Chapter 15

the next few days were different. tension between megan and dani had eased, while it was almost immediately returned between sophia and manon. lara and yoonchae, ever the “innocent,” silent observers seemed to be stepping on eggshells around the rest of the group.

“so,” dani slammed her hands on the dining table. sophia flinched. “meggie and i noticed that there is too much tension in this group right now. we’re filming the internet girl mv soon, and one thing that i cannot take is awkward tension during the hug. as beck said-“

“eyekons are smart,” megan finished. “they’re going to catch on.”

“which is why,” dani added, “me and megs came up with an epic plan:”

“we’re going to the amusement park. ferris wheel. tonight. i’m paying the guy there extra to lock manon and sophia in the small box. and yes they have a small box.”

a/n they probably don’t but pretend they do for the sake of this haha

lara and yoonchae exchanged a glance.

“umm, actually,” yoonchae began, “me and lara kinda made other plans for the group.”

“yeah,” lara agreed. “same reason, different plan. we’re watching a horror movie, but the seats kinda didn’t have six together… they had four and two…”

dani and megan’s eyes widened. “genius..” dani whispered.

“i’m sitting with dani, yoonchae, and lara,” megan declared. “sorry guys!”

“okayyyy let’s go get ready together megan!” dani said excitedly and dragged the chinese up the stairs.

“us too, lara,” yoonchae shrieked. sophia flinched. the four girls left behind only tension and silence.

“manon-” sophia began timidly.

“save it for later,” manon replied coldly. she stood and left, leaving sophia and her melancholic thoughts behind.

daniela’s pov

megan and i were now friends, but how do i explain to her why i started hating her in the first place?

flashback

“danii!” the voice i loved so much to hear rang

through my ears again. “i’m going out with

yoonchae, i’ll be back soon!”

i hated that when megan was gone, i felt empty,

but when she was with me, i couldn’t think. no.

it can’t be.

i’m in love with megan skiendiel.

but i can’t be. because i’m straight.

end of flashback

“megan,” i whispered.

“yeah?”

“oh- sorry i was thinking my bad,”

“about me?” megan asked.

i froze.

megan giggled. “dani, i’m teasing you, chill!”

i knew the cogs in megan’s brain were working and fast. “dani..” she said quietly. “is there something you need to tell me?”

~~~

at the movie theatre… (dani’s pov)

the theater was basically full, which meant there was no escape. i already knew the four of us weren’t here to watch the movie.

we were here to watch our two oldest members—basically our parents—sit on opposite ends of the row like they didn’t know each other.

“this isn’t working,” megan whispered to lara.

“i know,” yoonchae replied quietly, way too calm. “trust the process. one more preview before the movie starts.”

lara and yoonchae exchanged a look. a smirk.

the lights dimmed further, previews rolling.

“are you fucking kidding me?” megan hissed. “dream academy?!”

lara shushed her immediately. “just wait, megan.”

the screen cut—and suddenly lara and yoonchae were staring back at us, way too cheerful, standing in front of a very obvious green screen.

“hello to everyone sitting in this theater right now!” lara said brightly.
“this is lara—”
“—and yoonchae,” yoonchae added, “from katseye, a global girl group!”

i sank lower in my seat. this was not happening.

“watch how we were formed through the show dream academy,” lara continued. “here are a few moments from the show for you to enjoy!”

the first clip hit hard.

nikki’s voice filled the theater.
“you’re good. congratulations. i don’t care. you need to be better.”

i swallowed, hands tightening in my lap.

the next clip came faster.

“i would not put manon into a group based on my work experience with her.”

i glanced sideways without meaning to. manon hadn’t moved. sophia still hadn’t looked at her.

then the screen shifted again—backstage footage. sophia hugging manon, murmuring something into her hair while manon pressed her face into her shoulder.

my chest tightened.

a green-screened yoonchae popped back onto the screen.

“wow,” she said slowly. “real sisterhood, huh?”

lara stepped into frame, wiggling her eyebrows.
“sisterhood, huh?”

a beat.

“alright,” yoonchae said.
“we’re out,” lara finished.
“enjoy the movie!”

the screen went dark.

the actual movie flashed on.

and somehow, the silence between manon and sophia was louder than anything that had played.

i stared straight ahead, wishing—just a little—that we hadn’t tested the process quite this hard.

sophia finally glanced down the row. “see? they love a good narrative.”

manon stayed silent, which somehow felt louder than anything sophia could’ve said.