Jae Ham
It's Thursday evening, almost two hours before midnight, and I'm on my stomach on my bed, scowling at my laptop screen, which is displaying nine open Skype video-call windows, containing each of my friends in their nightwear.
"Let me get this straight," says Res, crossing his arms. "Sage invited you to a beach outing at the last minute, with people she barely knew--"
"You're being melodramatic," Penn interrupts haughtily. "I told you this was a bad idea."
I furrow my eyebrows, perplexed. "Are you talking to me or Res?"
"Both." Penn rolls her eyes to the heavens.
Arrow gives a big yawn. "What's his name again?"
"Aidan Smith," I reply.
"Can you describe what he looks like?" Flair asks, her tone curious.
"I don't see the relevance but fine. He's tall, pale, with long black hair and bluish green eyes." I frown at Flair's obnoxious smirk. "Why are you smirking?"
"No reason."
Knox jumps into the conversation, saying, "Do you think he was an old flame?"
I cast my mind back to that afternoon at the beach, how Sage reacted when she saw Aidan. Her eyes registered a flash of recognition and something else..
"Possibly," I answer after some uneasy silence.
"Any plans of idiocy?" Cole inquires, scratching at his brow.
"Maybe you're overthinking this," says Knox.
"What if," says Core, speaking up for the first time, "he just looks like someone that Sage knew?"
Chess adds, "Now that there's another guy in the picture, if you try to ask her out now, it'll seem like you're just rushing it because you're afraid to lose her to him."
"Gee, thanks, Chess," I say, sarcasm dripping from my words.
"He's right, though," Cleo mumbles timidly. "It's all rolling downhill."
"So what the hell should I do?" I demand no one in particular.
"Ask Sage directly," Res suggests firmly. "Ask who Aidan is-or was-to her, and you'll cross the bridge when you get there."
Penn nods, her ginger hair swaying a little. "For once, you actually have a good idea, Res."
"I'm full of good ideas." Res preens himself like a vain schoolgirl.
"Okay. I'm out. Goodnight," says Penn, whose window screen goes black.
"Wait wait," I say in alarm when the others are moving to do the same thing too. "What if it turns out that Sage still has feelings for him? What will I do then?"
The only open window left is Res. He stares at me for a moment. "You're smart, Jae. You'll figure it out." And his screen turns dark.
Sage Heart
I'm in the middle of watching Anime on my laptop when I hear a faint knock on the door. Groggily, I climb out of bed, tug at my shirt, smooth down my shorts, and fix my ponytail before walking over to the door to open it.
"Surprise!" Giselle pulls me into a hug, which I hastily return. "It was a slow day at the office so I decided to take the day off," she says, already sauntering around, surveying the place. Giselle's hair is in a high pink bun, she's dressed in a yellow sleeveless blouse, black high-waist shorts flowing down to her knees, and instead of heels, she's wearing black ballet flats.
