Seulgi came out of the closet (oh, the irony) with a bouquet of red roses. She motioned for the violinists to stop playing and got down on one knee, saying to the awestruck girl before her, "YooA, will you go to Homecoming with me?"

"What?" YooA asked, confused. She took a step forward, and her face suddenly changed into one that was too familiar. "I'm Irene."

"Ah!" Seulgi woke up with a start, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She exhaled and wiped the sweat with the back of her hands. "What the heck?" She swung her legs over the side of the bed and began getting ready for school. What kind of dream was that? Asking Irene to Homecoming? With roses? She had a damn boyfriend, and Seulgi was supposed to be asking YooA! Seulgi breathed deeply to slow her beating heart. That dream had freaked her out way too much. Seulgi didn't know what to make of it. She didn't know what to make of the dream. She thought about it more, gave up, and pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind. She'd figure it out some other time.

When she entered the school, a poster in one hand and flowers in the other, Joy happily skipped out to meet her, Yeri trailing closely behind.

"So? When is she coming, lovebug?"

Seulgi glanced up at the clock on the wall above the vending machine. "Five minutes."

"Lights, camera, action," Joy said, shooting finger guns at Seulgi with a wink.

Yeri and Joy ducked behind the nearby trash cans, who knows why they chose that spot, with their phones at the ready to capture the momentous occasion. Seulgi stood there and plucked at her sleeve nervously. She was anxious to ask YooA and get it over with. She knew that her girlfriend would say yes. She was her girlfriend. But, no matter. Seulgi still felt like she was going to have a heart attack.

When you walk in the door, I open my mouth to speak. I ask you to Homecoming: "Irene-"

Seulgi immediately stopped thinking to mentally beat herself up. What the hell, Seulgi? You have to stop thinking about that stupid dream! Seulgi smacked her forehead. She was about to ask YooA to Homecoming any minute now, yet she was thinking about asking Irene. Seulgi prayed she didn't screw up. YooA was one miracle in her life that she didn't need taken away. Not now, of all times.

When YooA walked in, Seulgi's mouth went dry. She cleared and stepped forward with her sign, wiping all traces of her mischevious thoughts away. Determined to begin with a clean slate, Seulgi looked into the eyes of her loving girlfriend and began,

"Irene-"

.

In that instant, Seulgi had never regretted anything more. She wished she could take it all back. All of it. If YooA's fallen expression and shocked wide eyes didn't break Seulgi's heart, the single tear that dripped from YooA's eye did. Seulgi watched helplessly as it splashed onto the floor, quickly disappearing with no trace except for the slight glare that was visible only from certain angles. 

"YooA, YooA," Seulgi pleaded as YooA turned to leave.

"Let go, Seul," YooA said, sniffling. She wrestled herself free from Seulgi's grip and fled down the hall, her now full-body sobs echoing back at Seulgi. The sound was faint, and the sound of the students that flooded the main area blended into the background. Seulgi felt like she was underwater. She couldn't hear anything; not the chatter, the principal's voice over the speaker, or her friends yelling into her face. Nothing.

"Seulgi! Hey!" Joy resorted to slapping her bear-like friend. Seulgi blinked, slowly coming out of her daze. Everything was blurry and hazy. Seulgi didn't get why.

"Are you okay?" Yeri, for some reason, maybe because of some random burst of kindness, decided against sarcasm and instead opted for comfort. She hugged her unnie's waist and slowly took the sign from her hands, handing it to Joy. "Everything will be fine, Seulgi. It'll be okay."

Seulgi just nodded numbly. Who knew you could up that bad?

"Repeat that?" Irene couldn't believe what she just heard. "She said what?"

"Yup," Yeri said almost sullenly. She missed Seulgi, the girl who she'd always had the tiniest bit of a crush on. Well, it was less of a crush and more of a strong attachment and sense of protectiveness that almost mirrored a crush. It was hard to explain, but Yeri had always thought of it as a tiny crush. A friend crush. A friend crush on someone who was already her friend. Yes. "She tried asking YooA to Homecoming, and your name came out instead."

Irene was slightly uncomfortable under Yeri's heated gaze. "Um... Yeri-ah, are you okay?"

"Hmm?" Yeri's eyebrows rose. "Yes, of course." Yeri loved Irene -- her mom, her friends would say -- so she bucked up and shoved her feelings back down. Yeri just missed Seulgi a lot, and it was starting to show. "I felt really bad for YooA." Yeri really did. "She just kind of stood there and then moved to leave, but Seulgi grabbed onto her and pleaded with her to stay. YooA must've been really hurt because she didn't lash out and instead just told Seulgi to let go of her and then left crying. No fight, no nothing. Seulgi's in over her head, that's for sure."

"Oh, Seul," Irene murmured out loud. On the inside, though, her mind raced to try and come up with a possible explanation for Seulgi's total up. The whole situation made Irene