"You did such a good job picking out this shirt!" I compliment Aimee, as I carefully pick at my new black top and continue to adore it in the mirror. I seldom ever get the chance to wear a full face of makeup, because it would be an honest waste of time if it were to just melt off at practice, so I take this opportunity to my fullest advantage.

"I do what I can," Aimee smartly answers and tosses her hair in a tornado of hairspray. When Aimee picks her head back up again, she takes me by my shoulders and twirls me around for the both of us to face the mirror.

"We look hot! Honestly, compared to last year's party, I think we've definitely matured our style and taste. Do you remember Heeju's last year where we wore matching chevron tops?" Aimee says, and I cringe at the word. Chevron.

"Don't remind me," I answer.

In addition to makeup, I've also done up my hair with Aimee's curler, which is a night-and-day difference from my usual ponytail with a sweat-resistant headband. "Want some of my perfume? That'll be the finishing touch!"

"Nah, I'm good," I reply. I think my lavender body wash can suffice. "I think perfume would just bring it just over the top with the guys. I can't go too out of character here. You, on the other hand, try not to overdo it. If it's your mom's perfume you wore to school all last year, I don't think I can take another whiff of that."

"It's not. Suit yourself," Aimee pouts her lips and goes wild with her designer perfume.

My phone dings! with a text message from Jungkook, and I say it out loud as I'm reading alone, "Hoseok's car will be here in 3 minutes. We should go ahead and put on our shoes, then wait outside."

"Girl, chill! Have you ever heard of being fashionably late?"

"That's not the case when there's a SUV filled of impatient guys counting down the second where they can get a beer in their hands. And they're doing us a favor by driving. Honestly, what would've been our plan if we went alone? We both don't have cars."

"Huh," Aimee's eyes travel upwards and her fingers find their way to her chin. "I actually don't know. See how the world loves us though? It all worked in our favor!"

"Yes, it was totally in my favor to join an all-boys team for the school year. And you're just here for the ride, aren't you?" I tease, and Aimee encases me in her arms for a hug.

"And that's why I love you!" Aimee wiggles me around, and I chuckle in her arms. "Alright, let's head down. You're just wearing sneakers, right?"

"As if I'd wear sandals showing my bare toes to a group of jumping teenagers? Never again," I answer, and Aimee lets out an 'oh'. That story happened some time last year after one of our school's soccer wins, and it literally pains me to retell.

We swiftly put on our finishing touches and say outloud a checklist of necessities before we leave. Keys, phone, and wallet are all a check, so we eagerly make our ways outside and meet Hoseok's blaring headlights on right in front of my driveway.

Aimee's a bit nervous to meet a new group of five boys, so I hold her hand firmly and make our way towards the car. When it comes to this group, there's absolutely nothing to fear. Especially not when you have a character like Taehyung.

"Yerin!!!" Jimin rolls down his window on the passenger side and shouts on the top of his lungs, which isn't embarrassing at all because I definitely don't have neighbors. I try to shush him immediately after, but the damage was already done - I already heard a faint "SHUT UP!" about three houses down.

"Hey guys. Thanks for the ride, Hoseok! This is my friend I told you about, Aimee." I say once we've been scooted inside, and close the door behind us. They all greet Aimee warmly with hellos; their friendliness weirdly makes me feel at peace, like I'm some mother proud of her kids' manners.

"Yerin! You look so different! Wow, guys! She's, like, wearing makeup!" Jimin points to my face as if I'm some art exhibit. "And what is that? Your hair is not in an up-do like it is normally!"

"Yah, I look different, I know. You don't have to make me feel all weird about it!" I answer, and at this point, the rest of the five guys have directed their eyes on me.

"Woah, you have like a black line on your eyes! It's so cool, it makes your eyes look bigger." Taehyung points out.

"Yes," I simply say back. "Called eyeliner."

"And your... your hair's like not straight like how it usually. It looks like ocean waves," Namjoon inserts himself in, as well.

"Yep, I curled it."

"You guys have seen a girl with makeup and curled hair before, right?" Aimee says from the side of me, and I nudge her like I'm saying 'thank you'.

"Yes, it's just different, because it's Yerin. We're so used to her being, you know, like the soccer player we share the field with," Namjoon answers back.

"What's that supposed to mean? Like Yerin is not a normal girl?" Aimee bluntly replies, and I hastily cup from saying anything further. Sometimes, Aimee can be like my lifeboat, saving me from situations with her confident, blunt responses. But with this, I don't want to pick at it any further before we end up in a big argument and Hoseok leaves us stranded on the streets without a car.

"No, no. They just mean that they're so used to be seeing in the blue uniform, ponytail, and doused in sweat. They'd react this way for anyone that completely does a 180 overnight," I defend my teammates, and they all furiously nod along.

"Yes, that's exactly what we all meant! We're sorry, we didn't mean it in that way at all," Jungkook talks now, and I halfway smile at how he instantly steps up to resolve a conflict like how a leader should.

"Alright, just making sure!" Aimee says, and I nearly let out a laugh at my friend's boldness. Maybe I should've warned them in advance of Aimee's fierce nature, but there's no fun in that - it's better if they were to experience this in person, and maybe then, they'll be able to see there's more to a girl than Hoseok's intial question of 'how cute is she?'. I change the subject to talk about all of our days to liven the mood, which does so successfully. When we arrive to a grandiose house tucked behind some willow trees, it's a scene that's all too familiar, as this is my fourth, and sadly, final, time I'll be pulling up into Heeju's annual back-to-school party.

"Alright, kids. Try not to go too wild tonight, alright? Let's plan to leave at midnight - any longer and I just know one of you will black out and make me babysit. I just vaccuumed my entire car, so if anyone ends up puking in it, I'm not afraid to charge you." Hoseok lectures us as we exit the car one by one.

"Whatever, dad," Taehyung says first, and the rest of the boys tease along and say the same.

"We got it, loud and clear," I answer on behalf of Aimee, and Hoseok smiles at us when we all get out the car and walk towards the front door.

"I knew I always liked you, Yerin. See guys? The difference between you imbeciles and an actual, respectful person? One day, you'll all learn."

"Yeah, yeah. You'll get your gas money, no need to keep yapping." Jimin interjects, and I watch as Hoseok immediately shuts up at the sound of getting paid.

It's a no brainer when Jungkook leads the pack and then is the one to obnoxiously knock on the door to the beat of a song. Some random guy opens the door, not Heeju, and invites us in as if it's his own place of residence. Aimee and I stay behind as the boys greet all their friends in the front area of the house, and we're the last ones to enter through the door.

"Wow. Our fourth time here in four years. It's just like how I remembered it," I say to Aimee as I point Heeju's familiar cascading spiral stairwell. I remember freshman year, I was absolutely stunned at how beautiful Heeju's interior was. Her parents are both producers for a famous entertainment company, and they definitely flaunt their great salaries through their Western-themed home. Traditional Korean homes have wooden flooring and pale walls; Heeju's is essentially a glass house with intricate marble detailing peeking through here and there.

"And I hope her stock of alcohol is just like how we remembered it past years too," Aimee winks, and takes me by the wrist to the kitchen. We squeeze our way through practically the entire senior class and say our hellos to whoever is recognizable.

"Kim Yerin!" The host herself, Heeju, calls from the other size of her kitchen island (which by the way, doesn't even have an inch open that isn't occupied with a red solo cup).

I make my way towards the completely inebriated host, and she voluntarily slings her arm aross my shoulders.

"Miss Heeju," I say once we've met, and Heeju gives me her signature smile where her eyes turn to adorable moon crescents. "Thank you for throwing this party. You know, I'll really miss this when we all graduate. This was like a tradition I always looked forward to after summer!"

"Aw, Yerin. Don't get all sad on me. I don't want to think about graduating! This might be my peak, you know. I won't ever be known for hosting parties after this," Heeju now pouts, and her beer-reeked breath is much more apparent now that I'm closer to her. "Yah, I heard you joined the guys' soccer team. Is that true?"

"Indeed," I answer after Heeju's sudden change of converssation. "I actually came with them, so I hope no one got any bad thoughts when they saw me rolling through with five different guys."

"No one thinks that, babe. You should be celebrated for joining an all guys team - that's so badass! If anyone has any other thoughts, they have to go through me." I get surprised at Heeju's abrupt sense of adoration towards me, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't absolutely loving it.

"You're so cute, Yerin." Heeju pinches my cheeks, and then randomly gives me a hug right after."HEY GUYS! LISTEN UP!"

"Oh, god. What are you doing?" I say, but it's more of a whisper compared to Heeju's volume.

"EVERYONE! My friend, KIM YERIN, just joined the GUY'S soccer team. Rumor was, they begged her to be on the team, because they needed her that badly and she's that good!" Heeju yells out loud, and I'm unsure how far her shouts can travel in this house. I get shy as those around us break out into screams and cheers, and I catch a glimpse of Aimee across from me, who just winks.

"LET'S GIVE A ING TOAST TO KIM YERIN! OUR SCHOOL'S SOCCER BADASS!" Heeju screams at the top of her lungs, and before I know it, someone I've never seen in my life quickly pour me nearly five shots worth of vodka into a red cup, then follows up with an unhealthy amount of Sprite. I take the cup and raise it towards the ceiling, and the entire room around us follows along. I almost want to laugh at how obedient everyone in the kitchen is; they are all definitely following along to Heeju because she owns the place, and they still want to take advantage of her supply of beer.

"TO KIM YERIN!" Heeju yelps once more, and the entire area repeats after her. This time, I'm sure their collective voices amplified through the whole house, because I can easily count more than 40 people just in the kitchen. I clink my cup to whoever has their's raised as well and take a big gulp of whatever's in the cup. I squirm my face instinctively, but it's honestly not that terrible; the vodka is peach flavored, so it is much more tolerable than just the pure thing.

"You're crazy," I say to Heeju once she sets her cup down. "The attention was kind of embarassing, but thank you."

"Of course. You know, I actually really do look up to you joining the boys' team. I know you're an actual queen on the field, so hopefully we'll finally have a winning season," Heeju winks and takes me into her arms. "And if we do, you better believe I'm going to throw an absolute rager at the end of the season." I feel a peck pressed on my right cheek, and then Heeju screams like a literal witch and dances her way out towards the main area.

"She is just so... odd," I say out loud once Aimee comes towards me. "But I love that so much about her."

"I love her, too! Giving my best friend the attention she deserves! You're so cool, Kim Yerin. Can I get your autograph? Or maybe a picture - pretty please? Remember the one party, though, where you actually starting signing people's s? I think you signed like 15 people that night." Aimee teases, and I roll my eyes. She brings her cup up to clink, and we take another drink together.

"Shut up," I reply. "I was like, really drunk that night. But , if I find a Sharpie randomly lying around tonight, I cou