“Hello? Earth to Winter!” Ning snapped her fingers in front of Winter’s face.

Winter was lost in thought until her best friend Ning’s voice interrupted her.

She snapped out of it, annoyed at being disturbed. “What?”

“Stop staring at her like that, you creepy!” Ning exclaimed between bites of her fries.

“I’m not creepy. I just appreciate her beauty,” Winter defended, taking a spoonful of her soup.

Ningning rolled her eyes, knowing her friend’s hopeless romantic tendencies all too well. “Just be a man and tell her,” She urged with a grin.

“I was still a girl last time I checked this morning,” Winter retorted, side-eyeing Ningning.

“Right, I mean, don’t be a chicken!” Ningning continued to encourage in her own quirky way.

Winter couldn’t help but point out the obvious. “Literally, I’m a chicken,”

“Damn, that’s right too,” Ningning unable to contain her laughter.

Ningning’s voice cuts through Winter’s thoughts like a knife, “He’s the basketball captain, tall, handsome, good at academics. She’s the cheerleader captain, tall, pretty, and smart. They’re practically the definition of a perfect couple.”

Winter bites back a bitter laugh, “Thanks for reminding me. I don’t need any more reality checks right now.”

Winter’s heart clenches painfully as she watches Karina and her boyfriend laughing and flirting from across the cafeteria. Her best friend Ningning tries to offer encouragement, but Winter can only see how hopeless she is.

Ningning gave a casual shrug and said, “YOLO, dude! We only get to experience high school once. It’s okay to be dumb for love. At least you won’t have any regrets.”

But Winter knows it’s not that simple. She can’t just confess her feelings to Karina and move on. She is content with silently admiring Karina from a distance, especially during basketball practices where she can be near her.

“Nah, I’m already dumb, but at least I can still enjoy the time I get to see her up close, especially during practice.” Winter smiles weakly.

“Ugh, so desperate.” Ningning remarks by dramatically rolling her eyes. “By the way, do you have practice today?”

Winter nods dejectedly, “Yeah.”

“Then be a good little chicken and try not to stare too much,” Ningning teases.

“Yes ma’am.” But deep down, Winter knows she’ll never stop staring at Karina with all the longing and unrequited love in her heart.

~

As the break bell rang for the second time, signaling the end of their break, Winter and Ningning exchanged a quick goodbye and headed off to their respective classes.

Winter’s path took her past Karina’s classroom, and she couldn’t resist glancing through the corridor’s window. Sure enough, there sat Karina in her usual spot by the window, basking in the soft rays of sunlight that cast a glowing halo around her. The sight took Winter’s breath away, and she couldn’t help but pause for a moment to take in the beautiful view.

Little did Winter know, Karina was also aware of her presence and caught her admiring gaze. With a gentle smile, Karina met Winter’s eyes and held them for a brief moment before Winter suddenly looked away, blushed and quickly scurried off to her own class. Karina couldn’t help but giggle quietly to herself at Winter’s shy reaction, appreciating the small moments of connection between them.

After Winter finally made it to her desk, her heart was still pounding in her chest. She couldn’t stop smiling as she remembered Karina’s smile. The last study session seemed to drag on forever; all she wanted was for it to be over so she could rush off to practice. She couldn’t wait any longer.

*

Despite the stuffy costume she was forced to wear, Winter couldn’t stop smiling during practice. Her cheeks ached from the constant grin, but she didn’t care - no one could see her expression hiding under the mask and layers of fabric.

Suddenly, her coach’s shrill voice cut through the air.

“Hey! Chicken!”

Winter jumped, startled out of her daze by the unexpected shout.

“Focus, will you!” The cheerleading coach angrily whacked Winter’s chicken head with a rolled-up newspaper.

“Ouch,” Winter winced, feeling the weight of the hot and heavy costume on her shoulders.

Bowing in apology, Winter followed their synchronized moves as best she could. Despite the discomfort of her costume, Winter was determined to give it her all and prove herself as a valuable member of the team.

During break, Karina noticed the incident before and approached Winter who was sitting alone on a bench at the edge of the field.

“Hey,” Karina smiled as she sat down next to Winter.

Winter was taken aback by Karina’s sudden approach and froze in her seat.

“Are you okay? Are you feeling sick, Chicken-nim?” Karina asked with concern.

Winter shook her giant chicken head a “No.”

“Are you sure?” Karina double checked. “You seemed out of it during practice.”

Winter gestured with her hand, or rather, her chicken wings fanning her face, indicating that the hot weather was getting to her. She lied though, the real reason was because of Karina’s presence.

“Oh, right. It has been really warm lately,” Karina understood.

Winter nodded in agreement, grateful that Karina understood her.

“Just make sure to stay hydrated, okay?” Karina offered a cold water bottle. “You can have this.”

Winter accepted it with her chicken wings and expressed gratitude by nodding her head. She was relieved that Karina couldn’t see her face because she was blushing madly from both the heat and the fact that her crush had given her a water bottle.

“No problem,” Karina smiled.

Winter found herself wishing for Karina to stop smiling at her like that, the smile causing a destructive impact on her mental state.

“By the way, you can take off your costume during breaks, you know?” Karina suggested.

Winter shook her head “No” again. She was comfortable enough staying disguised as a chicken, not wanting anyone to know her true identity.

“Okay then,” Karina smiled understandingly.

Winter nodded, grateful that Karina respected her decision to remain hidden.

“Karina!” a deep voice called out her name from a distance. Karina quickly perked up at the sound of the man’s voice and smiled.

Winter’s smile quickly faded as Karina stood up and approached the voice that called her. It was Austin, her boyfriend.

Winter watched from a distance as Karina handed Austin a water bottle and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Winter couldn’t help but notice that Karina had been carrying two bottles before, most likely for herself and her now-pampered boyfriend.

The realization made Winter feel sorry for herself. “She’s just pitying me.”

“Of course, she would be doing things for her boyfriend,” Winter grumbled to herself inside the costume. “Why should I expect anything different?”

Winter felt a pang of jealousy as she grumbled to herself, “Doesn’t he have hands to wipe his own face? Ugh, such a spoiled brat.”

As usual, their practice ends at 6 PM. Winter is usually the last to leave the gym hall, and today is no different. She wants to change out of her costume before heading home, but she hears odd sounds coming from the men’s locker room. Despite being certain that she is alone, curiosity draws her towards the noise.

With her chicken costume still on, she cautiously approaches the entrance to the locker room. Her eyes widen as she sees Austin pinning a woman against the lockers, their lips locked in a passionate embrace. Winter initially thinks it’s Karina due to the cheerleader uniform, but upon closer inspection, she realizes it isn’t her.

The girl is shorter and has shorter hair. Unfortunately, Winter can’t see the girl’s face clearly enough to identify her.

Winter’s chicken wings flew to in shock, and she scrambled to escape the situation. She desperately tried to make a run for it, but she heard two individuals exiting the locker room.

With no other option, Winter quickly plopped back down into her original position and instinctively pulled her limbs inside the bulky chicken costume, making it disappear as if it were abandoned on the floor.

“Babe, why is there a chicken costume here?” The girl’s voice was laced with curiosity as she held Austin’s hand.

Winter held her breath as the footsteps approached the costume where she was hiding. She’s praying fervently that they’d just walk past her and leave her alone.

“Dunno, maybe they forgot to put it away in storage,” Austin replied nonchalantly, not even sparing a glance at the discarded chicken suit as he led the girl out of the gym hall.

As soon as they were gone, Winter let out a long sigh of relief and finally removed the suffocating costume. But her chest still felt tight with anger and betrayal. She wasn’t sure why she was so angry; perhaps it was because the person she cherished the most had been betrayed by someone else.

The entire walk home, Winter’s mind raced with thoughts and emotions, making her feel like she would burst if she didn’t confide in someone.

*

“Are you kidding me? What the hell?” Ningning exclaimed in disbelief, her already loud voice echoing through the phone.

“Damn it, Ning, my ears!” Winter winced in pain and protested.

“Sorry, sorry,” Ningning quickly apologized. “What a jerk. I should have known he was too good to be true.”

“I know, right?!” Winter chimed in. “I noticed some red flags when I saw Austin. He has a flirty demeanor, and his eyes aren’t sincere towards Karina. How could she not see it?”

“Maybe she’s just head over heels for him,” Ningning simply said.

Winter, deep in thought, countered with her own theory, “Or maybe she felt bad rejecting him when he asked her out,”

With a hint of annoyance, Ningning blurted out an unkind comment, “Or maybe she’s just dumb,”

Winter quickly came to Karina’s defense, “Don't say that! Karina is beautiful and smart," She paused before continuing, "It's just that she happened to meet the wrong person at the wrong time."

"In other words, she's making a foolish decision," Ningning boldly stated once again. “She’s being dumb right now,”

Winter couldn't help but groan in frustration, "Please don't call her dumb!"

“Okay, Miss Chicken who is content just watching and admiring Karina from afar, calms down,” Ningning retorted.

"What should I do?" Winter asked.

"Just tell her that her so-called perfect boyfriend is cheating on her," Ningning suggested.

"No way, I can't do that!" Winter objected.

"Do you want to let Austin continue playing with Karina's heart?"

"Of course not," Winter couldn't bear to see Karina suffer.

"Then we need to find a way to expose Austin's cheating behavior," Ningning proposed.

"Not yet, we don't have enough evidence. Instead, I'll try to get closer to Karina first and see how she truly feels about Austin. Then we can plan our next move," Winter explained.

"Dude, you're going to get hurt, you know that?" Ningning warned.

"YOLO dude, YOLO!" Winter replied confidently.

“Right, I raised you well,” Ningning responded proudly.

*

Winter eagerly looks forward to seeing Karina again on practice day. She had already put on her chicken costume and was stretching before they started. Despite being a mascot, performing choreography in a heavy chicken suit is no easy task, and one wrong move could result in injury.

Winter scans the field with her eyes as she warms up but doesn't see Austin anywhere. She also noticed that Karina didn't seem as energetic as usual. Winter assumes it's because Austin is not there with them.

Training went on as usual. Despite wearing a bulky chicken costume, Winter was able to focus on her training alongside her stunning teammate Karina. She couldn't help but steal glances at her throughout the practice.

As everyone left the field, Winter sat alone on the bench and watched the sunset. Suddenly, a gentle yet deep voice broke through the peaceful moment.

“May I join you?” Karina's voice made Winter jump in surprise.

Winter looked up to see Karina smiling at her. She nodded her chicken head and allowed Karina to sit beside her.

Winter couldn't help but notice that Karina was still wearing her cheerleader uniform, with her skirt fluttering in the summer breeze. Winter pulled out her jacket from her bag and offered it to Karina to cover her legs.

Karina was touched by Winter's sweet gesture and thanked her. “Oh, thank you, you are so nice, Chicken-nim,”

Inside the chicken costume, Winter blushed at the compliment. She stole glances at Karina who sat beside her in silence.

Karina's voice broke the peaceful silence as the sun dipped below the horizon.

"It's a beautiful sunset," she whispered, savoring the moment.

Winter nodded, unable to fully appreciate the beauty of the sunset as she was too preoccupied with being this close to her crush. But their tranquil moment was soon shattered by Karina's words.

“I'm feeling a bit down today,” Karina confessed, her voice cracking with emotion. “Austin and I had a fight last night.”

As Karina opened up about her argument with Austin, Winter's heart clenched in empathy or jealousy. She can’t decide which one.

The peaceful setting now felt suffocating. Winter desperately wanted to comfort her but could only listen as Karina poured out her frustrations and hurt.

“I don’t understand. We have our good moments, but then he acts like he doesn’t care. And he's so possessive all the time.”

Winter took in all the information, analyzing it as Karina spoke. It was a classic red flag - possessive but also a cheater. Winter couldn't help but think that Karina deserved better.

"I mean, he's my first boyfriend," Karina laughed nervously. "I don't really know what I'm doing. It feels like I'm walking on eggshells around him.”

"Rina, you deserve so much more than that. Please, leave him. He's not worth your time," Winter wanted to blurt out, but she bit her tongue and let Karina talk about her struggles with her relationship.

As Karina spoke, her fingers absentmindedly played with the hem of Winter's jacket, occasionally giving it a gentle squeeze and hugging it.

As Winter listened, she couldn't help but wish that Karina would hug her instead of the jacket.

The sun had completely disappeared from the horizon when Karina finished speaking. Letting out a long sigh, she stood up from the bench.

“Thanks for listening to me, Chicken-nim,” Karina said as she returned the jacket. “My heart feels lighter now.”

Winter nodded, taking her jacket back.

“I'll be going now, see you at the next practice.” Karina smiled, though there was still a hint of sadness in her expression.

“If only I could call you mine, I would never let you suffer like this, Karina.” Winter said to herself as she watched Karina's figure grow smaller in the distance.

*

Winter poked at the food on her lunch tray, not feeling hungry at all. Ningning gently nudged her shoulder.

"Hey, Chicken-nim," Ningning called out to her best friend.

"What is it?" Winter replied half-heartedly.

"I hate to say this, but it looks like Karina and her boyfriend have made up," Ningning nodded toward the couple sitting at a table in the corner of the cafeteria.

Winter looked up in the direction indicated by Ning, "Yeah, I think so."

“So, Karina is still a dumb?” Ningning remarked.

“Don’t call her that!” Winter snapped, even though she secretly agreed with Ningning's said. It just felt wrong to hear it out loud.

“Okay, I won't say anything else,” Ningning replied, sealing her lips shut in a gesture of apology. She didn't want to upset Winter any further. Her best friend was really in a bad mood today.

“I'm going back to class now,” Winter said without much emotion.

“Hey, wait a minute, Winter?” Ningning called after her.

Winter walked away quickly and walked past the couple's tables while feeling foolish.

~~

At practice, everything is running according to routine. She's the last one on the field before heading back to the gym hall. Finding a moment of solitude, she sits on the bench and watches the sunset. But soon enough, Karina appears.

"Can I join you again?" Karina asks for permission.

Winter nods and lets Karina sit beside her.

After a while, Karina playfully teases, "Aren't you going to cover my skirt?"

Panic washes over Winter as she frantically searches her bag and finally hands Karina her jacket.

"I'm just messing with you," Karina giggles but still takes the jacket from Winter. "You're so kind, Chicken-nim."

Winter blushed from inside the costume. She’s completely weak every time Karina is near her.

Karina then made a guess, "Let me guess, you're a girl, right?"

Winter was taken aback by the question, but she tried to remain composed and stayed in