"Rina."
"Karina."
"Yu!"
Karina woke with a start when her blanket was tugged from overtop of her, causing her to fly off the edge of the bed and land on the ground with a thud. She groaned, still half asleep, and glared at Giselle and Ningning standing above her.
"You've brought it upon yourself," Giselle tossed the blanket on the floor. "Today's the day, get dressed and get your ass downstairs for breakfast."
The brown eyed girl waited until her roommates were gone to untangle herself from the blankets and stumble up to her feet. Today was the day. Winter's trial. The day where things could suddenly become 100% more real for her.
Telling herself not to think about it, Karina blasted music from her speakers to keep her mind occupied. She got changed into leggings and a band t-shirt, throwing her leather jacket overtop of it to accommodate the declining temperature.
She looked at herself in the mirror, realizing just how exhausted she looked. It matched the way she felt. Sighing, she splashed cold water on her face to try and wake her up. It didn't help much.
The moment she set foot in the kitchen, a bowl of cereal was shoved into her hands. Yeji gave her a soft smile and nodded towards their other roommates in the living room. Karina sat down on the carpet since the couches were full, realizing she was sitting in Winter's usual spot. She swallowed a lump in her throat and glanced up at her roommates.
"Nervous?" Ningning asked her. Karina nodded, taking a bite of her food and picking at a loose strand of carpet.
"You're not the only one," the light skinned girl responded, motioning to the other two girls on the couch as well as herself. "None of us know what to expect."
Karina bit her lip. At least she wasn't alone in this. She didn't know what she would do if she had been handling this by herself. "Thank you guys," Karina whispered, nodding once. "I dunno what I'd do without you."
"We were thrown in this together, it's only fair that we stick it out together," Yeji nodded, giving the girl on the floor a soft smile. Karina returned the gesture and finished the rest of her breakfast in silence. This was a bad thing, though, because it only allowed her thoughts to race.
Regardless of what happened that day, she would be in the same room as Winter. She would see her face, and she kept trying to hold onto that simple blessing. And maybe, just maybe, she'd get to hug her.
The car ride to the courthouse was dead silent aside from Giselle's occasional complaints about traffic. All four girls were on edge. Karina picked anxiously at her nails, a nervous habit she's had since she was a child.
"Here we are," Giselle breathed out. Parking the car, the Japanese girl gazed at the building in front of them and took a deep breath. The minute Karina saw the name of the building, she felt sick to her stomach. This was really happening, this wasn't just a dream.
The three other girls slid out of the car, but Karina sat frozen, running over everything in her mind. This was real. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, turning to find Giselle holding out a hand to help her out of the car. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Karina allowed the other girl to lead her out of the car and up the steps to the courthouse.
Ten minutes later, the four friends sat on an uncomfortable wooden bench, all scanning the room nervously. Karina bit her lip.
"I feel sick to my stomach," she mumbled. Yeji, who was sitting next to her, placed a hand on her knee and gave her a supportive smile. Karina just sighed and looked down at her hands in her lap.
The sound of footsteps brought her attention back to the front of the room, and her heart dropped in her chest the second she saw the neon yellow sweatshirt. The same one she'd gotten Winter. The same one Winter was wearing the night they took her away.
What made even more of an impact was the girl wearing the sweatshirt. Karina immediately felt Giselle and Ningning grab her hands to try and comfort her, but she already felt a lump forming in her throat.
Winter hadn't seen her yet. In fact, the smaller girl kept her eyes locked on the ground the entire time. She was dead silent as one of the officers led her to the front of the room to sit down. It was only then that Winter lifted her head and looked shyly around the room.
Caramel eyes met brown and Karina swore her heart stopped beating. Giselle's grip on her hand tightened. Winter studied Karina's face for a second, as if she was making sure it was her. Moments later, chaos broke out.
"Yooji?" Winter stood up, starting to walk towards Karina. The brown eyed girl was about to get up as well, but a man grabbed Winter's before she could walk any further.
That sent Winter into panic, and she whimpered, trying to pull her arms out of his grip. This only made him hold tighter onto her, but she continued to try and run towards Karina.
"Yooji!" She cried, thrashing her arms to the side wildly and struggling to plant her feet in front of the other. Another officer appeared to help keep Winter from running. Karina sat frozen. This wasn't real. This was all a dream.
"Karina."
"Wha..?" Karina snapped out of her hypnotic stare on Winter and flinched when she saw one of the officers was now standing in front of her. She glanced at her roommates helplessly.
"We're going to need you to leave the room, ma'am, you appear to be a distraction for her." The man nodded towards Winter, who was looking straight at her pleadingly. Karina had to tear her eyes away.
"I can come with you," Giselle offered. Karina turned to look at the girl next to her and shook her head slowly. She needed to be alone. Giselle nodded in understanding, which Karina was thankful for. Saying another word would most likely send her over the edge.
Without another word, Karina got to her feet and quickly walked out of the courtroom. Truth be told, she was glad to be out of there. She didn't think she could handle reliving Winter's past all over again. Once had been more than enough for her.
Winter started screaming for Karina when she saw the brown eyed girl walking away, and Karina forced herself to keep walking. If she turned around, she knew she wouldn't be able to leave. And that would only cause more trouble for the both of them. That didn't stop her heart from aching more than it ever had, though.
Unsure of where else to go, Karina walked down the courthouse steps and sat at the bottom, kicking a pebble on her way down. It was a fairly chilly day, but she could care less. She needed all the fresh air she could get.
The minute she thought back to what had just happened in the court room, Karina felt sick all over again. The image of Winter crying out her name and struggling to run towards her was all it took for Karina to burst into tears. The brown eyed girl let her head fall into her hands as sobs escaped her lips.
Meanwhile, Giselle, Yeji and Ningning all sat anxiously as the trial began. The pictures of Winter in the hospital after the car accident were presented to the jury, along with excerpts from her journal, which talked about her uncle's abuse.
Once Karina had left, the officers had forced Winter to sit back down. They had to handcuff her to the table to keep her from running. The image made Giselle shiver. Winter didn't deserve any of this. And Karina didn't deserve to see her go through this.
Giselle's blood was already boiling by halfway through the trial. Hearing all the horrible things Winter had to go through was making her angrier by the second, but something else made her snap altogether.
"Shouldn't we be concerned about the threat someone like her poses to society?" The prosecutor turned to Winter's lawyer and raised an eyebrow. The combination of her body language and the tone in her voice set Giselle over the edge, and she hopped to her feet before the man could respond.
"Can I say something?" Giselle called out, clenching her fists and trying to keep herself calm. She stepped into the aisle and everyone's heads turned to her. Including Winter, whose met hers pleadingly.
"And who might you be?" The judge addressed her. Giselle took a step forward.
"I'm her roommate," she pointed to Winter.
The judge looked between Giselle and Winter for a few moments before nodding once. "Go ahead."
Giselle took this as a cue to move forward, she marched straight to the front of the court room and faced the jury. She took a deep breath before she started to speak.
"When Winter first showed up at our house, my three roommates and I hated her," Giselle began, keeping her voice steady. She saw Yeji and Ningning gaping at her actions, but ignored them. "We'd be anything but friends in high school, and we had no idea why she would try to come to us out of all people."
"My friend Karina, the girl who you saw before, resented her the most. Winter... did some things to her in high school. Although she doesn't remember them anymore," Giselle nodded towards Winter, who was watching in confusion.
"Karina started out completely hating her. But then somehow, Winter started to win her over. God, they were fucking inseparable until they had to come and take her away!" Giselle flung her arm backwards and motioned to the two police officers standing a few feet behind Winter.
"And if you don't know Karina, you should know that she is the most stubborn person I've ever met in my entire life. It's unheard of for her to change her opinion about someone. But somehow Winter did that," Giselle pointed to Winter once more. "So I think that's a pretty good judge of character."
"And if you..." Giselle glared at the prosecutor. "If you think that Winter is a threat to society, you couldn't be more wrong." She took a deep breath and tried to contain her anger. Everyone was listening to her intently, curious on what she had to say.
"Winter wouldn't hurt a fly. She's literally the definition of innocence," Giselle ran a hand through her hair. "This is the same girl that cried for hours because she broke a vase and thought she 'killed' it. And if you think that's a danger to society, you need to rethink your entire life."
Giselle finished bluntly, nodding once and not waiting to be dismissed before marching back and taking her seat. She was infuriated at the entire situation. Ningning reached out and squeezed her shoulder, meeting her eyes and silently telling her she did well.
"Well," the judge scanned the courtroom. "With that being said, we'll have a short break while the jury comes to their verdict, and we'll gather back here in ten minutes after they make their decision."
The three girls looked at one another, and then over to Winter, who was looking at them longingly. They knew if they left the room that it would only cause a scene with the smaller girl, so instead Ningning tugged them both into the back corner where they couldn't be heard.
"You've got balls, Giselle," she said once they were out of earshot. Giselle just nodded and brought her hand to her chest.
"My heart is beating like crazy," she confessed, glancing back at the front of the room where she just stood. "You don't think I fucked everything up, do you?"
Ningning and Yeji exchanged glances before shaking their heads. "It was good. You did good."
"Do you think Karina's okay?" Giselle bit her lip and glanced around the room. "I should go check on her." She nodded, making her decision. "Yeah, I'll be back in a few minutes."
The other girls nodded in understanding. Giselle jogged out of the room, trying to think where her brown eyed roommate would have gone. Knowing Karina, she would be outside, so that's where Giselle checked first.
Sure enough, she caught sight of the dark haired girl at the bottom of the steps. She made her way down slowly, narrowing her eyes to see what Karina was doing.
"Hey loser, you okay?"
Karina slammed her sketchbook shut the minute she heard Giselle's voice. Once she had calmed herself down, she had realized she needed to remember what Winter looked like if that had been the last time she would ever see her. The brown eyed girl had flipped to an open page in her sketchbook and attempted to bring Winter to life on paper. The last thing she wanted to do was forget what she looked like.
She looked up at Giselle, biting her lip and shrugging. "M' fine. How'd it go? She...?" She suddenly grew worried and moved to stand up. Giselle put a hand out to stop her.
"They haven't made a decision yet. We have a ten minute break," Giselle explained, sitting down next to Karina, who sighed heavily. "I sort of... said something."
"You what?" Karina raised her eyebrows.
"They thought Winter was a 'danger to society'," Giselle scoffed, making air quotes with her fingers. "Which is bullshit, and I made sure they knew that."
"Please don't tell me you punched someone," Karina bit her lip.
"Only with my words," Giselle chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. Karina rolled her eyes and let her head fall in her hands.
"I don't know what I'm gonna do if..." she shook her head.
"Don't focus on the worst possible outcome," Giselle ran a hand through her hair and glanced up at the building. "It'll work out the way it's supposed to, okay?"
Karina just nodded, keeping her eyes locked on the ground. Giselle checked her phone and cursed when she saw the time.
"I've gotta get back in there," she stood up and gave Karina's shoulder a soft squeeze. "Don't get in any trouble while I'm gone!" She called as she jogged back up the stairs. Karina turned to watch her disappear back into the building.
Once she was alone again, Karina slowly reopened her sketchbook. Using her pencil, she began scratching in the smaller details. Winter's smooth jawline, her dimples, the perfect curve of her lips. Karina squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath.
Maybe wanting to remember what she looked like was superficial, but Karina didn't see it that way. Looking at Winter reminded her of other things. Looking at her eyes reminded her of Winter's incessant laughter, and how good it felt to kiss her and feel her giggle against her lips. Looking at her eyes reminded her of the way Winter would study Karina so intently, completely unashamed of the way she was staring.
Winter was something else. And it wasn't just the new Winter, either. After reading her old journal entries and getting to know the old Winter, Karina had slowly fallen in love with both versions of the girl. But now, she might not get to know either one.
Sighing heavily, Karina wiped the few tears that had escaped her eyes and closed her sketchbook, shoving it into her backpack. She propped her elbows on her knees and let her head fall into her hands. Sleep was demanding her attention, and she was slowly losing the fight. She stared at the cars in the parking lot, absentmindedly counting their colors.
Some time passed, and the brown eyed girl was now nearly asleep on the steps. She was in a half asleep, half dreaming state. Her eyelids were growing heavier by the second.
Meanwhile, four girls slowly made their way out of the front of the courthouse. Three of the girls pointed to Karina, nudging the smaller girl in her direction with wide smiles on their faces. When the girl saw where they were pointing, her face lit up, and her feet took off down the steps.
The minute Karina felt a body practically tackle hers into the grass next to the steps, she swore she was dreaming. She blinked her eyes open, growing increasingly confused.
"Yooji" the voice hummed contently. Karina's eyes widened and she felt her heart beat faster than she thought was humanly possible. She had to be dreaming.
"Jeong?" She whispered, lifting her head and wiping her eyes. The small girl was clinging to her, nuzzling her face in the crook of her neck. The moment Winter looked up and met Karina's eyes, the older girl realized it wasn't a dream. This was real.
"Oh my god," Karina threw her arms around Winter and held her closer than she ever had before. She was back. She was safe. She was with her.
"Yooji promised," Winter mumbled, with her head still lying on Karina's shoulder. Both girls were practically flat on the grass in front of the courthouse, but neither cared at all.
"What?" Karina asked, pulling apart from the prolonged hug and wiping the tears from her eyes. The moment Winter saw this, she grew increasingly concerned. The small girl reached out and pressed her palm against the side of Karina's face, tilting her head to the side.
"Why are you crying?" Winter asked, concern flickering in her eyes. She reached out with her other hand and used her thumb to ever-so-gently wipe each individual tear from Karina's cheeks. "Are you sad?"
Karina shook her head furiously. "No, of course not," she laughed softly. "I'm just really happy," she explained, using the sleeves of her jacket to wipe her own eyes. "Sometimes people cry when they're really happy."
"I am happy too, Yooji," Winter smiled widely, pulling Karina into another hug and sighing contently. And all at once, Karina felt whole again.
"What did I promise?" Karina asked, revisiting what Winter had said before. The smaller girl smiled brightly and reached out to trace her fingers over Karina's jawline.
"You promised to keep me safe," Winter nodded once. "You did. I am safe." She smiled widely.
Karina felt her eyes well up with tears again and she held Winter close to her. "I always keep my promises," she whispered, realizing she couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this innocently happy.
After lingering in the hug for as long as she could, Karina pulled away and helped the smaller girl to her feet. As soon as they were both standing, Winter clung onto Karina again, not wanting to risk losing her once more.
Karina's smile grew even wider when she saw her three roommates standing at the top of the stairs, gushing at the sight of the two other girls. The moment they made eye contact with Karina, they all came running down the stairs and nearly knocked over Winter and Karina in a group hug.
All that was heard was their laughter, the air full of relief from the stress filled week. All seemed right in the world.
"Together," Winter's muffled voice rang out from the middle of the circle. "I have my friends again."
—