Hyejeong collapsed onto her bed with a groan. Her whole body felt like it was made of lead and every inch of her muscles were aching from all the jumps she had to execute during cheerleading practice.

Ohh it feels so good to be back in bed! It’s so soft I wish I could just sink into it…

She felt something vibrate in the back pocket of her shorts. With another groan, she tugged her phone out, rolled over and held it up. A notification from her team chat. “Great work today girls! I know everyone’s tired, but let’s just keep pushing on and give it our all! Only a few more weeks to go! I love you all! *kisses emoticon*” Hyejeong rolled her eyes at Choa’s cheesy message. Her captain was a strong and capable leader but at the same time she was also an absolute goofball, which was why her entire team loved and respected her.  Hyejeong was about to press the ‘return’ key when-

*SMACK*

Her phone slipped from her fingers and fell flat onto her face.

“FREAKING CUPCAKES!” she yelled, grabbing the wretched object and tossing it to the foot of her bed. “Is everything alright? Are you okay?” a voice drifted in from the room opposite hers. It belonged to her roommate, Jimin. “Yeah, I’m fine,” Hyejeong replied. She rubbed her nose gingerly. “Ow~”

Getting to her feet, she made her way around the pile of clothes strewn over the floor to her work desk, making a mental note to tidy up the place. She looked at the stack of notes lying innocently on the small table and sighed wearily.

Damn. Looks like I’m gonna have to pull another all-nighter.

*****************************************************************************

“All pens……down! Please pass your papers to the front,” the professor said.

Well that went well. I THINK I can scrape at least a pass.

Hyejeong breathed a sigh of relief. Although this was just the first test of the semester, she could now focus on the upcoming cheerleading competition. It was something she had been looking forward to ever since she took part in her first Varsity Cheer and Dance competition the previous year and she was determined to do better this time.

There was still an hour till practice, so she decided to catch some fresh air. She hauled her bag over her shoulder and waved goodbye to her classmates before heading the mini park within the campus.

Wow the weather’s wonderful today! Crap looks like all the seats have been taken… oh there’s one left!

However, as soon as Hyejeong spotted the last empty bench, a girl walked up to it and promptly plopped down onto it.

Argh if only I was earlier! Hold it, she’s alone. Maybe she’ll let me share the seat if I ask nicely.

Without a second thought, Hyejeong strode over. “Hi,” she started. The girl looked up gave her a quick once-over. “Yes? How can I help?” the girl replied, gazing deep into Hyejeong’s eyes. Caught off guard by the sudden prolonged eye contact, Hyejeong could not help but to stare back into her big bright eyes.

A radiant smile broke across the girl’s face, showing a pair of cute dimples and a set of pearly white teeth. She looked effortlessly gorgeous in her tank top and shorts with her nicely toned body, slightly tan skin and long raven black hair that fell past her shoulders.  

Hyejeong found herself lost for words. “I’m alone. You can sit here if you like,” the girl continued, shifting sideways to make some space. Hyejeong blushed, nodded awkwardly and sat down next to her, eyes never leaving the girl’s face.

“Oh by the way, my name is Seolhyun. Nice to meet you!”

************************************************************

That was the first time they met. However, all they exchanged were pleasantries as Seolhyun was reading a book and Hyejeong did not want to disturb her.

Practice got even more intense in the days leading up to the competition, but the camaraderie among the team was very strong. Everyone gave their best efforts and poured in their heart and soul into perfecting their choreography and execution. Hyejeong enjoyed the experience immensely. In fact, the last time she had felt like this was back in her second year of high school, with the team that eventually won first place in the nationals.

Ah I miss those crazy girls. Now where did I keep those photos?

Lying on her bed with her laptop in front of her, Hyejeong scrolled through pictures of her and all of her close friends in high school. Among all of them, only one girl was present in nearly all the pictures. Her best friend since elementary school. The one who stuck by her through thick and thin.

The one she loved.

A pang of guilt overcame her as she realised they have not spoken much recently.

Mina… How are you doing?

Suddenly, her phone vibrated. Hyejeong reached over to grab it from her nightstand. It was yet another one of Choa’s messages of encouragement. “Ladies, tomorrow’s the big day! Rest well and sleep early, okay? Sweet dreams and remember to dream of me!” Hyejeong choked.

Choa and her lame crap. But she’s right about sleeping early; the competition’s tomorrow.

She powered down her laptop and was about to sleep when she heard a knock on the door of her dorm and Jimin went to answer it. “Hi, you’re looking for?”

A familiar voice replied. “Hello, I’m looking for Hyejeong. Did I come to the correct dorm?”

Huh? How did she find me?

Hyejeong burst through the door. “Seolhyun? What are you doing here? How did you even find out where I live?” she questioned. Jimin quietly slipped back to her room. “Is this… how you greet people?” Seolhyun remarked, sounding hurt. She started to turn away when Hyejeong lunged forward and grabbed her arm. “Uh sorry! I-I didn’t mean it that way,” she apologised sheepishly.

“Well, I followed you here last night when I saw you coming out of the multi-purpose hall,” Seolhyun said. She winked mischievously. “Anyway, I came here today to wish you all the best for your competition tomorrow. Good night!” She flashed a grin that made Hyejeong skip a beat and walked away.

Is she for real? Did she just- what on earth was that about?

“New friend of yours?”

Hyejeong looked behind to see Jimin poking her head out of her room. “Yeah. Kind of,” she answered uncertainly and returned to her bed.

                                     **************************************

The adrenaline-filled competition was every bit as intense as Hyejeong imagined and as she and her team progressed through the preliminary stages, the pressure mounted. Only the best could advance to the final stages and having managed to do so, Hyejeong’s team faced stiff competition from other top university teams. Despite the immense pressure they were under, Hyejeong and her team did not fail to impress, completing the routine they had practised for so long perfectly. In the end, through sheer grit and determination, they prevailed and emerged as champions.

The subsequent events became a blur for Hyejeong. It took a while for the realization that they won to sink into her mind, so everything felt surreal, from the prize-giving ceremony to the jubilant celebrations. In fact, it was only when Choa called the team together for their last team cheer that everyone suddenly burst into tears. It was a bittersweet moment because it was the last time for Choa and the other final year girls. Their victory was remarkable as it was the first time their college won the nationals in over ten years.

Hyejeong was wiping her eyes with hands when someone walked up to her and handed her a tissue. “Thanks!” she said, dabbing at her eyes.

“Congratulations! You were amazing out there!”

“Seolhyun? You came!” Hyejeong cried happily. She reached forward and pulled Seolhyun into a bear hug. “We won!”

“You guys did the school proud!” Seolhyun replied, patting Hyejeong’s head. “Now go and celebrate properly. I’ll see you around in school!” And with that, she left.

But not before she planted a small kiss on Hyejeong’s cheeks.

Hyejeong froze. Her cheeks were burning. I don’t believe it, she just kissed me! I hope no one saw that!

“Hey, what’re you doing? Getting all sentimental over me?” Choa appeared from Hyejeong, throwing her arms around the taller girl. “Oh please,” Hyejeong smirked. Then her tone grew serious. “I'll really miss you guys, you know.”

“That's my girl! Of course you'll miss me!” Choa laughed. “But that's life, right? You meet people, then watch them leave.” Hyejeong turned around and hugged her favourite senior.

Yeah that's life. And I hate it.