The next few weeks went by fast. Before I  knew it, the break was over and I was back at school. College app deadlines started to pass. The end of the semester was coming. School was in full swing. Everything that had happened before the break was starting to connect to end of semester work, meaning midterms were going to tough.

I had made a mistake in taking 4 AP classes. At the beginning of the year, the workload seemed like nothing. I was getting things done, being proactive. I finished my my work when it was due, with the exception of AP Lit. During my free period, the college counselor let me sit in her office to work on college stuff. I was getting pretty good at balancing things out. Then, AP Bio happened. My teacher was not having a good year. She had been and out of school lately.Her daughter kept getting sick and her own health was questionable. I was close to her, so I knew it wasn’t just sickness. We were already behind. The book had 42 chapters; we had only gone through 3.

Plus, my extracurriculars were about to end. This time they were school based. I was at school almost everyday until 8 to work with the team and get things done. We had too many projects to do with so little time. Not to mention the fundraising we had to do. Our ape of a vice principal didn't tell us we had to raise $2000 in club fees until the school year started. Yikes.

So, basically, I was dying. My medical condition was questionable. My mental health questionable. Senior year was beginning to kick my , but not as much as others. Some of my friends were failing most of their classes, including Eric.

“God, why did I take engineering?” Eric announced as he slumped onto the couch next to me.

“Haha, your fault for wanting to be an engineer.”

“Shut up, Wendy. At least I'm not taking AP Bio.”

I looked at him with a look of disgust and WTF.

“Everyone at the school knows that taking that class is death,” V chimed in. “Even Sunbae hated that class and they're a bio major.”

“I wonder who's you'd have to to get an A in that class,” Eric added. Him and V laughed and high-fived. I rolled my eyes. I had an A in the class.

“I have an A because I actually do my work, Eric.” V howled and gave me a high five. I laughed and looked at Eric who gave me a sarcastic “whatever” face.

“Whatever, Wendy. I can't believe you’re the star pupil.”

I flipped my hair over my shoulder. “It's not that hard.”

“Hey, Wendy. Is someone sitting next to you?” I turned towards the voice only to smile. It was Irene.

“No, come sit.” Irene sat to my left while V kept making faces at me.

It had already spread that Irene had come out. Mainly because after our talk at the park, Irene had told our friends outside of the girls. Eric was chill; V wasn't surprised. V was making faces at me because of things I hadn't told everyone yet but V teased me about. He had begun to assume this year when I made some stupid remarks, but because he knew me well, he asked me in private.

Lunch had begun and the senior lounge crowded with other seniors. Irene, V, Eric and I had been lucky enough to get upstairs and get seats on the couch before anyone else got up there. The rest of the girls came together. Yeri sat in the spot next to Irene, while Suelgi and Joy took the couch to the left. DongGuk settled on the couch to my right with V.

The lunch conversations began. Irene and I were in our own conversations. It was nice. We were able to get over things that happened before break had started and enjoy each other’s company again.

By now, the couches were taken by our mutual friend group. Irene was happily interacting with Suelgi and Yeri to the left.The smile on her face told me that at least today, or at least right now was great. Both of us were engaged in separate conversations. Irene with the girls and I chose to talk to V, Eric, and Dongguk. We were talking about the Lord of the Rings game, the Shadow of Mordor. My neighbor had recently gotten the game and invited me over to watch.

V was amazed. “I didn't know there was a new Lord of the Rings game.”

“I heard it was pretty nice. My friends from church said the new feature was impressive,” DongGuk added in.

“Yeah, it is. So basically, the new system is that you fight your way through the ranks, right? So, there's a bit more strategy in it. Plus, this is the cool part: when you die, the NPCs learn,” I said. I added a pause for effect. It worked because the guys seemed impressed, especially Eric. “They learn your moves and strategies over time. The same goes for fighting. So, the object is to learn the combos. Then, use them randomly in game play. You can't become predictable.”

The three of them were impressed, more so Eric. He couldn't wipe that stupid, baby faced, amused and amazed look on his face.

“Wow. That sounds like a good game.”

“I tried it over the weekend. You guys should come over and play it sometime. My neighbor wouldn't mind, since he went back to college and none of his siblings play it anyway.”

“Really!” V jumped up.

“Yeah, why not. We've been trying to get together to play video games for a while anyway. I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind,” I replied. “Besides, Eric still hasn't played Skyrim yet.” I punched his arm and gave him an annoyed look.

“Hey, it's not my fault I have no time.” I glared at him.

“We’ve been talking about this since last summer!”

“I was gone all summer! PLUS, we had hella summer homework!”

“It wasn't even that hard!”

“I put my heart and soul into my work, Wen. That takes time,” he retorted.

“Really, King of Procrastination?”

He opened his mouth to talk, but closed it. “You got me there,” he said, defeated.

“SWEEEET. PARTY AT WEN’S!” V stood up and started dancing. Awful too. He doesn't dance well when he's super happy. He like basically squats up and down, points his fingers, and moves them clockwise/counter clockwise near his head. It's weird. We all laughed at V for being an idiot. He danced so badly.

While the guys discussed PC games, I was a bit left out. I was more of a console player than PC player. I blanked out while eating my crappy Subway sandwich and ended up in Irene's conversation. The girls were laughing their asses off.

“No no no! That's not what I meant,” Yeri giggled. “You guys !”

Joy looked at Irene, amidst her laughter. She made the creepy face that meant the joke went dirty. “Well you know I do that all the time,” Joy responded, between her laughs.

Irene caught her meaning before the rest of them, “OH MY GOD!” Suelgi screamed, which caused Irene to laugh even harder. The whole group was dying of laughter.

I laughed with them. Joy’s joke was hilarious and took advantage of Yeri’s innocence. She wasn't expecting that. Yeri’s face was bright red. I couldn't tell if it was from laughter or embarrassment.

Irene's laughter relieved my worries. She seemed to be more engaged with us again. Yes, she was stressed from school work, but, I was happy she could actually finish her work at regular hours now. I knew she hadn't had an all-nighter in a while. Her work flow was steady. She hadn't skipped school since our talk. So, I was happy.

Our laughing died down soon enough. Irene turned, and accidentally caught my gaze. Now, you’ve been caught, Son Wendy. Confused, she stared back, but smiled warmly.

Well, that was awkward. It was bad because Suelgi noticed too.

“Hey, Wen. Where have you applied to so far?”

“Hm, oh. I applied to a school in Oregon and that private school we visited last summer. Luckily, neither of them had essays. I have a few more to do, but they're not due until the end of December and early next year. So, for now, I'm just relaxing.”

“Same. That private school we went to was nice. They were weird though.”

“True. It's small so it reminded me of this school.” Everyone in the group perked up at our talk. We were all going through the process. The girls were curious where everyone applied. We all wanted to he close, but we knew that we'd all split apart in college.

“Yeri, how's your search going,” Joy asked. . That’s right. Her mom is the helicopter mom. It's like if you mixed an Asian Tiger Mom and your everyday helicopter mom into one person, but worse. We call Mrs. Kim the “Apache Helicopter Mom.” Not only does she hover over her child, she hovers over everyone else too. She's always at school events. Need a ride home? Ask Mrs. Kim. She's always there.

The only reason I'm on good terms with her is because I go past the normal greeting with her. Plus, she's from where my mom grew up. They just didn't know each other. Mrs. Kim has very few favorites amongst Yeri’s friends. Our group were the few people who she regularly sees outside of school. Despite being the youngest in the group, she has the most pressure on her shoulders. Her family has a history of being in the military and/or gping to Ivy league schools.

Yeri chuckled nervously and wiped her face with her hand. “I've already applied to ten schools.”

“WHAT?!” The whole group yelled.

“HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?” I yelled. We all looked at each other and then back at Yeri. Then, I realized how tired Yeri looked. Yeri’s usual glow was gone, dimmed. Her smile looked forced, sympathetic, and full of sadness. There were large dark circles under her eyes.

“How do you have time,” Irene questioned. She scooted closer to Yeri and held her hand. Irene was concerned. Her baby was going above and beyond her limit.

Yeri chuckled again. “I don’t. I can't leave the house until I finish at least one. My mom has to read over them too.”

We were all in shock. We knew Mrs. Kim would be hard on Yeri during college apps, but not this hard. I was fearful for her health. The girl looked like she hasn't slept in weeks.

“I still have to finish a few tonight.” Just then, Yeri’s phone vibrated on the table. She reached to grab it. The girls and I exchanged glances. This was bad. Yeri was not only was applying to too many colleges, but taking 4 AP classes, with an online Spanish class on the side. Yeri was dead inside. Her brain was fried and she looked like she could break at any moment.

“It's my mom. I have to go. She's in the college counselor’s office.” Yeri started to pick up her things. Irene and Joy stood up to helped her. She had two textbooks, her backpack, a lunch bag, and her laptop. God, poor baby.

“I'll walk you down,” Joy stepped in.

“Thanks,” Yeri softly smiled at Joy. “I'll see you guys later. Bye.” We all said our goodbyes, as her and Joy made it down the stairs.

“Guys, this is bad.” I turned to see Suelgi run her hand over her face. Irene was still looking at the stairs. Her eyes were filled with despair and concern. I took her hand in mine. She turned to look at me. I smiled sympathetically at her.

“When I looked at her laptop earlier,” Suelgi started, “she had a folder full of college essays. There were at least 15.”

“No way.” I was surprised, but at the same time I wasn't. She shouldn't be doing this much.

“A lot of them were from the east coast or the Midwest. Yeri wants to leave.”

It made sense. Yeri had a lot of pressure to go to a good school. But that also gave her the power to apply wherever she wanted. As long as it was a good school, her parents must have been ok with it. Her grades and countless extracurriculars could get her into anywhere. She was preparing for this.

“Of course. It makes sense,” I added, “as long as it's it's a good school, her parents will let her go anywhere.”

“I'm worried.” Irene looked like she was going to cry. “She shouldn't be put through all this.”

“To make it worse, her mom has had writing essays since summer started. She's rewritten every essay at least twice.” Suelgi looked tired suddenly. “She is in no shape for the play this spring, unless her mom loosens the reins.”

“God, this is bad.” We sat in silence. I'm glad my mom isn’t like that. I haven't told about any of the schools I applied to besides, the one we visited.

Irene got up and dragged me to the couch where Suelgi was sitting. Joy left, which gave her the whole couch. Irene plopped down next to Suelgi. I moved to sit next to her. Suddenly, her hand slipped around my waist and pulled me down. I had no say in the matter. I complied. Before I knew it, her arm was encircled my waist. I could feel her trying to pull me closer. She lifted her legs a bit, but Suelgi laid her head on Irene's legs. Suelgi’s long legs hung over the arm of the couch. She closed her eyes and started to fall asleep. Irene didn't seem to like it.

Irene's left arm was s around my right, her fingers intertwined with mine. She closed her eyes to sleep. I tried not to look to my right. Irene's face was right there. I didn't trust myself. I could feel my face getting hotter. My cheeks were probably bright red. My heart felt like it was trying to escape my chest, but I was holding my breath. Control your breathing, Wendy.

Irene snuggled into my arm, trying to get comfortable. She tugged a bit to get closer. I looked up to pretend it was nothing. God, control yourself, Wendy. When she finally settled, I looked forward. Unfortunately, that meant I was looking right at V, whose couch was opposite of ours.

He raised his eyebrow and smiled. His eyes looked mischievous. I glared back at him. He examined us again. He put his hands up in defeat and smiled before returning to his conversation.

Why was he looking at me like that? Wait… no. Don't even go there, V.

Before I knew it, the bell for passing period went off. Suelgi growled. She moved slightly before getting up in protest. Dongguk came over with her things. She grumpy grabbed her backpack and shuffled off.

“I hate Lit,” she grumbled. Dongguk followed behind her. He waved back at everyone before walking off. Everyone else in the Senior Lounge were beginning to leave, except me and Irene. The whole school was filled with the sounds of everyone moving to their next class. But, here I was with Irene.

I debated doing it in my head over and over. I finally turned to look at Irene. Her face was peaceful. Her black hair perfectly framed her face. It fell well below her shoulders and shined in the light. Wow.

Her head was beginning to fall off my shoulder, so I pulled her chin up with my fingers. Little did I realize, Irene had opened her eyes at my touch. She followed the motion of my hand. Instead of resting her head on my shoulder, she lifted her head to meet my eyes.

Oops. Irene stared at me. Her eyes were piercing. She seemed confused, but right now, she was in control. My head was screaming.

I didn't know when it would end. As she was looking into my eyes, a very familiar feeling went throughout my body. I knew it well. I looked back at her, searching. I don't know for what, but I had a feeling something was there. I had to figure this out. I had too many questions in my head to answer now.

The one minute bell snapped me out of my daze. I blinked back at Irene. She broke eye contact first. She got up hurriedly, grabbed her stuff, and hurried down the stairs. The feeling of her hand around my waist lingered. I didn't want it to end.

“Wendy,” I turned towards the voice. It was Eric. Him and V were waiting for me. “Come on. We’ll be late to class.”

. I was thinking about it for too long. “One sec.” I grabbed my stuff and maneuvered through the lounge to the two of them. The three of us began to walk to our next class, which wasn't that far, but I wanted the walk to be faster.

The door to class wasn't open though. So, we waited by the door. I was still thinking about what just happened. All I could think about was Irene's hand on my waist. I wasn’t uncomfortable, but her hand found its way right to my waist. It was foreign. But the feeling in my chest told me something else. Maybe that's why I freaked out. At the last second, my brain interfered with my heart. What was I doing?

“Hey, you ok?”

“Hmm?” I looked up. Eric was looking down at me. He seemed worried. It was only then that I found out I was staring into space again and biting my nails.

“Hmm? Oh yeah. I'm fine. Just tired.”

“Ok. You just seem a little distracted.” I smirked and nodded at him.

“I’m fine really.” I tried to show him I was okay. It must have worked. Eric nodded and patted me on the shoulder. He went off to talk to the other kids in the class. I took out my phone to distract myself.

“That was pretty gay, Wendy.” I jumped at the voice. V had whispered in my ear. “Watch yourself, Wen.” Just then, the teacher opened the door to let us in. V winked at me before walking away.

I glared at him. Thanks, V. You're such a good friend.

My head was still in a whirl from her touch. What just happened?

Despite how much I hated him right now, his gay-dar never lied.

A/N: Sorry for the super late update. Some things came up last week and ended up extending to the weekend. I hope you guys enjoy. :)

- Cholasaurus219