"I want to be honest: I'm surprised I got a call from you" Jihyo was drinking a milkshake, her eyes on the girl sitting in front of her waiting to know what her problem was.

Sana felt uncomfortable and to confirm it was her constant movement in the chair "knowing that you have a shift at work tonight I would have liked to avoid disturbing you and venting to Dahyun, but I don't think she would be happy to hear me talk about one of her best friends and you are the only person I trust"

"Are you still mad about that time she spilled the bottle of water on you? I didn't know you were a rancorous person"

"Yeah, but that's not why.. Wait, how did you know I was talking about her?"

"I know for a fact that a wild person like Sharon is not your type and that you would not let her approach you even by mistake, while Tzuyu, even if a pest, is much calmer and within your reach. I guessed it?"

The redhead showed a pout, flanked by her annoyed gaze "that's why I never want to confide in you, you understand everything immediately and it embarrasses me"

On Jihyo's face was her usual kind and understanding smile "by now we have known each other for a while and, even if it doesn't seem like it, I am an excellent observer. Now tell me what Tzuyu has done, I can see that you are more nervous than usual"

"She saw me sitting under a tree just a few days ago and the genius has well thought of disturbing my peace by talking and literally sticking to me. As if this were not enough she began to criticize my musical tastes, but it is not over here because she memorized my phone number and kept texting me something stupid since that day" she distracted herself to look at her cell phone, finding a notification from Tzuyu, and found herself holding back an amused smile.

"It doesn't seem to me that receiving her messages is bothering you so much, am I wrong?"

"Of course it bothers me, mine is just a smile of circumstance"

Jihyo raised her eyebrows "she can't see how you react"

"But she could sense my detachment and take offense, you know I would never want to hurt someone's feelings"

"Being a mature person also means admitting, to yourself and to others, that you have a crush on someone, did you know? What's wrong with being interested in her? She's a beautiful girl, she can be very nice and it seems to me  she likes you a lot"

Sana's eyes were pointed down, more precisely on the edge of the blue lacquered table "I don't have a crush on her, I'm just upset by her constant attention. Mine is a matter of habit, it's the first time someone acts like this with me and frankly I don't understand why"

"I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, I would have much preferred you to figure it out on your own, but if you keep keeping all your emotions in a safe, sooner or later you will explode and I don't want this for you. With this speech I don't mean that you should transform yourself in the most expansive person in the world, obviously it is necessary to have a balance, but it would already be something if you stop convincing yourself of things that are not true" she was no longer smiling, looking serious as she had never been "I know that it is difficult to have esteem of themselves, but I also know that it is possible to acquire what is needed to have a little bit of it" 

"We are only a year apart, but I feel like a child when you talk to me like this" the redhead was no longer looking at the table, but she had focused her gaze on that of her friend "I will reflect on every single word, I promise and thank you since deep in my heart for not just talking about my current problem. It's nice to talk to someone who can expand a mundane speech to address all the problems I have"

"You don't have to thank me, you know very well that I love you" she patted her lightly on the hand, not prolonging the contact so as not to bother her and avoiding pointing out that she was a sensitive person so as not to step on the redhead's gratitude "but I would be grateful if you could pay for this time, in the rush to join you I forgot my wallet at home"

"No problem, I had already planned to offer you a snack" she smiled sincerely, suddenly calmer and finding herself accepting a proposal that arrived shortly after.

Sharon, ever since she opened her eyes that morning, had been standing next to the darkest version she had ever seen of her older sister "now you tell me what's the matter? You haven't even had lunch and the only thing you do is go to piss"

"I can't talk to you about it, I already know you'd make fun of me and I'm not in the mood to put up with you"

"Test me, I'm still your sister" she threw herself on the bed next to her for the umpteenth time, sitting cross-legged and giving her all her attention.

Mina puffed out her cheeks after taking a deep breath, releasing the air as slowly as possible "I went out with Chaeyoung a few days ago"

"Did it go so badly?"

"It went much worse: I chose a restaurant that she frequented often with her ex, in which the aforementioned showed up, we chose a menu that they used to eat together and, as if this and the glances they gave each other were not enough , Chaeyoung did nothing but talk about that girl. She totally ignored me and I felt insignificant"

The brunette had remained silent watching her, noticing the anger and bitterness in her eyes and feeling sorry for her, but she couldn't help but imagine the scene "so she got a pole straight in your face?"

"Yes, that's what I said"

"What a loser!" Sharon laughed as if there was no tomorrow, alternating quiet moments with others in which she slapped the mattress "I could faint because of laughing, help"

"When you're done making fun of me give me a whistle, I knew I can't count on your support"

Those harsh words immediately stopped Sharon's laughter, who prevented her sister from getting out of bed with a hug "sorry, I shouldn't have laughed" she was her back gently "but you know how I think, you are superior to any woman and she is the loser if you get tired of chasing her"

The blonde returned that squeeze, clinging to not end up in a thousand pieces "I don't know why it hurts so much, but I thought she really liked me and the truth came in my face with such force to leave me speechless"

"You should start ignoring her, so she will understand what she is missing"

"It's clear that you change a girl everyday, little girl" she gave her a nudge on the forehead, being careful not to hurt her "you know, even though I have known Chae for a short time I really enjoy her company and there are times when my heart accelerates like there's no tomorrow, making me understand that something special could be born between me and her"

Sharon decided to reverse their roles and act as an older and responsible sister "sure, but remember that by joining her you will also have to carry the weight of her ex on your shoulders and, knowing you, I really don't think you can bear such a thing. My advice is this: go out, have fun in the way you prefer and, just in case that highlighter decides to stay with you, live your love story as you see fit"

"You said some good things and I'll keep them in mind, but as far as going out and having fun I completely disassociate myself. I'll stay in bed, will you keep me company?"

"To tell you the truth, I invited Dahyun to our movie night and, honestly, I don't think you'll be able to stay here much longer"

"Why are you saying this? What have you been up to this time?"

"Nothing to worry about, but I'm tired of seeing you like this and I've decided to call for backup"

The help the younger had spoken of was the pair of friends Mina cared about the most, and it arrived about twenty minutes later. Katarina had no qualms about grabbing her friend to get her out of bed "Jeong, tear off her pajamas if you need to. You have my consent"

The blonde found her eyes wide open "it's me who didn't give consent! Sharon, give me a hand!"

"I've done my part, I'm going to my room to listen to some music" she gave her the middle finger and a smirk before leaving while whistling.

Jeongyeon did what her girlfriend had told her, avoiding looking at Mina's body out of respect "choose what to wear or we'll leave you to freeze to death"

Even Katarina was showing herself more serious than ever "I don't care if my sister is involved and I don't even care what may have happened between you two, as your best friend it is my duty to force you to go out and have fun"

"Who said you were her best friend? We both know that role belongs only to me" her girlfriend had placed her hands on her hips and was looking at her as if she wanted to wipe her off the face of the earth. 

"Girls, my best friend, if we really want to put labels, it's Nayeon"

"Nobody asked you!" they both yelled at her in perfect sync, moving at the same moment to point to the closet.

The blonde, terrified of those two, immediately did what she was told, leaving them alone to argue once she closed herself in the bathroom.

The usual group of friends had made an appointment in front of their favorite place, to Momo's disappointment who didn't want to go in but who eventually joined the others "that girl works there, can we go somewhere else? In this area it's full of better clubs than this"

"Who are you talking about?" Nayeon was genuinely confused by that vague information.

"The girl who took the excursion with us, the one who is in love with me" replied the brunette while she was intent on fixing her bangs "she has become a persecution and I can't stand her anymore, I see her everywhere"

At that point Sally interjected "maybe it's fate that is trying to join you with the only person in the world who would be able to put up with a pain in the like you, I'd take advantage of it in your place"

"I don't accept life lessons from you, you know very well that you are the one I bear the least in this group"

Katarina pretended to be offended, putting a hand to her chest in a fake grimace of pain "I'm not the first despite all my efforts, this blow is too strong to bear"

Jeongyeon had joined in that ridiculous play, wiping away the tears that weren't there "life is just unfair, I'm going to get rid of sadness by dancing as if there was no tomorrow. My love, will you accompany me?"

"Of course, I don't want to take the heads off the chickens who want to steal my girl"

As soon as those two were gone, Mina cleared "they dragged me here by force, I apologize if I'm not in top shape"

"Don't worry, I've been working all day and I'm exhausted. I keep you company" Sally gave her usual friendly smile "can I ask why you have sad eyes?"

"At the very least she must have been rejected by a girl, pathetic" Momo was smoking an electronic cigarette, not caring about the annoyance she was causing Nayeon, who was sitting next to her.

The youngest of the three blondes, taken aback by those poisonous but truthful words, remained with her head down and her eyes focused on the object emitting smoke, avoiding answering Sally's question "can I try?"

"No, that's disgusting, then I'd have to throw it off a cliff" she rolled her eyes before looking at Nayeon "are you going to get our drinks?"

"Okay, I'll take the usual for all" she got up with momentum, moving strangely in a graceful way and leaning on the counter "can I order?"

As expected there was Jihyo at the counter, who immediately smiled at the blonde "you are Nayeon, right?"

"And you are Jihyo, I remember you" she returned her smile, ordering immediately after and stopping to chat with her "you have more than one job, right?"

"How did you understand this?"

"In this place there are short shifts, so I just took a guess"

The brunette smiled again, not hiding the joy of being able to chat with someone so friendly "what do you do? If I may ask"

"I'm a simple pastry chef"

"I love sweets!" Jihyo's eyes lit up with their own light.

Nayeon was also particularly enthusiastic "let's do this: I'll wait for your shift to finish so we can talk and get to know each other better. Would you like it?"

"Sure, I can't wait" she handed her the drinks she had ordered, having taken care to arrange them on a tray so she wouldn't struggle.

The blonde walked away after waving her goodbye and a smile, unaware of the pair of her eyes on her. Jihyo hadn't been able to stop looking at her, feeling particularly excited and not understanding why.