Haerin rang the bell at Heesoo's house after the few minutes walk from the bus station. She was still in a daze from what happened earlier with Kim Minji. That hug was something Haerin never thought she'd experience so soon and definitely not with the most popular girl in school. Haerin was a nobody and the fact that Kim Minji, the famous captain of the female basketball team started giving her all this attention she never asked for, made the 11th grader unseasy. Popular kids can be very mean and she feared the worst, but the older girl was so kind so far. She didn't want to be the target of some sick joke the basketball team was playing on her. Haerin wished the captain was genuine with her actions and that she actually wanted to be friends with her.

"Hey, I was expecting you." Heesoo said after she opened the door and stepped outside. "You are here to talk about Jihye, right?" Haerin could only nod, followed her best friend and sat down beside her on the few concrete steps leading to the small front yard. 

"I'm not taking her side nor yours, unnie. I just want to know why you aren't interested in her. Jihye is a fantastic person." Haerin said, afraid not to upset the older girl. Heesoo smiled surprisingly and leaned her head on the younger girl's shoulder. 

"I kept a secret from you, Haerin-ah. This is one of the reasons why I can't accept Jihye that way. I already have a boyfriend." Haerin only hummed as a response, making Heesoo bring her head back up. "He's the captain of the male basketball team. We've been dating for a few months but I had to keep it private for his sake. He's the reason I joined the team in the first place. I kind of started liking basketball since I met him." Haerin sighed thinking about Jihye's reaction to this. Your crush having a relationship must be difficult to deal with and knowing how easily Jihye got affected by stuff like this, Haerin couldn't help but feel bad for her classmate. 

"What's the other reason?" Haerin asked curiously, despite that Heesoo having a boyfriend was a valid enough reason. And captain of the male basketball team, eh? Haerin knew his name, of course. Together with Kim Minji, he was very popular among the students. She couldn't match the name to a face however, since she has never seen a game played by the male team. Or any other game whatsoever. 

"Both of us have secrets, I suppose." Heesoo began, making Haerin frown. She didn't have any secrets as far as she was aware. "Well, you see… Even if I was single, I still could not accept Jihye that way. Unlike you and your other friends, Haerin, I'm not gay." The last part made the younger girl gulp, trying to make the lump that suddenly formed inside disappear. What on earth was the other girl talking about?

"But unnie, I'm not gay. Where did you get that from? I'm not interested in girls and I'm not interested in boys either. I -"

"I've known you for almost a decade, Kang Haerin. I can sense when something is going on with you. Most of the time when you come to our practice, I feel like you are not there to support me but you just come for Minji. Your eyes don't lie, Haerin-ah." The younger girl couldn't help but blush hearing the name of the team captain being mentioned, giving the opportunity for Heesoo to by smiling widely. 

"What are you talking about? Minji sunbae didn't acknowledge me until a few days ago. How could I possibly like someone I never spoke to before? You are just talking nonsense, unnie." Haerin looked away, the moments she had with said older girl just an hour ago kept replaying in her mind. It couldn't be the reason Kim Minji started talking to her…Did she notice the same thing Heesoo noticed as well? It couldn't be.

"Oh, so that fool actually made a move. I'm genuinely rooting for you, guys. I pray it will work out." Heesoo said, leaving Haerin with nothing but shock. Rooting for what? Nothing will ever happen.

"Yah Ban Heesoo, I came here to talk about Jihye, not about myself. Stop it!" The change in tone and the way Haerin addressed her made Heesoo giggle and wrap her arms around the younger girl. Haerin sighed and embraced her best friend as well, being more confused than ever by the words spoken to her.

"It's okay to be in denial at first, Haerin-ah, take your time. And about Jihye, I still need to figure out how to tell her the truth." 

¤¤¤

"Oh my God! Did you even sleep last night, Haerin-ah?" Hanni exclaimed as soon as she saw Haerin enter their classroom the next day. Jihye, who was resting her head on her desk, brought her head up and looked at her classmate as well.

"Damn, you look awful." Haerin rolled her eyes at the two friends, placed her backpack on her desk and took a compact out. She knew too well the dark circles under her eyes won't be able to be covered with anything, but she tried applying more makeup anyway. 

"I slept for two hours, maybe." And exhausted Haerin was. Who would have known that thinking made someone insomniac? Not Haerin. She couldn't stop thinking about what Heesoo said earlier that day and she definitely couldn't stop thinking about Kim Minji. Haerin had so many questions regarding the older girl and many more about herself. How could Heesoo say something and be so sure of it when Haerin