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The warmth of autumn began to give way to the whirling wind. The students were still determined to spend their lunch break in the courtyard, unwilling to let go of the final fleeting breaths of summer despite their cheeks turning rosy in the chilly breeze.

Chen An was one of those students, but she remained in the courtyard to breathe in the crisp wind against her face and the woody scent of nature that was so hard to find in the middle of the city.

But, Lu Xi Xi soon pulled her inside and walked with her arm-in-arm on the path to the orchestra practice room.

Lu Xi Xi drank from a yogurt bottle, chewing on the plastic straw in deep thought. "Do you think Li Jun Jie is okay?" she asked Chen An, concerned.

Chen An gave a disinterested shrug. "I don't know. Why wouldn't he be?"

"He's been out of class for a week now."

It was hard to believe the nearly perfect attendance student missed class for even one day. Chen An too had found it strange but was just beginning to enjoy his absence. "Maybe he is trying to make up for all those missed opportunities to play hooky. Or maybe he was abducted by aliens, I don't know."

Lu Xi Xi elbowed her with a pout. "I'm being serious. I'm worried for him."

"I'm sure it's nothing."

Chen An trudged down the hallway begrudgingly, carrying a tall stack of children's music booklets. At the end of orchestra rehearsal, Ms. Yun had piled the heap in her arms and shooed her away to the art classroom before Chen An even had a chance to protest.

Lu Xi Xi had not been much help either, fumbling out a pathetic excuse and a sheepish smile before scurrying away, leaving Chen An alone to play for the art class.

Chen An didn't mind performing for the kids, but whiling away the afternoon she would usually spend studying or practicing her violin solo made her reluctant to continue. Or perhaps, it was the thought of seeing Li Jun Jie again and being accused of invading his only personal space. In either case, Chen An felt her steps get heavier as she approached the art room.

As she was lost in thought, the book at the top of the pile slid off slowly, landing with a splat on the floor. The singing cartoon sheep that decorated its glossy cover stared at Chen An mockingly.

She bent down awkwardly, attempting to retrieve the book while balancing the dozens of others in her arms. Before she could pick it up, a hand reached out from in front of her and collected it.

Tracing the extended arm, Chen An's eyes found Shen Li Xin, his usual smile adorning his face.

"Let me help you with that." He took more than half the books from her arms and carried them into the art classroom.

Setting the stack down on a table, Shen Li Xin took the rest of the books from Chen An, his fingertips brushing against her arms, leaving a warm tingling feeling behind.

"It's nice to see you again, An An," he said while organizing the music.

Chen An nodded, her eyes drifting to the kids bouncing around the classroom.

Noticing her gaze, Shen Li Xin explained, "Just me today. I'm not sure where Li Jun Jie has gone. I haven't seen him anywhere near the art classroom since last week."

Chen An should have felt relieved; after all, she had dreaded seeing him again. But, unease twisted in her stomach. It was unlike him to skip art, even if he had missed his other classes. He had always gone to draw in the art classroom whenever the students had a break. Where else could he be?

Putting her jumbled thoughts aside, Chen An set up her things and began to play.

Chen An had walked home after the children's art class, but she now stood in front of the neighboring building's door rather than her own. A thick folder felt like a stone in her hands, the missing work her teachers had given to Chen An to send to Li Jun Jie.

There was no reason for her to feel uncomfortable seeing Li Jun Jie; if anything, he should be the uncomfortable one for insulting her the last time they met. Chen An nodded to herself decisively and walked into the building before she could turn around.

She knew the apartment number by heart, one she had visited many times before to deliver gifts from her grandmother to Mrs. Li.

Mr. and Mrs. Li were likely out of the house to attend their evening business parties, but Li Jun Jie had always been uninterested in the sort of thing and stayed behind to watch the apartment.

Raising a hand, Chen An knocked three times but was only met with silence. She knocked again but still received no response. Oh well, at least she could say she tried.

Letting out a breath, she turned back the way she came.

Arriving home, she was met with emptiness yet again. It had come that time during her grandmother's trip that the fridge began to look more and more bare. A few containers of questionable leftovers remained in the back of the shelves and stared back at Chen An as she scoured the kitchen for dinner.

Closing the door with a sigh, she plodded to her bedroom to look for the snacks she had hidden in her desk drawer. Through her drawn curtains, she could see light emanating from the window across from hers in the building next door. A shadow crossed the room, and Chen An furrowed her brow and closed her curtains harshly.

The curtains in her bedroom were usually always closed to avoid seeing Li Jun Jie through his window that faced hers. It had only been a few minutes since she left his building. If he was home, why didn't he answer the door?

To make matters worse, Chen An opened her desk drawer, and only the empty wrapper of a grape candy remained.

She considered skipping dinner in her annoyance, but her grumbling stomach told her otherwise. Chen An made her way down the stairs to buy snacks at the convenience store a few blocks away.

The night was cold, and Chen An stuffed her hands in her pockets. The sky was clear, and she could catch a glimpse of a few lone stars beyond the line of the tall buildings along the street.

Ahead of her, a tall figure was walking in the same direction, a gray hood pulled over its head. Even from behind, Chen An could tell the back belonged to none other than Li Jun Jie.

When the two had been in middle school, Li Jun Jie, who would always get to school before her, sat in the seat in front of hers, amused by her inability to see over his lanky frame. It was only after their teacher scolded him that Li Jun Jie was forced to change seats, and Chen An began to sit in the front row, their arrangement remaining the same ever since.

Approaching Li Jun Jie quietly, Chen An got on her tiptoes and smacked him over the head. A surprised Li Jun Jie held a hand to his head and could almost imagine a red bump forming under his hood. Turning to face his attacker, his eyes met a fuming Chen An on his heels.

"I knew you were home." Chen An pointed a finger at him accusingly. "Why didn't you answer the door, huh? Don't think you can get away from doing your work."

He wrapped a large hand around her pointed finger, and Chen An hated how pitiful it made her look. "I didn't hear you knock." It was obvious he was lying through his teeth.

Li Jun Jie followed Chen An on the way to the convenience store, and, for a moment, she mused that he looked like an oversized puppy. As they reached the glowing entrance of the small store, the two went their separate ways to the browse the aisles.

Chen An settled on a pack of chocolate cookie sticks and headed to the front of the store.

Li Jun Jie reached the register before her and snatched the packet out of her hands. "These look good," he said, looking it over before handing the box to the cashier to scan.

Chen An grumbled, but after the beep of the cashier's scanner, Li Jun Jie dropped it back into her hands. He pulled out a few loose bills from his pocket and paid before heading out of the store.

The two sat on the stone steps outside of the convenience store. Backlit by the fluorescent lights, dark circles were evident under Li Jun Jie's eyes and his lips were cracked and colorless.

"Where have you been?" Chen An asked while munching on her snack-turned-dinner.

Li Jun Jie shrugged. "At home, I guess."

"Are you okay?" Chen An hated the concern that crept into her voice. An apology about invading the afternoon art class threatened to tumble from her lips, but she swallowed it with the cookie, her throat turning dry.

"I didn't know you could be worried about me," he teased. "I'm fine. I just don't want to go to school."

Chen An was unconvinced but nodded nonetheless, not wanting to push him further.

After she finished the packet, the two walked home in silence. It was comfortable; neither of them felt any need to talk to the other.

When they arrived at her building, Chen An turned around to face him. "I'm going in now," she said awkwardly, pausing for a moment. "Good night."

Li Jun Jie held out a closed hand, and Chen An held out her own confused. He placed something in her palm, his fingers cold against her hand.

"Good night," he said back, turning around to return home.

Chen An watched his shrinking figure as it appeared and disappeared in and out of the faint glow of the street light. Unfurling her fingers, she found a grape candy in her hand.