By one pm Ko arrived back at the safe apartment. Once inside he received a text from Rica: 
  
Pick me up after school, and look handsome. 
  
He smirked at the message, “Heh, yes boss.” 
  
Ko had enough time to clean up and change into something less criminal before meeting Rica at her school. But when he stepped in his room he double took at a brand new outfit laid out on the bed. It wasn’t there when he left this morning.  
  
“Those two,” he muttered in reference to Rica and Reyna and the instant wardrobe he’d attained from them. For every day since Ko and Kayla arrived, Rica and Reyna have shopped for them. When Ko picked up Kayla last night Reyna gave him a bag of high end clothes with the price tags still attached. She bought him shirts, jeans, underwear, even cologne. 
  
“Like a pet,” he mumbled as he lifted the crisp blue collared shirt with black pants to match off the bed. “Reyna must have bought this stuff this morning when she took Kayla.” He smiled, nodding in approval at the fashionable name brand ensemble he now owned. 
  
Within an hour he showered, dressed, and sprinkled on cologne. Checking himself in the mirror, he concluded he appeared acceptable to pick up Rica. 
  
Two-fifteen pm 
  
Ko reached the prestigious, St. Mary’s High School For Girls, before Rica’s class let out. In front of the school a handful of students hung out by the entrance. He assumed they were released from earlier classes. Unfamiliar with any of them he decided to wait by the street curb, and check out the sights. 
  
The school itself stood in the middle of midtown Manhattan, surrounded by tall office buildings and crowded sidewalks. It reminded him of Tokyo when he traveled to that city. Since this was Ko’s first time visiting the area, he tried to take it all in stride. Until someone caught him. 
  
“Hey, are you sightseeing?” asked a female voice, in Korean. 
  
“Eh?” Ko spun around and eyed a pretty Asian girl standing behind him. She wore the same St. Mary’s uniform as Rica. Red bowtie, grey skirt, navy blazer. Definitely a rich girl’s school. 
  
“Hey yourself. And I’m actually waiting for someone, not really sightseeing per se,” he answered in Korean. 
  
“Yeah, I know. You’re waiting for Rica, right?” 
  
“That’s correct.” He glanced at her. “How’d you know?” 
  
The pretty Korean girl flipped her dyed brown hair with a frown. “Wow, you don’t remember me? We met at Rica’s party.” 
  
Ko’s eyes widened. “We did? Now how in the world would I forget you?” he joked with easy confidence in his native tongue. 
  
“Probably because I didn’t speak to you in Korean. And you-”  She smiled and turned away. “Never mind.” 
  
“Eh? Oh no, no. You can’t say never mind now, you built it up too much with you looking away like that. My name is Ko, by the way.” 
  
“Yes Mr. Ko, I remember.” She offered her hand. “My name is Donna Park, nice to meet you again," she said with a pretty smile. 
  
“Nice to meet you, Donna. And thanks for speaking my language.” 
  
“Why? You don’t have any Korean friends here?” she asked. 
  
“I wouldn’t call them friends. But don’t change the subject. You were saying that I should never mind,” he answered. 
  
“Oh!” She blushed with a giggle. “That was nothing! It’s just when you were at Rica’s party you were only focused on her, and your cute little sister.”  
  
“That’s true. They were the only people I knew there. Sorry if I offended you, girl from Seoul,” he teased. 
  
Donna hid her face with a smile. “Oh my god, you can tell by my accent I’m from Seoul?” 
  
“It’s pretty obvious.” 
  
“Eh? You sure aren’t hiding your Busan accent!”  
  
“Yup, I couldn’t hide that if I tried!” He bowed, smirking. 
  
“Um hm. So I bet you used your Busan-Bad-Boy charms on Rica? Is that why you’re here to pick her up?” she asked. 
  
Heh heh, chicks. “First of all I charmed no one.” He gazed in her eyes. “And as far as Rica goes. Whatever she tells you about her and me-” He paused for effect, “It’s true.” 
  
“Eh?” Donna smirked. “Rica hasn’t said anything about you.” 
  
“Then there’s your answer.” He turned away. 
  
“Well you’re a rascal!” she blurted in English with her hands on her hips. But her smile dropped when she looked over Ko’s shoulder at the school entrance. “Oh.” 
  
“Hm?” Time slowed to a crawl as Ko watched Rica Reyes lead an entourage of ten or more girls out of the school building. Each girl prettier than the last one. And they all stared at him. 
  
I see. She’s the boss here too. As I expected, he thought while the raven haired Rica strutted in front of the pack of teenage girls. Their unquestioned leader.  
  
“Eeeeeh? Rica, is that the cute Korean boy that was at your party? Gurl, he fine in the daylight. What's he doing over there talking to Donna Park though?” asked the entourage. 
  
Rica smiled, as she glared at Donna standing next to Ko. “Now, now, ladies. It’s a free country and I have no claim over Mr. Ko Lee. He’s free to do whatever he likes.” 
  
But her girls weren’t having it. “What are you talking about? A boy like that don’t have rights. He’s either yours or he ain’t, hmph!” They chorused with squinted eyes at Ko. 
  
Rica chuckled, “Heh heh, you girls have the wrong idea. I mean just because a boy is free, doesn’t mean his actions-” she stepped in front of Ko, with an evil smile, “-don’t carry consequences, for him.” 
  
Ko held back a laugh. For Rica and her entourage proved to him, unequivocally, that high school girls were possessive and evil in every country. And quite entertaining. 
  
“Hello, boss,” he whispered while bowing to Rica, causing the girls surrounding her to go nuts. 
  
“Eeeeh? Rica you lied! You already locked him down, mm-hm!” they cried. 
  
“What? I did no such thing,” Rica replied with shock at the accusation. She then turned to a red faced Donna. “Hullo Donna. Is Ko entertaining you?” 
  
“He is!” Donna innocently replied, “It turns out he’s a-” 
  
“That’s fascinating!” Rica snapped. “But time is a factor and we have places to be, so-” She eyed the smirking Ko, then faced her chicks, “Later bitches, text me if you need me.” 
  
“Whaaat? You leaving? Fine then, bye Rica! And bye Ko! Mr. too good to say hello to us!” cried the girls. 
  
Ko blushed. “Oh, I’m sorry. Nice to see you all again.” He waved at them. 
  
“Hee, hee, nice to see you too!” they laughed before dispersing. 
  
Ko smirked at the performance enacted by Rica and her crew. And he knew damn well she told him to meet her here so she could parade him around. Not that he minded. After waving goodbye to her entourage, he glanced at Rica. To his surprise, she was engaged in a civil conversation with Donna. 
  
“I know girl, his class is hard, but I’ll email you my notes tonight,” she said to Donna. 
  
“Thanks Rica!” Donna kissed Rica on the cheek then waved at Ko, “Bye Ko, nice seeing you again.” 
  
“Take care,” he replied. But when he turned to Rica she’d already walked away. Leaving him behind. “Heh,” Ko shook his head and chased after her, because that’s what she wanted. 
  
Orders 
  
After he caught up they walked to his parked car one block away. Rica shifted to business. 
  
“It seems you were a bad boy today,” she said as he opened the passenger side door for her. 
  
“Really, how so?” 
  
“Not following orders.” She sat down. “Because I was clear in my letter that you were to observe and report. Not infiltrate and execute.” 
  
“Ah.” He grunted in the driver’s seat. “Forgive me. I must have read the message between the lines.” He locked eyes with her. “Like you knew I would, boss.” 
  
“So that’s what you did?” She smirked, “Well, because of your illiteracy I’m now on the spot with Boss Tara and Kitty.” 
  
“The outlaw sisters?” He started the car. “Is that where we’re going now, to meet with them?” 
  
“Yes, so I can defend your actions, you reckless assassin,” she hissed. 
  
Ko grinned while checking the traffic around him. “Heh, heh, don’t think you’re fooling me. Because when we meet with Tara and Kitty-” He screeched the car tires out of the parking spot, “-It won’t be my decision you’ll be defending, Rica. No, you’ll be defending your own.”

..