swxtched. | jhs

XIII : THE SMOOTHEST SWITCH EVER

SHE HAS A RIGHT to be nervous. It's a big Saturday.

Taehyung opens his arms up wide to hug Green. "Geurin-noona! You're here!"

He, Jeongguk, and Jimin think Green is sometimes quiet but still bright and friendly (Hoseok), so Green finds herself going along with it. She musters a wide grin and accepts Taehyung's hug with a small pat to his back. He's careful not to crush her arm.

"Well obviously," Jimin laughs, who notices the two first. "She's here to support her boyfriend!"

"Oh yeah! How'd that happen? I'm still really surprised you two got together so fast."

Green sucks in a breath, unsure of how to answer, when Hoseok pushes past Jeongguk and wraps an arm around her neck. "I come over to her house a lot to help her with her skin care. Like, facial masks and stuff," he says for her and winks. "You know."

Jimin slowly smirks, "Oh, oh, I see. Masks and stuff."

"Oh my god, that wasn't what happened," Green grimaces, smacking Hoseok's arm away. "I'll tell you guys some other time, but not now. Just go up there and win this already."

"You can go up there and dance with us, since you and Taehyung know it too," Hoseok teases, but Green snorts and shakes her head, turning around to sit with the audience. Taehyung follows closely behind, waving at the dance group.

As Green settles down, her mind wanders off to her school year so far. It's been about five months since school started, which marks just about how long she and Hoseok have been switching back and forth with no noticeable pattern and no signs to anticipate each switch, besides a gruelling headache that occurs seconds before it happens and seconds before it reverts.

She recites the routine in her head, which reminds her of the time her parents clapped for her at her first dance recital. Yes, she danced when she was little. No, she doesn't dance anymore.

But now, when she thinks about it, her parents are unmistakably very involved in her life now.

But really, maybe they're honestly always scrutinising her brother's life— even though they say they've cut him off— to ever pay attention to her. Her mum would only occasionally ask about her prosthetic arm. Her father? She calls him father.

Her own parents seem to only be concerned about the part of her that's fake, and maybe grades, which is nuts. But Green isn't throwing a tantrum about it.

She can't afford to when she owes them a literal arm.

It all goes back to that, doesn't it? she thinks. My main source of misery. It's so stupid.

"Geurin-noona?" Taehyung's large, bony hand has been squeezing her shoulder, rubbing his thumb on her sleeve and ultimately pinching her. She jerks.

"What?"

"Have you been paying attention to the other dancers? I personally like the third group so far— those ones in suspenders."

Green's eyes dart around to find the group Taehyung is talking about, and she notices four people in suspenders and confetti lingering on them from their performance. She hopes they're good, but not that good, because if the worst-case scenario actually does end up happening, she'll be the one on that stage and screwing everything up.

"I've just been a bit nervous for them, I guess," she mumbles.

"Don't be nervous, Geurin-noona," he tells her, patting her back. "They're going to do amazing. We've seen how hard they practised for this."