[Story] Dreams- 12/13- Chapter 7&8 Up

[Nikki]

Uh. Yeah. Story. *cough*fanfic*cough* Well now, while i get all set up, look at the pretty title picture! wh00t!

What i want you to do as you read this; Warn me when i'm getting a bit Mary-Sue plzkthx, Help with errors, etcetera, etcetera...Yeah. I want to do a good job on this for some reason.

What is this story about? Well for one it's a fanfic about my favorite band ( Super Junior ) from Korea. Contrary to popular belief, the members actually do know some fairly good english, i just kind of stepped it up a bit. The main character is a mix of a few of my other OC's with my favorite name in the world. Uhhh...more as more chapters go on i guess.

[Nikki]

Chapter 1: Sweet Dreams

Another boring day of school finished. Boring classes long forgotten and taunting remarks pushed away. The ride home uneventful as always and as soon as she got home she made a dash for solitude, to her room.
Turning on her laptop, Ozzie expected nothing out of the ordinary. A below-average high-school student on the verge of graduating, she was fumbling with her bag when her screen flashed with an excited MSN IM. Rolling her eyes, she made her way to the bathroom to wash her face. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she sighed. "Gaining weight again, Ozz? No wonder Justin left you..." As she spoke, she splashed her face with water, giving an annoyed huff as her laptop exploded with IM sounds.
Back in her bedroom, Pink pajama pants and all, she brought up the IM window...and got a very unexpected surprise.

Sharpii: OZZ!!! OZZIE!! Thank god you're home! I'm gonna explode here! 0x0
Sharpii: GUESS WHAT!!! 8D
Sharpii...Ozzie? >>
Sharpii: Heeeelllllooooo~
Sharpii....WTH did you go? D<
Raptor: Sorry Rini went to wash my face ^^;
Sharpii: Oh. XD
Raptor: Justin broke up with me today... u.u
Sharpii: Who'd he ditch you for this time? =/
Raptor: Some hobag...>>
Sharpii: Awww I'm sorry luv ; ^;
Raptor: I'll get over it. I need to lose weight. =.=
Sharpii: You're fine the way you are, Ozz. =3
Sharpii: OH! RIGHT! MY BIG NEWS! 8D
Raptor: Big news? o.0
Sharpii: Okokokok guess what! 8D
Raptor: you're engaged? 0.o
Sharpii: NO! Better than that! >D
Raptor: no clue. Tell me? =3
Sharpii: Okay #1, pack your bags. >
Sharpii: #2...WE'RE GOING TO SEE SUJU!!! 8DDDD
Raptor: Why? 0.0
Raptor: WHAT!?!?!?! 0_______________________0

Ozzie nearly fainted at the sight. See Super Junior? How? Why? When? Her friend Rini answered all her questions, and before logging off...they both gave each other YouTube links, a tradition of theirs. Too stunned for words, Ozzie made her way down to the living room. She wanted to see them oh so badly. It had only been a year since she'd learned of them, but she knew a lot of things about them. She cried when they cried on their shows and they made her smile even when she was depressed. A chance to see them was...She'd trade anything in the world. After all, there wasn't much time left...
In the living room she found her parents, watching TV. Taking a deep, but silent, breath, she approached her mother first. Nothing happened except a command to get out of the way. At this point, she knew that all was hopeless. Her parents wouldn't allow it, especially since the person she would go with she'd only met on the internet. Sighing deeply, she went back to her room.
Flopping on her bed, she allowed herself to cry. She definitely wasn't SuJu's longest fan; neither was she probably their biggest. But she wanted to see them so badly that it hurt more than...
Shaking off those thoughts, she pondered what she would actually do when she met them. For one, she'd have to talk through Henry. The other members knew only minimal English to her knowledge, but she didn't really mind. After all, she could maybe learn a little bit of Korean and Chinese in a few days. Rini knew a few basic words so that would help a bit.
"Mrooooww?" Ozzie nearly jumped as her cat rubbed up against her leg. "Oh, it's only you, Heenim."
Heenim was an unusual cat. Most looking at her would wonder what laboratory she was sewed together in. One of her legs and few splotches on her body looked like orange tabby coloring, but the rest of her was gray tabby. One of her eyes was golden yellow, and the other was green. More than once Ozzie has had to turn down offers of buying her.
As a matter of fact, she was extremely lucky. Ozzie's mother was allergic to pet dander and had never wanted a cat. But after finding Heenim a few months ago as a stray kitten, Ozzie had been able to keep her on the condition she use her own money for the cats' needs. Heenim's name was a controversy in the household, as Ozzie's mother had wanted to name her 'Patches' and her dad, 'Rosie'. But being the SuJu fan Ozzie was, the cat's name became Heenim. But, refusing to call the cat by such a 'stupid name', she was known around the household as 'Nimmie'
The two had become inseparable in just a few months, and Heenim even got along very well with the family's toy poodle, Copper. Both were spoiled by their owner, and both were attached to her.
As Ozzie petted her cat, Copper joined them on the bed, curling up next to a pillow. Both Copper and Heenim were used to sleeping on Ozzie's bed, and she was happy to share it with them. They were her closest friends after all, the only ones who would listen to her problems. And the only ones who didn't tell her to turn down her music and stop singing so loudly in broken Korean.
Growling in agitation, she opened up her e-mail window and began to type up a letter to her friend.

Rini,

As much as I hate to say this, I can't go. My parents won't let me go with someone I met online to a different country obviously, and they don't want to pay for a plane ticket. Please find someone else to go with you, ok? They'll be more fun than me anyways. I won't be online tomorrow because I'm going job hunting so you can go ahead and write me back whenever. Please have fun and if you meet the members, tell Wookie and of course the others that I say 'HI!'
            
               Ozzie <3

After pressing the 'send' button, the computer was shut off and Ozzie snuggled into her bed, still fully-dressed. As she stroked Copper's head and adjusted so that Heenim rested comfortably between her neck and shoulder, she drifted into a deep sleep. Tomorrow could wait for now. Her dreams of dreams coming true were all that mattered now...It's all that would ever matter.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Okay, several points here.

Firstly, I'd suggest breaking up the paragraphs into either individual or groups, with a blank line between them. It makes it easier to read if there's some sort of space there - either that, or put a blank line between scene breaks, for example, when she heads out to the lounge to speak to her parents, or when she flounces back to her room.

Secondly, watch the tense. You've flicked back and forth between third person past tense and third person present; most of it is in the standard past tense, but, just as an example, "has had to turn down offers" is present tense.

Thirdly, in terms of allergies, if a cat is in the house, anyone with allergies will respond. The fur gets everywhere. And if the allergic reaction is to cats, chances are a toy poodle will trigger them just as well - although they're tricksy things, and it's possible that the dog would be fine. And then there's hypo-allergenic cats, but that's a whole other story...

Fourthly, I'd avoid the center tag; it makes it quite hard to read. Indenting, sure, but centering is not as helpful as you'd think. You may have to manually indent and break the lines for the IM conversation.

Fifthly, the second-to-last line of the IM appears to be in contradiction to the rest of the context; it paints Ozzie as "why go?" emo-like, whereas all the other lines are stating that she's ecstatic. You may wish to think about what you're doing with that...


I'd comment about learning "a little bit of Korean and Chinese in a few days" being just a fraction overoptimistic, but that can be taken as the character's optimism, and ignorance, rather than the authors...

And then there's the parents, who appear as cardboard-like. It's too early to tell if that's intentional or not.


Oh, and watch the capitalisation mid-sentence. Pink pyjama pants, and all. Other than that, and a few spelling differences, you're probably ok. But, as noted, it's early days yet.

[Nikki]

1. Alrighty i'll make sure to be doing that. It kind of bothered me too.

2. Crap. I think i oughta admit that i'm REALLY bad with staying with tenses but i'll try to be more...consistent with 'em.

3. Crud, i totally forgot about that. Could i maybe make the excuse that Mommy dearest is taking strong allergy medication?

4. Alrighty, i'll keep that in mind. Maybe instead of indenting, just italicize and make the font a different color or something?

5. Eeeeeeeek...I'm defiently gonna rethink that. Yikes, my bad.

6. Yeah that's basically her mindset. "Okay, online dictionary here i come! Okay, i can now say 'HI' in another language, i'm good to go!"

7. Mmmmm...i haven't exactly developed parents much...

8. Spelling. My enemy.

Thanks for the feedback =) I already have 1-4 written so you're probably going to find MAAAANY more errors. Hope they don't get aggrivating and 'rawr' and such.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

3. Crud, i totally forgot about that. Could i maybe make the excuse that Mommy dearest is taking strong allergy medication?

Allergy medication tends to be palliative, not curative. In other words, it treats the symptoms, and you get used to it over time.

Like, a new type each year, in many cases. Or so I understand.

4. Alrighty, i'll keep that in mind. Maybe instead of indenting, just italicize and make the font a different color or something?

You could. Be aware that not everyone uses the same theme you use, and as such, some colours show up better than others...

Thanks for the feedback =) I already have 1-4 written so you're probably going to find MAAAANY more errors. Hope they don't get aggrivating and 'rawr' and such.

*shrug* I figured you wanted commentary. I commented. Whether you fix the issues or not is over to you.

[Nikki]

Chapter 2: Bus Ride

            The massive crowd swayed side to side and the screams were deafening. The blue glow sticks waved to the music and as the 13 shadows appeared onstage through the smoke, the screams intensified. The music swelled and the voices rang through the arena harmoniously. Ozzie was fairly close to the stage, waving her own blue glow stick to the music and watching the dancing intently.

Led by Leeteuk they made their way down the stage, shaking the hands of those lucky enough to be that close. Her hand was shaken tenderly by Heechul, then by Leeteuk who dazzled her with his dimpled smile. Donghae was next, followed by Shindong. About as happy as she could be, Ozzie began to withdraw from the crowd before her hand was grabbed again. The grip was tight, and she was drawn a little closer to the stage. As she felt herself blush, his lips met her hand for a second. Hot from the blush, she didn't notice as all the members jumped off the stage to join the audience, including her hand's captor.

Next thing she knew, she was dancing with him, a bit clumsily, but led expertly. She forgot to blush and be nervous and embarrassed for a long time as she danced, until she was wrapped his warm embrace as the song ended. Then she blushed again and tried to make her way back to where she was, but was held tight. Looking up into his face and beautiful eyes, she dared not turn away as he leaned towards her slowly...

            "Ozzie, Sweetie, Wake up!" he said rather loudly. Blinking in surprise, Ozzie looked around. That voice was familiar...

            "OZZIE!!! WAKE UP!! YOU'RE GONNA BE LATE!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            -THUUUD- "MROWR!!!!"

            Blinking her eyes awake, Ozzie looked around her room. No crowd, no music, no Super Junior...nothing except everything she saw every day. She had rolled off her bed in a very ungraceful heap. Hissing and growling was a very mad Heenim who had been jolted awake and a worried, barking Copper. Her mother kept yelling at her to wake up and come downstairs. "I KNOW, MOM!!! I'M GETTING DRESSED!!" Sighing deeply, Ozzie cracked her back and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

The dream had ended too soon again.

Getting dressed slowly, she let out a small squeak as Heenim jumped onto her head gracefully. As she pulled on her black jeans, the cat shifted to keep her balance, and when a shirt was put over her, she jumped off. Chuckling, Ozzie made sure to wear her black Halo 3 shirt. Black was calming to her. She put on eyeliner a bit heavily and awkwardly and attached her favorite earrings on her ears; A black onyx post with a chain leading up to a cuff to attach to her upper ear. As soon as she was done, Heenim made her way to her shoulder, settling there happily. Copper made his way downstairs for breakfast ahead of the two girls.

Entering the kitchen, Ozzie was greeted with a grunt from her father and a bowl of hot oatmeal. She sat down with a sigh and "Eep!"d when Heenim jumped onto the table and took what she believed was her fair share of the breakfast; a piece of toast. The cat would have stayed there...if it was only Ozzie present.

"GET THAT DAMN CAT OFF THE TABLE!!" her father yelled, swatting at the young cat with his newspaper angrily. A scowl crossed Ozzie's face as she heard the newspaper connect with her cat's body. "DON'T HIT HEENIM!" she yelled at her father, grabbing the newspaper out of his hand as well as grabbing her cat. Her father's face, to many, was frightening, but she stared him down. "You have NO right to hit my cat like that, Dad. All you had to do was te-" before she could finish, her mom came into the kitchen as well with the pets' dishes. "Ozzie dear, don't talk to your father like that. Apologize this instant." As she spoke, she set the bowls down and the two pets raced over for breakfast, Heenim still holding onto her prize from the table.

Fuming, Ozzie shoveled down her oatmeal as fast she could, both her and her father glaring at each other. Her mother sat between them silently, eating a small granola bar. The pets munched happily, both tails wagging. Breakfast was a silent, but tense affair.

"By the way...isn't the bus going to be here soon?" her mother asked, wanting to break the uncomfortable silence. At her words, Ozzie spit out the oatmeal she had in her mouth, grabbed her coat and backpack, and raced to the door. About to zip out, her mother's voice caught her.

"Sweetie, while you're at school, your father and I will be leaving on a Month's cruise with some friends. Will you be alright by yourself?" Her voice was a bit worried, but Ozzie sighed. She was used to being left alone, but a month would strain her. Plus, what were her parents doing going on a cruise when they had work? She heaved a heavy sigh, but turned to her mother with a smile. "Of course I will. I have Heenim and Copper to keep me company, right?" and with that she went out the door and boarded the bus. In no time, music was blaring in her ears, drowning out the gossip of the countless girls and guys. She wasn't part of their world, nor did she ever want to be.

            The day passed by uneventfully until her lunchtime. The line into the serving area was...more a blob than a line, and Ozzie growled softly as she was bumped into several times. She'd just about had enough until someone hugged her from behind. "Oooooozzzzzieeeeeeeee!!!" a familiar...disgusting voice called. Turning her head slightly, she caught a glimpse of spiked bleached blond hair. It was enough to make her bite the arm that was wrapped around her as hard as she could. Enough that she could taste blood. After hearing a satisfying scream of pain, she quickly made her way through the line, grabbing her lunch and heading outside.

            Sitting under her favorite tree, well away from the other trees and groups. She was more than content to be alone, and she hated whenever anyone came to bother her. She concentrated on downing her milk and washing out the contact she had with...

"Now why did you bite me that hard, Ozz?"

She didn't bother to turn her head, or even look with her eyes. She merely scooted away, though a pair of hands brought her back. "Justin...Let go of me this minute or I swear I'll take off a finger." She snarled angrily. But Justin held onto her tighter, laughing playfully. "Awwww, c'mon baby, I know you don't mean that. You know I was just playing around with you yesterday right? I could never lose you." His voice was playful and silky as he spoke, and he buried his face into her hair.

"Joking around? YOU WERE KISSING THAT WITCH IN FRONT OF ME!" as she yelled, she stood up, ready to deliver a kick to his face. "You expect me to believe that pack of lies when you've done this to me HOW many times?" She felt herself about to cry, but held it back as her foot connected with his face, causing a yelp of pain and a body to tumble backwards. As soon as she could, she made a mad dash for the school, forgetting her backpack and lunch.

Heading to her classroom, she kicked a few lockers. Not too hard, but hard enough to make very small dents. How dare he. After all that he pulled, he dared to try and get her back. She hated him even deeper than his core. Class passed by in a blur, and no notes were taken. She hated everything and everyone at that moment. She boarded the bus home still fuming. But she calmed down as the music swelled in her ears.

Everything was calm until the bus slowed down for a stoplight.

The girls on the bus all squealed and ran to one side giggling and squealing. Squished between a window and the chest of a girl, she groaned. What was happening now?

"Aren't they hot!"

"Oh my gosh they are! Look at all of them! They look Asian!"

"They gotta be Japanese!"

"No way, they're Chinese."

"I'd say Korean!"

At the last suggestion, Ozzie became curious. Hot Asian guys? A lot of them? What was outside that could cause such a ruckus among the girls?

As soon as she saw what was outside, her whole body froze and her jaw dropped.

Leeteuk. Donghae. Siwon. Kangin. Heechul. Kibum. Kyuhyun. Eunhyuk. Shindong. Yesung. Hankyung. Sungmin. Ryeowook. All of them. Standing on the corner.

And looking very lost.

[Nikki]

Chapter 3: Stash

What were they doing here? More important, why weren't they being protected by bodyguards and in a safe limo or something?

She was content just to look at them until the bus started to move forward. The light had changed. As the bus pulled away, an idea formed in Ozzie's head and she pushed past the giggling girls and made her way to the bus driver. "'Scuse me, but can you stop the bus here for a minute?" she asked politely. However, the bus driver ignored her and continued driving...until a spork was shown to him. "Please stop the bus. OR I'LL CARVE OUT YOUR SQUEEDLY SPLOOCH!!!" she growled. The drivers face instantly changed from stoic to fearful. The bus slowed to a stop and the flashing yellow lights turned on. Many of the students decided to leave the bus and walk the short distance to their houses, but a few of the girls stayed on the curb, giggling and squeeing.

Ozzie ignored them and made her way to the group. They were talking to each other, looking very lost indeed. She wouldn't have been put off by just that, but the fact that they were talking in Korean scared her. What if she couldn't communicate with them? What if they...

"Why did you stop the b...bus?"

Before she knew it, Ozzie was staring, closely, into Heechul's face. She felt a blush coming to her face as he spoke. His English was so adorable!

"What is 'Squeedly Splooch'?" Leeteuk spoke next, and his English was just as good as Heechul's. But what caused Ozzie's face to turn even redder was his smile. They were all looking at her and she felt like some sort of freak show. But at least they could understand each other right now. She smiled at them subtly, still a bit dazed by how close she was.

"You guys look lost. Where are you headed?" she asked a little quietly. At first it seemed like no one had heard her, but Kibum spoke up. "We're waiting for a...a taxi. We need to find a hotel."

Almost instantly her nervousness vanished. Waiting for a Taxi? You had to call them in Colorado. They didn't just drive around like in Vegas or New York. What would they do? "Uhm, Alright, well, how about you all come with me on the bus and I'll try and get you a cab, alright?" As she looked at each of their faces, she felt a slight wave of yet more nervousness. But once again, Leeteuk's smile calmed her to a melting point. "If there is no trouble caused by us, then of course we will come."

Giddily, Ozzie boarded the bus, followed by the 13 boys. There were just enough seats for them, and Ozzie stood next to Leeteuk and Heechul. "There is one small problem...I need to get home so..." she was cut off by a pat on the back. Looking down at Leeteuk, she swore to herself to stop looking at his smile. "There is no problem. As long as we don't cause you any trouble."

The bus ride to the house seemed long. The boys talked to eachother the whole time in Korean, but almost everytime Ozzie looked curious about what was being said, Heechul or Hankyung would give her a small translation. When she wondered how they all got to be so good at speaking English, she was told that they had been practicing every day for the last year. After that, she lost her nervousness and chatted with them freely. After a while, she even forgot she was talking to idols.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Alrighty, here we are."

Ozzie held the door open for the boys to go in, keeping an eye out for her escape artist of a dog. As soon as the last member, Donghae, was in, she closed the door silently. All 13 of them were standing in the open area that was the greeting hall, and looking amazed. "Big house." Kangin stated bluntly.

"It's not that big." Ozzie shrugged. Truthfully, it was too big for her. "Alrighty. There's couches to sit on obviously, there's food in the fridge if you all get hungry, and the remote is on top of the television." With that, she hurried upstairs to get the phone. She had to get them out of there as soon as possible. Who knows what rabid fangirls would track them down and invade the house?

Safe in her room, she heaved a heavy sigh. Alright, she'd met them. In person. How she was so calm she didn't know. As she searched for her cellphone, she heard laughing from downstairs and, curious, left her searching to go and see what was up.

Leeteuk, Siwon, Ryeowook, Yesung and Kibum were on the sofa watching a Tom & Jerry episode, Kangin and Shindong were raiding the fridge, Hankyung, Sungmin, Eunhyuk and Kyuhyun were in the backyard being chased around by Copper...and Heechul had found her laptop. Taking a deep breath and trusting that he didn't know what to click on, she went outside.

The four were having a blast, and Copper was yapping up a storm. She giggled as Sungmin tripped on one of Copper's toys and fell on the ground. "AH!! Ah...UH-OH!!" He let out a squeak as Copper jumped on him and attacked his face; licking his nose, cheeks and lips. Kyuhyun was kneeling on the ground from laughing so hard, and Hankyung and Eunhyuk supported themselves on lawn chairs. Ozzie herself had to stop laughing in order to go and pick up her rowdy little dog. "Ahhahaha...He didn't hurt you did he, Sungmin?" She asked, offering her hand to help the fallen one up. He laughed as he took her hand and got up. "He's a lightning! His name should have been Bolt!"

Laughing as she led them back inside, she froze at the sight of Heechul scrolling through something on her laptop. She set Copper down before making her way over. But she was stopped by Kangin.

"What is this?" He asked as he held out a piece of...pizza or pie? Ozzie looked at it before gasping in horror. She hadn't cleaned out the fridge in MONTHS! "Please tell me you guys haven't eaten everything..." she groaned, making her way into the kitchen. Thankfully, everything that looked rotten was still there...but she had feeling she'd need to go to the store soon. "No, we just ate what looked good and smelled good." Shindong answered her question. Wincing, Ozzie looked at Kangin to ask something she never thought she'd ask members of Super Junior. "Could you guys throw away all the rotten stuff? I haven't cleaned out the fridge and-" She was cut off as Kangin gave her a fairly painful noogie. "No problem." He winked before directing Shindong to the fridge and starting their work.

This was turning out to be a lot of work. Heading back to the living room, and Heechul, She stood behind him silently, and was appalled to see that he was going through her collection of SuJu pictures. Oh dear.

"Heeeeey, I look good in this one! ...This isn't really one of my better pictures...Where did THIS one come from?" He was looking at his pictures of himself. About to turn away, Ozzie stopped as he spoke again. "Heeeeeeey...Why are there more of Wookie and Siwonnie than me?" he said rather loudly. And it just so happened that there was a silent spot in the episode that was on TV at that exact moment.

Ryeowook was looking at the laptop, blushing a bit, and Siwon just kept looking at the screen, but also blushing. Leeteuk put the TV on mute and jumped up to stand beside Ozzie. "Ooooo, you're right! And look, there's more of me, too!" As he spoke, Kibum joined them. Then Yesung. Then Kyuhyun.

Shaking in both embarrassment and anger, Ozzie reached for her laptop, failing miserably. "Alright, Everyone go sit on the sofa or the chairs." She commanded in a firm and angry tone. Almost all the members obeyed, except for Heechul. Ozzie didn't notice until she turned around to close her laptop. Heechul was just sitting there, scrolling and clicking. "-What- are you doing?" She asked. "I told you to go sit down."

"In a minute, in a minute." Was his reply. But as he looked up to see a very angry Ozzie glaring at him, he poked her nose playfully. "I'm getting more pictures of me for you! More of me for my fan!" But as soon as he said that, Ozzie closed her laptop quickly and rather violently. Jerking back quickly, Heechul grinned apologetically and made his way to the couch and sat on the floor.

Rubbing her eyes, Ozzie paced back and forth silently. There was no noise from any of them, and she tried to think. What would she do? She couldn't find her cellphone, the home phone wasn't charged, and she doubted any of the neighbors were home right now.

"Alright, here's the deal. I'm going to go and try and find my cellphone. You all just Stay RIGHT HERE and watch television. There's over 1000 channels for y'all to flip through and-" She was cut off as Siwon raised his hand. "...Yes, Siwon?"

"What if we get hungry?" he asked. As he asked, almost every stomach let out a growl. Sighing yet again, Ozzie pointed towards the kitchen. "The fridge has some food, the Freezer is Off Limits, The pantry has a lot of stuff and my dad keeps a stash of cookies on top of the microwave. Don't make a mess." As she finished, she hurried upstairs.

Once again in her room, she banged her head against the wall. She had expected them to not do anything, but they were just like regular boys. Granted, they were all in their early or late 20's, but still. She searched around for her cellphone anxiously. The sooner she could get a cab for them, the better. Finding it after a few minutes, she made her way back down, only to be greeted by Leeteuk at the bottom of the stairs. She almost didn't stop in time, and they were face to face. A little too close for her liking, so she backed up a step. "Something wrong, Teukie?" she asked, confused as to why he would get up from the couch again.

"Well, we were thinking. We're taking a nice vacation away from all our tours and gigs, And we wanted to stay at a nice hotel. But seeing as you have a big house..."

Oh no. He's not...

"And you've been really nice to us and haven't attacked us, even though you're a fan..."

He better not...oh PLEASE, don't say it, Teukie...

"We think we'd like to stay here instead!"

He said it.

[Nikki]

Chapter 4: Sleepover

            "No. Absolutely not. Out of the question."

            13 faces went from huge grins to sad puppy-eyes. They obviously thought they had just given her a huge treat. But Ozzie kept her ground. "Why can't we?" Leeteuk asked as Donghae came up behind him. Ozzie cracked her neck a bit before walking down the stairs past the two. She'd have to break it down.

            "One, I'm working a minimum-wage job and I can't afford to feed all of you." She was then interrupted by Kibum. "We have credit cards you know." He said, flashing his MasterCard. But Ozzie ignored him and continued. "Two, I will not cater to your every need and I'm not picking up after your messes." She was once again interrupted by Donghae. "We'll take care of ourselves...and help with chores." The others nodded earnestly and looked at Ozzie expectantly. She growled under her breath. "You guys probably don't even remember my name." She thought she had them until they all said "Ozzie." Damn. They all looked at her again. "Now can we stay?" Sungmin asked.

            "...No."

            "Why Not?" Leeteuk and Kangin asked in unison. Ozzie heaved a sigh. "I can't afford it you guys. Plus if my parents come back and find you guys he-" She was once again interrupted, this time by Siwon. "How long are they going to be gone?" Ozzie faltered at the question. Should she lie? "They're gonna be gone for about 5 weeks..." at this, Leeteuk laughed...rather, he giggled. "That's perfect then. We'll be here for about 4 weeks and we'll be able to leave waaay before your parents come home."

            Smacking her face with her hand, Ozzie gave up. "Alright, alright. You guys win..." even before she finished, there were 13 'YES's. Any other time Ozzie would be thrilled to have them, but truthfully, she was expecting to lose her job anytime now, and tests loomed on the horizon; 2 weeks away. So instead of being happy...she already felt tired.

            "BUT we're going to have some rules, okay?" She sat down on the floor in front of the TV, facing all of them. In a split second, Heechul crawled on all fours to go and sit by her, grinning and looking proud of himself. Rolling her eyes but smiling, she held up her index finger. "One. No arguments over sleeping spaces, bathroom time, food, or anything else. Unless there is good reason." They all nodded in agreement. She was about to begin with number two until Heenim jumped into her lap, seemingly out of nowhere. "Hey Heenim! Where've you been, girl?" she said happily, petting her cat. But she quickly became aware of 13 pairs of eyes staring at her. She smiled apologetically at Heechul, feeling herself blush again. "Sorry."

            But Heechul seemed more interested in the cat. He reached over and petted her, smiling. "At least she looks like me, right?" This little comment ignited a string of giggles and snickers. Copper came in and settled next to one of the chairs, wagging his tail happily.

            "Alright. Back to the rules. We will all share in the chores. You'll each have one or two chores a day to do and if you refuse, you're out." She looked at her fingers for a moment before laughing lightly. "Sorry if I'm being harsh, but-" she began but was interrupted. Again. "I don't think you're being harsh. We're imposing on you so it's only fair we help you out the most we can." Ryeowook smiled as he spoke truthfully, the other members nodding in agreement again. Ozzie felt her heart flutter as he looked her in the eyes, but she brushed it aside. "Are there any questions?" she asked.

            "Where are we going to sleep? In here on the floor or outside in tents?" Eunhyuk's question made her giggle. "Now why would I make my favorite band sleep on the floor or in tents? You're cutely funny, Eunhyukie." As she giggled more, she could see Eunhyuk blush. The other members chuckled a bit. "As for where you're gonna sleep, I have an idea." Ozzie got up and grabbed a small jar and opened it, showing the contents to the boys. "...And what will a bunch of papers do?" As soon as he asked, Kangin got a sharp glare and zipped his mouth shut.

            "I made these a while ago for a school raffle. There's the numbers one through one-hundred in here." They all 'Ahhhh...'d before she continued. "Here's what we're gonna do. If you get an even number, you sleep upstairs in my parents' bedroom or the guest room. If you get an odd number, you sleep in...the basement bedroom or here on the pull-out couches." She then thought up something silly, but wanted to see what would happen. "Should you pull out the magic number 13, you get to sleep in my bedroom. No arguments." She finished and all the boys nodded. It was fair.

So she passed around the jars and each member took out a single number. As soon as they were all done, she cradled the jar in her lap. "Alrighty...Let's start with Leeteuk and go around, ending with Heechul."

            "14."

            "Alrighty, Donghae?"

            "82."

            "Cool. Hankyung?"

            "14."

            "Siwon?"

            "73."

            And it went on until Heechul.

            "Alrighty, what number you got, Heechul?" Heechul grinned at his fellow members before waving the small paper around triumphantly. "13!!!" He called out loudly. Ozzie felt sick. She seriously thought none of them would get it. "Ah, well, good job, Heechul..." she smiled half-heartedly and collected their numbered papers.

"Now...what would you guys like for dinner?" she asked as she put away the jar carefully. The boys looked at one another for a minute. "Just cook what you think you cook best." Shindong said. Kangin and Kyuhyun looked ready to make suggestions, but a look from Leeteuk silenced them.

            "...Well if you're sure. I won't promise that you'll like it though." She shrugged and made her way to the kitchen. "You guys can wander around the house but stay out of my room, alright?" she said, hoping that they'd probably know that. As she started to collect ingredients, she looked out to the living room. They were all gone and wandering around, looking at different things.

            Turning back to her work, she decided to make something easy; Spaghetti with Meatballs. It was one of the only things she knew how to cook well, plus it required a minimum time to prepare. Rolling up her sleeves after washing her hands, she brought out her mom's collection of kitchen knives. They were extremely sharp and Ozzie was very careful not to cut herself...again. She got to work on cooking the noodles and had just begun making the sauce when Heenim streaked in and jumped on her shoulder. "Hey sweetie!" she reached up and petted her cat while stirring the sauce. She went to the fridge and took out the thawed sausage, the turned around and almost dropped it. "Oh, hey Ryeowook." She stumbled with her words a bit, but thankfully got them out right. She made sure not to make eye contact with him, for fear of seeing his smile. If Leeteuk's made her nearly faint, Ryeowook's would kill her.

            "Would you like some help?" he asked gently. Ozzie looked up at the wrong time, and she could feel the butterflies in her stomach again as he smiled. Why? "No thank you...Erm, actually, could you start getting out the plates and silverware?" He was all too happy to comply with her request and quickly started getting out plates, silverware, and glasses. Ozzie smiled, it was good to have some help. She chopped up the sausage into big chunks, Heenim still on her shoulder. "You have a good relationship with your pets, don't you?" Ryeowook was standing right next to her, petting the cat. Ozzie blushed and continued slicing. "Yeah...Heenim and Copper are my...my best friends." My only friends...

            Smiling, Ryeowook went back to his chore, and Ozzie looked over to him. She watched him as she sliced, and forgot to move her finger out of the way of the knife.

            "OW!!!!" She yelled, flinging the knife onto the floor and shaking her hand. Heenim jumped off her shoulder as both Heechul and Ryeowook appeared at her side at the same time. "Ow...ow...ow..." she whimpered as Ryeowook held her hand up to see. "Ouch...That's...not a very shallow cut there..." Heechul observed, picking up the bloodstained knife. Ozzie smiled apologetically and Ryeowook took a tissue out of his pocket and wrapped it around her finger. "Go get a band-aid, Heechul." He commanded gently. At first, Heechul seemed to not want to go, but he obeyed after a few seconds.

            "Does it hurt?" he asked, prodding her finger. Ozzie winced a bit, but endured. "A little...I'm used to cuts like these though, so it's not too bad. It was worse when-" she stopped and was silent as Ryeowook lifted up her hand and tenderly kissed her finger. There was a silent moment as he lingered there for a moment. "There. It'll be better." He smiled and let her hand go, continuing his duty. For a moment, Ozzie stood there, twitterpated, until Heechul and Donghae bopped her on the head at the same time.

            "Here's the first aid kit. Go fix up your mangled limb." Donghae ordered. "I'll finish up dinner." And with that, Donghae took over the kitchen. Heechul led her to the couch and sat her down. "You did a number...I think we might need two band-aids." He said while digging through the first-aid box. Ozzie watched him, still flustered from a few seconds ago. "Uh...well if you get the big square one it should cover it." She stammered. As Heechul dug through the box, Donghae made his way over. "It's all done. Where are we going to eat?" he asked. Ozzie smiled at him. "Wherever you want as long as you don't spill. Just find everyone and tell them I think is the best way to get everyone down here."

Heechul had finished bandaging her hand, so she stood up. "Thank you, Heechul." She said cheerfully, inspecting his work. He had done a good job. Heechul smiled and poked her nose yet again. "You're welcome, Ozzie." he grinned before wrapping her in a bear hug.

            Dinner passed uneventfully. There was lots of chatter but Ozzie kept to herself, sitting on a chair and slurping her spaghetti. More than once, someone tried to include her in the conversation, but she only responded with a "Murf." After everyone had eaten, they piled their dishes in the sink and, though they weren't told, Leeteuk began washing the dishes, Yesung dried them, and Kyuhyun put them away. She smiled as she watched them. It was like he was back in her life...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            "Alright, everyone to bed." At Ozzie's words, there was a chorus of groans and "Aw maaaaan!"'s. But they obeyed and departed to where they were assigned. While everyone got their sleeping places sorted out, Ozzie finished cleaning up the kitchen. When she returned to the living room, she smiled as she saw Hankyung curled up on the loveseat and Siwon on the couch. She made her way downstairs to the basement and, first, peeked into the bedroom. Kangin was just getting into bed, while Eunhyuk was getting comfortable in a big, poofy sleeping bag on the floor. "So, how'd you decide who's sleeping where?" She asked Kangin. He shrugged. "Easy. Rock-Paper-Scissors." Eunhyuk nodded as he finally got comfortable.  Ozzie giggled. "Well goodnight you two. Sleep well." She said kindly before closing the door. "G'night, Ozzie." Eunhyuk replied, but Kangin just grunted and turned away.

            She peeked into the gaming room to find Yesung and Sungmin on the 'L' couch and Shindong on the other couch. "Goodnight guys." She said softly. "G'night..." they all said quite sleepily. She chuckled, knowing how comfortable those couches could be, as she gave them each a blanket.

            As she went back upstairs, she went to Siwon, who was awake, unlike Hankyung who had crashed already. "If you hear the boys downstairs getting in the cabinets, Can you stop them?" She asked quietly as to not wake Hankyung. Siwon nodded "No problem." Ozzie turned to leave, but Siwon grabbed her uninjured hand. "No goodnight hug?" he asked, his innocent face plastered on. Ozzie smiled and blushed before leaning down and hugging him. "Goodnight, Siwonnie. Sleep well." She whispered. Siwon nodded before snuggling into the couch as Ozzie put a blanket over him, then Hankyung.

            Walking upstairs, she went to her parents' bedroom first to see who was in there. Donghae and Kyuhyun shared the Queen bed, while Kibum stayed in the king. She giggled as she saw that a wall of pillows had been erected between Donghae and Kyuhyun. "G'night you three..." she said softly. None of them answered as she closed the door.

            Tip-toeing to the guest room and opening the door, she saw Ryeowook sleeping soundly while Leeteuk sat reading a book. "G'night, Teukie." She said, causing him to jump a little. "Oh, goodnight, Ozzie. And thank you again for letting us stay here." he said softly, so as not to wake Ryeowook. Ozzie smiled. "It's no problem. Sleep well." She closed the door silently and made her way to her bedroom.

As soon as she got there, Heenim and Copper streaked between her legs and sat beside the bed. Ozzie let out a groan as she saw Heechul lying in her bed looking smug. Ignoring him while she made a beeline for her dresser, she took out her warmest pair of pajamas. Turning around, she looked at Heechul sternly. "No peeking." She growled. Heechul only shrugged, then pulled the covers over his head. Ozzie got undressed and dressed quickly, then proceeded to look for her sleeping bag.

            "Gonna sleep on the floor?" Heechul asked. It was amazing how much he reminded her of an over-excited puppy.

            "Course I am." She replied. But where was her sleeping bag? She turned to look around her room, thinking it was in a corner, and caught a glimpse of a pouting Heechul. "...What? You don't expect us to sleep in the same bed?" she accused. But she knew that was exactly what he was thinking even before he nodded. "Heechul, are you crazy?" she asked, rather gently. Heechul shrugged again. "A little. But all the others are doing it." Ozzie's jaw dropped open. Was he serious? "It's one thing for two guys to share a bed. It's another for a guy and girl, unrelated, to share one." She put her hands on her hips sternly and glared at him....bad mistake. He put on his best puppy-eyes and pouted. "I promise I won't do anything weird. I'll even divide the bed, okay?" he said earnestly. But Ozzie was still apprehensive.

"...Why?" she asked. "Well, the floor is cold and it's going to be very cold tonight." He informed her. Ozzie started considering it while Heechul chuckled. "Besides. It's not like you don't sleep next to me every other night." At this, Ozzie arched a brow. "What...do you mean by tha-" she stopped as he pointed to Heenim. At this she laughed. "Alright, alright. But this is the only night...I don't even know why I'm agreeing." She said as she crawled into the bed. Heechul pulled on a bit of her hair gently and playfully. "Well, because I'm either so adorable or so sexy that you can't resist me?" he offered as an answer to her question. As she snuggled into her pillow and Heenim took her place between them, she smiled. "Whatever you say." She yawned. Heechul yawned as well, but prodded her shoulder. "Goodnight hug?" he asked. Rolling her eyes sarcastically, Ozzie leaned over and gave him a hug. Both satisfied, they turned away from each other and drifted off.

            It didn't take long for the day to catch up to Ozzie. It had been tiring but fun.

            And tomorrow would be...

[Nikki]

Chapter 5: Tears

                His arms were warm as he held her close. She clung to him like her life would end if she let go. She wanted him back home, away from the war and the horrors of the military. She wanted him back with her, telling her stories and getting into quarrels. Since he'd left she'd had to grow up so quickly...

            "Don't worry, sis. I won't leave again. I'm here to stay." His voice soothed her. She could feel the tears running down her face. This was always the worst part of the dream...when he would fade away. When he would go away again until the next time the dream decided to come back. But something felt odd this time. He was gone...but she still felt as if she was being held...As if she was still in someone's embrace...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Blinking her eyes slowly open, she let out a squeak of a yawn before noticing what was wrong. Looking up...she saw Heechul's face. Close. She looked down and saw his arms wrapped around her tightly. She tried to keep calm, even though the urge to beat the hell out of him was extremely strong.

            "Heechul...wake up." She commanded softly. His eyes flittered open and he gave a small smile at her. "M'rnin Ozzie..." he whispered groggily. "Get off of me." She was straightforward about it and expected an immediate removal of his arms. Instead, he held tighter...and nuzzled into her hair. "Nu."

"Get off me."

"I said no. I'm comfy."

"And –I- said to get the hell off me."

"No."

That was the last straw. Unceremoniously, Ozzie grabbed Heechul by his shirt and rolled off the bed with him, a loud THUD sounding through the room as they landed on the floor. Ozzie got up in a huff, making sure to step on his finger. "Geeze, try to keep someone warm and –this- is what I get?" he mumbled, rubbing his head. He made to get up, but a sharp glare from Ozzie made him give up for the time being. "You make my bed while I go wake everyone up." She hissed as she slammed the door shut.

Sighing, she decided to make breakfast before waking everyone up. It was fairly early, 8am. Rubbing her eyes as she entered the kitchen, she bumped into someone and finally jolted awake. "AH! I'm sorry!!" she apologized. Leeteuk chuckled. "It's alright. I bet you were coming down to make breakfast, yes?" he asked. Blinking, Ozzie finally heard, and smelled, eggs frying. "Oh, You don't have to..." she started, but Leeteuk lightly bonked her head with his. "Silly girl, you think i'm going to make you cook meals for us every day? You said we share in the chores, right?" he smiled as he turned back to the eggs. Ozzie grinned. "Alright. I'll go wake everyone up." With that, she turned...ran...and pounced on Siwon.

"WAKEY WAKEY!!!" she yelled as she landed on him. Both Siwon and Hankyung bolting into sitting position, eyes wide and alert. Ozzie giggled and sat Indian-style on Siwon's lap. "Good morning starshine! The earth says 'hello!'" she singsonged. Siwon laughed as he rubbed the sleep outta his eyes. "Good morning to you too, Starshine." He said softly, leaning forward. "What's the agenda for to-to-todaaaaaawwwwwwwwnnnn..." Hankyung started off awake, but as he let out the yawn, his eyelids drooped. Ozzie slid off Siwon and went over to Hankyung. "We'll talk about that later, kays? Wake up for now." She turned and headed back upstairs.

Heechul met her at the stairs and quickly backed up. "Ah...Hi again, Ozzie..." he mumbled nervously. A thought formed in Ozzie's mind. "Go wake up the guys in the basement." She ordered. As Heechul happily ran down the stairs, she giggled quite maliciously. From what she remembered, Kangin was a horror to wake up. She tip-toed into her parents' room and nearly burst out into laughter.

Donghae was half-hanging off the bed, and somehow Kyuhyun had migrated to the King bed, kicking Kibum off. Deciding to first rescue Donghae, Ozzie flopped on the bed and poked his stomach. "Wake up, Fishie." She said rather loudly. Donghae blinked his eyes open and pulled himself up. "Morning..." he said groggily, but loudly. Ozzie quickly left, sure that Donghae would wake the other two up, and made her way to the guest bedroom.

Opening the door slowly, she approached the bed. Curled up under the blankets, Ryeowook shifted a little bit and let out a slight yawn. Ozzie smiled as she crawled onto the bed and shook his shoulder gently. "Ryeowook...wake up...it's morning..." she whispered. As she did, Ryeowook reached out quickly and grabbed her, hugging her like a teddy bear. She didn't have time to react. Silent at first, she struggled to get away. "Wookie...Wake up please..." she pleaded, blushing like mad. But Ryeowook only clung tighter. "I'm cold..." he whispered into her ear. But Ozzie growled and turned around enough so that she could blow into his face. "Wake up!" she snarled. Ryeowook blinked his eyes open, then quickly released her. "Ah! I'm so sorry! I think I was having a dream..." he stuttered a bit, a blush covering his face. Ozzie laughed, even though she was quite embarrassed herself. "It's okay. Come downstairs for breakfast when you can." and with that, she exited very quickly.

Trying to get the blush away, she was met at the foot of the stairs by...Heechul. A fairly flustered Heechul. "I am NOT waking Kangin up. It was bad enough waking Yesung up, but I am NOT waking Kangin up." At his words, Ozzie growled. How could they be such babies?

She pushed her way past them irritably and made her way to the basement. Without pausing to pray for her life, she flung the bedroom door open, marched to the bed that contained the sleeping beast, and promptly landed a kick on his behind. This both woke him up and caused him to fall off the side of the bed with a loud "What the HELL!?"

Ozzie waited for a few seconds before he stood up, rubbing his eyes and...snarling. "There was nothing about being woken up so goddamned early, dammit..." he growled as he threw his pillow at her. Ozzie didn't have time to catch it and got hit square in the face, but she retaliated by throwing the pillow back rather hard. "My house, my rules, Butt-face." She hissed. Instead of throwing the pillow again, Kangin crawled over the bed...and fell back asleep. Half-expecting to get throttled, Ozzie huffed as he snored. Then, an idea popped into her head as she crawled onto the bed slowly and quietly. She leaned down and kissed his cheek, and shook his shoulder. "Wakey, wakey..." she whispered. Kangin's eyes flew open at the smooch and he looked ready to pummel whoever delivered it, but catching sight of Ozzie so close, his face went beet red. "Uh...h-h-hi." He stammered. Ozzie smiled as sweetly as she could and poked him in the nose gently. "Will you please get up?" she cooed. At first Kangin was still, silent, and blushing, but he promptly pulled the sheets over his head and growled. "No."

Rolling her eyes, Ozzie decided to let him wake up on his own time, since she didn't feel like doing anything more drastic. Turning to go out, she stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Yesung leaning in the doorway, smirking. Ozzie's heart raced up to her throat as she took in his disheveled hair and his gaze.

"So, think maybe I could get a wakeup call like that tomorrow instead of a lamp being thrown at me?" he asked half-jokingly. A blushed formed on Ozzie's face, but she walked past him. But she decided to humor him. "Behave today and you will." She smirked as she walked up the stairs, Yesung right behind her. "I'll be a good boy." He laughed as they reached the top of the stairs.

Leeteuk, Siwon and Sungmin were lounged on the couch, nibbling on their eggs, while the rest were crammed in the kitchen, filling their plates. Yesung passed Ozzie to join them as Kyuhyun walked up to her, his mouth stuffed with egg and a bit of yolk dripping out of the corner of his mouth. "Yer oot uf oogs." He mumbled with his mouth full. She sighed. With the eggs gone, she had nothing to make for dinner tonight.

"All of you stay here while I run to the store." She began to walk to the stars until Kangin suddenly grabbed her by the hair. "Uh-uh. We're coming." He said, still half-asleep. Rolling her eyes, Ozzie removed his hand and went up the stairs. "If you guys are coming, then hurry it up and get decent!" And with that, she went into her room to get herself decent.

A shopping trip with Super Junior. What could go wrong?

[Nikki]

Chapter 6: Hell of a Ride

What could go wrong?

Everything.

Alright, so they all got themselves decent, helped Ozzie put the house back in perfect condition and washed the dishes. From there it went downhill.

Ozzie looked at her parents' two cars; The Van and the sports car. Almost immediately, Kangin slid into the driver's seat of her Dad's Monte Carlo, grinning from ear to ear. Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk and Kibum dove in. It was a tight fit, but they all got comfortable.

Ozzie watched, her stomach sinking, as Leeteuk got behind the wheel of her Mom's Van. Heechul slid into the front seat, Kyuhyun, Ryeowook and Hankyung in the next row of seats, and Yesung, Siwon and Donghae in the last row. As both cars got started up, Ozzie looked between the cars. There was just enough room for –THEM-. And she most certainly wasn't going to get in the trunk or 'grocery area'.

As she pondered, Heechul whistled at her. "Hey, aren't you coming? It was your idea." He said excitedly. Ozzie gave him a sharp glare as she peeked into the Van. No room. She threw a look at Heechul and smirked. "No room. How about you jump out and stay here, and I'll go. Since it was –MY- idea." She hissed. But Heechul smiled mischievously.

"There's no seats, but there's laps to sit on."

She couldn't believe her ears, and apparently neither could the other 6 who occupied the van. Leeteuk had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing. Pleased with himself, Heechul faced forward. Ozzie growled as she climbed into the van and eyed the choices.

"Alright, who's gonna-" before she even finished, her arm was yanked and the next thing she knew, she was sitting next to Siwon...on Yesung's lap. She could feel her face getting hot and she made to stand up again, but was held in an iron grip. As Leeteuk started the Van and turned on the GPS, Ozzie turned her head the best she could to look at Yesung, only to find his chin resting on her shoulder and a smile on his face. But that quickly faded as she glared daggers at him.

He smirked and leaned closer to her ear as the Van started out the driveway. "Did you want Siwonnie or Ryeowookie?" he whispered, low enough that no one else to hear, but loud enough so that Ozzie heard every word.

About to open her mouth to give him a piece of her mind, the Van hit one of the speedbumps. Yesung took to opportunity and transferred her over to a startled Siwon. Ozzie squeaked and almost went all the way over to Donghae, but Siwon reacted quickly and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her safely into his lap. "Whoop, watch out there Ozzie." He chuckled. She felt her face get hot again as he kept his arms around her. She dared a glare in the direction of Yesung, but he was conveniently looking out the window. Swearing to get revenge, she leaned back onto Siwon's chest, grumbling.

She didn't need to give directions, as the GPS had the grocery store's directions put in it's memory for her directionally- challenged mother. But it wasn't until they passed the grocery store that she blinked. "Hey, Teukie! You missed the turn..." she started, but Leeteuk waved her off.

"No worries, no worries. Just sit back and enjoy the ride." He called back cheerfully. Ozzie blinked, but decided not to argue anymore at the moment. She leaned back again, and this time, Siwon but his chin on the top of her head, his arms still holding her in one spot. She felt her face once again go hot, and she felt the smile on her face. She decided to once again attempt to send a glare Yesung's way, only to catch him smiling at her. That bastard... She bared her teeth at him and mouthed 'You're so dead', but he just shrugged and looked back out the window.

Five more minutes passed, and they were still driving. More than suspicious now, Ozzie tilted her head back to look at Siwon. "Siwonnie?" she asked a bit quietly, but it was enough for him to tilt his head down to look at her.

"Yes?"

"I need to go ask Teukie something. Can you let go of me? I promise to come back."

He smiled and let his arms drop. "Don't trip now."

She was amazed that she hadn't fainted already. She made her way up to the front, nearly tripping over a soda can that had been left in the Van. She tapped Leeteuk on the shoulder and leaned over. "Um, Teukie? Where are we going?" she asked as she batted at Heechul playfully after he poked her in the side.

Leeteuk only smiled and pointed at the GPS. "The mall. We need to get your groceries and some new clothes. We didn't bring much." After what he said, Ozzie could have smacked herself for leaving the saved destinations on the GPS. But at the moment she was involved in a batting fight with Heechul. After a few seconds, she stopped and made her way back to her...seat.

Siwon was waiting for her, arms held out expectantly. Beside him, Yesung looked to be on the verge of laughter until Ozzie delivered a stomp on his foot. After which he straightened up, shut up, and stared out the window.

Gently sitting on Siwon's lap, she tried her hardest not to black out as he wrapped his arms around her again, rather protectively. As she snuggled into his chest, she yelped as she felt something hit her on the head. She tilted her head back to find a rather serious expression on Siwon's face. "Wh-what's wrong, Siwonnie?" she asked, wondering if maybe she had sat on him wrong.

"I told you not to trip." He said simply before looking forward again.

Ozzie slowly looked forward as well, dumbfounded by his words. Was he seriously worried about a little thing like that? She decided to shrug it off and try to enjoy the ride to the mall. However, after a few minutes, she felt something grasp one of her hands. Looking down with her eyes only, she felt her hear skip a beat as Siwon's hand manipulated hers into a comfortable holding position, entwining his fingers with hers.

After that, her face didn't stop burning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The van pulled into a parking space not too long after, the Monte Carlo pulling up beside them. Doors opened and everyone rushed out, but when Ozzie tried to get out, Siwon quickly pushed past her. A bit surprised, she stopped and watched him duck out of the van. But he turned around and offered his hand to her, ready to help her step down. Smiling, she accepted his offer and jumped down, missing a step and lurching past him.

But very quickly, someone grabbed the collar of her shirt and pulled her upright. Regaining her balance, she turned around and mouthed a 'thank you' to Heechul, who simply smiled back.

The large group made their way to the entrance, the guys talking amongst themselves in Korean and Ozzie leading the pack into the large building. Once inside, she led them to the central fountain and the directory.

"Alright, here's what we're going to do. We all go ahead and roam around, do what you need to do, get what you need to get, and EVERYONE meet back here at NOON SHARP." She instructed, handing out maps of the building.

Girls seemed to be gathering from everywhere in the mall, but they thankfully kept a respectful distance away. Ozzie felt like spraying some of the slutty-looking ones away with a high-powered hose.

After all the members had pamphlets, she turned around and dismissed them with a wave of her hand. Once sure that they all had dissipated, she began to walk towards the grocery store when she felt a hand grab hers. She knew it wasn't Siwon, because his hand was bigger.

Tilting her head, she returned Heechul's playful smile and gripped his hand tightly, walking on.

[Nikki]

Chapter 7: First Shot

"Can we go to that one?"

"No."

"How about that one?"

"No."

"...the pet store?"

"No. Not until I get food for tonight."

Ozzie and Heechul strolled through the mall, Heechul giddily pointing out interesting-looking stores, wanting to go to them. But for fear of getting side-tracked, Ozzie kept telling him to wait, useless as that was. But Heechul kept a strong grip on her hand, and Ozzie could hear people whispering about the 'cute couple'.

Finally entering the grocery store, she took a list out of her pocket and lead Heechul towards the first aisle. "Okay...We need to get everything on this list-" like always, she never finished. Heechul grabbed the list and a shopping basket and pranced away. Ozzie watched after him for a while, smiling. She made her way to an aisle filled with books and magazines.

Reading a gamer magazine quietly for at least an hour, she barely noticed as someone snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. At first she stayed calm, thinking it was Heechul or Leeteuk, but afterwards, she knew that –this- pair of arms didn't belong to any of the group. Whipping around quickly, she snarled viciously...animal-like.

"JUSTIN!" she growled loudly, and was promptly gathered up into a big bear hug.

"Ozzzziiieee!! I'm so happy to see you here, baby! You haven't called me or anything!" he said happily. But Ozzie struggled to get away, hoping to not cause a scene.

"Get the hell off of me, you moron!" she hissed, clawing at his arms frantically. She didn't want to see him, let alone touch him. But he just laughed and clung to her tighter.

"Awww, c'mon baby, stop saying stuff like that. Let's just try one more time okay? I love you so damn much." He cooed in a very convincing tone. But Ozzie would have none of it, and continued to struggle.

"I swear, If you don't let go of me right now-"

"I'm going to kick your ass."

A third voice entered the conversation, and Ozzie looked to the end of the aisle to see Heechul. But as far as she was concerned at the moment, he was her savior. "Heechul! Oh my god I am SO happy you're here." she cried out, tears nearly forming. Expecting Justin to let her go immediately, she prepared to hide behind Heechul. She wasn't that lucky.

Justin held her tighter and glared at Heechul, smirking. "And who are –you- to be telling me what to do with –my- girlfriend, punk?" he said cockily. But he soon regretted it as Ozzie sunk her teeth into his chest, causing him to yelp and shove her away from him. She stumbled and fell to the floor awkwardly. "Jesus, that hurt, Ozz!" Justin cried as he lifted up his shirt to examine the bite. Ozzie took the opportunity and scurried over to Heechul, the tears leaking out of her eyes.

Wrapping her up in a protective hug, Heechul threw a death glare at the offender. "She doesn't want you to touch her, so leave her alone, asshole." He hissed. Ozzie clung to him as they both backed away. Justin only shrugged and laughed.

"She'll come back to me. She's done it before." He smirked before turning around and walking away.

Heechul didn't let go of Ozzie until they had safely checked out and exited the store. He kept quiet as they made their way back to the fountain, pushing the cart. Ozzie walked a little ways behind him, fiddling with her fingers. As they sat down, she could feel some sort of tension between them, and chanced a look at his face. He looked at her as well, a sympathetic look on his face. "What's wrong, Heechul?" she asked quietly.

"You're really stupid, aren't you?" He was blunt. Too blunt.

"Wh-what?" she stammered, forgetting her fear for  moment. What did he mean by that? "Wh-why do you say that?"

"How many times have you gone back to that guy?"

"It's none of your business..."

"And how many more times until you get it through that he's obviously playing you for a fool?"

"Heechul...shut up..." she felt horrible now and clung to her stomach.

"What, afraid to hear the truth? Stop being a baby and-"

"SHUT UP!!" she yelled as she snapped, standing up quickly. "You're not me so how could you know!? You don't go what I go through, so shut up until you walk in my shoes for a day, dammit!!" she yelled. A few people stopped to stare and whisper, but she didn't care. She was way too angry right now, and she fought the urge to beat the living hell out of the man next to her.

Heechul blinked, surprised by her outburst. "H-hey, I'm only telling you the tru-"

She didn't wait to hear it. She ran in a random direction, bumping into a few people along the way. She wanted to get as far from him as possible. She didn't try to go anywhere specific, she just went.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She heard the van's door open and she turned away. Her face was streaked with tears and her eyes were swollen. She didn't even flinch when a hand gingerly touched her shoulder, didn't care when she was pulled into a hug.

"Don't cry...okay?" Ryeowook whispered, pulling her close. Ozzie stayed silent, the tears still streaming out of her eyes. She was limp as he adjusted her hair and used his shirt to clean her face. "Heenim didn't mean that...He was worried about you. Please don't cry."

Looking up, Ozzie felt a new wave of crying creep up on her, and she gripped his shirt tightly, burying her face into his chest. "I d-d-don't know wh-wh-why I kept g-going back! I just-I just wanted...I wanted..." she sobbed, unable to get the rest of her words out. Ryeowook kept silent, listening to her cry for a while, turning around to close the van door. The darkened interior was calming, and Ozzie's loud sobs softened to little hiccups.

After a while, Ozzie leaned back off of him and wiped away her tears. "I'm...I'm okay now...I just..." she talked slowly, choosing her words carefully. She covered her face as fresh tears spilled down, only to have her hands removed.

"Don't be embarrassed to cry, okay? It only means you have feeling and are human." He said softly, pulling her back into a hug. She finally seemed to realize just –who- was hugging her. A blush covered her face and she hid it by keeping her face in his chest. Ryeowook rested his cheek on top of her head and sighed. "Don't be afraid to talk to any of us, okay? We've not been your friends for a long time but...you can trust us, okay?"

"Okay..." was all she could say before she peeked over his shoulder and spotted the other 12 members approaching. Before they got too close, Ozzie enjoyed hugging Ryeowook, being so close to him.

The van door slid open and Leeteuk stuck his head in. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, concern etched all over his face. Ozzie nodded silently, releasing Ryeowook and climbing out of the van. She was quickly captured by Siwon and Kangin, who seemed to have predicted that she would trip. Giving her thanks, any trace of a smile she had quickly faded as she caught sight of Heechul. Immediately she averted her gaze and turned to Kangin.

"Can we swap the seating a little bit? I want to ride with you." She said softly. At first Kangin didn't seem to know why, but a quick look between her and Heechul told him all he needed to know.

"Of course."

"...And can Siwonnie and Ryeowook come too?"

Kangin hesitated at first, but agreed. Sungmin and Eunhyuk transferred over to the van while Ozzie, Siwon and Ryeowook replaced them in the Monte Carlo. They quickly deposited the goods they acquired in the back of the van, Kangin stashing what looked like a large amount of beer cases in the Monte's trunk. But Ozzie only cared about making her way onto Siwon's lap. It was a bit difficult, seeing as the Monte was a bit smaller than the Van, but she managed to sit on his lap and lean her head on Ryeowook's shoulder.

The ride home was quiet, and Ozzie quickly fell asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Blinking her eyes awake, Ozzie looked at what she seemed to be holding on to; Siwon's shirt. But she was in her room, on her bed, and Siwon wasn't inside. Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, she heard voices from downstairs and made her way out of her room, stopping as she heard voices.

Heechul's voice sounded angry, and she guessed that Leeteuk and Siwon were bitching him out. At first all was fine until she heard Kangin chime in. Then there were shouts, and she was sure something was thrown at someone.

Having heard enough, she shut her door and went back into her room. She crawled onto her bed and picked up Siwon's shirt, folding it. After it was folded, she held it close. She'd done enough crying today, but she still felt like doing it more. She flinched as her door opened and quickly laid down, covering her face with the shirt. Whoever came in laid beside her on the bed, and stroked her hair.

"Hey..."

She looked up into Heechul's face as a tear escaped. He sighed and scooted closer, putting his face close to hers. "I'm sorry. I don't think you're stupid. I just..." he couldn't seem to bring the words out. Instead he draped an arm around her, lifting her chin up as she tried to hide again. "What will it take for us to be friends again?" he said softly.

Ozzie looked at him, searching his face. She didn't know whether or not he was kidding, so she flipped around to face the opposite way. She heard him sigh, and guilt wormed its way into her conscience. He was only worried about me...I really shouldn't be treating him like he was...being mean.

"Heechu-"

She turned around to face him and apologize, but at exactly the same moment he leaned forward to attempt to talk to her more. Ozzie's eyes went wide as she felt his lips press against hers. For a few minutes they were too stunned to move apart...until the last person they would want to walk in on it...walked in.

"Okay, just checking to make sure you two aren't Fighti-" Kangin entered unannounced upon the scene. As soon as he stopped talking, the two came to their senses and leapt to opposite sides of the bed, staring at each other. Kangin's grin was a mile wide as he walked over to Heechul and draped an arm over his shoulder. "See, that's exactly the way you should apologize. Except there should be more tongue, and rolling around and-"

Both Heechul and Ozzie tackled him down to the floor and began a brutal beating with some pillows, not letting him up.



After Kangin left, promising to never bring up what he saw, Heechul crawled under the covers in his new Hello Kitty pajamas. Ozzie changed into the matching pair he had bought for her as an apology and crawled into the bed next to him awkwardly. But immediately he wrapped his arms around her and snuggled. At first, Ozzie tried to get his arms off of her, but gave up and turned around to face him.

"So, am I going to wake up with you on the other side like you're supposed to be?" she asked him teasingly.

"Maybe. I'd rather stay like this all night." He replied, smiling.

"You know I'll get angry at you."

"You're cute when you're mad."

"Shut up!" she giggled and tried to hide her face. Heechul chuckled as well, bringing their hands up to rest in between them. Their fingers locked together as they smiled at eachother.

"I get first shot at your ex next time, okay?" Heechul asked, already drowzing off. Ozzie giggled, her eyes closed and sleep closing in on her quickly. She tightened her grip on his hand, getting a little closer to him.

"Goodnight Heechul."

"Goodnight Princess."

"See you in the morning."

"Don't kill me."

"...'Kay."

[Nikki]

Chapter 8: Break

Blinking her eyes awake, the first thing Ozzie felt was COLD. Letting out a yelp, she curled up into a fetal position underneath the covers, only to be grabbed by her equally cold bedmate. As she snuggled into Heechul, she could feel his body shivering and she cursed herself for not having more blankets.

"It's c-c-c-c-c-cold..." Heechul chattered. Ozzie nodded in agreement, but wiggled away from him to slip out of the bed. However, she succeeded in only rolling out and landing with a –THUD- on the floor.

"OW!" she yelped as she landed, more concerned that the floor was COLD. Heechul crawled across the bed and leaned down.

"Are you okay?" he worriedly asked. Ozzie only waved him off and sat up, rubbing her eyes. It was extremely early for a Sunday and she hoped against all hopes that she hadn't woken up the other members.

Standing up, she turned and patted Heechul on the head. "I'm gonna go and t-t-turn up the heat. I'll be right back...kay?" she yawned as she spoke, and Heechul nodded. Ozzie envisioned him with a tail that wagged with such speed that it was dangerous. Stifling a giggle, she made her way out of her room, closing the door quietly.

As she went down the stairs, she felt her teeth chatter and her skin crawl. The pajamas that were gifted to her were fairly warm, but as she wandered sleepily to a window, she saw what it was that made it so much colder; snow. She smiled to herself, thinking of the coming Christmas that she'd be sharing with her favorite band.

"Hey, How do you turn this up?"

The voice surprised her out of her skin, but not as much as when she turned around. A Shirtless, ruffled Siwon was standing next to the thermostat, looking a bit stumped. Ozzie was extremely glad that the room was dark, her blush could go unnoticed. She couldn't help but stare at him and his perfectly-sculpted body...

Shaking her head to clear out such thoughts, she made her way over to him, smiling. "Alright, to get it warmer, you just slide this...thingy to the left, then press the 'up' button until it gets to the right temperature. Let's put it to 75 Fahrenheit and call it good, okay?" she instructed him, refusing to take another glance at him, afraid of staring too long.

"Ah...alright, thank you. I think I can handle it from now on so you don't have to wake up to come do it." He whispered as Hankyung made a loud noise and turned over in the loveseat. Ozzie made a move to head back upstairs, but was stopped as Siwon wrapped his arms around her waist. She let out a tiny squeak as he did so, feeling something flutter in her stomach...or chest. She didn't know which and she didn't care.

"Um...Siwon? What's wrong? Do you feel okay? Did the cold make you sick?" she voiced her excuses for his actions, but as she did, he took her with him the couch. Releasing her, he sat down and patted the space next to him, and Ozzie obediently sat down. As she did, Siwon held onto her again, laying down a bit, enough that Ozzie rested on his chest. She could feel her heart going a mile a minute and prayed that he didn't feel anything. "Um...Ah...Siwonnie? What're...why are..." she stumbled, wanting nothing more than to be back up in her bed with Heechul at the moment. At least he didn't make her feel the way she was at the moment.

But Siwon didn't respond for a few moments. He closed his eyes and pulled Ozzie a little higher up before covering them both with the blanket. As the seconds ticked by, Ozzie relaxed a bit, fully laying her head onto his chest and shutting her eyes halfway. She could feel his grip on her loosen, but as it did so, he turned his head to look at her, smiling. She didn't return his gaze for long, looking down quickly, her heart, if possible, picking up speed. "Hee...Heechul's waiting for me, Siwon...He might get worried..." she whispered, desperate to get away from him before she either fainted or suffered from a heart attack. Siwon just chuckled and sat up, Ozzie awkwardly sitting on his lap and the blanket covering both of them over their heads.

"Is it so wrong for me to want to have personal time with you too, Starshine?" he asked. His question surprised her and she pressed her index fingers together repeatedly, silent. He leaned down and nuzzled into the space between her neck and her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. Ozzie almost yipped, but squeaked instead, causing Siwon to chuckle. "That's cute. Very cute." He intended to compliment her, but instead she turned her head away from him, frowning.

"It's not cute." She stated bluntly. Siwon chuckled again and gently placed a hand on her cheek to turn her gaze back to him.

"It's adorable." He smiled before gently stroking her cheek. If her heart didn't have an overdrive mode before, it did now.

"Siwon, please. You're going to give me a heart attack or make me faint." There. She said it. The flat-out truth. However, at her statement, Siwon looked oddly surprised. She couldn't understand, didn't he remember that, all her calmness put aside, she was their...his –FAN-? Rather than question her, he simply laid down again, dragging her with him. She sighed as she realized all hope was wasted on him. So she just...did what he did and snuggled into his neck-shoulder space. But all it did was cause him to hold onto her tighter and close his eyes. She kept her face there for a moment before feeling him shift around a little, and she slipped between the back cushions and him.

"So why exactly do you keep going back to that guy?" he asked innocently. But Ozzie frowned at him and attempted to get up, only to be pinned back down. "Answer."

"No."

"So you can't trust me?"

"Of course not."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Tell me."

"No."

"Tell me please?"

"No thank you."

"Tell me or I'll swap sleeping spaces with Heechul."

He grinned as she looked at him in horror. "Just kidding, just kidding." He laughed as he got off the couch and helped her off. "If you don't want to tell me...it's okay."

Blinking as she got up, she felt her heart drop. Was he just testing her? She had a feeling that maybe Heechul had told him to do something like this. All the same...why did she feel so disappointed? "...'Kay then. See you when I wake up again..." was all she could manage before bolting up the stairs.

She couldn't believe how...upset she felt. Shouldn't she be relieved that he was only joking? But no, she felt like she'd been...dumped. Growling at herself for being so stupid, she opened her bedroom door and was promptly tackled by Heechul. "GYAAAH!" was all she could get out before they landed on the floor.

"You took so long! You said you were going to come right back! Did you get lost?!" Heechul exclaimed rather loudly.

"No...I had to talk to Siwon." She lied. But Heechul didn't catch it and stood up.

"Well, get back in bed. It's really early."

Suddenly, she got a sinking feeling. "...How early...?"

Heechul looked at his watch then back at her quizzically. "Almost seven. Why?"

She responded by yelping and running into the room and flinging her closet open, searching frantically. Heechul peered over her shoulder only to be smacked in the face by a shirt. Shaking it off, he continued to watch until Ozzie whipped around and pushed him back, causing him to fall onto the bed. "I'm late for work!" she yelled, smoothing out some uniform-looking clothes before brushing her hair frantically.

"...So?"

Heechul shrunk back as she glared at him. "So? SO?! Apparently you don't realize that if I don't have a job, I lose my cat AND money to pay for you guys to stay here!" she snarled before turning back and continuing to brush her hair.

"But...We're here and we don't know where to go without you..."

"The van has GPS. Teukie knows how to work it."

"...I'll be lonely..." Heechul let out a sad sigh and looked towards her window. Ozzie turned around to look at him, wonder etched onto her face.

"Heechul...Are you trying to guilt-trip me?"

"...Yes."

"Not working. Now put the covers over your head while I change." She expected him to obey, but turning around as she began to lift off her pajama top to make sure, she growled. He hadn't moved and was scowling. "Heechul!"

"I'm not gonna look away until you decide to stay." He said stubbornly, crossing his arms and looking directly at her.

"Heechul... I'm warning you..."

"Stay."

"DAMNIT HEECHUL LOOK THE OTHER WAY!"

"NO!"

She tossed one of her shoes at him hard before storming out of the room and slamming the door shut. He was so STUBBORN! She kept thinking of ways to punish him after her shift, and she didn't even remember that someone was sleeping in the guest room where she could usually escape to be alone. She growled as she flung off her top and replaced it with a collared shirt. She was about to fling off her pants when she remembered where she was.

And who could be there as well.

Turning her head slowly, she breathed a sigh of relief as she saw only one curled-up body, facing the other way. She quietly swapped pants before sitting on the bed and holding her head in her hands. She was so confused about her emotions, her thoughts, her life. And she was thankful she had work; she'd be able to get away and clear her mind. Standing up, she peeked over the covers to see who was still asleep before leaving; Ryeowook. She smiled before gathering up her clothes and piling them in a corner and heading out, closing the door as quietly as she could.

She made her way downstairs, cautiously keeping from even glancing at Siwon, and entered the kitchen.

"What're you doing up so early?" Leeteuk greeted her wearing his pajamas, his hair unkempt and messy. Ozzie stifled a giggle and gave him a hug.

"Good morning to you too, Teukie. I'd like to ask the same thing of you."

"Ah, well I thought I'd get an early start on breakfast. It's a Sunday so I thought you'd like some waffles."

"I...would love to have some but I actually need to get going to work..."

"Oh? On a Sunday?"

"Sadly."

"I'm really sorry. Shall we pay you a visit sometime?"

"AH! No, no, it's alright. I'd rather not have my manager getting angry at me."

"Oh, I see. Well, shall I make you a lunch?"

"Wha- Really?"

"Sure. I feel bad for you, missing breakfast."

"Awwwww, thank you Teukie."

"Go ahead and take a seat. I won't take long."

"Alrighty."

She made her way to the kitchen table and sat down on a chair closest to the counter. She watched as Leeteuk bustled about the kitchen, putting together...something. She noticed that he seemed to be using items she had not bought, and she giggled as she realized that perhaps he had done a little shopping of his own. Her thoughts were interrupted as Siwon entered the kitchen, saying something in Korean to Leeteuk. She turned around quickly and began to examine the grain patterns on the table. She tried hard to not listen in, but she caught her name one or two times and fought the urge to turn around and ask what they were talking about.

Siwon finally left and Leeteuk presented her with a brown bag, stuffed full to bursting. "Here you go. Now go on and hurry before you're even later." He helped her out of her chair and escorted her to the door.

As Ozzie walked with him, she realized that, like with Donghae, Sungmin and Yesung, she was completely calm with him. Unlike when she was around Siwon, Heechul, or Ryeowook, who all somehow set her heart into overdrive mode and caused unwanted fluttering in her chest. Sighing, she stopped as they entered the garage.

"Alright..." she turned to Leeteuk and smiled. "Please take care of the house and everyone. And make sure Heechul doesn't con you guys into stalking me today." She giggled as she thought of the ways Heechul could convince them.

"No worries there, Ozzie. Just go and work hard." Leeteuk grinned as he leaned forward and pecked her on the cheek. Ozzie...didn't blush. She simply leaned up a little and returned his peck with one of her own before turning and heading to the Monte, grabbing the keys as she passed her dad's workbench. As she got in, she looked back and saw Leeteuk still standing there. This time, she blushed a little, but not for the same reason as when she blushed around the other three. He reminded her of her brother.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Thank you! Please visit us again!" Ozzie cheerfully said to a departing customer.

Standing behind the counter after five hours of work, she anticipated lunchtime, continually gazing at the brown bag that held the goodies that Leeteuk had prepared for her. She heard her stomach gurgle a bit and sighed. She'd have to wait for the manager to come and relieve her so she could eat. It would be rude of her to eat on the counter and-

"Well, well, well. If it isn't little miss harlot." A voice sounded from the entrance. Looking to see who was there, but already knowing, Ozzie's face lost any and all color.

Standing in front of the door were two girls wearing revealing clothing and looking as if Christmas had just come early. One was Bleached-blonde and one was brunette

"He-hello, Krysta..." Ozzie stammered, praying that they were just here to get something and leave. But she wasn't so lucky.

"So, why won't you get back with Justin, little girl?" the blonde, Krysta inquired as she leaned on the counter. A malicious smile was painted onto her face, making Ozzie back up a little.

"What do you want to know for?"

"You better get back with him. Or else."

"...I'm not going to-"

"Or else the school will have the juicy story of pretty little Ozzie being home, alone, with 13 boys."

As soon as those words were out of Krysta's mouth, whatever color had remained in Ozzie's face was gone. She stared at the blonde speechlessly, before frowning. "They're my friends. They needed a place to stay and..." she started but Krysta giggled girlishly.

"And what about what you were doing in your mother's van with that one?"

Ozzie felt like hurling.

"I'm sure your parents won't appreciate what you were doing in their van with that man."

"H-he was trying to cheer me up! We weren't..."

"That's not what I saw, dear..."

"What...? You saw nothing!"

"And who would believe someone like you, who won't get back with the football captain?" Krysta laughed.

On the verge of tears, Ozzie attempted one last rebuke. "No one will believe a stupid slut who's slept with the entire football AND baseball team." She snarled. But this just made Krysta reach out and smack her across the cheek.

"WATCH your mouth, little girl. In case you forgot, I could EASILY make your life a living hell and run you out of the school." Krysta growled, getting off the counter. "You better get back with Justin tomorrow or you'll find the whole school knows about your little frolic in the van." She turned to leave, calling the brunette to come with her, shoving down a display rack as they walked out.

Watching them leave, Ozzie gingerly touched her cheek, yelping as her ouch stung. Looking at her hand, she felt sick as she saw blood. Kyrsta's nails had caused a few gashes.

Making her way to the display rack to pick up, she heard footsteps behind her. Turning, she faced her manager. Feeling sicker than ever, she smiled at him. "S-sorry sir...i was just on my way to pick that u-"

"Were those your friends again?" he asked gruffly, but not intending to sound men. He was a fairly large man with a scary face and a deep voice, but those who knew him looked past that, for he was a fairly nice person. He was also the owner of the store, but insisted that his workers refer to him as the 'Manager'. Right now, all Ozzie could think about was how she wished Ryeowook was there to calm her down.

"S-sir..They're not..." she started, but he held his hand up, silencing her.

"Dear, they've been coming in for a while now and destroying the store after talking to you. I can't have that kind of people coming in here."

"B-but, they're not..."

"Please realize that I have nothing against you. The customers who give feedback praise you and even tell me to give your raises. I've thought that they were going to quit after the third time, but this is the 8th time, sweetie."

His words cut through her like a hot butcher knife.

"I'm not going to fire you, but I would like you to not come back until 3 days after Christmas, alright?" He finished, patting her on the shoulder. "You need a break anyways." And with that, he turned back around to go to his office.
Ozzie stayed where she was, letting tears from one eye fall down, her body shivering.