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The Mid-Autumn Festival firework show had ended, but the streets would remain lively until dawn. The pounding of drums pulsed through the air like a rapid heartbeat, and lion dancers swayed under their costumes to the rhythm.

The crowd in front of the lantern stand grew exponentially, and Chen An and Shen Li Xin rushed to help all of the eager people.

"Did I do this right, Ge Ge?" a little boy raised a lopsided lantern to Shen Li Xin's face.

"Wow, great work! Let's go hang it together," Shen Li Xin responded, taking the boy's hand to the long rows of hanging wires that quickly filled with the vibrant lanterns.

From the stall where Chen An distributed the materials, she watched fondly as Shen Li Xin hung up the little boy's lantern and took him in his arms to take a closer look.

Shen Li Xin had a way about things that made each of the lanterns in the sky special, no matter how many there were. In fact, he had a way about things that made each person feel special, including Chen An, though she wanted to selfishly believe that he treated her a little differently.

Her thoughts were suddenly shattered by Lu Xi Xi's voice in the crowd. "Chen An!" she called to her.

Hearing her voice, Chen An waved to Shen Li Xin to catch his attention. "I have to go check on a friend," she explained, nearly needing to shout over the commotion. "You'll be okay here on your own, right?"

Shen Li Xin nodded and sent her away to find Lu Xi Xi.

Chen An searched through the many bodies that filled the street, but the blur of faces made it almost impossible to pinpoint her friend. Suddenly, a hand clasped around her wrist; it was none other than Lu Xi Xi.

Lu Xi Xi pulled Chen An out of the dense crowd and led her to a quiet alleyway, where they could finally escape the noise. Chen An could still hear a faint ringing in her ears from the thumping drums and shook her head quickly to do away with it.

For a moment, the two sat in silence on the concrete stairs, catching their breaths. Chen An was hesitant to ask Lu Xi Xi about the confession, worried it had not gone to plan.

But, Chen An did not have to ask at all. Suddenly, Lu Xi Xi burst into tears, her wails filling the silence. When she looked up at Chen An, her eyes glittered constellations before she buried her face in her hands once again.

"What's wrong, Xi Xi?" Chen An tried to soothe her, rubbing her back in small rhythmic circles.

It seemed to work as Lu Xi Xi's cries stopped, and she raised her head to gasp for air. But, when Lu Xi Xi attempted to answer Chen An's question, her tears bubbled up again and she said nothing at all.

Not wanting to rush her, Chen An hugged her tightly, and Lu Xi Xi clung desperately to Chen An's sleeve, her stream of tears staining streaks onto the other.

After a while, Lu Xi Xi finally calmed down enough to make out her words and looked up at Chen An with watery eyes. "Li Jun Jie rejected me."

Shocked, Chen An was momentarily paralyzed and could only ask, "What? Why?"

"I don't know," Lu Xi Xi responded with a devastated sigh, and Chen An was almost afraid she would begin to cry again. "I had everything planned out for tonight. The meeting, the firework show, even what I was going to say. Everything went according to plan."

"What happened then?" Chen An questioned carefully, not wanting to provoke her.

"He just said he didn't like me, not even as a friend," Lu Xi Xi paused, her puffy eyes meeting Chen An's. "And he only ever hung out with me because you asked him to."

Chen An's heart felt like it had stopped. She wanted to say something then, something like an apology for getting Lu Xi Xi's hopes up, but guilt clenched in her chest, and she felt that she deserved to say nothing at all. The only thing Chen An could do was comfort Lu Xi Xi, stroking her hair while she lay in her embrace.

Hearing their voices, Li Jun Jie found the entrance of the alleyway and stared at Chen An with an undecipherable expression. His figure blocked the faint glow that emanated from the distant market, and Chen An raised her head to find the source of the obstruction. Lu Xi Xi didn't seem to notice his presence, her face hidden in Chen An's jacket. Chen An could only look back at him as she continued to comfort Lu Xi Xi.

Li Jun Jie stood only a few meters away, but in the darkness of the alley, the distance seemed as cavernous as hundreds of kilometers.

Lu Xi Xi spoke, her voice muffled by Chen An's jacket, but seemingly deafening in the stagnant silence. "I finally understand all those times when you said Li Jun Jie was a jerk. You were right Chen An; you always are."

Chen An ripped her glance from Li Jun Jie's eyes and could only continue to pat Lu Xi Xi's back gently as she cried.

The following days, Chen An walked with Lu Xi Xi to school, worried her friend would still feel heartbroken after that night. When they arrived to the classroom, Li Jun Jie was already there as usual; he seemed to want to say something to Chen An then, but she turned her back to him and talked with Lu Xi Xi in an attempt to distract her.

After class, wherever Chen An went, Lu Xi Xi followed, from the school cafeteria to the orchestra practice room. There was never a moment when Chen An was alone.

But, one day at lunchtime, Mr. Wen asked Chen An to deliver a folder of documents to the school office, and Chen An, noticing Lu Xi Xi beginning to return to her usual bright self, promised to meet her at the cafeteria after handing off the documents.

The hallways were empty as they usually were at this time of day. As Chen An walked briskly to the school office, a voice called out to her.

"Chen An." Li Jun Jie was afraid he would miss his one opportunity. "Chen An!"

Chen An quickened her pace, forcing her eyes straight ahead to avoid even an accidental glance.

"Chen An, please," Li Jun Jie begged, his feather-light touch around Chen An's wrist making her stop in her tracks.

But, Chen An still didn't dare turn to look at him. "I can't talk to you, Li Jun Jie."

"I know I'm a bad guy. I know I was wrong to hurt Lu Xi Xi's feelings," Li Jun Jie said, out of breath. "But, does that have to have anything to do with us?"

Chen An steeled herself and finally turned to meet Li Jun Jie's desperate gaze. She stared as if looking right through him, afraid that those eyes would suddenly cause her to give in. "I'm her best friend, Li Jun Jie. I can't choose you over her."

Chen An brushed his hand harshly from her wrist, and it dropped heavily to his side.

Li Jun Jie nodded and backed away from Chen An, understanding. "Fine, I'll stay out of your way then. I don't blame you for choosing Lu Xi Xi over me."

The days following went by in a blur. Li Jun Jie had kept to his word and seemed to disappear entirely from Chen An's life. The seat he normally occupied beside Chen An's was deserted, and he exchanged it for one in the back of the room.

When they left class, Li Jun Jie was nowhere to be found: the cafeteria, the art classroom, even the hallways held no trace of him. Chen An walked alone on the shortcut home, not a hint of Li Jun Jie ever passing by.

Chen An convinced herself that this was for the best. Lu Xi Xi was coming back to the girl Chen An knew and seemed to quickly forget about the vanishing Li Jun Jie. As she usually did, Chen An focused herself on her work, trying to ignore every thought of Li Jun Jie that drifted unconsciously into her mind.

Things were back to the way they had been for all of Chen An's life, and she wanted to believe that the comfortable familiarity was what she truly wanted. But, there was an emptiness in Chen An that the familiar never quite seemed to fill.