never grow up.

3.the devil.

(the devil-stamp)

When I woke, I instantly wanted to close my eyes again. The sun was shining too brightly through my curtains. I rolled off my bed and stumbled to my bathroom. I looked a mess. Makeup was still on my face (smudged as ever), hair disheveled. I rinsed my toothbrush to rid the lingering liquor off of my tongue. What happened last night? The only thing I remembered was my body grinding up against this older woman's. The lights were seizure-inducing. Her hands were traveling from my spine down further and further until it toyed with the hem of my dress. 

Her lips were on mine. She tasted impure but addictive. I groaned as I opened my eyes again, noticing that I was off in a trance. I never was hung over before. I used to see my father come in from a night with his friends. He would immediately go to sleep. Mom would never come home that drunk. I got into the shower and rinsed off last night's sweat and drunken stupor. 

I retrieved my phone from my purse to see that it was barely hanging on the thread of 1%. I checked through my notifications. No one had texted me at all. I forgot how we even got home. Thankfully I wouldn't be late for the internship if I leaved now.

I tried calling Yuqi but her phone went straight to voicemail. I ran down to her apartment and banged loudly on the door. There was a lot of shuffling and what not and then the door opened. Soyeon was standing in an oversized hoodie and short shorts. "Hi," she said softly. I never thought that the woman who ran a club and sounded so confident last night would be this sweet sounding and short. "Uh...Yuqi is still sleeping." 

I raised an eyebrow to see Yuqi covered in only a blanket. Her neck was covered in bruises and lipstick marks. Yuqi....YUQI SWINGS THIS WAY TOO?  "Well, when she wakes up, please let her know we have internship." 

Soyeon beamed. "I'll try." Soyeon waved before closing the door. I began walking to the bus stop, blushing at the thought of what Soyeon and Yuqi could have been doing. Had I known that Yuqi was also gay, I would have said something. I stood waiting for the bus until a blue convertible parked up on the curb by me. I stood back in confusion. The window rolled down and there she was. "Hey."

I opened my mouth, only to close it again. Soojin. She looked different in the morning as well. She wore a lighter shade of lipstick, but her eyes still had that fire to them. Where did she come from? 

"You can't speak Korean now?" she chuckled. "Where are you going? I can give you a ride." 

I swallowed as I got into the car. I buckled in my seatbelt, only to see that Soojin wasn't wearing hers. The seatbelt light kept beeping under the sound of the music she was listening to. "I'm going to..." I gave her the address of the botany lab. 

She had this smirk on her lips that drove me bonkers the more that I looked at it. She drove with one hand on the steering wheel. I couldn't stop looking at her. "I told you, I wanted to be good friends with you Shuhua. Soyeon gave me the address to where you guys lived." Her voice had a saccharine tone that also was very shy. She wasn't that shy last night. "Good friends see each other in broad daylight, right?" 

I giggle. "I suppose so." 

"So what are you doing studying in Korea?" 

"I want to become a botanist." I fold my hands upon my lap. "Study plants. It's nothing major...but I guess I was good enough in my studies to earn an internship here. I got a work visa so...I'm here until the program doesn't want me anymore." 

Soojin rolled her shoulders and reached for a cigarette. "You mind if I smoke?" 

I shook my head as she lit up anyway.

 "Pretty and geeky. I bet you have a good head on your shoulders." She took a long drag. "You got some pretty good lips too." She does this low chuckle. I couldn't help but be fascinated. She looked too good to be real. She looked like a model that strutted straight out of a magazine. I saw a tattoo peek from her shoulder. "You know what I do?" 

"Don't you just run the club with Soyeon?" 

Soojin turned the corner to the botany lab. "I run this city." She unlocks the car doors. "Your destination is to your right." She winks. I unbuckle my seatbelt grinning helplessly at her. Before I reach for the door handle, she grabs my waist and pulls me close. She kisses my lips, unlike the kiss from last night, this was a quick peck. "There's another party at the IDLE club tonight...I'll pick you...and your friend up at 7. Wear something cute for me." 

I blush as I open the door. I feel Soojin's eyes bearing on the rear of me. I felt excitement as I kept walking into the lab. I watched as she drove off through the window. I heard Minnie's voice call from the other side. I ran to get started with work. 

+

Today seemed to drag along because I knew I was seeing Soojin again. Yuqi had come in late with a turtleneck on in this balmy weather. Everyone looked at her and started sweating. She pulled up a chair beside me and Minnie. "Last night was wild." 

I had wanted to mention Soyeon but I decided that it wasn't in my space. "Yeah. I agree." 

Yuqi pulled on her gloves. "So how was your morning?" 

I grin and began thinking about Soojin. "Well, Soojin invited us to another party..." 

Yuqi widened her eyes. "Oh yeah...Soyeon told me about that..." 

Minnie turned. "You guys were invited again too? Miyeon was terrified that she would get chewed out by Soyeon but I guess everyone got along with everyone pretty well..." 

"Did you go home with Miyeon last night?" Yuqi winked. 

Minnie wiggled her eyebrows before tending to her work. "Now I don't kiss and tell..." 

I gawked at the both of them. I tried to recall the details of last night. Who took me home? I barely remembered anything, let alone these two going off with other women. Who would have known. "So...everyone went home with somebody?"

Yuqi lifted a box of equipment. "Basically. I'm shocked you didn't...well, you are a virgin at partying." 

"Just say that out loud, Yuqi," I hiss. "Tonight, I can prove myself to all of you that I can be just as bad." 

Minnie cocked her head to the side. "You don't have to prove yourself. Everything does take baby steps. I don't want you doing anything you feel uncomfortable with." 

"Our Shuhua is a precious child. She better not be leaving with anyone tonight," Yuqi put her arm around my shoulders. "If you do, I'll kick that person's ass." 

The teacher ordered Yuqi to focus on her work and then she flipped him off when he turned his back to administer more experiments. I sit down in my chair again and began to flip through my textbook to catch up on the chapter. I could still hardly focus when I kept thinking about Soojin. Her smile at me, the way she thirsted for me, how she kissed. Her nonchalant attitude. I bit my lip as the day kept crawling along. I couldn't wait for tonight.