“Jeongyeon, right?”

Jeongyeon looks up at Momo, her eyes wide with a mixture of alarm and interest, jumping slightly at the words. She hadn’t thought that the most influential person at her school would want to speak to her out of all of the people in the world. The blonde doesn’t mean to look uncomfortable, but Momo has never recognized Jeongyeon’s presence before. She scrambles to find the right words to piece together, and finally babbles, “Yeah. Uh, hi. Thanks for having me over…” She trails off, quickly adding, “and, uh…everyone else too.”

She’s a little flustered from the attention, but Momo doesn’t seem to mind. Momo seems used to someone being flustered around her. Even though they didn’t know each other that well, Momo visibly relaxes in front of Jeongyeon. Free from the watching eyes of her mistresses, Momo looks Jeongyeon up and down. Her gaze is half calculating and half interest and sighs with content—was it because of she was free from the party, or she realized Jeongyeon posed no threat? Her lips curve into a small smile. It’s faint, but it’s there.

“Why are you going home so soon?”

Jeongyeon doesn’t know how to formulate a cool reply, so she just says, “I think I had too much to…you know, drink.”

“Well, I guess you should take it easy. You could always go swimming in the pool to keep a clear mind, or watch some beer pong — you don’t have to leave just yet.” Jeongyeon shifts uneasily on her feet at the offer. Momo’s tone is amicable enough, but it’s too casual to make Jeongyeon believe that Momo wanted her to stay. Before she can reply that she’s really fine but thanks anyways, Momo beats her to the punch. “So. Are you single?”

She doesn’t exactly know where Momo is going with this—is Momo trying to hit on her? She tilts her head, trying to size up Momo, wondering if she was drunk. From all the parties she has, she shouldn’t be a lightweight. She’s probably asking her with a relatively clear mind, so Jeongyeon replies with a tentative “…Yes.”

“Got your eye on anyone?”

“What? Me? No. No way. I mean, I…”

“That’s very unconvincing. What’s her name?”

As Momo spoke, a girl walked by them and headed into the party. Jeongyeon nodded her head at the girl, who by that point was already inside the house. “Her? Isn’t this your party?”

Momo scoffs at Jeongyeon’s suggestion that she doesn’t know who everyone is, and has a look that made Jeongyeon recede slightly back. Momo doesn’t seem to mind after a second—she’s got a smile already back on her lips. “No, the girl you totally haven’t got your eye on.”

Jeongyeon didn’t know what compelled her to tell Momo. Maybe it was because Momo seemed like a trustworthy person, but Jeongyeon knew that it was really the alcohol doing the talking for her.

“Oh…it’s Mina.”

“Mina? As in Sana’s sister?” Momo dropped open, letting out a laugh of disbelief. “God, you don’t ask for much. Even I can’t get Mina. She’s untouchable.”

Yes, Jeongyeon liked Mina. She knew how out of her league Mina was. Jeongyeon could protest that it wasn’t her fault. Practically the whole student body was in love with Mina! How could they not? She was the most beautiful person in their whole school, and Jeongyeon would go so far to say in their city. She was elegant. She made people feel like they were the only person in her world. And, the most important to Jeongyeon, she was never inclined to speak bad about others, and was humble. Not to mention that whenever she saw Mina, even for seconds, her heart felt like Cupid himself was squeezing it, taunting Jeongyeon about how it felt to have a crush.

“I know.” Jeongyeon put her hands up to her cheeks, pulling them down so her jaw slightly sagged. “I don’t stand a chance.”

Momo slaps her hand on Jeongyeon’s back as a way of telling her to cheer up. “Hey, Jeongyeon. Mina is beautiful. You’re not so bad yourself. If you really wanted to, you could get her.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! Sure you can. I mean, it’s not that hard. You just got to—“

The loud sounds of the party fill the quiet air, silencing Momo as the pair turn to see who is exiting this time. One boy runs with a ball of clothing in their hands, catching themselves and running away. The other, barely wearing any clothing, was swearing at the other as they chased the first one down the street.

Jeongyeon gapes at the sight, but Momo seems unfazed by it, the act getting a laugh out of her. Jeongyeon realizes that this isn’t just anyone, but this is Momo she’s talking to. Momo would never voluntarily talk to Jeongyeon, and Jeongyeon remembers why Momo’s out here—choosing which girl she wanted to be with. Momo is still watching the two boys chase each other, so Jeongyeon thinks it’s the perfect time to get the spotlight off of her.

“Who are you going to choose?”

“Hmm?” Momo turns towards her, the brunette’s attention resuming onto Jeongyeon. She repeats the question again, and Momo frowns, her face showing that she hadn’t given the matter much thought. “Well, what would you do?”

Jeongyeon lets out a laugh, bewildered that Momo asked for her opinion on choosing one of the girls. “Listen, the last time I had to choose between three beautiful girls, I…oh, wait! Wait a second. Nope. That’s never happened to me.”

Momo laughs at Jeongyeon’s sarcastic comment, and looks Jeongyeon in the eyes and earnestly says, “You don’t want these three after you.”

“Oh, no,” Jeongyeon raises her eyebrows, “I think you’re wrong there.”

“They don’t like me for me.” Momo utters with a low voice. “They like me for who they think I am.”

Jeongyeon was going to reply, but she is interrupted yet again. They hear the door open again, and all three girls spill out, stalking over towards the other two. They don’t look happy, but Jeongyeon can’t blame them, because none of them have a particular advantage over the other. They’re all beautiful, Jeongyeon notes as they walk over and stand in front of Momo, and they’re all equally special in their own ways. All four of them radiated something the others didn’t. While Nayeon gave off the impression of being calculating and always thinking, Tzuyu held her head high like a queen. Sana carried herself more casually than the other two, but she seemed to float with incessant love for the world, her actions deliberate and flirtatious. Momo, unlike the rest of them, did not seem to show her personality outfront, but she did give off a certain feeling. Momo radiated power.

Momo was probably right; Jeongyeon didn’t want those three after her. She’d never be able to choose.

“Well?” Tzuyu quips, eyeing Momo, a small smile on her face. The two on either side of her cross their arms, all looking like they were trying to tell Momo to pick them nonverbally.

“Is it me?” Sana asks quickly, but Nayeon adds right after her with a scoff, “As if she’d choose you. It’s me.”

Before a squabble can break out between the girls, Momo waves her hands in a motion that signifies that no one can talk. “I’ve already chosen.”

They’re all intently staring at Momo, Jeongyeon included. Momo hadn’t even told Jeongyeon what she was going to do! Jeongyeon realizes that she wasn’t particularly inclined to tell her, but the blonde did hold her breath in anticipation. After all, this was the most exciting thing that Jeongyeon was able to witness all night.

“I choose Jeongyeon.”

“What?” Jeongyeon says, taking a step back. That is not what she wanted or planned! She thought she’d say one of the three that asked her to choose. The girls look at Jeongyeon, unimpressed and angry, and then back at Momo. Jeongyeon can feel the tension rising in the air. All three are standing offensively, ready to spring at Momo.

“No— I mean, I don’t choose Jeongyeon. I can’t choose. Jeongyeon will choose for me. Whatever Jeongyeon says, goes.” Momo pats Jeongyeon on the back, and slips past the girls quickly, jogging up the walkway before she can get caught by the three. They stalk after her, starting to yell complains, but Momo seems to have practice in evading people; as the three reach the front door, it’s slammed right in front of their noses. Jeongyeon watches the whole scene with disbelief, frozen. Didn’t she say that she wouldn’t be able to choose between the three?

They turn around on the same beat, and her heart clenches. Not how it does when Mina comes near her, but more in an involuntary act of fear. She doesn’t want to keep eye contact with any of them, so she turns away suddenly, regaining a chance to breathe. She wanted to find Momo as soon as she could and yell at her. Jeongyeon didn’t want to do damage control, especially when Momo had caused the mess!

She keeps her eyes down as she hears the clicks of their feet, but as they stop in front of her as Jeongyeon looks up. All three of them are expecting an immediate answer. She opens , but she closes it. Wait—she thinks she knows who it could be— so she opens again. She blushes of embarassment when she realizes that the three are watching her open and close like a fish, and she blushes even harder when she realizes who is watching her.

“Well?” Tzuyu and Sana snap, with Sana jutting her chin out defiantly at Jeongyeon. Nayeon holds her hand up to calm the other two, tilting her head to look at Jeongyeon.

“I have an idea. Why don’t we tell Jeongyeon why we deserve Momo? Whoever gives her the best reason gets to be with Momo.” Nayeon nods, liking the sound of her own idea. The other two are reluctant, but nod as well. It seemed to be the only fair way.

“I’ll go first,” Tzuyu says, waving off the two girls. She realizes they’re not moving, so she addresses them to leave her and Jeongyeon alone. The two huff, but nevertheless move farther away so Tzuyu can confront Jeongyeon.

Tzuyu makes the first move, wrapping her slender arm around Jeongyeon’s shoulders. “So…” Her voice sounds like velvet up close, soft and alluring. Jeongyeon sinks slightly into Tzuyu’s touch, inhaling her aroma of lavender perfume. She’s cloaked by the taller girl, and Jeongyeon realizes that maybe Momo would feel complete with Tzuyu. After all, they oozed the same casual tone, and she was tall so maybe she’d feel safe? Jeongyeon felt safe. She feels herself slipping into some sort of trace with Tzuyu; it’s not so much affection as it is filled with desire. Tzuyu’s voice lowers to a whisper. “How does a hundred dollars sound?”

Jeongyeon jumps slightly at the offer. “Are you bribing me?”

“Fine!” Tzuyu whispers, looking over her shoulder to make sure that Nayeon and Sana didn’t hear her. “Two hundred dollars. But that’s it.”

“Just so you can go out with Momo?” Jeongyeon can’t believe what she hears. Is this girl serious?

Tzuyu nods, humming her agreement. Jeongyeon scrunches up her face, but realizes she’s not going to get two hundred dollars for doing nothing anywhere else, so she shrugs. “Well, I mean, sur—”

“That’s enough!” Nayeon shouts behind them, and Jeongyeon realizes Tzuyu’s arm is ripped off of her. She shakes her head, trying to snap herself out of it. Tzuyu yelps, and suddenly Nayeon replaces Tzuyu in the proximity. Nayeon wraps her arms around Jeongyeon’s neck, pushing away some blonde strands that her hands came into contact with. (What was with these girls and wanting to be intimate?)

Nayeon dips her head towards Jeongyeon as Tzuyu leaves to go stand by Sana. “What did she offer you?” Nayeon whispers.

“Two hundred dollars.”

“!” Nayeon exclaims, but rolls her eyes at the information. “She’s so desperate she’s resorted to money.”

Jeongyeon furrows her eyebrows together. Two hundred dollars seemed like a pretty good offer right now.

“Jeong, Jeong, Jeong…” Nayeon purrs, tilting her head, immediately changing her tune. Her brown eyes clouded, analytical and cold, but they seem to liven up as she says Jeongyeon’s name. Jeongyeon feels her heart beat faster—no, surely Momo woud want to feel that someone felt better just around her! She lets Nayeon cup her face in her hand, her movements soft and loving. She looks at Jeongyeon like she’s holding her whole world, and says, “You don’t get to kiss girls a lot, do you?”

“What?” Jeongyeon replies, her tone showing that she was offended by the statement, and tries to shrug off Nayeon.

Nayeon sighs, and Jeongyeon realizes Nayeon was just pretending to act like she had feelings for her. Jeongyeon feels slightly swayed, but also kind of upset that Nayeon felt like she had to pretend to get Jeongyeon’s attention.

“You know what I mean.” Nayeon rolls her eyes for a second, steadies Jeongyeon, stopping her from moving. “Just…you’re not used to people like us, are you?”

Jeongyeon looks away. Okay, so she wasn’t the hottest ticket. That much was true. Where was Nayeon going with this? Was she attempting to insult her?

“Choose me,” Nayeon continues, her eyes dancing with delight. Jeongyeon felt tempted to run her hands through Nayeon’s hair. She was so captivating to look at. (Yes, Nayeon was right that she didn’t get this up close and personal with most people, so she was savoring this moment). “I’ll show you how to get girls like us fight over someone like you.”

Jeongyeon hums, realizing that Nayeon’s words had more worth than Tzuyu’s two hundred dollars. If Jeongyeon learned from Nayeon, she would be able to get Mina, possibly? But then again, Nayeon could be bluffing.

Jeongyeon hears delicate footsteps behind them, and Nayeon peels herself away from her with a simple “Think about it.”

Sana has approached Jeongyeon, the last of the three. She’s patiently waiting for Nayeon, who bumps Sana’s shoulder. Sana doesn’t flinch; she doesn’t seem to mind the meaning behind the hit, either. Sana leans in very close to Jeongyeon, her hands finding Jeongyeon’s waist. She tied her long hair up into a ponytail, Jeongyeon’s sure she’s going to kiss her, when Sana whispers, “I know you like my sister.”

Jeongyeon is kind of in a haze, inhaling Sana’s sweet scent of roses. Their lips are two inches apart, and Jeongyeon can’t think. She asks the dumbest question in the history of questions.

“You’re Sana?”

“Mhm,” Sana murmurs, placing a finger onto Jeongyeon’s lips. Jeongyeon felt her heart sink a little, but was more interested in what Sana had to say. “I can get Mina to like you.” Jeongyeon looks confused, so Sana continues to elaborate. “Mina is my little sister. She looks up to me and trusts my opinion, and calls on me frequently for my judgement. Especially with romance. Do you see what I’m getting at? Think about it, Jeongyeon.”

She walks away, leaving Jeongyeon alone on the sidewalk. She hears Sana say scathingly, “Game over, girls.” The three retreat back towards the house, leaving Jeongyeon alone in silence.

Each of them gave Jeongyeon a solid reason to consider them. Jeongyeon getting handed two hundred dollars by Tzuyu means she’d have more freedom with money, and gave her the chance to think about if she wanted to save or spend it on her own. Nayeon’s promise of teaching her seemed practical and useful, though Jeongyeon knew she would be a failed project even before Nayeon started. Sana had offered another person; not that she actually had the jurisdiction to do that. Jeongyeon mistrusted all of them to carry out their promise, but she tentatively comes to a decison as someone shouts her name. She turns, and Momo is halfway through a window, a grin on her face. She’s right above Jeongyeon, and doesn’t look exactly stable.

“I only left you with them for two minutes!”

“Long enough!” Jeongyeon calls back, stifling a groan.

“Are you coming back in?”

Jeongyeon pauses for a moment, debating the pros and cons. She doesn’t understand why Momo hasn’t asked her what the verdict was. “Don’t you want to know who I’ve chosen?”

“There’s someone here who wants to meet you.” Next to Momo, another figure appears. It’s Sana, and she’s beaming down at Jeongyeon. She knew that she was the one Jeongyeon picked.

“Mina? But how did you know?”

“Take it that you don’t want to go home anymore.”

(She didn’t.)

Thank you all for subscribing! Please tell me how you like this and if I should continue on. I didn't expect so many people in a few days to take interest. I haven't decided to continue or to let it rest here, and therefore I don't have any real ideas. You all are the best!