“My.. My bear..” Sana cried as she looked onto the tree with her bear stuck on top of it. Kids often bullied Sana when she was younger, one day she had stumbled upon some bullies who threw her bear onto the tree branch

She trembled as she looked over to her favorite bear stuck. She stood up strong and wanted to get the bear as she attempted to climb this. She took it slowly and carefully as she placed her foot onto the trunk. After a few tries, she slipped and bruised her knee with a tear flowing from the side of her eyes.

“Oy! kid! what are you doing?” a familiar voice called out to her. It’s that kid she met at the campsite.

The kid came running to her, still with that cap she wore before and there seemed to be a bruise mark on her cheek. She smiled at the realization that it was Sana.

“ah! Sachi. It’s you!”

“h-hi..”

“uh... why are you crying again?—” she widened her eyes as she sees Sana’s knee bruised up “You’re bleeding— what happened?”

“I.. I tried to g-get—” she pointed at her bear, and without even uttering the next few sentences, The kid knew what she meant.

“How did that get there?”

“Just some.. friends from school... they.. they were just playing around..”

“ugh.. those are not friends.. they are bullies.” The kid rolled her eyes and sighed. “I’ll get it for you.. please don’t cry anymore.”

“ah.. wait.” Sana raised her arm trying to reach the kid before leaving but was too late as she saw her attempting to climb the tall tree.

“ACK!” The kid yelled in agony. Sana saw this across her but she can’t move enough, because of her bruised knee.

“A-are you okay?” 

“Don’t worry, I am fine.” She laughed with a cheerful vibe as if she was not in pain. “Let’s try again”

“No.. it’s okay.” The kid ignored Sana’s voice and tried again, to where the kid slipped the tree trunk once again. 

The kid continued to climb as far as she could but ended up slipping at a few steps— bruising some part of her knees and hands.

“Please, don’t try anymore..” Sana cried as she remained seated to where the kid left her

“Almost there Sachi! just a few more.” She climbed once again with a stick on her other hand. She grabbed onto the trunk and gripped it painfully as she focused herself on the bear. “Come on.. please..” she mumbled as she carefully poked the bear to move from the double branch.

“AH! GOT IT!” she grinned as the bear fell from the branch. She grabbed it and dusted it clean before handing it over to Sana.

“Here you go.” She smiled as she bent down to Sana. 

“A-Ah.. your knees” 

“Oh. It’s okay... Don’t worry. We got to heal yours”

“N-No... You always help me..”

“I just don’t want to see pretty girls cry.” She smiled and patted her head

“—but..”

“It’s okay.. a pretty girl like you.. deserves to smile” She smiled at her as the kid’s figure began to blur out from Sana’s vision.

"n-not again..— wait.. wait" She ran towards the dark smoke as the girl slowly disappeared. "Wait.."

🌨️

Sana gasped for air as she jolted up from her bed.

"ah.. ah.. it's her again.. why can't I remember?" she clasped onto her head and kept her chin closer to her body- gripping tightly to her scalp.

 'Why am I dreaming about her now.. and again..' Sana breathed heavily as her heart pounded loudly. She squinted with pain as she felt her forehead. 

"ah... It hurts... I need to rest.." She sighed and took some medicine to help her with her headache and fever for the rest of the day. She took her phone and began dialing Jeongyeon's number

"Hey. Jeongyeon."

"[Hey Sana... How are you feeling?]"

"Good, just some fever. Can you please pass my project for me, it's in my locker"

"[Sure, make sure to get enough rest okay?]"

"I will.."

"[Good.]" She laughed on the other side of the line

🌨️

"[Jeongyeon?]"

"yes?" she smiled as she heard that sweet gentle voice of Sana on the other line.

"[Thank you for last night]" 

"It's all good Sana.." she gently smiled as she hovered onto the window, listening softly to the voice that makes her feel different.

"[No. really, If it weren't for you... I'd—]"

"I'll always be there for you Sana.."

"[Oh Jeongyeon.]" she chuckled and sniffed. Just when Jeongyeon seemed to be enjoying the company of Sana's voice, the bell rang.

"ah.. Go ahead and rest okay? I'll try to visit you after school"

"[Okay, Thank you again Jeongyeon.]"

"Always.." She smiled and dropped the call with a sigh.

After a few moments of talking to Sana, Jeongyeon had spotted Chaeyoung from the other side of the corridor. Chaeyoung took a glance at her and instantly averted her eyes and walked the opposite way.

'Chaeyoung..'

🌨️

The bell rang for the last elective, to where Jeongyeon will be able to meet Chaeyoung in Chemistry. 

"Hey, guys." Jeongyeon waved

"Yo!.. are you okay?" Nayeon asked as she lingered onto her placing her hand underneath her jaw

"I am fine. I'm not sick" 

"Well, I heard you dropped Sana last night..- you know.. after that heavy rain." she taunted

"Right.. what happened to her" Jihyo added

"She's doing fine, I think she just has a slight fever"

"I see.." 

Nayeon began to smirk as she moved closer to Jeongyeon, whispering to her

"So.. have you asked her out?" she grinned

"WHAT?! no way! why would I?"

"—Because.. you're a coward? It's been 2 years since I knew you.. come on..."

"Yeah.. she's your childhood friend" Jihyo added

"Childhood best friend.. is different from lovers okay?"

"Well.. who told you.. you can't have both?"  Nayeon beamed

"No. it's not how it works. I don't want to throw away 9 years of friendship?"

"You think she doesn't feel the same way for you?" Jihyo sighed as she placed her chin onto her curled fist

"Yeah. she doesn't. We are just friends.. all she sees in me is friends.."

"9 years.. you loved her ever since then.. and you're telling me... she was oblivious, all this time?" Nayeon snickered

"Oh shut up! 9 years is too big for me to ruin... I won't.. and I can't."

"You are a coward, Jeongyeon." Nayeon rolled her eyes and sighed as the bell rang to start the class.

Chaeyoung was found to arrive late, without uttering a word to Jeongyeon. Jeongyeon stared at her, waiting for the perfect time to get her talking, but she was completely ignored and avoided by Chaeyoung during the whole class.

'Great...' Jeongyeon sighed 

🌨️

The final bell rang as an indication of the end of school. Everyone began packing their things but just before Jeongyeon could pack, Chaeyoung had already left the room in a speed of light.

'ah! Damn it!' Jeongyeon mumbled as she began running out of the class

"ah! Jeongyeon!" her friends called

"Go without me! see you!" she yelled as she began running trying to chase after Chaeyoung.

She couldn't figure out where Chaeyoung went off to, as she continued roaming the campus. Until a familiar figure stood in front of her, Chaeyoung noticed this as her eyes widened and got ready to run.

"AH! OH NO, YOU DON'T!" Jeongyeon chased after her

"What!? Leave me alone!" Chaeyoung yelled

“Why are you avoiding me!” there was no response to the latter as they continued to run around the campus halls and outside the school fields “CHAEYOUNG!” she shouted trying to catch her breath, but the latter never stopped running

‘ugh! you annoying twerp!’ she dropped her stuff onto the school’s field and continued to run after the fast tiger

Chaeyoung noticed this behind her as she instinctively dropped her things as well just so she’s able to run further away from Jeongyeon

“WHY ARE YOU RUNNING?!” Jeongyeon yelled

“WHY ARE YOU CHASING ME!!”

“—BECAUSE YOU ARE RUNNING, YOU IDIOT!!”

“THEN STOP CHASING ME!!”

“NO! WE GOTTA TALK!!”

“I DON’T WANNA!” Chaeyoung continued to run until it reached the dead-end of the field “shi—”

“CHAEYOUNG!” 

“ah! Stop chasing after me! Leave me alone!!”

“ugh! stop being so stubborn and talk to me!” 

“no!”

Jeongyeon scowled in frustration as she increased her speed to catch onto the latter. In the middle of the run, Jeongyeon spotted a ball on the field 

“Let me borrow that!” She called out to one of the students on the field

“sure.”

She grabbed the ball and aimed at the latter as she threw this in perfect accuracy onto Chaeyoung— Hitting her head as she slows down.

“ACK!”

“Gotcha!” Jeongyeon huffed as she grabbed Chaeyoung’s hoodie lifting it slightly above her “you.. sure.. are stubborn, aren’t you!”

“Jeongyeon! Let me go!” she squirmed

“Gotcha!” Jeongyeon huffed as she grabbed Chaeyoung’s hoodie lifting it slightly above her “you.. sure.. are stubborn, aren’t you!”

“Jeongyeon! Let me go!” she squirmed

“NO! we have to talk!” she scowled

“There’s nothing to talk about!”

“You walked out yester—”

“SO WHAT!! I NEEDED TO GET HOME!!”

“YOU KNOW SANA WAS CHASING AFTER YOU! WHY DIDN’T YOU STOP FOR HER??”

“I was in a hurry! Now... let me go!”

“Why did you walk out!”

“None of your business!”

“SANA IS SICK BECAUSE OF YOU!!”

“W-What..” Chaeyoung’s eyes widened with guilt and Jeongyeon sighed as she rolled her eyes as she dropped the cub onto the floor.

“Wh-What do you mean sick..” she stuttered

“She’s sick.. she got that high fever from the rain last night.. and she’s sleeping in right now..”

“—B-Because.. she..”

“She chased after you..” Jeongyeon scowled over her and averted her eyes “Sana, chased after you under that heavy rain and loud thunder..”

“I-“

“You know she’s very vulnerable with these things? And.. How did you expect her to think about you under the roaring winds and thunder? When you know she can’t even move a muscle because of those!— WHY DIDN’T YOU STOP!” Jeongyeon gritted her teeth in anger and her fist clenched 

“I-I Wasn’t.. thinking—”

“Damn right you are not!” she yelled “Look! I don’t know what happened to you these past 5 years? But you got to stop thinking about yourself... Sana is determined to help you! No matter how much I stop her! She’s been very stubborn lately! Now if I were you—” Jeongyeon took a step closer to the cub who took a step back with fright. She dropped to the floor as she continued to look up at Jeongyeon’s angry face “If I were you— I’d think about Sana. Even if you don’t think about me... but think about her at least!”  

Jeongyeon bent down to the cub as she sighed “You changed Chae, and I wanted you back too. Sana missed you a lot. It’s always you, me and her against the world. It’s always been us. What happened to you” Silence engulfed Chaeyoung without knowing what to say as a counter to Jeongyeon’s painful words.

Jeongyeon sighed and planted her hand on Chaeyoung’s shoulder “Sana just wants to get that Chaeyoung we knew, to come back”

Chaeyoung watched her old friend be vulnerable, be emotional, even for a fact she knows what’s been hurting her.

“Jeongyeon”

“here.” She sighed “I promised to visit her today.. maybe you can take my place.”

“but.”

“she’d be happier to see you.” Jeongyeon smiled as she placed her hand onto her pockets and walked away to pick up her things from the field

“Jeongyeon!— wh-what should I say?”

“Who knows? Just be you, Chae— You know how important we are to Sana” she waved with a grin and walked.

‘Sana, I’m sorry.’ Chaeyoung sighed as she looked over the piece of paper Jeongyeon had handed over.