Always Been You (Ryeji Converted)

Chapter 6

Outside the school, Ryujin pushed Julia off. "What the hell? One minute you're yelling at me, and then you kiss me?"

Julia looked up at the second-floor window and smiled, happy that she'd driven the other brunette away. "Sorry, couldn't help myself. Come on, let's go."

The blonde shook her head, "I can't keep up with you - wait, you want to leave?"

"I'm flying to L.A. tonight, I'd prefer not to be at your high school thing, honestly."

Ryujin bit her lip and frowned, "Julia, the deal was that I'd take you to the airport after stopping by this thing first."

"We stopped by. I have fulfilled my end of the bargain. Let's go."

"Is this about Yeji? Why does it set you off like this whenever she and I end up in the same place? She's straight and we hardly see each other anymore. It shouldn't be a big deal."

Julia eyes flashed, "It is a big deal because you keep saying that."

"What? I keep saying it because both those things are true."

"I don't care if they're true or not. It's a big deal because of what you never say."

Ryujin looked at her girlfriend. She sensed that she was on shaky ground, that this was the fight they'd been building up to for a while now, but she didn't know what Julia was getting at. "What are you talking about?"

The brunette glared at her, "All this time, I've been telling you how much I dislike spending time with Yeji, and you always tell me to stop being so threatened because she's straight and you never spend time with her. And you know what's really interesting? You've never once said you don't have feelings for her. It's always about how Yeji doesn't have feelings for you. That's why it's a big deal."

Ryujin's stomach dropped. Of all the precipices she thought Julia was going to push her towards, this was not the one she expected. Feelings for Yeji was something the blonde wouldn't even let herself think about, least of all as a point of argument with Julia.

"Fine, let's just go, then." The blonde said in resignation.

Julia crossed her arms, "So you do have feelings for her!"

Ryujin's mouth wouldn't work.

"I think we both know what comes next." Julia turned and walked towards the blonde's car.

"UGH!" Ryujin ran to catch up with her, "Are you breaking up with me?"

Julia paused, her hand on the door handle, "Ryujin, I think this has been in the works for months. We've hardly spent any time together since Labor Day. And when we did, we fought. It's fucking exhausting."

"We're just going through a bad patch."

"Ryujin, you liked it when she was playing doctor just now. And I saw you guys hugging. You like her. A lot. Even if you don't think it's obvious, it is."

Ryujin opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

"You can come pick up your stuff from my place when I get back on the 26th. Just take me into town. I can grab a cab to the airport from there."

***
Back in the school gym, Yeji watched Ryujin's car peel out of the school parking lot.

For the rest of the night, Yeji tried to block out Ryujin's early departure from the party, and it wasn't easy. It was like Senior year all over again, when her friendship with the blonde abruptly changed. Every subsequent time together since then just re-opened the wound. Yeji knew she played a role in it; once Heejin was part of the equation, Yeji made no effort to fight for their friendship, preferring to keep her distance and allowing them to drift apart. The mad dash of college-related insanity had redirected her focus most of Senior year, and the excitement of four years in the big city was just enough to muzzle the ever-present tumult of missing her life-long friend.