Parallel Lives | BBANGSAZ

T H I R T Y S I X

H A N N I
—

I'll choose you, Hanni.
I'll choose you, Hanni.
I'll choose you, Hanni.
I'll choose—

"Ugh! You're ignoring me again, Pham!" Suyeon groans, snapping me back to earth. Well, the mall, to be specific.

I snap my eyes to her as she helps me stay balanced on my feet. It doesn't hurt anymore, but it's still difficult to walk, and I shouldn't put pressure on them. "I wasn't—I was just looking at..." I look around, searching for something—anything. Ha! There it is! "That! Look how pretty that dress is. You're going to love it."

She follows my gaze to the pretty black dress in one of the stores, and when her face lights up, I promise myself I'll thank the universe for placing that dress in front of me while I was daydreaming about my (not) date with Minji.

It's been three days since I last saw her—since we had coffee at my aunt's coffee shop and talked about everything and nothing at the same time. Three days since her words keep ringing in my head—I'll choose you, Hanni.

Three days since I saw those pretty brown eyes. Three days of texting nonstop, though she's always busy with work and school, and I'm busy with my therapists. Today—one of my free days, the perfect day to see Minji—Suyeon showed up at my house and demanded I join her to shop for her birthday party. It's on Halloween, and we're only five days away from October 31st.

And here we are, circling around the mall, searching for her perfect outfit. I haven't decided what to wear yet because I'm preparing myself to ask Minji to come with me—and if she says yes, I'll trick her into wearing a couple's costume. Not because we're a couple—of course not. We're definitely not a couple. Just two friends who kiss sometimes. A lot of times, actually, but that's it. And—

"Pham, I lost you again." Suyeon snaps her fingers in front of my face. "I swear, if you wanted to stay at home, you could've just told me."

I shake my head, feeling like a terrible friend. "No, no. I'm sorry. I'm here. I'm sorry. What were you saying?" My cheeks flush.

She huffs, rolling her bright eyes at me, and my heart squeezes inside my chest—I'm the worst friend ever. "What's your costume? You know, I won't let you wear the same outfit as last year. That was terrible."

I smack her arm, ignoring the playful smile on her lips. "You bitch! What's wrong with Jo March?"

"Oh, there's nothing wrong with her," she says, rubbing the spot I just hit. "But—that wasn't sexy, like, at all. We need to get you something sexy, kind of slutty—like me." She throws her hair over her shoulder, confident in her words, and I laugh.

"I don't want anything... slutty. I don't know what I'm wearing yet."

Her eyes widen, and a small gasp leaves her mouth. "Hanni Pham! Are you bringing a date?" My cheeks turn red as she smiles. "Ohhhh! Tell me! Are you over Minji? You never told me what happened—Oh. My. God." Her jaw drops. "You're bringing Minji. Minji is your date. Oh my god. Oh my god!"

My eyes widen, and I look around at the people surrounding us. "Shhh!" I place a hand over her mouth. "Shut up! Are you crazy? Everyone just heard you!"

She pulls my hand away. "Who cares? Oh my god. I'm so excited! This is exciting! My best friend has a new girlfriend, awww!" she pouts, looking completely ridiculous.

"She's not my girlfriend. We're just friends, getting to know each other a little more—That's all." That is not all, at all. My heart flutters at the thought of her lips against mine. "She's just been there for me a lot because of my injury."