Wah~!"

 

"He's so beautiful~!"

 

I ignore the girls and push through them. All I want is to get to the football field.

 

I joined the team the moment I was old enough, and thanks to my physique I managed to get placed on the offensive line up.

 

My team mates don't exactly like me, but they know I'm one of the best players so they leave me alone.

 

"Back off!" A familiar voice snaps as an arm wraps around mine.

 

"Thanks Lisa." I murmur.

 

"I got you fam." She mumbles as she pushes the girls out of my way.

 

Lisa was head of the cheer leading squad, and my only friend. She wasn't constantly throwing herself at me like other girls, and didn't hate me for no reason like all of the guys.

 

She was the only reason I came to school every morning.

 

Life was so simple. All I had to do was ensure my grades stayed high so I could stay on the team. People loved Lisa too, so they'd never hurt me around her. So essentially, we spent forever together.

 

She walks me to the football field, where I'm clearly late for practice.

 

"Can I have a minute?"

 

"Why? Is something wrong?"

 

"No, it's just that my parents won't be back from Vegas for another two weeks, and my birthday is this weekend-"

 

"Lis, I didn't forget your birthday. I've got your gift, no worries. It's wrapped and everything."

 

"I know you know, dummy. You've never forgotten once since we were kids. I'm throwing a party this weekend. And you always refuse because you're not very popular, but I want you to come."

 

"Lisa-"

 

"I'm not taking no as an answer."

 

"Then I guess you already know what I'm going to have to say eventually." I sigh.

 

"You'll come?" Her eyes lit up.

 

"It is your birthday." I look at her and she hugs me tightly.

 

"I love you! Thank you so much!"

 

"I need to get to practice before coach kills me, okay?" I hug back quickly before I pry her off me.

 

"Okay, it's Saturday and starts at 6." She smiles. "Please don't forget!"

 

"How could I ever?" I shake my head as I leave.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I can hear the music down the block. More than anything, I'm just worried about the police. Who cares about whatever happens inside, I don't want to get arrested because of Lisa.

 

I enter the party, and no one pays me much mind. Step one, find something without alcohol to drink. Step two, find Lisa.

 

I find the cooler of drinks, and I notice there's not much to offer in the alcohol free department. In fact, there just isn't.

 

So I help myself to the fridge, finding a water bottle that was hidden.

 

God, I'm a genius.

 

Okay, on to step two. Lisa.

 

I look around the party and start wandering through familiar rooms.

 

After determining she isn't on the first floor, I head upstairs and knock on her bedroom door.

 

"Lisa? You there?"

 

"Ah, Jungkookie! Come in!"

 

As I open the door, I hear muffled voices.

 

"You're going to let him in while you're changing?"

 

"He's my best friend. He's seen me undressed a million times." Lisa whispers before looking to me. "Can I have a hand?"

 

I see her struggling with zipper, and I step forward at the same time as another girl. "Don't worry. I've got it."

 

I carefully move her hair as to not disrupt the hours of styling I know she spent on it. I pull the zipper up and step away. "You're done."

 

"Thanks." She smiles at me. "How are things down stairs?"

 

"People are having fun." I tell her.

 

"Good." She smiles at me happily. "Shall we join them?"

 

"Sure." I extend my arm to her and she takes it.

 

As Lisa and I leave first, I hear one of the girls grumble. "I wish I could date him."

 

"She's so lucky."

 

I don't bother to correct them. There's no point. People have thought Lisa and I are together for what feels like forever. Lisa said that there was no point in correcting them, so we leave it.

 

We head downstairs and there's a collective cheer as everyone sees us- well, Lisa.

 

"Hey! Get a drink and come to the backyard! We're starting beer pong!" One of my teammates calls to Lisa and I.

 

"Come on!" She pulls us over to the crowd. "You should play!"

 

"Lis, you know I don't drink-"

 

"Come on, just for tonight. Please? You can stay over if you're worried about getting home." She gives me the puppy dog eyes.

 

"... Fine."

 

"Jungkookie's playing!" She yells and pushes me towards the table.

 

"Alright, Jeon!" One of the quarterbacks hits my shoulder.

 

One drink won't hurt. It can't hurt.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

I wake up on Lisa's couch the next morning with a head ache. Stretching and looking into the mirror on the wall, I see I'm covered in kiss marks.

 

Well, someone had fun last night.

 

I shake my head. I wonder what happened?

 

Well, other than I must have been drunk out of my mind.

 

Heading to the kitchen, I see a note on the fridge.

 

I'm out buying groceries. Thanks for hanging out last night! You were such a good sport!

 

xoxo Lisa

 

I find my phone on the counter, and open it.

 

I don't think I've ever seen so many notifications.

 

30 or so texts from Lisa's friends, and I've been tagged in some sort of instagram video.

 

I open it in a daze, ruffling my disheveled hair.

 

"Oh ! Drunkook, what's wrong with you?!?!" I swear as I see myself dancing shirtless on a table with another guy from the football team. To make it worse, we're singing. I look down below to see what people are saying.

 

I love him! He's got to come to more of Lisa's get togethers!

 

Who would've thought such a shy guy could be so much fun?

 

Plus, those abs!!!

 

I start reading texts.

 

???:
We're all going out for hangover food at 12- coming Jungkook?

 

???:

You and Lisa are together, right? You're such a cute couple! We should double date sometime.

 

???:

Hey, it's Leigh! This is my number. Text me if you ever wanna hang out.

 

And that's how my world changed.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

I laugh with my teammates as we walk together down the hall. Somehow, one party was enough to get me invited to all the parties. I went from zero to top dog in a week.

 

Everyone was suddenly so nice to me... It was weird, but I liked it. I'd known these people my whole life, and all of the sudden we were more than just acquaintances. I had friends.

 

Lisa comes by and I take her arm.

 

"Come on!" I smile. "Cheer leading isn't for another 15 minutes. Take a lap with us."

 

"Okay." She smiles, and I ruffle her hair. We speak without words. She knows I'm grateful for what she did for me.

 

That's what best friends are for, after all.

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

"Jungkook, can you please sit down?"

 

"Huh? But the guys will be here any moment." I say, looking at my parents who are sitting together at the table.

 

"Well, we wanted to talk to you about something. Your mother and I... Well, we've decided we're going to move."

 

"What?"

 

"To Seoul." She says. "To be with your grandparents again."

 

"But we've lived her for years! Why don't they come here?"

 

"Your grandmother is too sick to move now. We expect to move sometime in the next few months."

 

I stare at them, speechless. I finally have everything I wanted after years of trying, and now they want to take it away.

 

There's a honk outside.

 

"The jeep's here. I gotta go." I mumble, grabbing my stuff and going. I don't even want to think about how much I'm going to drink to forget this.

 

But it will be a lot.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I hug Lisa so tight as my parents pack the car. My best friend since kindergarten, who I have to say goodbye to.

 

"Promise you'll call, okay? And come visit me soon."

 

"I will. I will visit soon. I promise, by whatever means necessary."

 

I did visit soon. Far, far sooner than I wanted to.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Bad things happen to good people.

 

This I know to be true.

 

I just never thought it would happen to Lisa.

 

I lay down the white roses by her tombstone and sit at the foot of the grave. This could've- would've- should've been me. If I had just stayed an extra four days, I would've gone to the exact same party and gotten in the exact same car that was hit by a drunk driver from the party.

 

I wipe a tear as I stare at the grave. I loved her. She was my everything. I owed her everything.

 

And now, I have nothing. The funeral is over, meaning I soon must return to Seoul. Where I have no one. Well, I do have classes starting soon. Maybe the work load and people will be able to give me enough drinking opportunities so I don't feel the pain anymore.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

I enter my new classroom as the teacher is taking attendance.

 

"You must be Jungkook. Take a seat in that empty desk there. My name is Mr. Kim." He smiles nicely at me.

 

"Nice to meet you.'' I say, moving and sitting on my chair.

 

He finishes his attendance before putting up a power point and then sits on his desk and turns to the class.

 

"Okay! So I need someone to look after our new student Jungkook-"

 

As he speaks, the door opens and a girl steps in.

 

Even though they don't really look alike, my heart pangs when I see her as she reminds me of Lisa.

 

She has the same athletic yet feminine body, and I could tell just from looking at her that she was both sassy and sweet at times.

 

But there's something else there. Something I can't describe, under the surface. I see her speaking in a hushed voice with the teacher, and I just can't put my finger on it.

 

I can't get her off my mind the whole lesson. I can't help but hope I have more classes with her.

 

I wish I had let my suspicions die then. If I had seen her as nothing more than a friend- a classmate- hell, even some average civilian, I'd be a lot happier.

 

They say love wrecks a man.

I say they're right.