Music boomed from the speakers above her.  The beach house was warm despite the constant cool breeze coming from the water just outside. Most of the people attending the party were dancing and jumping to the music, a few were scattered around in various states of making out and the rest were refilling their red cups with alcohol the hosts of the party stole from their parents.  Sitting between two couples, with hands all over each other, was uncomfortable, to say the least, but Junghee focused on her drink and waited for her friend to return from the bathroom.  Honestly she would have been completely content wrapped up in her Snuggie watching Merlin on Netflix instead, but apparently, it was the ‘hottest party of the summer’ and she would be ‘so lame’ if she didn’t go.  From past experience, she knew it was futile to argue with Gwiboon.

 

“Ah, there you are!” Gwiboon’s familiar face was blurry in the pulsing lights.  The thought of going to find her had flashed across Junghee’s mind.  Her older brother had told enough horror stories of high school parties for her to be more than weary of it all.

 

“I haven’t moved!” Junghee yelled over the music loud enough for her to hear as she fought to get out from between the two couples.  “What took you so long?”

 

“I think someone was using the bathtub to make out or something.”  Just then a big smile spread across Gwiboon’s face, making her dewy complexion almost glow.  “Dance with me!”

 

“Mmm let me think,” Junghee’s fingers tapped against the plastic of her soda filled cup before she squinted at her friend, “No.”

 

“Damn, you don’t need to be so quick about it.” Gwiboon grumbled.  With one hand she moved her medium length red dyed hair away from her face as she squinted around the room.  She sipped the cup handed to her and hummed when a boy caught her sight. “Well I’ll go find someone else to dance with then.”

 

Through the pulsing lights and gyrating bodies Junghee could see Gwiboon asking a tall boy to dance.  She eyed the man for a moment as if sizing him up before reluctantly drifting her eyes elsewhere.  The room was stuffy and smelled faintly of vomit, but Junghee tried her hardest to ignore that.  Flashes of slightly familiar faces were swirled with those of complete strangers.  The face of one stranger, in particular, made her take a second look.  Of all the people crammed in the large beach house this particular girl caught her attention.  Dark, long hair curled just above her lower back, swishing against the waistband of her jeans as she moved to the music.  A soft smile on her face as she enjoyed herself.  Her belly button ring glinted in the lights swerving around them, and Junghee wondered if it made a tinkling sound as she moved her hips.  The thickness of the air in the home suddenly wasn’t as heavy as before. The girl was dancing by herself, and the guys around her kept trying to get her attention, but she was smiling so big and moving too freely to pay them any attention.  For some reason Junghee’s belly felt light and bubbly as she watched her.

 

The smell and heat of the room were becoming almost unbearable.  Junghee made her way over to the open screen doors on the opposite side of the room and sighed happily as the cool breeze off the water blew against her skin.  Unconsciously her eyes drifted away from the moon reflecting off the ocean just off the span of beach outside the house, to the girl who caught her eye before.  The mass of people had shifted and with the different angle she couldn’t spot the girl anymore.

 

When the music changed the girl slipped from the crowd and Junghee caught sight of her again.  She was heading toward the patio doors with a red cup in her hand.  She flashed a smile as she passed her and the faint smell of vanilla wafted into Junghee’s nose as the girl twisted her hair over one shoulder.  She wondered if it would be too forward to just go up and introduce herself. Parties were about making friends, right?

 

Thoughts of the mystery girl were shattered when someone suddenly ran into Junghee’s back.  It was easy to recognize the intruder as Gwiboon.  There couldn’t be a single person with bonier elbows. “You look so gloomy just standing here staring into the night.”

 

“I’m not staring at the night,” Junghee replied quietly.

 

“Then what are you staring at?”

 

“Someone.”

 

“Care to elaborate?” When Junghee shook her head Gwiboon sighed.  “So which pretty girl has taken your heart already? You might as well tell me. I always find out.”

 

Junghee grumbled as her arms crossed over her chest and she glanced behind her at Gwiboon. “You’re a real pain in the , you know that?”

 

“Totally.” The girl elbowed Junghee in the side. She really needed to wear elbow pads. “Now spill.”

 

“Fine,” As subtle as she could Junghee’s arm lifted to point across the yard where the grass melded into warm sand. “Her. Blue crop top, moon belly button ring, white jeans.

 

“Really pretty, kind of yay high and black hair?” Gwiboon questioned as she squinted into the low light given off by the torches around the beach.

 

“That’s the one.”

 

“Good choice,” Gwiboon softly whistled.  When Junghee’s elbow landed in her stomach she continued, “Hey don’t hurt me! I have information.”

 

Junghee squinted over at her, “What kind of information?”

 

“Her name is Eunsook.”

 

“Eunsook?” Junghee’s eyes narrowed further, eyelashes obscuring her sight. “How could you possibly know that?”

 

“Because I know everything remember?” Junghee rolled her eyes before staring at Gwiboon as if annoyed she hadn’t spilled the beans yet.  With a sigh the younger girl explained, “Name’s Eunsook Lee. She’s the Captain of Color Guard.  Youngest one in like 20 years or something.  I wasn’t really listening to our old fart of a coach when she was rambling on about it at our first practice.” Gwiboon explained as she pouted at her empty beer cup. “I met her when I tried out a couple weeks ago.  Real nice.”

 

“Great. Beautiful and nice.” Junghee groaned as her head hit back against the doorframe. “It’s not even been the first day of high school and I’m done for.”

 

“If it makes you feel better, she goes on about her dog way too often.”

 

“That doesn’t help me at all.”

 

“I know, but it’ll be okay.” Gwiboon patted her friends back, “There are worst things in life than finding a pretty girl to like.”

 

Junghee didn’t completely believe her.

 

——

Gwiboon scrunched up her nose as she met her friend in front of the band room. “It doesn’t matter what school we’re in, the band room always smells.”

 

“It’s only been two weeks; it shouldn’t smell that bad yet.” Junghee mumbled as she fidgeted with the strap on the messenger bag over her shoulder. “Also you just came from gym class. It could be your clothes in your bag.”

 

“You could have a point.” She pulled out a pack of gum from her back pocket and offered it without a word.

 

“Can’t,” Junghee softly said with a slight shake of her head. “Gum is prohibited in the band room.  Too many wads launched out of tubas.”

 

Gwiboon snorted, “They so did not.”

 

“Completely true. I swear.” The first warning bell rang, signaling they had two minutes left.  Junghee sighed, “I really don’t want to practice formations in 90-degree heat.”

 

“At least you don’t have to do it in your uniform just yet.” Gwiboon scrunched her nose in disgust. “Those things are thicker and older than my great granny’s favorite sweater.”

 

“That doesn’t sound very appealing,” The new voice startled Junghee, causing her to turn rapidly to see who it belonged to.   felt dry and her hands began to sweat around the strap of her bag at the sight of Eunsook.  The girl stood nearby, white Color guard jacket on with the purple C for captain, and Lee written out in cursive letters directly above it.  Her eyes shifted to Gwiboon with a smile, “Just wanted to make sure you were going to make it to the locker room on time.”

 

“My friend was telling me about gum shooting tubas.  Took my attention away.”

 

Junghee wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole when Eunsook’s eyes fell on her, but there was an amused expression on her face. “Gum shooting tubas huh? Does that happen a lot…?”

 

“Junghee. Her name is Junghee.”

 

Junghee glared in Gwiboon’s direction, but the expression melted from her face when Eunsook spoke again, holding out her hand, “Well, it’s nice to meet you Junghee. I’m Eunsook.”

 

“Nice to meet you too.” She cursed her voice and her sweaty palms for betraying her as she withdrew her hand from Eunsook’s grasp.

 

The last warning bell rang and students around them began rushing to get to their classes on time. “We better go.”

 

“Okay,” Gwiboon grabbed her backpack from the floor by her feet.  As she left, she called back to Junghee, “My dad is picking us up today!”

 

“Great.” Junghee mumbled to herself.  First proper meeting, and her voice cracks, her palms are sweaty and gross.  She wiped her hands on her jeans before her saxophone was picked up.  The band room was considerably empty even with it being the last warning bell as she made her way to her chair. Laying her case across her thighs, she carefully opened it.  The metal was cool against her fingertips as she pulled it from the velvet interior.  The alto sax quickly coming together.  Junghee’s familiarity with the instruments pieces allowed her to put it together with practiced ease.  Almost 10 years of playing would do that to a person. As she worked, Junghee couldn’t help but think that summer’s end was coming too slow.  At least being the last bell, the entire day wasn’t spent sweaty.  Besides, during breaks she could text Gwiboon space puns before the band director basically murdered her whistle to make them get into the next formation.

 

——

 

“These peas are gross.” Gwiboon’s spork flung one across the table, hitting Junghee straight on the nose. “Oops.”

 

“Throwing them at my nose won’t make them any better,” Junghee huffed as she wiped the juice from her skin.  Gwiboon reached over and stabbed the girl’s pizza.  She flipped it over, and the noise of it plopping onto the Styrofoam tray ruined both their appetites the rest of the way.

 

“I had such high hopes for lunch this year.” Her voice was dripping with disappointment as she moved the peas around slowly.

 

“I couldn’t guess why,” Junghee pushed her tray away from her with her nose scrunched, “A month is more than enough time for them to get their stuff together.”

 

“Agreed.” Gwiboon hummed as she put down her plastic utensil and continued, “On a happier note, Eunsook is having a sleepover. She invited you.”

 

Junghee sputtered, milk from her carten flying from , “Excuse me?”

 

“Next Friday she’s having a sleepover after the football game,” came Gwiboon’s muffled reply from her downturned face as she wiped her shirt free of milk. “She invited you to come, if you want to go. I told her you’d love to.”

 

Junghee stared blankly at her before softly saying, “I’m going to die.”

 

“Oh sweetie, no,” Gwiboon chuckled when Junghee’s head hit her crossed arms resting on the table.  She ran a hand through the girl’s short platinum blonde hair, “We’re going to get cute pajamas and go get facials and have fun okay?” Junghee’s words weren’t clear, but just by her tone Gwiboon knew she was whining.

 

—–

 

The day of the sleepover Junghee would have killed her pillow if it was alive with how hard and often she was twisting her fingers into it.  Gwiboon’s elbow hit her in the side gently, causing her to look over at her instead of out the window.  The gravel of the long driveway crunching beneath the car was loud under the tires.  Gwiboon had to raise her voice a little to be heard clearly, “If you want to leave at any point just text me Banana Hammock okay?” Junghee’s body sagged against the seat as all the nervous tension flowed from her.  She gave her friend a small smile as the memory of summer camp and the creation of their code word flashed through her mind.

 

When the house came into view there was a fire flickering in the side yard with a group of people surrounding it, a couple horses running in an adjacent pasture, and the sound of music increasing in volume as they approached the front of the home.  Junghee scooted out of Gwiboon’s side and glanced around while the other girl’s mother got their bag from the passenger seat.  Long, thin fingers wrapped around her wrist and tugged her toward the fire.  Gwiboon flashed a smile back at her when she felt Junghee stumble a little to catch up. “I have little legs, slow down.”

 

“Sorry Jungie,” Gwiboon slowed down and nudged her with her arm, “I forget sometimes it takes 2 of your steps to make one of mine."

 

Junghee’s glare was cut short by the sound of feet hitting the gravel road.  It wasn’t until the person spoke that the two girls knew who they were from such a far, dim distance. “Hey! You made it!”

 

“My mom refuses to go over 50 on the highway,” Gwiboon explained, “Sorry we’re late Eunsook.”

 

“I’m just happy you guys made it. Here, let me take your things in the house,” She held out her hands and Gwiboon handed her the duffle bag they were sharing and their pillows. “The rest of us are just over there. Help yourself to s’mores and drinks.”

 

Once she was heading inside Gwiboon poked Junghee in the shoulder. “See, you’ll be fine.”

 

—–

 

The girls of the color guard were sweeter than she expected.  Junghee put her expectations toward bad television movies she watched growing up.  After Eunsook’s parents retired for the night a girl Junghee learned to be Ally suggested they play truth or dare. The last time she had played the game was at band camp, where she learned the upperclassmen picked on the incoming freshman the entire time.  With that horrible memory in her head she tried to focus on the game at hand.  Ally went first, asking Eunsook, “Truth or Dare?”

 

Eunsook glared at her before answering, “Dare.”

 

Ally had a wicked grin on her face as she thought of a request, before she was saying, “I dare you to go take a bottle of alcohol from your parents.”

 

“Okay, be right back.” Eunsook pushed off her lawn chair after slipping on her flip flops, and disappeared through the side door.  A moment later she returned and placed a small bottle about the size of a shot glass in Ally’s lap.  The girl protested, but Eunsook just smiled, “You never told me a size requirement.”

 

“Fine,” Ally sighed, accepting the single serving bottle of wine as succeeding in the dare. “Your turn.”

 

Junghee swallowed thickly when Eunsook’s eyes found her across the fire, and she was surprised, and a little relieved, when it was Gwiboon that was asked the question, “Truth or Dare, Gwiboon?”

 

Gwiboon chose dare like she always did.  She was dared to do a backflip on the gravel just past the grass.  She succeeded, but her heel needed a Band-Aid after.  Junghee lost track of the game as she tried to subtly look over at Eunsook, and if it wasn’t for Gwiboon pulling at the blanket over her legs she wouldn’t have known her name was being called. “Huh?”

 

“Becca asked you Truth or Dare Jungie,” Gwiboon softly explained, leaning toward her as she shifted in her seat.

 

“Oh,” Junghee blinked and looked to her right at Becca.  She flashed a shy smile before answering, “Sorry, Truth.”

 

The girls around them groaned. “If you like someone, tell us one thing about them that caused you to like them.”

 

Junghee’s fingers curled around the soft fabric of her blanket as she blinked.  What could she say about Eunsook that wouldn’t give it away to her.  After a moment she quietly replied, “They looked really happy while dancing.”

 

An echoed ooo sounded from the girls and warmth rushed to Junghee’s cheeks.

 

—–

 

It was just past two in the morning when most of them had laid down for bed.  Shortly after Junghee found herself being the only one up besides Eunsook sitting on the cobblestone step just before the fire on the other side of the room.  She wiggled from her sleeping bag and carefully weaved through the girls spread across the living room floor to walk over to the older girl.  Eunsook smiled softly up at her when she took notice of her, and offered the other side of the fire to her.

 

Once seated Junghee was able to take in Eunsook fully.  She was different now than she was at school. Her hair was down, messy strands curling around her face and tickling her collarbones.  There were big rimmed glasses on her nose and her face was bare of makeup.  To Junghee she felt warmer. “Can’t sleep?” Eunsook’s soft question shook her from her quiet admiring.

 

“Yeah,” Junghee brought up knees up to her chest and hugged them close. “I’m not used to so much snoring at home.”

 

“My dad snores like a jackhammer,” She picked at a bump in the brick of the fireplace. “If you listen hard enough you might be able to hear him.”

 

“That just might be Gwiboon.” Junghee’s heart fluttered when the soft giggle flew past Eunsook’s lips. “Why can’t you sleep?”

 

“Oh,” She pushed her fingers through her hair before straightening her back, “I’m thinking of my new choreography idea I’m presenting to my coach on Monday.  I’m just nervous.”

 

“You’re amazing though,” As soon as the words left Junghee felt the heat rush to her cheeks, “I mean you have no reason to be nervous.”

 

“Thanks,” The smile on Eunsook’s face faded as she sighed, “It’s just, my Dad never really supported me participating in color guard.  He wanted me to continue to do ballet.”

 

“You danced?”

 

“Yeah, since I was like 6 or something,” Eunsook shrugged, “My mother was a dancer back in South Korea, but she gave up her dream for me when they moved here.  I think he just wanted to make her happy in a way.  I don’t want to be bad at the thing I gave up what made my dad happy for.”

 

Junghee reached over and squeezed her knee without thinking, but quickly removed it, afraid to cross over some invisible boundary line. “You’ll do great.”

 

“Thanks Junghee,” Eunsook’s hand was warm and soft as she reached over to take Junghee’s in her own.  After a soft squeeze she withdrew to cover as she yawned, “I think we better get some sleep.”

 

As she slipped into her sleeping bag once again Junghee glanced over to Eunsook’s spot on the couch.  The girl’s eyelids were fighting to stay open, fingers shifting on the fabric of the pillow under her head, and feet hanging off the end with how tall she was.  She was forced to stop looking when something hit her in the back. She glanced over her shoulder and sighed.  Gwiboon was curled in her sleeping back, poking out, looking more like an angle than a person.  With a glare Junghee wiggled away from her and sleep quickly took her.

 

—-

Two weeks later at the football game on Friday night the color guard performed a different routine than the other few they had switched performing every other game the first part of the school year.  When they were taking their seat in the stands after half time Eunsook jogged to catch up to Junghee, weaving in and out of people of the band walking between them. “Mind if I sit with you?”

 

Junghee just shook her head, but smiled as she turned to focus on taking the steps.  She could see Eunsook taking two at a time with ease and she cursed her.  The metal of the bleachers was cold in the early October air as they sat down, but as the rest of the jazz band slid in next to her she ended up with her thigh pressed against Eunsook’s.  The girl seemed to not mind it as she commented, “I don’t think we can win a game if our lives depended on it.”

 

“Maybe if it was a game where the winner was the one with the highest number of dropped passes.”

 

“We’d be the state champions in that.” Eunsook snorted, before her face softened and she nudged Junghee gently with her elbow. “Thanks.”

 

“For what?”

 

“Listening a couple weeks ago,” The breeze was nippy against their cheeks as it blew, “What we performed tonight was my choreography. You helped me be able to show it.”

 

“N-no. You did all that,” Junghee stumbled, flustered.

 

Eunsook reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a hat, softly handing it over to Junghee. “Your face is all red, you must be freezing.”

 

Junghee tugged the knit cap over her hair as the previous subject was dropped, and all it did was make the shade of red deepen.

—-

 

The next weekend was homecoming and Junghee scrunched her nose as her and Gwiboon walked past the line of people waiting to buy their tickets. “Are you going with Mr. Eyebrows in your Biology class?”

 

“His name is Ethan,” Gwiboon softly corrected as she stared down at her phone.  Junghee grabbing her by the bend of her elbow to prevent her from running into a pillar. “And yes. I asked him in class today.”

 

“I’m surprised you found someone taller than you in heels to go with you.”

 

Before Gwiboon could respond they entered the lunchroom.  Eunsook was already seated at their table, tray out in front of her, but it didn’t look like she had eaten much of it.  Gwiboon had put her phone away when she slipped into the seat, side eyeing what was supposed to be mashed potatoes, but looked more like mushy play doh. “Yeah, I wouldn’t eat that if I were you.” Gwiboon quipped.

 

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Eunsook popped a grape into , before covering her lips with her fingers as she asked, “Did you and Ethan decide on a color yet?”

 

“Well my dress is black,” Gwiboon tapped her nails on the table before reaching over and taking a sip out of Junghee’s juice box she had pulled from her lunch box a moment before. “So it’ll be pretty easy for him to match me.”

 

Then Eunsook’s attention drifted to Junghee, “Are you going to the Dance?”

 

“Ah, no,” She frowned as she wiped the bit of peanut butter dripping down the side of her sandwich before focusing on the other girl. “No one’s asked me and I’m not really into the whole school dance thing.”

 

“If someone asked you, would you go?”

 

Gwiboon kicked her in the calf at Eunsook’s question.  Junghee shot her a glare before softly smiling at the girl across from her. “If the right person did I guess.”

 

Eunsook hummed, and the conversation changed to why their principal thought socks and sandals were ever a thing.

 

—–

When the locker clanged open before her 6th bell the following day, Junghee reached in without looking, expecting her history book to be on the far left of the space.  When her fingers touched the metal of the locker instead her eyes shifted from the phone in her left hand.  The book was nowhere in sight. It was then it dawned on her she let Gwiboon borrow it, which meant… Her eyes lifted to the other part of her locker, the top little shelf she never used because she couldn’t even reach it to open it.  She stared at it for a moment before pushing up off her toes to reach as far as she could.  Her fingertips barely brushed the knob, but her hand fell with a huff of acceptance.  She was going to text Gwiboon and tell her to come fix the problem she caused when a warm voice came from the other side of her open locker door. “Do you need something from up there?”

 

Junghee peeked around the door slowly and Eunsook chuckled softly at her, “Uh yeah.  Gwiboon forgot I’m close to a foot shorter than her,” After a breath she mumbled, “Again.”

 

Eunsook reached up a little and pushed the knob down to open it.  The book was pulled from the shelf and held out to her with a gentle smile, as the smaller door clicked close. “It’s good to have two tall friends.”

 

Warmth rushed to her cheeks as Junghee held the book to her chest, “Thanks,”

 

“You’re welcome,” The mood noticeably shifted between them as Eunsook’s bag slid from her shoulder and down to her elbow.  The older girl hummed for a moment before her eyes lifted from her bag to look at Junghee from under her bangs. “I need to ask you something.”

 

“Oh, what about?”

 

“I might have read things wrong, I do that sometimes, but,” Eunsook’s eyes fluttered shut as she took a deep breath, and only opened when the breath was released. “Would you like to go to the dance with me? Like as a date… A date date.”

 

“Uh,” Junghee swallowed thickly, mind running a million times a minute as she stared blankly at Eunsook with wide eyes.

 

“Forget I asked I’m sorry I-”

 

“-Wait no,” Junghee’s small hands curled around the fabric of Eunsook’s jacket. “I’m trying to find the word yes. Not no.”

 

“Really?” Her voice was light and soft as relief washed over her.

 

“I’d love to go with you,” Junghee was sure she couldn’t feel her fingers with how tight she had them holding her history book, but she ignored that and smiled, “It’s a date date.”

 

“Oh God,” Eunsook breathed out, amusement lining the words.  After a moment she asked, “Mind if I walk you to class?”

 

“No, not at all,” Junghee gave a small smile before lifting her backpack up and slipping her history book into it.  Once it was zipped and thrown over her shoulder she offered her hand, “But, only if I can hold your hand.”

 

Eunsook’s hand was a lot bigger than Junghee’s own, and a lot warmer, but it somehow felt right.