As Shakespeare Once Said

___________________________

Chapter 2

“The course of true love never did run smooth.” - Lysander, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 1, Scene 1 (William Shakespeare)

///

Attention: When you see (song cue), it means it contains a link to a song that you should listen to at a specific time while reading! :)

///

It was cold, unlike any other August. 

In fact, it might be a bit too cold for Dahyun’s liking. It’s not freezing but it’s the kind of cold where it’s only your bare skin against the blanket. Nothing else in between.

The veins in her temples throbbed in uncanny beats when she opened her eyes. Alcohol has this nasty effect that she’s learning just now, and for the first time, she has the right to quietly mumble one of greatest lies that graced the history of mankind: “I’m not drinking ever again.”

She half got up, propping herself on her elbows while she gave a chance for her vision to refocus and clear out. The silhouettes are unfamiliar, and that never really sat well with her. She squinted her eyes to help her discern what’s happening. The skies outside are splashed with the colors of maybe five in the morning. Probably explains why it’s colder than usual. 

Her eyes trail up from the ceiling (which is very different from her room) and down to the table, the dimly lit lamp, and the litter of clothes on the floor. Some of them are vaguely familiar, especially the lettermans and the denim shorts. 

More specifically, what are her clothes doing on the floor? And why is she on a bed in a room that’s not hers?

“Oh my god. .” Dahyun’s eyes widened so much she thought they’d pop out from the sockets.

There are things that can cure one from a hangover quickly than a chicken noodle soup or a punch in the face. And nothing is record breakingly effective than —

“. . . .” Dahyun whisper-spits as she stares down on her half self under the covers. “Holy! !” 

She quickly glances beside her only to see a pair of hazel eyes already staring right back at her. 

“Oh my god.” Sana breathes out shakily, equally as half undressed as Dahyun. She peeks under the blanket that she was holding against her chest, then her eyes dart back to Dahyun’s. 

Dahyun could only look around, look back at Sana, look back at her half self, open to speak only to stop midway, and ultimately jumps off the bed even if it’s freezing outside the blankets. 

“. . !” Dahyun hops on to one foot as she pulled her denim shorts up her legs. “No one can see this! We have to go.” 

“Dahyun, wait!” Sana crawls out to the edge of the bed, “I think we might be overreacting here.” 

But before they could even set themselves to calm down, a lull of murmurs outside the door began to grow louder for each passing second. Dahyun could only conclude that these are stragglers looking to crash themselves into somewhere more comfortable, but the thought of them accidentally barging into the room is more than enough to let Dahyun see a glimpse of the imminent future. Rumors spreading across classrooms like wildfire, staring eyes, quiet whispers, not to mention anonymous tweets for blind items. High school is fertile soil for gossip, and she refuses to be fodder. At least not like this.

“!” Dahyun panics as the sounds outside the door came closer. “Sana! We need to go!” 

She puts on the jacket and flips her hair out from inside of the collar and Sana can’t tell why she just keeps on watching. But when she was greeted by raised brows and screaming eyes, Sana jumps off the bed and gets in her pants, maybe cursing a bit because she can’t remember why her pants had to be this tight.

“My dad’s gonna kill me.” Dahyun winces as she checked the twelve missed calls on her phone, last one being at 2 in the morning. She grabbed all of her remaining things and glanced back at Sana when she heard the voices stopping just by the door. Sana pauses for a quick second as she pulls her shirt down, listening if they’re gonna come in. 

A beat passes, then she looks at the window. 

“Dahyun, window. Go!” 

Under the cover of darkness, Dahyun crawled out to the first floor rooftop like she was so used to it. The wind was biting cold but it never really mattered when they both hear the knob turn ever so slowly. Dahyun peeked into the window and watched as the door opened slightly. Sana tensed up, Dahyun poised to duck down and run if she needs to. But when the door didn’t open any further, they both let their lungs unclench. 

The moment didn’t not last when Sana looked at the letterman on the floor.

“.” Sana curses at the piece of clothing that can tie them to the crime scene. They didn’t speak much further at that point, and with the last glance they shared, it was decided that it will not be a mutual getaway. There was a hint of hesitation in Dahyun’s eyes like she still has much to say, Sana remembers, but when the door threatened to open, Dahyun snaps back to the reality that she needs to leave and quick. 

“Go.” Sana mouths as she quietly runs to her jacket, snatches it, then continues onto the wall just beside the door. Dahyun hides beside the window and peeks in just a little bit to see that half of  Sana was covered by the opened door. 

From where they were both standing, they just shared a brief sad smile to each other, as if to understand that this is the only goodbye they could afford despite the memorable night they just shared. Their gazes lingered, asking for some form of assurance that things will not go weird once Monday comes. 

Sana’s lips curved up a bit then she nods once, very discreetly. Dahyun acknowledges and vaults down from the roof then runs off into the curb. 

She runs away, as if she committed a crime that no one could know. And while there was no felony involved, there was this stinging amount of adrenaline clawing its way out of her chest. Did she just defy the laws of her curfew? Is she planning on slipping into her home like a homeless intruder? Has she turned into a household felon? How the hell did she even wake up half beside Atteridge’s star quarterback? And why is she chuckling softly to herself? 

The escape is thrilling to say the least, and as much as they got away with tonight, it will take the entirety of them to get out of the mess that’s called Monday. 

///

Dahyun slips into her room through a window she left unlocked the night before. She quickly undresses and dumps her clothes in the hamper then changes into her oversized shirt that she always wears at home. When she was sure that no one is awake to see her come in, she washes her face and crashes into her bed.

It will only be a few hours now before her family sets out for church and it’s probably a good idea to bunk in for a couple of hours before she puts on a show to convince her dad that she came in at around two in the morning. And that she didn’t sleep with someone. 

Meanwhile, Sana nursed her hangover as soon as she got home. She drops her back on the mattress and just lets it consume her entire being. The sun was rising by the time she got home, but she somehow found it difficult to sleep. Instead, she finds herself staring at the other side of the bed like there was a girl lying beside her. 

Sana chuckles at the thought of what happened, especially when she remembered how flustered they both were just this morning. It made her want to ask Dahyun if she got home safely, or if she’s dead, then she remembers that they never exchanged numbers. 

Maybe on Monday, she thinks, then she lets herself be taken by sleep.

///

“Dahyun, honey?” her dad calls out. “Can you bring the laundry to the laundromat? The machine is acting up again.” 

Dahyun sits up and twists the back of her hands against her sleep deprived her eyes. She was just rudely awakened from her second sleep for the day (third, if one counts the Saturday night one), and everything still feels like a haze with the awful taste of slight dehydration. She sniffs deeply to get some air into her lungs before she tilts her head up to shout back. 

This is going to hurt.

“Okay!” Dahyun calls back out, quickly regretting why she needed to shout. She could just wish that her voice reached downstairs. Because if it didn’t, the veins in her temples might not take it again. “Ugh.”, then she got up anyway.

Dahyun is especially obedient today. Not because it’s Sunday, but mostly because that’s how you get leverage just in case you get caught. Chores are like currency. You spend them to dampen the blow when you get into trouble, and at this point, she’d haul everyone’s laundry if it means she can reduce the sentence of possible grounding to just three days. 

She takes the receipt of the rush order, quite satisfied that their clothes will be ready later that evening, then heads out to a nearby coffee shop to pass the time. There was a short exchange of greetings with the girl behind the counter, and she was quite relieved that she seems disinterested in talking as much as Dahyun does. 

At this point, Sunday has almost burned off. It made her wonder why she haven’t heard from her friends yet, which is strange, because she’s already alive considering the amount of alcohol she drank last night. Did Jeongyeon even finish the party? Did Chaeyoung?

BZZZZT. 

Dahyun’s phone vibrates from an incoming call. She could’ve said ‘Speaking of the devil,’ but then again, Chaeyoung always preferred coming in unannounced.

“Hey, just checking in on you, Dubs.” Chaeyoung greets as soon as Dahyun answered her call. 

“I am still alive, as far as the simplest definition of alive is concerned. And that’s no thanks to you and Jeongyeon, actually.” Dahyun says as she paid for her strawberry smoothie.

“You’re welcome!” the voice on the other line says.

“Chae, I said ‘No, thanks to you and Jeongyeon.’?”

“Yeah. And I said that you don’t need to thank us for being good friends with every chance you get. Geez! I mean, wow. Really? All the time?” Chaeyoung rebutts and Dahyun just rolls her eyes because she knows that she’s not gonna win this. 

She mouthed a thank you when she got her drink, then she marched down to the table where her stuff is. 

“What happened to you last night anyways? You and Sana disappeared. Did you guys?!” Chaeyoung asks, and she would’ve pried further if she only saw how Dahyun tensed up like she was struck by a bolt of lightning.

“W-what?” Dahyun replies, hating that she had to stutter. “Where did you even hear that?” 

“Hey, don’t ask me. You were with her the whole night.” Chaeyoung shrugs. “I would’ve assumed that you guys are, you know, dating? Then I remembered you’re the sacrificial for the next harvest season, so I thought maybe she just took you home and left your corpse by your door.” 

“Wow. All of this coming from a person with a long and comprehensive history of dating no one!”  

“You very well know that I am a late bloomer. Come college, I will show you.” Chaeyoung said in the most serious tone she could muster, but her tone changed back to her usual spright when she continued. “But seriously, though. What’s up with you and Sana?” 

“She’s just trying to be nice, I guess. After the accident and stuff.” Dahyun shrugged. 

“Accident? What accident?” Chaeyoung asked. 

“Dude, she literally dove in and toppled the ladder that I was using. I almost died!” 

“Yeah. I’m glad you’re fine. Would’ve been bad news for Idaho and their potatoes.” 

“Enough with the sacrificial !” Dahyun snaps, but quickly subsides when she felt the gazes turn to her direction. She just made small bows to the people she disturbed and covered her lips to make sure that Chaeyoung could hear her whisper. “As I said, maybe it’s her way of saying sorry or whatever.” 

“I’m just saying, Dubs. Sana and her sphere, that’s a bad idea. She just came out of a messy breakup and rumors are going around that she’s out for revenge or whatever. Considering that the Queen herself is her last ex, that’s a lot of pain if you’re looking to finish senior year unscathed.”

Finishing senior year unscathed. Right. It was the ultimate goal.

“We’re okay, Chae.” Dahyun sighs, still appreciating how much Chaeyoung has been looking out for her, “And isn’t that the reason why you dragged me into that party? To make friends, get drunk, and just be out there?” 

“Speaking of which? Not bad for your first high school party ever! And it’s just the start of the year!” Chaeyoung celebrates. “I guess it’s pretty fun. Right? I mean, I had fun.” 

Fun. 

Playing with water guns is fun. Making rainbow pancakes is fun. Popping bubble wraps is fun (and satisfying). 

But last night was in a totally different level. She tried at least seven different kinds of alcohol for the first time. Played coach for keg stands and actually won. Robbed $50 dollars in a game of beer pong. Danced her heart out to her favorite song. Felt being held close and comfortably singled out for the first time. Didn’t feel like an outcast while she hung out with her closest friends and just maybe, grew closer to an unlikely figure of the student body. 

Then there’s the feeling of warm smooth skin against hers. Jokes and conversations shared in intimate whispers. The cool breeze, and the musky scent blended with white cotton and citrus.

It was not fun. It was more than fun. It’s overwhelming, memorable, and exciting. It’s exhilarating, and crazy. Sans the part of waking up half beside Sana, that night was life-changing. To what extent, Dahyun is about to find out.

So she takes a deep breath and looks outside the store window, staring at nothing in particular — just trying to remember the last time she actually felt that alive.

She just shakes her head at the thought of it. 

“Yeah,” Dahyun closes her eyes and smiles. “Pretty fun.”

///

“Well,” Chaeyoung starts. “She didn’t deny it.”

“What do you mean she didn’t deny?” Jeongyeon replies, “Chae, hold Point B for a quick sec. I’m just gonna quick scope that son of a . He’s beginning to annoy me.” 

Chaeyoung complies and ducks her character behind some crates that was looking over Point B.

“She said, and I quote —”

“Hold on.” Jeongyeon halts Chaeyoung then they both hear a sniper gunshot. “In your face motherer. Sorry, Chae. Not you. I love you, dude. Anyway, and you quote what?”

“And I quote ‘What? Where did you even hear that?’ or something like that. Jeongyeon! Behind! Behind! Behind!” Chaeyoung suddenly calls out.

Jeongyeon takes down the two enemies who came from behind her then pushed on to Point A to secure the capture. The brief gunfight put a pause in the conversation, then it was Jeongyeon who picks it up when she got shot at from three different directions.

“That’s interesting.” She drops her controller and stretched her arms. “She could’ve said no.”

“Right?” Chaeyoung felt her suspicions were vindicated. “Didn’t pry much about it, though. Just told her it was trouble.” 

The round ends with their team winning.

“I can’t tell unless I see it myself. But it is kinda weird. Weren’t they like acquaintances?” Jeongyeon scrolls through the scores.

“Not really. They have a few encounters here and there. I mean, she’s team captain and Dahyun’s the president. They’re bound to interact one way or the other.” Chaeyoung explained. “They’re not close but they’re not strangers either.”

“Huh.” Jeongyeon just agrees because she’s too busy fixing her equipment loadout. 

“But how crazy is that? Like if they actually dated.” Chaeyoung and Jeongyeon laughs at the idea. “Power frickin’ couple. Then we get to enjoy the spoils of war. No cheerleaders behind my back and .”

At this point, even if they’re just taking via in game intercom, Chaeyoung felt Jeongyeon’s brow crease. 

“Did they come at you again? Because I swear to god, Son Chaeyoung!” 

“No! No!” the younger one quickly defends to appease her friend. “No incidents.” 

“Better be.” Jeongyeon huffs. “And please don’t keep it from me and Dahyun if anything happens, okay?”

“Alright already, dad!” Chaeyoung pushes off, hoping she sounded stronger than she let on. “I’m fine. Go worry about your band or something. Don’t you have rehearsals tonight?”

“I know you hate it when we ask too much but we’re just looking out for you, okay?” Jeongyeon reminds her before logging out from Battlestorm. “GG, Tigermeister. Rehearsals time.” 

“Yup! See you tomorrow, NoJam.” 

The line cuts and Chaeyoung watches as a notification from her screen popped up telling that Jeongyeon went offline. No incidents, she told her, and it would’ve been true if she didn’t have to take her books back home this morning because someone thought it was funny to blow up a can of Coke in her locker. 

But Jeongyeon doesn’t have to know. Most especially not Dahyun if she wants to keep her friend out of trouble. Not when she can easily be hated just by holding the highest office of the student body.

“Ugh.” her dread translated into a pained groan. “Monday.”

///

If she didn’t come home dead drunk this morning, then maybe Sunday didn’t burn too fast. But here’s Sana drying her hair with a towel, stopping now and then to scroll on her phone.

The party was tiring, yes. Being drunk, even more so. But for all intents and purposes, Jennie’s party wasn’t the worst of ideas when it comes to ways on spending a Saturday night. 

To where it’s due, Jennie did throw an awesome party to kick off the year, and Sana can’t help but think that she owes Momo some sort of thanks for convincing her to come. But that won’t happen because Sana wants to live, and Momo will not let her live without rubbing that on her face. 

It was a good night. It wasn’t awkward as she thought it would be. Hell, she can’t even remember a moment where she needed to escape from anywhere that has Nancy in it. There was no moment turning into an emotionally charged episode of surprise claustrophobia. No moment where she had to cut conversations short just to escape, or moments where she had to go around the house just to avoid seeing her ex girlfriend in the living area. And even if there were small moments that threatened her resolve, those were quickly filled in by Skittles breaks, popcorn shots, or a quick pizza refills (albeit sharing just a slice).  

It’s filled in by rescue shots, a $50 win, and eyes that turn into upside down crescents whenever she smiles. Thinking about it now, Sana never really had the chance to thank Dahyun for that night. 

The French exit wasn’t surprising but she would be lying if she says that she didn’t want it to be a bit more ceremonial. A hug? A friendly kiss? She doesn’t know which is acceptable. But what she does know is that all of those were way better than just a nod. 

Sana sighs at the thought of it, and maybe it bothered her enough. Enough that she found herself scrolling through @kmdhyun’s Instagram account. It wasn’t her first time in this side of the internet, and it shows through the engagements in some of Dahyun’s photos. She even congratulated Dahyun when she was elected president, and she remembered Dahyun saying the same to her when she was assigned the captaincy. 

A few more posts down, she sees Dahyun’s photos from school events, and extracurriculars that they organized. There’s also a photo of them together, looking at each other and laughing at some joke maybe. This was probably taken during the leadership summits that they’re required to attend. It made her think on why they never got close back then until she remembers that her ex-girlfriend prohibited her from talking to other girls back then.

And for good reason, because considering everything, Dahyun is kinda cute. Nerdy, too-goody, but cute. Or maybe Sana was just looking at her features too much, getting lost in her IG account for some reason. 

She pushes those thoughts aside, much like how she collapsed the IG app window. It’s Monday tomorrow, she thinks, and for the first time in a while, she can’t figure out why she feels excited about it.

///

@AtteridgeGossiper 3m 

Something’s up and this new “couple” ain’t telling! 

@YerimSays 2m

Something’s up and you say the same every weekend! 

@AtteridgeGossiper 2m

@YerimSays Hey, you talk and you don’t see me complain! 

@JoyToTheWorld 1m

Here. Witnesseth thy murder. @BearSeulgi @Wendygogo

@WillyWonkers 1m

Who is eeeeet? Let me guess, @ChewyChou and me?

@ImImNayeon 1m

@ChewyChou loooooooool (rofl) (rofl)

@Yardigan 1m

Obviously not @Minatozakimaru! That girl got her dumped! Hahaha! 

@JB96 1m

Is this Nancy and Yeonwoo? Because we know all about that! Tag Minatozaki! LOLOLOL

@NewsFromDetention 3m