Renjun felt like she had been promised a lot for her senior year. 

Her parents had sworn that this would be her year, that she would get into a great college and expand her friend group and maybe if she was lucky grow a little taller (they'd promised Renjun she still had some more growing years left). 

But here Renjun was in October of her senior year: not hearing back from any of the early decision schools she had applied to, still reading during lunch, still 5'1. 

And still waiting for another freshman couple to stop making out in front of her locker. 

Same bull, different year. 

"Excuse me," she spoke firmly. The couple either didn't hear or ignored her and Renjun could see their tongues in each other's mouths. "Excuse me!" She said, louder this time. 

Finally, the guy pulled away. "S-sorry," he stuttered. The couple ran off but Renjun only glared, trying to push the horrifying image of freshman tongues and spit out of her mind. God, kissing was gross. She was glad she'd never done it. 

She pulled out her textbooks, taking only half a second to look at herself and her little dirty blonde bob before slamming it shut, walking off to homeroom with yet another grimace on her lips. 

Next to the door was Jaemin and Jeno, also making out. 

Jaemin and Jeno were the banes of Renjun's existence. They seemed straight out of a ty teen movie, really: both 5'7, cheerleaders since the beginning of freshmen year, pretty and skinny but with huge s, wearing their uniforms and super high ponytails to school literally every day. 

They had also been dating as long as they'd been cheerleaders. And they had also taken pleasure in making out in the hallways as long as they'd been cheerleaders. 

A bunch of dudes from the football team stood on the other side of the hall and watched, snickering under their breath as Jaemin's currently pink hair brushed against Jeno's pitch black. What grossed Renjun out the most was how much the girls seemed to like being watched by those creepy guys. Why else would they feel the need to constantly kiss in public?

Renjun sighed. Same bull, different day. 

She ignored the couple and pushed her way into homeroom, taking a seat in her usual chair and pulling out her current book, Lord of the Rings. 

It was one she'd already read a million times but as she opened it, a leap of excitement filled her heart. This was her escape. 

Sometimes Renjun bemoaned her lack of more than a single friend, or her inability to make any new ones. But at the end of the day she didn't need them. All she needed were her books, her comfort, the world she could enter into when her current one was just too awful. 

Slowly more people began to file into homeroom. Renjun saw them out of the corner of her eye, playing on their phones and gossiping and talking loudly about utter bull. She sighed, turning her focus back to the pages in front of her. 

Renjun didn't want to say she wasn't like other girls. But she wasn't: she prefered sweaters to y clothes, reading to looking at her phone, silence and alone time to conversation. 

That was probably why she had a hard time making friends, but did she really care?

Renjun was starting to feel at peace, forgetting the world around her when someone tapped her on the shoulder. 

"Hi Renjun!" Jeno said cheerfully, sliding into the seat next to her and setting her frappucino down on the desk.

Renjun barely held back an eye roll. Just by her luck, Jeno was in her homeroom, and being the social butterfly she was, she always felt the need to talk to Renjun. 

"How's it going?" Jeno asked, leaning over her table. 

"Fine," Renjun answered. She didn't bother to put down her book. 

"You're in Mr. Nickel's morning class, right?" 

"Mmh." 

"I'm in his afternoon class! What did you get on the essay?" 

"An A, I think," Renjun casually answered. Too absorbed in her book, she didn't notice Jeno pout. 

"Omigosh! You must be so smart. I did really bad." Jeno huffed. "He's so mean." 

Renjun barely held back a snort. The essay had not been very hard, and Mr. Nickels was a fair grader. Whelp....Jaemin and Jeno really were dumb and dumber, as Renjun called them in her head. 

To Renjun's chagrin, Jeno tried to start conversation again. 

"You're always reading during homeroom! Do you like reading?" 

"Mmh-hmm." 

"That's cool. I hate reading." 

Renjun again rolled her eyes and Jeno finally decided to leave her alone, opening her phone camera to put on some lip gloss. 

If those kind of vapid girls were the ones Renjun would have to be friends with if she had friends, then she was happy to have no friends at all. She sighed, letting herself fall back into her book world. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Renjun has one friend, and she is still not sure how she's kept her around for this one. 

Chenle, her next door neighbor slash best friend since the first grade is from a completely different world than Renjun: she is of the popular. Chenle's different though; she can be a bit vapid sometimes but she's the funniest person Renjun knows, so she'll forgive her for most of her flaws. 

Except for this one. 

Renjun was promised a sleepover with the ever-busy Chenle that Friday night, just the two of them. But instead she was in Chenle's car, on her way to a party. 

Chenle had come to pick Renjun up from her house, on the pretense that they were going to Chenle's house, but when Chenle had driven past her own house, Renjun realized Chenle's plan. 

"It's Halloween! What else are you supposed to do?" Chenle had answered when Renjun put up a fit about coming. 

"I dunno...watch horror movies? Gorge yourself on candy? Stay indoors?" 

Chenle rolled her eyes, the bunny ears perched on her head hitting the roof of her car. "Look, Renjun, it's senior year. It's time you got out and had some fun! Anyways, I thought you knew my plan. I did tell you to wear a costume, which you refused to do." 

"I'm not a costume person," Renjun grumbled. 

"And you refuse to put on one of the five back up costumes I brought for you in the back seat," Chenle added. 

"Like I said. Not a costume person." 

Chenle frowned as they pulled into an empty space, which Renjun guessed was by the house holding the party. She could hear the top forty music blaring from the house inside the car and she already felt her heart sink. 

Chenle put the car in park and turned to Renjun, pouting. "Do you hate me?" She asked sweetly. 

Renjun sighed deeply, she could never hate Chenle, as frustrating as she was. "No," she admitted, digging into her bag. She smiled as she pulled out her copy of the Hobbit. "Because I brought a book!" 

"Renjun!" Chenle cried and Renjun just laughed. It would be fine; she would just find a corner to read in until Chenle was too drunk to function and drive her home. Not the night she'd been hoping for, but not a terrible one either. As long as she didn't have to talk to anyone. 

They both hopped out of the car, Chenle pulling down her faux leather mini skirt and checking herself out in the car window before going to the trunk. She opened it, pulling out a case of wine and a pair of cat ears. 

"Are you sure? You wouldn't even have to wear the rest of the costume!" Chenle whined, holding the cat ears out to Renjun. 

She pushed them away. "I'm sure, Chenle." 

"Fine." Chenle shut the trunk door and lead Renjun over to one of the houses. "Wait, before we go in. How do I look?"

"Chenle, you're you. You're in a y bunny costume. How could you not look good?" Renjun answered. Everyone knew Chenle was one of the prettiest girls in the school.

"But...but Renjun is it too y? Is it not y enough?"

"It's a perfectly balanced amount of y."

Chenle breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you." Without even bothering with the doorbell Chenle tried the door, easily pushing it open. 

Immediately, Renjun groaned. It was loud, and people were drunk, and it reeked of B.O and alcohol. Renjun grimaced as Chenle excitedly giggled, dragging her friend inside. 

"Yo Chenle," a voice spoke. 

"Oh hi!" Chenle cried, immediately going over to the football players who called her name. Renjun sighed and rolled her eyes, leaving her friend peeking down all of the halls for a corner to sit in. She kind of liked having the protection of Chenle at this thing, but at the same time, Chenle would make her socialize. On her own, she could chill out and hide for a little while until Chenle needed to be taken home. 

Breathing a sigh of relief, Renjun found a quieter, empty stairwell. Out of her bag she pulled her book, leaning against the stairs and beginning to read. This would be fine for a little while, she thought. 

Only, Renjun didn't get a little while. A few minutes later loud, excited voices pulled Renjun out of her fantasy land. 

"Renjun? Is that you?" Renjun's least favorite voice in the world cried excitedly. Renjun looked up and deflated. , it was Jeno dressed as Poison Ivy, and Jaemin dressed as Harley Quinn. 

"I didn't know you were coming but I'm so excited!" Jaemin added, the couple holding hands and crouching in front of where Renjun was sitting. "I'm so glad you could make it to my party," Jaemin said. ing hell, it was her house too. 

"Whatcha doing all the way over here? Don't you want something to drink?" Jeno asked. 

"I'm Chenle's ride," Renjun simply explained, turning her eyes back to her book. 

"Ooh," Jeno answered. 

"Wait....Renjun, are you not wearing a costume?" 

"U-um-" 

"Omigosh! This is a halloween party; you need a costume!" Jeno cried. 

"Come on, follow me. I have a ton in my room and you can pick one out," Jaemin answered. 

Hesitantly Renjun stood up and Jaemin and Jeno gestured for her to go up the stairs. All three went up, Renjun taking a deep breath at the real peace and quiet here. Jaemin and Jeno led Renjun down the hall and into a room, shutting the door behind her. 

As Renjun looked around, she realized it must have been Jaemin's room. It almost didn't look real, more like a bedroom out of a teen movie: she had a massive canopy bed, fairy lights everywhere, pink wallpaper and polaroids of her and Jeno and the cheer squad all over the room, a shelf with what Renjun guessed were cheer trophies, and a vanity littered with makeup. Next to her bed was a bunny shaped alarm clock and a framed picture of her and Jeno in their uniforms from what Renjun guessed was freshman year. 

Immediately she threw aside two curtains to reveal a massive closet, shuffling through drawers and throwing costumes onto the floor. Jeno sat on the floor by Jaemin's pile and patted the seat next to her. Renjun sat criss cross on the ground and stared suspiciously at Jaemin's pile of costumes for her. 

"Okay," Jaemin said excitedly when she finished. "So I have all of these that I think you'll like. We've got an...elf, I think?" Jaemin said, holding up the first one as her now blonde hair swished. It did look like an elf from Lord of the Rings, but it was very y. "And Hermione." Renjun grimaced at the y Hermione costume. "And your basic, like, animal and superhero costumes." Jaemin held up all of the costumes for Renjun to look at. They were all just too...revealing for Renjun's comfort. 

"Th-thank you for your help," Renjun said, starting to stand up. "But costumes aren-" 

"Wait!" Jeno cried, perking up. They all turned to her. "Why don't you be a cheerleader?" 

"Yes!" Jaemin squealed excitedly and and Renjun just about wanted to die. "I've got some from freshman year that'll fit you perfectly." Renjun frowned even more as Jaemin pulled out one of her old uniforms from the back of her closet, handing it to her. 

Renjun stood there, frozen, the uniform in her hands. 

"If you don't feel comfortable changing in front of us, the bathroom is right over there," Jeno said, pointing to the door in the corner of Jaemin's room. 

"A-Alright," Renjun said. 

"Yay!" Jaemin and Jeno cheered as Renjun practically ran inside and shut the door behind her. 

Renjun sighed deeply, resting her head on the cool tile of the wall. It should be easy. It should be so easy for her to just go to the girls, say she wasn't comfortable with this, head back downstairs, and leave. She didn't even really have to wait for Chenle, if she didn't want to. It would be less than an hour to walk home. She could even take Chenle's car; Chenle would find another ride easily. 

But...something she couldn't explain was compelling her to put it on. Something inside her that she hated, that she cursed. She shouldn't be curious. She shouldn't care. But when else would she ever have the chance? 

So, slowly, Renjun slid out of her oversized sweater and jeans and put on the uniform: first the top, then the skirt, then the little bobby socks Jaemin had given her too. She refused to look at herself in the mirror and left the bathroom. 

"Omigosh!" Jeno cried excitedly, the couple standing up and looking over her with wide smiling eyes. Renjun felt so unbelievably small between these two giant girls, looking down at the ground. The skirt looked and felt like it fit fine, if a little short and tight, but the top was weirdly loose in places. Those places must have been where Jaemin's ginormous s went, whereas all Renjun had was flatness. 

"It doesn't fit," she said flatly. 

"That's an easy fix. Babe, do you have a hairtie?" Jaemin asked. Jeno handed Jaemin a sky blue tie and Jaemin came around the back, gathering the extra fabric and tying it, tucking the excess into the shirt. 

Jaemin and Jeno looked down at Renjun, unreadable expressions on their faces, and Renjun felt herself flush. 

"Can we give you a little cheer makeover?" Jeno sweetly asked. 

Renjun sighed. it; she already had the uniform on. 

"Sure," she breathed out, trying to hide her feeling of defeat. Neither Jaemin nor Jeno picked up on it and lead Renjun to the vanity, mumbling and giggling to each other about what to do. Jaemin focused on her face while Jeno went to work on her hair, uncomfortably close, but the whole thing didn't take as long as Renjun expected. 

"Wait wait wait, it's time for the big reveal," Jeno said with a smile. 

"Are you ready?" Jaemin asked, running over to open another closet door, which had a full length mirror inside. 

"Yeah?" 

Giggling excitedly, Jeno and Jaemin led her towards the mirror, and finally, Renjun saw herself. 

To her surprise they hadn't actually done all that much to her. They had just put some sparkly stuff on her eyelids, a little bit of mascara, and some pink lipstick. Jeno had put her hair in that apple style, with the one little ponytail at the top of her head, Jaemin's cheer bow holding it up. As for the uniform, it looked a bit more natural now that it fit on Renjun's chest. She had to admit...it was a bit flattering. Just the thought of that made her uncomfortable. 

She spun around to see Jeno and Jaemin gazing down at her; Jaemin's jaw even dropped a little. 

Renjun glared back at them. "Isn't this the moment where you're all astounded because you guys have finally realized I'm decent looking, now that I fit your beauty standards?" She knew exactly how this moment went; she'd been forced to see enough teen movies in her life with Chenle to know. 

Jeno and Jaemin shared a look before shaking their heads. "We've always thought you were pretty," Jeno finally answered. "This is just different."

Renjun gave the couple a confused look. They'd always thought she was pretty? Not even Renjun thought she was pretty, not that she cared about that. 

"Renjun, you look so hot," Jaemin spoke as if she was breathless. "Can I kiss you?" 

Now Renjun was really confused, and astounded. 

"Wait wait wait, what? Aren't you two dating? Don't you wanna get back to the party? Do you guys do this all the time?" 

"We never do this," Jeno answered. 

"But you're special," Jaemin finished. 

To them, clearly, that was supposed to explain everything. Renjun didn't fully understand still, but they were clearly waiting for an answer to Jaemin's original question. 

This night had already been crazy enough. Why not take it one step further? 

"Okay," Renjun breathed out, her voice shaky. "You can kiss me." 

And without missing another beat Jaemin's lips were on her own, sliding together as if this whole thing was easy. 

And it was. 

Contrary to Renjun's prior beliefs kissing was not all that gross; no spit and tongues flying everywhere, at least not when Jaemin did it. She was very controlled, putting one of her hands on Renjun's neck, the other on her waist, leaning over. 

This was Renjun's first kiss. Before this moment Renjun hadn't been entirely sure what her uality was. 

Now she knew; she definitely liked girls. 

Renjun's hands still shook but she wasn't so nervous anymore, no, it had turned into excitement as Jaemin pulled her a bit closer so their bodies were flush. Renjun wasn't sure much longer she could stand up anymore; her legs had turned to jelly. 

"W-wait," Jeno interrupted and to Renjun's chagrin they pulled away. Her eyes were glassy and her lips a touch swollen and her mind, for once, had drawn a complete blank. "Can I?" 

Jaemin and Jeno turned to Renjun and wordlessly, she nodded. 

Now it was Jeno's turn and she came in faster, her dark hair falling around her face. She was a bit sloppier than Jaemin but it was still so, so good, and Renjun didn't want it to stop, and she guessed she liked kissing now. Even kissing the banes of her existence. 

Renjun wasn't sure how long they stood there in the middle of Jaemin's room, taking turns kissing them, each time asking for permission, occasionally watching them kiss each other. All logical thought had left her brain. All she could do was feel and accept how great this was. 

Eventually Jaemin and Jeno asked her to sit on the bed with them instead. Sitting between the two cheerleaders Renjun felt so, so tiny but she kind of forgot all about it when Jaemin kissed her again and Jeno held her, touched her so so gently. 

And so the three girls spent the rest of the night on that bed, just kissing, the whole world outside completely falling away. 

~~~~~~~~~~

The next day Renjun awoke in a bed that was not her own. She could tell by the four posters and the canopy and the person breathing next to her. 

Person breathing next to her? 

Renjun turned and screamed a little when she saw Lee Jeno waking up beside her, rubbing her eyes before smiling. 

"Oh hi," she spoke softly. 

"Oh my god oh my god oh my god," Renjun answered, her memories of the previous night coming back to her. She looked down and was a little relieved to see herself still in that damn cheer uniform and not , and Jeno still in her Poison Ivy costume. "What the hell happened? Why am I here? Did we have ?" 

"N-no," Jeno stuttered out sleepily. "We just kissed and we all must have fallen asleep. None of us drank or anything." 

"Holy holy ," Renjun said, leaping out of Jaemin's bed. 

"Where are you going?" Jeno whined. "I think Jaemin's gonna bring us breakfast." 

"I- um- gotta go. Gotta study," Renjun answered, running into the bathroom and shutting the door. As fast as she possibly could with her shaking fingers Renjun stripped off the cheer uniform and put back on her clothes from last night. 

She left the bathroom just as Jaemin came in wearing leggings and an oversized t-shirt, blonde hair wet and carrying a whole bunch of food on a tray. "Hi babies-" She started with a smile before stopping, seeing Renjun running around to get her things. "Where are you going?" 

"Gotta go, sorry," Renjun answered, putting Jaemin's folded cheerleader outfit on a chair and grabbing her bag. "I gotta study." 

"Don't you want some breakfast? I made it for you guys," Jaemin spoke forlornly. 

"No thank you," Renjun said, finally getting all her stuff together and heading for the door. She ignored the slight pang of guilt in her heart and turned to the two very confused girls. "Um...thank you." She couldn't think of anything else to say so she left, as fast as her legs would take her. 

~~~~~~~~~~

It was Monday morning and Renjun still wasn't sure if she'd recovered from Friday night. 

Chenle had assumed Renjun just left the party and proceeded to roast her for about ten minutes straight (as well as getting frustrated that she refused to have a social life) and Renjun let her believe what she did. To be honest, she didn't really want people to know what happened, and Chenle notoriously had a hard time keeping shut. 

It wasn't that she was afraid she would get teased for it. In fact, Renjun knew that if word got out, her popularity would increase ten fold. It was more about herself than anything; what she'd done that night: getting a makeover, trying on a cheer uniform, making out with girls she claimed to despise, went against everything she thought she'd stood for. 

For her own sanity, she knew she had to reestablish the person she'd been before Friday night. And that meant opening her book and reading during homeroom, ignoring Jeno, who had taken a seat beside her and was definitely leaning over the table to try and get her attention. 

When she finally spoke, Renjun couldn't ignore her any longer. 

"Hi Renjun! How was your weekend?" She asked. 

"Fine," Renjun answered, trying to ignore her shaking fingertips and her memories of that night. She couldn't let herself even glance at the cheerleader. 

"How was studying?" Jeno asked, totally sincerely. Renjun sighed, remembering the lie she had concocted to get herself out of Jaemin's bedroom Saturday morning. In fact, it had been the first Saturday in a long time that Renjun didn't actually study, her mind all a blur of morals collapsed and Jaemin and Jeno's soft lips. 

"Alright." 

"Aww Renjunnie! What a ty way to spend your Saturday. You should've stayed with us. Jaemin made waffles, you know," Jeno answered, but there was no malice behind her words. Before Renjun could answer, Jeno started talking again. "You know on Saturday Jaemin and I were talking and we realized we don't have your number! Do you wanna give it to me? I'll text it to Jaemin." 

Renjun took a big sigh, and turned to look at Jeno. She had been ready to say no. She had been so, so ready. But there was Jeno, her black ponytail tossed over one shoulder, cheer uniform fitting perfectly, bangs just a little too long and getting tangled in her cute, pouty eyes. Renjun's heart jumped and she softened. 

"Sure." 

Jeno sat up again, expression brightened, eyes shaped like little crescents. "Yay! Here's my phone," she said excitedly, handing her phone over to to Renjun. It was a purple iphone 11 with a bunch of Hello Kitty stickers and a polaroid of her and Jaemin in the back. Renjun shook her head and typed in her contact information, last name and first, her number and a note that she was in Jeno's homeroom. 

She handed it back to Jeno and she giggled, looking over Renjun's contact. 

"In your homeroom?" She read out loud. "Renjun, did you think I was gonna forget you? I couldn't do that..." 

Renjun was so grateful when the bell rang just after Jeno spoke. 

~~~~~~~~~~

And that was the beginning of the end. 

During the next class Jeno made a groupchat with herself, Jaemin, and Renjun, and since that day the cheer couple relentlessly spammed it. 

Jeno mostly just asked for homework help (which had totally surprised Renjun; she thought they never did homework at all) while Jaemin described literally everything she was doing to them, from morning until night. She also asked them for their opinion on every selfie she took, if it was 'insta-worthy' or not. Renjun didn't say much at all, only if they asked a direct question. She didn't even answer when Jeno and Jaemin had sent a selfie in the chat of them after cheer practice, Jaemin captioning it wish you were here. She sure as hell didn't know what to say to that. 

Renjun, the girl who was so used to getting zero notifications to the point of keeping her ringer on during class now was getting spammed with so many messages she had gotten her phone confiscated by her math teacher. 

In real life, too, she was interacting with the girls a lot more. Before the Halloween incident, as Renjun labelled it, Jeno would talk to her in homeroom and say hi in the halls. Now whenever Jeno and Jaemin spotted her, whether they were together or apart, they made a point of making conversation with her. 

Now, a week or so after Jeno had gotten her number, Renjun got a text on her phone that she had seen coming for days. 

do u wanna hang w us after school? practice got cancelled ^-^, Jaemin messaged. 

Renjun panicked. What would they even do? What would they even talk about? Did she even want to? Did Jaemin and Jeno want to make out with her again? Did she want to make out with them again? 

The answer beating in the back of her brain was, sadly, a yes. More out of curiosity than anything else; she had no idea why Jaemin and Jeno had suddenly decided to befriend her, and maybe spending some time with them would help her find out why. 

But this had already gone too far. If Renjun said yes then she would be giving in to everything she had fought against for so long: fitting in, popularity, vapidity. So she knew what she had to do. 

sorry, i have a big test tomorrow, she simply replied. 

its ok! g luck, Jeno immediately answered. 

another time (･ω<)☆, Jaemin quickly added. 

The slight feeling of guilt, like when Renjun had rushed out of Jaemin's room after the Halloween incident, returned to Renjun's stomach. But she could push it away, easily, until the next morning. 

Jeno walked into homeroom that day, perky as ever, carrying her usual frappucino and, unusually, another drink. A drink in a hot cup, something Renjun had never seen Jeno or Jaemin have. Renjun tried to concentrate on her book as Jeno took her usual seat beside her, and set the drink down on her desk. 

Instead of sitting down Jeno just stood by Renjun's desk so she put her book down and looked up at Jeno. The cheerleader just stood there for a minute, hands behind her back, rocking back and forth before she spoke. 

"U-um...s-so Jaemin thought since you have a big test today you might want coffee? So, um, we got you something on our usual morning Starbucks run. We only saw you once with coffee at school and it was, like, hot? So we thought you like hot drinks, and, like, everyone likes vanilla right? So we got you vanilla." 

Renjun stared up at Jeno's tall frame breathlessly. Vanilla lattes were her favorite; and she'd never told either of them. 

Finally, she came back down to earth. "O-oh, how much do I owe you and Jaemin?" She asked, reaching into her backpack. 

"No! It's a present. For good luck. I mean, you don't really need it though. You're, like, the smartest person ever. You'll do so great." 

Now Renjun really felt guilty. 

"Oh, I, thank you so much. Thank you guys so much," Renjun said, taking a sip. It was a touch sweet for her liking but still delicious, although her guilt dampened the taste a little. 

"No problem!" Jeno said cheerfully, clearly glad Renjun liked it, sitting down to look at her bangs in her phone camera. Renjun shot Jaemin a thank you text as well before looking at the cup to find a pink sticky note attached. 

Injunnie, good luck!!!!! You're gonna do so so so good, Love Jaemin. Jaemin had also drawn a heart and a little bunny rabbit on the note and Renjun felt like she was melting. 

It wasn't the coffee that kept her bouncy all day. 

And nobody had to know that she kept that note on the inside pocket of her binder.

~~~~~~~~~~

Renjun was just a whole ball of confusion when Jaemin and Jeno came up to her a few days later, each linking an arm with the much shorter girl as they walked down the hallway. Now they talked almost every day so she was a little more used to them (and being sandwiched between them, because of her height), not to mention their continued showering of gifts on her during homeroom and the even greater showering of text messages in their group chat. As long as they didn't talk about the Halloween incident, which they never even brought up, it was all okay. 

"Where are you heading Injunnie?" Jaemin asked. 

"PE," Renjun answered with a groan. Just speaking the name of the class filled her with disappointment. 

"You don't like PE?" Jeno asked, genuinely surprised. 

"No, I hate it. Worst class ever." 

"Who's your teacher?" Jaemin asked. 

"Mrs. Catallini." 

"Omigosh!" Jeno cried. "She's the cheer coach!" 

Jaemin gave Renjun a sly grin. "We could get you out of it." 

"Wait, really?" 

Jeno and Jaemin nodded confidently. "She knows us," Jaemin explained. 

"I wouldn't get in trouble right? And my grade would still be okay?" 

"Of course! We would never do that," Jeno protested. 

"Trust us, alright?" 

Renjun wasn't sure if she did, but she'd do anything to get out of PE. "Alright." 

"Yes," Jaemin said excitedly, and the couple lead Renjun down to the girl's locker room. But instead of having her change they went into Mrs. Catallini's office. A few minutes later they emerged, grinning and linking arms with Renjun. 

"Done and done!" Jaemin said quietly as Mrs. Catallini poked her head out of her office. 

"Feel better Renjun!" She said with more sympathy than the teacher had ever directed at her. 

"I will," Renjun answered, faking a cough. 

Quickly, they all departed from the locker room and as soon as they were out, Jaemin and Jeno started giggling. 

"We did it!" 

"Yeah, now we can all finally hang out," Jeno said. 

"Wait, what about your class?" Renjun asked. 

"Technically, we have Spanish. But we were gonna skip anyways," Jaemin explained. 

"Come on guys, let's go to the spot," Jeno said. Jaemin smiled, Renjun faked one, and they headed down the empty halls. 

They finally ended up at the bottom of an empty stairwell Renjun had never been to before. 

"No one's gonna bother us here," Jeno explained, leaning against a wall. Jaemin sat down on the steps and hesitantly, Renjun sat down next to her. 

"Do you mind if I juul?" Jaemin asked, taking the device out. 

"N-no," Renjun answered. 

"Thank you!" She said cheerfully, taking a hit. She blew out the cotton candy scented smoke and Jeno made a face. 

"When are you gonna quit?" Jeno whined. "It's so bad for you." 

"Before competition season," Jaemin answered, pouting and taking another hit. She offered it to Renjun, but the smaller girl shook her head. "Ugh, anyways, I need this. This morning ." 

"What happened?" Renjun asked politely. 

"Ugh," Jeno groaned as Jaemin redid her high ponytail, her hair now a bright sky blue. "So this morning we were just kissing, like every other couple at school, right? But the entire creepy lacrosse team started whistling at us! It was so gross." 

"I know, right?" Jaemin added. "I am so sick of it. I can't wait until we're done with high school and people will be more mature."

Jeno sighed. "We can't escape it, no matter what we've tried, since we became a couple. Like, we tried just making out in secret places, right? But the guys still followed us there. Is it wrong to wanna kiss at school like every other high school couple?" 

After a beat, Renjun spoke. "That sounds so awful. I'm sorry," she said, and she meant it genuinely. Clearly, Jeno and Jaemin weren't do all that for attention like she'd thought before. They were just young and in love, since freshman year for god's sake, and wanted people to know, but not get ized for it. 

"It's okay. I mean, that's what comes with the territory. My mom told me this would happen if I was out in high school," Jaemin explained. 

"It doesn't mean you deserve it. Either of you." 

"You're so sweet!" Jeno cried with a big smile, her eyes in those adorable little crescents. 

"Such a sweetheart," Jaemin added gently, ruffling Renjun's hair. Renjun felt her heart thump in her chest and she looked down at her feet. 

"Let's change the subject. This is sad," Jeno said. 

"Agreed. Injunnie, tell us about. I feel like I don't know enough. Like...what's your thing?" Jaemin asked. 

"U-um," Renjun stuttered, unused to having any attention on herself, let alone two very pretty cheerleaders she made out with on Halloween staring at her. "Well, I really like to read." 

"Oh yeah! You always read in homeroom," Jeno said, non judgmentally. 

"What do you like to read?" Jaemin asked, sounding genuinely interested. 

"Well...I really like fantasy. Right now I'm reading Lord of the Rings." 

"Omigosh I love that movie!" Jeno cried. 

"Yeah, last summer we marathoned all of the movies," Jaemin explained. 

Renjun held back an eyeroll; the books were so much better than the books. As always, but most people had no idea about that. 

"Are there any differences between the books and movies?" Jeno asked. 

"Of course!" Renjun cried. 

"What are they? I'm really curious," Jaemin said and Jeno nodded seriously. Again, it was obvious that they really wanted to know. 

So Renjun cleared , and launched into a discussion on the finer details of one of her favorite series. She hadn't expected them to even listen, let alone care, like most people did when she talked about her books. But they did, both of them. Neither of them even once reached for their phones, all attention on Renjun, their pretty eyes gazing at her with wrapt attention. 

And suddenly the bell for the next class rang and Renjun leapt up, embarrassed that she'd talked for so long. But Jeno and Jaemin seemed genuinely disappointed that their hang out had to end, insisting on walking her to class. When they got outside the door they both stopped, each pulling Renjun into a tight, deep hug. 

"Hang out with us soon again, okay?" Jaemin had mumbled into Renjun's slight shoulder as she held her close. 

"O-okay," Renjun answered, too distracted by the warmth of Jaemin's soft skin and tall frame around her to come up with a proper answer. 

Both girls waved goodbye, and Renjun entered the classroom, and tried (and failed) to concentrate on what was going on. And when Jeno sent her a lengthy text in the group chat a few minutes later, detailing all her thoughts on what Renjun talked about in the book versus what happened in the movie, she wasn't actually that surprised. 

She couldn't deny that she was now their friend. 

She wasn't sure how to feel about it, but it was the absolute truth. 

It would probably do them some good to have a friend like me, she thought. 

~~~~~~~~~~

When Jaemin and Jeno asked Renjun to hang out again, this time she couldn't say no. 

Even though she would have to wait until after cheer practice she still felt like she needed to come along. 

Maybe, she even wanted to come along. 

So after school she brought her books and study materials out onto the football field, the first time she'd ever actually been, and planned to just do her own thing until Jaemin and Jeno were ready to hang out. 

She managed to get a few minutes done until the squad made their way out onto the field. As soon as Jaemin noticed her she leapt up and waved, Jeno quickly joining. 

"Injunnie!" Jaemin screamed excitedly. 

"H-hi," Renjun answered, watching the couple look just so excited to see her. They bounced up and down and their ponytails fluttered in the wind, and Renjun couldn't stop herself from smiling at them. They just looked so cute....and it was all for her. 

She wasn't sure if she liked the way that made her feel. 

And she wasn't sure exactly how the other cheerleaders felt about all of this...but they were giving Jaemin and Jeno looks, that was for sure. Knowing looks. 

Renjun shook her head and tried to concentrate again as the cheerleaders began their stretches and exercises. She had finally gotten her brain back to being focused when a crazy thing passed her line of sight. 

Was that Jaemin, getting tossed in the air? 

Slowly, Renjun put her book down and looked at the football field. Yes, it was Jaemin getting tossed up in the air, landing with one foot touching her head. The other cheerleaders lowered her to the ground and she immediately walked off like it was nothing. 

The cheerleaders circled like this, taking turns throwing each other and landing in intricate poses. Renjun was amazed; she'd never seen her school's cheerleaders actually perform. Of course she had seen the teen movies with cheer routines but she never thought real cheer squads would have routines that difficult or intricate. 

But  she was wrong. 

Beside the throwing people practice a group of girls were rehearsing other gymnastics skills, Jeno included. Renjun watched as Jeno did two cartwheels and a flip before landing easily on her feet. 

Renjun's jaw dropped and she put her bookmark in her book, pushing it off to the side. 

One of the cheerleaders put on some music and Renjun assumed they were rehearsing their actual routine. was open the entire time, watching the girls shout and do cartwheels and synchronized turns and Jaemin touch both of her toes while getting thrown in the air and Jeno do a backflip into the splits for their ending pose. And then the girls panted for a minute but got up like it was basically nothing, and did it all again and again until it was dark outside. 

Then finally they ran back into the locker room and emerged a few minutes later, giggly and excited and in different cheer uniforms. Jeno and Jaemin raced up the bleachers and sat next to Renjun, capturing her in a hug on both sides. 

"Omigosh Injunnie how are you? How was your day?" Jaemin asked. 

"Really good! How about you all?" 

"So good!" Jeno cried. 

Jaemin giggled. "Sorry, we always get kinda hyper after practice," she explained. 

"Don't be sorry guys," Renjun said, and she meant it seriously. The annoying giggly attitude she couldn't stand before now seemed cute on Jeno and Jaemin, now that she knew how sincere they really were in their excitement. 

"Yeah," Jeno sheepishly added. "But are you hungry?" 

"Starving," Renjun answered. 

"Us too!" Jaemin cried, standing up and helping Renjun put her things away. "We're going to chipotle, is that cool?" 

"Actually, I've never been." 

"Never been to chipotle?" The cheer couple cried simoultaneously. 

"It's sooo good!" Jeno cried. 

"Okay, let's go!" Jaemin added, the girls each hooking an arm on either side of Renjun. 

They walked from the bleachers and down to the parking lot, hopping into a car, Jeno getting into the front seat. 

She grinned at Renjun through the rear view mirror. "Injunnie, I wanted to tell you I've been listening to the Lord of the Rings audiobook!" 

"Really?" Renjun cried. Jeno had seemed interested when they'd talked about it the other day but she didn't think the cheerleader would go this far. Renjun still thought she should've just read the book, but this was a start. 

"Yeah! It's really cool so far. Different than the movies like you said! But really really cool." 

"Were you reading while we were practicing? Don't give Jeno any spoilers! She's so invested," Jaemin added. 

"Actually," Renjun spoke. "I was gonna, but I started watching you guys." 

"Oh gosh," Jaemin said quietly and both girls chuckled. Renjun watched the girls, confused. Both of them were looking away shyly; were they embarrassed? 

"I totally messed up my triple axel," Jeno whined. 

"Really? I had no idea," Renjun answered. "It was...really amazing. I don't know anything about sports, or cheerleading, and its not usually my thing but oh my god you were incredible." 

"Really? Thank you," Jaemin said, turning around to give Renjun a gentle smile. 

"It's clear you guys work really hard. I couldn't do any of that. Like, that toe touch in the air thing you did Jaemin? That was amazing." 

Both girls giggled and smiled, so gently and genuinely that Renjun felt her heart ache a little. Clearly, her words meant a lot to them. 

"I'm really glad you think cheer is a sport though. People always think all we do is yell and date football players. I know we wear the little skirts and are high energy but like....I wish people took us more seriously," Jaemin said with a sigh. 

"After seeing that it would be hard not to take you guys seriously. Those flips and stuff looked like really hard work." 

"It's actually not that hard," Jeno said. 

Renjun scoffed. "I don't believe you guys." 

So as Jeno pulled up to chipotle and the girls hopped out, Jeno and Jaemin explained cheerleading to Renjun, from the flips and tosses to the dynamic of the squad (which was shockingly democractic and not at all based on popularity). And Renjun was surprised that she really was interested in what they had to say. It was true when she said cheerleading and sports weren't her thing, but when Jaemin and Jeno talked about it, she wanted to know. It was like when she talked about books and Jaemin and Jeno happily paid attention. She cared about their words because...maybe now she cared about them. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

The after practice dinners became a twice weekly thing, and Renjun finally admitted to herself that the couple were her friends. Definitely, one hundred percent, her friends. And she wasn't mad or confused about it, not anymore. 

When class got out for lunch that day Renjun found Jaemin and Jeno standing outside her classroom door, smiling brightly when they saw her. 

"Injunnie! You should come with us for lunch," Jeno said, holding both of Renjun's tiny hands in her much bigger ones. 

"At the cafeteria?" Renjun asked. Both girls giggled and shook their heads. 

Jaemin suddenly wrapped herself around Renjun's shoulders, leaning over her, her much bigger frame surrounding the small girl. 

"We're going to starbucks," she whispered in Renjun's ear in a way that sent a shiver down her spine. 

Technically, it was against school rules to leave campus during the day. Renjun had never ventured out but she knew the popular kids did often. She'd never heard of them getting caught, so she wasn't worried. 

"Okay," Renjun said with a small smile. 

"Yes," Jeno whispered. Jaemin and Jeno each grabbed one of Renjun's hands and walked out of the building. 

"Just act like you're supposed to be doing this," Jaemin said so Renjun took a deep breath, trying to act as confident as Jaemin and Jeno looked. 

Nobody stopped them and they slid into Jeno's car with a giggle, looking around. 

"Wait!" Jeno cried with a pout after she her car. 

"What?" Renjun asked. 

"I hate it that you're always in the back seat. It isn't right." 

"I know! I hate it; I wish you were up here with us," Jaemin added. 

"Uh..." 

"I know!" Jaemin cried. "Come sit on my lap." 

"U-um-" 

"Yeah!" 

"You're light; it'll be fine," Jaemin said. 

"And I'm a safe driver," Jeno added. 

Renjun swallowed. Well... it. 

"Okay." 

"Yay!" Jeno cheered as Renjun left the backseat and went to the front. Jaemin quickly opened the front door and pulled Renjun onto her lap. Jaemin giggled and rubbed Renjun's arms as she buckled the seatbelt over both of them (Renjun's tinyness came in handy for once). And soon enough, Jeno was driving off. 

Jeno began talking to Renjun about Lord of the Rings and Renjun listened excitedly. But she started to get a little distracted when Jaemin wrapped her strong arms around Renjun's tiny waist, just casually resting there. But Renjun was so not used to physical touch, like this. The hugs the cheer couple gave her already made her flustered enough. But this reminded her of the Halloween incident, that night, the thing the girls hadn't even mentioned since they started talking at school. 

Finally Jeno pulled into the starbucks and Jaemin handed her some cash. Jeno gave them both a strange grin that sent shivers down her spine and hopped out. 

"W-wait, I have to give her money," Renjun stuttered, distracted by sitting on Jaemin's lap with Jaemin's arms on her. 

"Our treat Injunnie," Jaemin said, so softly but with an edge that put Renjun on edge. Jaemin suddenly flipped down the mirror, taking a quick look at herself before tucking some of Renjun's hair behind her ear. 

"You're so pretty, you know? So gentle and pretty," Jaemin said softly. They locked eyes in the mirror and Renjun rapidly looked down at her lap, her small legs in jeans sat on top of Jaemin's larger, bare legs in her short skirt. 

Jaemin shut the car mirror and tilted Renjun's head so they could lock eyes. 

"You are pretty," Jaemin said firmly. Renjun just looked back at her, her cheeks flushed pink. Jaemin brazenly glanced down at Renjun's lips before making eye contact with her again and chuckling. 

"Can I touch you?" Jaemin spoke, barely above a whisper. 

Renjun's brain had turned to mush by this point. 

"Yeah," she answered. 

Slowly Jaemin rested her head on Renjun's shoulders, very gently running her fingers up and down Renjun's waist. She nuzzled a little bit at her neck, her head falling off to the side as she almost bared herself for the blue haired cheerleader. With her left hand Jaemin began to gently rub Renjun's shoulder, working out all of the aches, and with the other she began to trace figure eights on her waist. Slowly, Jaemin reached beneath Renjun's shirt, just a touch, so she could make those soft infinity signs on Renjun's bare skin. 

Renjun could feel herself growing warm, blushing and breathing faster and she could feel Jaemin smile into the crook of her shoulder. With her left hand Jaemin massaged Renjun's shoulder harder, her right hand's fingers crawling up higher until they rested just beneath Renjun's small , brushing it every so often but not quite fully touching. 

An indiscernable amount of time had past when Jaemin placed her first kiss on Renjun's neck, delicate but with a fire behind it that made Renjun shiver. 

And then the car door opened and Jeno came back in, and Renjun came back down to earth. She sat up and her eyes widened, thinking way to hard, like oh my god, I just got felt up in a starbucks parking lot and I liked it, and who saw? Did Jeno see? Will Jeno be upset? Why am I so warm and shaky? Am I hor-

"Jaemin, please tell me you were gentle," Jeno said teasingly, handing Renjun and Jaemin their drinks. Renjun was still trembling a bit while Jaemin grinned easily, and looking down at her hot vanilla latte she had really wished she'd asked for a cold drink. But looking at Jeno the black haired cheerleader clearly knew what had just happened and didn't seem to mind, at least. 

"I was!" Jaemin whined, nuzzling Renjun's neck but far more playfully than earlier. 

Jeno chuckled at Renjun's still flushed form. "She's like that," Jeno explained, and Renjun understood immediately. She breathed a partial sigh of relief; at least Jeno wasn't upset and was super okay with this. 

"Alright, let's get back before class starts up," Jaemin said, and Jeno started her car up, heading back to school. 

She was definitely their friend. She couldn't lie about that; she couldn't pretend. But she could pretend that she didn't want more from Jeno and Jaemin. And she would. 

~~~~~~~~~~

It was a Friday night when Jeno, Jaemin, and Renjun all trodded up the stairs to Jaemin's room. They were having their first sleepover as a trio, and Renjun was just excited as the very excited cheerleader couple. 

Opening that door, Renjun's mind flashed to that Halloween night. So much had changed since then: she was up here out of her own free will, she was Jeno and Jaemin's friend, and she wasn't embarrassed anymore that she'd put on a cheerleading uniform. It didn't mean that she was mean or stupid or even that she actually wanted to be a cheerleader. It was just a uniform. 

It was a little bit late when they arrived, after Jeno and Jaemin's practice and a big chipotle dinner, so the girls all got into pajamas. Even with no makeup, with their long hair down and in big t-shirts and shorts, Renjun thought Jeno and Jaemin looked so pretty, beyond pretty, far prettier than they'd seemed to her before they became friends. And by the way Jeno and Jaemin smiled at her, Renjun could tell they thought she was pretty too. And Renjun felt pretty, and knew that it wasn't bad to feel pretty, or care about being pretty, as long as it didn't take over her life. 

Jaemin turned off the bright overhead light and just the two lamps by her bed, giving the pink bedroom just the softest lighting. Jeno and Jaemin jumped onto Jaemin's canopy bed, and slowly, Renjun followed them. Her eyes passed over the photo frame on Jaemin's bedside table, the picture Renjun noticed on Halloween of freshman year Jeno and Jaemin replaced with a selfie of all three of them together. Renjun's heart thumped and her eyes softened and she tore her gaze away from the picture. 

"So, Renjun," Jaemin started. "What are your dreams?" 

"Omigosh Jaemin, jumping right into the deep stuff," Jeno teased. 

"Come on, it's a sleepover," Jaemin answered. "That's what's supposed to happen." 

Renjun thought for a moment. "Well...you guys know I love reading, and books, right? I...I'd love to teach people about english literature. Hopefully to college students because then they'd be interested a little bit, but even high school would be okay. Or working in a library. Just something like that." 

Jeno gasped. "You'd be the best english teacher ever!" 

"Really?" Renjun asked. 

"Of course," Jaemin answered. "It's clear that it's your passion. The best teachers have passion for what they teach." 

"It really makes me feel good to know you guys think so," Renjun admitted, and it was the truth. "So after this I'm gonna go study english literature at whatever university will take me. What about you guys?" 

She was completely, genuinely curious. Before she knew Jeno and Jaemin she would have assumed a lot of things about their futures. But now, she really had no clue what either of them wanted to do. 

"Um..." Jaemin started, looking at her pink and white duvet, and even in the dim light Renjun could see she was blushing. "I don't know. I'm thinking about going into engineering or physics or something..." 

Renjun's eyes bulged out of her skull. "Wait, what?" 

Jeno grinned proudly. "Actually, Jaeminnie's been trying to keep it a secret, but we found out she got in early decision to MIT!" 

"Oh my god Jaemin, congratulations! Wow, that's...amazing." 

Jaemin shrugged. "I dunno...like, you know how you just...get books? Like whenever we talk about books and stuff you always get the deeper meaning and . Like...that's how I feel about math. It just makes sense." 

"Math just makes sense to you?" Renjun said. As smart as she knew she was, she definitely think math did not 'just make sense'. 

"Jaemin's, like, a math genius. All the math teachers always put her in these competitions. Come on, follow me," Jeno said, tugging Renjun by the wrist to Jaemin's trophy shelf. 

The first time Renjun had been in here she'd assumed the trophy shelf was just full of cheer related things. But as she began to look at them more closely, Renjun realized that some were also math related awards as well. 

"See, this one," Jeno said, pulling out one of the bigger trophies. "This one was when Jaemin beat the kids at the snooty smarty pants private school freshman year." 

"Guys!" Jaemin whined and Jeno and Renjun finally turned to her, seeing her with her face in her palms and her blue hair falling in front of her.

"You shouldn't be embarrassed," Renjun said. "This is amazing. You should be proud." 

"I am, I am," Jaemin said with a sigh as Renjun and Jeno made their way back to the bed. "I mean, I put the trophies up in my room, didn't I? I just don't talk about it." 

"But you should! I always talk about my books, don't I?" 

"That's what I always say!" Jeno cried. 

"You guys," Jaemin whined, looking around her room with a shy expression. 

The girls all gave Jaemin a shoulder rub and Jeno leaned her head on her shoulder. Renjun turned her attention from Jaemin to Jeno, wondering what new surprises she would find. 

"And what about you Jeno? What's your dream? What do you wanna do in the future?" 

Jeno thought for a moment. "To be honest, I don't know. I really don't know. I love my cheerleading, of course. Probably once I graduate I'll try and get into professional cheerleading. Hopefully at a school near MIT," she said with a smile. "But you can only do that for so long. Maybe I can coach after that." The black haired girl sighed. "Honestly, I'm just ready to be out of high school." 

"Hate all the stupid immature people?" Renjun asked. 

"Yes, of course. But...but I hate the school part more." Suddenly, Jeno looked sadly down at her lap, and Jaemin squeezed her hand. Renjun gave them both a concerned look. 

"Is everything okay?" 

Jeno sighed. "Yeah. I...I just have a really hard time with school. Like....way more than other people. It's not like I don't work hard...it's just..." She sighed again. "Like, when I was little, a lot of teachers tried to tell my parents that I needed some extra help, right? And then in middle school a teacher said I might have, like, dyslexia or something...but my parents are totally in denial. They just pretend like nothing's the matter. They're just like, oh, Jeno, you're smart, don't worry...it's taken me a while to realize but now I know I'm smart; that isn't the problem. But I've begged them and pleaded them to get me a tutor or something and they refuse." 

Jeno swallowed thickly and continued. "That's why I hate school and reading and writing essays and all that stuff, it's just so hard and since I don't have anything official I can give teachers to let them know what's happening, they don't really give me the benefit of the doubt. So, I dunno. There's no way I'm going to college now. I wanna focus on things I'm actually good at. But...but I like some stuff. Like, listening to the Lord of the Rings audiobook...turns out I actually like books. Maybe when I'm older and I have some money, I could get someone to help me learn how to learn, you know? Maybe then I'd go to college. But not right now." 

Renjun was shaking, she was breathing heavily. 

"I'm sorry," she said. That was all she could say. 

"No, no, Renjun, it's okay! Everyone goes through bad things, right? This is just my thing," Jeno answered, rubbing Renjun's arm. 

But Jeno didn't know all the horrible things Renjun had thought about her before she knew, how she thought she was just stupid and vapid and didn't try hard enough. But Jeno tried so hard, probably harder than Renjun had ever done. Renjun had just made a snap judgement about Jeno without ever knowing a thing about her. Sweet, sweet Jeno who liked being pretty and cheerleading but also books and taking care of her friends. 

The guilt settled in Renjun's stomach like a heavy rock. She hadn't thought bad things about Jeno for a while but she shouldn't have, ever, in the first place. 

"I'm sorry," Renjun choked out, again, tears filling her eyes. 

"No, Renjun, it's okay! It's okay I promise. I have my own thing going on. Everyone has different paths, you know?" 

Renjun nodded slowly as another tear leaked out. "I'm sorry," she almost whispered. 

Suddenly, Jeno seized her up in a tight hug. Renjun immediately hugged back, no shyness there, breathing a sigh of relief when Jaemin joined them too. 

"I hope you know it means a lot that you care, right? It means a lot that you think it's a big deal," Jeno said. "You don't think I'm stupid, right?" 

"Never," Renjun answered firmly, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Never." 

They held that hug, just the three of them in Jaemin's room, until Jaemin spared a glance at her bedside clock. 

"Guys, it's like 2:30!" 

"Let's get ready for bed then," Jeno answered, the three girls leaving Jaemin's bed and going into the bathroom. 

The mood was brightened as they washed their face and brushed their teeth, everyone teasing Jaemin about her eleven step skincare routine, trying not to be too loud and waking Jaemin's parents (but still being loud), laughing at each other's toothpaste covered chins before they finally got back to Jaemin's bed. 

Jaemin immediately scooted to one side and patted for Renjun to go next to her. Jeno sat on the other side. The bed was big enough for the three of them but not too big, and Renjun felt so safe, so right, in between the much taller and bigger girls. 

Jaemin shut off the lamp on her side, Jeno shut off the lamp on hers, and they both leaned over Renjun to share a very soft kiss. 

"Renjun?" Jeno whispered in the dark. 

"Uh-huh?" 

"Is it okay if we give you a goodnight kiss?" Jeno asked. 

She paused for a moment before smiling. "Yeah. Of course." 

Jeno scooted a little closer to Renjun before placing her lips on hers, somewhere between a peck and a real kiss. Jaemin giggled and once Jeno finished Renjun turned towards the blue haired girl and shared that little kiss with her. Renjun couldn't stop herself from smiling, her heart racing. 

"Goodnight," Jaemin said sweetly. 

"Goodnight," Jeno answered. 

"Goodnight," Renjun finished.

~~~~~~~~~~

The other girls were alseep within minutes but Renjun was still awake, her mind swirling.

It had probably done her some good to have friends like Jeno and Jaemin, she thought. 

Turns out, she liked having friends. She liked riding with them two and from school instead of taking the bus. She liked sneaking off to starbucks or sitting underneath the big tree on the school yard with them during lunch instead of hiding by herself. She liked talking about makeup and books and cheerleading and politics with them. 

It turns out, even more, that she likes other girls, and she is like other girls. Girls were way more complicated creatures than she ever could have imagined. Jeno and Jaemin were no longer just the one dimensional cheerleaders she'd imagined them to be before they'd ever really spoken. And she'd never really given herself credit either; she was far more than just the one dimensional shy nerd she had always thought of herself as. 

Renjun still felt guilty for the way she'd thought of Jeno and Jaemin when they'd first met. She'd thought better of them for a while though, and she considered them the kindest and truest friends she'd ever wanted to have.

And most of the time she was contented with that, with being Jeno and Jaemin's friend. But sometimes, when they kissed her or touched her or shared secrets and the deepest of feelings...Renjun wanted more. 

It couldn't be, though, right? They were already a couple. But despite that, despite everything, she could not deny it any longer.

She liked them...both of them.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next Monday, Renjun wasn't confused anymore. But she sure was upset. 

These feelings she finally adknowledged were just about the worst. For herself, for Jeno and Jaemin, for everyone involved. She didn't want to split them up, or make them uncomfortable, or get her heart broken. But those were her only options. 

"Renjun!" a voice called. Renjun turned around to see not the two girls in question but Chenle, the only other friend she'd ever had.

Now, Chenle was a busy busy girl who gravitated towards gossip and drama like moths to a flame. However, she'd make time for Renjun even when gossip wasn't involved. But when gossip was involved, all bets were off: all of chenle's plans were cancelled and all of her attention was on that little bit of news. 

Normally, Chenle had student council in the mornings before class. So Chenle must have been approaching her to find out some gossip. 

As soon as Chenle got close Renjun gave her a look. "What do you want to know?" 

Chenle grinned. "Renjun, you know me too well." 

"Go ahead, shoot." 

"Well...you've been spending a lot of time with Jeno and Jaemin lately. I thought you didn't like them?" 

Renjun flushed and looked off to the side. "I changed my mind," she spoke hurriedly. 

"Ugh, finally, I've been trying to tell you for years now how cool they are!" Chenle cried. "But the thing is...the cheerleaders told me... they've got their eye on you." 

"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?" 

"I dunno," Chenle answered. "That's all they'd tell me." 

"I-I-" 

"Oh gosh, Renjun, I can read you like a book. First of all, I'm glad you're finally admitting that you're a lesbian, second of all..." 

"Chenle!" Renjun whined, before sighing. Of course. This was how they always were, why would anything change when it came to Renjun's love life? 

"Hear me out, okay? All I'm gonna say, is do it sooner rather than later. It's senior year, things will be over soon. And I heard Jaemin's going far away for college..." 

"Injunnie!" One out of Renjun's two favorite voices in the world called. 

"That would be Jeno," Chenle answered. "Bye bye." 

And Chenle darted off, leaving Renjun alone and awkward with the girls who had made her confused for months now. 

"Are you okay?" Jaemin quickly asked, seeing Renjun's concerned face. 

And as much as she didn't want to take Chenle's advice, Renjun couldn't stop herself. Thinking over them, herself, what the cheerleaders said, the words slipped out of her. 

"What...what do you guys want from me?" She asked, her voice cracking. "You...you guys are already dating. You can't have me too." 

Renjun looked down at the floor but she felt Jaemin and Jeno's eyes on her. 

Finally, Jaemin spoke. "Why not?" 

Renjun looked up in shock. 

"Why not?" Jaemin repeated. "You know...throuples are pretty common these days." 

Renjun's jaw dropped. 

"Renjun...actually, Jaemin and I have liked you for a long time and wanted you to join us, but you always seemed so smart and cool so we were way too nervous to approach you." 

Her...smart? Cool? Made the most popular couple at school, 5'7 cheerleaders with perfect bodies and faces and personalities, were too scared to approach her? This whole time, Renjun had thought she was the school's biggest loser. 

Maybe that too had been all in her head. It clearly didn't matter now. Maybe it never had. 

"We...want to be with you so bad. Do you like us too?" Jaemin asked. 

Suddenly, Renjun pulled Jaemin and Jeno into a hug, initiating it herself, drowning between the two tall girls she'd come to adore so much. "Of course. Of course I do." 

She was so picking a school on the east coast. 

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A/N:

hello! i hope you all enjoyed this story. please let me know in the comments what you thought! comments mean so much to me. 

first of all, i just wanna say that i am not dyslexic or have any learning disability. i did some research for this story but please let me know if i was disrespectful in terms of that plot point or got something wrong! i'll definitely fix it. 

finally, don't forget, black lives matter! go to blacklivesmatters.carrd.co for more information and things you can do to contribute to the movement.