"You okay?" Daniel asked Yuna when they got to their usual hangout spot after cheer practice ended, a little known park bench on the outskirts of town.

Yuna sighed, looking out at the scenery. The green field in front of them was full of blooming wildflowers unfamiliar with the human touch.

"Yes, and no."

Daniel nodded. "Let's start small, with the hair then. What's the real reason? I know it's not just because you were tired of frying your hair."

Yuna chuckled. "You're right. I'm just tired of the act. Tired of...pretending."

"So why now instead of waiting after graduation?"

"I don't know. I just…" Yuna hesitated, wondering if she even had a right to complain. Her life could very well be seen as perfect on the outside. And even to her, things were relatively great. But she only ever wanted 2 things in her life. One was her dream, and the other was her own love. Right now, it felt like both were at risk.

"You can tell me anything, you know that. I'll wait for you to be ready if that's what you want," Daniel said after watching Yuna struggle heavily trying to get the words out.

"Thank you, Daniel. I promise I'll tell you as soon as I'm ready," she said with a grateful smile. "I don't know what I did to deserve you but I'm glad you're here with me."

Daniel scooted closer and gathered her in his arms. "I should be the one saying that, it feels like with everything going on, you're the only one who gets me."

Yuna melted into his embrace, her head nuzzling into the crook of his neck. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing new, just another fight with my folks."

"They're still against your dream to become a lawyer?"

"No, they're trying to convince me to at least be a real estate lawyer and help the realty firm. They can't seem to understand that it's not just law school I want, it's the type of law."

"So they don't mind you being a lawyer anymore, but just not personal injury," Yuna stated.

"Yeah. Actually, I was thinking of proposing a deal to them. They want me to play football in college right?"

Yuna nodded, aware of the situation between Daniel and his parents.

"I thought maybe I could convince them to let me go for a scholarship. But not for football. An academic scholarship, for a pre-law degree. If I score well enough on the SATs, I can pair that with my extracurriculars and get into a good football school that also has good academics. Hopefully if I excel in both, it will convince them that I'm dedicated to this path."

Yuna smiled proudly. "I think that's a great idea! It would be a strain on you, but I know you can do it! Do you have any idea what major you want?"

"I was thinking about criminal justice. It would give me a good chance to learn legal terms as I prep for the LSATS, and it's a popular choice for aspiring lawyers," Daniel replied, a smile on his face.

Yuna felt happy for him. She knew all too well how much pressure his family was putting on him. Their mothers were friends who met at a get together for Chinese expats a few years ago, so Yuna heard bits and pieces from her mother about the things Daniel was up to. When they became friends and later started dating, she found that he wasn't the typical jock without any dreams besides sports. She fell for him partly because of how his face lit up talking about his passion, much like now. She kissed him on the cheek, unable to help herself.

"What was that for? Not that I'm complaining."

"Nothing, you just look so cute talking about your dream," she said cheekily.

Daniel laughed. "Speaking of dreams, you know I keep thinking about that time we ran into each other here the very first time?"

Yuna smiled nostalgically, a faraway look in her eyes as she thought back to that time last year, in May.

-Flashback-

Yuna sat on the bench that had become her new hideaway recently. She'd stumbled on it a month ago on a walk to clear her head after a particularly tough day of masking her emotions, and it had been her secret spot since. She breathed in the scent of sun warmed wildflowers, inspiration flowing through her body. Bending her head, she continued tapping away at her laptop furiously as she worked on the latest chapter of her online novel.

With an impressive 5K followers, Yuna had a very dedicated group of readers who always flooded her stories with supportive comments. As much as she relished the feeling of people loving her stories, it was never something she could bring to the offline world. There was no way anyone would believe that Yuna Arhin, co-captain of Westchester High's cheerleading squad and rising "it girl", was actually an introvert with dreams of becoming a published novelist.

The sound of footsteps rose over the clacking of keys, but she was too engrossed in her story to notice. Suddenly, she smelled rosewood and bergamot. Looking up, she was startled to find a boy barely a few months older than her intently reading over her shoulder. Panicked, she slammed her laptop closed and stood up, turning to face the intruder.

"Daniel Chao?" she asked in surprise, recognizing the junior quarterback of their prized football team, and the son of her mom's best friend.

"So it really is you, Yuna Arhin! Didn't expect you to be here," he said with a friendly smile.

"How much did you see? And how did you get here?"

"I saw enough to know that you have a way with words, and I've used this spot for the past couple months to clear my head every now and then. I assume you came here to write?"

"Please don't tell anyone, I'm begging you," Yuna replied, desperate.

"Why not?" Daniel asked in confusion. "You're good at it!"

Yuna was too scared to notice his compliment. She shook her head. "I have this...persona at school, you know. I need to keep this up for a reason, so I can't have anything messing up the image I have at school."

Daniel was silent for a long moment before breaking into a soft smile. "Don't worry, I get it. You need to keep up the façade so you can pursue your dream behind it. I'll keep your secret, don't worry."

Yuna looked unconvinced. Daniel chuckled, sitting down on the bench.

"Would it help if I told you a secret so we're even?"

Yuna sat down hesitantly, a form of acquiescence.

"I've never told anyone, not even my family, but I want to be an attorney. A personal injury attorney, to be exact. But my folks want me to continue football, then retire to take over their realty firm eventually."

Yuna was surprised. Daniel always acted like an easygoing jock who didn't have any aspirations besides football. Suddenly she understood, a smile growing on her face. Daniel smiled wider.

"You get it now, don't you?" he asked.

"You also want to do something that's different from what people expect you to do," she whispered.

Daniel nodded. "Exactly. I don't want to hear other people telling me what they think I should do, so I do what everyone expects until I'm free to do as I please. If my hunch is right, you also don't want that so you lean into the persona you chose as the peppy cheerleader, right?"

Yuna nodded, feeling a little foolish at being so easily figured out. "I have my reasons for choosing the cheerleading route. Writing makes it all worth it though because at least I have something I genuinely enjoy doing and can aspire to someday."

"That's so admirable, I'm sure you'll be a celebrated writer one day! And I hope you can share those reasons with me someday, since I consider you my friend now," Daniel said with a smile.

"Friend?" Yuna was surprised.

"Yeah, friend. That's if you don't mind. I just think anyone I'd trust with one of my biggest secrets should be close, but I don't want such a cute girl to be my enemy."

Yuna's face burned, and she looked away bashfully. "I...thank you for understanding, friend."

"Same to you, friend," Daniel said cheekily, causing Yuna to laugh despite herself as hope bloomed in her chest.

This was the first time she felt comfortable enough with someone to tell her secret, even if it was accidentally discovered. Something told her she wouldn't regret confiding in him...her new friend.

-End of Flashback-

Since that day, Yuna and Daniel had been inseparable. They met frequently at their secret spot, discussing dreams, struggles, and small achievements. They also frequently encouraged each other when one of them felt burdened by the struggles of keeping their façades intact. They were fast friends, especially upon finding out that they both were secretly introverts who didn't care much for the level of socialization that came with being the star quarterback or the cheer captain. After rumors that the two were seen all around the city over the summer, absolutely no one was surprised when they eventually announced they were dating a month into their senior year.

It was like a cliché love story, but only Yuna and Daniel knew that things between them were not just what people assumed. They were each other's best friends, maybe even each other's only real friends. They were such a power couple mainly because they were such good friends first.

"You also looked so cute talking about writing, it made me fall for you a little more each time," Daniel said softly.

Yuna put her head on her boyfriend's shoulder again, relishing the feeling of safety in his arms.

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