A/N: i do my best trying to spot mistakes before posting but it's very common that one or two slip through. i'd like to apologize for any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors that this chapter might contain.

*Jinsol's POV*

  I expected to enter the dorm and find Jiwoo and Sooyoung waiting for my return. What I didn't expect was Jiwoo and Sooyoung sitting on opposite beds, awkwardly glancing at each other, reluctant to speak. Which is exactly what's happening right now. 

  "Hey..." I say, sensing the tension in the room. Jiwoo glances at me before returning to staring at the wall. Sooyoung stares at me with a blank expression. "There's something I need to tell you."

  Again, neither of them respond but Jiwoo gives a small nod to urge me on. I feel the knot in my stomach give a small tug and I take a seat on the chair beside my desk, deciding I'd rather not have my knees buckle beneath me when I tell them.

  "Last night something happened," I begin, glancing at them before continuing, "and it was at the end of the night after I walked Jungeun to her dorm. I walked in and you two...were making out on my bed."

  I squeeze my eyes shut, expecting Jiwoo to yell or Sooyoung to let out a string of curse words. Neither one happens. Instead, Jiwoo lets out a long sigh before saying, "We know."

  My eyes fly open, practically bulging out of the sockets, and I sputter out, "You know?"

  Sooyoung nods. "She just told you didn't she?" she jokes with a tight-lipped smile.

  "How long have you known?" I ask, still astonished.

  "I had a hazy image of it happening when I woke up," Sooyoung answers.

  "I put it together after Sooyoung mentioned remembering bits and pieces of last night," Jiwoo says.

  How are they so unbothered by it? Shouldn't they be acting a bit more awkward? I mean, I'm thankful one of them hasn't walked out yet but this seems off. They're definitely not cool about all this, so why hide the reaction? "You aren't mad at me or anything?" I ask because I feel like they should be. 

  "No, not at all," Sooyoung says with a shake of her head.

  I turn to Jiwoo and she utters a soft, "No."

  I let out a sigh of relief, feeling my body relax. However, it's short-lived because what Sooyoung says next makes me tense up. 

  "We were all drunk last night and you can't control what happens all the time. I understand you were probably overwhelmed about having to explain our drunken mistake."

  All the oxygen in the room is out.

  Mistake.

  My eyes find Jiwoo's and my heart drops to my stomach. Pain flashes in her eyes before an emotion I've never seen replaces it. Her gaze hardens, jaw clenching, but I catch the way her bottom lip trembles like the ground has been yanked out from beneath her.

  "I need to go," she says, bringing herself to her feet faster than the speed of light.

  "Huh?" Sooyoung says, confusion etched into her features.

  Jiwoo takes a deep breath, repeating, "I need to go."

  Her voice sounds flat, lacking its usual high-pitched enthusiasm and joy. She holds her hand close to her sides in an attempt to hide the way they shake, yet I take notice. The last time I've seen her hands tremble in such a way was a few years ago when she dropped her ice cream cone on the ground, seconds after receiving it. She had looked like her world was crumbling in front of her very eyes. Now is no different.

  "Jiwoo," I say, sadly. 

  "Please," she pleads, her eyes beginning to water.

  "Okay," I reply with a reluctant sigh.

  I watch her hurriedly walk to the door, shakily turn the doorknob, then exit the dorm, shutting the door behind her.

  "Wha—"

  "—Leave," I say, barely above a whisper.

  "What? Why? Did I do something wrong?" Sooyoung asks.

  I close my eyes so I don't have to see the mixture of confusion and pain painted over her face. I take a deep breath, "Leave."

  "Jinsol," she says and I hate myself because I know that she's frowning.

  I bring a hand up to my eyes. I can't look at her or else I'll feel like an even bigger piece of than I already do.

  "Sooyoung, please leave, I—" the words get stuck in my throat. 

  Silence.

  Then someone touches the hand that's covering my eyes. I flinch.

  A few seconds pass and she asks, "Are you okay?'

  No. God, no.

  "I'll be fine," I answer. "Now, please go. I want to be alone."

  I hear her shuffle to the door. There's a moment of silence, almost as if she wants to say something else, then the door slams shut. 

  My hand falls into my lap and I slowly open my eyes. Am I coward for shutting my eyes when I told Sooyoung to leave? I couldn't bear to see her pained expression, not after seeing Jiwoo's. Maybe I'm an for telling her to go when I should've explained what was wrong. Great, now both my friends are hurt and for two different reasons. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't expect this to go badly, but I didn't expect it to go this badly.   

  Suddenly this tiny dorm feels all too big for one person, a familiar feeling washing over me. My stomach churns when I realize that there's no one I can go to about this. Sooyoung probably doesn't want to talk to me, and Jiwoo is gone, leaving without any indication of when she'll return.

  For the first time in a long time, I feel lonely.

*~*~*

  It's been almost two weeks since the day I informed Jiwoo and Sooyoung about what happened the night we decided to get drunk. It's been almost two weeks since Jiwoo and Sooyoung have spoken. It's been almost two weeks since I've spoken to Sooyoung, and vice versa. These past few days have been absolute hell, apart from the hour or two when Jiwoo and I actually have fun.

  That day, I paced around, worrying myself sick over Jiwoo. When I picked up my phone to dial her number, I noticed that she had left her phone behind. She did it on purpose, I'm sure of it, but at the time I wasn't upset. How could I be upset when it was 1 a.m. and she still wasn't back? 

  She stumbled in at around 2:30 a.m., walking straight to her bed before collapsing onto it. She looked emotionally drained, along with physically exhausted, but I almost cried out of relief. When I asked where she had been, she said she was with a friend. I didn't pry any further, fearing that she'd shut me out and stop answering my questions. I questioned her a bit more, getting nowhere. I decided to stop interrogating her as she had been through enough.

  The next day, Haseul asked if Jiwoo and I wanted to hang out with her, Kahei, Yeojin, and all of Yeojin's friends. I agreed because Jiwoo hadn't said more than a few words that morning and loneliness was already beginning to eat away at me. It turned out to be a good idea because Yeojin's friends took an immediate liking to her. Yerim even managed to get Jiwoo to crack a smile for the first time since she had left our dorm.

  It was scary how well Haseul's plan had worked in cheering Jiwoo up. Naturally, I had to ask her.

*~*~*

  "Jiwoo seems a lot happier," Haseul commented when we moved away from the younger ones and Kahei.

  "Yeah, she does," I agreed with a small smile. It faded when I asked, "How'd you know she was feeling down?"

  Haseul shrugged, "Lucky guess?"

  I stared at her, willing her to tell me the truth.

  She deflated, "Fine. I knew she was sad because she came over to my dorm yesterday and bawled her eyes out over someone."

  Oh.

  "Oh, so she was with you all day yesterday?" I asked.

  "Yeah," she nodded. "I guess when you told her and Sooyoung about the kiss, it didn't go well?"

  My mouth fell open. "You knew I was talking about them?"

  "I was pretty sure that you were talking about them when you came for advice, but my suspicions were confirmed when Jiwoo began crying over developing feelings for Sooyoung," she said. 

  I shook my head, my chest feeling tight. "Jiwoo's said very little to me and I haven't seen Sooyoung."

  Haseul looked at me, seemingly contemplating whether she should tell me this piece of information. After a few beats of silence, she said, "Sooyoung actually knocked on my door yesterday. She looked like she had been crying and asked if I had seen Jiwoo because she needed to apologize. For Jiwoo's sake, I said that I hadn't. Then she left." 

  The thought of Sooyoung crying made my chest tighten even more. "She was that distressed?"

  "She loves Jiwoo so it's only natural for her to be pained," Haseul answered. But one thing stuck out.

  "What do you mean she 'loves Jiwoo'? Like as best friends, right?" I asked.

  "I'm not sure how Sooyoung feels but she was way too panicked and seemed like she really needed to apologize to Jiwoo," Haseul replied. She glanced at me before adding, "She said something else when she knocked on my door. It's not my place to tell exactly what she said, but she sure made it sound like she has feelings for Jiwoo."

  "Did you tell Jiwoo?" 

  She nodded. "I did. She brushed it off and said that she was sure Sooyoung doesn't feel the same way about her."

  I let out a frustrated sigh, "From what you just said, that's not true."

  "Jinsol, people will always believe what they want, whether it's true or not."

*~*~*

  "Hey." God, I'm never going to get tired of that voice.

  I whip around, a smile already plastered on my face, "Hey."

  "It's been a while, huh?" Jungeun jokes.

  I roll my eyes. "You saw me two days ago."

  She holds a hand to her chest, pretending to be offended. "Two days is too long," she ends it with a pout and I swear, I almost melt on the spot. Her expression turns serious and she asks, "Are you doing alright?"

  "Yeah," I answer, hoping she doesn't see through my lie.

  She does.

  "Jung Jinsol, don't you dare lie to me," she says in a stern voice.

  "Kim Jungeun," I mock, "I'm not lying to you. I swear."

  She stares at me with those eyes of hers and I feel self-conscious. "Jinsol."

  "Jungeun," I mimic. I sigh, deciding I should at least tell her something that holds some truth, "I'm fine now that you're here."

  A shy smile replaces her stern look and what appears to be a blush spreads across her face. I want to stare at her a little longer—not because she's beautiful and takes my breath away—but Yeojin shouts something from the other half of the park.

  "ARE YOU TWO DATING?" 

  Chaewon stops swinging to look at Jungeun and I. She playfully kicks the ground beneath her. "All the pretty girls are taken. I'm never going to find a girlfriend," she jokes, attempting to look disappointed.

  "We're not dating!" I yell back. I can feel a warmth spreading throughout my body.

  Chaewon does exceedingly well at appearing hopeful.

  "You don't have a chance, Chae," Hyunjin hollers as she hops from the top of a slide to the ground, landing on her feet with ease.

  "Hey!" Chaewon says, sounding offended.

  "Accept the fact that you'll be forever alone," Yeojin says before exploding into a giggling fit. Yerim lightly smacks the top of her head but it doesn't stop the younger's roaring laughter.

  "Shush, Yeojin," Hyejoo says in a calm voice. She walks from her place by the monkey bars to the small blonde on the swings. She pats her head affectionately while saying, "You won't be alone forever, Chae. Don't listen to her."

  Chaewon didn't appear to genuinely believe Yeojin when she said that she'll be alone forever, yet her eyes still light up. "Really?" she asks, looking up at the raven-haired girl staring down at her with a soft smile. 

  "Of course. You'll find someone," Hyejoo says, ruffling her hair. I've learned that Chaewon doesn't like anyone ruffling her hair, with the only exception being Hyejoo.

  "Yeah, and that 'someone' is currently right in front of you," Heejin says once she's down the slide and beside Hyunjin.

  Chaewon's face instantly turns a shade of pink and she swats Hyejoo's hand from the top of her head. Hyejoo frowns, letting her hand fall to her side. She turns to Heejin with a glare, her expression appearing slightly upset (although the tips of her ears are red from what must be embarrassment). In a matter of seconds, she's chasing Heejin around the park, telling her that she shouldn't have said anything. Just when Hyejoo begins to catch up to her, Hyunjin breaks into a run, declaring that Hyejoo will not put her hands on Heejin unless she wants to deal with her first.

  I tear my attention away from them to look at Jungeun. She shakes her head, letting out a laugh. "They're really something," she says. She gives them one last glance before looking at me, "Anyway, I came here to tell you about the double date."

  My stomach sinks. I totally forgot about it.

  "What about it?"

  "It's this Saturday," she says. "I'm going to be driving us there if you don't mind. They offered to give us a ride but I figured it would be awkward."

  "No, it's fine," I reassure her. "Good thinking."

  She smiles in response—something she does quite often—but it still manages to catch me off guard. Her smiles don't rival the sun like Yerim's or Jiwoo's, yet there's something about her grins that require me to take a second to catch my breath. Her smile isn't blinding, the type of smile you have to look away from if you'd like to keep your eyesight. Rather her smile is the type you could stare at all day long. The type of smile that makes you smile within seconds—that is, if you haven't returned it already.

  There's something so consistent about Jungeun's smiles, but at the same time, I'm sure that each smile I've seen isn't the same as before. Sometimes her nose is a bit scrunched up, other times, it's her eyes that nearly shut. Sometimes her smile is open-mouthed as laughter tumbles out and at other moments, it appears almost box-shaped. Occasionally, it's more of a smirk than a smile. Still, there's something in her smile that I don't think I've seen in anyone else's. It makes me want to be the reason for each one of them.

  A combination of yelling and laughter is what yanks me away from my Jungeun-filled thoughts.

  When I look away from her, I find Hyejoo and Hyunjin wrestling each other on the ground. They detach themselves, Hyunjin immediately going over to Heejin, and Hyejoo who stands beside Chaewon, Yerim, and Yeojin.

  "Goddammit, Hyunjin," Hyejoo sighs.

  She's met with Hyunjin's signature -eating grin, "I told you already. If you wanna get to Heejin, then you must get through me."

  Without any hesitation, Hyejoo launches herself at Heejin. She succeeds in tackling her to the ground, but Hyunjin grabs onto her, flinging her off of Heejin. It isn't too hard of course, and Hyejoo brings herself back to her feet. Hyunjin leans down, whispers something in Heejin's ear, then begins to chase Hyejoo around the park.

  Hyejoo runs as fast as she can, a grin playing on her lips, while the other girl follows suit. Hyunjin is shouting something about how she's not going to go easy on her once she catches up. This continues for countless minutes until Hyejoo begins to tire and Hyunjin starts to close in. Her hand is already on Hyejoo's shoulder when Chaewon appears out of thin air, launching herself onto Hyunjin's back. All three of them fall to the ground.

  Somehow, Chaewon moves from Hyunjin's back to Hyejoo, as she wraps her arms around her waist protectively. This doesn't stop Hyunjin as she pokes the smaller girl repeatedly, trying to get her grip on the raven-haired girl to loosen. Hyejoo, of course, is trying her best to protect her best friend from the onslaught of jabs that she's receiving from Hyunjin.

  A smile finds its way onto my lips when Hyejoo wraps her arms around Chaewon, flipping them so it's her who's on the receiving end of Hyunjin's "attacks". Hyunjin grins with each poke and although Chaewon squirms beneath her, Hyejoo endures it. Her body shakes with laughter as she buries her face in the crook of Chae's neck in an attempt to muffle her giggles.

  That's how Haseul finds them when she returns with Kahei from the convenience store. "Hey, what are you three doing?" she asks. Her face turns a light pink, perhaps out of embarrassment, as she asks, "What's going on there, Hyejoo and Chaewon?"

  Hyejoo lifts her head, turning to Haseul. She looks down at the girl in her arms, then looks back at Haseul. "Come on, Haseul. Not you too."

  "Are you going to answer me or not?" Haseul asks, a smile threatening to break out.

  Hyejoo removes herself from Chaewon and stands up. She reaches her hand out, helping the blonde-haired girl to her feet, as she says, "I was protecting her from Hyunjin."

  Haseul tosses her the snack she requested. "Alright then," she says but I know her well enough to know that she's biting her tongue.

  "It's cute to see Hyejoo protect something other than her high scores at the arcade," Kahei says in a quiet voice. I don't think she expected our reaction to be so loud because she flinches when we erupt into laughter.

  "She's my best friend!" Hyejoo says with a pout.

  "It's alright, don't get so defensive," Yerim says, patting her on the shoulder.

  "You're all lame. Next time I go to the arcade, you aren't invited," Hyejoo says, addressing everyone.

  Heejin waves her hand dismissively, "That's alright, you only ever invite Chae anyway."

  Hyejoo deflates, her pout being replaced by a genuine frown.

  Hyunjin gets one look at her and rolls her eyes, "We're just messing with you and Chae, Hyejoo. We don't actually think you like each other."

  Chaewon's eyes drift to the ground and Hyejoo glances at her from the corner of her eye, trying to be discrete.

  Interesting.

*~*~*

  I have always loved the weekend—I still do—but I have been dreading this day since Jungeun told me about it at the park. I'd be lying if I said that I haven't considered making up an excuse so I won't have to go. I've spent these past few nights trying to come up with a lame reason that would prevent me from attending this double date. I came up with a few that would've worked but when I started typing it, I couldn't bring myself to hit send. 

  I'm glad that I couldn't bring myself to cancel on her because I never break my promises. Even now as I wait for Jungeun outside her dorm, I tell myself that I agreed to this for her, repeating it in my head like a chant. 

  You're doing this for Jungeun.

  I'm doing this for Jungeun.

  I am doing this fo—

  "Hey," her soft voice snaps me out of my thoughts. "You look nice." 

  I blink a few times, dragging myself back to reality. Almost instantly I wish I had taken time to prepare myself because when I get one look at her, my mouth goes dry. She isn't too dressed up but her outfit could be classified as semi-formal. She stares at me, waiting for some sort of response and when she doesn't get one, she asks, "This isn't a bit much, right?"

  I shake my head furiously. "No, uh, it's uh fine," I stutter out. She still seems unconvinced and I know that I should say something. "You look—"

  Tell her she looks beautiful.

  "—really nice."

  All traces of worry disappear from her face, the corners of her lips pulling upwards. "Thanks."

  The walk to her car is filled with silence as I can't bring myself to strike up a conversation. It's not like I'm not trying because I really am, but every time I open my mouth nothing comes out. Apart from attempting and failing to talk to her, I manage to sneak a few glances at her. I only get caught once, when my gaze lingers for too long and she turns, noticing my staring. If she wants to ask something, she doesn't, instead shooting me a small smile.

  It's only once we're inside her car, buckling our seatbelts, that I actually say something. 

  "You're dressed really nice, are you trying to impress your date?"

  Her seatbelt clicks into place when she turns to look at me, laughing before responding with, "Of course not! Is it a crime to like looking presentable?"

  "I guess not," I mumble.

  She puts the key into the ignition. "Are you trying to impress your date?"

  Huh? "I don't even know who my date is," I point out. "Besides, have you seen what I'm wearing? I'm not exactly dressed up."

  She turns to me, looking me up and down a few times, and says, "Maybe you're not dressed up," her eyes lock onto mine, "but that doesn't mean you don't look any less beautiful."

  Did she just say that?

  My cheeks are scorching hot as I nervously laugh, replying with, "I hope my date thinks so."

  She turns the key. "I thought you weren't trying to impress him."

  "I'm not but it'd be nice if he thought I looked good," I admit. 

  We've already begun to pull away when she says, "I'm going to apologize in advance, just in case this double date doesn't end well."

  I can't help but laugh at how little faith she already has. "Don't be pessimistic," I scold. "You never know. Maybe it'll go well. Maybe I'll even hit it off with my date."

  It was intended as a joke yet her face falls the tiniest bit.

  "Yeah, maybe."

*~*~*

  "Moon Hyungseo," a tall, surprisingly cute, guy says.

  I take his extended hand in mine, "Jung Jinsol."

  His smile is easy-going when he says, "Pleasure to finally meet my date."

  I let our handshake last a bit longer because something about him seems completely friendly. Even though he's addressed me as his date—which I technically am—a part of me senses that he doesn't see this as romantic. Which is a relief.

  Once I've let go of his hand, Jungeun's date s his hand in my direction. "Bae Joonyoung," he says. When I give his hand a small shake he says, "Nice to meet you, Jinsol."

  He, too, seems extremely friendly and I waste no time returning his enthusiastic smile.

  In a matter of minutes, we're seated at a table in the far left corner. Jungeun asks if I can sit beside her, stating she'd feel more comfortable. I'm more than happy to agree and our dates don't make any objections.

  After our orders are taken, we agree on getting to know our dates. It's surprisingly easy to talk to Hyungseo—who I quickly learn prefers to be called Kevin—and I find out a decent amount about him. Like how he's from Canada and how he's been friends with Joonyoung since they were 14. It's only fair that I share things about myself so I tell him that I love webtoons and that I don't have much fashion sense, which is why I wear a lot of black. 

  It must be halfway through our conversation when I decide that I like Kevin. It's impossible not to like him when nearly everything he does is downright cute. His eyes light up when he talks about music and whenever he feels like he's said something embarrassing, he lets out this awkward little laugh. One thing I immediately pick up is his habit of glancing over at Joonyoung—Kevin calls him Jacob, which he explained as a "privilege of being one of his close friends"—every so often.

  When our food arrives, Joonyoung's hand which is resting on the table, brushes against Jungeun's and I notice how Kevin's smile falters. Suddenly, everything clicks into place and I have the urge to ask him if he has feelings for the boy beside him. I knock my spoon off the table and we both reach down to grab it. 

  His hand is wrapped around the silver utensil when I wrap my fingers around his, signaling him to stay in place.

  "I've noticed your frequent glances at Joonyooung. Do you like him?"

  His grip on the spoon loosens and it clatters to the floor again. He scrambles, picking it up, and asks in a hushed voice, "What made you jump to that conclusion?"

  "Please answer the question," I insist. We might look like weirdos for whispering to each other beneath a table, but I don't care much.

  "I don't."

  I stare at him, hoping it'll get him to tell me the truth.

  He sighs, "Fine, I do."

  I nod my head, smiling a bit, before saying, "Alright."

  We emerge from under the table, adjusting ourselves in our chairs. Joonyoung and Jungeun look at us, confusion written all over their faces.

  "Why were you underneath the table?" Joonyoung asks.

  Kevin grins, brushing his bangs from his face, "Jinsol dropped her spoon and we both went to pick it up."

  He takes his spoon and places it in front of me, keeping the one that fell onto the floor clutched within his hand. I shoot him a grateful smile and take a quick glance at Joonyoung. I almost don't spot it, but his lips twitch into a frown.

  After a moment of awkward silence, we resume talking to our respective date. It goes well after that, as Kevin can make any conversation ten times more interesting. At one point, I bring up music because he seems very passionate about it, and he ends up going into a rant about how much he loves Beyonce. I have a huge smile plastered on my face the entire time because his genuine interest in her is fascinating.

  He stops midsentence, his smile sliding off his face, as he looks at something from the corner of his eye. I turn, curious as to what's upset him, and my stomach clenches.

  He's fixated on Joonyoung's hand which is currently resting atop Jungeun's.

  Deciding I should comfort him, I reach across the table, gently placing my hand onto his. He flinches and contemplates whether he should retract his hand or not. He pulls his hand away but only to take my hand in his. I give a small squeeze as if to say, 'I know'.

  I know your pain.

*~*~*

  "Thank you for today," I say once we've exited the restaurant.

  He shakes his head with a small smile, "Thank you, Jinsol. For everything."

  I wave my hand, "It's nothing. I understand your pain."

  "You do?" he asks, eyebrows shooting up.

  Tell him. You did make him tell you that he likes Joonyoung. "You like my friend's date and I like your friend's date," I say because I can't bring myself to say her name.

  He stares at me, perplexed, before it slowly dawns on me. "You like—" he lowers his voice when he realizes he's too loud. He steps closer, dropping his voice, "You like Jungeun?"

  I nod. "Yeah."

  Silence passes over us and a familiar feeling of panic fills me, pressing down on my chest. Then—

  "Can I hug you?"

  "Huh?"

  His cheeks turn red from embarrassment as he explains, "I feel bad about the way things are."

  I throw my arms around him without a second thought, my voice muffled as I say, "I do too."

  He slowly wraps his arms around me. 

  "If it's alright with you, we can be in this together."

  "I'd like that."

*~*~*

  My fingers are rapidly moving across my phone when Jungeun asks, "Who are you texting?"

  I look up, bringing my texting to a halt, "Kev—Hyungseo."

  She tears her attention away from the road to glimpse at me. "I assume you hit it off."

  "I guess you could say that," I respond. Does she think I like him? "I don't like him though. Not like that, anyway."

  She nods in response and it falls silent. I glance at her a few times, looking her up and down. Is it weird to want to know if it went well with Joonyoung? Did he think she looked beautiful? Did she want him to think that? Did I want him to think that? I push away the thought because the answer is 'no'. 

  "Don't you want to know how it went with Joonyoung?"

  Yes. No. I don't know.

  I give a weak smile. "I don't know, do I?" I tease.

  She doesn't look away from the road ahead but she smiles. "Sometimes I wonder what goes on inside your head," she says, laughing to herself. She clears , "In case you'd like to know, it went well with Joonyoung."

  I want my seat to swallow me whole. "So you'd go on another date with him?" I ask, forcing myself to sit up straighter even though every part of me is screaming at me to curl up in a ball.

  There's a beat of silence before she quietly says, "No."

  A sense of hope fills me.

  "What? Not your type?" I jokingly ask.

  "He should be, huh?" she asks, glancing at me from the corner of her eye.

  What?

  "What do you mean—"

  "—He should be my type. He's nice, he respected my boundaries, he said he thought I looked beautiful," she shakes her head. "God, there must be something wrong with me."

  Her hands are still clenching the steering wheel even though she's already parked. I carefully reach my hand out, "There's nothing wrong with you, Jungeun."

  She doesn't respond, instead unbuckling her seatbelt and exiting the vehicle. I fumble with my seatbelt, scrambling out of the car.

  "You don't have to like him. There are other guys," I tell her gently.

  Her head snaps up, eyes meeting mine. "What if I don't care about other guys?"

  "Then you don't have to," I answer. What is this leading to?

  She stares at me, seeming to see right through me.

  "You make this so hard for me."

  My eyebrows shoot up. What does she mean? Am I doing something wrong? Am I making something difficult for her? Ask her, you idiot, I think.

  "What am I do—"

  My voice trails off because she's running away, the sound of her footsteps thumping against the concrete blending with the rustling of leaves, caused by the cool night breeze.

A/N

  this took quite a while to write. i'd like to apologize for the number of things happening in this chapter, as i understand it might be confusing. i included a fair amount of ships, a few that i didn't actually intend to incorporate just yet. anyway, i'd really appreciate if you gave feedback because if i'm being honest here, i'm very unsure about this chapter. your comments and questions will be greatly appreciated!

  twitter: @allhailhyejoo