When she parked the car in front of her tiny house she woke up from the autopilot, her hands were trembling again but she clasped them together. Yuri with the other two were right behind her, Tiffany soon followed them.

In a moment Sooyoung and Yuri lifted Sunny from the passenger seat huffing from the effort. In Jessica eyes were so many questions but she took Tiffany’s shaking hand in hers and signaled her to open the door.

She ran to open the front door, calling for her mother the moment she put her foot in.

“Tae love, why are you screaming? What’s happening?” Her mom answered the call in her violet pjs.

“Mom, my friend, I think they drugged my friend like -drugged her! She doesn’t respond, I didn’t know what to do!”

Her mom took her fuming face between her hands, looking straight in her eyes, calming her down. “It’s okay love, breath, where is she?”

In that moment Yuri and Soo came in the living room, Sunny was murmuring inaudible words. “Alright I see, come on girls on the couch, slowly.” Her mom was in her professional mode already, attending the girls to put Sunny safely on the couch.

“Mom… I didn’t know what…” Taeyeon was murmuring, the panic arrived in full speed, she felt the whole world spinning around her.

“Kim Taeyeon get a grip on yourself, breath, and tell me what happened! It’s alright. But I need to know what to do.” The harsh words woke her up again, the slap on the face Jessica gave her helped too.

“Yes, ok… ok… I think a guy put some kind of drugs in her beer, and she drank it. I was too late to stop her to drink it.” She saw Tiffany eyes blow up and her breath stop in , but she didn’t talk, she just squeezed Jessi’s hand harder and watched her friend being examined.

“Ok you did good love, now what’s her name?” The nurse was examining her pupils with a torch, , checking her pulse and then her heart.

“Sunny, mom.”

The woman nodded touching the girl forehead. “Okay little girl it’s okay. Sunny, what a pretty name. It’s okay you are in safe hands. Tae, did someone touch her?” Her mom looked hard at her who denied furiously with her head, her breath erratic. The woman let a big sigh pass . “Okay, she’s ok, well she’s been drugged but she’ll slept it off. Maybe I can see if a have IV kith, to made the process faster. She’ll be okay.”

Everybody collapsed then, Soo and Yul who were still sweating leaned on the wall, Jessi and Tiffany found two chairs, instead Taeyeon’s legs just gave up on her and she sat on the floor, her back leaned on the wall. Her mom gazed at them and smiled softly. “Alright girls calm down, it’s all over, I am going to make some tea.” Everyone nodded lifelessly.

They stayed like amoebas for a few minutes then Tae found strength again in her legs, glancing at the girl at sleep, she reached for the blanket at the end of couch and tucked her in softly, making sure to not wake her up. Her eyes were now closed and she kept mumbling.

Her onyx eyes met Tiffany’s red ones, she looked as if she was on the verge of crying but kept a façade. Her stare told her what a hundred words couldn’t. She needed an explanation, she took the umpteen long breath and started talking.

When she finished reassuming the story the cheerleader was shedding a few tears, but she wiped them away fast and reconnected their stares. “You know the name?”

”I think so. Oliver, I don’t know if you know him?” Tiff nodded blinking a few times.

“Oliver from the basketball team?” Yuri was now with her arms crossed looking more pissed than she ever saw her.

“I saw him, he’s tall, blond, and Australian.” Yul and Soo shared an explicit look then nodded briefly. Jessi’s eyes were big and seemed crystalized, she was in deep thinking, Taeyeon recognized the stare and waited for what she wanted to say.

“Then what we do now? He could’ve drugged other girls.” Jessica spoke calmly and softly but everyone could see the storm behind her eyes.

“We can’t just let everyone know what happened, without Sunny’s authorization.” Tiffany said staring at her friend form on the couch.

Yuri pushed herself out of the wall, her face hard and threating. “No we can’t. So I am going to give him a lesson.” She found Sooyoung’s eyes and indicated the door. Taeyeon wanted with all of herself to let them go, she was quivering to punch the guy too, but she couldn’t.

“Wait! Don’t be stupid and impulsive Yul, okay?”

“Whatever Taeyeon I am not afraid, he can’t go around drugging girls, we won’t let him.” Then she proceeded to go for door and her little friend sprinted to block her, gripping a tanned arm.

“Listen to me, we need to be smart about this, if you go and beat him, he can just report you to the police and then you will get troubles. Think about it!” Yuri was still staring at her with an angry face, hard and all angles. She freed her arm with a shove and knitted her eyebrows together.

“But, what if he drugged some other girls? We do need to do something.” Jessica always the voice of the reason.

“Then Yul and Sooyoung will get back at the party making sure to watch him closely. But do not do anything else ok? When Sunny wakes up tomorrow she’ll decide what to do.” Taeyeon said clearly watching closely her friend movement, she saw her face shift from unsure to convinced.

“Alright come Sooyoung we have a mission, Tiffany can you accompany Jessi at home?” The cheerleader agreed and the captain and co-captain left the place.

Jessica looked like she wanted to go too but Tiff held still tight on her hand so she stayed put.

Her mom come back with the tea and handed them the smoking hot cups. Taeyeon loved tea, absolutely love drinking tea when it rains outside and she is busy trying to put a song together, but now her stomach almost rebelled at the smell. The anxiety was hitting her like a wrecking ball. They all sipped in absolute silence.

She couldn’t keep her eyes away from Sunny’s face, she seemed so calm now, relaxed even if she was still emitting some strange little sounds. It’s all seemed like a nightmare, an improbable one too. She hit the wall behind her with her head, banging it lightly trying to wake up, it didn’t happen.

“Should we call her parents? Tell them she is here and she is okay.” Her mom spoke softly as if to not disturb the tense atmosphere in the room.

“No, hmm her parents don’t even know she was at the party Mrs. Kim?” Her mom nodded. “They know she was going to sleep at my place.” Tiffany’s eyes were still red and her face had a guilty shadow all around it. She kept playing with hem of her tiny and pink snug dress.

“I think we all need some rest. Sunny is here and she is safe, go home sleep and tomorrow you’ll talk to her.” Mrs. Kim was talking sweetly, trying to be reassuring but strict at the same time. The cheerleader seemed to be conflicted but maybe the night took a final toll on her, so she got up, kneeled on the floor near the couch, adjusted her friend’s bangs then kissed her forehead and whispered: “I am so sorry baby, see you tomorrow.” Then she turned to Taeyeon, her stare deep and unsettling. “I am trusting you with her, alright?” The blond shallowed hard felling icy sweat all over her body.

“Don’t worry about it, she’ll be fine. I’ll make her call you first thing in the morning.”

Jessica got close to her and hugger her tight, then whispered to her:” You did good Tae, we’ll get this right, text me if you need or want to.” Then she thanked her mother and left them.

Now there was only her, her mom and Sunny unconscious on the couch. Yuri kept texting her with the upgrades of their mission, it all looked ok.

“Tae love, I think I am going to sleep, you should go to.” But Taeyeon couldn’t take her eyes of the girl, watching closely the movement of her chest, to see if she was breathing normally. “Mom I think I want to sleep here, I don’t want her to wake up in the morning, in a unknown place all alone and scared.”

Her mother sighed then caressed her face. “Alright but get some fluffy quilt and tuck yourself in, it is quite chilly down here. I’ll see both of you in the morning. Goodnight.” She kissed her cheeks and went upstairs.

Taeyeon stayed there, stuck on the floor for few minutes more, thinking at what insane night she just had. The adrenaline now was all gone and she started to feel exhausted, her eyes were closing. So she got her quilts, her trusty pillow and put herself to sleep near the couch.

She texted Yuri that she was going to sleep finishing it all with a significant line: “This was the first and last party you’ll drag me to.”

Taeyeon was humming a song she couldn’t remember the name, while preparing her breakfast. She wasn’t a top chef, but she could cook well enough to survive. That Saturday morning she felt like spoiling herself and maybe her guest if she wanted, she was making pancakes from scratch. The mix looked well enough so she put the pan on the stove and started cooking them. She was versing her fourth one in the pan when she heard ruffling from the living room, then some mumbling. She turned the stove off and rushed to the couch.

Sunny was already sitting on the couch, the blanket still on her legs, her eyes big in fear and full of questions. She tried to stand up but her legs gave up and she fallen on the couch again. Then she saw her and her chocolate eyes just got bigger. “Where am I? Why.. you… what’s going on.” Sunny’s voice was weak and squeaky.

Taeyeon focused on calming her down in the faster way possible. “It’s my house, it’s okay you are fine. Remember the party last night?” Sunny nodded still confused, now all wrapped up in the blanket. The sight touched many of her heart’s strings, pinching them as if it was a ing violin. She seemed so small, a little ball of quivering sunshine. “You got drugged at the end and almost fainted so we brought you here, remember my mom is nurse? So she checked on you and you slept it off. She controlled you this morning too, you are fine.”

Taeyeon put her hands in the pocket of her pjs pants, one that she just realized had little penguins everywhere, well so much for putting a cool image.

The sitting girl was progressing the information she had just got staring in the void. “So, Oliver drugged me? And you brought me here so your mother could check me, right?” Taeyeon gave a hint of agreement with her head, biting her already chapped lips.

She was trying to not to focus on how adorable Sunny’s puffy just waked-up-face looked, even if it wasn’t bare because of the still remaining make up.

The other girl suddenly stood up, throwing the blanket on the couch and felt around herself, maybe for her phone. “Oh my God Tiff, she doesn’t know where I am!” She was in full panic mode. “My phone is dead! !”

The blond reassured her, grabbing gently her arms with her hands. “She knows, don’t worry about it, she saw me, Yul and Sooyoung dragging you to my car and came with hers, but she did tell me to make you call her first thing.” Then she glanced at the phone with the kittens case. “I have charger, you can charge it and call her.” She squeezed her arms and gave her the most reassuring smile she was capable of.

When she came back with the charger she found the girl with her head in her trembling hands, eyes closed tight.

“Does your head hurts? My mom said it could happen and it was normal.” Sunny jumped then whispered a quick no.

Taeyeon didn’t know what to do, Sunny looked really troubled and she didn’t know how to handle these kinds of situations. Thinking it was for the best to leave her alone she returned in the kitchen to cook pancakes. Unexpectedly the President followed her in the kitchen and even took a seat at the table.

They didn’t talk, the host continued doing pancakes and the guest watched her, arms crossed on the table and head leaned on them.

Tae cleared . “Are you hungry? I… I made pancakes.”

“You know how to cook?” Sunny looked at her with astonishment.

“Well, I know how to make some things, these are my pride, want some?” The other girl half closed her eyes in doubt but agreed, still unsure.

“Hey, you don’t trust my cooking?” Her tone was high and indignant, Sunny chuckled a bit. “I wouldn’t dare Chef Kim.”

She had this false face of regret that Taeyeon almost launched the pancakes right on her head. But instead put them on a plate, took the syrup and the cutlery. Sunny faked to sample the first bite as if she was on MasterChef then dropped the act and devoured everything.

She seemed so calm and collected, Taeyeon kept staring at her, she even smiled at her a bit while eating. Remembering the way she, herself, freaked out the night before she couldn’t believe it.

“I was hungry, these were seriously good. So you can do something it seems.” She was smiling at her again but now she caught it, the strange tension in her lips, the way her eyes stayed completely open, she was faking it.

How Taeyeon could realize it having meet the girl barely a week before she doesn’t know, but the sensations were there and now she was worried.

“Are you okay? Do you feel anything strange?” Her mom told her to ask and she just remember it.

“Yeah, I think everything it’s alright. Honestly I feel fine.” She couldn’t stop thinking that the girl was lying to her face, but she seemed fine and sincere.

“Are you sure?” Their eyes meet across the table, Taeyeon saw clearly the tempest that was raging behind those seeming calm oblivion wells. Sunny nodded surely and then escaped from her stare. She wasn’t okay, and how could she? On an impulse the blond reached to took one hand in hers, embracing it lightly, trying to convey everything she wanted to say in those gesture.

Sunny observed their hands together for a moment, then retracted hers as if it burned. “Hmm I better call Tiff now, she’ll be worried, I’ll tell her to come pick me up okay?”

The host was still petrified with her arm spread on the table, the rejection stung a bit. Sunny sounded like she was trying to escape, well maybe she was to expansive and she needed her space. That was totally normal for what happened to her.

Taeyeon was trying to make sure she was okay not to heal her ego.

“I could take you if you want, I have the car and I need to go out anyway.”

“Alright if it not to much disturb for you.” Taeyeon shacked her head rapidly then alienated herself while the girl called her friend.

Now wasn’t the time to think about it but she couldn’t help herself. Does she like the girl? It was impossible, she didn’t have one single crush in all her live, not a real one, with sweaty hands and beating heart. And now it was happening? During her last year? With a probable straight girl that would never even befriend her. Breathing profoundly she told herself, that no, this wasn’t happening. She refused it, she doesn’t accept the strings attacked, like hell she could.

In the mine while Sunny ended the call with Tiffany and was observing her, stare lost in the wall and eyes wide opened. “Are you done untangling the mystery of the Universe or I should wait a little longer, I don’t want to interfere.”

God, she was a snarky all wrapped in a gorgeous and tiny case. No she didn’t want any of that.

“Very funny, I am going to change then we can go, oh, the bathroom is at the of the living room, the door to the right, if you need it.”

It was ten in the morning so it wasn’t cold and the Sun was up in the sky without cloud in the way. It was a pretty day for the end of September. The ride to Tiffany’s house went almost in silence, the only conversation was for indications.

Sunny’s completely bare face surprised her, she looked at least four years younger, it made you want to hug her like a plushie and pinch her cheeks, not that she dared to say it. The hard and deadly stare she got was enough, she had a song to finish, the Star Wars saga to finish watching that December, she wished to live a little longer.

The atmosphere was awkward at best, Taeyeon’s hands on the wheel were sweaty and her cheeks red with embarrassment. Sunny was sitting uptight, eyes staring at the road, teeth biting the lips.

Finally they arrived, the pilot accosted in front of the house and smiled, or tried, at her passenger, who wasn’t looking at her but at her own hands on her knees. “I… well thank you Kim Taeyeon, for everything. You… you would’ve been a good knight, if we were still in the middle ages.” She said it so fast that Taeyeon barely caught it then she turned towards the pilot seat and kissed her cheek. Tae had no time to process it that the girl was already out the car, walking towards the door of the house.

She touched her cheek in disbelieve.

Now she was confused.