Page 30 of XOXO

“What are you doing here, Jenny?” he asks softly.

“I swear I didn’t follow you,” I say.

He pauses in his movements. He blinks once, twice, then laughs. “I’m not as self-absorbed as that. Not yet, at least. I meant, what are you doing here in Korea, at this school?”

I frown. “Didn’t you get my text?”

“What text?”

“The one I sent you, you know, where I told you I was going to be in Seoul for a few months.”

He sighs, does one more pull on my tie, then drops his hands. “My phone was confiscated. After that night in LA, my manager took it away. I was given a company phone a week later, with approved contacts. What did you say?”

“Guess you’ll never know.”

Now it’s his turn to frown.

I didn’t say anything that revealing, but I’ll let him stew in curiosity for once. Above us, the school bell rings.

“We better go,” I say.

“I’ll walk you to class.”

We exit the stairwell and head back down a now empty hall.

“I’m sorry,” Jaewoo says after taking a few steps, “for not texting you. I... wanted to.”

I study him out of the corner of my eye. His lips are pressed together, his expression conflicted.

“Why did you pretend like you didn’t know me earlier?” I ask.

“I didn’t want people to know we’ve met before. I trust my classmates, but rumors have started from less. If it was just me to consider...”

We reach the door to my classroom. Inside, I can see the figure of an adult at the podium. “Jenny,” Jaewoo stops me. “The thing is”—he watches me carefully, gauging my reaction—“wedon’t have to pretend we don’t know each other.”

“What do you mean?”

“When it’s just... you and me.”

“Like secret friends?”

He rubs the back of his neck. “I mean, when you put it that way, it sounds bad.”

I wonder if I should be offended. I mean normally I would be, but I’m sure he probably has more things in his life to consider than a friendship with some random girl from LA—hisreputation as an idol, for one.

“I get it,” I say. “Things aren’t exactly normal for you.”

“Yeah,” he says, a tentative smile on his lips.

Still,Idon’t have to agree to a secret friendship, not when I have people in my corner willing to be my friend, like Angela and Gi Taek. Even Nathaniel and Youngmin have been friendly, and in public too. What makes Jaewoo and my relationship so different? Is it because he’s the class president, the most popular member in the group, a “prince” in nickname and reputation?

Maybe it’s my hurt pride, but I have enough on my plate right now—adjusting to a new school,gettinginto a top music school of my choice. I don’t know if I want to put in the energy into figuring him out.

“As for being friends...” I step closer, and he leans in, almost instinctively. “I’ll think about it.”

His smile drops.

Reaching for the door of the classroom, I slide it back.

---