AUTHOR POV

(Italicized words are deep thoughts, memories, flashbacks)

Momo woke up that morning with heaviness in her heart. She laid there in her bed thinking about everything. She wanted her mind to stop thinking about it, even for a second. But there was no use. So instead she just laid there listing out every single thing that there was to each person.

Mina: She’s kind, beautiful, the girl of my dreams, Jeongyeon doesn’t deserve her, I have to save her…

Sana: She’s… she’s Sana.

Momo began to get flashes of their childhood together, the moment when she first went over to Sana’s house and how she was too shy to say anything so all she did was hide behind her mom, but Sana being the friendly person that she was guided Momo away with some snacks that she offered to share with her.

“Here you can have the last cookie!” Sana beamed a smile to Momo

“The last cookie is the most important though!” Momo shook her head.

“Yeah, but now you’re my bestfriend so you’re gonna be important to me too!”

Momo snapped herself away from the memory, and found herself shedding a small single tear, but she still smiled at the memory of her best friend. Sana was always there since the beginning. Why did it have to take her so long for her feelings to surface itself. Why did she always make up the excuse that it was because they were “best friends”. Why couldn’t she just admit to herself a long time ago that she was in love with the girl. Everything was becoming clear.

I never have been so protective of anybody in my life.

Yet, here I was protecting you without even realizing the extent of why I was so protective of you.

Momo’s memory began to flash back to the time where she always protected Sana, the memory of her checking the closet and under the bed for monsters, how when Sana got stung by a bee, she went to attack the beehive which went terribly wrong ending with her getting a few stings herself, how when Sana was getting bullied in middle school by some girl, Momo went off and got into a fight, resulting in weeks of detention, how she was so protective over Sana with Mark, how she protected her in the crowd of people at the festival.

Why didn’t I realize it before…?

She sat up in bed rubbing her eyes and taking a deep sigh.

New plan, today I talk to Mina first.

Momo pulled the covers off of the bed and then got ready for school.

Momo got to school, and the whole way there it felt empty. She felt alone, the once bright girl who used to vacate the seat next to her was no longer there, and she hated it. She walked on the campus alone with people whispering while looking at her.

Man, people are really nosy.

She adjusted her backpack over her shoulder and then continued on her way to her classes. By the time she got to her first class, she heard some people whispering on how they heard that Sana and her had broken up.

She sighed, trying for once to focus on the class rather than anything else.

When it was finally time for lunch break Momo was walking past the lockers when there she saw her, Sana.

It had been all day that the girl didn’t see her, didn’t hear her voice, didn’t receive a single text from her and it was killing her inside.

She walked past the girl, their eyes meeting for a brief moment.

She sighed walking ahead when she saw Mina standing there waiting for her.

“Hey!” Mina smiled.

“Hey to you too.” Momo replied back.

“I figured that I should walk with you to the table today so you won’t be alone when facing all of those people whispering about you.”

Momo smiled, reaching to ruffle Mina’s hair when Sana came into her mind, and how she used to do the same thing to her. She retracted her hand and patted the other’s shoulder instead.

Momo nodded, and smiled. “Hey listen, I was wondering if I could talk to you after school about some things.”

“Sure, whats it about?” Mina questioned.

Momo was about to reply when she heard a ruckus from down the hall.

“Go away Mark. I’m not interested.”

Sana.

It was Sana’s voice.

Momo turned around and saw Mark leaning an arm next to Sana’s head against the locker while tapping her chin, with his finger.

“Come on Sana, what did she break up with you because she also couldn’t get into your pants?” She smirked at her.

Momo found herself clenching her fists tightly, her teeth was gritted and she cracked her neck in irritation.

Mina who noticed the scene as well, patted Momo’s back trying to calm her.

“Just sleep with me once.” Mark winked at her. “I’ll give you a good time.”

Within a second, Momo found her body acting on its own when she walked down the hallway. Eyes were looking at her but she didn’t care, she couldn’t listen to it anymore.

She was walking when she found herself stuck in her spot when she saw someone else appear to rescue Sana.

It was that girl that she saw with her when it was raining.

“Hey!” She heard the other girl scold. “She isn’t interested.” The girl used on of her paint brush sticks to swat his hand away from Sana’s face.

Mark retracted his hand, “Run along kid.”

He tried to reach to touch Sana’s face again when he felt it get hit by her paint brush stick.

“If you didn’t hear the first time, I said she isn’t interested. So leave her alone.”

Momo looked at the scene. She wanted to be the one to stop Mark. She was always the one to save Sana, and this time. This time it was someone else. The feeling was off putting; she didn’t like it.

She looked at Sana who was smiling towards the other girl and it felt like with each breath it was too much for her heart, it was like she was breathing in toxins from the air, and breathing was hurting her.

Mark giving up finally walked away, walking past Momo. Sana’s eyes followed Mark’s leaving figure when she found herself staring at the person who was standing in one spot, just looking at her.

Momo…

She wanted to say something to her, but what? They fake broke up and it wouldn’t look realistic if she were to go to the girl and hug her and act like everything was normal. So she looked at her, trying to read her eyes.

What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?

“Are you okay?” Sana’s thoughts broke when Chaeyoung spoke.

“Hmm? Oh yeah. Sorry about that. And thank you Chae. You really helped me out a lot.”