That crazy boy! Trechial thought for sure Charlie had gotten him. She tipped-toed out the classroom as Devin rounded the corner with the first officer on his tail, and as Charlie rounded their eyes met.

    Shoot.

    Trechial didn't wait to see if he stopped. She spun around and ran in the opposite direction down the empty halls. She cut through hallway after hallway until she burst through the cafeteria doors. She stopped, placing her hands on her knees and catching her breath. There were three exits––the door she just entered and one to her left and the other on the other side of the cafeteria. She sped-walked toward the exit to her left when the door flung open.  In walked Charlie. Her breath caught in her throat.

    "You're coming home with me."

    Trechial turned around and tried to push through the exit she just come in, but someone was holding it closed from the other side.

    "You've been a bad girl, Trechial." He was grossly happy about it, too, but his smug grin was etched with anger because he knew she was with Devin.

    Trechial spun around to him.

    "Did you do that to Devin's eye last summer?" She subtly looked at the exits behind him.

    Charlie slurred with a smile.

    Ugh.

    "I'm going to tell mom what you did, psycho."

    "You'll just make it harder for him."

    "I swear I'm going to bury you one day!"

    "Hmmm..." Charlie seemed entertained by her threat. He slowly strolled her way. "Be a good girl and come to daddy. I promise not to hurt you."

    Trechial executed a plan in her head. "No, thank you!" She charged at Charlie like she was going toward the exit he was blocking. He snorted, getting into a tackling position. She stepped left and he lounged, then she jerked right, hopping on a bar stool then the cafeteria table, and sped down it. Charlie collected himself and turned around and chased after her. She burst out the back door of the cafeteria. Her legs burned as she ran down the open field toward the tall metal fence. Thunder roared in the background. She looked over her shoulder; another cop had joined in on the chase. He was slimmer in physique and faster than Charlie, and he was gaining on her. She pushed her body to go faster. Reaching the fence and latching on to it, she began her climb to the top. Officer giraffe reached the fence, and with a single leap, he grabbed her foot. Trechial kicked at him, but he dodged her foot. She squirmed and squealed to get away, while Charlie demanded that the officer pull her down.

    Trechial clutched the fence and twisted her body. "Let me go!" She slammed her foot into the officer's face, sending him back and releasing her foot. Charlie wasted no time climbing up the fence. Trechial reached the top and slung a leg over.  She made her way down the other side as Charlie climbed up. Meeting in the middle, they came face to face. His face twisted with viciousness, "Caught you, you little slut."

    Trechial spit in his face and his eyes glinted. Then he licked the spit off his top lip. Bile rose in her throat, and she jumped down. She looked left then right; there were no cars in sight. Then the sound of a dirt bike revving up turned down the road and sped her way.

. The person stopped in front of her. She looked back around; Charlie was at the top of the fence. She glanced back at the person on the motorcycle.  He removed the helmet.

    Devin.

    Too full of adrenaline to speak or cry, she took the extra helmet he handed her and hopped on. She saw Charlie jump to the ground, losing his balance and falling. Trechial wrapped her arms around Devin's waist. They sped away.

Devin pulled up to the entrance of the park, lit only by a few flickering streetlights and canopied by large sycamore trees. Before he could turn off the bike, Trechial hopped off and stormed through the gate. He sighed, walking his bike into the park he knew talking to Trechial wasn't going to be easy. And he underestimated just how mad she really was with him. He parked the bike behind a tree on the far left, then headed back toward Trechial. She sat on a swing, twisting her foot in the sand and staring at the ground. Lightning flashed behind dark gray clouds. The smell of rain lounged through the air. The impending storm mimicked his current situation with the girl he stood in front of. Words stalled in his brain. He took a seat on the swing next to her and she got up. She definitely had no intention of making this easy on him. He got up and followed her, her ponytail swishing from side to side. She paused at the first step leading onto the play system, then she whirled around to him, the pain on her face evident as she replayed his offenses. Rain began to fall lightly from the darkness above.

    She chewed on her bottom lip then continued. He followed behind her, the chains from the bridge clinking together as they walked across. She got down low and crawled through the tube, but he thought better of it and ran around to the other side she poked her head out of the tunnel, her eyes wide with surprise. Devin thought to offer her hand but knew she wouldn't take it so he moved back and allowed her to climb out. She moved across the second bridge and up the steps leading to the tube slide. She slid down her stomach first. Devin opted to jump down from the nearest set of steps. He didn't know how to break the ice. She didn't seem ready to hear an apology from him.

It hurt—seeing him up close and personally, hurt. Trechial paced through the grass and back toward the swings. The drizzle turned into a heavier shower. She stopped at the swings, latching onto the chains and squeezing them. Her bruised and still faithful heart pounded loudly.

    "Say what you need to say so I can leave, Tae."

    She heard his knees hit the ground as he landed. She turned to see Devin on the ground, mud soaking through his jeans.

    He didn't meet her gaze. He deeply bowed. "I'm sorry, Trechial."

    She slowly walked toward him until she was standing in front of him. His face was still planted in the sand. She never witnessed him bowing to anyone except his dad—once. She wasn't sure what to make of it, but her defenses were crumbling. He lifted his head, and particles of mud fell from his forehead.  The streetlamp gave off enough light to allow them to see one another. She thought she had lost Devin––not once but twice, and even knowing she was upset with him and avoided him as much as he did her—he'd still rescued her from Charlie's grasp. Rain blended with tears as she watched him through blurred vision.

    "You had no right to say those things to me, Devin." Her lip twitched at the side. She couldn't understand the internal dialogue going on in her brain.

    He looked down at her feet.  "I know. Mianhamnida." I'm sorry.

    "What?"

    "Duìbùqǐ." I'm sorry.

    Her brows crinkled and he met her with a pitiful expression. "I'm sorry." His voice was clouded with sorrow.  She always knew when he was overwhelmed because he could never stick to speaking in one language.

    It was at that moment Maylee's words clouded Trechial's mind.

    The whole time you were telling Devin how he should feel and comparing your situation to his. It's not comparable. His parents were murdered.  You got to say goodbye to your dad; he didn't. It's two separate griefs.

    Maylee was right––Trechial had tried to control Devin and force him to grieve in the best way possible that wouldn't harm him or her. She was selfish and wasn't the friend he needed in his time of pain. She only cared about how he was hurting her and not how he was hurting on the inside. She knew Devin, his character, and the type of guy he was. She knew the hurtful words that he'd said he didn't mean. She saw it on his face the last time they spoke. But in the end, she used his vulnerabilities against him to justify her being right and his being wrong. She wasn't his best friend but had instead become his worst enemy. And now, here he was, bowing in mud, apologizing to her when she ought to be apologizing to him and begging him for forgiveness.

    She fell to her knees before him, thankful her tears had fused with the rain. She raised her gaze to his, his inky hair smashed to his forehead.

    "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I went back on my word to be there for you. I'm sorry that I tried to force you into grieving your parents the way I wanted you to. I'm sorry I didn't try to understand you, and I hate that all I can do is say sorry. I wish I could go back in time and be a better friend to you." Shuddered breaths escaped her as she tried to contain her sobs.

    "I don't want to go back, Mini, just forward. With you."

    She lounged into him, throwing her arms around his neck, and held on tightly. He embraced her tightly. Trechial cried. She cried for him, her, Mr. and Mrs. Liao, her mom, and Shan.

    The rain slowed to a mist. Devin patted Trechial on the back, her sorrow fusing with his. He was thankful that the rain camouflaged his tears.  She pulled away from him and shuddered, breaths warming his face. They stared at each other. Something new bloomed between them, though unspoken. It was louder than any said words.

***

Devin pulled into his driveway. He parked the bike, and they both got off and walked to the end of his driveway in silence, stopping at the curb. Trechial stared across the street. Charlie's patrol car was parked in the driveway. He shoved his hands in his pockets, stealing a peak at Trechial under the streetlight glow. His heart fluttered.

    "I wanted to apologize to you the day I got back, but I chickened out." He said.

    Trechial glanced at him with a soft smile.  "Why?"

    "I was scared. I wasn't ready to face possible rejection from you."

    "You deserved it," she said, turning to him.

    "I know."

    "I did, too."

"You didn't. I was a total douchebag and I'll make it up to you."

    Trechial shuffled to him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and pressed her head into his chest. "You better..."

    "I will." He hugged her.

    "I see you found her," Diana said, walking across the street. They jumped away from each other, Trechial's hands going behind her back and Devin's in his pockets.

    A wide grin spread up Diana's face. "And it seems that the two of you made up." Her curious eyes went from Devin to Trechial.

    Devin nodded. "She was at the movies like you said. Maylee wasn't too happy that I stole her best friend away." He tested the water to see if Charlie had disclosed where Trechial was, but judging by Ms. Dee's expression, he hadn't. Devin felt he wouldn't have because he'd have to explain why he chased Trechial down a field.

    "Did the two of you have a mud fight beforehand?" Diana said, looking from one to the other, their faces and clothes covered in mud.

    Trechial smirked. "We may have stopped at the park," She gave him a nudge. Devin side-eyed her and smiled.

    "Uh-huh. Anyhow, I'm glad you are back home. Why don't you come over Saturday, and I will cook you a meal and make your favorite peanut butter fudge brownies?"

    "Mom, I have plans this Saturday."

    "With who?" Devin asked ahead of Diana.

    Trechial avoided his gaze. "Jared."

   He narrowed his, "You got to see him all summer."

    "And I'll get to see your ugly mug all school year. So what?"

    "So what?"

    "That's true, Trechial," Diana interjected. "One meal with the kid won't hurt."

    Trechial smacked her teeth. "You have no idea."

    Devin poked out a lip. "One meal, Mini?"

    She pinched his cheek and brought him down to eye level "If Jared breaks up with me because of you, are you going to take responsibility?"

    He arched a brow and smirked. Trechial released him, her cheeks heating up.

    Diana folded her arms. "I'm standing right here."

    Devin burst into laughter.

    "Diana." Charlie's angry voice interrupted their playful banter. Their laughter ceased, and they all looked over at him. "Where's the remote?"

    Devin followed Charlie's gaze to Trechial.

    "I don't know, Charlie." Diana turned back to them. "I'll see you, kids, later. Dinner at seven sharp on Saturday."

  Devin smiled, "I'll be there."

    "Mr. Grinch will be out of town," Diana said under her breath.

    She hugged Devin. "Thank God you're okay." She stepped back, patting his arms. "It may be too late to make things right with Yoon Mi Rae, but it's not too late to make them right with you and Chueng." Tears filled the rims of her eyes.

    "Thank you, Ms. Dee, for saving my life."

    "I didn't. God did. There's more work for you to do in this world."

    She squeezed his shoulder with a warm smile and left Devin and Trechial. As soon as Charlie and Diana disappeared inside, Devin turned to Trechial. "I want to have dinner with you."

    A quirky grin touched her lips. "Can I invite Jared?"

    "It's your house."

    "Will you behave yourself?"

    "Hell nah."

    "Devin Tae Liao?"

    "Just come or else."

    "Or else what?"

    "I'll come and find you and drag you back to the dinner table."

    "I'd like to see you try it."

    He chuckled and embraced her again, rocking her from side to side. This, he thought, is exactly what I've missed.