You snap awake, the sound of nearby shuffling alerting you.
You try to sit up, but a warm weight stops you. Turning to look, you see Lily, her chin resting on your chest, her hand wrapped around your waist. She mutters unintelligibly in her sleep.
"She's so cute, right?" You hear someone whisper, giggling.
Poki stood near the edge of the bed, finishing putting her shirt back on.
"Are you going?" You ask groggily.
"Yeah, I have a morning stream. I didn't mean to wake you. Sorry."
"Oh, it's alright."
She leans over to kiss you on the forehead, leaving a pleasant feeling tingling on your skin as she leaves, gently closing the door behind her.
...
Heyyyy!
Oh hey Kimi! What's up!
you wanna hang out today?
it's been sooo long
we've only hung out like 3 times since you came to la!!!
Yeah, I'm free! I'll stop by after I finish my lunch
YES!
and besides, my cables still need fixing... :(
...right. We'll fix that too
thank youuuuu :)
You shudder as you remember the snake jungle behind her desk that you never got to fix.
You put the phone down and continue to dig into your Chipotle bowl, your attention brought back to Poki's stream.
Damn, I need to stream more. Maybe I should consider a 24-hour stream.
As you finish scooping the final few grains of rice into your mouth, you feel another vibration in your pocket.
hii!
wanna stop by for a bit and hang out on my stream?
oh... maybe later Brooke, I have some plans now
i'm only streaming for a little while tho!
come on, pleeeease
i can show you around the 100T house too :)
You find it hard to say no, so you consider shifting your plans.
Hmm, let me text Kimi again.
Hey Kimi, I might come an hour later. Is that ok?
wait, what?
oh no, I'm gonna be out for the day after 3
you can't come sooner?
Damn.
You sit back, contemplating your choices.
You know what, maybe I'll go with Kimi...
You open up your messages with Brooke to tell her that you wouldn't come.
As you think about how to phrase your text, you freeze, your eyes quickly scanning over Brooke's latest message.
oh also kyedae is here
she said you two haven't met
i can introduce you
Your brows furrow as you see her name, the girl who knew more than she should.
Kyedae... she knows about... Leslie and I.
I want to talk to her. To see if she's trustworthy, or if I should be worried. I guess that's a good enough reason to go.
You reluctantly text Kimi, saying that something came up and you wouldn't be able to come. As per her request, you promised that you would visit her sometime in the week.
alright sure
I'll be there asap
Yay! drive safe!
...
"...hi," you say, your breath catching in your throat as you see the figure by the door, her white hoodie resting on her shoulders, her hood propped up to her ears.
She gives a small, tight-lipped smile. "Hi."
Kyedae steps aside, letting you enter.
"Brooke's in-game, so she told me to give you the tour if you wanted," she says, with an evident lack of enthusiasm.
"Um... I'm alright. We can just go find Brooke."
She nods, swiftly climbing the stairs as you follow behind.
She gently opens the door to the small room, Brooke sneaking a glance back and giving you a warm greeting before locking her eyes back on her screen, carrying out the rest of her Valorant game.
Her chat fills with excited comments as they see you enter, and you give the camera a little wave, sitting on the edge of Brooke's bed while Kyedae took the other chair in the room.
As soon as her match ended, Brooke took off her headphones and stood up, stretching a little before reaching to hug you, smiling.
You chat for a few minutes, Kyedae jumping in occasionally.
"Oh, I didn't even ask! How was the 100T trip for you?" Brooke asks excitedly.
"It was fun! I didn't expect camping to be so luxurious, but it was a cool experience nonetheless."
"I heard you couldn't find a place to stay," Kyedae cuts in, a curious look plastered on her face.
"Oh, right! You... who did you stay with again?" Brooke asks.
"Um... Leslie," you say, clearing your throat to mask your heightening nerves.
"Leslie, right... I heard there was only one bed in her house," Kyedae says again, turning so her face couldn't be picked up by the camera.
"Wait, what?" Brooke asks, looking at you in surprise.
"No, no! There was another bed! In the... closet."
"Oh."
Why is she... Is Kyedae trying to expose me? But she could have done so already... is she toying with me?
"I think your next Valorant match is starting, Brooke," you say, pointing to the screen.
"Oh, right!" Her attention quickly turns away from you, and as soon as the camera refocuses on her, you shoot Kyedae a glare, making sure she noticed.
...
Somewhere, oblivious to you...
Kimi absentmindedly twirls a strand of her hair around her finger as she watches.
Hm. So he turned me down to visit Brooke instead? Is it just because she's streaming? No, he's not that shallow.
She continues watching, seeing Brooke turn away from the screen to ask her new guest questions about the 100T trip.
Wait, he went on a 100T trip? Are they gonna sign him? Or... did Brooke just bring him along?
She narrows her eyes in suspicion as she zooms in, examining Brooke closely.
Holy. Shit. She... she likes him. It has to be. Look at her! Look at how she's smiling at him! Oh. My. God.
Well... I guess that explains why he chose her over me.
But he'll choose differently next time. And every other time after that.
I'll make sure of it.
...
After making sure she caught your look, you turn away, your train of thought starting up once more.
Hopefully, she got the message. But in either case... maybe I should ask Leslie when she's planning on telling the world about her breakup. The last thing I want is for people to put the pieces together and get the wrong idea.
You pull out your phone, open Leslie's contact, and start to write out a message. You don't notice the movement occurring in the corner of your eye until a voice from behind you startles you, almost making you lose your grip on the device.
"Hey, why are you texting Leslie? Asking if you can sleep in her closet again?"
You grimace, noting the loud enunciation in Kyedae's voice, ensuring that Brooke and her viewers would hear.
You say nothing, instead opting to laugh it off while she smirks, disguising it as a joking tease. You stand up and move off-camera, your fake smile immediately dropping.
She needs to cut this out. Now.
You mouth her name, keeping an eye on Brooke to make sure she didn't notice.
Kyedae merely grins back with a knowing look in her eyes.
You move back on camera, regaining your composure as you sit back on the bed.
After a minute, you speak up again.
"So Kyedae, how was the 100T trip for you?"
"It was cool! I had so much fun, honestly. I saw something... frightening there, but besides that, it was normal."
She eyes you as she lingers on the word frightening , making her meaning instantly clear to you.
"Oh, did you mean the bear? Yeah, I totally fell for that prank too!" Brooke replies, laughing.
"Kyedae..." You silently mouth out, quiet enough that the microphone couldn't pick it up, but loud enough for her to hear the annoyance dripping from your tone.
Once her eyes snapped up to meet yours, you beckoned your head toward the hallway, making your intention clear.
She stands up and walks out, her gaze never leaving yours.
"Listen- "
"Not here. Down the hall." She cuts you off, continuing to walk down the hall.
You follow her to the end of the passage and into the farthest room.
You close the door behind you, and she turns, taking a large breath as both of you start to flare with emotion, knowing exactly where this was going.
"What the fuck... are you doing?" You ask, intentionally keeping your voice low.
"What the fuck am I doing? I'm not the one sleeping with Leslie...!" Kyedae throws her hands up, letting out the words that had been on her mind for too long.
"I didn't sleep with her! And besides, I thought you said you wouldn't tell anyone. You promised Leslie."
"I know I did," she says, matter-of-factly.
"Oh, so you'll just ignore it? Fine! If you want to ruin Leslie's life, just do it already!"
"I won't."
"..."
"I only said that because I wanted to scare you." She smirks, seeing that she had succeeded.
"...why? What could you possibly gain-"
"I don't like you." Her calm, collected words hit you harder than you expect.
"Oh, really? I wouldn't have guessed!" You clap back, your blood boiling in your veins.
"You took advantage of a girl going through a hard breakup."
"You don't know that. She came to me first, and I just-"
"You took advantage of her. There are no two ways about it." She crosses her arms, her attempts at keeping herself cool increasingly failing.
"I didn't! Why are you so hell-bent on saying that-"
"Listen!" She takes a step forward, your taller stature not intimidating her at all. "If I asked you to cut off all contact with her, would you?"
"..."
"..."
"No." You sigh, knowing what would come next.
"Well, there you go."
"But that's because she wouldn't want me to!"
"What she needs is time alone! Lonely people are desperate for someone even though it's not what's best for them, and she was unlucky enough to find you, I guess."
You reel from her words once more, as a fit of growling anger threatens to burst from within you.
"Who do you think you are, telling me what she needs?!"
"I'm her friend!" She looks at you in disgust, squeezing her fists by her waist.
"You haven't known her much longer than me!"
"Well, I know what she's going through!"
"So do I! She told me more than she told-"
"Fuck you, asshole! Do you treat every girl like this?" She cuts you off once more, and you're tempted to storm out of the house.
Fuck this... but I can't. I can't leave her when she's this angry, or she might do something. Something bad.
"What, no comment? You know I'm right, don't you?"
You move over to the couch, sitting down on the edge and cupping your hands over your eyes, taking a breath to recover and formulate your words.
You feel a pair of hands on your shoulders, and before you can react, you get shoved sharply into the couch, your head hitting the cushioning beneath.
"Hey!" You yelp.
"Look at me when I talk to you!" Kyedae's temper was nowhere near quelled, and your silent thought was only enraging her even further.
With no more couch space left, she pounces on top of you to stare you dead in the eyes, her rage evident in her unblinking eyes.
"Kyedae! Listen to me. I get how you're feeling, and I'm sorry if I-"
"Oh, you get how I'm feeling, huh? Well, fucking act like it then!"
"Hey! I'm trying to apologize for-"
"I don't care about a fucking apology! Stop messing with Leslie!"
Her hands clench your shoulders tightly, her face now directly above yours, her weight pushing you further into the couch. Her hair tickles your skin uncomfortably, and you realize the position you two had inadvertently reached.
"Kyedae... please... just hear me out, ok?" You gesture peacefully, hoping to calm her down. "Let's just try to calm down, and then we can discuss this."
"...SHUT UP! Don't tell me to calm down! ...UGHHH! Fuck you, dumbass...!" She purses her lips, her grip on your shoulders tightening to an almost painful degree.
You grab her shoulders to try to push her off, but she resists, clutching you harder. You close your eyes and brace yourself, preparing for the worst.
And in one swift motion, she closes the gap between your faces as she smashes her mouth onto yours, grinding her lips as her hands remain tight.
Your head jolts back from the impact, and you feel dizzy, unsure of every sensation.
She pulls her head back even faster than she pushed it in. She instantly jumps off of you, her eyes widening and her hand moving to cover her mouth.
You finally open your eyes, almost unwilling to believe what you had just felt.
You both stare at each other.
"...i..." Her voice finally finds its way out, her anger completely dissipated. "...what... did i... just do...?"
"..."
"..."
"...kyedae..."
"...no... no, no... No, God no. NO!" She almost screams, before swiftly turning to the door and opening it, checking to see if anyone was in earshot.
You stand up, still shocked, and she reflexively moves away, ending up at the opposite side of the room, unable to meet your eyes.
"Kyedae, um..." You try to start again, but you can't find the words.
"i... no... it's all over... everything is... done..." She mutters to herself, her breathing quickening alarmingly fast. She starts to hyperventilate as more garbled words fall out of her.
"Kyedae!" You yell, concerned.
Her eyes snap up to yours, her lips quivering.
"Oh my god," she says. "Tyson... how could I... ever face him..."
...Oh. That's... her boyfriend.
"Kyedae, maybe he doesn't... have to... know?" The words sound dirty in your mouth, and you almost regret saying it as soon as it comes out.
She looks at you with a mix of disbelief, anger, and shame.
"...you..." She shakes her head. "Of course you'd... say something... like that."
Even while she disparages your idea, you can tell that she was thinking about it.
She sits down, bouncing her knee up and down in thought, trying to come up with something while you remain standing.
"..."
"..."
The silence becomes intolerable, and the pressure building up inside her head is too great.
"Fine! What do you want?!" She bursts out.
"Huh?"
"To keep it... secret." She sighs dejectedly, staring at the floor. "What do I owe you?" She shakes her head, preparing for you to exact revenge on her.
"..."
"..."
"Well, um... nothing?"
She scoffs, rolling her eyes. "Shut up with that. Tell me."
"Kyedae, I... don't want anything," you cautiously say.
Her gaze meets yours, and her annoyance is replaced by confusion.
"I won't tell anyone. No strings attached." You shrug your shoulders.
"What? Why?"
"Listen, I have no idea why that just happened, but I'm sure you're stressed enough as it is. I... I'll keep quiet about it, as long as you do the same."
"..."
She gulps, taken aback by your words.
"I don't trust you," she says, still unsure, sizing up your reaction.
"...that's understandable. But I don't think you have a choice right now. Hopefully, I can change that with time."
You give a soft smile, making her brows furrow once more. She bites her bottom lip as she thinks, not taking her eyes off of you.
"...i have to go."
"Kyedae, can we-" You reach for her.
She flinches away, scared. "No!"
Before you can respond, she rushes out and slams the door behind her, blowing a gust of wind into your face.
You take a seat on the couch, trying to calm your racing heart. You lay down, thoughts still racing about the kiss.
Why did she... was it just the heat of the moment? That's not what people usually do when they get mad...
You jolt up as you hear a knock on the door.
You open it and see Brooke's concerned face, headphones hanging around her neck.
"Brooke!"
"Hey, um... Is Kyedae ok? She ran past my room, saying that she had to leave. She didn't tell me why."
"Oh, yeah, um... she's fine. She just... has to do something."
Brooke eyes you up and down with a hint of suspicion.
"Are you still streaming? You should probably get back to that," you say, trying to deflect.
"No, actually, I just ended. I told you I would only be streaming for a little while."
"Right, right."
You awkwardly rub the back of your head, avoiding her gaze.
"Can you just tell me what it is? You're a bad liar, you know."
Shit.
"We... got into a fight," you slowly let out.
You pray that she doesn't inquire further.
"Oh. That's strange. You two just met, and you fought already? What was it ab-"
"Yeah, we just got off on the wrong foot. I'm sure it'll be fine, though. I'll talk to her again."
"Hm. Alright, well, I hope you do."
"Yeah... me too."
"Well, I have to get going. Neeko and I are going shopping!" Brooke cheers, quickly moving on from the previous topic.
"Oh, cool. Yeah, um, I'll probably get going too."
"You wanna come?"
"Uh..."
"Oh, do you have other plans?"
Well, it's past 3, so... I guess not. Besides, I need to destress a little.
"Alright, why not? I'll come."
"Really? Great! Come on, let's go!"
She walks toward the door before turning around and facing you with a sly smirk.
"And, also..."
She moves closer to you, giving you no chance to back away.
"Maybe after we're done, you can come back here with me, and we can... hang out some more..."
Her face rests inches from yours, her tone becoming sultry and flirtatious.
"...Sure. I'd like that," you say.
"Good." She turns away and walks out, beckoning you to follow.
Suddenly, a chill overtakes your body, leaving your feet frozen to the ground as a singular thought infects you.
Brooke has a... boyfriend too. And yet... she's still... No, maybe I just misread her. Yeah, that must be it.
What if Kyedae's right? What if I... should just leave her alone too? Not just her, but all of them?
You feel your heart rate start to skyrocket, your hands beginning to sweat.
No, I can't think like that... but... she made a good point, didn't she? At least about Leslie... Shit, what am I doing?
You shake your head, dispelling the thoughts as you rush out of the room, walking out and into the awaiting Uber, taking a seat next to Brooke.
"Are you ok? You seem worried."
"I'm ok. Just a little out of it, that's all."
Turning to the window so she couldn't see your growing concern, you silently mull over the events of the past few days.
I... I need to talk to Kyedae... and Leslie... and Brooke... and everyone, honestly...
No matter how you twist it, you find yourself reaching an inevitable, nerve-wracking conclusion about what you need to do next.