On top of the unwelcoming heat of the sun beating down on Nayeon's face, she groaned and crawled to the other side of her bed. Her fingers located the volume button and pressed them to snooze the alarm, giving her a total of five minutes before it would go off again. She whirled her arms around, wanting to purposely smack Jeongyeon in the face and play it off as a slothful accident. Instead, she woke up to an empty bed.

Did Jeong leave? Nayeon spread her arms wider, even kicking the air in hopes of finding her best friend's body. Nothing but cold sheets were the only thing her legs touched. Waking up to an empty bed was something Nayeon had gotten used to and to her, today shouldn't be different. But going to sleep with a sense of  security and opening your eyes to it being gone can really leave a person feeling hollow.

"Jeong?"

No reply came back except Kookeu's alarmed barking. He hopped on to Nayeon's bed, wiggling his tail side to side with his tongue stuck out. He was able to also sense when Nayeon wasn't feeling in good spirits with the weather. Sighing, Nayeon put Kookeu on her lap, petting him for comfort.

The crisp smell of something appetizing seeped into the room, getting Nayeon's mind off whatever was making her so down in the dumps. Kookeu noticed, barking in haste and much louder, hoping to get Nayeon out of bed. The little dog's method work, jumping off the bed to lead Nayeon out of the room. Nayeon groaned, getting dragged by Kookeu, with drowsiness still in her system.

Entering the kitchen, the smell of various breakfast foods hit Nayeon's face like a ton of bricks, clogging up her nostrils. She hadn't smelt this type of delectableness in ages. Grabbing an emergency cane from the bin, Nayeon lead herself to the counter, sitting down once she found a stool.

"Dad?" Nayeon knew her mother wouldn't be home until a few hours and her father is the one left to make breakfast.

"That's not the first time I've been called that."

Jeongyeon cracked a big smile, seeing Nayeon's bewildered face walking into the kitchen. Quickly noticing what Jeongyeon was implying, Nayeon's cheeks grew red. She flew a hand to cover .

"Good morning." A cheeky grin on her face, Jeongyeon turned around to greet her best friend, holding up two full platters.

"Morning." Nayeon's words were muffled, staring at the plate of food instead of Jeongyeon's face.

Stabbing a piece of sausage, Jeongyeon stayed standing up, putting her elbows on the counter. Nayeon doesn't say a word, tossing around the ricecakes with her fork in silence. The effectiveness of the meal started to wear off, the thoughts from earlier tricking back to Nayeon's mind.

How can I be sad over something I don't even know?

Jeongyeon detected the state her best friend was in, slowing down her chewing to focus more on what Nayeon was doing. Looking at the two plates of food, Jeongyeon questioned to herself. What's the matter with her? Does she not like my cooking? It can't be, my cooking's delicious.

"Is something wro--"

The front door jingled and Nayeon's mother walked in, feeling exhausted. Seeing the two girls in the kitchen made her feel content to be home.

"Oh thank goodness, Jeongyeon. You're still here." She walked over, already out of breath, and snatched a chicken wing from the warm basket sitting in the middle of the two plates. Nayeon's mother kissed Nayeon on the side of the head, and went upstairs, leaving the two alone again.

Chuckling to herself and amused with the quick happenstance, Jeongyeon's attention goes back to Nayeon, who stopped eating completely. Feeling her mother no longer with them, Nayeon dropped her fork, causing a loud clang. She leaned in, unaware of where Jeongyeon was.

"So you mean to tell me, that out of a thousand kids in our school, which half aren't that terrible, you don't find at least one of them attractive?"

A bubble formed in Jeongyeon's stomach. Feeling like she was about to burst into laughter, she opened to release a massive burp. With the aftereffect still floating in the air, Jeongyeon blew into Nayeon's face.

"Hmm. Nope, not at all." Before Jeongyeon could receive the beating of a lifetime, she scooted back, seeing Nayeon about to let her have it.

Just one.

"AGHH! JEONGYEON!" Nayeon scrunched up her nose, similar to a bunny's and swatted the air. She couldn't believe how foul her best friend could actually get.

Hearing the raucous commotion going on from downstairs, Nayeon's father rushed to only see the two girls in a quarrel. He slumped his shoulders, knitting his brows together. Ryler and Yama come right after, rubbing their tired eyes. Nayeon gave her family an apologetic look, turning to a giggling Jeongyeon to whack her in the arm. 







 

The first thing Nayeon hoped for today was less interaction with Tzuyu and her group of delinquents. She was generally drained out from yesterday and wanted to get this day over with so she could go back to bed where it's much safer. They set foot into the building and various pairs of eyes flew towards their direction, giving the pair the attention they didn't ask for. Nayeon knew the drill, pushing her way through the crowd with her cane clearing a path. No one bothered to get in her way. The reason wasn't because they were scared of her, they just didn't really care. None of them but one person did.

Stopping in front of her locker, Nayeon twisted in the combination and it popped open. Jeongyeon held her walking stick, looking out for the face they both didn't want to see by any means.

The sound of the clicking of numerous heels at once emerged from the bottom of the stairs. Given that there were more of them due to the numerous hums of clacks. Like a repeated procedure, hearing the hum meant only one thing to the curious teens, occasionally turning away from their conversation to watch the football captain and her crew roll in. Unlike Nayeon, people made sure to steer clear of them out of pure fear. If only Nayeon went to class earlier.

Busy with their own little chat, the pair didn't hear the clacking, which signaled their approach. In addition to that, Jeongyeon's back was facing their direction, unable to see that they were coming their way. The people around them started to murmur, saying how something worth recording and posting online was about to happen. Kids these days; would rather videotape a fight for a few views than get help.

Jeongyeon was in the middle of telling Nayeon the one time where Momo got a grape stuck up her nose when Nayeon became aware of the sudden clicking noises getting louder. Her mind screamed, 'Tzuyu and her gang are coming towards us.' She gathered all the notes that she need, stuffing them into her backpack, wondering how close they already were. Jeongyeon saw her best friend's change of pace.

"Woah..take it easy. What's wrong?" Slowly turning around, Jeongyeon understood Nayeon's need to hurry.

The rest of the group stood back, letting Tzuyu do whatever she needed to do. "Hey, nerds." She slammed the side of her fist on the locker besides Nayeon.

Glaring up at Tzuyu, Jeongyeon tightened her grip on the walking stick, ready to use it as a weapon if necessary. A giant scheming  grin was spread across Tzuyu's face, looking down at the duo.

"B