Himchan lifted up her hand, tilting her head. Curls of her brown hair slid over her shoulder and she shook it away further. “White?” She asked, brows together like she usually does when she’s in doubt.

Jongup chuckled, crossing her legs on the kitchen counter and shaking her head. “Not your color.”

Himchan frowned at her nails, and took a napkin from the dinner table she had herself seated on, and wiped out the white color nail polish she had just put on. Jongup watched Himchan contemplate on the row of nail polish she had kept on the table.

“Try that blue.” Jongup gestured, and Himchan shook her head.

“That won’t do. I’m thinking of that dress we bought… the cream color one, remember?”

“Oh, that one?” Jongup asked, narrowing her brows. Jongup didn’t quite expect Himchan to have chosen the dress to wear for prom.

“Do you think it’s like… lacking?” Himchan looked back at Jongup, and she laughed. “Are you serious?” She joked. Himchan defensively shook her head, taking up her hand in protest.
“Don’t pull the beauty queen card on me Jongup, I swear.” Jongup just giggled.

Best friends could read minds.

They spent about an hour like that, contemplating on makeup, nail polish, shoes and hair color to match Himchans’ dress. In the end, Jongup painted Himchans nails in the blue she picked from the start. Himchan laughed, throwing her head back saying they were good at wasting time like that.

Jongup didn’t really think of any of it as a waste of time; but she laughed too.

They were at Himchans house, both her parents out – for work.
It was a Thursday, and Jongup and Himchan had skipped school together.

When Himchan asked, she said it was no big deal, and they should hang out, just. So Jongup had.

But a few later,
the doorbell rang.

Himchan turned her head from the mirror of her room, and Jongups lips fell.
She had a vague idea of who it was pressing the bell, and honestly, she was not pleased. If Yongguk was coming, Himchan could have just told her.

Himchan looked up at Jongup, who was braiding her hair, and Jongup rolled her eyes, shaking her head.
Unbelievable. Himchan left Jongup a sleazy smile and a pat on her head as she stood up to answer the door.

Jongup followed her down the stairs.

“Hey babe.” Yongguk stepped in, slipping hands around Himchans’ waist, lifting her up to meet her with her lips. Jongup noticed the grocery bags hanging by Himchans waist, packets of cigarettes and cans of beer.
Ugh.

Jongup had her eyes fixed on Himchan as she smiled him her heart, and invited him in.

Yongguk, dressed shabbily in a pair of denims and a white shirt, smiled as he spot Jongup standing by the chairs. Jongup forces a smile, and avoids meeting eyes with him any longer.

Conversation from there onwards feels little, continuing without many of Jongups opinions.

She leaves the two to the couch; out to the backyard. She gets herself seated on the swing Himchan had, tied to that big tree Jongup didn’t know which was, and swings, to and fro – eyes fixed on the sneakers she had on.

Jongups long hair flows to and against the wind, and long strands stick to her nose and eyes, and she stops to swing to fix her hair. She only meant to look up the window to catch her own reflection – but Himchan was making out with that boy on the couch, slipping off the straps of her bra, giggling and diving in for kisses.

Jongup dropped her gaze back to her feet, and sat there, until she got bored.

Then she played with her phone until she got bored.

“Hey, you.”
Himchan called, the door to the back opened just a creak.
Jongup is unaware how long it had been, but she looks up from her phone, and Himchan gestures Jongup to come inside.

Jongup rolls her eyes again, but stands up and follows as told anyway.

“Hungry?” Himchan asked, and Jongup nodded.

Yongguk popped three cans of beer open, and Himchan found some left-over pasta in the fridge.

“What are you going to wear for prom?” Himchan asks from Yongguk as she put down a plate in front of him, and then a fork. Yongguk dug in first, and left the question hanging until he was done with half the pasta.
“I don’t know.” He says, and Jongup finds it in herself not to roll her eyes any more. Yongguk doesn’t really seem to care.

“Should I buy you a shirt? I don’t want you to show up in green.” Himchan got herself seated next to Jongup, elbowing her for a laugh, and Jongup barely manages. It’s not a funny joke.

“Oh, like matching stuff; couple… things… huh?” Yongguk keeps talking as he eats, and Himchan laughs and tells him not to. Yongguk grimaces back, all his gums showing. Jongup thinks that’s the creepiest smile she had seen.

Himchan opens a packet of cigarettes, and leaves the table to sit on the kitchen counter. Jongup follows. The counter was their spot.

Smoke passes through Himchans’ lips, in swirls – and Jongup is nearly mesmerized. Himchan smiles playfully, tilts her head and passes the cigarette that was on her lips to Jongups, holding it for her. Eyes fixed on eyes, Jongup cranes her neck and captures it with her own lips.

Nicotine and cherry chapstick.
Himchan would taste like that now.

Behind them, Yongguk gurgles on beer, and it’s kind of disgusting.

Well, Junhong was tenfold better than Yongguk.
He dressed well, combed his hair – and didn’t smell like engine oil and beer.
So when he asked Jongup out for prom, she said okay.
They didn’t make a big fuss of what to wear, but Junhong took her shopping and meanwhile, had agreed to wear red.

And on prom day, Yongguk was wearing the shirt Himchan had brought for him, and Junhong showed up in a neat suit, a sleek blood red shirt underneath.

Yongguk smooched Himchan as they first met, and messed her lipstick.
Junhong wrapped his hands around Jongup and muttered that she’s beautiful.

‘Why won’t Himchan date Junhong?’ Jongup wondered. Himchan deserved better.

A lot of small talk was topped with alcohol that wasn’t for the students.
Yongguk had got his hands on a bottle of scotch, and got drunk.

Jongup had her hands over Junhongs shoulder, chin resting on his shoulder somehow. The heels helped. She watched as Himchan pulled Yongguk out of the dancing crowd, brows together like she usually gets them when she’s mad.

Junhong moves as Jongup directs, and she watched Himchan drag Yongguk out to the tables, raising her voic