Rrrrrrrringgg— The annoying bell sounds, classes were about to start soon. 

Xueer sighs, "I don't really want to go." 

"Well, you can stay here. With Qiqi! " Jiaqi smiles cheekily and rests her head on Xueer's shoulder. 

"But I've never skipped class before..." Xueer was worried about getting caught and being sent to detention.

"Wait, really?" Jiaqi asks in disbelief, she was positive everyone has skipped at least once.

Xueer nods as a reply, "I've always kept my perfect attendance streak." 

"You sound like such a nerd right now." Jiaqi chuckles, the girl next to her was a complete goody two shoes.

"C'mon, let's have some fun today for a change." Jiaqi suggests, she already knows where she'll be taking Xueer to.

Xueer was hesitant at first, not sure if this was a good idea.

"I'm not really sure though." 

"Aw please Xuexue? Live a little won't you?" Jiaqi shows her irresistible puppy eyes to convince her.

Xueer ponders for a moment and eventually gives in to stay with Jiaqi, how bad could it be?

"Alright. Let's go have some fun." Xueer shoots a tight-lipped smile, still unsure about it but Jiaqi takes Xueer's hand. She wasn't going to let Xueer think any longer about it.

The two girls dash down the emergency fire escape stairs and Jiaqi leads Xueer to where she parked her motorbike.

"Where exactly are we going?" 

"You'll see."

They get to Jiaqi’s Iron 833 Harley-Davidson, she carefully straps a helmet on Xueer before putting on one herself. She hops on her bike to start the engine.

If Xueer was honest, she was a little nervous— maybe not just a little. Maybe she’s just paranoid about falling off or maybe losing her grip on Jiaqi and flying off but she just couldn’t help but think about all the possibilities. She couldn’t help it, the heavy bike looked so intimidating too. 

Jiaqi could see the nervousness written all over Xueer’s face, “I’m here. You’ll be safe, just hold on tight okay?” Jiaqi reassures her as she takes Xueer’s hand in hers, rubbing small circles with her thumb. Xueer nods hesitantly and slowly hops on the back of the motorcycle. 

Xueer tightly wraps her arms around Jiaqi’s waist and leans her head on Jiaqi’s back, “Ready?” Jiaqi asks as she revs the engine. 

“Yes.” Xueer says meekly and tries to shake off all the worst scenarios that could happen.

Jiaqi speeds off without warning and Xueer screams in surprise, “Xu Jiaqi!” she could hear the playful laughter from Jiaqi as she held her even tighter and shuts her eyes. 

“Sorry, I couldn’t help it.” Jiaqi chuckles as she slows down to a normal speed, Xueer doesn’t loosen her grip “You’re so mean.”

Xueer finally lets herself breathe easy when they arrive at their destination. After Jiaqi helps her with her helmet she immediately starts lightly punching Jiaqi’s chest. Jiaqi simply giggles from her reaction, finding Xueer’s slightly knitted eyebrows and pout extremely adorable.

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry princess.” Jiaqi snickers as she ruffles Xueer’s hair playfully. Xueer puffs her cheeks, still not willing to forgive Jiaqi.

"How about this? I'll win you the biggest plushies in the arcade just for you." 

"Wait, arcade?" Xueer asks in confusion, still not aware of her surroundings.

"Look behind you princess." Xueer turns around to see a large building in front of her, she could see bright colourful lights through the windows and various kinds of fun machines and games.

The place looked huge, Xueer didn't even know an arcade could be this big.  

Jiaqi could see an amazed glint in Xueer's eyes. The little sparkle that lit up inside Xueer made Jiaqi feel pretty happy with her choice.

"C'mon, let's play to your heart's content." Jiaqi takes a hold of Xueer's hand and together they walk into the building. The almost ear-deafening music felt like it was going to blast Xueer's eardrums but she didn't mind it too much, she was just too excited to play all these games she didn't even know existed.

"So, what do you want to play first?" Jiaqi asks but Xueer couldn't hear a single word, she only tilted her head in confusion.

Jiaqi chuckles and leans closer to Xueer's ear, "What does the princess want to play first?" 

The sudden close proximity and the way Jiaqi worded her question makes Xueer feel a little embarrassed, “What about that one?” Xueer points at the virtual reality machine with two guns attached to it with a large sign, ‘ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE’  above it.

Out of all the games, Jiaqi did not expect Xueer to pick that one. Coincidentally, it was Jiaqi's favourite too.   

"Well let's go then! I'll teach you how to play." The two walk towards the machine hand in hand. 

Jiaqi takes one of the virtual reality goggles and clasps it on Xueer's head, she slips in a few bucks into the machine before handing one of the guns to Xueer. 

"Woah, this is so cool!" Xueer exclaims in excitement as the start screen appears in her vision. Jiaqi watches Xueer move around with her gun in her arms. A bright smile was plastered to her face as she continues to be amazed at the virtual reality technology. 

"C'mon! Let's start now." Xueer lifts her goggles slightly to look at Jiaqi who was watching her fondly. 

"Okay, okay. Let's start." Jiaqi straps on her goggles and starts the game, she could already hear Xueer’s excited feet shuffling and her little giggles that makes her smile unconsciously. 

Xueer was a natural at shooting zombies, and the two were an unstoppable pair at the game. At their second attempt, they already beat the highest score in the scoreboard. The two eventually moved on to other games even though Xueer really wanted to continue but Jiaqi dragged the whining girl away before she could press the ‘Play Again’ button.

“That game was so fun!” Excitement only continued to fill Xueer’s veins, she was having the time of her life. 

“Well, it’s only gonna get better.” Jiaqi simply smiles at the shorter girl, seeing Xueer look so happy, she felt the same too. 

With their hands intertwined, the two played classic games together. Basketball, air hockey. Whack-a-mole, they played every game available. They didn’t even realise all the hours ticking by and by the time they were about done and exhausted, the sun had set. 

“I’m starving, what are you craving?” Xueer asks the taller girl who ponders for a moment.

“Before we go, there’s one last thing we have to play.” Xueer tilts her head in confusion, she was certain they already played everything in the building. 

“Follow me.” Jiaqi takes Xueer’s hand once more as she leads her to the back of the building where all the claw machines were placed. 

“I promised to win the biggest plushies just for you right?” Jiaqi flashes a confident smile and Xueer giggles, Jiaqi was just too sweet for her own good.

Xueer clings on to Jiaqi’s arm, excited to watch Jiaqi win them. She knows it isn’t easy to catch those adorable little toys with a stubborn claw. “Show me what you got then.” 

Jiaqi's smile only widened, she was ready to impress the hell out of Xueer. 

Jiaqi successfully won 4 large plushes without a problem, she was precise and she knew all the tricks to get what she wanted. Xueer’s star-struck expression was a huge boost in Jiaqi's ego. 

“I kept my promise, don’t you think Qiqi deserves a reward?” Jiaqi spoke with a cheeky smile and Xueer pushes the taller girl away as she laughs. 

“Really? A reward?” Jiaqi nodded vigorously, “C’mon, I brought you all the way here and paid for everything. I even won you new friends. I think I deserve something.” Jiaqi nudges Xueer, already expectant of something out of her. 

Seconds pass and Xueer says nothing, “...Fine. I’ll think about it.” Xueer did feel bad that Jiaqi spent quite a bit of money on her. 

Jiaqi beams brightly, “Can’t wait. How about we grab some food?” 

Before Xueer could even open , her stomach replies for her anyway. A grumble could be heard and Jiaqi chuckled while Xueer blushed in embarrassment. 

“Let’s get going then, can’t let your stomach suffer any longer.” 

The two decide to grab some quick burgers at a nearby fast food joint, Xueer gladly digs into her hearty burger while Jiaqi watches the girl as she munches on her fries. 

“Dow yu wanh tu tri sum?” Xueer offers a bite of her burger while was still full, Jiaqi giggles at the sight, the cute girl in front of her had habits she would never expect.

“Sure.” Jiaqi leans in and casually takes a bite of Xueer’s burger from her hands. A flustered Xueer appears when Jiaqi starts to chew her food, Jiaqi thinks it’s an adorable sight.

Xueer simply stares at the table instead of looking at Jiaqi, the taller girl notices. 

“Hey, wanna try my onion rings?” Jiaqi stretches her hand out with an onion ring between her fingers. 

With light pink cheeks, Xueer leans in and takes it with her teeth. Jiaqi realised how much prettier Xueer is up close, how pink her lips are, how her eyelashes are the perfect length, how pretty she really is and it was her turn to be blushing. 

“...Now you know how it feels.” Xueer says with a hmph and Jiaqi couldn’t help but laugh out loud from the girl’s reaction. Xueer couldn’t help but let out a chuckle too from how contagious Jiaqi's laugh was, she tucks a loose strand of hair as she carefully observes Jiaqi’s smiling eyes and Jiaqi’s charming smile and laughter. 

It’s definitely a night Xueer will find hard to forget. 

It was getting late, Xueer enjoys the cool night breeze as Jiaqi rides through her neighbourhood, she sorta wishes the night wouldn’t end if she was honest. Saying yes to Jiaqi’s idea of skipping class might be the best decision she’s made. 

Jiaqi slows down as she reaches the front of Xueer’s house, 

“We’re here.” Jiaqi hops off her bike and helps Xueer unbuckle her helmet. Xueer pouts as Jiaqi takes off her helmet. 

“Hey, cheer up! We’ll hang out again soon.” Jiaqi shows a smile as she lifts Xueer’s chin up. The once sulky girl brightens up, a small smile now on her face.

 Jiaqi walks Xueer to her front door, their arms hooked together comfortably with plushies in their other arms. 

As Xueer steps up to the door, she turns to face Jiaqi. They exchange smiles, “Goodnight, Xuexue.” 

“Thank you for today Qiqi, I had fun.” Xueer shows a grateful smile, “It’s nothing, we can go any time you want.” 

“You better keep your word.” 

“I promise!” Jiaqi crosses her heart and Xueer’s smile widens. 

“Well, it’s getting late, I should get going. Don’t want to make you sleep too late. Sleep tight, Xuexue.” Jiaqi checks her watch and was about to step away but Xueer grabs Jiaqi’s wrist, “Wait!”

“You um, you forgot your reward.” Jiaqi could see the pink in Xueer’s cheeks even in the dim light and the pile of plushies covering half her face.

Jiaqi perks up when Xueer said that, she almost forgot even asked Xueer for a reward. “Well, I’m waiting.” 

Xueer quickly plants a very soft kiss on Jiaqi’s cheek, “Goodnight!” Xueer bids as she runs inside her house. Jiaqi stood frozen, her feet glued to the ground with her hand on her cheek. A kiss as her reward, something she didn’t expect but nothing would beat the giddiness in her heart and the goofy grin on her face. 

Jiaqi lets out a soft chuckle, she turns to leave with her hand still on her cheek. Jiaqi thinks there wouldn’t be a better way to end the night. 

Xueer takes deep breaths as she leans against her front door, she squeezes the soft toys in her arms tight. She could feel her heart racing and the adrenaline still running in her system. She can’t believe she did that, but watching Jiaqi through her window leaving with a bounce in her steps and a smile on her face. Maybe Jiaqi feels the same fluttering feeling in her stomach too.