University of Wonderland

Chapter Fourty-Two

Turned out the white was death but the airbag that cushioned my crash. It deflated, and my lungs gasped for all the air they could take. Sounds leaked back into the silence. The pig's squealing drowned out the hissing car. Remind me never to go "parking" with a guy again.

"Suzy! Suzy! Are you all right?" Sehun shook my shoulder.

If he was asking, it meant he was all right, too. I let out a relieved breath and turned my head toward him, all movements slow and exaggerated. I squinted at his blurry form, and my head pounded like construction workers were renovating it. But that was the only thing thata ched, a good sign. Optimism tended to be the result of a near-death experience. "Yeah. I feel . . . like I could . . . run a marathon."

Sehun laughed. "I guess gym class has really made an impression on you." He propped open his door and slid out. I pushed my own door open, stumbling for a minute like Bambi taking her first steps. The world spun around me even though I stood on solid ground, so I gripped the side of the car and shut my eyes until my equilibrium returned.

The back of the car was wrapped around a tree, smashed like an accordion. The mangled truck zigzapped open, warped and dented. I shivered, knowing that could've easily been me.

Sehun stared at the damage of the car for a moment, then sank to the ground and buried his head into his knees. Dark brown splotches dotted his body. I rushed over to him because it looked like blood, but as I got closer I realized it was mud.

"All those assemblies at school used to warn about drunk driving." I sat down next to him, outstretching my legs. "But they really should have focused on the dangers of getaways while transporting rabid animals."

"It's not funny." His mouth flatlined on his face. I wanted to inspire his trademark smiles again, not erasing them from existence.

"I know, but I'm a big advocate of laughter being the best medicine." I placed my hands over his and put them on my lap. "We're going to ahve to try really hard if we want to mend the car that way." I stretched my arms out, flexing my palms to show that I was ready for an attempt. "I failed my mom today."

He turned to look at me. "Why?"

"She always told me to remember two things. Wear clean underwear in case you get into a car accident, and always carry mints in case you talk to a cute guy." I curled my legs underneath me. "And, well, I haven't had a chance to do laundry in a while. Underwear fail."

He out a brief laugh.

I peered through the window at the pig, which had stopped squealing and now stumbled around the mangled cushions. "Is she going to be okay?"

"I think so." He sighed. "I hope so."

I dragged his head to my chest, rubbing his hair with my fingers. "It's okay," I said, knowing it wasn't. His dad didn't have a job. They couldn't pay for this. "We're both okay; that's what matters. You don't need a car."

Sehun nestled his mouth into the crook of my neck. "That won't fix the real issue.

"I know, but -"

He lifted his head and met my eyes. "Suzy, there's something else I haven't told you."

I stopped stroking his hair.

"It's where I live. My car." He lifted his head from my chest and rubbed a hand down his face. "Omo. I can't believe I'm telling you this."

My mind provided a movie montage: Sehun with wet hair early in the morning, coming out of the gym. Sehun asking me to make him lunch. Sehun not wanting to give me his phone number . . . because he didn't have a phone. Losing his farm, because of course, if you loe your farm, you lose the farmhouse!