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43. COOL SAND クールサンド
COOKIE CRUMBS FELL off the soft white silk tank top lia wore as hodan pulled her out of her bedroom. a groan left her lips, holding the last chocolate chip cookie behind her so her friend wouldn't take it from her. "where are you taking me?"
"out. into the sunlight where the air isn't stale because you've refused to crack a window." hodan replied in a flat tone, leading her down the stairs. "i don't want to go anywhere." lia whined out, reluctantly taking the steps down.
darryl stood at the bottom of the stairs, arms folded over his chest. the grim expression on his face softened the tiniest bit when his gaze met his little sister's. "take care of her, okay?" his eyes moved to hodan who nodded. charlie stepped up next to him then, placing a hand on his shoulder. "have a little fun, lia. and breathe in some fresh air." her voice was soft.
sighing and tugging on her hair, the girl in question nodded in reply before allowing her friend to continue pulling her towards the front door. "i swear i'm going to kill that jungkook kid if i ever see him. dumbass clark kent. and i even fucking let him wear my clothes." she heard darryl mutter just before hodan shut the door behind them.
a car was parked right outside, cathryn sitting behind the wheel and kash at the passenger's side. "hey, beautiful! need a ride?" cathryn called out, honking her horn briefly. lia couldn't help but crack a smile at the cheeky girl. "depends. where are you taking me?" she asked tiredly.
"waffle lane," kash answered, "to have every kind of waffle possible." she grinned when she saw lia's face light up the tiniest bit at the mention of waffles. "so you coming?"
"of course she is, we're going for waffles." hodan answered for her, tugging the girl forward. "yes! alrighty, girls' day out it is. i even got my dad to give us his card." cathryn slapped the wheel, glancing back at her friends as they slipped into the back.
"we might die before we ever get to eat the waffles if cat's driving though." lia remarked, clicking her seatbelt in place. cathryn's eyes narrowed at her through the rearview mirror. "my driving is just too advanced for you plebs." she stated before slamming her foot down on the accelerator and speeding down the road.
• • •
"so you've made up your mind?" kash asked. the four girls sat at the shore, feet buried in cool sand. they stared at the horizon as the waves shyly tickled their feet before running back in flustered abashment. cathryn had driven them to the beach after they left the waffle lane, saying they all needed the fresh air, especially their heartbroken friend.
"yeah," lia breathed out. "i'm going to sva." she nodded, feeling the wind tousle her hair. "my mum's a bit worried, especially with the way i've been lately. but i need a change of scenery."
"a lot of things have changed." hodan nodded her agreement. "still are." she mused, eyes following the way her blue scarf billowed in the breeze. her camera sat in the sand next to her and she picked it up slowly, taking a picture of the scene before them. "it'll be the first time we'll be apart for this long." lia tilted her head back to look at the blue grey skies, feeling a heaviness in her chest.
"i'm going to miss you guys so much." she sighed sadly, pulling at the frayed hem of her shorts. "we'll miss you too." kash smiled softly. "sis, we'll be in the same city." cathryn frowned. "yes, but our schedules might clash and we might not get to see each other as much." lia pointed out and cathryn's frowned deepened.
"i'm really bad at making friends. what am i gonna do?" lia looked even more morose than before. "you're a great girl. you'll be fine." hodan smiled warmly, brushing the girl's hair off her face. "i'm going to miss this place so much. my family, the places, the weather, even the people, our friends–" lia suddenly cut herself off.
"are you crying?" cathryn's eyes widened, making the two girls turn to lia. hodan pulled her into her arms, running a hand up the crying girl's arm. "what's the matter, lia?" kash looked at her with worry. "i just realised something." lia's brows drew together as she tried to keep the pain out of her shaky voice and failed, sniffling loudly. "what?" hodan patted her hair.
"i love him. i love jungkook."
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these suns seem so crude considering the current mood of this story. i'm sorry for taking away all the fluff y'all have been loving. but now there are seven chapters left and an epilogue. if we keep moving at this pace, the story will be done by the end of namjune. wow i'm excited to have another completed story under my belt even though i'll miss it.
