Cool With A "K" PART 29 - CHAPTER 24

A little later, I got on the bus and joined my friends,  sitting next to Alice and beaming.

Mouse leaned out of the seat across the aisle and said, "Well, someone's happy."

I grinned over the back of my seat at Chris and said, "Guess what, Chris? I just talked to Julien..."

Chris glanced up from the window and said softly, "Oh, what did he say?"

I snickered, "He likes me best, beotch!"

Chris knit his eyebrows and said, "What?"

"Julien loooves me!" I said, "He said so! What now? I won! I FINALLY WON!"

Chris shook his head, leaning against the window, "Tssk, whatever. He was playing you, you know."

I stopped celebrating and said, "Uh... What?"

Chris looked up at me and said flatly, "He was playing all of us, Angie. You, me, and Tae-Hyun. Julien didn't love any of us, he's just a stupid flirt."

Leo leaned over the front of my seat and said, "I told you he was an asshole."

"Look, Julien is not an asshole." I said, "He just told me he liked me all along, but he was too shy to ask me out so he asked Chris out instead."

Chris scoffed, "That's bulls--t."

"Geez, Chris." Mouse said, "Why are you all so bent out of shape over that kid?"

"Why are you so chipper?" Alice asked her.

Mouse grinned, "Because, Geoffry wants Chris back and he hasn't bugged me all week."

Chris' eyes softened slightly, then he caught me looking at him and shifted his gaze to the window.

Alice smirked and said, "Congratulations, Mouse."

Lester popped up from under my seat and sat next to Chris.

"Well," Lester said, "I guess that Julien guy's just a dust in the wind now."

Leo, Mouse, Alice, Chris and I all stared at him.

"What?" Alice said.

"You know, like the song." Lester said, "Dust in the Wind."

"Where did you just come from?" Leo asked him, confused.

Lester sighed a long, heavy sigh, "Leo, you should know this by now... Well, a mommy and daddy-"

"Wait wait wait! His mom hasn't told him yet!" Mouse cried.

Leo sneered at her, "Shut up, Mouse."

Chris said to Lester, "One would hope that Leo knows that. He meant why are you here? Do you even ride this bus?"

Lester looked around the bus and said, "I don't think so. I usually just get on a bus and get off somewhere. Then I go wherever my instincts take me. I can normally find my way home before it gets too dark."

Chris gave him the most hilarious, confused look I have ever seen.

"I... See." Alice said.

Lester looked around at us, then he slid back under the seat.

"Well," I said, "That was weird."

Mouse was leaning over toward Chris and telling him to kick Lester.

Leo shook his head, "So, as I was saying earlier, I told you guys to stay away from that Julien guy. All he did was wreck everything."

Mouse looked up, "Why do you still hate him? Your Asian girlfriend hates him now, so what's it to you?"

Leo wrinkled his nose, "I just hate him."

"It's because he's gay, isn't it?" Mouse said, joking, "What, did he kiss you?"

Alice and Leo glanced at each other and Leo said, "No."

"He totally did." Lester's voice came from under Chris' seat.

Chris gazed at Lester in terror as he emerged from his hiding place and sat by Chris.

"You can totally tell." Lester said, pointing accusingly at Leo, "He sounded all defensive when you said something that was clearly a joke."

"Oh, I wasn't joking." Mouse said flatly.

Lester said, "Don't joke about being gay, that's just nasty."

Mouse raised an eyebrow at Lester and he said defensively, "I'm not gay or anything."

With that, he was gone again.

We all turned our attention to Leo.

"So," I said, "Did he kiss you?"

"No!" Leo said, "Are you guys gonna believe Lester over me?"

Mouse shrugged, "He sorta has a point. You were pretty defensive."

"I'M NOT DEFENSIVE!" Leo cried.

Chris rolled his eyes and grumbled, "Oh my God..."

"Dude, that's so gross." Mouse said, "Even for you."

Leo said, cracking a grin, "I thought girls were supposed to think it was hot when two guys kiss."

"Not when one of them is you." I said, smirking.

"Thanks, Angela." Leo said sarcastically.

Chris, Mouse and I stared at him for a long, long time.

"So," Chris said, "Did he kiss you?"

Leo gritted his teeth and looked at Chris. Chris, Mouse, and I all leaned in toward him.

"Uh..." Leo said, lowering his voice, "Yeah, he did."

I gasped, "What?!"

Mouse started laughing out loud and Chris shrieked, "HE DID? HE ACTUALLY KISSED YOU???"

"Chris, shut up!" Leo hissed, glancing around at other kids on the bus. He explained to us that he was yelling at Julien about leaving Tae-Hyun alone, then Julien kissed Leo and said that he wasn't after her.

While I was still trying to absorb this story, I looked at Alice and said, "Hey, you've been really quiet."

"And you seem shockingly unsurprised." Chris said, "Were you there?"

"Well, I'm not surprised either and I just found out." Mouse said, shrugging.

Alice shook her head, "No, I wasn't there... Leo told me."

"Alice!" Leo said, covering his hands over his face with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry! But you did!" Alice said.

"Why did you tell Alice but not us?" I snapped.

Leo gave me a look and said, "Because, Angela, you and Chris would have gotten mad at me even though it wasn't my fault and Mouse would have told everybody."

He stopped talking. Slowly, the four of us looked at Mouse, who was beaming.

"Dude, no." I said, "You can't tell."

"Why not? I deserve to have fun, too." Mouse said, grinning away.

Chris snorted, "No you don't. You in no way deserve to have fun."

Mouse thought about that and said, "I guess you're right, but I can intimidate enough people to have fun anyway."

Alice and I cracked a grin.

Leo pointed at Mouse, "Don't. Tell."

Mouse leaned back against her window seat and said, "No promises."

"You better not tell!" Leo said.

The bus got to the stop where Alice, Chris, and I had to get off. We said goodbye and left Mouse tormenting Leo about Julien.

We stood on our bus stop and watched the bus pull away. Lester's face appeared in a window near the back of the bus and he stared at us until the bus turned a corner.

Alice, Chris, and I turned and walked down the street.

"I learn something new every day." Chris said, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, no kidding." Alice said.

I nodded, "It kind of sucks that everything Julien told us could've been a lie."

"Oh, it was all a lie." Chris said, "I'm positive."

Alice and I looked at him and I said, "Why so sure?"

Chris sighed patiently, "Because, I dated Geoffry for long enough to know when guys lie."

I said bitterly, "You didn't seem to know that when you were sucking Julien's face."

Chris looked at me tiredly and said, "Okay, fine, I didn't know then... I think I need a break."

"I think you do, too." Alice said, "Just give it a rest, be single like the rest of us."

I shot Alice a quick narrowed-eyed look, but she didn't notice.

"Well," I said, "I guess maybe we should forget about Julien now."

"Yeah." Chris said.

"I agree." Alice said, nodding.

So, having Julien at our school was fun while it lasted, but it was nice to have life back to how it usually was. Chris and Tae-Hyun went back to their usual dress and non-badass activities, Leo and Geoffry parted ways, and I tried to forget about Julien. Tae-Hyun was a little bummed out for a few days after he was gone, but she got over it pretty fast. Eventually I was able to let go of the memory of the day Julien Laurent told me that he liked me.

I wonder how long Chris will last before he finds another jackass boyfriend.

Cool With A "K" PART 29 - CHAPTER 23

On the way to the buses, I passed Julien's locker, where he was putting all of his things in his backpack.
I walked closer and said softly, "Julien?"
Julien looked up and smiled a little, "Oh, hello, Angela."
"What are you doing?" I asked him, leaning against another locker.
Julien sighed, looking at his backpack, "Leaving."
I raised my eyebrows at him, "Leaving? What?"
Julien turned to me and said, "Angela, I'm a temporary exchange student. I've stayed at Leo's house for four weeks and now I'm going back to France."
My eyes widened in surprise and Julien said, "Did you not know that?"
I shook my head, "No, I didn't."
"Oh..." Julien said, smiling, "I'm sorry, I should have told you."
Why should he have told me? I thought.
Julien twirled his finger in a strand of my hair for a second and said, "You were always so nice to me and look at how I repaid you."
Yeah, you kissed my brother. I wanted to say, but I didn't.
"You know," Julien said, "I really regret not talking to you more. I asked Chris out because... I was afraid to ask you."
My face flushed and my jaw dropped.
"Are you serious?" I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
Julien nodded, smiling shyly, "Yes, it's true. I know I should have talked to you, but I was embarrassed."
"Why?" I asked quietly.
"Because..." Julien said, "It can be hard to talk to pretty girls."
I was speechless. Was this actually happening?
Julien slung his bag over his shoulder and said, "Well, I should really go. It's always good to talk to you, Angela."
I blinked and said, "Wait, you have to go? Right now? Why right now?"
Julien smiled, "I have to get a good night's sleep so I can catch a plane in the morning... I'll see you around."
I nodded and said softly, "Goodbye, Julien."
Attacking me with those gorgeous brown eyes for one moment longer, Julien turned and walked toward the stairs. Then, he ran back to me and quickly kissed me on the cheek.
I gasped in surprise and Julien shot me a grin. Before I knew it, he was gone again.
I stood alone in the hallway for a moment, thinking about what had just happened, and a smiled to myself.




Wow, I thought dreamily, Julien likes me.

Cool With A "K" PART 29 - CHAPTER 22

Not much later on, Chris entered the lunchroom. He scanned the room until he saw Tae-Hyun in line to get her food.
Chris jogged over and stood next to Tae-Hyun in line. He said gently, "Tae-Hyun?"
She turned around and her expression darkened.
"Oh," Tae-Hyun said softly, "Hey, Chris."
"Can I... Talk to you about something?" Chris asked quietly.
Tae-Hyun studied him and said in a monotone, "Sure, anything, friend."
Chris nodded, "So... You know how you and I got together and decided that we would team up and see if we could get Julien to like either of us?"
"Yes..." Tae-Hyun said, involuntarily clenching her teeth. Chris noticed the gesture and swallowed nervously.
"Well..." Chris said, pulling at his collar, "Um... So..."
Tae-Hyun waited for him to finish and the lunch lady scooped a gooey orangish substance onto Tae-Hyun's lunch tray with a wet plop!
"Um..." Chris continued, "Julien asked me out."
"I know." Tae-Hyun said, looking anywhere but Chris' face.
Chris winced and said, embarrassed, "You do?"
Tae-Hyun nodded silently, focusing on her lunch tray.
"So..." Chris said, "Do you know what else happened?"
There was a pause; Tae-Hyun turned her gaze to Chris' and answered, "No..."
Chris closed his eyes, almost wishing someone had already told her.
"Oh..." He said, "Okay."
Tae-Hyun stared at Chris intensely and they got out of the lunch line.
Chris looked at his friend and said sincerely, "Tae-Hyun... I'm not sure how much you'll want to hear about this, but you should know... That Julien and I kissed on Sunday."
Tae-Hyun's face cleared of emotion and she stared at Chris for a long, long time. Chris stared back at her guiltily, forcing himself to not look away.
Tae-Hyun finally dropped Chris' gaze and sighed tiredly.
"You know what?" She said, "I just don't know what I should do... I feel like I want to be angry at you, but I don't think you are the problem."
Chris looked puzzled and asked, "What is the problem?"
Tae-Hyun sighed again, "Julien."
"Really?" Chris said, surprised, "How so?"
"Yes..." Tae-Hyun said, looking at Chris, "What do you say we try to forget about him?"
Chris' shoulders sagged and he replied hesitantly, "Well... I... I don't know if I can just like that. I mean, he says he really likes me-"
"And maybe he does," Tae-Hyun said, "But he was using me for sure. It turns out that Julien doesn't like girls like that... He's like you."
Chris sighed, trying to figure out what to do. Suddenly, Geoffry came into his mind and Chris remembered what had happened earlier that day.
"God... I just don't know." Chris said, running his fingers through his bangs, "Why does everything have to be so hard?"
"Not anymooore." Geoffry suddenly walked by, his head in the air haughtily.
Chris and Tae-Hyun turned to look at him. Geoffry stopped in front of them, his arm around Lester's shoulders.
"That's right, Chris, you heard me." Geoffry said snottily, "I am not attracted to you anymore. I have a new boy toy and he is much better than you."
"Wait, wait, wait, did you just say boy toy?" Lester said, "Woah, man, I dunno if I'm cool with that. I'm definitely not gay or anything, only loser people are gay."
Lester addressed Chris, "Sorry, man. Nothing personal, I just gotta hang around with the cool crowd, ya know?"
Chris crossed his arms and said, "Fine, Geoffry, hang out with Lester and see what I care. I don't care!... Plus, Lester clearly has no sex appeal."
Lester looked offended and claimed, "Hey, man, I got plenty of sex appeal. Have you seen my six pack?"
Chris covered his eyes with his hand and said, "Lester, no one wants to see that."
"Why do you hurt me so, Chris? I thought we were friends!" Lester cried. He got away from Geoffry's grip and ran across the lunchroom.
Chris sighed heavily and Tae-Hyun watched Lester in wonder.
"What..." She said, "Was that?"
Chris said tiredly, "That was Lester. You've probably seen him around, haven't you? He's kind of always... Just... There."
Tae-Hyun nodded, "Huh."
Geoffry sighed, "Well... That was fun while it lasted."
The three of them stood around for a moment longer. Then, Geoffry turned to Chris and said quietly, "So, do you wanna get together this weekend?"
Disgusted, Chris shoved Geoffry away and said, "Ew, you are such an ass."
"Come on, Chris, please?" Geoffry said.
"No!" Chris cried, "You are unbelievable! After what you did to Alice I will never take you back! Never, Geoffry!"
"Oh..." Geoffry said, "So, that's why you're mad?"
"Yes, that's why I'm mad! Along with a million other reasons called your personality!" Chris said, "Now leave me alone!"
Chris and Tae-Hyun walked away and Geoffry sighed heavily. He said quietly to himself, "Alrighty, Geoffry, you've got to stay away from Chris now, alright? It's for your own good... My own good."
But for some reason, he just could not bring himself to do that.
Then, Geoffry realized something.
If I can't get his attention by getting him to love me, Geoffry thought, Then maybe I can get him to hate me.
Geoffry paused.
He already sort of hates me. Geoffry thought, 




But I can do better than that.

Cool With A "K" PART 29 - CHAPTER 21

Tae-Hyun cautiously watched Julien from around a corner in the hallway. She wanted to punch him, but at the same time she didn't want to hurt him.
Tae-Hyun sighed and walked over to Julien. "Julien,"
He turned around and smiled pleasantly, "Oh, hi, Tae-Hyun. How are you?"
She stared at him angrily, trying to decide what to say.
Julien's smiled faded and he asked, "Is... Something wrong?"
"How could you do that to me, Julien?" Tae-Hyun asked softly, her voice trembling, "How could you ask my friend Chris out on a date? I thought..."
Julien's shoulders sagged slightly and he let out a breath, "Oh... I see."
Tae-Hyun stared intensely at Julien, trying to get every ounce of the betrayal she felt into her glare.
"Um..." Julien said, scratching his head, "It did kind of come off as something like that, didn't it?"
"Why would you flirt with me if..." Tae-Hyun said. Then, a lightbulb flickered on in her head. She pointed accusingly at Julien and cried, "You're like Chris! You don't even like girls, do you?"
"Uh, Tae-Hyun-" Julien said, holding up his hands defensively.
"You made me think you liked me when I never even have a chance with you!" Tae-Hyun snapped, still pointing, "You're gay, aren't you?"
"Shh, could you please keep it down?" Julien said awkwardly.
"You were doing it on purpose, weren't you?" Tae-Hyun snapped, "Why?!"
Julien sighed heavily and pressed his fingers to his forehead. "Tae-Hyun..."
Looking at Tae-Hyun, he lowered his voice, "Yes, I am gay, and have you seen how gay kids are treated at this high school?"
Tae-Hyun blinked back tears and Julien said, "I may not be interested in girls, but they love me. Why would I resist their attention and popularity so I could be made fun of and given swirlies?"
Tae-Hyun scowled at Julien. He put a hand on her shoulder and said, "So, Tae-Hyun, sweetheart, please understand that I mean no harm. There of tons of girls like you out there."
Tae-Hyun shoved his hand off her shoulder and Julien retracted, clearly surprised.
Julien smiled warmly and said, "Come on... Don't get mad. I get how you feel."
"You're a jerk." Tae-Hyun said, tears filling her eyes.
Julien chuckled and leaned against the wall, giving Tae-Hyun a charming smile. "Plus, who wouldn't want to hang out with you? You're nice."
"Isn't what you did to me just like using someone?" Tae-Hyun said.
Julien's jaw tightened and he said, "No..."
Tae-Hyun shook her head, "You knew what you were doing all along, but I thought, I thought..."
Julien raised his eyebrows and asked curtly, "You thought what?"
Tae-Hyun scowled again. "Now you are disrespecting me, which is not okay with me."
"Tae-Hyun, that's not..." Julien said, but Tae-Hyun stormed away before he could finish.
I did not suspect Julien to be like this. Tae-Hyun thought, I thought he was kind, but he is disrespectful toward me.
As angry as she was, Tae-Hyun could feel her heart break a little more when she thought this.
I thought I knew Julien... She thought.




But I guess I was wrong.

Cool With A "K" PART 29 - CHAPTER 20

Leo stormed through the study hall door and into the hallway, trying to walk and angrily as possible.
I joined him and said, "I wish my brother was normal."
"Normal as in not attracted to men?" Leo suggested, "Or normal as in not an a--hole?"
"Both." I answered, "He is such a jerk."
Soon, Geoffry joined us in our walk and said perkily, "So, what are you guys talking about?"
We both looked at him and said, "Chris."
Geoffry nodded, "Okay, what about him?"
Leo and I glanced at each other; he really didn't know.
"No one told you?" I asked Geoffry, keeping a snarl in my voice.
Geoffry shook his head and I sighed, "Chris went out with Julien."
I nodded and agreed, "Yeah, and he kissed him."
Geoffry raised his eyebrows in surprise and exclaimed, "What?! That traitor!"
"I know!" Leo said, "That kid is really pissing me off."
"What do you say we all kick his ass?" I said.
Leo nodded, "I'm in!"
Leo and I started to walk faster and Geoffry grabbed the back of our collars.
"Woah, woah, woah." He said.
"What?!" I cried, annoyed that Geoffry was getting in the way again.
Geoffry gave us both a look and said, "I can take care of this."
I sighed in disappointment and Leo said quietly to me, "Let him go, Ange. He's in this, too."
"How?" I hissed back, "How is Geoffry involved?"
Leo shrugged and said softly, "He and I are kinda friends. We both want Julien out of here and our exes back. He stood up for me before and I sort of owe him one."
I scowled and sighed again loudly, "Fine."
Leo and I watched Geoffry storm down the hallway to look for Chris.


Chris walked down the hallway, on his way to the lunchroom, with a cheerful grin on his face.
Geoffry came up behind him and turned him around, "Hey! Chris!"
Surprised, Chris said, "What?"
"You are such a jerk!" Geoffry scolded Chris, "Why would you go out with that Julien guy?"
Chris gasped, looking offended, and said, "Why should you care?"
"Because, Chris, that's not fair." Geoffry said.
Chris crossed his arms and snapped, "Since when do you know what is and isn't fair? What did I do that made that unfair?"
Geoffry ground his teeth together, trying to figure out what to say. "Because I hate him! You kissed him and that is just wrong!"
"Oh, please!" Chris cried bitterly, "Remember when you made out with Mouse at Leo's house? How is that any different?"
Geoffry snorted, "It's different because she's your friend."
Chris huffed, "My friend? She beats me up and bullies me every day. Stop being so freaking hypocritical! Who I go out with and who I kiss is my business, not yours, Geoffry!"
Geoffry studied Chris hesitantly, then he took Chris' head in his hands and swiftly smooched him on the lips.
Chris gave Geoffry a forceful shove and gasped, gawking at him in shock.
Geoffry breathed in and out helplessly and said, "I love you."
Chris drew his hand to his mouth, looking like he was thinking. Slowly, he looked back up at Geoffry and said very softly, "Don't waste your time."
"Why?" Geoffry asked, his voice wavering.
Chris' jaw tightened and he said, "Because I don't love you back."
Geoffry's shoulders sagged and Chris stormed off down the hallway.
Geoffry stood there for a while, biting his lip and thinking, Well, that went worse than I thought it would... Should I go after him?
"Chris, wait." Geoffry called down the hall, jogging toward where Chris had turned the corner.
Chris turned around and said sharply, "What do you want now?"
"I love you, Chris. I want you back." Geoffry said pathetically.
Chris gave him a stern look and said curtly, "I thought you were head-over-heels in love with Mouse? Why don't you chase after her? That might teach you a lesson or two about invading peoples' space."
Geoffry shook his head and said quietly, "Come on, I never said I was in love with her..."
Chris grimaced and exclaimed in disgust, "Oh, God, are you? I was exaggerating, but you really are?"
Geoffry looked down at his feet awkwardly and Chris scoffed, "Why would you go after another partner when you can't even handle one? I can't believe you, Geoffry. You are so selfish and ignorant. You have no sense of what's right and wrong and you need to realize that if you keep screwing everyone over then you're going to end up alone!""
"Stop it, Chris, just stop!" Geoffry hollered. He looked Chris in the eyes, "Why are you attacking me like that? Seriously, it's not like you're any better of a person than I am. Yeah, Chris, I've messed up before, but you make me feel terrible about myself."
Chris raised his eyebrows, irritated, and Geoffry continued, raising his voice, "You nag at me all the time about what a bad person I am, but you're not all that either. You're snobby, you're selfish, you never stop to think about what you could be doing to other people. I have feelings to, you know."
Chris opened his mouth to speak, but Geoffry cut in, "You know, maybe I should just give up on you. You're not that great anyway."
Chris' eyelids fluttered and he stared at Geoffry, who was studying him seriously. Geoffry's eyebrows were knit and his eyes were angry and tired.
Geoffry spun around and stormed down the hallway, leaving Chris standing alone.
As Geoffry turned the corner, he wiped his eyes and realized that he had started crying. He covered his face in shame and sniffed quietly.
"Stupid Chris." Geoffry said into his hands, 


"Stupid, stupid Chris."

Cool With A "K" PART 29 - CHAPTER 19

Chris walked down the hallway at school in his ripped up jeans and a black t-shirt with the name of some punk band on it, beaming like he owned the world. Every person he passed, he gave a distracted, dreamy smile. The person always either smiled back or gave him an awkward, confused look.
Chris sat down next to me in homeroom and I scowled hatefully at him. He turned his lovestruck grin over to me and said, "Yeeees, Angie?"
I scowled more and said, "You... Are the worst brother ever."
"Why?" Chris asked, laughing, "I think I'm wonderful. You know who else thinks I'm wonderful?"
Chris paused and, seeing that my expression didn't change and I wasn't going to guess who he was talking about, he squealed, "Juuuulieeen!"
Chris sighed, dazed, and said, "Ohh, he's so beautiful. I'm pretty sure I'm actually in love with him. He's so cool and smart and handsome..."
"I hate you so much!" I said, "Just look at you. You never let me have a guy that I like, and you're my brother! That's not fair!"
"He just likes me best, it's not my fault." Chris said, twirling his pencil around on his desk.
I glared at Chris and turned away, arms crossed, until the bell rang for first hour.


Leo sat down across from Chris in English, watching him in irritation.
Chris was oblivious to Leo's dirty look, dazed and somewhere else.
"So, Chris, how was your date with Julien?" Leo asked, his tone firm.
"Oh, it was fine." Chris said, looking at his nails, "We had dinner, we talked, we made out a little bit."
Leo's eyes got wide and slammed his hands down on the table, startling Chris.
"You what?" Leo exclaimed.
"Nothing! I mean, he kissed me, but why should you care?" Chris asked, surprised.
Leo slitted his eyes and said, "Chris, that is so not cool."
"Why? It's not like it's any of your business." Chris said, pouting.
Leo glared at Chris and said, trying to think of something smart to say, "Chris... Julien lives with me and I am very uncomfortable with you dating him."
Chris huffed, irritated, and said, "Geez, mother, you don't need to freak out on me. I like him and he asked me out. Why would I say no?"
Unable to come up with anything else to say, Leo sat down and said quietly, "Okay... I'm sorry. It's not my business, but it makes me uncomfortable."
"Okay, I'm sorry for upsetting you." Chris said in soft tone, a little bit defensively.
Leo crossed his arms and sighed, "Julien's just messing everything up..."


In fourth hour, French, Tae-Hyun gazed absent-mindedly at her notebook, doodling hearts and pretty flowers all over the page. She sighed shyly, thinking about Julien.
Does he really like me? Tae-Hyun thought, It seems like he does. He talks to me a lot and he's nice and he smiles at me...
Alice sat down by her and said, "Hi, Tae-Hyun."
Tae-Hyun blinked and said, "Oh, hi, Alice. What's up?"
"Ah, nothing big, I guess..." Alice said, sighing.
"Are you sure?" Tae-Hyun asked, concerned.
Alice shrugged, "Well, I mean Chris has been acting kind of weird ever since his date with Julien."
There was a silence and Alice held her breath, slowly looking over at Tae-Hyun.
Tae-Hyun stared at Alice and her eyes got wide, looking hurt.
"You... Didn't know about that, did you?" Alice asked slowly.
Tae-Hyun shook her head; She looked like she was going to cry.
"Honey..." Alice said, putting her hand on Tae-Hyun's shoulder. Tae-Hyun shrugged it off and turned away, her feathery hair hanging in her face.
Alice felt bad and wanted to make Tae-Hyun feel better. She suggested gently, "Is there anything I can do?"
Tae-Hyun sniffed and wordlessly shook her head.
Alice gave her one last pitiful look and said, "I'm sorry."
She turned back around in her desk and waited for class to begin.
Chris walked into class and sat down. He turned around in his seat and said to Alice and Tae-Hyun, "Hey... Guys..."
Alice gave him a hopeless look and Chris said slowly, "Is... Everything okay?"
Tae-Hyun wouldn't look at Chris and her eyes moistened.
Chris gave Alice a nervous look and said in a low voice, "Did you tell her already?"
"I'm sorry, Chris. I didn't know that she didn't know." Alice said quietly.
Chris paused and studied Tae-Hyun, looking worried. He bit his lip and said, "It's okay. That's not your fault."
Alice nodded and relaxed a little.
Chris looked guiltily at Tae-Hyun while she stared into space, her eyelids fluttering, holding back tears.


French class was finally let out and Tae-Hyun stood up shakily. She shuffled out of the classroom and into the hallway. Every person who bumped into her felt like a harsh club to her well-being.
Tae-Hyun paused by a wall and looked down at her clothes. She had on her new Ellegarden shirt and a short leathery skirt.
Just an hour ago, these clothes made me feel good about myself, as if I was accomplishing something. Tae-Hyun thought, As if I was winning Julien's heart... But I was wrong. These are just clothes and they do not go with me.
A tear went down Tae-Hyun's cheek and she shuddered.
"Pull yourself together." Tae-Hyun said aloud, moving leisurely toward her locker.
There was almost no one else in the hallway and Tae-Hyun could hear every sound she made echo emptily. Tae-Hyun pulled her books out of her locker and walked to math, feeling weak and sad.




Julien didn't love her.

Cool With A "K" PART 29 - CHAPTER 18

"This food is great." Julien said, smiling politely at Chris, "Did you make it?"
Chris chuckled, "I wish I could take credit, but no. My mom loves when I have people over, so she agreed to make dinner. I'm not a cook, I can only bake."
Julien and Chris were sitting at the table in the living room at Chris' house for their date.
"You bake?" Julien asked, laughing, "That's adorable."
Chris raised an eyebrow at him and laughed, "Adorable? How is that adorable?"
Julien shrugged and answered, "I don't know, it just is. I don't know many guys our age who can bake."
Chris smiled dreamily at him and said, "Cool."
"Yeah..." Julien said quietly, gazing at Chris, "Cool."
They sat, smiling warmly at each other, for a long time.


I walked up the path to my house and opened the front door, only to find Chris and Julien sitting at the table in the living room!
"So," Julien began, "How-"
He stopped talking and he and Chris turned to look at me.
I stopped dead in my tracks, my bag slung over my shoulder and my eyes wide.
Chris stared at me for just a second longer and I knew he was up to something.
"Oh... Hi, Angie." He said, "I thought you had tutoring with Jenny tonight?"
What, haven't you ever gotten an F in math class?
"Yeah, I did, but she bagged on me." I said suspiciously, closing the door, "What's going on?"
Chris and Julien stared intensely at me and Julien said, "I just... Thought I'd stop by. W-we're having dinner."
I tossed my bag on the couch and glared at them, "I can see that... Mind if I join you?"
Julien and Chris exchanged a look and Chris said to me, "Oh, you really don't need to do that..."
"Sure." Julien said.
Chris looked at him again and Julien said in a low voice, "We shouldn't be rude. Come on, just let her eat with us for a moment. She's your sister and she just got home."
Chris glowered at me for a second, then gave Julien a longing look and sighed, "Sure, Ange. Go ahead, sit down."
"Cool!" I said, grinning. I sat down at the end of the square table not facing the wall, in between Chris and Julien. They looked at me awkwardly, then at each other.
I put my chin in one hand and gestured to them with the other, "Go on, keep talking, I don't care."
They can talk, I don't care. I can still stare at Julien and his beautiful face when he's talking.
Chris nodded and said to Julien, "So... How have you been?"
"Great, excellent." Julien said, "It's really cool going to school in America. Everyone's been so nice to me, too."
"Yeah, I can see why." I said, beaming dreamily at Julien.
Chris scowled at me and Julien looked like he was trying to hide a grin.
I shook my head, "Sorry, sorry. I'm not here."
Chris sighed impatiently and smiled tightly at Julien, "So, yeah, that's really good to hear. I'm glad you're enjoying your time here."
"Yeah..." Julien said, smiling warmly, "Totally."
I looked at Julien, then at Chris, and butted in, "So, what's for dinner?"
Chris scowled grimly at me and let out a long, slow sigh, like he was about to blow a fuse.
"Hey, Ange." Chris said.
"Yeah?" I said, smiling.
"May I speak with you alone for a minute?" Chris said, clenching his teeth.
I nodded, "Totally, bro. What about?"
Chris looked at Julien and said sheepishly, "Would you mind?"
Julien shook his head, standing up, "No, not at all."
"I'm sorry." Chris whispered to Julien as he walked to the hall.
Julien smiled kindly at him and left the room.
Chris folded his hands on the table and scowled at me. I beamed perkily and said, "So, whadaya wanna talk about?"
"Why are you here?" Chris asked sharply.
I scoffed, "Uh, 'cause it's my house."
Chris shook his head, slitting his eyes suspiciously, "No, you're not supposed to be here. You were supposed to be gone and now you're here and I told you I was going to be busy tonight!"
"Come on, it's just Julien. Why shouldn't I be..." I said, my smile fading. A lightbulb flickered on in my head and my heart sank with the feeling of betrayal.
I pointed accusingly at Chris, lowering my voice to a threatening hiss.
"Wait..." I said, "You and- you and him?? You're on a date with him, aren't you?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am!" Chris hissed back, annoyed, "Now, if you would please find somewhere else to be right now, I would greatly appreciate it. Just, go to Leo's or Alice's house or something."
I glared at him, "You traitor."
Chris folded his arms across his chest and said, "I would like you to leave now, Angela."
Still scowling my very best scowl, I grated my chair back and it squeaked loudly on the wooden floor.
Chris gave me a dirty look and as I went to the door, he said, "Oh, and by the way..."
I turned around and said sharply, "What?"
Chris sneered at me and said, "He asked me out on this date."
I glowered at him and went out the front door, slamming it rudely behind me.
Chris sighed tiredly and rubbed his temples. He got up and walked down the hall to find Julien, who was leaning against the wall.
He looks so cool. Chris thought, blushing.
"I'm so sorry about that." He said to Julien, embarrassed.
Julien smiled understandingly, "It's alright. I have an older sister, too. I know what it feels like."
Smiling back, Chris leaned against the opposite wall across from Julien and said, "Good. I'm glad you understand."
Beaming, Julien brushed the side of Chris' cheek with one finger and said, more to himself than to Chris, "You're amazing, why would that Geoffry guy break up with you?"
Chris' face fell and he said softly, "Oh, um, he didn't. I dumped him... He's just a jerk."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Julien said, "I didn't mean..."
"I know, I know." Chris said, smiling a little, "It's fine. I'm over Geoffry now."
Julien grinned and said, "Good."
Chris' cheeks turned pink and he smiled happily. 
Julien took a generous step toward Chris, who stared at him in anticipation. A tingle went down Chris' spine as Julien ran his fingers through Chris' hair.
"Julien?" Chris asked quietly.
"Hm?" Julien said, gazing at him.
Chris bit his lip bashfully and said, "So... I just don't get why you like me."
Julien smiled and said, "I think you're very sweet."
A little bit embarrassed, Chris said quietly, "Well, I know, you said that, but it's not like I've been nice."
"What are you talking about? You've been extremely nice around me." Julien said, smiling.
Chris didn't exactly think this was true, but before he could object, Julien pressed his lips to Chris'.
Surprised but overjoyed, Chris took hold of Julien's collar and kissed him ardently.
Seeing that Chris was going with the kiss, Julien shifted his hand to Chris' neck and turned his head to an angle.
Julien slowly stood back, his hands on the wall on either side of Chris, and he stared dreamily at Chris.
Chris stared back, blushing, and a grin spread across his face. He kissed Julien again and Julien pushed him to the wall, sliding his hands around Chris' lower back.
As this miraculous event was happening, two thoughts were going through Chris' head:
Well, this date turned out to be a lot more awesome than I thought it would be. And:




God, I really hope Angie doesn't come back home soon.

Cool With A "K" PART 29 - CHAPTER 17

Tae-Hyun laid a red Ellegarden t-shirt and a box of safety pins down on her wooden living room floor and smoothed out the shirt.
Kyung-Sam came into the room and studied his sister. He slowly sat down on the couch and opened a bag of chips, turning on the TV. He tried to watch for a while before he leaned down over Tae-Hyun and said, "Hey, sis."
"Yes, Oppa?" Tae-Hyun said, not looking up from her shirt.
Kyung-Sam looked her up and down and asked, "So, what's the deal with these clothes? You finally realized you're a girl?"
Tae-Hyun sighed and said, "I know I'm a girl, Kyung! I just... Well..."
Kyung-Sam smirked and teased his little sister, "New guy?"
"Yeah, kind of..." Tae-Hyun said, blushing.
Kyung-Sam nodded with interest and grinned, shoving chips in his mouth.
Tae-Hyun brushed her hand across the shirt on the floor and said, smiling, "He likes this kind of clothing. Chris and I decided we would dress up like this so we could impress the boy."
Puzzled, Kyung-Sam chewed his chips and said, "You and who?"
"Chris, he's one of my friends." Tae-Hyun said, "He likes the same boy I like, but we agreed that we would work together to win his heart."
Kyung-Sam grinned and, taking a swig of soda, said, "Look at dongsaeng, she can't even get her own boyfriend. She has to share one with her gay friend."
"Oppa, no!" Tae-Hyun cried, blushing furiously, "It isn't like that at all. We did not want to start a battle, so we are sharing him."
Kyung-Sam snorted, "Battle? Geez, listen to you try to talk. You sound like an online translator, Min-Jung."
"Tae-Hyun." Tae-Hyun corrected him, pouting.
"Whatever." Kyung-Sam said, stuffing his hand into the chip bag, "Have fun with your art project."
Tae-Hyun rolled her eyes and said, "Can I have the scissors?"
Kyung-Sam handed her the scissors and snickered, "Yes, you may have the scissors."
He pronounced the 'c' in 'scissors'.
Tae-Hyun scowled and went on with her project. She thought of Julien and smiled, thinking to herself, I think our plan is working.




Julien is in love with me.

Cool With A "K" PART 29 - CHAPTER 16

Chris walked to the bus with his shoulders slumped and his head hung.
Of course Julien picked Tae-Hyun. She's a girl and he's a boy, that's how it goes most of the time. Chris thought glumly, I can't expect that whoever I like will like me back...
Chris sighed wistfully and he heard someone call to him, "Hey, Chris! Wait up!"
Chris' breath shorted out as Julien came up behind him and put his hand on Chris' shoulder.
"Oh... H-hi, Julien. What's up?" Chris said, nervously brushing his hair out of his face.
"I just wanted to ask you something." Julien said, smiling warmly.
Chris' heart felt like it was melting. He stared dreamily at Julien and said, "Uh-huh?"
Julien chuckled shyly and said, "I just wanted to know... How would you like to have dinner together sometime?"
Chris' eyes grew wide and he stopped breathing for a moment.
"If I'd like to... What?" He asked quietly.
Julien chuckled again and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you... I'm sorry, I heard from someone that you were gay too, and I think you're really sweet..."
"W-wait, y-you heard that- gay too?? You're gay?" Chris cried.
Julien held out his hands and made a 'down' motion, "A little quieter, please."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Chris said, trying to contain himself, "So... You... Really want to go out with me?"
Julien smiled and said charmingly, "I would love to go out with you."
Chris laughed nervously and said, "Uh... Okay! T-that would be great!"
"Awesome." Julien said with another grin, "Where would you like to go?"
"We can go to my house." Chris said, blushing, "... I-if that's okay with you."
Julien nodded, "That would be lovely. I would have been a gentleman and invited you to my place, but 'my place' is currently Leo's house and I'm sure Jessica wouldn't be happy if..."
Julien's voice trailed off.
"Yeah..." Chris said, but he didn't really know what Julien was going to say.
"Cool." Julien said, "So... See you Sunday? Your place?"
Chris nodded and said, dazed, "How's noon?"
Julien made a face and said politely, "Hm... I was thinking of it as more of a nighttime thing."
Chris nodded again, "Oh, totally. What about 7:00?"
"Perfect." Julien said. He passed Chris one last breathtaking smile before he turned and left.
Chris squealed with excitement and ran all the way to his bus. He sat down next to Alice and she studied him.
"Why are you so chipper?" Alice laughed.
Chris looked at her, beaming and said in a low but excited voice, "Julien just asked me out on a date!"
Alice's eyes widened and her face fell. So did Chris', and he said softly, "What's wrong? Aren't you happy for me? Do you like him too? I'm sorry, Alice."
"No, no, I don't like him like that. Congratulations." Alice said, smiling weakly.
Chris raised an eyebrow at her and she said, "Really, Chris. Everything is fine."
Chris nodded slowly and turned his attention to his daydreams.
Alice sighed and said under her breath, "This could be bad. I need to tell Leo about this."


Leo lied on his bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking. Then, his cellphone rang and he answered it, "Hello?"
"Leo? It's Alice." Alice's voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Yeah, hey." Leo said, "What's up?"
"I think we have a problem." She said.
Leo knit his eyebrows and said, "What? What kind of problem?"
Alice hesitated for a moment before answering, "Julien asked Chris out on a date today. He told me on the bus."
Leo smacked his hand that wasn't holding his phone to his forehead and said, "What?! When is it?"
"Saturday at Chris and Angie's house." Alice said.
"No, no, no, no, this is so bad." Leo said, "He can't go out with-"
Leo stuck his head out in the hall and looked around for his mother or Julien or Mouse.
"He can't go out with Chris." Leo said in a low voice.
"Well... Why not?" Alice said, sitting on her bed, "Would it really be that bad? I mean, if Julien really is gay, then shouldn't we be happy for Chris?"
"Well, no. I mean, I don't know!" Leo said, rubbing his brow with one hand, "I just feel like this could end really badly."
Then, Leo gasped and said, "Alice..."
"What? What is it?" Alice asked.
Leo sighed, "Tae-Hyun... What are we gonna do about her? She still thinks Julien's in love with her."
"Oh..." Alice said slowly, "I guess that could be a problem."
Leo groaned and sat down by his desk, "Crap. Why did I have to get myself into this? Stupid exchange student program."
"Leo," Alice said gently, "You didn't know this would happen. Are you at all happy that you've gotten to know Julien?"
"No." Leo said flatly.
"Come on, Leo. He's still nice whether you're jealous of him or not." Alice said.
Leo clenched his teeth and said, "I am not jealous of him."
Alice smirked a little and said, "Okay, then. What upsets you about him?"
"He kissed me, Alice!" Leo hissed in a whisper, "He's a guy who is staying at my house and he kissed me, on the lips. That's a really big deal if you're a guy."
Alice nodded and said, "Okay, okay, sorry. But, you're also jealous that Tae-Hyun likes him so much. You can't deny that."
Leo scowled and gritted his teeth, "No..."
"Whatever." Alice said, "I'm just... Are you sure we absolutely must do something about this?"
Leo pursed his lips and said, "Fine. Whatever, you can just ignore the fact that this guy is gonna take over the world as we know it! He's gonna wreck everything!"
"Uh-huh..." Alice sighed, "Okay, I'll talk to you later, Leo. Try to get some sleep."
"But, Alice-" Leo said, "Wait wait wait wait wait wait!"
"What, Leo, what?" Alice cried.
"Can you talk to Chris about Julien?" Leo said, rubbing his brow, "The last person I want to talk to right now is him... And Julien."
Alice sighed, "Okay, fine, I'll talk to him. Bye, now."
Leo grumbled, "Bye, Alice."
He put his phone in his pocket and groaned, "Craaaap, what do I do?"


Alice set down her phone and got up from her bed. She opened the door to find her mother standing in the doorway, arms crossed.
Alice sighed and asked quietly, "Why were you standing by my door, mother?"
Alice's mother pursed her lips and, tapping her fingers, said, "Don't be a sas with me."
She stepped toward Alice menacingly and hissed, "Who were you talking to?"
"My friend Leo." Alice said, leaning away slightly, "You know him."
"Yes..." Alice's mother said, squinting suspiciously at her daughter, "Who's Julien?"
"He's just this transfer student who's staying with Leo for a few weeks." Alice said, raising an eyebrow at her mother, "Through school."
Her mother sat down on Alice's bed and said, "So... Chris is interested in him?... Sexually?"
"Mother..." Alice said quietly, "Why were you listening?"
"Why are you so defensive?" Her mother snapped.
"I'm... Not." Alice answered, "My conversation with my friend is none of your business."
Alice's mother gasped in shock and said, "Alice! How dare you refer to yourself more than once in your sentence! That is so rude!"
Alice's jaw tightened and she studied her mother. Then, Alice did what she knew would upset her mother.
She hugged her mother around the waist and pressed her head onto her chest.
Alice's mother gasped and said, "Alice, stop this at once!"
Alice gave her another squeeze and ran away down the hall.
Alice's mother scowled and brushed off her dress, sighing angrily.




"Some children just never grow up."