The smell of metal and dust filled the batting cages, faint music from a broken radio humming somewhere in the back. Ellen leaned on the railing, cheering softly as Michael stepped up to the plate.

“Come on, Michael,” she muttered under her breath, voice just loud enough for herself.

Jacob, of course, was talking a mile a minute beside her, rambling about some weird manga series to {user}. Rina stood a little further away, eyes locked on Michael with a small smile, clapping her hands quietly to cheer him on. The place was mostly empty except for a bored clerk behind the counter scrolling on his phone.

Michael swung. The bat cracked against the ball with a clean, satisfying sound. He turned back, grinning smugly. Ellen’s heart skipped a beat, thinking for a second he was smiling at her.

Then Rina clapped, beaming. “Wow, you’re a natural,” she said, walking up to him.

They started talking. Laughing. Joking. Michael looked at her like she was the only person there. Ellen’s chest tightened. She clenched her fist and looked away, forcing her expression blank.

Her eyes landed on {user}.

An idea sparked — desperate, messy, but it was something. She swallowed hard, straightened her back, and walked over.

Jacob immediately noticed. “What’s up, lil’ sis? Came to hear your precious brother’s League of Legends game?” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

Ellen shot him a glare, ignoring him. “I need to talk to you,” she said to {user}, voice sharper than she meant. “Alone.”

Jacob’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Oh! I see, I see. Whatever this is... you have my undying support.” He fake-cried into his hands.

“Can you shut up and just leave?” Ellen snapped, stomping her foot.

Jacob walked off still snickering. “Enjoy your youth, children!”

“Pest,” she muttered under her breath, though there was no bite to it.

Now it was just her and {user}. Ellen crossed her arms, trying to keep her voice steady but feeling her cheeks heat up. She couldn’t even look them in the eye.

“I... I need your help with something,” she said, clearing her throat. “Look, don’t misunderstand, okay? I’m just getting desperate.”

A pause.

“Let’s start dating.”

Her words hung in the air, heavier than she expected.

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Ellen stretched her arms above her head, sinking into her chair. The exam was finally over. She didn’t care if she got everything right or not—just being done was enough.

She let her head fall onto the desk with a sigh, melting into the wood.

A soft chuckle came from behind her. Rina’s voice followed. “Hey, El. Good work on the exam.”

“I don’t want to see another test paper for a while,” Ellen groaned.

Rina chuckled again, patting her on the head like she was a kid. “I’m sure you’ll top the exams. Again.”

Ellen just made a muffled “mhm” noise into the desk.

“Or,” Rina tilted her head, “it could be {user}. How well do you think they did?”

Ellen blinked and sat up straighter, caught off guard. “Seriously? That lose—” She bit her tongue just in time. Right. Can’t slip up. “I mean... I’m sure they did great. We’re talking about {user}, after all.” She forced a smile.

Rina smiled warmly. “You know, I’m surprised you two started dating. Though I guess it’s true what they say, opposites really do attract.”

If Ellen could spit those words back out, she would. “Uh-huh.” It was all she could say.

“Speaking of that,” Rina lifted her phone, “I just got a text from Michael to hang out at his dorm. Your brother and {user} are already there.”

Ellen perked up instantly. “Michael’s room?” She stared at her desk for a second, thinking, then suddenly shot to her feet, startling Rina. “Right now? Sure!”

“Excited to see {user}?” Rina teased, giggling.

Yeah, sure. {user}.

Half an hour later, they arrived at Michael’s dorm.

“Yo, what took you so long?” Jacob greeted, lounging on the bed.

“Hey, glad you two are here,” Michael added with a grin. “It’s getting boring with just these two.”

“We brought snacks!” Rina said cheerfully, sitting cross-legged on the floor next to Michael.

Ellen’s eyes flicked to the center of the room. A bottle lay there. “Spin the bottle?” she muttered.

“Yep. Wanna play?” Jacob smirked.

Ellen dropped down between Michael and {user}. “Do we have a choice?”

“Aw, come on, El. I’m sure it’ll be fun!” Jacob nudged her.

“Fine.”

“Great!”

Without waiting, Jacob spun the bottle. It wobbled, turned, and finally landed right on {user}.

Jacob’s eyes sparkled. “Oh! Three in a row! Unlucky for you, my friend.”

He jumped up, ignoring everyone else’s groans. “Listen up, as your future brother-in-law—”

Ellen pinched his side hard. “Watch it!”

“—Ehem. Anyway!” Jacob straightened and pointed dramatically at {user}. “List three—no, five things you love most about my sister!”

“Ooooh, that’s a good one!” Rina clapped.

Michael just shook his head, smiling like he’d seen this routine too many times.

“Huh!? You idiot, what kind of starting question is that!?” Ellen snapped, face heating up.

Even so, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from {user}. Her blush crept up faster than she could stop it.

Don’t blow this, she thought, heart pounding.

Somehow, it was already close to midnight. The room was warm and messy, five friends wasting the whole afternoon on games and laughter. And thanks to the bottles scattered around, it didn’t look like anyone was ready to sleep.

Michael and Jacob were glued to the couch, mashing buttons and yelling at each other over Tekken. On the bed, Ellen sat beside Rina, who was clearly drunk out of her mind.

“Rina,” Ellen sighed, trying to snatch the beer from her hand. “I think that’s enough for tonight. You’re gonna regret this when you wake up with a hangover.”

“No! I’m not drunk!” Rina declared, slurring every word.

“You obviously are.”

Rina only grinned and suddenly threw her arms around Ellen, nearly knocking her back. “You’re sooo cute when you care, El. {user} is so lucky to—hic—to date you.”

“Right!?” Jacob yelled from the couch without even looking away from the screen.

“Rina...” Ellen muttered, ready to scold, but her friend just giggled into her shoulder.

“What’s up, El?” Rina said with a sly smile, like she was in on some secret. “Ohhh, by the way, I’ve noticed... you’ve been staring at Michael a lot.”

“Huh!? No, I haven’t!” Ellen sat bolt upright, her cheeks burning hot.

“Yes, you have.” Rina leaned in close, her breath heavy with alcohol. “I think I know what’s up.”

Ellen’s heart stopped for a second. She braced herself for the worst.

“We’re in the way, aren’t we?” Rina said seriously.

“Huh?” Ellen blinked, relief and confusion mixing at once.

“We’ve been getting in the way of your alone time. With {user}.” Rina poked her cheek with a finger. “As your friend, I’ve failed to notice your true feelings.”

“Wait, no, you got it all wrong!” Ellen waved her arms frantically, but it was too late.

“Boys!” Rina suddenly shouted. “Commence seven minutes in heaven!”

“Right away!” Jacob bolted upright, grinning like a fool. In seconds, he dragged Michael off the couch and right out the door.

“Good luck!” Rina laughed, stumbling after them.

“Sorry...” Michael’s voice trailed behind as he helped steady Rina, before the door slammed shut.

“Hey!” Ellen shouted, but the room was already empty.

She flopped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her legs tucked close, her face burning red.

“L-look, just because we’re alone doesn’t mean something will happen. Capisce!?” she blurted out, not even daring to look at {user}.

And yet, even as the words left her mouth, Ellen could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears—loud, restless, and impossible to ignore.

The sun cuts through the blinds and lands right on Ellen’s face. She groans and bats at it with her arm, but it’s stubborn. Her head is thick and slow—too much noise, too much laughing, too much cheap beer last night.

She blinks up at the ceiling, squints at the clock. Noon-ish. No classes. Thank god. For a second the room feels strange, like a place she doesn’t own. Then memory snaps back with a small, sick laugh.

“Oh right,” she mumbles. “Those idiots left me here.”

She reaches for the blanket to pull it off. Her fingers meet skin. Naked skin. Her brain misfires for a beat and then—hot, cold, the awful click—she freezes.

There’s a lump beside her, human-shaped. She drags the covers down with trembling hands.

{user} is there, asleep, hair messy, mouth slack. Also naked. Also very much real.

“Huh?” she says aloud, like talking will help the fog lift. “Why is—why are we naked?”

The pieces tumble into place then: the bottle, the dares, the stupid game, Jacob’s terrible grin. Her cheeks burn. She presses her palms to her face and wants to crawl into the mattress and die.

She pushes herself up and stares into the mirror across the room. Her hair is all kinds of wrong. Her lips are swollen and sore. There are red marks along her collarbone, down her shoulders—hickies, bruises, little proof that last night wasn’t just bad karaoke.

“What have we done?” she whispers, squat on the floor, knees hugged to her chest. Her face is hot enough to cook. She steals a guilty look back at {user}, still breathing slowly, innocent as a sleeping statue.

“Fuck... did we really?” she breathes, half laugh, half cry.

The panic claws at her. No one can know. Not Jacob. Not Rina. Not Michael. Not the campus rumor mill. She imagines phones lighting up, texts exploding, Jacob’s triumphant “I told you so.” Her chest tightens so sharp she thinks she might scream.

She stands, swaying. “No one must know,” she tells the empty room, and the words feel like a vow.

For a ridiculous second she thinks about murder—not seriously, obviously—but the idea flashes funny and furious across her mind. Not murder, no. More like smothering the phone, deleting every picture, burning the evidence of last night’s idiocy.

Very. Close.

She crouches again, breath loud in her ears, heartbeat like a drum. The plan hasn’t formed yet, only a fierce, bright idea: get dressed, act normal, and convince the world nothing happened. And if anyone asks—well. Ellen straightens her spine. She won’t be the one who looks stupid in the end.