With the scalding heat blowing into her face, Seulgi sat in the school parking lot. The smell of laundry detergent blew through her vents. She remembered the day she bought it, when the two of them stopped by the store and the shorter of the two so eagerly picked the freshener that smelt like her favorite detergent. Seulgi hates to think of it but refused to throw it away. It would’ve been a waste.

As she pulled her hair back, she witnessed as another car pulled into the parking spot in front, Joohyun’s car. Waiting to see what would happen next, Seulgi’s shoulders dropped the moment she noticed how Joohyun refused to look forward, quickly gathering her belongings and heading inside. Seulgi’s eyes trailed her movements and once she couldn’t see her, she let out a resigned sigh. That hurt even more because they used to be inseparable. It used to be them, walking in the hallways side to side, either chatting or in silence.

And now they’re nothing.

She’s sick of seeing Joohyun walk away. But what can she do? She messed this up.

“Does she hate me?” Seulgi whimpers.

She’s sitting in the passenger seat of Sooyoung’s car. She’s skipping class for the first time in a while— hates being in there when all she can feel is guilt.

In Seulgi’s heart, she knows that even if Sooyoung knew the true answer to that, she wouldn’t tell her. She knows that it would break Seulgi to know that she messed the situation up so horrendously to the point where the one person she could tell everything to can’t stand looking at her anymore. She knows that at the end of the day, it’s her that screwed up.

“I think she hates the situation you’re in, but not you.” Sooyoung says slowly.

At that, Seulgi looks at Sooyoung in the eye, almost challenging her.

“I asked her if she wanted to talk again.”

“And what did she say?”

“That she already said what she had to say. She sounded upset.”

The moment was followed by silence.

“There’s not much you can do anymore, Seulgi.” Their friend tries to reason, but that doesn’t mean it hurts any less. “She’s with Bogum now.”