Taeyeon was munching sadly on her salad, her chin rested on her palm, her eyes staring at the food on her plate.

“It went that bad?” Yuri was furiously eating her, supposed to be, steak while eyeing her now upset friend.

She nodded slowly, playing with the fork on the tray, her stomach refused to eat whatever was on it, even her ponytail was sagged on her nape lifeless. Jessica watched worriedly the movement of her fork and the pout on her friend lips.

“Oh come on, tell us.” Jessi encouraged her.

Taeyeon signed and throw a annoyed stare to the both of them. “It was bad, I was bad, nothing new about it, really. I told Mrs. Marinelli myself!” She wanted to look smug about it but her shoulder dropped and a pathetic sound left her lips.

“It was the first rehearsal, you can improve don’t worry about it.” Yuri patted her shoulder and got back to her meat.

“I can’t memorize the lines and I can’t deliver them, I get all shy and the words got mixed together, I am a disaster! Exactly like I knew I would be!” She slapped the desk in anger and hurt her hand in the process, she cursed her stupidity.

Sunny was so smooth, so responsive and on point. Her words were clear and her face was capable of the perfect expressions, she seemed to be made for that stage. Instead her tongue was constantly tangled and she forgot most of the lines she had memorized.

The look of disbelieve that was on her co-protagonist face only increased her nervousness. Her hands trembled constantly and her face was red for the entire time of rehearsal. She had so many parts, even if the other actors and the teacher were really understanding and encouraging she couldn’t do it.

She felt the stares of her two friends, they were at lunch and her bad mood wouldn’t just go away. Biting her lips to blood she tried to eliminate the imagines of that morning from her head. She felt her social anxiety grow every second with every glace of pity Sunny gave her, it was clearly pity and it couldn’t be anything else.

“Hi, we need to talk.”

Her self-brainwash was interrupted by the very object of her thinking and Tiffany, sitting at their table like they owned it.

Taeyeon watched her blinking, not understanding. “We?”

Sunny signed out loud. “Yes, me and you, we, who else?”

She shrugged embarrassed and glanced at her friends at her sides, they resumed eating. Tiffany was smiling unbelievable big towards her, it was giving her bad vibes.

“You need to learn your lines, and rehears more!” The authority of her tone made her gulp but waked the rebel that was in her.

She recognized a lot of herself in Anakin Skywalker, stubborn and driven by emotions. She remembers perfectly what end brought him that attitude, but she persisted.

“You are not the boss of me, I do what I want.” She forked her salad hard and put a big amount in , chewing angrily. Sunny rolled her eyes until she could only see the white.

“I am telling you because I want to help you! Stop being a brat and listen to me.” A finger was pointed at her, and even the chubby cheeks puffed in rage didn’t temper the burning look on her chocolate orbs.

Taeyeon shallowed loudly and pretended to think about it. “How do you plan of helping me?”

Sunny retracted her pointed finger and got shy all sudden, a faint blush on her cheeks, she saw Tiffany grabbing her hand under the table and raised an eyebrow, not understanding. “Hmmm, we need to rehear together, I’ll help you with your lines.” She cleared a few times, her voice cracked a bit.

“Are you serious?” She was in total denial, it was some kind of lucid dream and she’ll wake up in a coat of sweat. She pinched her hand, nothing, it was all real.

Sunny looked like she was ready to beat her to death, to get some sense inside her head. “Yes, I am. We are in the same play and you, Miss I don’t want to act with you, are my co-protagonist.” And there was silence, a deep and confusing silence.

Taeyeon didn’t know what to do with herself, lost in thinking of them in a room, alone, rehearsing for hours a, romantic slash , play. She blinked trying to come back to reality, Yuri was more helpful slapping her shoulder hard, waking up her from her induced dream.

“I don’t know…” Her brain was short circuiting and that were the only words she was capable of. Then she chuckled awkwardly.

That turned to be a very bad idea.

The entire table glared at her in astonishment, Jessica gritted her teeth so hard she heard them.

“You don’t know? If it is all game to you, fine! I judged you wrong. My fault.” The stern and slightly hurt tone wake up Taeyeon definitely. Sunny’s eyes were hard while she stood up but she was faster and grabbed a soft hand, preventing her to go away.

“Wait, wait, wait, I am sorry sit down. Please sit down.” Her still barely conscious stare met an angry one, time stopped for a while, Taeyeon tried with all yourself to hold it, to not give in the cowardice. The other girl didn’t move either but didn’t stood up.

“I am sorry, you got me by surprise that’s all.” Miss President hold her stare, searching for sign of lies, uncertainty clear in the lines of her face.

“I… I think that we… we could do that together.”

Did she just say that?

Sunny retracted her hand staring at her, a frown clear on her face.

“You can be stupid or flirty creepy eh? That are your only two options. For real Frodo, what’s inside your head?” Jessica tapped on her head, plain disgust in the lines of . Taeyeon focused all her attention on the desk below, trying desperately to find something to say. Her mind was blank. Her cheeks burned.

When she raised her eyes she met Sunny’s, now less threating and hurt but more teasing. “I am not doing anything with you that’s not rehears, just to be clear.” Then she smiled a bit, it was tiny and she didn’t show her teeth but that was a smile.

She throws her a little grin feeling like a fool for the umpteen time that day. At least Sunny wasn’t angry at her anymore and they will be spending time together, her heart started to beat faster at the thought, she told it to stop it.

“So when?” She asked hopefully.

“I think the sooner the better, today after school? Your house?” The shorter girl was already standing up to leave.

Taeyeon gulped. “Yeah… sure. Hmm you could ride with me, with my car.” She scratched her neck, staring at a point on the wall in front of them.

Sunny was watching at her, thinking about it. “What’s with you and trying to get me in your car? Anyway that’s fine to me, see you later.” Then she swayed out of the cafeteria, arm in arm with the cheerleader.

The blond was left to rethink at the situation, an indecipherable expression tensing her cheeks.

“That was the worst move I ever saw, in my entire life. But you got it, I can’t believe it.” Yuri was back to munching on her meat. Stealing looks between her and Jessi.

“Technically she got a big and clear no.” Jessica sarcastic tone reminded her that yes, she got a firm no.

She didn’t even realize it, damn her lesbian brain. She did know that she had no chance already, so why it hurt like this. It felt like a little hole was forming in her heart. Biting her chapped lips she gave entirely up on her lunch and crossed her arm. Her brain wouldn’t stop picturing the possible events of the afternoon at her house.

“Err you are right Jess, but everything can change, she needs to win her heart.” Her friends were still bickering on if she had a chance or not, she closed her eyes, ignoring their reasoning, picturing how soft could look Sunny in one of her oversized sweaters, maybe she would like to change from the uncomfortable uniform.

Making her own ears red she put that imagine on a loop, forgetting the stern refuse for now.

God she had it so bad.

Taeyeon was fidgeting near the doors of the school, playing with the keys of her car, she tried to not look at each person that got out, but that occurred to be difficult.

Yuri and Jessica left her in the limbo wishing her their best luck, her tall friend winked at her, the fashionista told her to behave.

The anxiety was back, she couldn’t stop moving around, her legs quivered with the tension. What she should do? Her room was okay? She doesn’t remember it to be messy, but the other girl maybe had other standard to the cleaning process.

She was biting her nails when Sunny found her, a lost soul waiting for her. She thought about making a joke about her begin late but her tongue got tangled.

“Sorry the Principal wanted to speak to me.” Her gaze was almost blurred, it looked burden by something, her usually high-pitched voice was down by a few tones. Taeyeon wanted to ask right away, but she wasn’t even her friend.

Right, what were they? Acquaintances that got in detention together, then one rescued the other in a party, she got a punch and now there were protagonists on a ing play.

Definitely not friends.

“No problem, let’s go.” She didn’t even flinch, going to the car, Sunny followed her in a heavy silence. She could feel that something was wrong but she didn’t have the right to ask.

The ride was filled with the sound of the radio, her passenger was busy with her phone so Taeyeon was just humming at songs, trying to not let the anxiety eat her. At the semaphore she glanced to her co-pilot, her side profile mixed with the streets and the landscape was worth more than a post, Jessi taught her that much.

She seemed tense and worried, kept biting her finger with a haunted shade in her deep brown eyes. Then she snorted loudly and almost throw her phone into her bag, she had to ask.

“Something wrong?” Continuing to focus on the traffic and the street ahead she hoped in a answer.

“Everything is fine, don’t worry about it.” Obviously she got a short and angry response, what did she expect?

They weren’t friends.

She just nodded and kept driving, reminding herself to think only about her business. Maybe it was only her that felt that kind of connection. The rest of the ride went in absolute silence, the radio playing on her own, Sunny watching outside of her window, a serious expression tensing the lines of and forehead.

Taeyeon watched as the other girl found her chair in her room and seated on it, getting the script from her yellow and full of stickers bag. She squinted, all of her accessories were cute and in bright colors, as if she had another self somewhere, someone she didn’t get to meet yet, or maybe never will.

“Hmmm I am going to change to something a little bit cozier, I could lend you something. Well it won’t fit on you, me being taller than you but…” She smiled hoping to make her laugh or at least interact but she failed. Sunny shacked her head saying a little thank you, as if she was drained.

Taeyeon wanted to ask again, to make her shoulder a little lighter, but grabbed a t-shirt and some short to change instead.

The rehear was going pretty smoothly, she could read the lines and she could say them, watching Sunny twisting on her favorite seat. Her focused face surprisingly calmed her, her hands weren’t sweating anymore and she could articulate right her words.

“You are actually good, fluid even, why can’t you do it on stage?” Her eyes were still dark but the stare was so soft and curious that Taeyeon almost spilled all her secrets, like when years ago she broke Jessica headphones and blamed a random dog.

“People give me anxiety.” She simply said waiting for the usual response “you will get over it, you just need to be more around people.”

Instead the little girl nodded in a comprehensive way, twisting her lips and checking the script. “Maybe when you’ll be confident it’ll be better, you are not a bad actress.” Then she smiled softly, the atmosphere changed a bit, they were just looking at each other, it felt cozy, it felt relaxing.

“Thanks, hmm you seemed a bit off before, I am good listener you know, if you want to talk.” Taeyeon attempt was to put it in a cool and relaxed way, maybe she would feel it and open up.

The other girl eluded her stare, playing with her long hair, twirling a lock on a finger then twisting it multiple times. She looked undecided, glanced at her, breathing in a few times.

“My dad wants me to do something I don’t want to.” It was almost a whisper but Taeyeon caught every word of it, opening her eyes wide and waited for the girl to continue, but she never did.

“Got it, well how bad you don’t want to do it?” She persisted.

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

“I’d prefer to spend another afternoon with you.” She should be offended but the tone was just teasing, the annoying tiniest grin appearing on her pinkish lips.

“Ha you are very funny, as if you didn’t propose it yourself.” The other girl grinned harder, showing all of her teeth, her eyes following a bit the motion but not completely. “Touché.”

“Now, because I am a not a y person, like you, why don’t you tell me what it is. Maybe I can help you.” The grin was substituted by a light glare and she throw the script to her, completely failing in hitting Taeyeon, who chuckled at the angry expression on the other girl.

“I doubt it but well, he wants me to go to the, I don’t know I lost count, Gala this year. But this time Tiffany isn’t there to accompany me, all the cheerleaders are going on a trip, a camp I think. So my dad insists on finding me a partner, his picks are always snobby snotty pretentious detestable boys.” At the end she buried her face in her hands, growling in frustration.

Taeyeon blinked adsorbing the information, elaborating a possible solution. “You don’t have any other friend you could ask?”

Sunny glanced at her in between her finger. “What do you think?” A tired shade in her eyes.

Now she felt stupid. Taeyeon thought about it for a few minutes while the other girl continued her self-pitying moment.

“I could ask Yuri for you, or maybe Sooyoung. They can’t be worst that a stranger.” She shrugged, Yul was good at these things, she is bubbly and friendly, perfect for gatherings and Soo too, with her loud voice and straightforward attitude.

It pained her a bit to propose the co-captain knowing how she had a crush on the little girl, but it was better then not helping her.

Sending Jessi was just a social suicide.

Sunny was staring at her, confusion visible on her pretty face, her eyebrows knitting. “You really hate being with me, do you.” Her voice was down again, pouting a bit unconsciously.

Taeyeon froze there, on her bed, mouth gasping. “What? No, why… why do you say that?”

The other girl rolled her eyes and stood to retrieve her script ignoring her glances. She started to pack her bag, with more force that it required. “I’ll let you know about your offer, I’ll think about it, thank you. I need to go now, study the next lines and we’ll see how it goes.” She had already her bag on her shoulder and without looking at her she was going out of her room.

Taeyeon almost fell from the bed to stand up and follow her. “Hey, wait a moment, what do you meant?”

The girl stopped to give her a serious stare, an eyebrow raised up, her head lightly bent on a side and arms crossed under her heaving chest. Which Tae totally didn’t stare at.

She crossed the room fast, slipping on her shoes on the floor but managed to not fall face first on the pavement. “I don’t hate being with you, what gave you the impression of it?” She focused all her attention on the shorter girl face, trying to catch whatever hint she could.

Sunny stood her ground, crossing even more her arms. Then she scoffed and shacked a hand, as to dismiss the discussion. “Don’t mind it, I’ll be going now. Learn your lines!” And she was out of her room.

The blond followed her but she could just watch the girl running and entering the black shiny car, she gulped the lump that occupied not knowing why it was there.

Her mom looked at her with a interrogative face but she shrugged and went again to her room, her mind full of their interactions.

She didn’t know she memorized every little smile that the girl sent her way, every warm glance while she was acting her lines, the tilts of her head to adjust her now long bags, how the rays of sunshine infiltrated in her hair and on her little face, she wished she took a picture of that.

Her mind filmed all of that without her permission and now she was lost in it, remembering the surprise Sunny showed watching around her room, how her glaze stopped at her poster of the Lord of the rings, the big paint of Tyrion from Games of thrones on top of her bed, the big library occupying half of her room.

God she must have looked such a nerd on her eyes, but she didn’t notice any form of judgment, only curiosity.

Jumping to lie on her bed she tried to find where all went wrong, she was friendly and not creepy, or at least she thought so. Not finding her answer she sent a voice message to the group with her two friends. Jessica answered her in all angry screaming caps lock.

-HOW CAN YOU BE THAT STUPID?

-I AM COMING TO KILL YOU

-Any preference on your death?

Taeyeon chuckled, so typical of Jessi, but now she was mad, why everyone underrated her intelligence?

-Ya, I asked for your help you prick, help me!

But then her sweet and considerate friend, Yul, answered in a very calm tone.

-If Jess won’t kill you I swear I will, you idiot! Why you suggested me and Soo when you were right there?!??!?!?!?!?

-Consider this me punching you right in the balls.

Well, that actually made sense, still she didn’t suggest herself because she at social things, she made that pretty clear.

-I don’t have any Yul.

She already suspected the answer but she waited for it anyway.

-THAT’S RIGHT YOU DON’T DAMN MIDGET. Now you call her and you say you will go with her!

That was a no on to many fronts, first she didn’t have her number, second she wouldn't have called her anyway, her hands started to sweat only thinking about it. Third like hell she was going to go to a Gala.

-Don’t have her number, and still won’t do it.

She almost heard Jessi and Yul banging their heads on the first hard surface disponible.

Taeyeon left her phone on the bed, occupying her head with what ifs, some lucid dreams to make her enter in a better world, a world where she wasn’t so closed into herself, where she was good with people, where she would’ve gone with Sunny at that Gala.

Closing tight her eyes she could picture perfectly how the would look and how would they sound.

She found her earphones and plugged them in, burying herself into the fantasy. Feeling tears burning her eyes because she saw her alter ego being everything she wished to be, she saw herself smile so big it broke her face in half, she felt her being free and laugh, without a care in the world. Then her dream-self found a guitar from nowhere and started to sing without any anxiety or worries, Sunny was smiling sweetly to her, all of it was perfect.

She grinned through the tears, at least she had excellent imagination.