Karina's car has never been touched since last week.
Ever since she met Winter, her daily life has...changed, in an odd way-but good, nonetheless. Because, who would've thought that something good would actually happen after she kissed Winter at a party?
No one, not even her.
Giselle is right, she finds odd things interesting...she finds Winter interesting. Being friends with this rumored red flag beside her is actually interesting. Although, they can't really be considered as 'friends'.
Do you kiss your friends? Absolutely not. Just by thinking that she would kiss her other friends made Karina feel uncomfortable.
Winter is different. Aside from those irresistible lips that Karina couldn't help but to kiss all the time, there's something with Winter that makes Karina wanting to spend time with the singer more.
"You're bobbing your head," Winter chuckled and glanced shortly at Karina, before returning her gaze to the road. "In a good mood, perhaps?"
"Hmm, yeah." Karina looked at her. "What's the song?" She asked, pertaining to Winter's song of the day.
Kiss you each morning
With strawberry skies
'Cause I get so lost in
Your blueberry eyes
"Blueberry eyes." The singer answered her.
I'm running through my dreams
To see you in the light
'Cause I get so lost in
Your blueberry eyes
"Hey, I have a question." Karina suddenly blurted out.
"What is it?"
"If ever my friends find out that we're close, is it okay with you?"
"Is it okay with you?" Winter repeated Karina's question, which made the latter confused.
"What do you mean?"
"You know about the rumors, Karina. I'm sure they know about it too. They might think bad of me." Winter glanced at her again. "If it's okay with you, then it's okay with me. If it's not, it's fine. I understand. We can keep our friendship a secret."
"I don't really mind." Karina shrugged. "I don't usually care about people's opinions, especially if it's against my happiness."
"So you're happy with me?" Winter smirked.
"You're fun to be with." Karina straightforwardly said, which made the singer chuckle.
"Thanks, I guess?"
"Hope you can keep me entertained, Kim."
Winter gave her a sly smirk. "And I hope you're ready for it, Yu."
They arrived at the school's parking lot. Winter was checking her phone so Karina decided to go out first. When she opened the car door, she immediately closed it again.
The singer looked at her, a bit shocked. "What was that?"
"It's cold outside." Karina responded. "I forgot to bring a jacket."
"I have one." The singer took something from the backseat. It was the same yellow Lakers hoodie that Karina wore last time. "Here."
"Thanks."
Karina wore it to herself and they both went out of the car.
"Are you heading straight to your class?" Winter asked her while still looking at her phone.
"Yes." The taller girl answered. "How about you?"
"Nope, Mark just texted me. We have practice." Winter looked at her. "I'll accompany you on your way, let's go?"
Karina nodded.
They both walk down the hallway, side by side. And just as they expected, the students have wild reactions to them being together.
"Is that Karina?"
"Why is she with Winter?"
"Are they together?"
"Is Karina out of her mind? Winter is a red flag!"
"I thought that was a rumor?"
"Well, yeah...but still!"
"These people need to chill." Winter whispered, which Karina heard and she couldn't help but to laugh.
"See that? They look so close!"
Minutes after continuously hearing the students' gossip about them, they finally arrived in front of Karina's class.
"I'll go to the music room later." The taller girl said to the singer.
"Sure." Winter smiled. "I'll see you later. Bye!"
She then left and Karina went inside the classroom. She saw her friends at their usual seats and sat with them.
"Good morning, girls." She greeted, taking her phone out of her pocket to kill time since their professor is not present yet.
Her friends won't let her, though.
"Karina..."
"Hmm?"
"Is that your hoodie?"
Karina looked away from her phone, gazing at the hoodie she's wearing before looking at Minju.
"No."
"Then whose hoodie is that..."
"We all know who owns that yellow Lakers hoodie." Ningning stated, narrowing her eyes at Karina.
"Girls, chill." Giselle said. "It might not be who we think it is."
"...Or it might be." Ryujin muttered before whistling playfully.
Karina rolled her eyes at them. "Does it matter to know who owns this hoodie?"
"It doesn't really matter, but the thing is, I've only seen one person wearing that a couple of times." Minju said. "And it's not you."
"So are you gonna spill it or not?" Ningning spoke.
The taller girl sighed. What's there to hide, anyway?
"It's Winter's."
Silence.
"Figured." Ryujin whispered to no one.
"...What?!" Ningning exclaimed.
"What the fuck is going on..." Giselle mumbled.
"Karina Yu," Minju called sternly. "You need to explain. Everything."
"What's there to explain? We're friends."
"How come you suddenly became friends?" The brown haired girl questioned. "The last time I checked, you didn't care about her, like, at all."
"And you don't just befriend someone easily, you're probably the most snobbish person here in this school, Karina. Yet we're just going to know that you're suddenly friends with her?" Giselle added.
"What's wrong with being suddenly close to someone?" Karina's eyebrows furrowed.
"Bestie, it's Winter Kim that we're talking about." The Japanese said.
"We became close because I went with Ryujin when Mark invited her to their practice. Winter was there." Karina chose to say, not wanting to tell them about what happened at the party. "And what do you mean about 'it's Winter kim', do you guys have a problem with her?"
"I hope you can still remember about the rumors going on around her, Karina." Minju reminded her. "She might be taking advantage of you."
"She isn't."
'It might be the other way around, actually. She's practically my interest as of the moment.' Karina thought as she shook her head.
"And how did you know?" Giselle asked.
"I just know." Karina answered shortly. "Look, I know what I'm doing, okay? Trust me, she isn't."
Ningning was about to argue when Ryujin suddenly butted in.
"Girls, girls." She called them. "Stop fighting."
"We're not fighting." Ningning countered.
"Well, to me, you all are." Ryujin sighed. "I know you're worried but hey, I hung out with Winter and her friends too, haven't I? And she's actually chill. You don't need to get so worked up about this."
The three girls didn't say anything.
"You don't really need to say anything about my friendship with her." Karina said, a bit annoyed that she's hearing a bad comment about Winter, the girl who actually hasn't done anything bad to her. "I won't force you all to like her. But we're friends, I chose to be friends with her and I hope you can respect that."
Minju sighed. "...Okay, sorry. I guess we overreacted about it."
"If she did something to you," Giselle trailed off. "Don't hesitate to tell us."
"...I have one question."
Karina looked at Ningning. "Go on."
"Are guys really just friends?" The Chinese asked. "Or girlfriends in the process?"
'Girlfriends?'
Karina shook her head.
'I don't even like her.'
"No. We're just friends. That's all."
Friends who kiss each other's lips, apparently.
"Okay." Ningning nodded her head slowly. "I wanna meet them."
"Them?"
"Yeah, Winter and her friends."
"...Okay." Karina was hesitant, but she guessed it wouldn't be that bad.
____
Or maybe it is.
"Who's that girl with her?" Ningning asked and pointed at the girl Winter was talking to.
Karina's eyebrows furrowed.
"I don't know either."
Since Karina was planning to go to the music room after their first subject, she thought that it would be the perfect time to introduce her friends to Winter and the others.
But when they arrived, they saw Winter talking to a girl who's probably much more taller than Karina.
"Oh, Hey Karina!" Mark greeted as he glanced at the girls behind Karina. "I see, you brought your friends with you."
"Sup, Mark." Ryujin greeted him after they went inside. "Who's that?"
"Who's who?"
Ryujin pointed at the unknown girl.
"That."
"Her?" Mark asked. "She's Yujin. Ahn Yujin."
"She's not familiar." Giselle muttered.
"That kid barely does anything in school." Mark shook his head. "She always skips class."
"Is she a junior? She looks young." Minju spoke.
"Yup. She's a part of the music club, so she's close with Winter."
Karina, who haven't spoken yet since they went inside the room, approached Winter.
"Yeah, we'll try to at least sing three songs at the-" The singer noticed her. "Oh...Hey, Karina."
"Hey." Karina greeted softly.
Yujin, who noticed the interaction between the two, hooked an arm around Winter's shoulder. "Who is she?"
Karina's gaze automatically went to Yujin's arm.
"Your arm is heavy!" Winter swatted the younger one away. "And she's Karina, someone older than you, give respect."
"Oh, Hi Karina Unnie! I'm Ahn Yujin!" She greeted enthusiastically as she glanced at what Karina was wearing. "Nice hoodie."
"It's Winter's."
Karina felt the need to say it, and she doesn't know why.
"Oooh." Yujin nodded her head, smiling meaningfully. "I see, I see."
When Karina didn't answer her, she chuckled.
"I'm not a threat, don't worry."
"What threat are you talking about?" Winter nudged her shoulder. "And I thought you're going to leave?"
"Oh, yeah. I will-" Yujin's gaze went somewhere. "Or maybe not."
"What do you mean, not?" The singer's eyebrows furrowed. "You have classes!"
"I don't wanna go." Yujin pouted, before pointing at Minju. "Who is she?"
"She's Minju." Karina was the one who answered.
Yujin was about to say something when Winter suddenly pushed her.
"And she's off limits. Be faithful to your crush, Kid." Winter keeps pushing her until she's out of the room. "Go to Wonyoung."
"We're not even together!"
"Still." Winter rolled her eyes. "Go to your classes, I'll see you later."
She closed the door.
She looked back to the people inside the room, seeing that Mark is talking with the other girls while Karina is at the side, looking at her.
Winter approached the taller girl.
"I think you should wear hoodies more often." She said as soon as she got closer.
"Hmm, why?"
"You look good in it." Winter shrugged.
"I don't have a lot of hoodies."
"Wear mine." Winter held her chin. "Actually, I think that's a great idea."
Karina gave her a teasing smile.
"Is this your way of claiming me?"
"Yeah." Winter laughed, playing along with her.
Ningning cleared her throat, which interrupted their conversation.
"I hope you're not forgetting that you brought us here, Karina." She said, reminding the girl.
"Uhm..." Karina looked at her Winter. "These are my friends."
"Hi." Winter smiled charmingly. "I'm Winter Kim, nice to meet you all."
"Uchinaga Giselle."
"Kim Minju."
"Ning Yizhuo." Ningning narrowed her eyes at the singer. "I really hope your intentions are clean."
"Yizhuo!"
"What?" The Chinese glanced at Karina. "I'm just trying to remind her."
"It's fine." Winter said to Karina who already looked annoyed. The former turned her attention to Ningning again. "My intentions are clean, Ning. I genuinely see Karina as a friend. Don't worry."
"Good." Ningning nodded her head in satisfaction.
"Where are your other friends?" Karina asked Winter.
"Still in class. Ten is busy, I think he won't come here." The singer shrugged, looking at her. "Wanna hang out later?"
"Where?"
"My house?"
"What would we do there?"
Winter leaned in to whisper to her ear.
"Anything you like."
Karina's lips curled up into a smile.
Oh, she's definitely looking forward to it.
"Okay."
Just like that. Like nothing happened.
She went back to her old self, completely forgetting what she felt earlier.
She forgot how she felt a sudden overwhelming feeling when she saw Winter talking to another girl.
She forgot how she suddenly wanted Yujin to know that the hoodie she's wearing is Winter's.
She forgot about it.
"Hey, Winter..."
"Hmm?"
"I'll borrow your hoodie more often, is that okay?"
"That's what I'm trying to say earlier. But yeah, no problem, Kitten."
Or did she?