I Want Crazy - Hunter Hayes

---

 

“Stop staring and close your mouth- you’ll catch flies.”

 

Momo sighs dreamily. “But she’s so gorgeous.”

 

The current object of her affections (and also one of the coolest girls in school), Myoui Mina, stands a good fifty feet away from her, surrounded by her also-gorgeous friends. Momo lets out another dreamy sigh as Mina giggles, covering in that super gorgeous feminine way she does as her extremely tall friend Tzuyu says something to her.

 

Nayeon scoffs. “Stop grinning like that, your happiness is embarrassing me.” She rolls her eyes for the umpteenth time as Momo pays her no mind, continuing to stare and grin like an idiot at Myoui Mina.

 

“Nayeon, let me live will you? You’ll understand when you have a huge crush on someone yourself. Then I’ll be the one telling you that you look stupid. Just you wait, Im Nabongs.”

 

“Shut up Momo. Anyway,” Nayeon steers away from the conversation as quickly as she can. “When are you going to make a move?”

 

Momo blinks, finally tearing her gaze away from Myoui Mina to stare at Nayeon like she’s stupid. “Why on earth would I do that?”

 

“Because you like her you idiot. And who knows, I hear she just rejected one of the football players the other day. You might actually have a chance since she’s still single.”

 

The blonde girl sighs, shoulders slumping. “Nayeon, if she rejected one of the most popular guys in school why would I stand a chance?”

 

Nayeon rolls her eyes again. Momo watches, intrigued; at this rate, Nayeon’s eyes might get stuck staring at the back of her own skull if she keeps rolling them like that.

 

“Maybe she’s holding out.”

 

Momo scoffs. “Yeah right. She rejected Im Jaebum because she’s holding out for me. Funny, Im Nayeon. Real funny.”

 

Nayeon shrugs as she gets up from her seat across from Momo. “Hey, it ain’t over till it’s over, yeah? Just think about it will you, I’m getting tired of watching you give her lovestruck googly eyes from afar when you should be talking to her to make sure she doesn’t run off with someone else.”

 

Momo blinks up at the slightly older girl who is picking up her bag. “Where are you going, flower pig?”

 

Nayeon flicks her forehead in response to the cheeky insult. “I have to make up a Chinese quiz for the time I was sick. See you later, Mo.”

 

Momo waves as the dark-haired girl heads off. “Okay, see you Nabongs.” She calls after the older girl who twirls dramatically in response before sauntering out of sight, the little flower-pig keychain Momo had given her for her birthday dangling from her backpack.

 

Momo grins at the sight. Nayeon is a good friend, despite it all; one of her only friends, actually. Moving from Japan and assimilating into a whole new country proved a bit tougher than it seemed, but it wasn’t like Momo had a choice. Her mother’s work had transferred her to the new department in Seoul, and the raise was much too generous for the Hirai family to refuse. So they’d packed their things during Momo’s first year of high school and transferred into JYP high, just in time for the finals of the school year. Momo didn’t have time to make friends or get to learn the language proficiently, so of course she made the smart choice; instead of studying Korean and doing schoolwork, she’d spent her summer floating back and forth between Korea and Japan wandering the two countries and exploring to her heart’s content. She’d always been a bit of a dreamer and traveling for those months did her well; unfortunately though, as a result, she started her second year of high school with zero friends and the language barrier certainly did nothing in her favor.

 

Nayeon was the first friend she’d made at her new school. Nayeon was new herself, had just transferred in from a nearby school but was having no trouble socializing with her peers and making friends (unlike Momo). She was first to successfully reach out to the peach-haired Japanese girl, who latched onto the friendship eagerly. It wasn’t that Momo was unkind; she was just shy, quiet, and kind of dazed. She was almost always confused and innocent, lost in her own world and didn’t do well with subtlety (Nayeon doesn't know what subtlety means) which was why Nayeon was the only person really able to reach out to Momo despite the fact that she was not the first to approach the girl.

 

Yes, Nayeon had proven on multiple occasions that she was a good friend. She’s a good friend, and one of Momo’s only friends.

 

Which is why Momo is surprised when the seat Nayeon had vacated is suddenly occupied by a stranger.

 

A stranger who is friends with Myoui Mina, at that.

 

Momo blinks blankly at the other girl. The other girl blinks back. “Hello.” She greets Momo with a smile.

 

She’s tall, slender, with short blonde hair and a sparkling smile. Pretty too, but that’s kind of a given since she’s friends with the Myoui Mina. Everything about Mina is pretty. Even her friends.

 

Momo waves, having just now fully registered the presence of another human being. “Hello.” She responds to the stranger with her normal dazed smile.

 

The taller girl’s smile is friendly, but a bit unsure in the way every self-conscious high schooler is. “You’re Momo right?”

 

Momo nods. “That’s me. And you are…”

 

The stranger’s smile turns relieved. “I’m Jeongyeon. It’s nice to meet you, Momo.”

 

Momo nods again in acknowledgement, still staring at Jeongyeon unsurely. “Can I help you?”

 

Jeongyeon suddenly leans forward, serious and all business. “You’re friends with Im Nayeon, right?”

 

“No.”

 

Jeongyeon looks at her confusedly before her expression morphs into indigence. “What?! You’re lying, I saw you talking to her just a minute ago!”

 

Momo crosses her arms childishly. “That doesn’t mean we’re friends.” She retorts hotly, in the most threatening Korean she can muster.

 

Jeongyeon arches an eyebrow. “I see you two together everywhere. You’re practically joined at the hip.”

 

Momo scowls. “So what? What does that have anything to do with you?” She asks defensively, not quite knowing herself what to make of the situation.

 

Jeongyeon rolls her eyes. “How childish. I just want to ask you if Nayeon is seeing anyone. No funny business, I swear.”

 

Well that changes things, Momo thinks to herself as she is unwittingly gaping at the other girl, wide-eyed and shocked. Jeongyeon seems to find the extended gaping a little uncomfortable, as she shifts awkwardly in her seat.

 

“What? Just say yes or no, no need to stare like that!” Jeongyeon hisses, looking around nervously to make sure no one had overheard their conversation.

 

Momo squints at the taller girl. “Why do you want to know, huh?” She shoots back, distrust written all over her features.

 

Jeongyeon looks around nervously again, and when she’s sure no one else will hear their conversation, she leans closer to Momo with a strained expression. “Because I like her, that’s why, and I need your help.”

 

“What do I have to do with this? And why can’t you just do it yourself?”

 

Jeongyeon sighs, suddenly a lot more deflated than she was before. “I’ve been trying to get her to notice me since she transferred in, but she still doesn’t even know my name! And I think we both know what’s in it for you.” The taller girl shoots a suggestive glance at Momo, glancing back behind her shoulder where Myoui Mina and her friends stand chatting.

 

Momo’s eyes widen. “Wh- I have no idea what you’re trying to imply.” Her face flushes a brilliant shade of red as she protests defensively.

 

Jeongyeon rolls her eyes, looking very similar to Nayeon in the moment. “You know exactly what I’m implying. It’s not like you’re subtle.”

 

Momo feels herself heating up and beads of sweat start to form on her forehead. “Does- does Mina know?” She leans forward to ask in a hushed voice, eyes skitting around to ensure their conversation stays private.

 

Jeongyeon chuckles lightly. “She’s about as dense as you, so the answer to that would be no. Don’t worry though Hirai, your secret’s safe with me.” She winks playfully at the flushed Japanese girl who had slumped over on the table, completely defeated.

 

“So with that being said, I think you can see why you should help me. It’s simple, really; you help me with Nayeon, I help you with Mina. Deal?” Jeongyeon looks over inquisitively, sticking out her hand.

 

Momo glares at her for a moment before deflating back into a lifeless pile on the table. “Deal.” She grumbles, reaching out to weakly grasp Jeongyeon’s hand. “But where do we start?”

 

Jeongyeon laughs. “Well, we’ll have to talk about that. What do you say we talk over dinner later? I have a place in mind where we can scheme all we want without any suspicious looks or third-party Sana’s.”

 

Momo eyes her warily. “Where to?” And who is Sana?

 

“I hope you like jokbal.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Tzuyu frowns.

 

She is one of the prettiest girls in school; it isn’t exactly a secret. Almost everyone wants to be her, or be with her, but the one person she actually wants to want her doesn’t even seem to know she exists.

 

Son Chaeyoung. Chaeyoung. Oh sweet, cute, wonderful Chaeyoung. Even the mere thought of her name makes Tzuyu’s heart do jumping jacks in her chest, her cheeks blush a daring shade of red. Chaeyoung is the same age as her, and she’s easily one of the coolest people in the school. She made it on the track team her freshman year, one of the best runners if not the best, and she’s s an incredible musician. She plays the cello really well, and she’s also a great artist too. Tzuyu has seen her work in the school exhibit that features the best pieces of the students, and Chaeyoung’s was right there on top with the senior students’ pieces.

 

Son Chaeyoung is so cool.

 

And she had unknowingly stolen Tzuyu’s heart soon after their school year started when she had unwittingly and unknowingly stopped Minatozaki Sana from accidentally spilling a vat of hot bean chili all over Tzuyu at the school’s annual fall festival. It was unfortunate; Tzuyu was just in the opportune spot for Sana to trip and spill the chili on, and Chaeyoung had accidentally been pushed into Tzuyu, effectively knocking the taller girl out of the way, before receiving the chili bath herself. The smaller girl had shrieked (probably in pain), and flailed her way to the bathroom with a girl Tzuyu recognized as Momo, and Im Nayeon trailing frantically behind her. Tzuyu got away chili-free, and Sana had spent the remainder of the festival cleaning up the saucy mess.

 

But they hadn’t spoken since that encounter; heck, Chaeyoung probably doesn’t even know Tzuyu exists. Honestly, it wasn’t like she intended to push Tzuyu out of the way; someone had just been messing around and Chaeyoung’s luck had run out that day. But Tzuyu couldn’t - wouldn’t - just sit around and do nothing. She’s one of the smartest girls in their grade, and she almost always has a plan. 

 

Unfortunately that’s exactly what she doesn’t have right now.

 

Well. She has to start somewhere, yes?

 

She needs a plan. And help. A lot of help.

 

---

 

Step 1: Gather information about your unconventional girl.

 

Considering the fact that you’re going for someone a little off the normal spectrum, it’s important for you to gather as much information about her as you can. Because she’s an unconventional girl, she’s probably not looking to settle for anything less than completely fascinating. Find out about her interests; for instance, does she like cats or dogs? Well, she probably doesn’t like either. Because cats and dogs are just too ordinary and conventional, she’s more likely to have something like an iguana or some sort of exotic fish in her room as a pet. Make sure to find out as much about her as possible before trying anything else, so you have a good idea of how offended she might be in case you recommend she listen to Bieber instead of Puccini.

 

“This isn’t going to work.”

 

Jeongyeon looks on, amazed as she watches Momo inhale her food at an incredible speed. “You sure eat a lot, don’t you?”

 

Momo looks up, butthurt and defensive. “Nayeon doesn’t like people who comment on how much she eats.”

 

Jeongyeon scoffs. “I was just saying. But thanks, anyway.”

 

Momo humphs a little before turning back to her bowl.

 

“So, you and Mina huh? I would’ve never guessed, although I can’t say I’m surprised; half the school’s in love with her.”

 

Momo remembers her current predicament and she visibly slumps into her soup. Jeongyeon, slightly alarmed at the sudden change of mood, reaches over to put another piece of meat in front of Momo. “Hey, why the long face? I’m here to help you, remember?”

 

Momo shakes her head. “Look, it was nice of you to buy me dinner and all that, but I don’t think Mina and I are going to go anywhere. I don’t know a thing about her.”

 

Jeongyeon laughs, clapping a hand on Momo’s shoulder. “My friend, listen to me first; Mina is, well, a little… unconventional. Basically, she isn’t looking for any regular old date. She actually just rejected someone because she’s tired of seeing movies.”

 

Momo’s head lifts at that. She would never have pegged Mina for a… weirdo, or anything. Mina seems like she has everything together, seems like the model child or student or person or whatever.

 

“If you want to get with someone like Mina, you’re going to have to think a little outside the box.” Jeongyeon continues, tapping her chopsticks on the side of her bowl. “So no movie dates. And no mall dates.”

“Isn’t it a bit early to be thinking about dates?” Momo breeches cautiously, giving Jeongyeon a weird look.

 

The other girl shrugs. “Look, this is all I can really do for you. Getting close to her, well, Mina’s a lot more likely to feel stronger attachment to someone she meets herself as opposed to someone her friends introduce her to. You should try to get close to her yourself; I’m just trying to give you a little information about her so you don’t end up like Im Jaebum and his gang of derpy jocks.”

 

Momo slumps over her books onto her desk with a groan. Facebook stalking and Instagram profile scrolling has fried her brain completely- there is no way Momo’s going to be able to score well on her history test tomorrow.

 

She had gathered some information on Myoui Mina, but it really isn’t much. Mina doesn’t seem to post much on any social media platforms; her Facebook page consists mostly of pictures that her friends post of her and with her, while her Instagram feed is mostly pictures of her dog Ray (Momo was surprised the girl had a dog; maybe Jeongyeon was wrong about the whole ‘unconventional weirdo’ thing) and landscape, with the occasional selfie sprinkled in here and there.

 

While that’s nice and all, Momo is now three hours past midnight and in no shape to read, much less remember, anything that’s written in this stupidly thick textbook.

 

She sighs and turns her head over to the large fish tank by her desk. “You’ll still love me if I fail this test, right Pinky?”

 

Pinky the piranha swims around in his tank and smashes into a rock. 

 

Momo pouts as she reaches over to the side of the large tank. “Well, RIP me.” She sighs and promptly gives up on studying, switching off the desk lamp and walking away to wash up, no closer to finding out about Myoui Mina’s interests and no closer to receiving an A on her test tomorrow.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Jeongyeon, however, seems to have more luck than her.

 

“Nayeon, meet Jeongyeon. Jeongyeon, meet Nayeon.”

 

Nayeon glances up briefly from her handphone. “Oh. Hello, Jeongyeon.” She greets dismally before returning her attention to the small glowing square in her hand.

 

Momo frowns. “Nayeon, at least try to be nice. What’s wrong?” She asks the older girl, catching on to her dreary vibes with Jeongyeon standing awkwardly to the side.

 

Nayeon suddenly flops onto the tabletop with a groan. “I just lost another game of Royale! I’ll never beat Chaeyoung at this rate!” She waves her phone about dramatically, into her sweater sleeve.

 

Jeongyeon’s brow creases into a frown as she takes the device from Nayeon’s flopping hand. “I wonder why. Your heroes are all super low-level and your strategy is mediocre at best. Why haven’t you leveled any of your troops yet?”

 

Nayeon looks up with a wounded expression. “You’re supposed to level them?”

 

“Of course! What’s the point of the game if you can’t level your troops?”

 

“... What does ‘level’ mean?”

 

Jeongyeon groans rather dramatically as she flops down beside Nayeon with the phone. “Let’s start from the top, shall we?”

 

Momo smiles discreetly at the sight before her. Looks like they’d get along just fine.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Okay, here goes nothing.

 

Tzuyu steels herself nervously as she takes continuous glances at the table in the far right corner of the room. Momo and Chaeyoung are sitting together with a sheet of paper between them, having some sort of animated discussion Tzuyu’s too far away to hear. She glances down at the crumpled piece of paper in her fist and chants Step 1 of her master plan for the 73rd time in her head, still trying to collect her guts to go over there. She’s already attracting looks by just standing there (everyone wants to talk to her except the one she wants to talk to) but she can’t be bothered with them right now. She has to do this. She has to follow the plan.

 

She’s close- so, painfully close, to finally getting close enough to talk to the girl of her affections, and then ing Jeongyeon just has to ruin it.

 

“HELLO TZUYU!”

 

Tzuyu jumps and whirls around in fright, having not even noticed the older girl’s presence enter the room (she was too focused on inching closer to Chaeyoung’s table). Jeongyeon is standing there, smiling happily at her as Tzuyu’s hand rises to clutch at her heart.

 

“Jeongyeon unnie??”

 

The girl is satisfied with her response, taking no apparent notice of the fright she’d just instilled upon the younger girl. “Tzuyu! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

 

At that, the younger blinks hesitantly. “Why?”

 

“Well you see…”

 

From a few feet away, Momo and Chaeyoung look on at Chou Tzuyu, who is one of the prettiest girls in school, staring at Yoo Jeongyeon in shock as the older says something ridiculous with animated gestures and expressions. It’s actually kind of funny, and soon enough everyone in the room is looking at them in amusement. Momo knows of Tzuyu because she’s one of Mina’s super pretty friends, and Chaeyoung knows of her because they’re the same age and Tzuyu’s pretty and everyone always talks about her.

 

Tzuyu herself is utterly embarrassed, and she eventually allows Jeongyeon to pull her out of the room because Chaeyoung is staring at her (along with everyone else in the room) and she looks like she wants to laugh.

 

Thanks a lot, Jeongyeon-unnie.

 

---

 

Step 2: Talk to her.

 

Let’s be real for a minute; this relationship isn’t going to go anywhere good if you’ve never talked to this girl. Now that you’ve gathered sufficient information about your unconventional girls’ interests, this is an opportune time to stop your awkward staring and actually approach your unconventional lady with a wide array of interesting and fascinating topics that’ll keep her mind spinning and her interest fixed - on you. Try to find some common ground; maybe compliment her fascinating pet iguana Markus, or talk about how much you love the french horn solo in Rimsky-Korsakov’s masterpiece of bumblebees. Whatever the case, just make sure you are sufficiently informed about said wide array of interesting and fascinating topics before trying to breach them with your girl - you don’t want to come off as phony and foolish. Remember, first impressions count!

 

“Ow!”

 

Momo stumbles ungracefully into the nearby row of lockers as someone slams into her rather painfully. She groans as her head makes contact with the cold metal surface with a force that’ll surely leave a mark.

 

She turns to confront the person who so carelessly smashed into her and she’s all hot and mad and ready for a super epic confrontation- until she sees Myoui Mina standing before her looking absolutely mortified.

 

Momo blinks. Mina’s face is beet red- Momo didn’t even know faces could get so red- and standing behind her are people who seem to be Mina’s friends. Momo recognizes one of them as Dahyun, a sophomore with bright orange hair, and another dark-haired girl with purple highlights she doesn’t know too well (or at all)- she looks like the girl who spilled chili all over Chaeyoung earlier this year, though.

 

Mina bows hastily multiple times. “I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” She says frantically, the speed of her repeated bows making Momo dizzy.

 

Over Mina’s rapidly ascending and descending shoulder, Momo sees Dahyun lean a little closer to Chili Girl. “Sana unnie, don’t you think you pushed Mina unnie a little too hard? Momo sunbae just smashed her head into the lockers.”

 

The girl called Sana seems to have no remorse. “Yah, if I don’t push her then who will? Someone’s gotta make the first move. And I didn’t smash her head in, Mina’s the one who technically did.” She states matter-of-factly.

 

“E-Excuse me?”

 

Momo breaks from her stupor to look at the other girl in front of her. “Oh- yes?”

 

Mina looks concerned, although her face is still flushed and she seems way too apologetic. “I- I asked if your head is okay.”

 

Momo unconsciously reaches a hand up to touch her head. “Oh. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.” She says with a small frown, feeling a warm lump starting to form near her forehead already.

 

Damn. I’m going to look like an idiot for the rest of the day.

 

Mina is blushing but she looks genuinely concerned, and Momo suddenly feels bad although she’s the one who got her head smashed into a row of metal. “Hey, I’m fine, really. Don’t worry about it.” She gathers her guts to muster a small smile to Mina, and the younger girl seems even more mortified, judging by the way her face deepens in red. Momo doesn’t know if she should be offended or not- she was just trying to apologize, what’s so embarrassing about that?

 

From behind Mina, Sana looks absolutely delighted and even Dahyun looks a little giddy. Momo has officially cemented them in her mind as completely weird, which is surprising given her previous impression of anyone who’s friends with Mina. It doesn’t change the fact that they’re both very pretty- well, Dahyun’s more cute than pretty but she’s still pretty- and Momo is definitely feeling the welt on her forehead get warm. Oh boy.

 

Mina, to her surprise, promptly runs off after blushing some more and Momo can only blink as she watches the younger girl scurry away. For the second time, she doesn’t know if she should be offended. Sana and Dahyun quickly follow after Mina, calling out some weird pet name that rhymes with ‘calamari’. 

 

Momo shrugs and walks off. “The world is full of weirdos. What’s one more for the books?”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

After that little mishap in the hallway, Momo’s day doesn’t go any better. Except for her history quiz, which she’s sure she aced. Otherwise, her day has gone like this; she dozes off in math and gets yelled at, she accidentally bumps into the principal and gets yelled at, she takes too long at the drinking fountain and gets yelled at, and when she goes to the bathroom during chemistry there are no stalls available so she has to wait ten minutes for some dumb freshman to finish taking a dump before she can go.

 

And she gets yelled at when she returns, for ‘taking too long in the bathroom- ‘come on Momo what are you, five?!?’

 

Momo sighs as she thinks about her day so far, putting in the combo to her gym locker to get changed. The locker opens with a click, but something’s wrong; Momo almost screams in frustration when she realizes she’s forgotten her gym sneakers at home. It’d be fruitless to participate without proper footwear, so she slams the locker door shut and storms back into the gym. Looks like she’s on the bleachers today.

 

Her gym teacher, Sunmi, casts her an amused glance. “No clothes today, Hirai?” She asks as she passes by Momo’s sulking form.

 

Momo frowns. “No shoes.” She replies gruffly and Sunmi laughs.

 

“Alright then kid. Better luck next time.” Sunmi chuckles at her one last time before heading off to take attendance. All the other kids are changed and ready to play handball (one of Momo’s personal favorites) but Momo isn’t one of them, so she relents to her fate and slumps down on the hard bleachers with a sigh. Maybe she could get some studying done in the meantime.

 

She doesn’t notice a presence next to her until said presence coughs quietly, scaring Momo less. She jolts a little, only to see Myoui Mina sitting next to her looking extremely red.

 

“Are you okay?” Momo asks cautiously, eyeing the girl’s condition up and down. Mina coughs again but nods.

 

“Yeah, I’m good. Sorry for disturbing you.” She says quietly, looking embarrassed once again. Momo shakes her head, although Mina definitely doesn’t know how many years she’s just shaved off of Momo’s life.

 

“It’s fine, I was just surprised. I didn’t hear you sit down.” Momo explains after a moment of thought with a kind smile (Mina looks shook enough as it stands). She’s about to turn her attention back to her textbook when Mina speaks up again.

 

“I’m sorry for earlier.”

 

Momo looks up with a blink. “Huh?”

 

Poor Mina looks terribly embarrassed. “For pushing you.”

 

“Oh.” Momo waves it off. “Don’t worry about it, I feel better already.” That’s kind of a lie- the welt on her forehead is still there and it’s still a little warm, but there’s no use in making Mina feel worse than she already does.

 

“Did you forget your clothes today too?” Mina asks, shyly looking at Momo.

 

Momo looks back up from her AP chemistry book at the question. “Had everything but sneakers so I figured I’d sit out today.”

 

Mina nods, fidgeting with the hem of her sweater. She looks really cute today. “Me too. Well, I had everything except for my shorts.”

 

Momo takes note of the girl’s jeans as she laughs airily. “. It’s handball day too.”

 

Mina nods and Momo’s delighted to see a scrap of a smile at the corner of Mina’s lips. Momo is known across the school for a rather cold image- mainly because of her striking peach-tinted hair and (lack of) language proficiency- but she’s actually one of the nicest humans alive, and she just hates to see people uncomfortable around her if she can help it. Mina definitely falls under that category, and Momo’s able to somehow put her (gigantic) crush on the other girl under the table for a bit, if only to make Mina feel a little more at ease.

 

Mina takes out a book too and turns back around to tuck her backpack away in a less intrusive spot. Momo is reading her chem book, going through the chapter covered earlier in class. It’s an important chapter, difficult to understand, so she focuses all her attention on mastering the material before her.

 

After she deems herself with sufficient mastery of the first half of the material, she finally allows herself to stretch a little and raise her head from the book. She turns both ways to crack her back, and when she turns in Mina’s direction, she sees Mina reading about animals- marine animals at that.

 

“What class is that for?”

 

Mina jumps at the sudden inquiry and Momo feels a tinge of guilt for scaring her like that. She’s about to apologize, but Mina coughs and starts fiddling with a corner of her book.

 

“Uh, it- it’s about the ocean. Ocean animals.”

 

Momo grins because she absolutely loves marine life- Pinky the piranha is a solid testament to her love (she’d first saw him when she first came to Korea and he was just a little baby piranha, swimming in circles in a bucket by the beach. Her heart ached for the little guy, the sparkling red-bellied fish all alone in such a small space. She’d bought him from the crabby old fisherman on a whim and they’ve been together ever since). She actually plans to go into marine biology when she graduates. Momo cranes her neck a little to look at the page of Mina’s book (and doesn’t notice how Mina never actually answer her question).

 

“Is that a piranha?”

 

Mina is red again (she always seems to be red, Momo notes to herself) and she nods. “Yeah, I- I was thinking about adopting a fish and I thought I’d read up on what kinds of fish people keep as pets.

 

Momo’s willing to bet money that no one in Korea keeps a piranha as a pet but she’s too excited to properly register that fact. “Really? I love fish!” Her excitement is starting to show in her growing dorky smile and sparkling eyes.

 

Mina seems a little surprised at her passionate response but her expression visibly softens at the sight of Momo’s excited face. Mina’s gaze falls to her lap as a small smile graces her features. “Oh, I bet you have a lot of fish at home then.”

 

Momo laughs aloud, shaking her head. “No, not really- but I see you’re reading about piranhas. That’s the only pet I have.”

 

Mina perks up at the information (if Momo were any more observant, she would’ve noticed how the action seemed almost staged) and she turns to Momo a touch more confidently. “That’s really cool! I didn’t know people kept piranhas as pets.”

 

The nerd nods with a bright smile, excited at finally having met someone who appreciated marine life like she did. She pulls out her phone and opens her Instagram profile, which is full of pictures of her beloved Pinky, and turns the device to Mina’s curious eyes. “This is Pinky, my red-bellied piranha. He’s three years old.”

 

Mina marvels at the sparkling fish. “Wow. He’s beautiful.” She stares, almost in awe at the picture of Pinky.

 

Momo beams. “Isn’t he? He’s smart too- he always comes over when I play classical music and he hides when I play pop music. We even have similar music tastes!”

 

Mina looks like she wants to say something more (she’s looking at Momo the same way Jeongyeon looks at Nayeon when they play Clash Royale) but then the bell rings, signaling the end of the period, and Momo starts slightly before turning to put her books away. She misses how Mina’s gaze lingers over her a second too long.

 

“Hey, if you ever want more information about fish and piranhas, feel free to ask me anytime.” Momo smiles good-naturedly at the girl before waving and scurrying out of the gym. She has her intro to biotechnology class last today, a class which she always looks forward to (definitely not because they have glowing fish in a tank right by Momo’s seat). 

 

Mina can only look after her helplessly but she has some kind of dreamy expression on her face (and maybe she isn’t as dazed as she seems, smashing people into lockers and all).

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Goddamit, Momo.

 

The peach-haired girl lets out a sound that sounds half-whale, half-elephant as she slumps face first into her pink bedsheets.

 

Way to go. Just, wow.

 

Her chance to actually interact with Myoui Mina on a personal level and she wastes it talking about fish.

 

Real smooth Mo, reaaaalll smooth.

 

Of all things. She could’ve talked about schoolwork, the weather, the latest idol groups, all things that normal teenagers would be interested in, but instead, she had to talk about fish.

 

And now she knows about Pinky!

 

She hadn’t meant to let anyone know about Pinky; Pinky was, well, not exactly what one would coin a ‘normal’ pet, so she usually didn’t mention him because the last time she did, all she got were weird looks (and then everyone walked away). But now! She couldn’t help herself- Mina was reading up on piranhas and piranhas equals Pinky and Pinky equals love (at least in Momo’s mind) so it became inevitable for her to talk about her beloved pet.

 

She gazes forlornly at said pet who is again, swimming aimlessly back and forth across his spacious tank. Staring does nothing to really help her frustration though, so she smashes her face into a pillow and screams instead.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

If Jeongyeon and Nayeon are progressing well and Mina and Momo are at least talking to each other, then Tzuyu is having the worst luck of them all.

 

This .

 

She glares at the manual of steps she’d been carefully working at for the past week. She understands Chaeyoung is one of those 'unconventional' people that everyone's always talking about, and it’s something she seriously accounts for as she writes out the steps, but she hasn’t been able to get close enough to Chaeyoung naturally to talk to her. She’s written out almost four steps now- four whole steps! And she’s yet to even complete Step 1.

 

She sighs from her spot high up on the bleachers overlooking the track, which frames the football field. Chaeyoung and her teammates are sprinting back and forth over the straights. Tzuyu observes her crush silently, longingly, but longing staring isn’t really going to help anything if she and Chaeyoung aren’t even friends, so she picks up her pen again and begins to work on her plan once more, scribbling fiercely in her notebook.

 

Tzuyu doesn’t account for the fact that her presence is hard to miss. Chaeyoung glances at some of her giggling teammates curiously, wondering what they’ve been fussing about for the past five practices. “What’s up guys?” She asks, jogging up to them during one of the water breaks.

 

One girl who’s the same age as Chaeyoung squeals a little and does this weird little jump. “Chou Tzuyu’s been sitting in the bleachers during out practices for the past two weeks. Do you think I could go up and talk to her without looking weird?”

 

Chaeyoung glances up to where everyone’s stealing glances and sure enough, Chou Tzuyu is sitting by herself in what should otherwise be an inconspicuous spot (but it isn’t anymore because she’s Chou Tzuyu and everyone loves her or is in love with her). She then understands why some of the girls have been so jumpy during practices; Tzuyu is a freshman like the rest of them, but she’s probably half-veela or Aphrodite’s daughter or something ridiculous like that because she’s that pretty. Chaeyoung understands this well, but only since everyone’s always talking about her.

 

The freshmen are all particularly excited, and they suddenly turn to Chaeyoung with excited looks. “That settles it! We’re going to talk to her after practice ends, are you in Chaeyoung?”

 

Chaeyoung balks for a moment. It’s not that she doesn’t like Tzuyu (although they don’t actually know each other); she just has other obligations at the moment.

 

“Uh, I gotta run home after practice. You guys go on ahead okay?”

 

One of the girls looks at her curiously. “You’re always jetting home right after practice. What’ve you got at home that’s so important?”

 

Chaeyoung laughs nervously. “Nothing really, just…”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“SQUUAAAWWKK~”

 

Chaeyoung closes the front door behind her and drops her school bag on the ground. “I’m home!” She calls cheerfully into the empty air. Another squawk, and she hastily kicks her sneakers off and runs to the living room.

 

A large cage resides by the wall. Chaeyoung bounces over with a smile and unlatches the cage door. “Snoopy!”

 

Snoopy the umbrella cockatoo hops out of the cage and right onto Chaeyoung’s shoulder. Chaeyoung closes the cage door with a giggle at the bird knocking her head into her own. With Snoopy safely on her shoulder, Chaeyoung heads to the kitchen to get them both something to eat.

 

As she’s stirring at her pot of macaroni & cheese, she decides to FaceTime Momo. Snoopy has eaten her almonds and is sitting contentedly on Chaeyoung’s shoulder, staring at the small girl’s phone screen with that blank look that all birds seem to have on their faces.

 

Momo picks up on the second ring. “Chaeyoung-ah!”

 

Chaeyoung grins and waves. “Hello!”

 

“Hello!” Her faithful pet squawks right after. Chaeyoung smiles smugly, proudly, and Momo laughs loudly.

 

“Hi Snoopy!” Momo waves through the camera at the bird. Snoopy hops off Chaeyoung’s shoulder onto a nearby table to flap at the air.

 

“What’s up unnie?” Chaeyoung asks, stirring her pot of melted cheese.

 

Momo shrugs, stretching with a yawn. “The usual. Homework and whatnot, no one’s home, and Pinky’s swimming. How was practice?”

 

Chaeyoung hums. She and Momo had bonded a great deal over their unconventional pets- Chaeyoung had received Snoopy as a gift when the bird was about 15 years old because she was lonely, her parents always working and away. They were the best of friends; Chaeyoung would always run home after school to spend time with her beloved, (and luckily) well-behaved pet. Snoopy was there when no one else was and as loyal as a bird could be.

 

“Practice was fine, but everyone’s been a little distracted lately.”

 

“Why’s that?”

 

Chaeyoung thinks back to the recent meetings. “Well, I think it’s because Chou Tzuyu has been sitting on the bleachers during our practices for like, the past two weeks.”

 

“Tzuyu? She’s in your grade right?”

 

Chaeyoung nods absently as she turns the stove off. “Yeah, she’s friends with Myoui Mina and them.”

 

“Oh.” Chaeyoung giggles a little at Momo’s schooled expression. “That’s cool. Do you know her?”

 

“No, we’ve never really spoken.” Chaeyoung replies truthfully. “Although I’m pretty sure that I took a chili bath for her during the fall festival this year.”

 

Momo laughs heartily at the memory. “Ah, you’re right!” She claps delightedly. Chaeyoung rolls her eyes good-naturedly at the older girl.

 

“Buzz off, unnie.” Snoopy screams in the background, startling Momo and eliciting an exasperated but fond glance from Chaeyoung. “I’ll talk to you later; I’m going to eat soon.”

 

“Alright. See you later Chaeng.” Momo waves goodbye before they hang up.

 

Chaeyoung sits down with her bowl by Snoopy who is contentedly running back and forth across the table. She smiles to herself.

 

Wouldn’t trade this for the world.

 

---

 

Step 3: Subtly drop hints about your blooming interest.

 

Now that you know a little more about each other and have (hopefully) found some kind of common ground, it’s time to take it up a notch. Try flirting with your unconventional love interest. Frankly, if this person is unconventional enough for you to be using this guide, you might have a little trouble with this step. The extra-ordinary folks are known across the board to be a little more… golden, if you will. High value, high conductivity, high density…and the list goes on. This is a very important part of the process- do this right and you’ll be moving along in no time! Mess this up and, well, prepare for a long period of waiting, wanting, frustration, and relative hopelessness. Fighting!

 

Mina sits across from Momo in the classroom, who is shoveling food down with all speed. Mina eyes her companion warily. “Aren’t you afraid of choking?”

 

Momo looks up with a blink. “Choking? On what?” She asks confusedly, not understanding why Mina would ask her such an odd question.

 

Mina exhales, Momo notices, but she doesn’t seem angry or anything- just fondly exasperated. Momo shrugs it off though, and turns her thoughts to other situations at hand.

 

“Have you made any progress with the fish?”

 

Mina ducks her head with a small, shy smile on her face. “I have. I was torn between a betta fish and an angelfish. I’m not sure which one yet, though.”

 

Momo claps delightedly. “That’s great! Both are awesome and super pretty!” She replies excitedly, grinning at Mina with her usual innocent, blank look.

 

Mina nods, her face red again. Momo ignores her redness, thinking at this point that it must be some strange condition the other girl has. “What do you think, Momo?”

 

Momo frowns and her brow creases slightly in thought. “Have you ever owned a fish yourself before?”

 

Mina shakes her head no.

 

“Then I think you should probably get the betta fish. Betta fish are inexpensive, easy to take care of, and pretty resilient. You should do just fine, as long as you take care of it.”

 

Mina nods at her every word, attention rapt as Momo shares some of her extensive knowledge on betta fish. “That sounds reasonable. I guess I’ll be going to buy a betta fish later then.”

Momo cheers for her in that weird way she does with Nayeon whenever the flower pig gets good grades on her Chinese quizzes. “Yay! Make sure you get a cute one.”

 

Mina looks at her prolongedly for some time, and Momo misses how her eyes seem to scan her features and commit them to memory. “Would you like to come with me to the pet store?”

 

Momo looks thoughtful as she chews her pasta. “Hm. Well I have been meaning to get Pinky some new plants.” She saws pensively, and Mina waits with folded hands for the older girl’s response. “Sure, I’ll come with!”

 

Mina’s expression lights up. “You will? Thanks Momo!” She replies eagerly.

 

Momo smiles through another bite of pasta. “I’ll see you at two then?”

 

“Sounds like a da- plan! Sounds like a plan!”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Mina ends up taking a ride with Momo to the pet store since she usually gets driven to and from school by Jeongyeon or Jihyo, and they spend approximately two and a half hours in the pet store staring at fish and picking up all the essentials for Mina’s new betta fish to have a happy life. It proves slightly difficult to tear Momo away from the aquarium sections and keep her from spouting all the information she knows about all the different types of fish (she’s even offered a job by the manager, who happens to witness one of her excited rants to Mina) but she proves herself useful on the trip, as she points out all the different intricacies that Mina may face in her fish-rearing.

 

Mina already has two sufficiently sized tanks at home since her brother used to keep fish before he left for college, and she ends up getting two betta fish (it doesn’t cross Momo’s mind as to why Mina asks Momo for help instead of just consulting her brother) because she can’t choose just one.

 

“My brother has a betta fish too.” Mina reveals as they peruse the aisles of the live section, where Momo is looking at aquatic plants.

 

“Really? What happened to him?”

 

“He took it to college with him. The fish is called Victor.”

 

Momo smiles. “That’s so cute!”

 

She gets a red fish and a blue fish- she names the red one Gibson and the blue one Paulie, which Momo quickly mistakes as Pablo, and now Mina calls him Paulie while Momo keeps calling him Pablo and this poor fish is probably going through an identity crisis because of them.

 

Momo drives Mina to her place, where she helps Mina clean the tanks and set them up nicely. They put the fish in their new homes, Momo coos, Mina secretly takes pictures, and then Momo remembers that she has homework to do so she bids Mina goodbye and speeds her way home.

 

Mina stares at the aquatic creatures later that night. All they do is swim around and eat (she’s not sure how they sleep, although she’s fairly sure they sleep- they should sleep, right?) She sighs, Ray’s head soundly on her lap.

 

Nayeon calls Momo later that night. “Hello, my darling.”

 

Momo rolls over in her pink pajamas. “Hello flower pig.”

 

Nayeon ignores the insult. “I feel like I haven’t properly talked to you in a while. How was your day?”

 

Momo hums as she scribbles the final answer to her math homework. “It was good, nothing special.” She replies, clapping her notebook shut as she finishes up for the night. “How are you and Jeongyeon?”

 

She can hear the other’s light scoff on the other end. “Don’t you worry about Jeongyeon and I- I heard you and Mina met up today after school.”

 

Momo snaps as she remembers. “Oh, right!”

 

There’s a shrill screech on the other end, and Momo can faintly hear what sounds like a hand beating on a pillow from Nayeon’s side. 

 

“HIRAI! TELL ME EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW! YOU WENT ON A DATE?!? WITH YOUR DREAM BOO???”

 

Momo winces as she holds the phone further away from her ear. “It wasn’t a date- we went to the pet store.”

 

There’s a brief silence on the other end as Nayeon processes this information. “It wasn’t a date?”

 

“No, I just went to help her buy some betta fish.”

 

“Fish?!”

 

“She’s keeping them as pets since her brother took his to college.”

 

“Does she know about Pinky?”

 

Momo feels the small bruise on her heart. “Uh, yeah.”

 

“Wow! And she didn’t run away screaming?”

 

Momo scowls. “Why would she run away? Pinky is a perfectly normal and healthy fish!”

 

“Momo, he’s a piranha.”

 

Ouch. Momo swallows hard as she glances at innocent Pinky’s tank. “Don’t discriminate against different species of fish!”

 

Nayeon laughs- she must be imagining the wounded look on Momo’s face right now. “Okay okay, I’m sorry. Pinky is wonderful.”

 

“It’s not like you don’t know other people with unconventional pets. Chaeyoung has that bird, remember?”

 

“Ah yes, Snoopy. That thing is probably going to outlive her.”

 

“If anything, Snoopy’ll outlive you.” She wasn’t wrong; Snoopy’s species, the umbrella cockatoo, has a lifespan of about 60-80 years and she was 15 when Chaeyoung bought her. The bird was a few year shy of their own ages, probably one of the reasons Chaeyoung is so fond of her.

 

“Yah.” Nayeon jokes back good-naturedly. “Anyway, so you haven’t gotten any closer to Mina?”

 

Momo sighs a little. “No, not really. I don’t think, at least.” She says dejectedly. “But she invited me to check on the fish, which is a good thing right?”

 

Nayeon shrugs from her room although no one can see it. “I think so? I can’t really tell.”

 

“Right?” Momo sighs, rolling back around onto her side. “Well, I should go wash up. I’ll see you later Nayeon.”

 

Nayeon chuckles lightly. “Alright. Sleep tight Moguri.”

 

“You too.” Momo sing-songs before she hangs up. She dims the lights in her room as she heads to the bathroom, careful not to disturb Pinky, and washes up for the night.

 

---

 

Helpful hint: remember that your unconventional love interest is human, just like every other human on this planet - she may be unconventional, but she’s allowed to have normal hobbies too. Try not to be surprised when you discover these kind of things about her; you never know, these people always have surprises up their sleeves.

 

“Cooking? You like to cook?”

 

Mina nods enthusiastically. “I just watched an episode of a cooking show yesterday and I’ve been wanting to make this dish ever since.”

 

Momo blinks slowly, still not believing what she’s hearing. “You like to cook?”

 

“Why are you so surprised Momo? Now go get me some tomatoes. The pasta isn’t going to cook itself.”

 

Momo balks for a bit, but at Mina’s expectant gaze, she quickly scurries to the fridge to grab some vegetables. Mina’s already got a cutting board and knife in her hands, so they set about to make the most badass pasta either of them has ever tasted.

 

Turns out Mina’s a pretty solid chef, with a real penchant for food and flavors. Momo lays in bed later that night thinking of rosè pasta and a girl who’s pretty, smart, a little weird, and apparently a good cook.

 

She sighs. It’s safe to say that they’ve moved from strangers to friends zone (maybe not the closest or anything, but friends nonetheless), so Momo feels like she should try to maybe do something to bring this out of the friendship zone before she really gets friend zoned. After all, love is timing, right?

 

She decides to call the one she knows will steer her right (hint: it's not Nayeon). Chaeyoung picks up on the third ring. “Unnie?”

 

“Chaeyoung-ah!”

 

She hears Snoopy screeching in the background and she smiles. “Hey unnie, what’s up?” Chaeyoung’s voice rings through the phone.

 

Momo hums as she leans back in her seat, drumming her fingers on the table. “Chaeyoung, I have a question.”

 

“Shoot.”

 

Momo clears . “Um, so let’s say there’s this person, and this person likes this other person.”

 

“What?”

 

Momo sighs. “Okay, so let’s say there’s this person named… Charlene.”

 

“Charlene?”

 

“And Charlene likes another person called, um, Susan!” Momo scrambles for a name.

 

“Charlene and Susan?”

 

“Yeah yeah, Charlene likes Susan. So let’s say that Charlene and Susan weren’t friends, but Charlene likes Susan and somehow, they become friends.”

“Charlene likes Susan and now they are friends.” Chaeyoung repeats back to her. Momo snickers a little as she hears Snoopy say ‘Charlene’ from Chaeyoung’s end. Like owner like pet.

 

“Mhm. And then, because they’re friends and not just strangers now, Charlene feels like she should do something to move their relationship along before she gets too deep into the friend zone with Susan.”

 

“What’s the issue here?”

 

“Should Charlene do it? Should she confess, or would it be better for them to just leave things the way they are in case it gets awkward?”

 

Chaeyoung laughs and Snoopy imitates her laugh. It's kind of creepy. “Well, I think that if Charlene really likes Susan she should just go for it. It’s better to know than to never know and always want.”

 

Momo can hear rustling noises and she can only assume that Snoopy has once again taken residency on Chaeyoung’s small shoulder. “You think so Chaeng?”

 

“Sure, why not? It’s always better to try.”

 

“You really think so?” Momo bites her lip nervously.

 

“Yeah, of course. I’m going to go to sleep soon, so I’m going to hang up. I’m rooting for you, Charlene!”

 

Momo beams. “Thank you, Chaeyoung-ah!” She calls lovingly at the younger girl before hanging up and falling on her bed contentedly. That settles it then, she decides; she’s going to confess to Mina!

 

Wait, did she just call me Charlene?!

 

---

 

Step 4: Confess.

 

If you’ve successfully completed steps 1 through 3, your next order of business should be: confess! If you’ve gotten this far with this girl and not been dropped, ghosted, or left behind, it sounds like you’ve got a pretty good shot. So don’t be scared; steel your gut, face your fears, be confident, and go get yourself an unconventional girl!

 

“Momo?”

 

The girl screams at the intrusion, shocked to the bone. Mina stands behind her, shocked silent as well.

 

“Oh! Mina- I didn’t see you there.” Momo laughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. She’d been thinking about how to confess actually, thinking maybe she could bring up the subject while they were talking or something, but having Mina here in front of her somehow made things a lot less easy.

 

Mina looks extremely flustered as well. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, I just wanted to talk.”

 

“Oh.” Momo blinks. “What’s up?”

 

There’s silence for a few strange moments during which Mina’s face grows redder and redder, and suddenly-

 

“IreallylikeyouMomoandI’velikedyouforalongtimenowwillyoupleasebemygirlfriend?” Mina says it all in one, furious sentence and when she finishes, her face is as red as the chili Sana spilled all over Chaeyoung earlier in the year.

 

Momo’s jaw drops to the ground. “Huh.”

 

“It’s okay if you don’t want to I just wanted you to know and I don’t actually love fish all that much although they’re nice and all and they’re actually really growing on me but I only got them because I saw your Instagram one day and I saw you have a fish so I figured you’d be more interested in me if I liked fish as well and I don’t know I just-“

 

“Mina. Breath.” Momo reaches out a hand to steady the girl, who looks like she might topple over at any moment now. Mina in a huge gulp of air, looking surprised herself at her sudden outburst.

 

“I’m not sure if I should be more surprised at the fact that you actually like me or that you Instagram-stalked me. But sure, I’ll be your girlfriend.”

 

“Huh?” Mina blinks, confused.

 

Momo grins. “I said I’ll be your girlfriend. Isn’t that what you asked me?”

 

“Oh. Oh yeah.” Mina seems to remember, and Momo laughs at the endearing display. Mina mumbles under her breath something Momo doesn’t quite catch- something about Tzuyu, plans, research, and something else about hypotheses.

 

“What was that?”

 

Mina is silent for another strange moment before she shakes herself out and smiles sweetly up at Momo. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it, now don’t you owe me a date or two?”

 

“Or two?” Momo plays along with her new girlfriend’s joke, smiling down fondly at the girl she’s been pining after since September.

 

“Yeah, since I made you pasta and all. That’s extra.”

Momo giggles as she loops an arm through Mina’s. “That can be arranged.”

 

It’s an interesting turn of events, and she doesn’t quite know how Mina managed to get a hold of her Instagram account before all this (she’s private and she’s pretty sure Mina wasn’t following her before) but she’s got a girlfriend now, and she walks into school with her head held high, Mina by her side. Too bad both of them don’t notice Sana and Dahyun high-fiving proudly on the side as Mina passes them by.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Tzuyu frowns, distraught, at the steps she’s been outlining so carefully for the past three weeks. She doesn’t understand; she’s made a plan, she’s attempted the steps, she’s revised her plan, she’s hypothesized, philosophi-sized, observed, taken notes- she’s done it all right. She’s done it all right like she always does, yet she reaps no results. Tzuyu isn’t one to get frustrated easily, but her frustrations are boiling up slowly at herself, at the world, at her unfortunate circumstances.

 

She lets out a loud sigh. Okay, so maybe Step 1 of her plan didn’t really work out that well (thanks a lot, Jeongyeon) and maybe she’s skipped steps 2, 3, and 4 but still! She’s not one of the top students in her class for nothing- she’s measured, regiment, scientific, and if there’s one thing she’s learned over the course of her schooling thus far, it’s that plans will usually get you everything you need and everywhere you want. Her plans have never failed her- she just doesn’t understand.

 

She’s so busy glowering by herself in her corner of the high bleacher stands that she doesn’t notice the track team halting their practice for a water break and Son Chaeyoung eyeing her amusedly. She doesn’t hear the footsteps that come up the bleacher steps, light and nimble, and she doesn’t feel the presence of another person until Chaeyoung reaches out to tap her on the shoulder.

 

Tzuyu almost screams when she sees Chaeyoung standing in front of her, looking eternally entertained and ethereally hot.

 

“Hey.” Chaeyoung says with a small smirk that showcases her dimples. There’s a towel across her neck from all the running and she’s only wearing a sports bra for the particularly warm afternoon. Her long, dark wavy hair is tied up and there’s sweat on her forehead and neck.

 

Tzuyu slams her notebook shut, feeling a blush crawl up . How embarrassing. She sincerely hopes that Chaeyoung hasn’t caught what’s written in the notebook.

 

Chaeyoung is still standing in front of her, so Tzuyu looks up curiously, question evident in her eyes. Chaeyoung chuckles lightly at the innocent expression before leaning over, plucking the pen out of Tzuyu’s hand and flipping the notebook open to its last page.

 

“Here’s my number. Call me sometime instead of staring at me all day.” Chaeyoung scribbles (with handwriting that’s messy yet still uniformly unique enough to be its own font) her digits in dark blue ink on the paper. Someone shouts for Chaeyoung down by the track, and she turns her head to wave before looking back at Tzuyu.

 

“Sorry, I have to go. I’ll be waiting for your call.” Chaeyoung salutes her with a cute grin before turning to loop her way back down to the red track. Tzuyu stares at her, not quite sure if she really believes what just happened.

 

Chaeyoung halts mid-step and turns back to glance at the tall girl. “By the way, you of all people should know that you don’t need all those fancy plans to get you what you want. Next time, just come up and talk to me instead of wasting time on your elaborate schemes, okay?” She winks over her shoulder at a frozen Tzuyu before finally hopping down the stairs to resume her jog, her teammates quickly falling in step behind her.

 

The blush is real and so is the shame but damn, Tzuyu gulps to herself as she watches Chaeyoung striding easily across fields and turf with ease. The sun’s out, Chaeyoung’s abs are out, Chaeyoung knows who she is, Chaeyoung wants Tzuyu to call her (?!) and Tzuyu doesn’t think she’s ever felt so alive.

 

Son Chaeyoung is so cool.

 

---

 

I don't even know anymore.