CROSS-CHECKED (VSOO)

14

Jisoo

The news hit us like a storm in the middle of cheer practice.

"Crestridge's cheer team is transferring here for a month," Alisha announced, clapping her hands to gather everyone. "We'll be practicing alongside them. Coach says both schools are uniting for nationals."

The whole squad erupted into excited chatter. Some were squealing about new friends, others about how much tougher the practices would be. Me? I couldn't help but feel a small spark of excitement too. Meeting new people, pushing ourselves harder, performing on a bigger stage—it was the kind of rush that cheerleading was supposed to be about.

As we packed up our pom-poms and water bottles, Alisha came over, practically buzzing with energy. "Can you believe it? Nationals. Sean's going to be out there playing in LA. It's huge, Jisoo." Her eyes shone in that way they always did when she talked about him.

I smiled, amused. A year ago, she couldn't stand Sean, called him arrogant and impossible. Now she looked at him like he'd hung the stars in the sky. "You're going to lose your voice screaming for him," I teased, nudging her.

"I don't care," she said, shrugging proudly. "He deserves it."

And then, as if my mind had been waiting for the right moment to betray me, it shifted. From Sean... to Taehyung.

I didn't want to think about him, but the thought crept in anyway. Taehyung in his jersey, skating across the ice with that effortless speed. The way he handled the puck, sharp and precise, like it was born glued to his stick. The way the crowd screamed his name when he scored.

I've been to so many of their games with Alisha, always for Sean, but it was impossible not to notice Taehyung. His skills weren't just good—they were mesmerizing. He was different when he played, almost untouchable. Focused. Dangerous.

And now I'd be seeing even more of him.

I shook the thought away, forcing myself to focus on gathering my things.

Later that evening, I tucked myself away in the library with a stack of books. It was quiet—just the soft hum of the AC, the occasional shuffle of a student passing by, and the scratching of my pen against paper. Studying was supposed to clear my head, help me focus.

But then, the sound of laughter broke through the silence. Loud. Familiar.

I glanced up.

The hockey team had walked in, filling the space with their presence. A group of them clustered by the long tables, joking, tossing papers at each other, acting like they owned the place.

And there he was.

Taehyung.

He hadn't noticed me. He was with his friends, leaning back in his chair, his dark hair falling messily over his forehead as he laughed at something Joshua said. That laugh—it wasn't forced, wasn't calculated. It was real. His mouth spread into that boxy smile of his, his eyes crinkling at the corners just enough to soften him.

My chest tightened.

I froze, my pen stilled over my notes. My face felt hot—no, my whole body did. My heart was pounding so fast I could hear it in my ears.

What was wrong with me?

I looked away quickly, staring hard at the words on the page in front of me, but they swam and blurred, meaningless.

This wasn't supposed to happen. I wasn't supposed to feel this way. I knew him—every inch of him. His voice, his touch, his whispers from that night I swore I'd forget. I knew the sharp edges of him, the dangerous way he smiled, the cocky tone in his voice when he teased.

And yet... it felt new. Every time. Every damn time I looked at him, it was like the first. Like I was seeing something no one else could.

Isn't it supposed to be the other way?
A one-night stand is supposed to fade. A kiss is supposed to become a memory. He's supposed to be just another boy in a crowded hallway.

But I couldn't forget. Not when he was sitting just a few feet away, laughing like that. Not when just the sound of him could undo me.

I pressed my lips together, forcing myself to breathe, to look back at my notes. But the truth was clawing at me, whispering in the back of my mind.

Why?