Chương 1: Boredom
Boredom had never struck Zenith the way it had right now.
"… And this means that as DNA is expressed in each cell, the…" yada, yada, yada. Zenith was so bored listening to her professor she could feel her head becoming harder and harder to hold up.
She contemplated letting it fall, maybe using her long, black hair like a curtain to hide the fact that her eyes had closed. The professor would obviously see through that, the question was, would she care? Zenith almost felt like gambling it all.
A piece of paper crashed into the side of her head.
Zenith turned to the right. Staring back at her was not a professional model, though one could easily confuse her for one, but Asuka, her best friend.
Best friend by default, to be clear.
Asuka was her only friend. Literally, the only person Zenith talked to on a consistent basis outside of the barista down the street from her home and her manager at the St. Donalds she worked at.
Asuka, with her trademark beaming smile, bright enough to burn Zenith's retinas, was looking back at her with her tongue poking out.
Zenith cracked a smirk of her own and reached for her phone, quickly texting:
"Focus."
Asuka whipped her own phone out and shot back:
"No."
[This little…] All thoughts of cells, DNA, RNA, and so on had promptly left Zenith's mind.
Zenith was about to unleash a torrent of warnings about the perils of academic negligence when Asuka's voice cut through her thoughts.
"Hey, wanna go to the bathroom together?" Asuka's text read.
Zenith's fingers hovered over her phone, ready to type a lengthy rebuttal, but instead, she found herself simply responding, "yes."
Grabbing their backpacks, they made a swift exit from the lecture hall.
As they entered the bathroom, Asuka let out a dramatic whine. "I swear, I was about to fall asleep in there!"
"That class is so boring," Asuka continued, "it's like watching paint dry while listening to… whales… fuck, or something."
"Poetic."
Zenith tried to stifle a smirk, preparing to tease Asuka for her lack of focus, but Asuka was quick to call her out.
"Don't even start with me, by the way. I totes saw your eyes closing too. You were, like, two seconds from being K'O'ed!"
Zenith's cheeks flushed.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Uh huh, yeah, sure."
Asuka turned to the mirror, meticulously examining her makeup. Zenith absent-mindedly went and joined her, hovering over the girl and looking at their reflections.
There stood Asuka, a full head shorter than Zenith, the embodiment of a gyaru goddess. Her blonde hair cascaded down her back like a golden waterfall, perfectly complementing those big ocean-blue eyes. Her skin was as close to flawless as one could get, as if she'd been blessed by the skincare gods themselves.
And, standing at 6'2'' tall behind her, Zenith's appearance was more akin to the local librarian, with a bit of an emo touch.
Her long, black hair framed her emerald eyes, sharp and perpetually annoyed. Unlike Asuka, Zenith had quite a few flaws that glared back at her in her reflection. Her shoulders were too broad, her frame just a little too square, her biceps just slightly too pronounced. It didn't take Zenith too long to figure out why she'd never gotten any love letters or Valentine's chocolates before.
"Ugh, I look like a mess," Asuka groaned, adjusting her hair.
Zenith scoffed.
"You look like you just stepped out of a magazine."
Asuka grinned.
"Flatterer. But you, on the other hand, look like you could use some sleep."
"Sleep is for the weak," Zenith declared, suppressing a yawn. "Those who need sleep will be the first to be culled when the divine reckoning arrives."
"You join a cult or something?"
"Nah, I'm starting one. Look at me, don't I seem charismatic?" Zenith gave Asuka a deadpan look.
Asuka barked out a laugh.
Suddenly, Asuka's hand clasped Zenith's, pulling her towards the bathroom exit.
"Let's get out of here, Zen. I'm starving!"
Zenith couldn't help but chuckle as she allowed herself to be dragged along.
This was the essence of their friendship. Asuka, the living whirlwind, and Zenith, the willing accomplice.
From the moment they'd met, Asuka had been the one to take the lead. And Zenith? Well, she was more than happy to follow, content in the knowledge that with this girl by her side, at least things wouldn't be boring."
"Where to, boss?" Zenith asked, a smile playing on her lips.
"Anywhere. I don't really care!"
"Great."
—
They ended up at one of the many Japanese restaurants in Heart's Reach.
The silence between them was only broken by the occasional slurp of noodles or the tapping of Asuka's fingers on her phone screen. Zenith couldn't help but notice the deep frown etched on her friend's face.
"What's got you looking like someone just told you your favorite K-pop band broke up?" Zenith asked, raising an eyebrow.
Asuka sighed.
"Nothing, it's just-"
"Asuka! Hey, babe!" a voice called out, cutting her off.
Aaaaand Zenith's annoyance meter instantly skyrocketed.
She knew that voice all too well. Dylan.
The boy sauntered up to their table, his red hair gelled back, and his brown eyes fixed on Asuka. He was tall and well-built, with the kind of chiseled features that made 99% of girls swoon. But right now, all Zenith wanted to do was wipe that smug grin off his face.
Dylan leaned in for a kiss on Asuka's cheek, and though she tried to play it off with a smile, Zenith could see the discomfort in her eyes.
See, unfortunately, Asuka had been squarely in that 99%. Dylan was Asuka's ex.
Ex, as in, they had dated and were no longer dating. But, sometimes it seemed like he hadn't gotten the memo. That, coupled with the fact that for whatever reason he'd never been particularly fond of Zenith, made these moments feel like Zenith was having her nipples twisted.
"Dylan, hey," Asuka greeted, her voice a little strained. "What are you doing here?"
"Just grabbing a bite with the guys," he replied, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. Then, as if just noticing Zenith's presence, he added, "Oh, hey, Zen."
"Dylan," Zenith nodded, her tone as icy as Antarctica.
He disregarded her immediately, turning back toward Asuka. Until…
"Yo, Dylan! You coming or what?" one of his friends called out from across the restaurant.
"Yeah, just give me a sec!" Dylan shouted back. Turning to Asuka, he said, "I was thinking maybe we could-"
"Actually," Asuka interjected, "I think you should go with your friends."
"What?" He sounded offended. "What do you-"
"I mean, you don't wanna keep them waiting, right? We can just talk later, okay?"
Dylan looked like he wanted to argue, but the pleading look in Asuka's eyes seemed to change his mind.
"Alright, catch you later then."
As he walked away, Zenith turned to Asuka, her brows knitted together.
"You need to be more firm with him, Asuka. He's clearly overstepping."
Asuka groaned, burying her face in her hands.
"I know, Zen, I know. But I just... I don't know how to get the message across without being a total bitch about it."
"Sometimes, being a bitch is necessary," Zenith shrugged. "Especially when dealing with guys like him."
"Easy for you to say," Asuka mumbled. "You've got that whole 'don't mess with me' vibe going on. I'm just... me. Part of why we broke up was cause every time I tried to get serious with him he'd just laugh it off, or…"
She didn't finish that thought, though Zenith did not want to know what Dylan's alternative reaction was.
Zenith reached across the table, giving Asuka's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Hey, don't sell yourself short. All else fails, restraining orders exist."
Asuka smiled.
"Yeah, but then I'd have to deal with his hundreds of fangirls who'd all want to take my head off for having the audacity to do that."
"Small price to pay for some peace and quiet though, no?"
"I guess." Asuka giggled a bit. "Thanks, Zen. What would I do without you?"
Zenith grinned.
"You'd eat your noodles before they got cold, for starters."
"Oh, shit!"
On cue, Asuka went to finish her plate.
Her noodles had already gotten cold, though.
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