even that late. If the sun's still out, then we should be too."

"Hannah, I'm serious," he chuckled again. "My parents will murder me if I'm not home by five."

I pressed the power button on my phone to check the time, not even noticing as Stefan peered across the table to spy my lock-screen background.

"Who's that?" He asked, eyes widening at the tall girl with olive skin and dark hair whose face filled the pixilated LCD I held lazily in my palm.

I froze. "H-her name is Heather," I hesitated. "She was my sister."

"...Was?"

I nodded. "She, um...passed away."

He paused. "I—I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I sighed. "I never really even knew her. She was nineteen when she died."

"Wow, that's so young," he said. "How old were you?"

"I wasn't born yet," I answered. "My parents had her while they were in their twenties, and they grew to love her. She was almost perfect—a child they'd never regret having."

He was silent. I could tell he wasn't sure of what to say.

"But then," I added, "then she died."

Stefan froze. "I'm sorry, Hannah."

"She killed herself," I said lowly, my eyes beginning to water. "She couldn't take the pressure anymore...she just couldn't do it, Stefan." I could hear my voice cracking. Even though I'd never known Heather, tears were inevitable every time I mentioned her. "And that's why I was so mad at you and Eric and my parents—because I felt like you all kept trying to make me into what she couldn't be." I shook my head. "I never wanted to let my parents drown out my creativity. I never wanted to become so lost in their desires that I'd feel meaningless and shallow unless I had medals and plaques that said I was worthy." I stopped talking for a moment, lost in thought. "I don't want to be what Heather was, Stefan...I want to be what she wasn't—happy."

I looked into his eyes, and I was met with sympathy, compassion.

"You're right," he finally said. "You do deserve to be happy, Hannah. You're amazing because of who you are, and whether or not you can do differential calculus...that's got nothing to do with it."

I smiled, my eyes sailing down as a draft of wind blew by and stroked back my hair. "Thank you," I said. "Thank you so much. You're the first Asian who's ever said anything like that to me." I paused, then smiled somewhat hopefully. "Although if Heather were still here, I think she might say the same thing."

He smiled back.

"It's just so odd to think about her," I mused with a wistful breath. "We were decades apart, but...we're sisters." I ran a finger through my hair, then looked up at him. "I know this is kind of weird; but I sometimes feel like she's watching over me, like she's standing by my side when I need her most. Like she's telling me that I don't have to push myself so hard—that I don't have to be perfect."

He sat in silence, his breaths hushed as he stared into my eyes. "Well...you are perfect, Hannah," he whispered. "Just the way you are."

I smiled at him, then felt my cheeks warming.

"Are you blushing?" He asked me jokingly. "Did I seriously just make a girl blush?"

I laughed, genuinely and truly laughed.

And so did he.

Wow, I thought to myself, who would have thought that I, of all people, would be laughing with Stefan Kim? I smiled again, then kept giggling right along. It must've looked strange to everyone else in Starbucks, but we just couldn't stop. It felt so good to laugh, and it felt even better to have Stefan right there with me, both of us finally entering into some of the happiness we'd been taught to ignore for so long.

It was well and truly almost five before we finally quieted down, our eyes locked and our laughs in sync.

I stood up to use the restroom, and Stefan said he'd wait for me at the front door. As I turned the corner at the back of the restaurant and headed for the ladies' room, I spotted a dark shadow out of the corner of my eye, shifting ever so slightly as I moved.

I whirled around, my mind immediately recalling the terrifying figure of the person I'd seen at Cassandra Singleton's funeral. I backed against the wall, my pulse kicking into overdrive as slowly, the boy before me stepped into the light.

"Alex?" I practically screamed, hot breath bursting from my mouth.

He was silent, and he didn't look happy.

"Alex, what are you doing here!?" I placed a hand on my hip.

"I could ask you the same question." He folded his arms. "Especially after I heard you yelling at Stefan back at Gallensley."

"Wait, hold on," I took a step back. "You followed me here?"

"Well, I wasn't just gonna let you drive off with that scumbag. Who knows what he'd've tried to pull?"

"Alex, we drove here separately. And we're in a crowded restaurant."

"I was just being cautious, Hannah. And I know how much you hate him—or hated him."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That the two of you looked like you were having a pretty good time laughing it up over there, especially after you basically ripped the guy apart an hour and a half ago."

My eyes ballooned. "Were you seriously spying on us?"

"I was just making sure you were okay, Hannah," he pressed. "When you ran out at the end of Mathletes practice, I thought maybe something was wrong, so I followed you down the hall and heard you yelling at Stefan. I wasn't spying. I just wanted to know if something was bugging you, okay? I was trying to help."

I felt my free hand gripping angrily into a fist, then suddenly—

"Hannah?"

My fingers unclenched in an instant, then I whipped my head to the right, toward what I eagerly recognized as Stefan's voice, calling from around the corner opposite where Alex stood.

Alex twisted his head to the source of Stefan's voice as well, his eyes flaring suddenly with anger.

"Hannah?" Stefan called again, turning the corner and stopping directly in front of Alex. "Hannah, are you okay...?" his voice trailed off.

"Yeah, she's okay, you little prick," Alex answered bitingly.

"Alex!" I scolded. "He was just checking on me. He probably thought I got attacked or something." I rolled my eyes. "It's not every day you get stopped outside the bathroom by some guy who followed you to Starbucks."

"Some guy?" Alex screeched. "Since when did I become some guy, Hannah?"

"You...you followed us here?" Stefan asked, his tone rising.

"Mind your own business, dickhead," Alex bit back.

"I could say the same to you," Stefan snapped back, suddenly desperate to stand his ground.

Alex's hands balled into knuckled weapons, and I heard myself gasp in terror.

"You guys, stop it!" I almost yelled, eyes darting back and forth between the two of them.

"Let's go, Hannah," said Stefan through his teeth, his angry glare locked on Alex all the while.

"She's not going anywhere with you!" Alex raged, grabbing my arm and yanking me next to him.

"Alex!" I screamed. "What's the matter with you? Let me go!" I ripped my arm out of his hand and walked over to stand beside Stefan.

Alex's look of anger softened instantly, melting to sadness. "I'm...Hannah, I'm sorry," he started. "I didn't mean to grab you like that. It's just..."

"Just what!?" I demanded. "Alex, Stefan and I went out for coffee. It wasn't a date. It wasn't a marriage proposal. And next time, maybe instead following me around town like I'm five years old, you should just mind your own freaking business!"

He winced.

I turned then and stormed out of the building, my body having lost the urge to use the bathroom altogether. Stefan almost had to run to keep up with me, and Alex was close behind, yelling for me to stop.

I ignored Alex's pathetic pleas and turned instead to stare Stefan in the eyes. "Thank you," I mused warmly to him. "Thank you for a wonderful afternoon." Then I grabbed his face and kissed him squarely on the mouth.

I didn't even need to look up to know that Alex was watching, but I did anyway. I glared at him with rage as I finished pressing my lips against Stefan's, then I strode off before unlocking my car. I twisted my keys into the ignition and sped away, leaving two boys to stare longingly after me.