Sooyoung woke up in the middle of her dorm room floor. The cold on her back somehow made her feel better about her upcoming future. She didn’t want to leave her friends behind and move back to Gwangju. Even though she hasn’t seen her mother in months, she still would go back home for summer and the longer vacations. She frowned. 

 

How can she just leave? Her life was here. No one else wanted her back home other than her mother. Her dad was no longer in the picture. Her Unnie was always running around with a different guy every other week. Her mom was the only one there. She sighed and rolled to her side.

 

“What am I gonna do?” Sooyoung closed her eyes and drifted to sleep in the middle of her dorm room floor.

 

The next day, the sound of knocks on her door woke her up. She slowly sat up and stretched out her back. The tall girl cracked the stiff part of her back and went back to lying on the floor. She knew she friends have been worried, especially Sunny, but what else could she do? Not knowing what to do was not something she knew how to handle. When things went south, all she was ever taught what to do was run. That’s what her family did and that’s what she was going to do now. Her dad ran away. Her mom runs away. Her sister definitely runs away. Locking herself in her dorm was her version of running away without actually running away.

 

“Youngie?” Sunny’s voice called from the other side. “I know you’re in there. Are you gonna let me in? It is really cold out here.” When Sooyoung stayed quiet, Sunny kept talking. “I think I’m going to catch a cold. Do you want me to catch a cold?”

 

“Bunny, we should just give Youngie her space right now,” Tiffany’s voice sounded on the other side. “All we can do for her right now is to be here when she needs us.”

 

“Ppany is right, Bunny,” Yuri’s voice followed after. “Youngie clearly wants to be left alone. All we can do is to be there when she’s ready to talk it out with us. From there, we can figure something out and see where to go from there.”

 

Sunny sighed, “I guess you’re right.”

 

“Okay, for now, you two can stay with me in my dorm room until Youngie is ready to talk to us.” Tiffany offered.

 

“I’ll go get you your spare clothes,” Yuri offered. “I know you’re gonna want to be there when Sooyoung is ready. I’ll go for now and come back with a back pack full of clothes that should last us a week in Ppany’s dorm.”

 

“You’re the best, Yul,” Sunny laughed.

 

“Anytime, Bunny,” Yuri’s footsteps started getting softer. “I’ll see you guys in a couple of hours.”

 

“Let’s get you out of this weather before you actually catch a cold.” Tiffany laughed. “Take care of yourself in there, Youngie.” She called out before heading across the street to her dorm.

 

“Thanks.” Sooyoung muttered in her pillow, knowing that her friends wouldn’t be able to hear her reply.

 

— — — — — 

 

“Has she replied yet?” 

 

“For the millionth time, she hasn’t. Calm down, Bunny,” Yuri sighed. “We can’t rush these kinds of things with her. You saw what happened. If we push her to talk to us, she’ll run away even faster.”

 

Tiffany handed Sunny a water bottle, “Yul’s right.” She took a seat in between her two best friends. “Youngie is one of those people that we have to slowly ease back in. Kinda like how you put a piece of carrot in front of a bunny. Except, you are the carrot and Youngie is the bunny. We have to coax her back.”

 

“What makes you guys so sure about this?” Sunny frowned. “I don’t like sitting around like this. I feel so useless and it makes me feel like I really did do this to her.”

 

“Don’t think about it like that,” Tiffany put an arm around Sunny’s shoulders. “Just try to be positive. We have till the end of the school year and summer. We have time.”

 

“How do you do that?” Yuri asked.

 

“Do what?” Tiffany gave her an odd look.

 

“Stay positive. Our best friend is moving across Korea and you’re acting like it’s nothing.” Yuri said. “Aren’t you at the least upset about this entire thing? She was your best friend too!”

 

“Calm down, Yul.” Sunny tugged on Yuri’s shirt.

 

“This,” Tiffany motioned to her and Sunny. Her voice started low, but towards the end, she started to lose control and began screaming. “That is why I have to stay positive. When you guys fall apart, I have to be strong enough to help the both of you stand. I can’t afford to fall apart!” 

 

“Stop it!” Sunny covered her ears and violently shook her head. “This isn’t the time to be fighting!” She stood up and glared at her two friends. “Youngie needs us more than anything right now. The last thing we need to do it fight! Yeah, everything right now, but we still have each other!”

 

Yuri looked at Tiffany who looked back. “I’m sorry.”

 

Tiffany nodded and hugged Yuri, “I’m sorry too. I’m sorry, Bunny.”

 

“It’s okay,” Sunny said as she joined the small group hug.

 

— — — — —

 

Ring. Ring. Ring. Ri—

 

“You called!”

 

A smile appeared on Tiffany’s lips, “Hey, why wouldn’t I?”

 

“I didn’t think you’d call tonight,” A laugh sounded on the other line.

 

Now, it was Tiffany’s turn to laugh, “I always call you around this time. How was your day, Jessie? Was it busy again?”

 

Jessica sighed as her back hit the bed, “It was busy, but I’m more interested in yours. How’s Sunny taking this entire thing?”

 

“Same as always,” Tiffany answered. She put on a jacket and walked out side. Quietly closing her dorm room door, she made her way to the railing and used it as a place to rest her elbows on. “Yuri and I had a little fight—”

 

“You two were fighting?”

 

“Don’t worry, it’s all been sorted out.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“Some things were said in the heat of the moment. Sunny was there to calm the both of us down, so it didn’t escalate too quick.” Tiffany quickly added, “We hugged afterwards though, so that’s a good sign that we made up.” She switched the phone to her other ear. “What did you do all day?”

 

Tiffany could hear the shuffling of Jessica’s blankets, “Nothing really. I made a new study buddy in the library today, but that’s pretty much all I did new today.”

 

“You made a new study buddy?” Tiffany didn’t like the sound of the idea.

 

Jessica laughed, “Relax. You’ll always be my favorite study buddy. Besides, he asked me to help him with chemistry and math.”

 

“Wanna go on another date this weekend?” Tiffany asked.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Of course, I’m sure,” Tiffany laughed.

 

“I mean, with everything that’s been going on, you wanna go on a date?”

 

“Why wouldn’t I wanna go on another date with you?” Tiffany asked. “It’s about time we went on another one anyway.”

 

“Okay, yay!”

 

Tiffany smiled, only Jessica could take away her stress. “Wear something comfortable and a hat. We’re going to be out in the sun for most of the day.”

 

“Hint?”

 

“You’ve been talking about it for the longest time.”

 

“The zoo or the fair?”

 

“Which one do you wanna go to?”

 

“Both.”

 

“We won’t have time for both.”

 

“Both.”

 

Tiffany sighed, “I’ll see what I can do about that then.”

 

“Yay!” Jessica let out a happy sigh on the other side of the line.

 

“Excited much?”

 

“You have no idea.” She laughed.

 

“I should let you go, it’s getting late.”

 

“Tiff?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“You’re kinda awesome.”

 

“So are you.”

 

“Goodnight.”

 

“Night, Jessie.” Tiffany made a kissy noise on the line. “Sleep tight.”

 

“You too.” Jessica returned the phone kiss. “I’ll text you in the morning.”

 

“I’ll be waiting.” Tiffany said.

 

Tiffany closed her phone and went back inside her dorm. Yuri and Sunny were still asleep, so she sat on the edge of the entrance by the kitchen. Everything felt different without Sooyoung. The sleeping set up would normally be Sunny sleeping on the bed, Sooyoung sleeping next to her under the table, Yuri sleeping in the kitchen and Tiffany sleeping wherever there was room. But without Sooyoung, Sunny and Yuri were sleeping in the middle of the floor with enough room between them for Tiffany to squeeze in. It didn’t feel right.

 

The girl sighed and rested her back on her wall. She knew that she was going to have some trouble sleeping that night. It somewhat surprised her that Sunny was drifting in and out of her sleep. The blonde was the insomniac of the group. Everything felt backwards. She was usually the one who slept like a baby while Sunny was the on staying away and Yuri was usually tossing and turning. Now, she was the one staying awake, Sunny was tossing and turning while Yuri slept like a baby. Nothing felt right.

 

Unsure of what to do, Tiffany grabbed her phone and walked out of her dorm again.

 

“Leaving again?” A sleepy voice behind her asked.

 

“I couldn’t sleep.” She answered.

 

“I’m a pro at that,” Some shuffling and rustling of blankets could be heard behind her. A groan was heard shortly after. “Yuri is a lot heavier than she looks.” She laughed.

 

“Did I wake you up, Bunny?” She whispered.

 

Sunny shook her head and put on the closest jacket, which happens to be Yuri’s, “You didn’t. I had my eyes closed and just laid still. I thought that if I did that, it’d help me fall asleep.”

 

“I thought I woke you up.”

 

“Trust me, you didn’t.” Sunny motioned her to follow her outside and held the door open for Tiffany to walk past her. “What’s on your mind?” She asked once the door was safely closed so they wouldn’t wake up the sleeping Yuri.

 

The other girl shivered and pulled the jacket closer to her body, “Nothing feels right.”

 

Sunny sat down, resting her back on the cold brick wall with her legs in front of her. “Tell me about it.”

 

“How do you do it?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I’ve been trying to keep it together, but I always end up snapping at you or Yuri. You’ve been calmer than me.”

 

“I had a little episode earlier today if you don’t remember that,” She joked.

 

Tiffany laughed, “Yeah.” There was silence between them again. “I guess, what I’m trying to ask is, how are you okay with this entire thing, Youngie moving away and all?”

 

“I’m not okay with it, but what can I do?” She asked. “I’m just a kid who fell in love with the girl who just happens to love me back. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m at a complete loss right now. It’s not like I can just pack up and leave with her and it’s not like she can transfer to another school at such late notice. I’m caught between a rock and a hard place and I don’t know what to do.”

 

The door slowly opened behind them. “Ppany? Bunny? What are you two doing out here?”

 

“We’re just talking.” Tiffany answered.

 

“Come back inside, it’s freezing out here.” Yuri opened the door wide enough for her two friends to step back in. “What’s going on?”

 

“Nothing, we were just talking.” Sunny repeated. 

 

“About?”

 

“Youngie.” 

 

“Are you okay?” Yuri wrapped a blanket around her and Sunny to keep them warm. “I mean about the whole moving thing?”

 

“I don’t know,” Sunny answered. “I can’t do much. I feel helpless.”

 

“I’m sure that’s what Youngie’s feeling too.” Yuri nodded. 

 

“She needs us more than ever, but how can we be there for her when she doesn’t even want us there?” Tiffany asked.

 

“She just needs some space.” Yuri replied. “That’s all we can give her is space. When she’s ready to talk to us, we’ll be more than ready to listen.”

 

“I agree with Yul,” Sunny nodded. “I think she just needs to think things over and we’ll all talk when she’s ready.”

 

“When do you think she’ll be ready to talk?” Tiffany’s question was met with silence between her two friends. Tiffany uncomfortably shifted in her seat. 

 

“She can’t just leave us, not like this. It was supposed to be the four of us against the world. Youngie said together till the end. She can’t back out on the promise we all made back in middle school. We’re supposed to be the dream team.” Yuri quickly said. “We were supposed to be unstoppable. I was supposed to be the people person who lands the awesome job project thingies.”

 

“I was supposed to be the brains behind the entire operation.” Sunny said.

 

“I was supposed to be the person who handled all the legal work.” Tiffany added.

 

“And Youngie was supposed to be the one who scouted the talents.” Sunny whispered. “The four of us together since elementary school. Together till the end.”

 

“What now? It’s just gonna be the three of us?” Yuri asked, a little annoyed. “It had never been just the three of us. It was always the four of us.”

 

“It was always the three of you,” Sunny snapped.

 

“Bunny—”

 

“The three musketeers,” Sunny laughed bitterly. “It was always you three and then me. It was never the four of us up until now when Youngie admitted she had feelings for me. You three always did what you wanted to do and always left me out of everything. No one ever asked me what I wanted to do or asked me if I ever wanted to do things with you guys.”

 

“We ask you to do things—” Tiffany started.

 

“Last year, you three went Christmas shopping without me. On New Year’s, you all went to go see the fireworks while I stayed home and heard you talk about it nonstop the next day when we all hung out at Youngie’s dorm, but I was only there because I had called Youngie and asked if you had plans that day and then found out that you had spent the night. Last year, you two forgot about my birthday. If Youngie hadn’t called you two before hand, I wouldn’t have gotten a gift at all and you showed up 2 hours late. For Nation Day—”

 

“Okay!” Yuri interrupted. “So we haven’t been the kind of friends that you need, but God dammit, we tried!”

 

“How?!”

 

“We always did things you didn’t approve of!” Yuri snapped back. “You didn’t like it when we played in the lake during New Year’s because you didn’t like how people would look at you weird. You didn’t like it when Ppany and I would take turns sitting on Youngie’s shoulders so we could see the fire works better because people would complain behind us since they couldn’t see.”

 

“We did forget about your birthday though…” Tiffany quietly admitted. “I’m sorry. I know that we’ve been ty friends to you and I wish that I could take all those back, but I can’t. I hope you can somehow find it in your heart to forgive us.”

 

Yuri closed her eyes and leaned against the wall. She took a shaky breath, “I’m sorry too, Bunny. I didn’t realize how much we hurt you.”

 

“It’s okay.” Sunny played with the blanket that covered her legs.

 

“No,” Yuri shook her head. “That is not okay.” She threw a jacket at Tiffany and Sunny. “Get up. C’mon, hurry up and put them on.”

 

“Where are we going?” Sunny quickly asked as she put the jacket on.

 

“Don’t ask questions.” Yuri hastily put a pair of sweat pants on. “Bundle up. It’s gonna be a little cold to where we’re going.”

 

“Where exactly are we going?” Tiffany hopped on one foot as she tried to put her sweats on as quickly as possible. 

 

“Let’s go!” Yuri grabbed Tiffany and Sunny’s hands. 

 

The tan girl was running. Tiffany and Sunny were barely keeping up. Yuri had a big smile on her face, as tired as she was, she felt the rush of adrenaline in her system that pushed her to keep going. She looked at the friends who was holding her hands and gave them a bright smile. 

 

Tiffany and Sunny were dying. The cold air made it even harder for them to breath and whenever they swallowed, it became more and more painful. But when Yuri looked back and gave them that big, bright smile, they forgot about how tired they were and how bad it must’ve looked to see three teenage girls running in the middle of the night in sweat pants.

 

Yuri suddenly let go of their hands and race ahead.

 

“Yuri,” Tiffany gulped and saw her figure disappear in the night.

 

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Sunny grabbed Tiffany’s hand and started running again.

 

“This is it,” Yuri had her back turned to her friends. “This is the place.”

 

“What is this place?” Sunny asked.

 

“The place I go whenever I want to be alone and need time to think.” Yuri answered. “Take a look around.”

 

It was on top of a hill. There was one lone tree on top of that hill. Yuri sat down and rested her back on the trunk of the tree. Tiffany took a deep breath and started to climb the tree.

 

“Be careful, Ppany,” Sunny called.

 

“Always am,” She answered.

 

Sunny sat close to Yuri who wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Warm enough?”

 

She nodded, “Thank you.”

 

“Anytime,” Yuri smiled and gave her shoulder a squeeze.

 

There was silence between the three friends. Tiffany’s legs were dangling over the branches right about Sunny and Yuri.

 

“So, does that mean that this is going to be the end of our run?” Tiffany asked, breaking the silence.

 

“I don’t know,” Yuri truthfully answered.

 

Sunny painfully filled her lungs with air, “It might be.”