first base (zerobaseone)

chapter seven

"hey. have a minute?" haneul looks up from her phone, startled. jiyeon stands in front of her bed, a packet of paper in hand. "our ra's gave us our roommate agreement forms," she said. haneul lights up. "oh! i forgot about those! let's fill them out."

jiyeon smiles softly, turning to the desks. just a few minutes ago, both families had cleared out and jiyeon had been even quieter since. haneul figured she needed a moment to settle in, and what's a better way to do that than fill out paperwork?

    "i think i'm pretty easygoing," jiyeon began as the other slid off her freshly washed sheets. "me too! i just ask to be cautious of noise. like if you're playing music, use headphones," haneul said. jiyeon nods in agreement.

"that works," jiyeon said. her tone is plain, but she seems satisfied. "i think this is a given but also no touching each others things without permission," haneul laughs. jiyeon smiles, writing down the bullet point quietly. haneul couldn't help but notice how smooth and concise the girls handwriting appeared. it flowed out of her, a river of words. she admires it, smiling to herself as she thinks of her more scratchy and fast-paced penmanship.

    "i like ambient lighting a lot, so is it ok if we keep the overhead lights off?" jiyeon asks, eyes flickering to the other curiously. haneul nods eagerly. "of course! i loveee using my lamps instead of the bright lights too!"

the roommates open up slowly, detailing each others boundaries carefully. jiyeon likes cleaning the floors weekly, haneul hates when the trash sits to long, they both enjoy studying in silence. haneul couldn't help but feel giddy at the realization that they had a lot more in common than she thought. getting to know the other felt like the start of a new chapter.

    jiyeon hands haneul the pen. "just sign at the bottom and i'll go turn it in," jiyeon said. haneul does so, humming quietly. "oh yeah! you have first base right?" haneul suddenly asks. jiyeon blinks, nodding slowly. "yes, yes i do," she confirms. "but i don't use it to often." haneul presses her lips together, setting the pen down. "we should follow each other when you get back. i made some friends i think you'd like," haneul said. jiyeon's ears burn red, the girl clearing her throat and gathering the roommate agreement pages. "sure, that sounds fun," she said.

haneul watches as the girl hurries off, following after her for a change in scenery. the hall stretched twenty doors down, students pushing in and out of their assigned rooms. this was the busiest the co-ed dorm would get all year with couches screeching along tiles, beds being raised and lowered, and families crying through their goodbyes. their ra's, sung hanbin and park sieun, stood outside of their door, large smiles on their faces as they spoke to the people around them. sieun held a bowl of candy while hanbin gathered and passed out roommate agreements.

"ah, jiyeon, right?" hanbin spoke with a sparkle in his eyes as jiyeon approached. she smiles at him, her presence drawing sieun's attention. "yes," she says shortly. "here is our roommate agreement." she hands him the paper, the boy receiving it happily. "thanks!" he exclaims. hanbin looks over her shoulder, spotting haneul. "oh, you must be haneul then! welcome to andromeda!" he exclaims as sieun reaches into her candy bowl. "here, you two!" she smiles. two pink lollipops find their way into jiyeon and haneul's hands, sieun turning to give more candy to their new hall-mates.

jiyeon and haneul look at the candies, smiles finding their way onto their faces. "they seem pretty nice," jiyeon murmurs as they walk to their room, 218, at the end of the hall.

"i agree. who do you think our neighbors are?" haneul asks curiously. jiyeon hums, opening the door for the two. "i think 217 is two boys. they helped my dad carry the tv up and they said something about us being neighbors. they seem nice. i don't know anything about 219, though," jiyeon said. haneul nods thoughtfully. "i want to introduce myself to everyone, but i'm nervous," she admits. jiyeon chuckles quietly, sitting on her bed. "it's ok," she reassures, "we have plenty of chances to meet them." haneul exhales quietly, glancing at he boxes underneath her bed. she still had so much to unpack.

"first base," jiyeon suddenly said. "let me give you my user."

haneul smiles at that, pulling out her phone instantly. this was her chance to grow her blossoming friend group. "i think you and matthew will get along," haneul points out. something about their energy seems to math one another. jiyeon smiles, flashing her phone to the girl. "chachayeon," haneul reads aloud. she chuckles slightly, typing in jiyeon's user. "there!' she exclaims, "friended!" jiyeon quietly follows the other back, nodding once in satisfaction. "nice," she said.

the pair now sit in silence, jiyeon opting to sift through a box full of vinyls. haneul stares off mindlessly, taking in their new home. she felt odd, the hair on her arms standing up at the thought of being away from her family for so long. though a majority of them live in korea, they're spread all over. even her parents couldn't make it to her move-in day. how would they take time off simply to visit?

jiyeon suddenly looks up from her vinyls, looking toward haneul curiously.

"what should we do for dinner?" she asks. this was a good question. they needed something quick and easy in order to make it back by eight for their floor meeting. hanbin said it's mandatory they attend.

haneul hums thoughtfully, biting at her bottom lip. "do you like burgers?" she asks. a grin appears on jiyeon's face. she nods. "it's settled then," haneul said, "i know a place."

val's corner.
finals are over everyone!!!!!! i am back~

please ignore any mistakes, i have yet to edit this chapter. i will def do my best to upload more now that it's winter break!

i've also been working on a hunger games book... so if i decide to post it here, i will let y'all know. (if you're interested!)