Skin Deep

7 - Study Partner

Momo watched Sana struggle to fight sleep as she sat across the table from her. Both of them had end of the year finals, both extremely different. Momo had to put together a dance with a partner she had never danced with before while Sana had nine tests all in different subjects.

"Sana..." Momo nudged her arm, trying to keep her awake.

"Hm?" Sana lifted her head, the pages of her textbook sticking to her as she looked up.

"How many hours of sleep did you get?" Momo frowned.

"No... no sleep. Just study." She mumbled before picking her highlighter back up. Momo shook her head, taking the textbook from her and shutting it. "Momorin..." Sana pouted.

"No, you deserve a break. Besides, you can't study for hours on end without breaks." Momo smiled. She stood up from her chair, walking towards the fridge. "And food is always good on breaks." She pulled out an apple for them to split, but when she turned around, Sana had fallen asleep with her head rested on the table again.

When everything was settled, Sana sat at her desk staring at the bubble sheet in front of her. She didn't know why she had one question left. But she did. Then it hit her. She missed a question and kept going on the bubble sheet. Throwing the entire test off.

"No..." She whispered to herself.

"Quiet." Her teacher warned.

Sana could feel the anxiety building in her chest. She checked the clock, thirty minutes until the end... She was only forty questions off... She could fix it. She went through correcting the bubbles, checking her answers multiple times. By the time she found the question she missed, she had ten minutes.

"You got this Sana... Just breathe. It's only calculus.." she thought to herself.

She had barely finished bubbling in her answer when the bell rang, signaling the ending of her first final. The teacher collected the papers, allowing the students to leave their class room for a few moments to stretch and take a break.

Sana went to her locker, checking her phone for any messages. She didn't have any, so she slid it back in her bag, and shut her locker tight.

"How hard was it?" Sana jumped at the sudden voice. She looked up to see Jeongyeon staring at her.

"Um... You do realize maths are my easier subjects right?" Sana frowned.

"Yes but if you struggled then I know I'm doomed." She frowned.

"Not gonna lie... I struggled." Sana sighed.

"Fuck." Jeongyeon sighed. "I'm dead. I'm going to fail." She groaned. Sana chuckled, giving her pointers before her own test.

Momo sat in her practice room, watching the other people in her class take their finals. She hyped some girls up, telling them they would be fine. She had already taken her final, her marks posted on the school site already.

When her school let out, Momo walked over to the bus stop, waiting for Sana to be released from her prison. Her legs were sore, her entire body was just sore in general. But she was finished with that class and just had to ace her other finals.

Eventually the students were released, groups of kids venturing off to wherever. Momo saw her girlfriend, her eyes tired as she shuffled down the path towards the bus waiting area.

"Here." Momo stood up, letting her take her seat on the bench.

"Thank you Momorin.." Sana mumbled.

"Which tests did you have today?" Momo asked while kneeling next to her.

"Calculus and Literacy." She sighed.

"Aren't those your hard classes?" Momo asked. Sana shook her head.

"Tomorrow." She frowned. "Physics and advanced history." She grimaced at the thought of the essay she was going to have to write for that class.

"Why do you take so many hard courses?" Momo frowned.

"My parents expect so much from me... Both of them have high degrees and high paying jobs... I can't break that steak." She rubbed her eyes, trying to stay awake long enough to make the bus.

"But.. it's obviously not meant for you. Maybe you shouldn't go into the field you want to go in." Momo was worried. She was going to run herself into the ground. "Maybe find something that's more suited towards you?" She asked. Sana shook her head.

Momo hesitated, leaving Sana here to ride the bus home was not an option at b this point. She was afraid someone would attempt to take advantage of her or she would miss her stop. So she took the bus with her.

"I live all the way across town from you. Why would you do this?" Sana frowned as the two walked hand in hand down the road to her house.

"I couldn't leave you there." Momo frowned.

Sana's parents arrived home late, welcomed with the smell of already cooked food and the sounds of laughter. Her parents looked into the kitchen to see an already cooked meal, plates made and covered for them. When they looked in the dining area they saw Sana and Momo, both of them helping each other study with empty plates pushed off to the side.

"No you have to add it." Sana pointed at Momo's paper with her pen.

"No. The equation says to divide it.." Momo frowned while checking her notes.

"Momo you mixed the problem again." Sana sighed while checking her girlfriend's work.

"Ahem." Sana's mother cleared her throat to get the girls' attention.

"Hi mom! Hi dad!" Sana tried to smile, but it was clear she was nervous.

"Mr. And Mrs. Minatozaki.. I'm so sorry for being here.." Momo immediately apologized. "I didn't want Sana to ride the bus alone.. She looked so exhausted.. so I made sure she got home safely." She quickly explained.

"And I offered to help her with her math studying..." Sana frowned. 

"But we got hungry so I helped Sana cook dinner..." Momo added to their apology.

"What did you two make?" Her father smiled. Momo smiled as she went into detail about the food she made. Sana smiled as she heard what was being said. That was when it hit her.

The little family was in the car, taking Momo back home after dinner.

"Maybe culinary school." Sana whispered. "I know you like dancing above anything else.. But you really enjoy cooking too." She held Momo's hand tightly.

"Yeah.. I do." Momo smiled. "I'll think about it and talk with my mom." She whispered. Sana smiled, but felt a small pain in her chest. She had never felt any kind of pain like that before, but as quickly as it came, it had gone away. So she ignored it.