KOREAN Everything Immediately

Suzanne, Ethan and Ashley kept glancing at Ryan as he signed his own part of the document lastly.

"Goodbye guys," Alex waved as they all left.

"Since it's just a bit past 4:00pm, I was thinking we could go for some corndogs and burgers. What do you guys think?" Ethan turned partially to his Squad members.

"If burgers are there, then count me in!" Suzanne said.

"Yeah, a nice and light snack would be good for a while," Ashley said as she nodded in agreement.

Andrew glanced at his wristwatch. "I could spare a couple of minutes."

Ryan looked away sourly as he said, "I can't make it, I'm leaving now."

He then started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Ashley called after him.

"You have serious issues!" Ethan yelled at his departing figure till he was out of sight.

"What's the matter with him?! All she did was ask a simple question!" Ethan huffed and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Maybe I was prying too much," Ashley said as she lowered her gaze.

Suzanne looked thoughtful as she gave a reply to Ashley, "That's not it, Ryan acts like that to only me and Annabelle. I've never seen him act snappish to others like that."

"He's ill tempered," Ethan snorted, "What else did you expect?"

"What did you just call Ryan?!" Suzanne demanded, quite annoyed. "I said that he was ill tempered," Ethan repeated and jutted his chin defiantly at her.

Few seconds later he was on the ground with Suzanne sitting on top of him and twisting his arm.

"Ow..ow....ow...okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he groaned from the floor.

"Get off him Suzanne," Ashley said and tried yanking Suzanne up by her arm.

"Don't you remember, Ethan?" Andrew glanced at him before returning his gaze to the path Ryan had stormed off on.

"Huh? Remember what?" Ethan questioned as he looked at Andrew blankly.

Andrew closed his eyes.

"The reason Ryan acts the way he does is all because Rita died," he said and opened his eyes and looking at Ethan.

"Who's Rita?" Ashley asked when Ethan's mouth formed a knowing 'O'. "I forgot," Ethan said sheepishly.

"Rita was Ryans' big sister that died while on duty. Ever since she died, Ryan has never celebrated his birthday," Andrew told her.

Ethan snorted. "And his parents are no good either; they left him all alone since he was eight cos his dad blamed him for his sister's death."

"How horrid!" Ashley gasped and she covered her mouth with her palms while Suzanne looked sadly away.

We've...we've been classmates for so long yet I didn't even notice something was wrong, she thought in despair.

"So Ryan doesn't have anyone to celebrate his birthday with?" Suzanne asked quietly, feeling really foolish about all the party suggestions she'd been making to his face.

"It's always just him in a cold, empty mansion all day," Andrew replied curtly, getting a bit bored.

"Man, I feel so bad for him you know?" Ethan said scratching his hair. Suzanne groaned inwardly at herself, I just had to go and open up old wounds! What would Ryan think of me now?!

"Alright!" Ashley clapped her hands twice in excitement, causing them all to look up.

"I have an idea," her brown eyes danced with an excited twinkle.

"Should I even care to know?" Andrew said boredly but she ignored him.

"I have decided!" she started and balled her hands into determined fists.

"I have decided that we four as Ryan's team mates and friends would throw him a surprise birthday party for his upcoming birthday!" She announced fiercely as she looked round her Squad members.

"What?" Ethan was completely baffled while Suzanne stared at Ashley like she'd lost her mind. "A party?! We don't know the first thing about organizing one and we'd need lots of things. Besides, we don't even know Ryan's birthday date!" Suzanne gushed out.

Ashley just smiled calmly.

"We'll solve the challenges one at a time," she said.

"June 23rd," Andrew suddenly said and they all turned to face him.

"June 23rd," Andrew repeated, looking at them all. "That's Ryan's birthday."

"Will you look at that! Just five days away!" Ashley exclaimed in great delight.

"So," she turned to face her Squad members. "Are we doing this or not?"

Suzanne nodded at once, smiling as she raised her hand and said "I'm in!"

"Eh, let's give that silly Ryan the surprise of his life," Ethan also agreed as he gave a wry smile.

They all turned to Andrew. Ashley's determined gaze was fixed on him, unwavering. "Andrew!" she called, expectant.

"But why not?!" she asked, her eyes seriously pleading. "He's our friend no matter how badly he behaves and he needs us now! This is our chance to show him how to be nice! Ryan shouldn't stand alone! We're a team, aren't we?! It's not just fair of us to allow him to sink that deeply into his loneliness."

Her brown eyes held his blue ones.

She stood straight.

"Ryan has been one of your oldest friends! How can you abandon him just like that?! The idiot thinks the world is full of scars. I want us to show him that it's just a part he's seeing not the whole world. I want him to know that even though it's not all sunshine and rainbows out there, he has friends that would stand by him through thick and thin."

She smiled a little and looked down at her toes momentarily.

"Family's not only by blood, you know," she laughed and closed her eyes as she said, "Squad 10 is also like a family to me." She opened her eyes and starred fiercely into his again.

"And I won't stand by and watch Ryan wither away," she vowed.

"Like a shrimp," Ethan added in a snicker and Suzanne jabbed at his stomach, making him bend double and wince silently in pain.

"I am Ashley Gomeré! And it is my duty to protect the protectors of the world! Even if it means throwing a party to help them, so be it!" she said and shrugged. Her eyes softened as she looked at Andrew. "Please Andrew, you'd help wouldn't you?"

"Sure," Andrew replied boredly, "If it means you'd shut up, then I'll help."

She frowned slightly but cheered up again.

"Okay, a bit rude but great!" she said then kept her hands on her hips.

"All right guys, gather round! We're gonna give Ryan the best party ever!" she said in a determined tone.

"Yeah!" Ethan agreed as he went nearer to where Ashley stood. Suzanne gave an enthusiastic yell as well.

Andrew just sighed as he looked bored.

At least he's helping out, Ashley thought as she tilted her head sideways a bit and smiled broadly with her eyes closed.

"I have just what we're going to do," Andrew said softly. "But, we'll need to go over the plan," he added in between yawns.

"At Mel' O's burggies!" Ethan suggested in excitement.

"Alright," Suzanne nodded in agreement.

The all headed there.