She was hit with a dilemma as she noticed two open spots, one by Sana and one by Jeongyeon.

 

Seeing how she hardly had time to spend with Sana, she hoped Jeongyeon would understand. Momo handed to tub of popcorn to Sana who positioned it on her lap and settled down beside her. 

 

"You should go sit with your girlfriend." Sana said suddenly, stuffing a hand of popcorn in . Momo blushed and looked over at Jeongyeon. 

 

"W-what do you mean?" 

 

Sana scoffed, "I think I'd know when my best friend was in a relationship. Remember I watch a lot of dramas. I can see the signs." 

 

"We're not serious." Momo felt the need to explain. "She'll understand." 

 

"Whatever, I'm fine if that's what's keeping you. Now go sit with her, I don't want her to hate me." Sana pushed her shoulder playfully. 

 

"Fine, fine you bully. You better let me know the moment you start feeling ill." Momo instructed, standing up from her seat. 

 

Sana mumbled something that Momo wasn't able to hear so she brushed it off and made her way to sit next to Jeongyeon. She settled down beside her, smiling at her warmly. 

 

~

 

Jeongyeon ended things a week later. 

 

"You're never gonna love me the way you love her." She had said, giving Momo a final kiss on the cheek. 

 

They agreed to stay friends.  

 

Momo spent a lot of time thinking about what Jeongyeon had told her after that. Of course she loved Sana, she was her best friend, but that didn't mean she wasn't capable of loving anyone else. She could have tried explaining that toJeongyeon but something was holding her back from it. 

 

It didn't feel like the truth. 

 

~

 

Sana was invited to hang out with the girls more after that, like with Momo, she warmed her way into all of the girls hearts. Even so, they never brought up her sickness or asked questions, though Momo knew they were curious. 

 

At the end of the third year of training, the C.E.O of JYP entertainment sent the girls on a camping trip to bond. Momo wished Sana could join but she never did well outdoors and it would require her to walk more than she should. 

 

The day was spent doing team building activities. It made sense, seeing as someday they would be formed into a group and spend the rest of their lives together. Most of them were already close but some of the younger girls still seemed cautious about the older girls. 

 

At night while the girls sat around the campfire, the conversation took a sullen tone as the girls discussed their fears. Momo felt herself getting bitter as she listened to the girls speak about not debuting, as if it was the end of the world. She hoped someone would change the conversation before it was her turn to speak, she wasn't sure if she could hold her tongue. 

 

Of course, like most things, she didn't get what she wanted. The girls looked over to her curiously as the fire crackled. She couldn't help laughing. 

 

Some of the older girls looked to the ground, realizing their mistake.

 

"What's so funny?" A younger girl, Natty, asked. 

 

"What's funny? How pathetic all you sound. That's what's funny." She spat out. 

 

"Momo." Nayeon warned. 

 

"Do you really want to know what my biggest fear is? I'll tell you. It's that I'll actually debut." The girls looked at her in silent confusion. "That I'll become an idol and I'll be too busy to visit Sana. That one day while I'm off in another country, Sana will be here alone, on her death bed. That I'll be on stage one day not knowing that my best friend has passed away." She spat out with tears falling down her cheeks. "And I'll be alone. Without her. I can't do it again. I almost lost her once." She said choking back a sob. 

 

The air was thick with tension as she finished, some girls silently cried while others looked down at their shoes. 

 

"I'm sorry Momo." Jeongyeon finally replied, rubbing her back gently. "We didn't realize how sick Sana was." 

 

Momo sniffed and shook her head. "It's because she looks so much better now. Her hair is growing back and she has more energy than ever. There was a time when she was so thin, I feared touching her would break her. The new medication she's on is really helping. It's why she moved here, for the medicine." 

 

"And you auditioned to be close to her." Nayeon added, catching on. 

 

"Yeah, I mean I was confident someone would want me, I've been dancing for so long I knew I had what it would take. I don't care if I debut and I don't care if any of you resent me for it but it's the truth. If it happens I'll deal with it, for Sana. It makes her so happy thinking about having a famous friend." Momo ended with whimsical smile. 

 

The conversation turned to a much happier one as Momo tuned out, thinking about Sana. 

 

"So how long have you been in love with Sana?" Someone asked, breaking Momo out from her thoughts.

 

"Huh?" She asked in confusion, she wasn't sure she had heard the question correctly.

 

"How long have you been in love with Sana?" Somi repeated. 

 

"What do you mean?" 

 

"C'mon it's obvious you care for her much more than just a friend."

 

"Well she's not just a friend, she's my best friend?" Momo replied cautiously, she wasn't sure what they were getting at.

 

"Are you really that in denial?" Jihyo teased. 

 

The girls giggled and Momo glared at them.

 

"I have no idea what you guys are implying." She said defensively.

 

"Momo you're in love with Sana." Jeongyeon explained to her like it was old news. Momos jaw dropped as she stared at her wide eyed. "Best friends don't move to different countries for each other, best friends work out ways to see each other or plan Skype conversations. Best friends don't think about the other twenty-four/seven or plan their whole lives around the other. Only someone in love will do that." 

 

"We aren't regular best friends." Momo said through gritted teeth. "I just told you why I followed her over here. I don't need more reason than my friend being deathly ill." She said stubbornly, standing from her spot and storming off. 

 

In her tent she angrily settled into her sleeping bag.

 

Sana was her best friend. She couldn't be in love with her. No way. Sana's disease was a valid enough reason for Momo chose the path she did. Their was nothing more than that. 

 

Suddenly Momos cellphone lit up with a message.

 

Momo smiled as she read Sana's name on the screen. Opening the phone, Momos heart fluttered at the sight of the selfie Sana had sent. 

 

"Hope you're having fun, miss you so much! Goodnight Momorin! ~ Sana" 

 

Momo quickly replied back with her own message and selfie. 

 

Just as she was about to lock her phone, she decided to save the photo of Sana on her phone.

 

It was an adorable photo, she explained to herself. 

 

And as she closed her eyes to sleep, she wondered if perhaps if everyone was right. 

 

~ 

 

The next day Momo and the rest of the trainees found out that they would be staring on a survival show to join JYPs next girl group. They weren't told much other than they would have to be more careful with their actions as they would be on camera almost always and couldn't leave the building without informing the director of the show. 

 

As soon as she could Momo went to see Sana.

 

"I have news to tell you." They both said to each other. 

 

Momo gestured for her friend to go first. Smiling at the excited look on her face. 

 

"Okay, well my doctor says I'm doing very well and if my next check up goes well I can begin going to school!" 

 

"What?" Momo gasped. "Really?" 

 

Sana nodded, her smile the widest Momo had ever seen. As long as she had known her, Sana had loved the idea of school. Because of her sickness she was never able to attend. She'd gone as far as requesting it for Christmas and birthdays but her parents and doctors had denied her the right. 

 

Momo couldn't have been more happier seeing the absolute joy on Sana's face. 

 

"I'm so happy. Things are starting to look up! What about you? What was your news?" 

 

"Oh." Momo had momentarily forgotten about her big news. "It's nothing as big as you goin to school." She said scratching her head.

 

"C'mon I want to know. You wouldn't have made a big deal about having news if it wasn't big." Sana probed. 

 

Momo sighed and looked down at their intertwined hands, an action she couldn't remember doing. "I'm going to be on a survival show." 

 

Sana's jaw dropped. "Are you serious? Momo that's huge!" She squealed. "That means you'll be debuting soon!" 

 

"Wait wait wait, who says I won't be eliminated?" Momo looked at her incredulously. 

 

"Because you're the best dancer out there. They'd be crazy not to debut you." Sana finished in a whisper, a look of admiration on her face.

 

Momo didn't mean to stare but she couldn't help it as Sana looked at her like that. Sana looked at her like she was the only thing that mattered. And then something soft inside Momo's chest began to flutter, like a butterfly's wings inside her heart and she finally understood. 

 

Momo loved Sana.