It was a struggle for Dahyun to wake up the next morning. The remnants of yet another tear-stained night had yet to clear themselves from her eyes, and she could hardly find the will to wrench them open regardless. She was beginning to worry that the amount of strain she was putting her tear ducts under might have the capability to do some lasting damage. And wouldn’t that just be the cherry on top of an incredible week?

But really, she was trying to avoid negative thinking. Chaeyoung, though she made an incredible effort to be more supportive than she was vindictive, had immediately jumped to suggestions of egging and TP as suitable payback for Sana’s rejection. Tzuyu had been more gentle, dragging her revenge-hungry girlfriend to Dahyun’s apartment for a good old-fashioned “crying into a tub of ice cream while wearing pajamas” catharsis party. And while Dahyun really, truly appreciated the fact that both of them were trying, she mostly just wanted to forget that any of this had happened. 

So Sana didn’t feel the same way. Whatever. Unrequited crushes happen every day. It’s not mind-blowing, hardly earth-shattering. It’s spilt milk. No reason to get so wound up about things outside of her control. There’s especially no reason to get mad at Sana about it. She didn’t have any more say in her feelings than Dahyun did in her own. She’d really done the decent thing, in being honest, in not stringing Dahyun along any further.

It’s not like Dahyun had enjoyed being strung along. It’s not like she’d been thrilled by empty flirtation, felt desirable for the first time in her life with every purposeful hand on her arm or whisper in her ear. It’s not as though she had actually managed to delude herself into believing Sana might really like her, in a special way, as more than a friend. That would be ridiculous. That would be incredibly stupid of her, to do some foolish thing like that. 

Regardless of what she may have wanted previously, the only thing Dahyun wanted now was to sink into her mattress and never be seen in public again. That seemed like the perfect way to deal with these feelings she may or may not have felt. 

It was her mom who forced her out of bed. Dahyun’s mother still hadn’t totally forgiven her daughter for disappearing on the night of the biggest storm in recent memory without giving any indication as to where she was or if she was safe. She rapped harshly on Dahyun’s door, announcing that she had five minutes to be up or she wasn’t getting breakfast. Dahyun rolled on to her side, saw that she had about thirty minutes until she would absolutely miss her bus and be late for school, and she decided that she could forgo the earthly pleasure of breakfast for the day. Her bed was a far more persuasive comfort.

Fifteen minutes later, and really bordering on indisputably-late-to-school territory, Dahyun heaved herself out of bed, casting off the bonds of her mattress lest the avalanche of barely-repressed negativity bury her. At the sink in her bathroom, she harnessed all the vigor that remained to her to scrub at her face and eyes with cold water. If internally she couldn’t make her sadness dissipate, at least externally she didn’t have to look like a drowned raccoon. 

Her mom, never one to hold a grudge for long and clearly sensing something was off, sent her out the door with a kiss to the forehead and a warning to be home on time. As she descended the stairs of her building, Dahyun found her gaze drifting to the ground and not wandering back up. Head bent and shoulders slumped, she opened the door to begin the trek to the bus stop, only to be stopped in her tracks the second her foot hit the sidewalk.

“Dubu!”

She looked up, bewildered.

“Sana?”

The girl in question returned the confusion with a giddy wave. She was seated behind the wheel of her convertible, parked in front of Dahyun’s building, as though waiting for something. Nayeon sat shotgun, Momo and Jeongyeon sprawled out in the back, and they all shared the same expectant look, though none of the friends came close to matching Sana’s enthusiasm.

“What...” Dahyun struggled to form something resembling a sentence. “What are you guys doing here?”

“We’re giving you a ride, silly,” Sana said. “Hop in.”

“But I, uh.” Dozens of reasons why this was a horrible idea cropped up in Dahyun’s mind, each more valid than the last. The majority of them centered around the fact that Dahyun felt as though if she spent even another second with Sana in an enclosed space, she was going to either burst into tears or explode. It really wasn’t fair to put that kind of strain on her body. But instead of that eruption of emotion, what came out was, “There’s no room.”

Nayeon smirked. “Don’t worry. We made a plan for that.”

Without further ado, Nayeon clambered into the back seat and deposited herself in Jeongyeon’s lap, much to her girlfriend’s shock and chagrin.

“Now there’s room,” Sana declared brightly.

“But I…” Dahyun said, her greatest excuse foiled. “I can just take the bus, you really don’t have to-”

“Oh come on, Dubu,” Momo whined. “We are way better than the bus. And Sana really wanted to come pick you up today.”

Struck dumb by Momo’s words and left without anything to say in return, Dahyun found herself in the passenger’s seat of Sana’s car for the second time in as many days. It was remarkable how the circumstances could change, how different the same car could feel after only a little more than 24 hours. And with Sana’s evident determination to keep Dahyun from ever using the bus again, she would likely be finding herself in this car repeatedly for the foreseeable future. A part of that was unbearable. An even greater part was wonderful.

“Did you eat breakfast?” Sana asked. Dahyun could only assume Sana was talking to her, as she diligently kept her eyes on the road.

“No,” Dahyun mumbled into her lap. “Didn’t have the time, I… woke up late.”

Not catching anything suspicious in Dahyun’s tone, Sana beamed. “That’s alright, Mrs. Lee made something for you.”

Dahyun’s eyes blew wide as Momo passed forward a breakfast sandwich, complete with a toothpick and gold foil wrapping. Sana continued, “She always makes one for Momo, and when I told her we were picking you up today, she insisted on making one for you too.”

“They’re incredible,” Momo said thickly through her mouthful of sandwich.

“Th-thank you,” Dahyun stuttered, accepting the gift with trembling hands. 

“I’ll let her know you appreciate it,” Sana said, then frowned into her rearview mirror. “Settle down back there, you two, or you’re going to fall out of the car.”

“It’s not my fault,” Nayeon protested, struggling to find a comfortable perch on Jeongyeon’s lap. “She won’t stop squirming around.”

“Stop putting your hands inside my shirt,” Jeongyeon huffed, to which Nayeon only snickered and redoubled her efforts. “God, my legs are killing me. Coach has been drilling us so hard for the game on Saturday.”

Momo swallowed the last bite of her breakfast. “Oh yeah, it’s the SM game, isn’t it?” 

“Are you nervous?” Sana asked.

Jeongyeon grunted, either in offense or because Nayeon had just elbowed her in the gut. “Of course I’m not worried. Coach seems pretty stressed about their offense this year, but their point guard isn’t strong enough to carry the team and their defense is a joke. They’ve got a new center that we’ve never played against, but no matter how good she is, she can’t do everything. On the other hand, we have the strongest defense we’ve ever had, and even our rookies are doing way better than usual. We’re gonna wipe the floor with them.”

“You’re so y when you talk all technical and competitive,” Nayeon said, skating her hands up her girlfriend’s shoulders and around her neck. Despite Jeongyeon’s show of resistance, it might have progressed further had the light not turned yellow and Sana not slammed on the brakes, sending Nayeon tumbling forward.

“Oopsies,” Sana said as Momo laughed her head off. Dahyun found a smile sneaking it’s way onto her lips in spite of herself.

“You know, there’s a reason why this isn’t legal,” Jeongyeon griped, rubbing at the spots on her neck Nayeon had clung to in an effort to keep her balance. 

Sana silenced her friend with a dismissive wave, turning her attention to Dahyun. The younger girl, for her part, made a decent show of nonchalance, despite the glimmer of an idea in Sana’s eye, which had never been known to herald good things. 

“You know,” Sana said, “despite all of Jeongyeon’s smack talk, the game should be pretty exciting. Have you been to a high school basketball game yet, Dahyunnie?”

Anticipation roiling in her stomach, she shook her head.

“You should join us!” Sana exclaimed. “Come on, it’ll be so fun. You’ll get to see Jeongyeon play and the dance team does a whole performance at halftime. You can invite Chaeyoung and Tzuyu and we can all hang out together.”

Dahyun’s immediate instinct was to reject the offer outright. Going to a basketball game with Sana could only exacerbate her already-troublesome feelings, and it was highly unlikely that her friends would agree to it. But the more she considered it, there was a far more persistent instinct screaming at her to accept any opportunity she was offered to spend quality time with Sana. And she had promised Sana that they could try to be real friends. Clearly basketball games, as well as rides to school and breakfast sandwiches, were just a part of Sana’s friendship.

“Alright.” Dahyun nodded. She tried to inject some enthusiasm into her voice. “I’ll let Chaeng and Tzuyu know.”

The grin that Sana gave her then was nearly enough to quell all of the worries bubbling up in her stomach. She took a big bite of her sandwich and leaned back, determined to savor this fleeting feeling of peace and the wind blowing through her hair.

The second that Dahyun arrived at her locker, she knew just how right she had been to appreciate the respite while it lasted. Those familiar nerves returned with a vengeance the second she saw her friends waiting for her. Now, don’t get her wrong, the overwhelming sense of unease that had tainted their friendship was gone for good, she firmly believed that. But there was still something incredibly vulnerable about meeting the eyes of her closest friends as she walked arm in arm with the girl they all knew had just broken her heart. 

It wasn’t just Dahyun’s friends watching her either. It seemed that every eye in the halls was permanently fixed on Sana’s group and now, by proxy, on Dahyun. Everywhere her gaze landed, she met the eyes of students she’d never even spoken to before, all looking at her with the same combination of envy and distaste. They weren’t making any attempts to be subtle either; conversations ground to a sudden halt and necks swiveled as they passed. Sana and her friends hardly seemed to notice. Dahyun’s stomach tightened with every step.

She bid them goodbye at her locker, returning their carefree waves meekly. Tzuyu and Chaeyoung, for all the effort they were putting in to appear supportive, couldn’t manage to wipe the identical looks of shock from their faces.

“Before you ask,” Dahyun said, fiddling with her lock, “I don’t know what’s going on either.”

“But I thought-” Chaeyoung spluttered, “you said that- but she doesn’t-”

“You said she didn’t like you back,” Tzuyu said.

“Yeah!” Chaeyoung cried. “You sobbed about it for hours!”

“Gee, thanks for the reminder.” Dahyun buried her head in her locker, vainly searching for her Algebra textbook. “And she doesn’t like me back, for your information.”

“Then why were you walking together?” Tzuyu asked.

“She gave me a ride to school this morning.”

“Why would she do that?” Chaeyoung asked.

“I don’t know, Chaeng, why don’t you go ask her that?” Dahyun wrenched her book from the locker, slamming the door shut.

“Whoa,” Chaeyoung said, gently extracting the book from Dahyun’s grip before she threw it at someone. “What’s happening, Dubs?”

“We’re not trying to make you upset,” Tzuyu said. “But you can see why we’re a little confused.”

“Yeah, well, I’m confused too,” Dahyun huffed. Her shoulders slumped and she fell back against her locker. “Look, I’m sorry for lashing out. You guys have been so supportive, I really can’t thank you enough. My emotions just all over the place, what with everything that’s happened this week and with Sana and whatnot. And now people won’t stop looking at me.”

She punctuated her statement with an exasperated look towards a cluster of whispering students standing nearby. Seeing they’d been found out, they scattered. 

“Yeah, they probably think you’re Sana’s new fling,” Chaeyoung chuckled, only to be silenced by a warning look from her girlfriend.

“Sana doesn’t do that anymore.” And, Dahyun added in her head, even if she did, she wouldn’t be doing it with me.

“Well, I don’t think the rest of the school got that memo.” Chaeyoung observed the stream of students flowing through the hall. “You might need to start watching your back.”

“This is so frustrating,” Dahyun groaned. “I didn’t even do anything.”

“We know,” Tzuyu soothed. “Listen, I think you need an opportunity to destress.”

“Ha!” Chaeyoung said. “Remember how well us ‘destressing’ went last time.”

“Hear me out,” Tzuyu said. “Someone was telling me that there is a really big basketball game this weekend. What do you say we go? Have some fun, try to forget about all of this?”

“Ah, that reminds me,” Dahyun cringed. “Sana invited us to go to that together .”

“What?”

“Us, as in like, all of us?”

“And I said yes.”

Chaeyoung heaved a sigh and furrowed her brow, hands coming up to rub at her temples. 

“Dahyun, you know I’m trying so hard to trust you and let you make your own decisions here, but this behavior is bordering on self-destructive. Why, on Earth, would you say yes to that?”

“I didn’t know how to say no!” Dahyun said. “I think this is just her way of being friendly and I can tell that she still feels bad about everything that happened. She’s just trying to apologize for it, in her own way.”

Chaeyoung scoffed. “She should be apologizing for breaking your heart.”

“Well, she doesn’t know about that,” Dahyun sniffed. “And she never will. Come on, I’m never going to get over her if we don’t spend any time together. And if you guys are there, it will be so much easier for me. Please?”

Tzuyu and Chaeyoung shared a look. Dahyun watched them back and forth, lip caught between her teeth.

“You know,” Chaeyoumd said. “I think you’re already spending too much time with Sana. You’ve picked up her pout.”

Dahyun’s imploring gaze only grew more intense.

Tzuyu sighed. “Of course we’ll go with you.”

“Really?” Dahyun gasped.

“Really?” Chaeyoung groaned.

“Thank you!” Dahyun exclaimed, wrapping both of them in a hug. She sped off down the hall before Chaeyoung could make any more exasperated remarks. The day was not off to the best start, but things seemed like they might be looking up.

Dahyun had expected the week leading up to the game to be difficult, but it still somehow managed to exceed even her wildest expectations. 

She had tried her best to prepare herself for the inevitability of Sana’s friendly affections, but it all was in vain. No amount of preparation could have been enough for Dahyun to handle daily drives to and from school, lunches in the cafeteria, “how was your day today <3” texts, and random back hug attacks in the hallways. Every interaction made Dahyun’s heart flutter and ache in equal measure. Sana’s other friends gave no indication that any of these behaviors were out of the ordinary, so she did her best to restrain her reactions to them. She had expected this. No matter how poorly she was handling this, she had at least expected it.

What she hadn’t expected, though in retrospect should have accounted for, was the entire school suddenly being concerned with her. There’s only a certain amount of attention the average freshman can expect to get, and that meager attention would likely take the form of slight annoyance if it takes form at all. But Dahyun suddenly found herself the recipient of an overwhelming amount of attention, and annoyance wasn’t precisely the word for it. The glares sent her way as she walked down the halls were laced with something more complicated, more intense, and as the students turned to hold hushed conversations with their compatriots, Dahyun slouched a bit into her jacket, turned her eyes to the ground. The whispers only increased when she was actually with Sana, but they didn’t seem to matter so much then. As if she needed another reason to crave Sana’s presence. 

There was also the fact, somewhat less painful but certainly more awkward, that Mina, Jihyo, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu all knew about Dahyun’s feelings and had to bear silent witness to her struggle with Sana’s affections. Mina and Jihyo were tactful enough to not ask about it, and Chaeyoung and Tzuyu upheld their promise to Dahyun that they wouldn’t interfere with the friendship, so it wasn’t really an issue, mostly just incredibly embarrassing. To see the little cringes they couldn’t suppress each time Sana kissed her cheek, to deal with the consoling looks they shot her way. Despite their best of intentions, it made Dahyun feel more than a bit pathetic. But, hey, what else is new? 

The morning of the basketball game dawned cold and clear, and Dahyun woke up as tired as if she hadn’t slept at all. With the emotionally exhausting week she’d had, and the emotionally exhausting weeks that stretched indefinitely out into her future, she didn’t imagine she’d ever feel rested again. Nevertheless, she heaved herself out of bed. Chaeyoung’s mom would be there any minute and she was not a woman to keep waiting.

Sana had offered to drive Dahyun and her friends to the game, but due to some quick thinking on Tzuyu’s part, god bless her, they’d managed to persuade her that it’d be better to just meet up at the school. The trio arrived just minutes before the game began, funneling through the ticket line and emerging into the gym as the teams were finishing warm ups. Sana waved them over to where she and Nayeon sat, eagerly indicating to the seats she had saved for them. Centercourt, a little slice of the first and second rows of the bleachers. Dahyun took a deep breath and plunged forward.

“Hey, guys!” Sana said. “Welcome to your first basketball game!” She passed them bags of popcorn as they approached their seats. Chaeyoung and Tzuyu sent Dahyun some questioning glances, silently asking whether they should try to sit between her and Sana. Dahyun shrugged them off and joined Sana in the second row, leaving Chaeyoung and Tzuyu in front with Nayeon. 

“So, Nayeon,” Dahyun asked, eyeing the girl’s tense posture, her fixed attention on the basketball team. “Big basketball fan or?”

Before Nayeon could answer, Sana snorted dismissively. “She couldn’t care less.”

“I could care less,” Nayeon defended, her eyes not leaving the court. “If Jeongyeon wasn’t on the team, I wouldn’t be showing up at all.”

From behind, Dahyun could make out the “YOO” and the number 9 printed across Nayeon’s back in the JYP colors. “Is that her number?”

“Yes,” Nayeon said, rather smug. “I stole her jersey about a week into us dating.”

“Doesn’t she like, need that jersey?” Tzuyu asked.

“Well she got another one, didn’t she?” Nayeon said. “The team manager was a real about it but we worked it out.”

“I don’t even want to ask what you mean by that,” Chaeyoung said.

“No, no you don’t.”

The first half of the game passed by smoothly. Jeongyeon had been correct in her assessment of the other team; they had their strong players but overall they couldn’t hope to measure up to the JYP team. Despite her assertions of disinterest, Nayeon’s cheers rose above all others any time the team scored, reaching a near-deafening peak if Jeongyeon happened to be the one to send the ball through the hoop. And every time Jeongyeon scored a basket, she ignored every slap on the back from her teammates and sent a smile or a wink Nayeon’s way. It was surprisingly romantic, even as they both pretended to reject the other’s shows of affection. That was just how they showed love.

Sana seemed to hold only a passing interest in the game and was far more invested in trying to get Chaeyoung and Tzuyu to talk to her. This came as a surprise to everyone, most of all Dahyun, who had expected to be dealing with Sana’s relentless enthusiasm single handedly. But, though Sana did link their arms and make repeated attempts to get Dahyun to feed her popcorn, it was obvious the focus of her attention lay elsewhere. Chaeyoung and Tzuyu bore it as well as they could, answering her questions and even hazarding a joke or two. Though they were hesitant at first, it seemed Sana was just genuinely interested in getting to know them. As the game progressed, and she watched Chaeyoung groan in embarrassment as Tzuyu regaled Sana with the story of their relationship, Dahyun felt an enormous sense of relief. Not only because of the brief reprieve from Sana-induced cardiac arrest, but because these two worlds of hers colliding was actually going pretty okay.

Jeongyeon arrived at halftime, sinking into a seat next to Nayeon and immediately having to dodge insistent hands trying to pull her into an embrace.

“Not now, Nayeon, I’m sweaty.” She shrugged her girlfriend off, turning to the rest of them. “Hey, freshies, you made it. Hope you’re enjoying the game.”

They nodded fervently, offering compliments that Jeongyeon brushed off self-consciously. Nayeon was courteous enough to accept all the praise on her behalf.

“You’re right, she is carrying the entire team on her back, that’s a good point.” Nayeon wrapped her hands around Jeongyeon’s bicep, tugging her close. “She is the best basketball player in the whole world, if only she would accept that.”

“Ah, hush,” Jeongyeon griped. “You’re lucky coach even lets me skip huddle to come sit with you, he’s going to stop if you keep committing acts of gross indecency on the sidelines of his court.” It could not be more clear how much she was enjoying Nayeon’s attention.

“So what happens during halftime?” Dahyun asked. A group of people were congregating at the center of the court. She spotted Mina and Momo among them and sent them a wave, which they returned gleefully.

“The dance team does a performance,” Sana said.

“I thought cheerleaders were supposed to do that?” Tzuyu asked.

Nayeon scoffed. “The dance team is better, trust me.”

Chaeyoung raised her eyebrows. “Someone sounds bitter.” 

Sana chuckled. “Jeongyeon’s got an ex on the cheerleading squad.” Jeongyeon just shrugged, making a sort of “guilty-as-charged” expression.

“Doesn’t she kind of have an ex everywhere though?” Chaeyoung asked. She only seemed to realize this might be an inappropriate comment after it had left her lips.

Nayeon side-eyed her. Chaeyoung shrunk back against her girlfriend for protection.

“Touché, freshie,” Nayeon said. Her face split into a grin, and she turned back to doting on Jeongyeon.

As Chaeyoung released a subtle exhale of relief, it dawned on Dahyun just how much effort her friends were putting in to make a good impression on these older girls. Sure, they’d had brief interactions, a handful of lunches at varying degrees of hostility. But they didn’t know any of them as well as Dahyun did. They were treading lightly, joking sparingly, just doing their best to leave behind prejudices and make this newfound acquaintanceship work. Dahyun was flushed with gratitude. If this all managed to work out, if past biases and her stupid feelings could stay out of the way, she really felt like this could be a wonderful group.

As the dance team took their positions, a trio of cheerleaders wandered nearby. Dahyun eyed them as they whispered amongst themselves, unable to make anything out over the general chatter of the crowd. No one else seemed to notice them, too focused on the dance team. One of them let out a laugh and broke away from the group, sauntering towards where Dahyun and her friends were sitting.

“Hey, Sana,” she called as she approached.

Sana’s attention was drawn away from the performance. “Oh, hey, Hyewon.”

“Listen,” Hyewon said coyly. “I was wondering if you might want to hang out after the game. Like we can get food or just go to my house or whatever…”

“Oh,” Sana’s eyes opened wide, shock evident on her face. “Oh, um, I’m sorry, I’m flattered and you seem great but, um, I can’t. It’s kind of a new thing that I’m trying out, but I’m really not looking for a relationship right now.”

Hyewon raised her eyebrows, scoffing a bit in disbelief. “Aren’t you always looking for a relationship though?” she retorted, spitting the sentence like an accusation. Sana almost recoiled, her jaw dropping subtly as she was stunned into silence. At this point, the rest of the friend group seemed to take notice of what was happening, and so did a significant number of the people sitting around them.

Hyewon continued, a venom laced in her words. “All the girls talk about you constantly. Why would you get with them and not with me?” As Sana struggled to find a response to that, Hyewon turned her attention on Dahyun. “Is she your new thing that you’re trying out? Hey, has she done that tongue thing on you yet? The girls never stop raving about it.”

Every mouth in the group dropped in shock. Dahyun flushed a deep red and Sana paled, her face drawn into an expression equal parts indignant and embarrassed. Chaeyoung stood up, beating the rest to the punch. “Hey, you need to ing leave.”

“What?” Hyewon asked. “I’m not talking to you, freshman.”

Chaeyoung shoved her way between Sana and Hyewon. “I said you need to ing leave. No one here wants to hear what you have to say.” 

“You should listen to her,” Nayeon added, and Jeongyeon nodded, jaw clenched.

Hyewon huffed and stalked back to her little group of friends, immediately whispering again. All eyes turned to Sana, but she had no reaction to offer them. Her face was frozen in that halfway expression, a horrible mix of emotion so unrecognizable in her features. She gave a little cough to clear , attempted a smile that collapsed before it managed to appear, and refocused back on the now almost-completed dance team performance, eyes glazed over, hardly seeing. The rest of the group shared a look amongst themselves and turned back to the performance, identical expressions of concern on their faces.

Jeongyeon had to go back to the court to finish the game, but the energy had changed so severely, it felt as though the game might as well be cancelled. The entire group was subdued, the space that Sana’s presence typically filled yawning between them. Nayeon’s cheers didn’t reach the same level of liveliness, and every move Jeongyeon made on the court was tense and frustrated. Conversation never managed to crawl its way through the tension. When the final buzzer rang out, the rest of the gym exploded in noise, but their group stayed seated and inexpressive. JYP’s victory felt distant and hollow. 

After handshakes and a final huddle from the team, Jeongyeon joined them again. She was clearly more concerned by the lack of change in Sana’s demeanor than she was about the win she’d just secured for her school. Sitting down next to her, she prodded Sana gently, a hesitant smile on her face. 

“Told you we’d crush them, Minatozaki. Why do you ever doubt me?”

Sana’s expression shifted for the first time in an hour, into a bare approximation of a smile. “Congratulations, Jeong.” Her lips quivered and her voice was thick, just squeezing out of . 

Dahyun spoke up. “Sana, do you want to talk about-”

“We won! it, SM, you’ve got nothing on us!”

Momo tackled Jeongyeon in a hug, ruffling her hair. Mina and Jihyo followed in tow, both primed to offer their congratulations as well. When they saw the state of the group, their smiles died on their lips. Momo pulled away when Jeongyeon didn’t reciprocate the excitement.

“Is everything good? Did something happen?”

All eyes ce again to Sana.

“I’m fine,” she choked out, and squeezed her eyes closed, resting her forehead against Dahyun’s shoulder.
Tzuyu filled the newcomers in, Chaeyoung adding extra expletives when she felt her girlfriend was being too conservative. Their faces grew angrier as the story went on. At the conclusion, Momo went over and began to rub comforting circles into Sana’s back. Jihyo fumed.

“That’s horrible,” she said. “I’m reporting her for harassment. That’s absolutely unacceptable. You know, this is exactly why I tell the council that we need more members on duty at the games, precisely so that this sort of thing doesn’t happen-”

“That’s quite the turn around,” Jeongyeon remarked, not unkindly. “You know, on the whole ‘opinion of us’ thing.”

 Jihyo diverted her eyes, suddenly bashful. “Yeah, well, I’m trying. And it doesn’t matter what you’ve done, she has no right to treat you like this.

Momo nodded. “We appreciate it, Jihyo” 

“Yeah, Jihyo, we appreciate it,” Nayeon said. “Finally, student council is useful for something other than homecoming and college applications. I want that suspended.”

Jihyo nodded quickly, color blooming in her cheeks. “I’m going to go find the cheer coach, we’ll get this sorted out.”

“No,” Sana said weakly. Everyone looked to her as she pulled herself off of Dahyun’s shoulder. “No, guys, come on. It’s not that big of a deal, I’m just overreacting.”

“Sana, it is absolutely not okay for her to talk to you like that,” Momo said. “She needs to face consequences for this.”

“I just don’t want to make a big fuss,” Sana said. “And the things she said, I just… Can we pretend nothing happened? I just wanted to hang out with you guys today, this doesn’t need to be a whole thing.”

Though no one seemed satisfied with that resolution, the look on Sana’s face, her desperate fight to remain stoic, persuaded them not to press the issue. The energy of the group faded once again as everyone reluctantly nodded. Sana heaved a deep breath and stood, car keys in hand.

“Well, today didn’t go exactly how I wanted it to, but it’s alright.” She turned to face the freshmen. “I promise not all basketball games are like this. I’m going to go home now. If anyone needs I ride, I can-”

“You know what?” Momo interjected, the light of a newly formed plan blazing in her eyes. “I have an idea. Let’s have a sleepover.”

“What?” Sana asked, exhaustion sinking into her voice.

Momo pressed on. “Let’s have a sleepover. Let’s just go to someone’s house and eat some pizza and chill and sleepover.”

Sana couldn’t seem to make sense of the idea, but there were murmurs of agreement from the rest of the group. 

“We can use my house,” Jihyo offered. Then she bit her lip, brow furrowed. “If you guys want… and if I’m included in we, I guess.”

“Of course you are,” Jeongyeon said without hesitation. “We’re trying too.”

Nayeon shrugged. “If you’re willing to report someone for Sana, you’re alright in my book.”

Momo nodded fervently. “It should be all nine of us. Come on, Sana, what do you say?”

All eyes turned to Sana expectantly. She sighed, her shoulders sinking with the weight of her day. “That sounds really nice. And I really do appreciate that you’re all trying to cheer me up, I want to make sure you know that. Just... no talking about what happened, okay? We’re just going to hang out.”

“No talking about what happened,” they all agreed. 

“Okay,” Sana said. “I can still offer rides then. Jihyo, what’s your address?”

~~~

Jihyo’s parents were absolute saints for allowing nine of the rowdiest girls to ever attend JYP High into their home with less than fifteen minutes notice. Pizza was ordered, the Nintendo Switch was fired up, and the night was underway.

They sprawled across the couches and carpet in Jihyo’s basement, shaking the foundation of her house with their revelry. Jihyo was in full hostess mode, providing everyone with snacks and constantly on the lookout for anyone not enjoying themselves to their full potential. Nayeon and Jeongyeon only tried to sneak away to make out one time, which is quite the testament to how fun the gathering must have been. Dahyun sat on the floor beneath where Chaeyoung sat on the couch and avoided looking to her left, where Sana sat, for as long as she could manage. This was how she passed the time, until about 10 at night, when she was presented with a choice.

Chaeyoung threw her controller down. “Alright, we can’t keep playing Mario Kart if Momo won’t stop cheating.”

“How am I cheating?” Momo asked, taken aback.

“We banned Mina from playing for a reason, she’s too good. Letting her have your controller when you think we aren’t looking counts as cheating.”

Mina giggled as her girlfriend huffed, casting aside her controller as well. “Whatever. What do we do then?”

Jeongyeon jumped up, jostling Nayeon who had been beginning to nod off on her shoulder. “Let’s watch a horror movie.”

“Yes,” Chaeyoung gasped. “I’ve got the perfect one, I’ve been meaning to see it-”

“Absolutely not,” Nayeon groaned. “Can’t we just do makeovers or something like we used to?”

“Well, we need to split up to sleep anyway,” Jihyo said. “My parents are only letting us do this on the condition that none of you couples sleep in the same room.”

“Come on, what do they think is going to happen?” Chaeyoung asked.

Momo snorted. “I, for one, don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night and be scarred for life because Nayeon and Jeongyeon can’t keep it in their pants.”

The couple in question huffed indignantly.

“They can’t be that bad,” Tzuyu reasoned.

Dahyun shrugged doubtfully. “They did make out in front of me one time and I wasn’t even really friends with them yet.”

“Yeah, no, I thought about it for exactly one more second and I’ve changed my mind,” Tzuyu said. “I guess this is the end for us, Chaeng. It was nice while it lasted.”

“Alright, whatever, we’ll split up by couples,” Jeongyeon said. “Chaeyoung and I are watching the movie, who else?”

“I’ll watch it,” Momo said.

“Aww,” Mina cooed. “Good luck with that, scaredy cat.”

“So Nayeon, Mina, and Tzuyu have to sleep elsewhere,” Jeongyeon said. “Have I got that right?”

“Yes, makeover squad,” Nayeon cheered. “Jihyo, you have to show us where you keep all your products.” Jihyo looked like she was about to protest, but Nayeon batted her eyelashes in a way that clearly said you’re not getting out of this.

“It’s all up in my room,” she sighed. “I guess we can all sleep up there.”

“Perfect!” Nayeon said. “Sana, come teach us how to do that contouring thing, I can never get it right.”

“Okay,” Sana agreed, picking herself up off of the floor, draping a blanket over her shoulders. “I guess I’m on makeover squad then.”

Jeongyeon nodded, furrowing her brow. “Okay so that just leaves…”

In truth, it likely wasn’t this dramatic, but in that moment Dahyun felt every eye in the room boring into her. She knew they were running the numbers in their head. She and Sana weren’t a couple, so they were free to choose whatever room they wanted. She could go get a makeover, have Sana inches from her face, applying lip gloss, staring deep into her eyes-

“I’ll watch the movie,” Dahyun nearly yelped. Based on how fast her heart was racing just thinking about it, it would not be a smart move for her to join the makeup squad. Not that it was a particularly good idea for her to watch a horror movie either.

“You sure?” Chaeyoung asked. “I know you don’t really like horror. You can go get your makeup done, we won’t make fun of you.” There was a smirk on her lips that quite clearly said the opposite, but Dahyun knew she’d been getting clowned for an entirely different reason no matter what she chose. Funny how the horror movie was somehow the option that was less likely to give her a heart attack.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Dahyun insisted. “I can handle it.”

She was convincing no one. A good half of the people in the group were giving her knowing looks, a mix of understanding and condolence even harder to face than Chaeyoung’s smirk. Those that didn’t know about her feelings just looked sort of confused. There was an emotion on Sana’s face that Dahyun couldn’t decipher, and she didn’t give herself time to linger on it.

“Come on, let’s start the movie,” Dahyun urged. Jeongyeon shrugged and began navigating through Netflix on the TV. The other group collected their things and migrated up to Jihyo’s room. As the movie began, Dahyun could hear the sounds of them talking and laughing. Sana’s giggle specifically stood out from the others. Dahyun shuffled closer to Chaeyoung on the couch.

“This is your fault so I’m using you as my human shield for the entirety of this movie.”

Chaeyoung just chuckled and tossed her blanket over Dahyun’s legs.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“So, Tzuyu, when Chaeyoung kisses you, how does she like, reach?”

Tzuyu snorted, causing Sana to almost stab her in the eye with a mascara wand. Her position seated on the carpet, with Mina on her right doing her nails and Sana on her left doing her face, was not conducive to laughter, but she couldn’t hold it in.

“It’s a serious question,” Nayeon insisted, not looking away from where she was doing Jihyo’s eyeshadow. “The physics of it just make no sense.”

“Well, Jeongyeon is taller than you, you tell me how you do it,” Tzuyu responded.

“Jeongyeon’s only like an inch taller than me. Chaeyoung looks like a garden gnome standing next to you. And I mean that in the nicest way possible.” Nayeon picked up a hand mirror, showing Jihyo her reflection. “What do you think?”

Shock was evident on Jihyo’s face. “Oh…”

“Oh what?” Nayeon asked. “Don’t you like it?”

“No, no,” Jihyo stuttered, unable to pull her eyes away from the mirror. “I love it. I guess I just thought you were going to make me look stupid. I didn’t realize you’d actually try.”

Nayeon frowned. “Why would I do that?”

“I mean, you know. I haven’t exactly been the kindest to you in the past.” Jihyo dropped her eyes to the ground. “I’d get it if you still held a grudge.”

Nayeon waved her hand dismissively. “Water under the bridge. Besides, I was kind of a . It’s alright. We’ve both changed, yeah?”

Jihyo nodded shily, very uncharacteristic for her. Nayeon smiled and picked up her chin. 

“Good. Now let me fix your brows.”

Mina and Tzuyu were chatting about their respective girlfriends while Tzuyu’s nails dried. Sana listened passively, enjoying their company even if she didn’t feel up to joining in on all the conversation.

“Momo is so sweet,” Mina said. “Like she knows I’m a bit awkward about all of this, because I’ve never been with anyone before and she’s obviously been with so many people. She’s just really considerate about it. And, I mean, it’s also awkward for her because it’s her first real relationship, you know? So we’re figuring it out together.”

Tzuyu nodded along. “I totally get it. Chaeyoung and I took awhile to figure it out too, because not only was it the first serious relationship either of us had been in, but also we’d been friends for so long before then. It was a process to adjust to the new boundaries and feelings and all that. And we were trying to hide it all from Dahyun, which was just awful and a whole other thing to deal with.”

“I totally get what you mean,” Nayeon said, joining the conversation. “Well, not about the hiding thing. I could never have done that.”

“You and Jeongyeon don’t seem like you’d handle subtlety all that well,” Jihyo quipped.

“Hush, Park, I just started liking you.” Nayeon continued, “No, I meant, I understand that it’s weird to start dating someone who’s been your friend for a really long time. Especially with me and Jeongyeon, like we were constantly bickering and picking fights all the time. Who ever would’ve thought we’d end up together?”

“I’m pretty sure most of the school has been betting on it since like eighth grade,” Mina said.

“Oh,” Nayeon said. “Well. Jihyo, how about you? What was your first serious relationship like?”

Mina let out a giggle. Jihyo glared at her.

“Shush, Myoui. And for your information, I haven’t been in a relationship. I’m simply too busy with student council and debate and-”

“Oh, you poor thing,” Nayeon interrupted. “Don’t worry, it’ll happen for you some day.”

Jihyo was about to protest that she wasn’t worried, but Mina spoke over her. “I can’t imagine Jihyo in a relationship. Like I’m trying to picture it but I just can’t.”

“I’m sure there are tons of people who’d like to date Jihyo,” Tzuyu said.

Mina corrected herself. “Oh, yeah, of course. I didn’t mean it like that, I guess I’ve just never thought about her in that context.”

“No, Mina, I get it,” Jihyo said. “I don’t really think about it either. I’m a bit much, I know that about myself. It’s a lot to ask one person to deal with.”

Nayeon interjected, aghast. “Then you get two people! Never think you’re too much for someone to love. Plenty of people would’ve said that about me, and I proved them wrong, didn’t I? You just haven’t found the right match yet. And you know, I’m actually quite the matchmaker.”

“Oh, that’s not, I don’t,” Jihyo fumbled with her words.

“Come on, a pretty girl like you, you hardly even need my expertise,” Nayeon said, studying Jihyo’s face with a look that married appreciative and calculating into one glance. 

Jihyo returned her look warily. “Have you been doing this a long time?”

Nayeon shrugged. “Eh, since I’ve been taken off of the market, I needed something to do in my spare time. My main project has actually been Miss Sana over here.”

Sana was shocked out of her silence. “What?”

“Yeah,” Nayeon continued, unfazed by her reaction. “Like inviting Dahyun to my party? A particular of genius on my part.”

“ You invited her?” Sana asked. “I thought she just saw a flier or something. Since when do you invite people to your parties?”

“Well, you were just so fixated on her,” Nayeon said. “I was trying to help you out.”

“How does that show your skills as a matchmaker?” Jihyo asked. “Sana and Dahyun aren’t together.”

“Yeah, can’t say I totally understand why that is.”

Sana groaned, shoulders slumping. “I explained this to you, Nayeon. I was using flirting as an unhealthy coping mechanism. And now that everything has all been worked out, I’m trying not to do that anymore. And I don’t know…” She bit her lip. “I’ve been feeling kind of weird about Dahyun recently.”

“Weird how?” Mina asked.

Closing her eyes and grimacing, Sana said, “I’m not sure I can be her friend anymore.”

Shock swept the room. “What?” they asked in unison.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me, it’s like I can’t help myself around her.” Sana furrowed her brow, embarrassed, fighting to keep her emotion in check. “It just feels so good, to make her flustered and even just be around her. I told her that I would just treat her like a friend and I think I’m making her uncomfortable.”

Tzuyu also furrowed her brow. “What makes you think that?”

“Well, like earlier, with the movie and everything,” Sana said. “It was so obvious that she didn’t want to watch that horror movie, and there’s no reason for us to be in different groups because we aren’t a couple. I think she went out of her way to not be in the same group as me. And if it’s that hard for her to be around me, I feel like I just need to apologize again and remove myself from her life.”

Nayeon emitted a noise somewhere between a sigh and a scoff. “Sana, this is the most extreme overreaction to an unfounded assumption I have ever witnessed. Have you considered maybe you just have feelings for her?”

Nayeon’s words hit Sana like a blow to the chest, blunt force ricocheting to her stomach and her bones and her heart. A cascade of moments, an avalanche of feelings. And one feeling, in the pit of her stomach, crystallized, multifaceted, jagged. She coughed tightly, an invisible vise gripping . 

“I, uh,” she stuttered, coughed again, forced a smile. “What? No.”

“Why not? We’ve all seen how you are around her. That’s not what you were like with the girls you didn’t care about. And if you can’t keep yourself from trying to be close to her…” Nayeon drawled, perhaps a bit too sensually charged for the tense atmosphere.

 “Sana, you’re not some monster,” Tzuyu said. “You’ve just got a crush.”

Nayeon cooed. “Aww, you’re so useless when it comes to feelings, you didn’t even know you liked Dahyun. I swear, I’ve known since like that first lunch you dragged us to.”

“I… no…” Sana said, bringing her knees up her chest, eyes frozen to a blank stretch of carpet. “No, I can’t.”

“What do you mean, you can’t?” Jihyo asked.

“Dahyun, she,” Sana inhaled, exhaled. “She deserves better.”

“Sana...” Mina said. “If this is about what Hyewon said today, you have to know that none of us think of you that way. Especially not Dahyun.

Sana shook her head firmly. “It’s not Hyewon. But, I mean, you have to admit she wasn’t entirely wrong.”

“Sana…” Jihyo said gently.

“No, you know it.” Sana insisted. “You’ve even been the one to say it, Jihyo. And you weren’t wrong either. Everyone here has seen me at my worst. Especially Dahyun. And I’m committed to really changing, to leaving that life behind, but you just said it, Nayeon, I’m useless with feelings. I’ve never tried to have a real relationship, I can’t… I’ll mess it up. And she deserves better.”

Nayeon frowned. “Sana…”

“Stop saying my name like that. I know what I’m saying, okay?” She looked at them beseechingly, pleadingly. “Regardless of what I feel, I’m not making moves on Dahyun. I’ll keep being her friend until she tells me I should do otherwise, I won’t jump to conclusions. I’ll figure it out. But I don’t want to talk about Dahyun anymore, okay? This is my sorry-you-got-shamed sleepover and you have to do what I say.”

With that, she uncurled herself from her ball, shook out her clenched fist, and picked up Tzuyu’s hand to do a second coat of polish. Her hand was shaking. They all noticed, and no one commented. The night drained away, one meaningless conversation drifting into the next with no particular amount of effort put into any of them. One by one, each of the girls surrendered to sleep. Except for one, who lied, painfully conscious, in the pile of blankets closest to the door and couldn’t get her mind to turn off or make her heart stop racing.

Downstairs, the credits of the horror movie rolled across the TV screen, casting a subtle glow across the living room. Momo stretched wide, nearly elbowing Jeongyeon, who was laid out next to her on the carpet. 

“It actually wasn’t as bad as I was expecting,” Momo said.

Dahyun peaked her head out of the blanket she’d been huddled under for the past 45 minutes.

“Mhmm, yeah, totally agree.”

Chaeyoung burst out laughing, her hysterics shattering any semblance of terror that had lingered in the room. Dahyun only managed to shut her up with a glare and slap to the shoulder.

“I wasn’t that scared,” she insisted.

“You were shaking like a leaf the entire time,” Chaeyoung cried, wiping tears from her eyes. 

Jeongyeon reached out a sympathetic hand. “It’s alright, Dahyun, I was scared too.”

Dahyun eyed her skeptically. “No, you weren’t”

“No, I wasn’t,” Jeongyeon said. “But it’s alright, I’m not going to give you for it.”

“Thank you, Jeongyeon, you’re my only real friend in the world,” said Dahyun, with an entirely unsubtle glance in Chaeyoung’s direction. Her friend met it with only a grin and an eye roll.

“You know,” Jeongyeon said, “you really didn’t have to watch the movie with us if you didn’t want to.”

Dahyun nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

“Why didn’t you just go get your makeup done?” Momo asked. “I mean this in the nicest way possible, but that seems a bit more your speed. God knows I’d kill to be up there.”

As Jeongyeon called out a “Whipped!” and she and Momo began to bicker, Chaeyoung sent Dahyun a look, one that said clearly, you don’t have to tell them if you don’t want to.

“No, it’s okay,” Dahyun said. The other girls turned to her.

“What’s up?” Jeongyeon asked.

“I, uh, well,” Dahyun fumbled, suddenly feeling put on the spot. “I don’t know if you guys could tell, I don’t think I’ve been very subtle about it, but I’ve got a crush on Sana.”

Dahyun braced herself, expecting ridicule or at the very least pity. She was met with confusion.

“What?” Momo asked. “You like her?”

“Have you told her that?” Jeongyeon asked.

“No,” Dahyun groaned, hiding her face in her hair. “And I would really appreciate it if you didn’t tell her either. I’m sorry for putting you in this position, I know she’s your friend and I don’t want to make you lie to her.”

“Well, you’re our friend too,” Jeongyeon said. “We got you.”

“So you haven’t told her about your feelings,” said Momo. “How do you know she doesn’t like you back?”

Dahyun regaled them with the story, explaining the aborted attempt at confession that happened after Japanese club. Once again, she didn’t receive the reaction she had anticipated.

“Oh god, Sana can be so stupid some times,” Momo sighed. “I mean, she’s my best friend, I love her to death, but wow.”

“She apologized to you?” Jeongyeon asked, aghast. “For flirting?”

“Well, she seemed to think she’d been taking advantage of me,” Dahyun said. “Which couldn’t be further from the truth, but I didn’t know how to explain that to her without confessing, and I didn’t want to confess because she’d just essentially said she had no real romantic feelings for me and that she just wanted to be friends.”

“I don’t know, Dahyun,” Jeongyeon said. “I think she probably just said that friends thing because she thought it was what you wanted to hear. She was really torn up about how she treated you.”

“So what are you saying?” Chaeyoung asked. “Does she like Dahyun back?”

Jeongyeon and Momo shared a look and shrugged. 

“She hasn’t outright said anything,” Momo said. “But I think it’s possible she hasn’t even considered the idea that Dahyun might genuinely like her. She hasn’t had a lot of people who really liked her , you know? It’s always her looks or her money or her reputation. I’m not sure she understands that there’s another way to be loved.”

“Maybe you should tell her,” Jeongyeon offered.

“Or,” Momo interjected. “You could just kiss her. It worked for me.”

All thoughts of the thoughts and feelings swirling around Dahyun’s immediately stopped at the thought of kissing Sana. Her cheeks heated up, glowing red even in the minimal light coming from the TV screen. 

“I don’t,” she said. “I mean, I haven’t- How am I supposed to do that? I can’t be honest with her about my feelings, let alone kiss her. I haven’t kissed anyone before.”

Chaeyoung sighed wistfully. “You’re missing out, my friend.”

“What was it like when you first kissed Tzuyu?” Dahyun asked. “I don’t think you’ve ever told me about it.”
“Uh, yeah, we didn’t have to tell you about it,” Chaeyoung said. “You kinda saw it happen.”

Realization dawned on Dahyun. “You mean… at the coffee shop?”

“Yep.”

“When I came in and started yelling at you?”

“Mhmm.”

“That was your first kiss?”

Chaeyoung shrugged bashfully. Dahyun hit her with a pillow.

“You’d been dating for like five months at that point!” Dahyun exclaimed.

“We were taking it slow!” Chaeyoung cried.

Dahyun huffed. “You’re such a loser. Gosh, well, I’m sorry about that then.”

“Nah, your feelings were justified, I get it.” Chaeyoung pulled her into a side hug, subtly wresting the pillow from her grasp before she could start swinging it again.

Dahyun turned her focus to the other girls. “Well, Momo, I don’t have to ask you about your first kiss with Mina, I was there for that one as well. Jeongyeon, please tell me that time Nayeon made out with you at the party was not your first kiss? And that your first kiss did not trigger a gigantic friendship-ending fight?”

Jeongyeon shrugged, suddenly bashful. “Nah, of course not. Nayeon and I’s first kiss happened over the summer. I’d liked her for a bit, managed to ask her to get ice cream, just us, no Momo or Sana. But I was too much of a chicken to make a move, so I thought she’d just think we were hanging out in a friend way. Then I walked her up to her door at the end of the night and she just laid one on me, pushed me up against the wall and everything. Then she said ‘goodnight’ and just left me out there, head spinning, didn’t even let me say goodnight back.”

“Wow,” Dahyun said. “And it didn’t even take you five months.”

Chaeyoung let out an offended gasp and Momo burst out laughing. 

“Okay, in Chaeng’s defense,” Jeongyeon said. “It probably would’ve taken five months if we’d been waiting for me to make the first move. It’s just a good thing Nayeon takes what she wants, you know. Still can’t believe sometimes that what she wants is me. I get all clammy just thinking about it.”

“Aww,” Chaeyoung cooed. “You’re so whipped.”

“Hey, I just defended you, I can take all of that back,” Jeongyeon said. “Anyway, Dahyun, that’s what you’ve got to hope for. Hopefully you can be the first person of this group to make the first move on their girlfriend.”

“I still don’t know,” Dahyun said. “I’m not sure I can make the words come out of my mouth, I can hardly be alone with her anymore.”

“Well,” Momo said. “Now that we’re all in the know, we can help you out.”

Dahyun squinted. “That sounds highly suspicious.”

Momo and Jeongyeon shared a devious look. 

“Don’t even worry about it.”

The credits finished on the movie, and everyone took it as a sign that it was finally time to go to sleep. They settled down, scattering themselves in bundles of blankets around the couch. As the night dwindled into silence and measured breaths, Dahyun almost slipped into a doze. Right before she could fall entirely asleep, Chaeyoung’s voice broke through the quiet.

“Actually, not everyone knows about Dahyun’s feelings for Sana. Well, besides Sana herself, I guess,” Chaeyoug said. “I don’t think anyone has told Nayeon.”

The sound of Jeongyeon’s laughter ripped through the night.

“No one tell her.”

After falling into a fitful sleep, Sana was awoken in the dead of night by the sound of rustling and footsteps outside the door. She watched as the door creaked open, two shadowy figures slipping into Jihyo’s bedroom. The sounds of their giggling gave them away immediately.

Momo joined Mina on the floor, slipping under her blankets and soothing her girlfriend’s sleepy, confused protests. Chaeyoung tucked herself into Tzuyu’s side, ignoring half-hearted exasperation. Jeongyeon came up behind Nayeon on the bed, undeterred by the fact that her girlfriend was already cuddling with Jihyo. She just joined in, allowing Nayeon to tug her into the middle of their pillow nest. The couples settled back down after a brief flurry of whispers, sinking back into gentle sleep. 

A shadow fell across Sana’s face, and she turned back to the door. Dahyun stood alone in the dark, a blanket hanging off her shoulders, ambient light from the hallway casting a glow about her. 

“Hey,” Sana whispered.

Dahyun flinched, surprised that someone was awake to notice her standing there. “Hey,” she whispered back.

“What’re you doing?”

“I woke up and they were all leaving, so I just followed,” Dahyun said, shrugging. “Feel kinda foolish now.”

Sana smiled sleepily. “Wanna come feel foolish over here?”

Dahyun hesitated, then she padded over, laying down next to Sana. Her features were obscured by the darkness but she was laying stiff as a board, breathing unnaturally.

“You know,” Sana said. “This isn’t even really our first sleepover.”

“Huh,” Dahyun said, staring up at the ceiling. “Yeah.”

Sana paused, fighting the urge to reach out and pull Dahyun into her arms. But she looked so uncomfortable.  

“I won’t cuddle you if you don’t want me to,” Sana said cautiously. 

Dahyun turned over and Sana could make out her face now that they were so close. Her eyes were so bright, even in the darkness. 

“It’s okay,” Dahyun said. “You can, I mean, if you want to.”

Sana threw an arm over Dahyun’s torso, gently tugging her closer. Dahyun was tense, organizing her arms strategically and breathing carefully. Sana tried to keep her mind from racing. You do this with your friends all the time. She said it was okay. She thinks you’re good.

After a few minutes, Dahyun seemed to think Sana had fallen asleep, because she allowed herself to relax into Sana’s touch. She brought her arms up to gently return Sana’s embrace, tucking her head into Sana’s neck. Dahyun’s breathing lost it’s purposefulness, evening out into the gentle tempo of sleep. 

Sana inhaled. The scent of Dahyun’s shampoo filled her head.

I could never treat this girl right, Sana thought. But I can do this for her. This can be enough.

And she joined Dahyun, and the rest of her friends, in the realm of dreaming.