Even as the clock strikes midnight, dorm building B3, still lit up like a Christmas tree in the dark. Loud music pounding and college kids loitering in and out of the building. A typical scene when the students decided to throw one last party the night before they leave for summer break.

  Inside, the common room were noisy with the music and students talking to one another about their plans. Some screaming to prove a point, and occasionally, there was a noise of something being broken. Not that anyone cared enough to check. On one side of the room, a group of girls has taken over the couches, and excitedly talking on their plans for the trip tomorrow.

  “Just make sure everyone goes to the toilet before we leave,” Sejeong said. “I don’t want us to make too many stops on the way.”

  “And Mina you have the chips and drinks ready?”

  The brunette nodded, “We’re leaving at 8, right?”

  “No, Mimi and I is going to pick up the car at 8,” Hana corrected her. “We’ll probably leave around 8.30. Just make sure you’re all ready and waiting downstairs when we come to pick you up. I don’t want to have to wait an hour just for you guys to come down with your luggage.”

  “Where is Mimi, by the way?” Haebin asked, glancing around the room for the older girl. They had all decided to gather that night just to go over their plans once more.

  “Probably in our room,” Hana said, getting up. “I’ll go look for her.”

  “How is she doing?” Sejeong asked.

  “A little relieved that the break is starting,” Hana said, causing the girls to exchange knowing, pitiful glances at each other. They all knew how tough it had been for Mimi these past few months with everything going on plus their exams. She truly deserved a break from it all.

  Hana went up to the second floor and headed to the shared room of her and her roommate slash best friend, Mimi. She got to the room to find the other girl had reopened the luggage she claimed was ready to go earlier and there were still some clothes laid around the room. It seemed the only thing that was ready and packed were a small bag pack which she was planning to use to carry her smaller items.

  “Mimi, you here?”

  “Yeah, sorry I was just looking for my plaid skirt,” Mimi said. “I was going to wear it on our trip tomorrow but I can’t seem to find it anywhere.”

  “Maybe I accidentally packed it in one of my bags,” Hana suggested. “Look, just wear something else. The others are already waiting for you. We’ll come back up later and look through it again.”

  “Alright,” Mimi said, dejectedly. “Maybe I’ll just end up wearing something else.”

  “You can use my striped shirt. The one I wore a couple weeks ago to that date. You’ve always said you wanted to borrow it someday.”

  “Yeah sure,” the other replied with a smile. “Thanks!”

  “Come on, it’s our last night here,” Hana reminded her. “Let’s try to end it on a good note.”

***

  That night Hana made sure to not drink any of the punch. She had heard some of the guys were planning to spike it. She warned her friends, but she’s not sure if all of them heeded her warning when she found Sally already nursing her third cup.

  Fortunately unlike half of her dorm mates, Hana was able to wake up quite early the next morning with no hangover to deal with. There were no incidents last night and Mimi was still asleep when she got up, so Hana decided to slip down and get some breakfast for the two of them. They still had some time before either of them had to get ready.

  Downstairs she ran into Bomi who had just returned from her jog. The other had been keen on exercising and looking fit recently. She had taken to jogging every single day. Rain or shine, she never missed a day.

  “Hey, you got any extra juice?” Bomi asked, taking off her earplugs. “I think someone decided to finish mine last night.”

  “Yeah, I made sure to hide all my food before the party,” Hana said, reaching towards the back where she knew no one would look, sober or drunk. The fact that the juice was no longer cold was just something she had to deal with.

  They exchanged small talk, just simple questions like what’s the plan for your summer and are you planning to crash the party Leo’s throwing at his parent’s vacation house? The guy may be quiet, but he definitely knows how to throw a party.

  After bidding the other goodbye, Hana made her way back up with her cereal, the rest of her juice and what was left of her biscuits. With her hands full, Hana ended up knocking on the door with her elbow. She knocked twice, and a third time before the door was opened very slowly.

  “Hana?”

  “Mimi, are you alright?” she asked, carefully shutting the door behind her and setting the food on her study table. “I got you some breakfast. I think someone found our milk because I couldn’t find it at all, not even the carton.”

  After getting no answer, she turned around to see her friend looking pale and scared.

  “Mimi what’s wrong?”

  “Hana, please tell me you were the one who found it,” she said, voice a little shaky.

  “Found what?”

  “The skirt I was looking for last night,” she said. “Tell me you were the one who found it.”

  Hana was about to ask what she meant when she followed the other’s line of eyesight. That was when she saw it. There hanging on the window latch, the plaid skirt Mimi was looking for the night for. There was also a white sweater that neither of them owned and a note attached to its collar.

  “Did you-”

  “No, no, I just woke up and saw it,” Mimi said, sitting on her bed and buried her face in her hands. “I couldn’t do anything but look at it.”

  Hana reached for the note and unfolded it. In nice printed letters, the note read;

Say that you want me every day.
That you want me every way.
That you need me