Tangled Strings

Chapter 5: The Aftermath

A heavy silence.

Even Asa, who usually had something snarky to say, fell quiet.

“…She really said that?” Ruka asked, her voice dangerously low.

“Yep,” Chiquita popped the ‘p’ with fake enthusiasm, resting her arms behind her head. “Pretty brutal, huh?”

Asa scowled. “Tch. That’s cold—even for her.”

Ruka was already pacing, shaking her head. “I don’t get why you keep doing this to yourself.”

Chiquita looked at her, brows raised. “Doing what?”

“This.” Ruka gestured at her. “Chasing after someone who clearly doesn’t give a damn about you.”

“Damn, Ruka,” Chiquita chuckled. “Tell me how you really feel.”

“I am,” Ruka snapped. “Because I don’t like seeing you like this, Chiquita.”

Her voice was sharp, but beneath it was something deeper. Something like concern.

Chiquita stared at her for a moment before leaning forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “It’s not that deep,” she lied. “I just like the chase, that’s all.”

Rora, who had been silent this entire time, finally spoke.

“Then why do you look so tired?”

Chiquita’s smirk faltered.

And for the first time, she had no immediate comeback.

The room felt suffocating, the weight of their stares pressing against her. She wanted to brush it off, wanted to pretend like she wasn’t affected. But the words were still there, lodged deep in her chest.

"You're pathetic."

She let out a breathy laugh, shaking her head. “Damn. You guys are acting like I just got dumped or something.”

Ruka gave her a deadpan stare. “You might as well have.”

Chiquita rolled her eyes, pushing herself up from the couch. “Whatever. It’s fine. I’m fine.”

No one believed her.

And she hated that.

Because if they didn’t believe her, it meant she wasn’t doing a good enough job of hiding it.

And if she wasn’t hiding it well enough, it meant Ahyeon had actually gotten to her.

And that was unacceptable.

So she plastered on her best grin, stretched her arms over her head, and grabbed her guitar bag. “Anyway, I got places to be. Catch you guys later.”

She didn’t wait for a response. She was out the door before they could say anything else, before they could look at her like that again.

Before she had to admit—to them, or to herself—that Ahyeon had finally left a wound too deep to ignore.

---

That night, Chiquita found herself at a party.

It wasn’t her first choice, but after everything that happened, she needed something to take the edge off.

The music was loud, the bass thumping through the walls, the air thick with the scent of alcohol and sweat.

She downed her drink quickly, letting the burn distract her from the ache in her chest.

And then she spotted her.

A girl—one of the many who had a crush on her.

She was pretty, soft-spoken, with eyes that lit up when Chiquita met her gaze.

And right now?

Chiquita wanted a distraction.

So she smirked, sauntered over, and let herself fall into the game she knew best.

The girl giggled as Chiquita leaned in, their faces inches apart. “I always see you around,” the girl murmured.

“Yeah?” Chiquita hummed, fingers ghosting over the girl’s waist. “Guess you finally got lucky tonight.”

And just like that, their lips crashed together.

It wasn’t love. It wasn’t even something meaningful.

But it was enough to make her forget—for a moment—about the one person she actually wanted.

And if Ahyeon didn’t want her?

Then she’d make damn sure someone else did.