Krystal woke up from the sun, shining directly into her face, and a whining Jack Jack. With a moan she turned around in the bed, not wanting to wake up just yet. Her body only now felt the after shocks of her tiredness the evening before. Her body was too weak to move, and her eyelids seemed to be stuck together, not willing to open. 
Only when Jack Jack jumped on the bed, and started to her face, Krystal forced herself to open them a tiny bit — with much diffeculty. She gave the dog quickly a pet over his head, so that it would stop. With a sigh, she opened her eyes a bit further. The light that shone through the window and lightened the room as almost inbearable for her tired eyes. It stinged a tiny bit. 
Jack Jack laid on the other pillow, with his tiny eyes pointed desperately at her. He stood up and laid down again, only to turn a circle the next time. Krystal, who didn't know anything of dogs, just gave him another pet, hoping that she'd get him to quiet down with that. Only when the dog started to jump on the bed, she noticed that he suddenly had quite a large space to jump on... The mattress besides hers was empty; Amber had left. 
Krystal immediately sat up straight. Her muscles complained, but she didn't care. Quickly she threw the blankets off of her. The little dog was buried by them instead, and barked at the sudden attack of the sheets. The apartment was tiny enough to observe in one moment. She only checked the bathroom, whether the lock wasn't turned, but it was open too. Krystal liked to be alone, and she liked it that she could change her clothes and get ready now without feeling pressured, but she didn't like it at all that Amber wasn't here anymore. It was her apartment after all. Why would she leave her like that? Was she out to get groceries? Or did she just not care about her anymore and went to her friends?
Then it hit her; it was Wednesday... She had class!

In a sudden rush of panick, she tried to get all her things. Jack Jack barked and whined, but she ignored him for now. Krystal ran up to the toilet, quickly peed and hopped back to the bed, quickly taking off the clothes she had borrowed. She didn't want to get back into her dress, but she seemed like she must. She grabbed it from the chair and wanted to put it on again right at the moment her eye spotted a small note stuck to the material. It was a yellow post-it, with a small message written in a rather crappy handwriting.

Krystal, 

I didn't want to wake you for class. I asked some of your classmates to take notes for you nevertheless. I made lunch for you, it's in the kitchen. 
Jack Jack will probably wake you up around noon, because he has to pee. Normally my mom would always drop by to take him out, but I called her off today, because I thought you'd be so kind to let him out before you go back to the uni and scold me for not waking you =D He's a nice pup, don't worry. I placed his leash on the table, you'll only have to clip it onto his collar. 
Sorry I couldn't stay, I would've liked to skip the day with you, but I had an important appointment, so I had to leave. 
See you soon.

Amber

"What an ..." Krystal swore. Jack Jack had freed himself from the blackets, and was now scratching her lower legs, whining. Krystal shot him a look and sighed. 
"Guess I'm going to have to walk you, right boy?" she said. Jack Jack made a pirouette and barked enthusiastically. She let out a smirk, then gave him another pet over his head. Quickly, she went back to the closet, since the little guy seemed to be really needing to pee, and took out some of Amber's other clothes. Now that she had refused to wake her up for class, she thought that she was permitted to took out some more clothes. Simple jogging pants and a baggy dark green sweater with Pikachu stitched on the front. The sweater wasn't quite the first thing she would've picked out when it came to style, but it looked the warmest. Since her coat was too thin to keep her warm, this garment would probably do a better job. 
She put it on, and took the leash from the table. She clipped it onto Jack Jack's collar. The tiny dog immediately hopped over to the front door and started to scratch at it, looking over its back to Krystal with those pleading puppy eyes. Krystal opened the door, and the tiny dog shot forewards. 

A quarter later they returned to the apartment. It had done her well to feel the cold wind against her face, and the tiny dog was satisfied too. Now that she had woken up entirely, she would be able to make herself ready. It had been almost scary how accurate Amber could predict Krystal's feelings, based on only one night together. She indeed was furious that she hadn't been woken up, but knowing that the brat was at the university eased her mind a bit. She was already too late for her lectures and her last seminar had started half an hour ago. It would be useless to attend that now anyway, so she had no need to rush. 
She decided to keep on the sweater and probably borrow it for the rest of the day. It warmed her up and it smelled like Amber. That smell had become something she had grown to like over the course of last night. She didn't feel like changing back into her uneasy dress that was way, waaaay, too cold for this weather. She'd probably put it on later, and put on the sweater over it, so that she wouldn't get hypthermia in the next few hours. It was just too cozy to take off, even though she didn't like Pokémon at all. To find out that Amber did was actually quite funny. She hadn't thought that Amber Josephine Liu, the badass troublemaker with a , drugs and rock-'n-roll attitude liked such a nerdy thing as Pokémon.
Krystal found the lunch that Amber had prepared for her. Two grilled cheese and ham sandwiches, placed neatly onto a plate together with a small salad — that didn't look that bad at all — and a few apple slices. A bottle of water stood next to it, together with another post-it note that said: [/grey][/11][/face][/justify]

Here you go Princess! I know you like healthy food, so I got this for you. Eat well!

Krystal took the post-it note from the bottle and sighed. She folded it together, and placed it into the pocket of the joggingpants she was wearing. She took the lunch to the table and sat down on one of the chairs. It had been a mistake to take out her phone out of the pocket of her coat, and check her messages. As soon as she unlocked it, the screen displayed a countless ammount of messages, as well from her father, mother, sister and her friends. They were all worried about her. Krystal decided to turn her phone off again during the eating. The dozens of messages would only ruin her appetite, and she honstly didn't feel in the mood to justify herself over and over again to people she actually shouldn't have to. Okay, she had to admit that she probably should've told her father and her mother where she had gone, but still, if her father was too busy to pay attention to his daughter, she would've probably sneaked out sooner or later anyway, right? Amber had only sped it up a little bit. 
She ate her lunch in silence, sometimes feeding a small piece of the ham of her sandwich to Jack Jack, who ate it thankfully. The dog wouldn't leave her anymore, and was constantly chewing on the legs of the jogging pants. Since it was Amber's, Krystal didn't shoo the dog away, and just let him. He'd never see her anymore after this anyway, so she enjoyed the time she and Jack Jack were together. Maybe she should get a dog herself. She cleared her plate away, putting it away in the sink and quickly washing it, so that she could place it cleanly back into the cupboard above the stove. 
Now that she had eaten her fill, it was time to get back to the university to kick Amber's sweet . 

Krystal got dressed; changing Amber's chewed on jogging pants for her dress. On top of that she took the green Pikachu sweater. It was hideous together, but since she'd be wearing her coat too, she guessed that no one would be able to see it anyway. She'd just go back to the university to scold Amber and then go home to apologize to her parents. 
She got her stuff and dressed herself up; putting on her coat, fixing her hair as well possible so that it wouldn't look like a bird's nest, taking her phone and her belongings and eventually clearing up the mess she made. Smoothening the sheets, clearing the table, placing the stairs right, folding the clothes she had used for the night. 
After petting Jack Jack for the last time, and giving the little guy a kiss on his head, Krystal left the apartment. She made sure to close the door thoroughly. She was still nervous about someone getting in, but she didn't have a key, so more than closing the door she couldn't do. 
The blisters on her feet were painfully aching when she started to walk towards the university, but Krystal wouldn't take them off. Her whole reputation would be ruined if she turned up at school with her heels in her hands. And she would have to die first before she'd let that happen. So she endured the pain, like she did always after she wore her heels too much for too long, and just walked on. 
It took her a little longer than a quarter to reach the gates, mainly dure to her aching feet. She thought back to the previous night, when she had been seated safely on Amber's back. Her arms wrapped around , her face nuzzled into the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent with every breath she took. Suddenly that seemed like a world away. Something that could only happen in a dream. Had it really been her who had been carried by Amber? When she thought of it back now, it seemed like it was almost romantic, if both of them hadn't been so tired that they were both barely able to walk. Still... Amber had carried her, despite being so tired. 
Krystal swallowed with diffeculty, and walked through the gates. 

Now that she had arrived at the university, she noticed that she actually had no idea where to start. She didn't know Amber's scedule, nor did she knew where that important appointment of her would be. The most logic thing was to seek for someone who did know where she was. 
Amber's group of friends always hung around the cafeteria, she knew. She had been often bothered by their loudness, so she knew well. With steady, confident steps she pushed through the entrance doors. The memory of last night came back, when Amber had grinned so prettily to her after showing off that she could pick the lock. Krystal pushed it out of her mind. 
She reached the cantine. The taste of the ramen of last night came up. With an annoyed sigh she ran with her hand through her still somewhat messy hair. Was Amber all she could think of today or something? 
Luckily she already heard what she was looking for. The group of friends was seated in the corner of the cafeteria, with their feet up on the tables and food installed next to them. They were a mixture of girls and boys, each with a hint of alternativeness to them that was hard to not notice. Krystal usually ignored them and sat down as far away from them as possible, but this time, she walked straight towards them. Amber wasn't with them, she saw. Somehow it saddened her a little bit, even though she had already known that she wouldn't be. 
Scott  saw her first. He was kind of Amber's right hand, and just as cheeky as she was. Like her of Asian heritage, but lacking just the piece of refinement her father had brought her up with. He had a bag of cheetos in his right hand. His left was buried deep inside the sack. There were crumps of the snack around the corners of his mouth. He had placed his legs on the lap of one of his friends. 
His eyes followed her, stared at her, until she stopped in front of their table. He took his hand out of the sack, and placed it together with the other snacks. 
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here. Miss Jung, how can we be of service to you?" Scott said. At the end of the sentence, he laughed cheekily, stood up and bowed to her. Krystal wrapped her arms in front of her chest; she was not amused at all. There was something about Scott's grin that gave him something mean instead of likeable, like Amber. She couldn't appreciate his smile like she did with Amber's. 
"I want to know where Amber is," she said coldly. Scott laughed, and the other with him. 
"Why would we tell you? You're just one of the many fangirls who want to know where she is. If she's interested in you, she'll come to you." Scott said. Krystal rolled with her eyes. 
"I'm not looking for her to hook up with her, but to kick her ."
Scott and his friends exchanged a surprised look. They started to laugh again, only this time they didn't seem to be laughing at Krystal. Her tightened chest eased a little bit. Scott turned back to her, still chuckling. 
"She's at the theatre room. She wouldn't tell us why. Please interfer and kick her . Record it too if you have time," he said. "Good luck."
Krystal nodded towards him, shared a gaze with the rest of the group, then turned around, walking into thedirection of the theatre as fast as possible. She never felt quite at ease with the group of troublemakers. 

She wondered why Amber was in the theatre hall. They didn't have class today, nor any rehearsals, so it was a mystery to her why Amber would be there. But if it was important enough for her to wake up after three hours of sleep, it would be quite a big deal, wouldn't it? Krystal pursed her lips whilst thinking.
She walked towards the theatre hall, almost eagerly. Of course it was nothing but curiosity why Amber had gone out so early in the morning. That explained her quickly beating heart, of course. There could not be another explanation. 
She felt herself sweating in the warm green sweater. 

Now that she came near the room she had to be, a sound of music met her ears as she walked. With frowned brows, she speeded up a little. It seemed to have come from the theatre. 
Krystal pushed open the doors of the hall and stepped in. Immediately, her eyes sought Amber. It was not diffecult to spot her. She stood on the stage, behind the microphone, her face so close that her lips must touch it gently. Behind her were a few other people. One she recognized as the student who had been turned down at the music academy, and was now the best guitar player on campus. There was a girl behind a keyboard and two other boys playing the bass and the drums. 
The sound of the music she had heard in the corridor was strengthened, almost to a volume that it hurt your ears. An upbeat song, with the guitar and the drums playing big parts. Amber moved , and her voice sounded through the speakers. Light, high and crystal clear. Different from her hoarse voice that usually belonged to her. 
When the doors fell shut, she could swear that Amber looked up to her. It was only for a second, then she moved her eyes away again. She sang the lines like they came right out of her heart, right from the bottom of her deepest thoughts. But she only sang a few lines when the song came to an end. The guitar let his strings waver, and the sound slowly faded in the distance. 
Only when one of them cleared their throat, Krystal noticed that she, Amber and the band weren't the only one in the theatre. There were three people on the front row, each with a clipboard in their hands. From what it seemed like, it were two men and one woman, each with their eyes directed at Amber. Once in a while their hands moved to write something down. The men wore a suit and the woman a dress, each looking incredibly expensive. Krystal frowned her eyebrows in incomprehension, not understanding why these people would watch Amber perform a song.
Almost directly after the song had ended, the keyboard player started another melodie. A softer one, with light, high tones. The guitar played replaced his electric guitar for an acoustic one. The drum player and the bass player dissapeared from the stage. Amber's eyes fluttered up to her again, this time longer. Their eyes met, and they exchanged a look. Amber smiled. And that eased Krystal. She was almost afraid that she had interrupted something so important that even Amber would get nervous. But she was still smiling that cheeky grin of hers. It calmed her quickly beating heart a little bit. Her stomach started to tickle, almost as if it were butterflies. 
Amber started off with the same high, clear voice like the had had at the ious song, with a few 'Ooh, ooh's. Their eyes met again. Even from the highest row, Krystal could see the sparkles in her eyes. 
"Stop don't turn that lock, hold that key don't drop-" Amber started. 

For the entire song, they looked at each other. A cheeky grin from Amber was answered with shy smiles from Krystal, especially when she sang the line 'we're doing it hard like them animals do'. She couldn't help but to think of that ually. It was hard to follow the meaning of the words; she was just too mesmerized by her voice. It was almost hypnotizing. Krystal would've never thought that Amber could sing, and that she could sing a love song so purely and innocently. Amber Josephine Liu was everything but innocent. And still, when she heard her sing, it felt like Amber had written this song for her first love, for the first girl who had made her heart beat. It made Krystal's heart beat too. It almost felt like she had written it specially for her, the way she looked at her like that form the stage with that meaningful gaze in her eyes. It made her blush. Hopefully Amber would be able to see that from here.
 
The song came to an end. This time, the keyboard player didn't start another song. Instead, the drum player and the bass player came back onto the stage again, and they all bowed together to the three people on the front row. Amber, still behind the mic, suddenly seemed almost nervous. Her brows were frowned, and Krystal immediately started to worry too. 
"Miss Liu, thank you for your performance. We will take this in note, and we'll let you hear the result in a few days. I don't think you have to worry much, we were amazed by your capacity. Keep going like this and we can assure you there'll be a spot for you when you graduate."
Amber's grin had returned immediately. Krystal snickered, and wrapped her arms over each other. It filled her with a strange delight to see that she got so many good responses. Only to think that she would've probably wanted Amber not to succeed only a few days ago, she wouldn't want to see her anywhere near sad now. 
Amber bowed again. 
"Thank you! I will not let you down!" she said. 
The woman chuckled softly. 
"We're sure you won't."
The three people stood up, their clipboards pressed against their bodies, and walked towards the exit. Krystal stepped aside for them, so that they could leave. In the last moment, her eyes met those of the woman. 
When the door fell shut behind them, an deafening sound emerged from the stage. Amber and the others were falling each other in the arms, jumping and screaming and cheering for each other. Krystal started to laugh at the sight. She had never seen her so happy. 

Krystal let them hug each other for a moment, then made her way down. Ascending from the stairs, towards the stage. Amber let her band mate go, and turned towards her, a wide, happy grin on her face. Krystal immediately started to smile too. It somehow felt good to see her happy. It made her feel warm and fuzzy inside, even though she had wanted to kick her only ten minutes ago. 
Amber sat down on the edge of the stage when she arrived. Krystal leaned against it, with her elbow touching Amber's leg. It felt like an electric shock went through her body from the point where their bodies touched. Goosebumps appeared all over her arms.
"Did you like it, Princess?" Amber asked her, whilst bowing down a bit to her. Krystal chuckled and rolled her eyes. For a moment, she pouted her lips and turned her eyes towards the ceiling, as if she was thinking. 
"Mweh, your voice was kind of flat," she said, shrugging. Amber made a sound that sounded the most alike with the sound a dog makes when it gets hurt. A whiny sound that made her chuckle even harder. Krystal looked up to her and smiled genuinely. 
"You did well," she said. Amber's grin returned. 
"Duhh, of course! I'm amazing," she said. "Fabulous!"
Amber tried to hair flip her pony, which ended up being very funny and causing both of them to laugh even harder. Krystal was only faintly aware of the staring looks she got from their other students. It was a little weird, she had to admit. Only yesterday she despised Amber Josephine Liu, and now it seemed like they were best friends. They had this weird little chemistry between them that made her heart beat faster and made her laugh a thousand times more than she normally would have done. She felt at ease with the brat, despite the huge differences between their lives. With Amber, the air was always light and enjoyable.
The people who hung out with Amber, knew that they had never been thick. The people who hung out with Krystal, knew she hated her. For anyone else who hadn't been on the roof that night, and hadn't fallen asleep in Amber's arms, it was impossible to know why they had both had these big smiles on their faces when they with each other.
"Yeah sure," Krystal huffed. "So this was that important appointment you had to go to and to leave me all alone? It's not nice to wake up alone, you know."
Amber's eyebrows shot up in disbelief for a moment. Even Krystal couldn't understand why she had said that. It sounded too flirty for something that she'd say; she didn't know herself like this. Also, it startled her that she had flirted with Amber, of all people! Quickly, she turned her eyes away to avoid Amber's piercing gaze. Her cheeks turned slightly red, and due to her pale skin you could tell right away that she was blushing. Why did her own body have to punish her this way? 
"I'm sorry, I should've told you or brought you home," Amber said. "You didn't mind walking Jack Jack, I hope?"
Krystal looked back up to her, into those deep, dark eyes that were suddenly very worried. She shook her head. 
"No. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to kick your ," she said strictly. Amber, surprised by Krystal's fierce comeback, started to laugh. 
"I'd like to see you try on those heels!" she laughed. Krystal shot her an icy look.
She made a face. 
"I don't even have to chase you. You won't run from me anyway, Amber," she said smugly. Amber chuckled, then shrugged and raised her eyes until they met the ceiling. 
"Ah well. I'm not saying that isn't true but-"
Krystal had grabbed her hand, and Amber had immediately stopped talking. By quickly intertwining their fingers, she made the rascal stop talking and look back to her with a look of confusement. The same look of nervosity in those dark eyes. It was adorable to see that not only Krystal started to act weird when their hands touched, but that Amber too reacted upon it differently than she would have if someone else would've grabbed her hand. Was her heart beating as fast as Krystal's right now? Was her body aching to be closer like hers too?
"Follow me," she said. Her voice sounded weirdly confident. Actually, Krystal didn't feel confident at all. But there was this rush of adrenaline in her body that was hard to ignore. Maybe she now understood what Amber had meant with taking risks, with wanting to live on the edge so that she could enjoy that addictive feeling of adrenaline. It almost felt like she hadn't lived until now. 
Amber jumped from the stage, and followed her without asking questions. Not only their hands were connected, but their hearts too, it seemed. They dissapeared back stage. The sounds of the group of students, tidying up their music instruments had faded to the background. It was dark behind the wings of the theatre. The light was dimmed, causing a shadow to be cast over both of their faces. 
"What's wrong?" Amber asked softly. Krystal smiled weakly. Suddenly she was painfully aware that she was still holding Amber's hand. The other girl didn't pull back, and neither did she. It felt good, which frightened her a bit, but also put her at ease. Nothing had ever felt so good before. 
She pouted her lips and formed a fist with her other hand. Softly, but just hard enough that it would hurt her a little bit, she punched Amber's shoulder a few times. 
"I really didn't like it that you went away this morning," she whined. Amber, taken back by her sudden change of mood and the cute pursing of her lips, could only stare at her, and laugh nervously. She didn't even bow back when Krystal punched her. Eventually, she stopped. Krystal sighed and ran with her hand through her hair. 
"But-" she started off seriously again. "I had a great time yesterday. I still wanted to thank you for that."
Krystal fell silent. For a moment, their eyes locked in a knowing gaze. Amber frowned her eyebrows a little bit; Krystal biting her on her lower lip. felt dry and her body weak, but her mind felt strong. She knew what she wanted. Perhaps she had always wanted it, just like everyone else, but had simply translated that into hatred for Amber because she thougth she'd never be able to get it. Hadn't she dreamed about a significant other like her since her youth? Now she was within reach. She only had to set things in motion. 
Krystal thought about almost everything. She was the kind of person to calculate her actions carefully. But now, she turned off her brain. To think about what she was going to do now would only frighten her, and that would cause her to step away. Eventually she'd become even more miserable because she hadn't done it, than if she had done it and she was turned down. 
So she let herself be lead by her heart instead of her head, for a change. She stepped foreward quickly, hoping that if she did it quickly that Amber would have no time to reject her and that she'd still have the courage to do so. Because of her heels, their heights matched perfectly. Her hand slipped in Amber's neck, holding her steady, while she brought her face closer and closer. At first, she only felt Amber's muscles tense under her hand. Then she smelled her smell. That sweet scent mixed with a hint of mint. Eventually, when she came even closer, her breath. Mintier and fresh. Eventually, she tasted her lips. Those perfectly shaped lips upon her own felt better than anything had ever felt. Her eyes closed. 
And she pulled away again. The kiss might've lasted for two seconds. She had been too nervous for it to last longer, despite the fact that she wanted more so badly. It felt like her heart was trying to break through her ribcase.
Amber looked completely dumbfound. was half open en her eyes wider than Krystal had ever seen them before. A strange, strangled sound came out of when she tried to say something. Quickly she cleared , then started to chuckle. 
"Wow, I really didn't expect that. More something like money or something," she admitted. Krystal frowned her eyebrows. Her heart dropped. Hadn't she liked it? 
"Well you're not getting any money," she hissed. Amber laughed more. Krystal crossed her arms in front her chest and huffed. For a moment she doubted whether Amber had really lied to her, about everything. About the stuff she had told her at the roof, over her life and her background. The sweet stuff she had done to her; carrying her home, hugging her from behind and making her breakfast. Perhaps she had really just wanted her to fall for her. The ultimate test; to make someone who utterly hates you, fall in love with you. And it had worked. She suddenly started to feel very bad. 
But then Amber placed her hands on her hips. With the skill of someone who had done that many times, she pulled her closer. Their hips met each other roughly and Krystal immediately tried to get away from her. But Amber was strong, too strong, and perhaps she was still too willingly to be close to the rascal. Amber's smug grin had re her  face. Krystal, still annoyed about the fact that she had not kissed her back, didn't look at her. It had been a 2-second-kiss, but still. She still felt a bit rejected. Amber came closer and closer, until their faces were only a few inches apart. She couldn't help but to turn her face towards her again. It was almost addicting to be so close to her. Her mind was clouded by the minty smell coming from her and she felt herself holding her breath. Her frown eased from her face, even though she didn't want it to. 
"Who said I wanted money rather than this?" she said. Her hoarse voice made Krystal's legs weak, and it was a good thing that Amber held her. When she came even closer, Krystal felt that her anger dissapeared again. She wrapped her arms around her neck, so that she wouldn't be able to pull away anymore. Now that their lips almost touched, she wanted her more than ever. She just wondered why the hell Amber took so long to kiss her. 
"You're such a tease," Krystal whispered, before she crossed that last inch and made their lips meet again. It was softer than the kiss before, which was hastier and had made their teeth clink together at the moment their lips had touched. This time, she only felt Amber's lips against hers, as two soft pillows. For a moment, they stayed like that, but Amber was the first one to move her lips over Krystal's. She heard the small kissing sound their lips made. Krystal wanted to stay steady and controlled of herself, but she noticed that the more soft kisses they shared, the needier she became. It was her who deepened the kiss, and made a moan escape out of her own mouth. 
Kissing Amber felt like she was in heaven. It was exactly right. Not too sloppy, or too much saliva, or too much tongue too quickly. It was exactly right. Amber made her feel like she was special, which — she thought — was probably how she made all those other girls feel too. And still, there was a sense of innocence between them. Not only Krystal had taken her walls down, brick by brick, but Amber too. 
They broke up when they were too much in need of oxygen, but stayed close nevertheless. Panting, they let their foreheads rested against each other. Krystal was the first who spoke. 
"Amber..." she muttered. "I am not the kind of girl who hooks up. I only kiss someone whom I really like. So if you're not willing to make this work, please, let me go now."
It would break her heart if Amber stepped away now, but it would be for the best, she knew. She wouldn't get any happier by following Amber around like a young puppy dog which was way too in love with their owner. If Amber had really lied to her to make her fall in love with her now, she'd rather have that she broke her heart now, than lateron, when she had fallen deeper. 
Amber didn't say anything, but neither moved away. Eventually, her lips travelled to her forehead, and she pressed a kiss upon it. Krystal sighed. 
"Okay. Then we're going to try this. I don't think I can let you go anymore."