University of Wonderland

Chapter Fourty-Three

A half-hour later, after Sehun had changed into a clean outfit from his "closet" in the trunk, Minho arrived with his truck. He hopped out and looked at the damage. "Whoa, Sehun. First Sulli, and now this?"

"Sulli?" Sehun tilted his head toward Minho.

Minho looked back and forth between us, jingling his keys. "Oh shit. I thought you two knew. She got arrested. Looks like time finally caught up to her. I knew he would. He's determined that way."

My chest tightened.

Sehun closed his eyes shut. "Tell her I'm really sorry."

"You tell her." Minho went to the truck and lifted the dog's cage out of back. "I don't talk to her on prime-number days. For her own protection, obviously."

"A cage?" Sehun looked horrified.

"Yeah, I stopped by the pet store." Minho set the cage on the ground. "Sulli fenced off part of the basement this morning. I'm guessing it's for the pig?"

I looked at Sehun. The lifeless color of his skin matched my airbag-enhanced memory of the crash. "Is that okay?"

"Sehun blew on his fists to keep them warm. "Yeah, I guess. Since it's only temporary."

"You should call the police." I handed him the phone back into his hands since I wanted to have a chat with Minho. Sehun thanked Minho, then headed to the road's edge where we'd learned the phone got the best reception.

Minho crossed his arms and stood in place. "This was really stupid. You guys got caught, and you were almost killed. If I'd been here . . ."

"I thought you had an army now? Or is dating Hyuna somehow you're way getting back at me for stealing you spot in the group?"

Minho let out a quick laugh. "I'm not that predictable. Keep thinking that and you'll be pleasantly surprised."

"Pleasantly?" I rasied an brow.

He pursed his lips. "Well, that's still open for interpretation." He sidestepped around me and headed for Sehun's car door.

I brushed the hair off my face and followed him. "So what's your personal agenda then, with all these stunts? And why in the world is Hyuna helping you?"

"Don't act so surprised. You're practically the only girl in school who isn't in love with me."

Delusional and crazy, what a combo. "And maybe I just want a girlfriend?"

I so did not believe. After all, he'd phrased it as a question. "Really? Because you two have so much in common?"

"We do have a common goal." He smiled at me.

"Right, I forgot Hyuna has been on the front lines of saving the environment."

He smirked as if he found my comment cute. I decided to try another tactic: kill him with kindness. "I'll hold the cage."

"I think you've done enough." He waved toward the damaged car.

A million comebacks bubbled in my throat, but I swallowed them down. "Maybe you can convince Hyuna to use her student-council powers to help Sehun somehow. Raise money to buy another farm?" I knew I sounded impausible, but my rational thinking meter has been crushed in the crash.

He lifted the pig out of the front seat. It thrashed in the air and squealed like a rusty gear. "You can't juts buy a farm. You need land for it, permits . . . What do you think we've been trying to do this whole time?" He adjusted the pig to his side and brought his broken watch to his mouth. He whispered to it, then tilted his ear so he could listen. HIs eyes met mine and he looked surprised, like he'd forgotten where he was.

I shut the door behind him. "Even if we could somehow get him a house, like Habitat for Humanity?" (Idk of how that got there. My parents were speaking something about humanity)

He laughed. "You really know nothing. At least in the zombie apocalypse you'd be safe. They only eat brains, after all."

I climbed onto the truck bed and looped my fingers through the metal bars of the cage to keep it steady. "Minho, I don't want to fight with you. We're on the same side."

"Are we?" He eyed me for a long while. "Seems to me you're siding with Sehun and Sulli."

The metal bars cut into my palms as my fists tightened aroun them. "They're on your side, too."

"No, they're not." He grunted as he lifted the pig onto the truck. "It's all about Sehun." Minho shot a quick glare at Sehun's direction. Farther in the distance than he'd stood before, Sehun pressed one finger into his open ear and spoke into the phone, his back to us now. "I waited and waited, and looked what happened."

Minho let go of the pig to early, almost like he was throwing her. The pig's eyes widened, and she flunged her limbs wildly. Minho shoved her into the cage. He snapped his hands back, fingers shaking.

"OMO! You hurt her!"

"I didn't mean to - I - my hand was all tingly." He looked up at me, mouth apart, and I expected anger, but he looked . . . frightened. He brought one palm up and dragged it across his face. His voice went soft and squeezed the edge of his shirt with white knuckles. "Sometimes . . . I have a problem with my anger."

I nodded. No way was I going to argue with him anymore.

"Don't you see, Suzy?" He let go of his shirt, leaving behind star-shaped wrinkles. "My problem is as big as Sehun's. It needs to be dealt with."

Curiouser and curiouser. I didn't see how one related to the other. "I'll help you." If he was this desperate to get someone on his side, then maybe he really needed it. It might be illegal, but it couldn't be worse than what we'd already been doing. Ideally, anyway.

"That's the problem." He slammed his fist into the metal of the car, rattling it. The pig reacted in familiar terror. Minho's fist left a dent, and I got a horrible sense of déjà vu. "No one can help me."

=^_^= . . . =^_^=

Sorry that I couldn't update every day like I thought I would. I have been busy spending time with Fluffywhiskers7 . We've been spending time thinking about another book that I will be typing soon after this book ends with Sehun and Suzy. It's going to be about Suzy learning how to say "Saranghaeyo" out loud. I hope you guys will be excited for it!