Jungyeon scrunched her nose in anticipation (and with a sprinkle of fear) as she prayed to the heavens to go level one easy on her despite many trials and errors.

“Whoever's going on a night cruise on snapchat tonight, I dare you to go out with them. No buts. This is like the fourth dare you made me come up with! You should be thanking me for being considerate especially when I didn’t jot down any back ups.”

Jungyeon furrowed her brows as she rested her chin on her arm she had propped up on her desk, “Why does every dare require me to go out with someone late at night? Just when did you think this was a good idea?” Jungyeon scoffed, “Just because my grandma is partially deaf and is a heavy sleeper doesn’t mean I can abuse-”

There was a faint shriek followed by glitching noises from the other line, making her ears ring at the sudden impact. “What the ! Okay, I’m so sorry about that my earphones are whack. What were you saying?”

“I said,” Jungyeon leaned against her wooden desk, free hand wrapped around her legs tucked under her chin.“I can’t just abuse my advantage just because grandma can’t hear me sneaking out of the house. Like what if she finds out and beats my ?”

“Ooof, how spooky.” Mira rolled her eyes, “You’re just making excuses. I got a tip from Bucky that you still show up at the diner late at night alone so going on a cruise with someone later on wouldn’t make a difference, no?”

Goddammit.

“Okay fine. You got me there but hear me out. What if the one I end up going with murders me and leaves my body in a ditch?” Jungyeon pressed, trying to convince Mira that this should be a bad idea and that she should just come up with a fifth dare. “What if that happens? The county sheriff is going to have a hard time cleaning me up!”

Mira puffed her cheeks in disbelief. “Oh quit it, Jungyeon. Last time I checked we don’t have any Ted Bundys lurking around the town and fyi, I have to pick who I want you to go out with. There should be at least a handful tonight since it’s a friday and I’m not letting you be alone with someone I don’t know, duh. Absolutely not.”

“I still think this is a bad idea.” Now standing from her chair, she strolled to her unmade bed and kneeled down, reaching out for a scotch tape underneath it. Moments later, she stood up to examine her David Bowie poster, grimacing at the folded flaps needed to be straightened out and stuck horizontally to the wall. “I’m getting the jitters.”

“Hey, your last dare for me was even worse but I didn’t say anything?” Mira scoffed. “So put your big girl on and accept this dare or you’re buying me lunch for a month.”

“Ugh, If only I had a fat wallet and millions under my name I could but I don’t, so,” Jungyeon straightened her poster in place prior to yanking the left over tape stuck somewhere on her pajama top. “Fine. I’ll take it. Whatever.” She shoved the tape back to where she took it from then looked at her wrist watch.

11:59 pm.

She pressed her thumb on her home button and opened her snapchat to see if anyone indeed planned a night cruise. 

“I’m on snapchat now by the way and so far…” Jungyeon opened each of her streaks one by one, pressing on Chanyeol’s last streak check only to realize he had sent a message whether anyone is up for a night cruise. Jungyeon wondered why she hasn't even blocked him yet. Sighing, She ignored his message and blocked him. Chanyeol is total jerk and an obnoxiously loud one at that. He drove around with his stupid, jumbo-sized Mercedes Benz to impress all the ladies at her school. He’s also a true womanizer and he takes this title very seriously more than his grades. Mira could back it up. They used to date back then but had a very chaotic break up.  “...No one sent anything.”

“Let’s wait until 12:30.” Mira scowled. “If no one turns up by then, I’ll issue you a new dare which I hope I don’t end up doing…” There was a brief pause, a sound of what it seemed like paper being unfolded clumsily followed by a small clank! before she spoke again. “You should go get dressed Jungyeon! I feel someone decent is taking you out tonight. I feel it through my veins! Honest to god.”

Jungyeon frowned.

“Ok, self-proclaimed psychic powers. And fine, I’m gonna go change so calm your horses down.” She placed her on loud speaker before she rummaged through her messy closet, looking for something warm to wear now that it’s fall season, her favourite.

She seldom sneaked out during summer unless she felt like it but fall was her forte. Most of her clothes were entirely made for the season and she has been so keen to wear all of them at any opportunity she could get.

“I feel a y one this time, Jungyeon. I’m serious!” Mira half-yelled from the phone, earning a loud scowl from Jungyeon who pulled out a few clothes that suit up tonight’s temperature and chilly weather. “You should wear some fishnets inside your jeans to spice it up in case!”

“What am I? a carp?” Jungyeon scoffed, spreading the simple outfit on her bed she decided to go with. “And I’m certainly not down to get laid in some stranger’s chevy. For all we know, it could have germs...” She hastily changed out of her mismatched pajamas with a black turtleneck, high-waisted blue jeans brandished by a belt and a Fila bomber jacket in olive green, her go-to finishing touch.

“That’s hot. I’ve had a lot of fun at Kyungsoo’s chevy just so you know and it was pretty great.” Jungyeon winced at the thought of her friend getting roughly pounded on the back seat by Do Kyungsoo, former cutt-throat president of the senior student council who happened to have dipped for the city life after graduation and also forgetting about Mira, one of his flings. “But well, he ran away and never came back.”

Mira was over him anyway. It’s been a year and a half. It wasn’t like back in those good ole days where Mira would come over to rage and cry in front of Jungyeon whilst Achy Breaky Heart hummed softly in the background and then somehow stuff  with three full bags of teriyaki beef balls all by herself after her angsty episode. She had moved on and held her head up high so her “princess” crown wouldn’t topple off her head. “We don’t have time for this silly! Kyungsoo is the real epitome of an incubus, a single-celled, scandalous wide-eyed city freak who wanted nothing but sweaty, rancid and honours with merit. He shall not to be mentioned AGAIN.” She heard Mira say something along the lines of “Preach it, Pastor Lee!”  and some occasional munching from a milk biscuit.

“To conclude my significant preachings, can you check snap and tell me what we have so far?” Jungyeon inwardly regretted reminding her. She patted her bomber jacket down after a spritz of some citrusy cologne then glanced up to her wall clock, cursing under her breath.

12:15 pm.

“Wait! Hold on,” There were several noises heard from the other line accompanied with what it seemed like a sound of someone flailing and rolling over their bedsheets. “Give me a sec!”

She swore she felt her heartbeats accelerate in her chest at the thought of Mira possibly setting her up with someone she probably loathes because she thinks night cruises and road trips would help two people who aren’t fond of each other get along by sorting out their conflicts and differences that would hopefully lead to happily ever afters.

Jungyeon thinks it’s bull anyway but she kept her opinion to herself, not wanting to adhere any more nonsense arguments with Mira, her mighty (and quite decent) friend.

“What’s happening? You sounded like a pig!”

“Mkay, oh my god. So um… check your snap.” She could hear Mira’s excitement intensify from the other line. “I’m not sure if you have him on snap but I may have told him you’re down for an adventure…heh.”

Jungyeon huffed, “What? What adventure?” She hastily opened her phone, panicking a little. She wasn’t sure whether she should be scared or….be totally spooked. “You made your choice already? What the , you didn’t tell me who the options were!”  

“Girl we hafta hurry! This one is a big catch I’m telling you. You will thank me later that’s for sure.” Mira chuckled ominously. “Go open it! I told him to send you a message!”

With quivering hands, Jungyeon opened her streaks, fullest attention for a new message to pop out from someone she doesn’t have on her contacts. “I’m scared! I don’t want to refresh it!”

“Refresh it you idiot! He’s on the way!” Mira roared over the phone. “Never in my life had I typed someone’s address so fast like that so stop stalling and hit refresh!”

Jungyeon bit her fingernail, almost suppressing a shrill cry out of panic that threatened to burst out of . “Fine! Fine! I swear to god if this one is some town ert I’m going to flip out!”

Mira giggled a little too loudly. “Oh, You’ll love me once you find out who it is!”

With one last heave from her lungs, Jungyeon refreshed her app only to throw her phone across the room with a muffled shriek, leaving raw.

Oh Sehun.

Jungyeon fumed, stomping a foot. “Mira, that’s my arch enemy! I literally pushed him against a shelf at that little bookstore near the pier before they banned us there a year ago!”

“But he’s so hot! Give it a chance maybe?”

*

“You look gaunt.”

Was all Sehun said as Jungyeon forced herself out of the rusty gate of her home.

She huffed, side eyeing him and his obnoxious bright red chevy parked on their driveway.

“Nice to see you too, Sehun.” She rolled her eyes and made her way around the car so she could occupy shotgun. Sehun squinted at her, acting oblivious about their last encounter at the quirky community bookstore that banned them from coming there after the ruckus they caused when he insulted her taste in books. “Why did you even agree to this? We hate each other.”

“The word despise would be more fitting.” He gave her a sly glance, watching her fasten her seatbelt on so tightly because apparently, she didn’t trust his driving skills. “But I don’t mind you. I’m just helping you do your dare.”

He shrugged, slowly revving off the driveway and into the lonely road of the town as alternative rock blasted from the radio, putting them at ease that ceased to exist only a few seconds later into the ride.

Jungyeon crossed her arms in defeat, side eyeing him. “Are you sure you don’t have any shady intentions aside from driving me around?”

“Well, Let me think.” Sehun paused, dark brown eyes fully focused on the road ahead of him. Jungyeon ignored how ridiculously sharp and handsome he had gotten with his blond hair and how he dressed up so casually with a polyester sweater and blue jeans. The last time she saw him, he had been sporting dark locks and his sickening blue jersey jacket that looked a little too big around the waist but fitted well around his broad shoulders. She didn’t mind him cussing like a sailor but she hated to be near him whenever he smoked. “Okay, I might have lied to Mira.”

Jungyeon glared at him. “What? What do you mean you might have lied to her? I swear to god, Sehun…” She shifted her gaze back to the road, suddenly growing nervous, unaware to where they are heading to. “Where are we even going? And don’t you dare say it’s a secret or I’m calling the sheriff for planned abduction!”

“Sheeeesh,  Jungyeon.” Sehun shook his head in amusement. “Relax, I’m not going to kidnap you and take you to some warehouse to kill you. That’s not my style.”

“Then where are we going?”

“At Bob’s.” Sehun smiled. Jungyeon wrinkled her nose, still suspicious. “That Fast food diner near the pier.”

“That’s like...ten minutes away from here...why the pier? Did you want to convince that grumpy old lady from the bookstore to redeem yourself?”

“Nah, I’m over that bookstore after you got us banned there. I don’t even like reading. I only came there to fl