IT'S THE LAST day before winter break and the smile on Su's face is sufficient attestation of her current joy. Her dress rides up her thighs, flowing ever so slightly, and she finds herself scanning the corridors to ensure no school administrators are roaming around, prepared to call out students infringing the dress code.

          Her best friend, Nayeli, groans beside her while tossing books into her locker haphazardly. Her curly brown hair cascades across her shoulder blades as she bends down to access the front covers of the books littered in a heap at the bottom of the locker. The darker brown ends of her hair gleam in the lights above. She scrunches up her nose when her eyes flit up to Su, who leans against the row of lockers.

          "I need this year to be over already."

          Over Nayeli's shoulder, Su sees her twin brother and his friend peeking into view, the latter gazing around forlornly until his eyes meet hers. He's wearing the same jean jacket that he was wearing yesterday and the day before that. Their eyes meet for a fraction of a second before he's pulling his gaze away and sliding his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

          "It gets worse when you start getting acceptance letters," Su replies, a smirk pulling at her lips. Her friend visibly rolls her eyes and shuts her locker door closed.

          "No need to rub it in," she murmurs, hoisting the strap of her book bag and eventually following Su's gaze to the two guys gradually approaching them.

          Caden and Jeremiah finally reach the two of them and Su doesn't miss the way her friend's demeanor instantly shifts. Nayeli provides a tight smile as Caden presses a kiss to the side of her forehead, pulling her close to him. His hand reaches for her subtly and squeezes it.

          Su smiles, while Jeremiah stands off to a distance. He looks deep in thought, his eyes trained to a discolored spot on the floor underneath them. His face is expressionless and his motions restless as he takes his hands in and out of his pockets like there's a burning sensation on his palms and he's incapable of shaking off the feeling. He's always been like this for as long as Su can remember. She can vaguely reminisce about a time when he wasn't on edge, when she caught him at a party a couple months ago in a corner of the room while Caden was chatting with some of his basketball teammates. As the night drew out, she humored him with her stories while watching the grin on his face elevate, revealing the dimples on his cheeks, before he launched into his own.

          It's the closest she's gotten to unraveling the mystery hinged to him.

          "You're coming tonight, right?" she questions him now, moving so she's closer to him while Caden and Nayeli branch off into a separate conversation. Jeremiah looks up, his eyebrows furrowed, eyes briefly darting to the couple on their right.

          "The party? Yeah."

          "Okay, good," she responds, picking up her Saint Laurent handbag from her open locker. "I swear, it's just a small get-together. Nothing over-the-top."

          He spares a small smile, not saying anything else. She resists the appearance of a frown on her face, opting to not display her disappointment at his curt response and indifferent attitude.

          Caden turns to the two of them, his hand intertwined with his girlfriend's. "Did Mom and Dad call yet?"

          Their parents are currently in Maui to celebrate their twentieth wedding anniversary. They left two days ago, ecstatic to ditch the city and its freezing temperatures for a week.

          "Not yet," Su replies. "I'll tell them, don't worry." She shoots her brother a knowing glance, a silent assurance that she'll let their parents know about the last-minute party they're throwing. "Be there by seven, okay?" She directs this at Nayeli, who looks with urgency at the clock down the hall, and Jeremiah, who appears prepared to be swallowed up by the floor beneath him.

          The bell rings, cutting off the ends of her sentence, enclasping them in its ear-piercing sound, and signaling the start of last period.

          The hallway floods with a stream of students that scurry past them, rushing and mingling and smiling. They're carrying Christmas presents to give to friends and ones they've received from others. The exuberant ambiance of the atmosphere fills Su to the brim with pleasure.

          "I have a meeting with Davis, so I'll see you guys later," Nayeli announces above the incessant conversations. She's prepared to turn away, until Caden grasps onto her arm and whispers into her ear.

          Su only sees her nod before she disappears into the protruding mass of people, with her brother's hand in hers. One look at her surroundings confirms Jeremiah has vanished from sight as well.

          The strips of LED lights draped on the edges of the living room wall excitedly dance from red to green to white, drowning the space in its colors. Su flashes a smile as the lights transition to white, radiating her blonde hair.

          She runs a hand through her hair while surveying the pictures on the wall, ranging from snapshots of her parents in their hometown in Turkey about fifteen years ago to baby pictures of her and her brother to recent family portraits.

          She stops when she reaches the framed letter of her acceptance to Princeton, which was carefully and precisely affixed by her dad two weeks ago when it had arrived in the mail.

          "Where do you want this?"

          Caden's voice from behind her plucks her out of her thoughts. He's holding a bottle of Dom  Perignon, fresh from their parents' cabinet of drinks reserved for super-special occasions only.

          This was a super-special occasion, though.

          "Just put it over there." She points absentmindedly at the glass table in the corner of the room. "We'll toast first and then have cake." Her feet carry her into the adjoined kitchen of their penthouse apartment, immediately reaching to open the cupboard above the sink for glasses, a task that proves to be difficult even in heels.

          "Okay, I think we're good," Caden reports once the glasses have been set onto the table amidst the champagne. He falls onto the couch, relaxing his shoulders and kicking off his shoes, his figure highlighted by the skyscrapers behind him that bleed through the floor-length glass windows. The lights twinkle in the background, inundating the room in flashes of yellow and white that could rival the stars in the sky.

          Su is drawing the curtains back even more, immersed in the reflection of herself that shines against the windows, silently admiring the eyeliner that draws immediate attention to her eyes and the contour that accentuates her features. Her eyes are a stark contrast to her hair and she finds herself running her hands through the heated curls until they seem to look as elegant as possible against the sweetheart neckline of her dress.

          Her gaze finally lands on Caden, who has sunk into the plush couch behind her, wearing a simple outfit of a hoodie and sweatpants.

         "You're not going to the gym. Go change."

          He rolls his eyes once she plants herself in front of him. "I'm fine. Tonight's about you."

          "And you," she reminds him. "You're cutting the cake with me."

          His voice trembles when he responds, "I don't really feel like celebrating." His words are soaked with dejection, but she chooses to ignore it because the lights swaying around in the room and the floor-length decorated Christmas tree in the corner have already successfully lifted her spirits.

          "Come on," she insists, pulling him up by the arm, her heels digging into the furry rug underneath them. "Change before people start showing up."

          He gives in, sliding off the couch and heading in the direction to his room, pausing only when Su asks him when Nayeli will show up.

          "I texted her, but she hasn't replied. Did she say when she'll be here?" she asks him, hands folded across her chest, confusion etching across her face and worry seeping into her words.

          Caden's hands are in the pockets of his sweatpants and his eyes look everywhere else but at her. "I'm not sure. Try calling her."

          Before Su can open her mouth to respond, he disappears down the hall and into his room, leaving his words hovering in the air.

          People don't start showing up until about half an hour later and Nayeli makes an entrance at the very end. Su's greeting some classmates, friends of Caden's rather than hers, when she walks through the door with a gift bag in hand.

          Her sparkly blouse shimmers in the dimness of the room along with the anklet hugging her skin right above her shoe, both highlighted under the LED lights. She offers a smile before she sidles up to Su, practically pushing the present onto her, her eyes darting nervously around her.

          "Thanks," Su utters, slipping the string of the gift bag onto her wrist and tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear while following her friend's gaze to Caden sitting on the corner of the loveseat talking to Jeremiah.

          Their eyes meet and Nayeli peels hers away.

          "Is there something going on with you guys?" Su questions, peering at her friend over the brim of her glass.

           She waves her off with her hand and crosses her arms across her chest. "No. Also, congrats again." Sarcasm drips from her voice, but she senses the genuineness in her words as well.

           Su beams behind her drink, basking in the glory of the excitement that courses through her veins. Her heels click against the linoleum floor as she deviates to the center of the room to address the small mass of people she's accumulated in the living room of their apartment.

          They slowly turn around as she calls for their attention, their sounds of laughter fading into whispers as they soak in her appearance.

          She knows she looks good and the floor-length mirror hung on the closet in the far distance proves that. Her skin-tight light pink dress enhances her rose-colored cheeks and her silver necklace compliments her eyes.

          "Tonight isn't just about celebrating my acceptance to Princeton," she begins, laughing lightly when she has everyone's eyes on her. "It's also an early birthday party for us." She beckons Caden to join her and he gradually gets off the sofa to head towards her, grinning once they're sharing the spotlight.

          She latches onto his arm when he reaches her, ducking the both of them behind the cake she had strategically placed on the table in the front of the room. He's changed into a black button-down and pants now, which makes the smile on her face grow.

          The fire on the candles crackle, magnified under the lights attached to the outlines of the walls surrounding them. It casts a glow on their faces as she raises her glass of champagne to the room. Their friends and classmates reach for their pre-filled glasses, mirroring the grin possessing Su's face.

          They all sip their drinks before launching into an off-key rendition of the happy birthday song, laughing at their mistakes. The fire burns out and their laughter dissolves into boisterous cheers.

          The slightly ajar door opens about ten minutes later, the attendants of the party dispersed and indulged in their matters. Su thinks it's the building's superintendent to complain about the noise level, but her legs wobble when she sees who walks in.

          Vivek steps across the threshold, dressed in pants that hug his legs and shoes that clink against the floor despite the blaring music spilling the room. He closes the door fully behind him, his eyes immediately connecting with Su's across the room. She can't seem to take her eyes off him, a heavy feeling settling in her chest as she feels herself being pulled to him like he's a magnet.

          He meets her halfway, his lips pulling into a smile while hers remain a straight line, still not knowing how to react. The people around her don't seem to notice him or the change in her aura, immersed among themselves.

          "What the fuck are you doing here?" rolls off her tongue smoothly, causing him to visibly recoil. She doesn't know whether she should be more surprised about the fact that he still had her address saved in the depths of his phone or that he gained the energy and motivation to get up and drive over.

          The music playing from the speakers on the wall near the TV drowns out the words he attempts to utter, so he motions to the door, inviting her outside to speak.

          After slipping into her white fur coat, Su heads into the hall where the noise is instantly extinguished, overtaken by the distant sound of the roof's security alarm ringing upstairs.

          Vivek's drawl is much easier to make out now. Every letter of every word is pronounced when he asks, "How have you been?"

          Stupid question, she thinks, tapping her heels on the carpeted floor impatiently. The chandelier above them swings wildly, aroused by the wind that spills from the window at the end of the hallway.

          "I heard you got accepted to Princeton through early decision. Congratulations." His lips pull into a small smile as he clenches his hands to stop them from shaking.

          "Why did you come?" Her voice is small and it echoes in the empty hallway and she hates it. He towers over her, despite her wearing four-inch heels.

          "I missed you, Sudenur." His eyes soften as he calls her by her full name. He's the only one who ever did. She heaves a sigh. "I want another chance."

          His brown skin contrasts with his white-collared shirt, illuminated under the light of the chandelier. "I'm not giving you a second chance," she retorts, turning to head back into the apartment before he tugs at her coat.

          "Please," he begs. "I didn't like how we left things and I don't know when we're going to see each other again."

          Her eyebrows knit together in confusion as he lets go of her. "What do you mean? There's still a couple of months until college starts."

          It's his turn to sigh. "My parents want to move back to India. I don't know when we're leaving and I have no idea when or if we'll be back." A hand reaches out to rake his hair, exposing his forehead. "My sister screwed up and now we're all facing the consequences." A dry laugh exits the recesses of his mouth and Su witnesses his fingers shaking in the space between them.

          Confusion pulls her in even more as his eyes dance from her to her apartment door. His lips are pursed when he takes her hand in his. The same lips that kissed another when they shouldn't have.

          "I think you should go," she announces confidently, not wanting to fall victim to his games again. She wasn't going to let herself walk into an empty room and watch his shirt be curled up in the fists of a brunette with eyes that matched the intensity of her hair. Not again.

          So, she shakes his hand off hers and stands frozen in her spot until the hallway engulfs his body.

          It's three-fifteen a.m. when her phone rings unabatingly, amplifying the pain in her head, a direct cause of the abundance of drinks she's had.

          She reaches out to locate her phone, smashing over a glass in the process. It tumbles to the floor, the sound reverberating off the walls in the deafening silence of the room. Everyone had already dispersed, leaving Su alone with thoughts roaming her drunken mind.

          Her heartbeat accelerates as she answers a call from a number she doesn't recognize, her eyebrows drawing together as her mind struggles to grasp a hold of and provide a meaning to the words the person on the other end utters. Confusion settles in when the person offers his condolences with the mention of her brother.

          "....Your brother, Caden, was just found in the midst of an accident on the corner of fifty-eighth and third avenue..."

          Her mind blurs out the person's next words because she can't hear anything over the sound of her heartbeat thumping louder than the voice on the other end of the line. The phone falls from her hand, landing face up against shards of glass littered on the floor, the numbers that showcase the call's duration time multiplying every time she blinks.

          All she sees through her tear-stained vision is the missed call from Caden at two thirty-nine before her eyes flutter closed, basking her in darkness.