It had been a week since mini golf with Wendy. It had been a week since Wendy walked her home from the course, with their pinkies interlocked. It had been a week since Wendy kissed Irene under the neon glow of the mini golf lights.

It had been a week since Irene had heard anything from Wendy.

No texts, no calls, no nothing. Zip. Nada. Absolute radio silence. A few days ago Seulgi told her to stop worrying, that class had probably caught up to her and that Wendy would come in on the weekend like she normally does. But the weekend has been and gone and Irene has seen nothing and frankly, she’s worried.

Why would Wendy ghost me? Irene thought, Did I do something wrong?  

Irene has replayed that entire day countless times in her head, trying to find a reason that would have made Wendy avoid her. But she couldn’t see anything wrong apart from the kiss. The kiss that Wendy pretty much initiated. Had she read the whole thing wrong? Did she go too far?

The next day, Irene was walking through campus and spotted someone who looked familiar. It was a girl with long dark hair who Irene recognised as the girl who took over Wendy’s set at the house party. If anyone was going to know where Wendy was, she was as good as any a place to start.

Irene walked up to the girl who had earbuds in and tapped her on the shoulder. The girl turned and smiled at Irene, removing one ear bud.

“H-hey,” Irene started, she wasn’t used to approaching strangers outside of the coffee shop, and it was still painfully obvious interacting with people was not Irene’s forte, “um… it’s Joy, right?”

The girl, Joy, nodded softly, “Yeah that’s right...um...do I know you?”

“Oh no, I’m a friend of Wendy’s,” Irene explained, “I was at the house party a while ago that you took over from her for,” Irene pauses for breath not realising she was talking so fast at this poor girl.

“I was just wondering if you’d seen her around? I-I haven’t heard from her in a while so wanted to make sure she was okay.” Irene says, still a little out of breath.

Joy’s eyebrow quirked at Irene calling herself a friend of Wendy’s. She’s friends and classmates with the girl and Wendy has spoken about Irene as if she was more than a friend but that was for those two to work out. Joy wasn’t one to mix up other people’s business and cause trouble.

“Uh, yeah...I last saw her before the weekend in class, but it’s reading week this week so I haven’t seen her around as much.” Joy says to Irene.

Irene just nods, So Wendy is okay, she’s just been hard avoiding you and the coffee shop. Brilliant.

“Oh okay,” Irene says, trying not to look too sad about the fact the girl she kissed a week ago is just ghosting her, “thanks for your help.”

And Irene turns around and walks off, a little sadly. Joy watches her leave and shakes her head.

So Wendy is in town still, Wendy isn’t dead or in hospital and Wendy is in fact a-okay. She just doesn’t want to see me, talk to me or even text me. As Irene runs that thought through her head over and over again, her stomach twists and her heart hurts and one thought echoes louder than the rest in her mind.

Wendy doesn’t want me.

~~

It’s been two weeks now.

Irene has stopped calling. She’s stopped texting. She’s stopped caring. At least that’s what she tells herself.

She’s working the afternoon shift at the coffee shop after her morning classes. Her boss noticed she hasn’t been in the best mood the past few days so has kept her on cleaning duty behind the counter, where she can work in her own world. Irene is forever grateful to her boss for this. Her boss didn’t ask questions, just gave her a nod as if she understood and let her get on with it.

Irene walked in to the front of shop from the back carrying some supplies and it’s here that she overhears a convers