Karina makes it to her car before she checks her phone. Yeji is too curious to come running after her before she gets the chance to see Winter's reaction — it's good that she's like this, Karina wants to know too. Aeri could go either way, which is the only reason Karina is opening Kakao talk and the Hive group chat.
Yeji [4:16pm] BITCH U DID NOT!!!!!!!!!
Yeji [4:16pm] WTF IS HAPPENKNG HSJDKSHSDASL
Yeji [4:16pm] ok rina ily but i gotta watch puppy with her saucer wide eyes addressing the school lmao
Aeri [4:18pm] Yeah, Rina. This is too good to pass up.
Aeri [4:19pm] We'll spill the tea later.
Yeji [4:20pm] dinner tonight at aeri's her parents won't be home
Aeri [4:22pm] Come at 7.
Yeji [4:23pm] DON'T EVEN THINK OF NOT SHOWING UP
Yeji [4:23pm] I'LL GO TO UR HOUSE AND DRAG YOUR LEGS
Aeri [4:24pm] Hope you're okay, baby. Talk soon.
Karina laughs at her friends' antics, already feeling better about the whole situation. After the way Winter had reacted to the debate, winning the election had become secondary to her, almost an afterthought. Considering the polls and the wave of support for Winter, she really wasn't expecting to win, she didn't even practice her winning speech on the days leading up to the election.
Turns out you can't be sure of an election result until it happens.
Hearing her name be called had been... shocking, to say the least. She can't even remember walking to the stage, all she recalls is 'ask for the results, ask for the results' going around in circles in her head, drowning everything else. As soon as she'd set her eyes on the election numbers, there wasn't much to consider. Karina knew what she had to do.
Now she just needs to gather courage to face her friends and come up with something to tell them. There is no way Yeji will be letting her off the hook this time.
Aeri opens the front door and pulls Karina into a hug so tight it knocks the wind out of her lungs.
"Aeri," she whines, patting her back awkwardly, "you saw me literally three hours ago."
"Sorry, Rina." Aeri lets her go and starts moving towards the kitchen, gesturing for Karina to follow. "You know I worry so it's good to see you here and looking... well, not depressed or in shock or something."
"Wow, Aeri, positive much? I am touched by your faith in me." Karina rolls her eyes and she's about to hide her hands in the pockets of her hoodie, but then she realizes there are two pizza boxes on the kitchen table. "Ohhh, you already ordered the pizzas?" She starts jumping up and down and kisses Aeri's cheek. "Where's Yeji? I am starving."
"She said she'd drop by your house to make sure you didn't stand us up."
"Why am I not surprised?" Karina laughs and, in typical Yeji fashion, that's the moment they hear loud bangs at the door. "Oh my god, will she ever learn to be subtle?"
Karina gives her a look that clearly says 'we'll both be dead before Yeji even manages to speak at an acceptable volume' and goes to the foyer.
"Hello, my babies," Yeji greets, flipping her hair as she power-walks inside. "Your pride and joy is here, but more importantly, where's the pizza?"
"In the kitchen," Aeri says, closing the door. "Can we eat and talk though? I don't want to wait any longer."
"Duh," Karina replies, separating the slices as Yeji arrives and smiles at her. "How did Winter react?"
YOU ARE READING
the takeover | Winrina
FanfictionAU where Karina is the queen bee who's used to the school bowing at her feet, until a new girl that refuses to play by the rules comes along.
