my favorite girl

viii

M

/

Nayeon's 10th birthday party became the reason why we started being friends.

Or were we already friends since I moved next door when we were five?

I thought maybe we were, because whenever I come to hang out by myself on the rusty swing at our backyard, she still peeks through their fence and calls for me.

"Why do you even sit there all the time?"

"I like the sun."

"Yeah, but you're alone. And your swing set is old."

I was five, so I didn't get offended.

She was five, so she didn't know it was kinda offensive.

And then, one day, she asks, "Do you wanna hang out with me on my swing?"

I was five, so I said "Yeah, sure," completely forgetting about our indifferences and the fact that she hates the way I blink.

She was five, so I think she just thought the same way.

Maybe we were already friends back then and we just hadn't realized.

"I hate this frosting flavor," I hear Nayeon mumble next to me while we were sitting on her couch inside her room, watching Peanuts.

She was looking at the slice of caramel cake on her plate.

Then, I turned to look at mine. It was lemon.

I reached my plate over towards her for taking. "Wanna switch?"

I thought I saw Nayeon's eyes widen, but I hadn't known the light pink that tinted her cheeks was supposed to indicate that she was shy.

She seemed to think about it first, looking up to meet my awaiting gaze.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Do you just want me to owe you or something?"

I frowned. "What?"

"What do you expect in return if you gave me your plate?"

I shrugged confusedly. "I don't know, yours?"

That's how switching works, right?

I think Nayeon overthinks basically everything. I can't even put into words how dramatic she is.

One time, when we were eight, she climbed up the huge maple tree at their backyard just so she could prove to me that I wasn't better than her, like 'I always think I am.'

I never even said anything about me, being better than her when I climbed up that tree to pull our frisbee out of the branches. She just assumed it on her own.

(She got too scared to climb down, I had to call for her parents to come get her.)

After a few seconds of eyeing me suspiciously, Nayeon decided to let out a huff.

"Fine. Thanks."

I couldn't help but notice that her face was still pink when we switched plates.

Also, that wasn't a very nice tone to be using to say "Thanks," to someone, but I let it slip.

Maybe Nayeon really just gets shy about certain things.