Mean Girls

xviii. the calm after the storm

Chaeryeong makes it to her car before she checks her phone. Yuna is too curious to come running after her before she gets the chance to see Ryujin's reaction — it's good that she's like this, Chaeryeong wants to know too. Lia could go either way, which is the only reason Chaeryeong is opening Whatsapp and the Clique group chat.

Shin Yuna [4:16pm] BITCH U DID NOT!!!!!!!!!

Shin Yuna [4:16pm] WTF IS HAPPENKNG HSJDKSHSDASL

Shin Yuna [4:16pm] ok chae ily but i gotta watch Ryujin with her saucer wide eyes addressing the school lmao

Lia [4:18pm] Yeah, Chaeryeong. This is too good to pass up.

Lia [4:19pm] We'll spill the tea later.

Shin Yuna [4:20pm] dinner tonight at Lia's her parents won't be home

Lia [4:22pm] Come at 7.

Shin Yuna [4:23pm] DON'T EVEN THINK OF NOT SHOWING UP

Shin Yuna [4:23pm] I'LL GO TO UR HOUSE AND DRAG U BY THAT GIANT ASS OF URS

Lia [4:24pm] Hope you're okay, baby. Talk soon.

Chaeryeong laughs at her friends' antics, already feeling better about the whole situation. After the way Ryujin had reacted to the debate, winning the election had become secondary to her, almost an afterthought. Considering the polls and the wave of support for Ryujin, she really wasn't expecting to win, she didn't even practice her winning speech on the days leading up to the election.

Turns out you can't be sure of an election result until it happens.

Hearing her name be called had been... shocking, to say the least. She can't even remember walking to the stage, all she recalls is 'ask for the results, ask for the results' going around in circles in her head, drowning everything else. As soon as she'd set her eyes on the election numbers, there wasn't much to consider. Chaeryeong knew what she had to do.

Now she just needs to gather courage to face her friends and come up with something to tell them. There is no way Yuna will be letting her off the hook this time.

Lia opens the front door and pulls Chaeryeong into a hug so tight it knocks the wind out of her lungs.

"Lia," she whines, patting her back awkwardly, "you saw me literally three hours ago."

"Sorry, sorry." Lia lets her go and starts moving towards the kitchen, gesturing for Chaeryeong to follow. "You know I worry so it's good to see you here and looking... well, not depressed or in shock or something."

"Wow, Lia, positive much? I am touched by your faith in me." Chaeryeong rolls her eyes and she's about to hide her hands in the pockets of her hoodie, but then she realizes there are two pizza boxes on the kitchen table. "Ohhh, you already ordered the pizzas?" She starts jumping up and down and kisses Lia's cheek. "Where's Yuna? I am starving."

"She said she'd drop by your house to make sure you didn't stand us up."

"Why am I not surprised?" Chaeryeong laughs and, in typical Yuna fashion, that's the moment they hear loud bangs at the door. "Oh my god, will she ever learn to be subtle?"

Lia gives her a look that clearly says 'we'll both be dead before Yuna even manages to speak at an acceptable volume' and goes to the foyer.

"Hello, bitches," Yuna greets, flipping her hair as she power-walks inside. "Your pride and joy is here, but more importantly, where's the pizza?"