CHAPTER XXXIV

CIVIL WAR

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jessica Ho asked her for the third time that night.

The crescent eyed girl stared at the mean looking girl like she was looking straight through her. Tiffany’s body was there; sitting with her new American friend, but her mind was not. This Saturday was supposed to be fun; hanging out with a new friend and a new place, but somehow she didn’t feel like she was supposed to be enjoying herself. Not after what she had done. And Tiffany wondered if she had chosen all the wrong options for today. So sitting across from her New Jersey new girl-friend in a loud upbeat RnB café in downtown Seoul, she tried to remember how and why she was there that night.

Just this morning the black haired American girl woke up with a renewed determination; she was going to befriend this Jessica Ho and by that she could keep her distance from Jessica Jung. After all; it was hard to stay away from the blonde girl if she always hung out with the same crowd.

Tiffany glanced at the Taeyeon’s empty bed and knew her slanted eyed best friend had already taken the early train to her art school in Jeonju. She smiled to herself and couldn’t help but admire her best friend for being so diligent and hard working. Tiffany then grabbed her towel and headed straight to the bathroom; thinking she should also do her best.

On her way to the bathroom she crossed paths with Yujin, who looked like she had just taken a shower herself. The curly haired girl was drying her hair with her tower when she noticed Tiffany, and she immediately put on a sour face and walked past the crescent eyed girl like she was nothing but air.

“Good morning, Yujin!” Tiffany still tried to greet her in a cheerful note, even though she knew her curly roommate wouldn’t greet her back.

And when Yujin ignored her like she had always done and went into her bedroom, Tiffany let out a sigh and entered the bathroom. At least I tried, she thought to herself as she took her pajamas off. And I’m going to keep on trying…

But her newly found determination soon evaporated when she saw Jessica Jung sitting in her usual spot in the far corner of the class next to the window. The morning sun shone brightly through the window and made her face look like it was shining. And couple that with the morning breeze blew gently on her vanilla blonde hair; that made her look like a shining angel or a photoshoot model. Tiffany stopped at the door for a second when she saw that breathtaking moment, and somehow she felt she had seen that scene before.

“Hey, Tiff.” The sweet soft words from the blonde girl woke her up. “Good morning.”

The crescent eyed girl stared at the blue eyed girl and noticed her captivating smile directed at her, and her heart skipped a beat. She was about to greet her back instinctively, before she realized that she was supposed to be mean to her, and quickly put on an annoyed face and sat down in her own seat; which unfortunately was right next to the blonde girl. In her mind she was cursing at Lily and Chloe, who wouldn’t switch seats with her anymore because they couldn’t see the whiteboard clearly. The black haired American girl had asked her other friends, but they all rejected her; saying things like they were not worthy to sit next to the Ice Princess and they wouldn’t be able to concentrate on their lessons if they sat next to Jessica or that they wouldn’t be able to see things clearly at the back.

“Morning, Tiff.” Chloe and Lily greeted her with awkward smiles.

“Morning.” The crescent eyed girl greeted back without looking at them, and pretended to be busy preparing her notes.

“Well,” Chloe awkwardly stood up and dragged Lily with her to their own seats. “We’ll see you guys at lunch.”

“See you.” Tiffany heard blonde Jessica’s cheerful voice.

“I’m sorry I was absent yesterday…” The crescent eyed girl was sure Jessica was talking to her, but decided to pretend she didn’t hear her.

The blue eyed girl didn’t say anything after that, and Tiffany had to use every bit of her strength to stop herself from turning her head to see the blonde girl.

Why do you need to be sorry for being absent? The crescent eyed girl thought. I’m the one who was supposed to ask you how you’re feeling…

And why were you absent in the first place?

Were you sick? Are you okay now? Her mind kept throwing questions.

Or did you have some family matters?

Or did you go to an audition? She recalled how Yoona mentioned she often go to auditions to get more experience.

Luckily the teacher stepped inside and started his lecture for the day, and Tiffany could let go of her curiosity for a moment, and concentrate on the lesson.

But half way through the lesson Jessica threw a piece of paper to her desk and the crescent eyed girl instinctively reached out and read what was on it.

So, hey.. :) I got something for you ;)

I know I’m not supposed to give you anything without a good reason, but it’s so cute and when I saw it I knew you’d absolutely love it! :)

Tiffany had to use all her strength once more to stop herself from smiling widely. She had been missing their paper conversations and when she knew Jessica had a gift for her, she was so happy that she felt she could jump and reach for the sky.

She didn’t know what to do for a moment, but after she calmed herself down, she decided to throw the piece of paper underneath her desk and focus herself on the lecture once more. The crescent eyed girl felt her heart was beating so fast and she had to stop herself from crying when she heard Jessica let out a small whine.

I’m sorry, Jessie… She gritted her teeth. I’m so sorry…

I had to do it… It’s for our own good…

And she had to spent the rest of the class regretting what she had done and how she had made her Jessie sad; all the while trying to convince herself that it was for their own good.

During lunch Tiffany tried to look for the other Jessica, the mean looking one, but she couldn’t find her. She then decided to sit alone once again near the exit, and tried not to look at blonde Jessica’s table four tables across from hers. The crescent eyed girl then took out her cell phone and texted Jessica Ho, to ask her where she was and if she wanted to join her for lunch.

The crescent eyed girl was busy staring at her cell phone waiting for Jessica Ho’s reply that she didn’t notice when Chloe and Lily joined her and sat across from her at the table.

“Whatcha doing there?” Chloe tried to set up a conversation.

“Wha-What are you doing here?” Tiffany startled when she realized she was no longer sitting alone.

“Hey, I asked you first.” Chloe giggled awkwardly as the black haired American girl instinctively glanced at Jessica’s table, which was now filled with other girls.

“Where’s Jessie-Jessica?” The crescent eyed girl asked as she looked around to try and find the blonde girl.

“Jessica said she’s going to the Teacher’s Lounge.” Lily said as she chewed her spaghetti. “She said the teacher wanted to see her…”

“Oh.” Tiffany said and put away her cell phone. Somehow she knew the blue eyed girl was not telling the truth. Somehow she knew Jessica Jung didn’t want her to eat alone and asked their friends to sit with her.

Why does she keep doing this? Her mind wandered as she cut her katsu into small pieces. Why does she keep caring for me?

You’re only going to make me fall for you harder, Jessie… She let out a sigh. You’re making this so much harder for me…

“So, you know Krystal was absent yesterday too…” Chloe started talking.

“Oh, really?” Lily said as she was almost finish with her lunch. “Where did you hear that?”

“I just know.” Chloe giggled. “Intel is one of my forte.”

“Well, maybe they had family matters…” Lily replied and the two girls then chatted about other girly things like shopping clothes and the movies, while Tiffany was busy with her own thoughts.

After school Jessica wanted to take the same bus to their training building, but Tiffany quickly declined the offer. The crescent eyed girl reasoned that she had forgotten to bring spare clothes and she had to go back to the dorm first. She wasn’t lying, though; she didn’t bring her training clothes like she used to, and she left them at her dorm purposely so she wouldn’t have to take the same bus as the blonde girl. When Jessica said she’d like to come with her to her dorm, the black haired American once again declined and said that she’d like to go by herself. Tiffany saw disappointment and a hint of desperation in Jessica’s deep blue eyes, and she quickly rushed to the bus stop before the blonde’s cute-sad face could change her mind. And when she finally sat on the bus seat on her way to her dorm, she let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes. It was never easy to see Jessica’s sad face, and it was never easy to stay away from the person that you were secretly in love with.

The crescent eyed girl went back to her dorm and changed into her usual training outfit, throwing her school uniform aside and threw her body on top of her small sized bed. Tiffany knew she shouldn’t be lazing around at the time as she needed to go to her training class right away, but she was reluctant to go to training and meet with blonde Jessica again there. After a few minutes she finally jump out of her bed thinking that she shouldn’t use Jessica as a reason to skip her classes. After all; training to become an idol was the reason she left America and her home, and it wouldn’t be fair of her to just skip classes just because she wasn’t feeling it.

Just ignore her, Tiffany, her mind said. Just ignore her…

By the time the black haired American girl reached the training building she was already ten minutes late, and she rushed up to her first class and was relieved to know that the instructor wasn’t there yet. Catching her breath, she hurried to the back of the classroom, passing some familiar faces and her fellow trainees who gave her a smile or a greeting. Tiffany nodded and smiled back at them as she kept walking, but her smile immediately faded when she saw that particular cute blonde girl sitting on the floor at the corner, talking to Sooyoung and Yuri. The crescent eyed girl stopped when she saw blonde Jessica cutely giggled at Sooyoung’s silly antics, and Tiffany held on to her chest when it felt tightened. The blue eyed girl turned her head and noticed her standing awkwardly not five meters from where she was sitting, and she quickly put on her sweetest smile and waved to her.

“Hey, Tiff,” The blonde cheerfully greeted her as she gestured her to sit with her on the floor. “It took you a while…”

Tiffany was not sure what to say for a second, before deciding it was best to not say anything at all, and took a few steps back and sat pretty far away from the blonde. Sooyoung and Yuri caught the not so subtle rude gesture and stared at each other. Clearly they noticed something was wrong with Tiffany and Jessica.

Jessica meanwhile was getting used to the crescent eyed girl’s rejections, and she picked herself up and walked towards Tiffany. “Hey, Sooyoung just saw some cute fish at the market…” The blue eyed girl tried to strike up a conversation. “… And she was just describing how it looks…”

“… You should’ve seen the face she was making…” The blonde giggled as she sat next to her.

Tiffany closed her eyes and took a deep breath and continued to ignore her supposed best friend.

“She was so funny puffing her cheeks and moving her lips…” Jessica kept talking.

At this time Sooyoung and Yuri decided to join them, but as they walked towards the two American girls they witnessed something they never thought they would see in their life time.

“I don’t care.” Tiffany said grumpily.

“What’s that?” Jessica couldn’t believe what she heard.

“I said I don’t care.” The crescent eyed girl said again as she threw a glare at the blonde.

“W-Well, I thought it was funny…” The blue eyed girl was shocked to see Tiffany’s mean glare.

“But I don’t.” The black haired American girl said again. “So I’d appreciate it if you stop talking about it.”

“O-Okay…” Jessica cowered, but still managed to put on a smile. “W-What do you want to talk about then?”

“I don’t want to talk about anything, okay?” Tiffany raised her voice and caught some of the girls’ attention. “Could you please just stop talking?”

“Ugh, I had it with you!” The crescent eyed girl stood up and rushed outside as she said that, leaving Jessica sitting on the floor alone with teary eyes.

Sooyoung and Yuri exchanged glances with each other in shock. In fact; they were just as shocked as Jessica. But Yuri quickly came to her senses and she quickly went to Jessica to comfort her.

“Hey, everything okay?” The tanned girl said worriedly.

“Sica-yah…” Yuri shook the blonde’s shoulder when the latter just sat there in shock.

“Jessica!” Yuri shook her shoulder a little bit harder and the blonde girl finally seemed to snapped out of it.

“Huh? Oh, yeah; I’m fine…” The blonde girl looked at her tanned friend for a second before she picked herself up and rushed outside to follow Tiffany.

Meanwhile the crescent eyed girl was running to the girls’ restroom clenching her chest. She couldn’t believe what she had just said back in that classroom. She couldn’t believe how mean she was to her best friend. Deep inside she felt angry and disgusted with herself, for hurting that cute innocent blonde girl. But at the same time there was a part of her that was praising her courage, to finally took what was necessary to keep Jessica away from her. The crescent eyed girl was so confused with herself that she wanted to scream and cry, and she kept her head low and kept rushing to the toilet, ignoring Taeyeon and the other girls who were walking in the hallway to their classrooms. The slanted eyed girl noticed her red face and teary eyes as Tiffany passed by, and immediately stopped in her path and turned around to call her roommate. But before she could do so, Jessica passed right in front of her with the same look and Taeyeon quickly sensed there was something wrong with them.

“What’s wrong with Jessica unnie?” Seohyun asked the short girl; no doubt the maknae noticed something was wrong too.

“Hmm?” Taeyeon was lost in her thoughts. “I don’t know…”

“Let’s find out.” Hyoyeon simply said as she started to follow Jessica’s trail.

“But slowly.” The dancing queen said after a few steps and slowed her pace. The other girls stared at her puzzled, but decided to follow her lead.

Tiffany reached the toilets and was just about to enter a stall when she felt someone grabbed her in her arm and yanked her. She was surprised and quickly turned around to see who it was, but was even more surprised when she saw Jessica standing right in front of her.

“What was that about?” The blonde girl said as she tried to catch her breath.

“What was what about?” Tiffany felt like she was going to cry anytime.

“You know what.” Jessica said again sternly, and the crescent eyed girl felt weak under her icy glare. “You’ve been acting strange lately.”

“I’m not.” The black haired American girl yanked her arm free.

“Don’t lie to me.” Jessica pressed on. “Why are you acting so different?”

“I’m not.” Tiffany was searching for a reason behind her recent attitude but couldn’t find any. “I’m not, okay?”

“Tiff, please,” The blonde girl suddenly sounded weak and tired. “Just talk to me…”

“Did I do something wrong to you?”

The crescent eyed girl didn’t answer. She was already using every bit of her strength to hold back her tears.

“Tiff, come on,” Jessica pleaded. “You’ve been so distant these past few weeks…”

I’m doing this to stay away from you… Her mind replied.

“It’s like you’re mad at me for something…”

I’m doing this so I wouldn’t have to stare at your ridiculous pretty eyes…

“And you keep ignoring me…”

I’m doing this so I could bury this dirty feeling I have for you…

“Just tell me what I’ve done so I can apologize to you properly…”

You don’t have to apologize for anything… Her mind said in realization. You didn’t do anything wrong…

“Tiff…”

I’m the one who have wronged you… Her tears escaped her eyes. I’m the one who fell in love with you and betrayed our friendship…

“Tiff, please?” The blonde girl gently grabbed her arm and sent shivers all over her body.

“No!” Tiffany screamed and yanked her arm free and shook her head violently. “No!”

You’re the one who caused this!

“T-Tiff?” Jessica was now crying too.

You’re the one who made me fall in love with you!

“Stop talking!” Tiffany screamed.

You and your stupid blue eyes and cherry smiles!

“Tiff, calm down…” The blonde girl was panicking.

“I don’t want to hear it!” The crescent eyed girl covered her ears.

You kept flirting with me and being nice to me and I couldn’t help myself from falling for you!

“I hate you!” She unconsciously blurted out. “Why do you keep holding on to me?”

“T-Tiff?”

“It’s like you’re all over me!” She screamed her heart out and rubbed her arms like there was something clinging on to her body.

“I-I’m all over you?” Jessica was surprised by her comment.

“You’re all over me and I can’t stand it!” Tiffany looked like she was going mad. “Stay away from me!”

“T-Tiff, you didn’t mean that…” The blue eyed girl took a step forward and tried to reach out to her.

“No!” The crescent eyed girl screamed as she ran out of the toilet. “Stay away from me, Jessie!”

“I’m warning you!” She hid her face with her hands and ran outside, passing the other girls who were standing just outside the toilet, overhearing their fight. Yuri and Sooyoung had joined them at this moment, and overheard everything too. All the girls were shocked by what they had heard.

“Pany-ah!” Taeyeon shouted and hurriedly followed her, while Hyoyeon rushed to Jessica’s side.

“Sica-yah!” The brunette girl looked concerned. “Are you okay?”

Jessica was standing against a stall with tears all over her face. The blonde girl was staring into the distance like her soul had just left her body, leaving an empty husk in a form of a beautiful blue eyed girl.

“Sica-yah!” Hyoyeon quickly put her arms around the blonde and held her in tight embrace.

“Sica unnie?” Seohyun finally managed to muster her courage and entered the restroom. The youngest girl looked like she was very shocked by what she had just heard, but she wanted to comfort her poor blonde unnie.

“Sica-yah,” Hyoyeon tried to reach out to her American friend once more. “Are you okay?”

“Sica unnie…” Juhyun said weakly as she reached out and threw her arms around Hyoyeon and Jessica. The youngest girl always had the softest heart, and she was already crying with Jessica now.

At that time Jessica started to sobbed, and her shaking body and overflowing tears were enough to make her friends feel her pain, and they could only tighten their hug to try and comfort the blue eyed girl.

“It’s okay, Sica…” Hyoyeon said softly as she caressed Jessica’s hair. “Everything is going to be okay…”

Hyoyeon, Seohyun and Yoona returned their classes after a while and continued their daily trainings. Jessica had calmed down but was not in the mood to go to training, and she insisted her friends to leave her be for the rest of the evening. Seohyun was not happy to leave her favorite unnie alone, not after what she had gone through, but the blonde girl somehow managed to convince her that she was alright and needed some time alone now. Hyoyeon understood her American friend’s wish, and reassure the girls that leaving Jessica would be the best thing they could do for her at this moment.

Tiffany was supposed to be in the same class as Yuri and Sooyoung, but she didn’t show up after all. Both tanned girls thought that was just obvious; there was no way the crescent eyed girl would show up in class after that huge fight with her best friend. And so the girls tried to keep up with their lessons, albeit with a dark and cloudy atmosphere surrounding them, that even the instructors noticed some of his students were gloomy.

It was dinner time and the caterer had brought the exhausted trainee girls their meals that the girls finally gathered and had the time to actually talk about what happened.

“It’s Jessica’s fault.” Hyoyeon broke the silence.

“What?” Seohyun was so surprised when she heard the dancing queen said that. The younger girl was sure Hyoyeon would side with Jessica, because the brunette was the first one to comfort the blonde girl not three hours ago. “How can you say that Hyoyeon unnie?”

“Unnie,” Yoona seemed to agree completely with her childhood friend. “Wasn’t you the first one to go to Jessica unnie’s side?”

“Well, that was then.” The dancing queen seemed to be in deep thought. “This is now.”

“What are you talking about?” Sooyoung said with full of food. “Do you even understand what they were fighting about?”

“You know my English .” Hyoyeon clicked her tongue and crossed her arms.

“So how come you’re saying it’s Jessica’s fault?” The tall tanned girl said again.

“Look, you guys noticed how Tiffany’s been acting strangely, right?” Hyoyeon started to explain. “It’s like she’s trying so hard to keep her distance from Jessica, right?”

“Right, and right.” Yuri nodded in agreement.

“So I think Jessica must have done something to upset Tiffany, right?” The brunette continued.

“I guess so…” Yoona wasn’t sure.

“But why does Tiffany unnie avoiding Jessica unnie means Jessica unnie is the one who has done something wrong?” Seohyun asked; the youngest girl looked like she couldn’t believe her favorite unnie could do something bad.

“Look, Juhyun,” Hyoyeon let out a sigh. “If it was the other way around, then Jessica would be the one avoiding Tiffany.”

“Eh…” Seohyun still looked puzzled and tried to really grasp the situation.

“And you guys saw how hard Jessica was trying to act normal around Tiffany, right?” The dancing queen continued. “That means she’s trying to make up with her, right?”

“I guess so…” Yuri nodded in agreement.

“So I think Jessica did something bad to Tiffany, and Tiffany isn’t ready to forgive her right now…” Hyoyeon took a deep breath as she finished her explanation.

“So that’s why Tiffany was so annoyed with Jessica who keeps trying to talk to her and pretend nothing happened.” Yuri nodded a few times.

“But that’s not right!” Seohyun suddenly said with an upset face. “Even if Jessica unnie did something wrong Tiffany unnie should forgive her if she apologizes!”

“Yeah, why won’t she forgive Sica unnie?” Yoona sided with Seohyun.

“Well, that means whatever Jessica did, it was so mean that Tiffany can’t forgive her until this day.” Yuri gave her opinion.

“That’s correct.” Hyoyeon nodded and patted her tanned friend on her shoulder.

“Oh, that’s just stupid!” Seohyun raised her voice, surprising her friends. The young maknae was not known to raise her voice or use strong words. “What could Jessica unnie possibly had done that was so mean that Tiffany unnie won’t forgive her?”

“Jessica unnie wouldn’t do something that terrible!”

“Yah!” Yuri looked annoyed with Juhyun’s comment. “Do you think Jessica is some kind of an angel?”

“Do you think she’s not capable of doing bad things?”

“I do!” Seohyun glared at her older tanned friend, and the latter instantly returned the favor.

“Ugh, you’re so impossible, Juhyun.” Hyoyeon scoffed at the youngest girl.

“Yah!” Sooyoung chimed in. Apparently the tall girl had finished her meal when the others hadn’t even touched them. “Don’t bully Juhyun!”

“Oh, what are you going to do about it, piggy?” The dancing queen taunted.

“What did you say, Fiona?” Sooyoung stood up and glared.

“What did you say, piggy?” And Hyoyeon quickly stood up as well.

“Stop it, you guys!” Yuri stood between the two hot headed girls and raised her hand. “Let’s ask Taeyeon what she thinks about this first.”

And the girls turned their heads to the quiet slanted eyed girl sitting in the corner, who hadn’t said a word since dinner break started.

“W-What?” The short girl looked uncomfortable with all the eyes on her.

“Taeyeon, you were the one who comforted Tiffany,” Hyoyeon and the girls started to gather around the slanted eyed girl, making her more uncomfortable. “Did she say anything? Did she mentioned why she’s fighting with Jessica?”

“E-Er…” Taeyeon cowered and pressed her body against the wall behind her, scared of the ever closing girls. “S-She didn’t say anything…”

“Really?” Sooyoung moved even closer and grabbed her shoulder. “She didn’t say anything?”

“Are you sure?”

“Y-Yes, I’m sure…” The short girl shivered as she could feel Sooyoung’s breath. “She was just crying and said she needed some time alone…”

That proves it!” Hyoyeon took a step back and the girls followed her, and Taeyeon let out a sigh of relief that she could breathe easily now. The slanted eyed girl was always awkward with close proximities due to her shy and reserved personality. “I was right!”

“That doesn’t prove anything!” Seohyun was being vocal with her mind again; something the young girl didn’t do often.

“Stop being impossible, Seohyun.” Yuri shook her head. “The facts are right in front of our noses.”

“What facts?” Seohyun seemed determined Jessica was not at fault. “There is no fact!”

“You’re just assuming things based on what you want to see!”

“Tiffany unnie didn’t even say anything!”

“Yes, Tiffany didn’t say anything…” Taeyeon finally said something before she was asked. “… I think there’s been a misunderstanding between them…”

“Yes, Jessica misunderstood that she thought she could be forgiven just by saying she’s sorry.” Yuri said again. “Well she has to know that sometimes sorry is not enough.”

“Not for something this bad…”

“How can you say that, Yuri unnie?” Juhyun looked surprised, and her eyes were soon teary. “You don’t even know what Jessica unnie did…”

“Aha!” Hyoyeon pointed at Seohyun and grinned with satisfaction. “So you admitted that Jessica had done something to Tiffany!”

“W-What?” The young maknae looked even more surprised. “I didn’t say that! I didn’t say anything!”

“Just admit it, Seohyun.” The dancing queen grin grew wider. “Jessica is the one at fault here.”

“Why are you trying so hard to put the blame on Jessica?” Sooyoung glared at the brunette.

“I’m not.” Hyoyeon glared back. “I’m just stating the obvious here, and it is obvious that Jessica had done something to hurt Tiffany.”

“And Tiffany is not going to forgive her.”

“You don’t know that!” Seohyun finally burst out crying.

“D-Don’t you think we should at least ask Tiffany what’s wrong?” Taeyeon quickly said when she saw Juhyun cried. “O-Or ask Jessica…”

“It’s no use!” Hyoyeon pressed on. “Tiffany wouldn’t say anything and Jessica would just try and cover up her errors—“

“—Sica unnie didn’t do anything bad!” Seohyun wailed, and the entire room had their attention towards the group.

“Enough!” Sooyoung finally snapped and pounded the table with her fist. “Just stop it, Seohyun.”

“There’s no use to try and talk sense to an ogre.”

“What did you say?” Hyoyeon hissed and grabbed Sooyoung’s collar. “Say it again, pig.”

“I dare you.”

“You guys know what this means, don’t you?” Yoona said as she stood up and stared at her divided friends. “This means war!”

“Fine!” Hyoyeon let go of Sooyoung and stood intimidatingly against the deer eyed girl. “It is on!”

Yuri took a step and stood behind Hyoyeon, and posed intimidatingly too. Sooyoung and Seohyun quickly moved and stood next to Yoona, and threw their meanest glares at their opposite. Taeyeon, meanwhile, looked confused and wondered which side she should choose. Tiffany was her best friend and roommate, while Jessica was someone she wanted to be friends with for a long time.

“You don’t have to choose Tiffany, Taeyeon.” Hyoyeon said sharply as if she could read what was on the slanted eyed girl’s mind. “Feel free to stand with them.”

“Yeah, just follow your heart, Taeyeon.” Sooyoung added. “Being roommates with Tiffany doesn’t mean you should always back her up even when she’s wrong.”

“I-I…” The short girl looked even more confused now. “I…”

And Taeyeon slowly moved her feet and placed herself behind Hyoyeon. The slanted eyed girl had decided it was best for her to side with Tiffany for now, since Jessica’s side had more people in it. That and of course she didn’t want to feel awkward every time she meet Tiffany; since they were sharing a room after all.

“Are you sure, Taeyeon?” The dancing queen asked her. “You seemed like you wanted to support Jessica…”

“I-I don’t…” The slanted eyed girl said timidly; she was surprised that Hyoyeon could tell that she wanted to be on the other side.

“I’m disappointed in you, Private.” Yuri glared at Yoona. “I never thought I would find us in opposite sides…”

“Me too, Captain.” The deer eyed girl gave a sad look. “I wish you all the best.”

“The same goes to you, Private…” The tanned girl put on a smile and shook Yoona’s hand, and both girls smiled and stared at each other for a while. Probably for the last time.

“And you, Sergeant Seohyun…” Yuri turned her attention to the youngest. “… It’s been an honor serving with you…”

“I-It’s been an honor too, unnie…” Seohyun said between her sobbing.

“Don’t cry, Sergeant…” The tanned girl patted her head. “The next time we meet it’s going to be on the battlefield, and I don’t want you to get all sentimental on me.”

“We’re going to meet as adversaries after all…”

“I-I’ll try, unnie…” Seohyun nodded and wiped her tears.

“Lieutenant Sooyoung.” Yuri ce more and shook the tall tanned girl hand. “I just want you to know that you’re one hell of a soldier, soldier.”

“I think the same way about you, Captain.” Sooyoung smiled and saluted Yuri for the last time, and Yoona quickly followed her.

“I’m proud of you girls…” Yuri gave one last smile and saluted them.

“Enough with the drama,” Hyoyeon looked annoyed. “Get a move on, Yuri.”

“We’re enemies now.”

“We are.” Yuri nodded and patted Hyoyeon’s shoulder. “But even enemies can show respect to each other.”

“Oooh, you sound so cool, Yuri unnie!” Yoona shouted in admiration, and Yuri smiled sheepishly at the deer eyed girl’s comment.

“Enough!” The dancing queen said again. “You’re under my command now, Captain Yuri.”

“Yes, Colonel Hyo!” The tanned girl quickly saluted her superior.

“Excellent.” Hyoyeon smiled proudly and turned to face the other girls. “See you girls on the battlefield.”

“Bring it on, Colonel Ogre.” The tall slim girl taunted.

“Bring it on, Lieutenant Pig.” And the newly appointed colonel gritted her teeth, while the lonely General Taeyeon was lost in her own deep thoughts, like usual.

Meanwhile Tiffany had been hiding in the emergency stairs of the building. She had been crying for too long now that her whole body felt weak. All from the crying and skipping dinner. The crescent eyed girl kept repeating the scenes of her fight with Jessica in her mind, and it only helped her tears to flow out from her eyes even more. Once again she found her mind contradicting her heart. Once again she was torn between feeling sorry for hurting the one she loved, and thinking she had done the right thing.

But if it’s the right thing then why does my heart hurts so much? She thought to herself as she wiped her tears with her hand.

Stop this, Tiffany! Another voice echoed inside her head. You know this is going to happen! You know it will hurt so much when you’re finally apart from Jessica!

But you needed to go through this to kill your love for her! This is all for your own good!

“But what if I don’t want what’s good for me?” The crescent eyed girl said weakly, and she was back to crying once more.

And she cried and cried and her head hurt and her eyes hurt and sore and she could feel her body gradually becoming weaker and weaker. And just when she was about to lose hope, her cellphone rang and surprised her. The black haired American girl took a peek at the screen, afraid that it was Jessica or her friends calling her, but to her relief it was another person calling. Sure the screen said Jessica; but it was a different Jessica than the one she had fell in love with. This was Jessica Ho, the new friend she had just made a few days ago.

And suddenly Tiffany remembered their promise to hang out together tonight. She then wiped her tears once more and quickly picked up the call. And that was how Jessica Ho invited her to her favorite hanging out café in downtown Seoul. A loud and upbeat RnB café that was so different from the one Tiffany and her friends used to go to. The place was a little crowded; with many couples and groups of teenagers enjoying the funky atmosphere. Jessica Ho told the crescent eyed girl that the main attraction of the café was the live DJ, who the mean looking girl found very hot. But Tiffany couldn’t help but feel a little out of place, and she wondered if she felt that way because it was her first time hanging out at such a lively place, or was it because she was still thinking about what happened with blonde Jessica a few of hours earlier.

And so while her first intention was to enjoy hanging out with her new American friend, she sat quietly on her tall wooden stool and rested her arms on the small round wooden table, staring at the distance.  

“You should’ve told me you were not in the mood to hang out, you know…” Jessica Ho sounded disappointed.

“Hm-What?” Tiffany was so busy with her own thoughts that she failed to hear what her new friend was saying. That and the café was pretty loud so anyone would have trouble conversing.

“Tell me what happened.” Jessica Ho leaned forward and raised her voice so the black haired American girl who was sitting across from her could hear what she said.

“Nothing happened.” Tiffany shook her head weakly, but her puffy eyes couldn’t hide her sadness.

“Then why do you look like you’ve been crying all day?” The mean looking girl asked again.

“It’s nothing…” The crescent eyed girl didn’t want to tell her new friend the truth. How could she? There was no way she could tell Jessica Ho, a friend she had just met a few days ago, that she had been crying because she had a fight with her first best friend in Korea, who was also her first crush in her life. And that first crush also happened to be a girl. The most beautiful girl she had ever seen; although that claim was probably clouded by the fact that she was in love with that person. How could she tell her that in her effort to kill her love for that blonde girl, she pushed her away so hard that she told her she hated her. And although she had done it perfectly, as she was sure blonde Jessica was hurt so much that surely she wouldn’t talk to her anymore, she couldn’t stop feeling guilty and regret.

And how could she tell the mean looking girl that the reason she wanted to hang out with her was to get away from blonde Jessica. And the reason she wanted to be friends with her was because the mean looking girl shared the same name as her crush. How could she tell her all that?

“Then why have you been crying?” Jessica Ho asked again, probably for the tenth time this evening.

“I was…” Tiffany knew she had to give her a reason or she would ask the same question all night long. “I…”

“I have a stomach ache…” She couldn’t think of any other reason to say.

“You do?” Jessica Ho seemed surprised.

“Y-Yes, I do…” The crescent eyed girl nodded awkwardly.

“What kind of stomach ache?” The mean looking Jessi asked further. “Are you having cramps?”

“Or do you need to go to the bathroom?”

“Y-Yes…” Tiffany was not ready for follow up questions.

“Which one?” Jessica Ho pressed.

“Uh, which was it?” She was confused herself, since she hadn’t been paying too much attention. “The first one?”

“Then go!” The mean looking girl laughed out loud. “Why are you holding it in?”

“You’re so silly!”

“H-Huh?” Tiffany had just realized how silly her excuse was. “I-It’s not that…”

“Oh, come on!” Jessica Ho kept laughing. “You don’t have to be shy!”

“It’s natural to take a dump!”

“But I don’t need to—“

“—Just go, girl!” Jessica Ho playfully pushed her. “You’re going to make this place stinks!”

“B-But I…” And the crescent eyed girl had no choice but to do what her new friend told her to. “… Oh, never mind…”

“Take your time in there!” The mean looking girl shouted and waved to her as she walked towards the restroom.

“God, she’s so loud!” Tiffany covered the side of her face in embarrassment, as she noticed some of the guests who heard Jessica Ho started staring and laughing at her.

And so Tiffany sat on the toilet pretending she had to use it for number two. She let out a deep sigh and whined about how mean Jessica Ho was teasing her earlier. The crescent eyed girl knew her new friend was just playing around, but she felt like she could use without the embarrassment. The mean looking girl didn’t have to shout out loud.

But then Jessica Ho reminded her of herself; about how loud she could be when she felt excited or happy. Taeyeon and the others had always been teasing her for being loud. And she giggled as she found a similarity between her and her new friend. At last today Tiffany had found something to make her laugh.

But her laugh soon disappeared when her cellphone rang. At first she thought it was Jessica Ho, trying to tease or make fun of her while she was in the restroom, but her screen showed the name of the other Jessica. It was Jessica Jung. The blonde girl was calling her. Tiffany took a deep breath and tried so hard to resist the temptation to pick up the call to tell the blue eyed girl how sorry she was, and to explain the reason she behaved so mean towards her. And fortunately her phone stopped ringing after a moment, and she could breathe a sigh of relief. The crescent eyed girl then decided to put her cellphone to silent, just in case blonde Jessica tried to call her again. But as she was modifying her sound profile, her cellphone rang once more, and her eyes caught a small image of an envelope on the top left screen of her phone. Jessica Jung must have had messaged her. Tiffany hesitated at first, but her curiosity got the better of her, and her trembling fingers pressed some buttons on her cell and revealed the content of the message.     

Tiff, I’m sorry.. Whatever I did, I’m really-really sorry..

Won’t you just talk to me? I swear I’m going to do anything to make you forgive me..

I really miss you, Tiff.. I miss us.. Please just talk to me..

And as she read the last sentence her tears started to pour again.

I miss you, Tiff.. I miss us.. Those words kept playing over and over again in her mind.. I miss us..

I miss us.. I miss us..

“I miss you too, Jessie…” She said weakly. “I miss you so much…”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you, Jessie..”

“I’m sorry…”

“This is for the best…” She wiped her tears. “… I’m sure this is for the best…”

Jessica Ho was about to order another iced cola when she saw Tiffany rushed out from the restroom and headed for the entrance. It was a bit dark in that café, but the mean looking girl could see Tiffany was crying. Again. And so Jessica Ho rushed outside to catch up with her new friend.

“Tiffany!” Jessica Ho grabbed her arm. “What’s wrong?”

“I-I’m sorry!” Tiffany was sobbing and her whole body was shaking. The mean looking girl could only make up a few words between her sobs. “I-I’m not feeling well…”

“Does your stomach hurts that much?” Jessi Ho was starting to suspect Tiffany was not telling the truth about her bowel problems.

“Y-Yes!” The crescent eyed girl looked tired and confused. “I’m sorry but I’m going to head home now.”

“My head hurts…”

“O-Okay, Tiff…” The mean looking girl knew she shouldn’t push further. “It’s okay…”

“Get well soon…” Jessica Ho said as she stared at Tiffany walked away while hiding her face.

At the other side of the town, in a quiet and luxurious residential area, Jessica Jung was sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at her cellphone. It had been exactly fourteen minutes and twenty-six seconds since she had sent that message, and she knew Tiffany wouldn’t text her back anytime soon. But still, she had hoped for a miracle and her phone to ring.

The blonde girl sighed and finally turned off her cellphone, deciding it wouldn’t do her any good waiting for Tiffany’s reply. The blue eyed girl lied down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Her mind kept repeating what had happened between her and her best friend; and those awful and mean words that came from Tiffany’s pretty lips.

I hate you! Stay away from me, Jessie!

Jessica took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Deep inside she knew that it was bound to happen. She knew Tiffany would try to push her away. She knew the sweet crescent eyed girl would try to make her hate her. She knew the black haired American girl had finally developed some feelings for her, and Tiffany was fighting it. The crescent eyed girl was in the stage of denying her own heart. And Jessica thought it was a good thing, a necessary stage they had to go through, to strengthen their feelings for each other. But still, hearing those words from was too much for her heart. Still; it hurt too much seeing the girl she loved screamed those words. And for a moment she couldn’t control herself and cried.

The blonde girl felt lucky she had Hyoyeon and Seohyun to comfort her. She felt lucky that she had the memories from her past life, which helped her overcame any difficulties in this new life. She knew she had it easy. The opposite could be said for Tiffany. The poor crescent eyed girl had no one to help her understand her feelings, and she had to figure out what she was going to do next, what path she was going to take. And Jessica could only pray that Tiffany would choose her. Like Stephanie did.

The blue eyed girl turned to her right and found Bob the purple dog staring at her silently. She picked up the odd colored stuffed animal and held it against her chest. She was wondering what she needed to do next. What could she do to encourage Tiffany to completely fall in love with her. It was a delicate situation, and the next step she took could result in her losing Tiffany forever, or finally have the happily ever after ending. It was like they were walking on a string, and the slightest of breeze would cause them to fall. And as she buried her face against the fluffy dog, she remembered a small detail she missed earlier.

Stay away from me, Jessie! Tiffany’s voice echoed in her mind.

And after repeating those words she finally smiled. Even when Tiffany was screaming those harsh words she still called her Jessie. Jessie; a common nickname for Jessica. But the way Tiffany called her that name was different. Jessie, with a subtle ‘e’ at the back. Not Jessi; but Jessie. That subtle ‘e’ made the whole difference. Jessica recognized it from the first time Tiffany called her by that nickname. The way the black haired American girl added that last vowel under her breath with soft and gentle affection. The blonde girl knew it was Tiffany’s way of showing how much affection she had for her. And so Jessica smiled her sweetest. Her heart felt lighter. Now she realized there was a slightly bigger hope than she had expected.

Run all you want, Tiff… You're going to fall even harder for me…