• DARA'S POV •

 

"Chaerin , hide," I was urging, just trying to get my clothes on as fast as possible.

 

"What?" she asked, trying to get her shirt over her head. "Why? What's going on?"

 

From downstairs, I heard her voice. "Dara ," she was calling. "It's me."

 

"Taeyeon ," I said under my breath. I made it sound like a swear.

 

"Who is Taeyeon ?" Chaerin asked.

 

"Shh!" I hissed. "Get in the closet!"

 

"What the hell are you talking about?"

 

"You need to hide," I tried to say as clearly as possible while simultaneously losing my mind.

 

"Why?"

 

"That's my ex-girlfriend," I tried to explain.

 

"Yes," she said, not getting it. "Ex-girlfriend."

 

"Yes? And?" I said, not trying to solve her puzzle in this limited amount of time.

 

"So why does it matter if you're with someone else?"

 

"You're seventeen," I reminded her.

 

"She doesn't know."

 

"She has a law degree. She'll figure it out. Hide."

 

She put up her hands, allowing me to win this time, and unceremoniously got in the closet.

 

"Dara ?" Taeyeon called again. "Are you home?"

 

"In here," I said, then immediately regretted it. You're so stupid, I said to myself. Why had I led her to the exact room I was trying to keep her out of? Why couldn't I just be a good liar for once?

 

I rushed to at least meet her in the hallway.

 

"Dara ," she exhaled, hugging me. In a word, it was weird.

 

"What are you doing here?" I asked, dumbfounded as to why she was standing in my hallway at eleven at night, hugging me after we'd broken up.

 

"I need to talk to you," she said, holding both my hands.

 

That wasn't helpful. This was Taeyeon . Hard , straight as a line, middle of the road, play by the book Kate. She was usually in bed by now. And when she came over, she almost always called.

 

"Are you drunk?" I asked.

 

"No," she said, looking disgusted. "What are you talking about?"

 

"This isn't like you," was all I said. She had to understand.

 

She sighed, leaning against the wall. "That's because I'm a mess, Dara ," she s