Yuri nibbled distractedly at a piece of pocky stick. The matcha flavoured stick, her favourite, didn’t seem to give her much satisfaction as it should have. It was a rare treat, even better it was a little gift from Jessica. It should have set off explosions in , but the treat tasted bitter the longer the matcha flavoured chocolate coated her taste buds. She turned the box in her hand, squints her eyes at it, looking for any signs of tampering. She sighs and puts the box down. She was so sure it was sealed when she excitedly opened it just a few minutes ago. And besides, Jessica wasn’t one to pull elaborate pranks – not without reason. Any Yuri didn’t give her any reason to. Not recently at least.

 

She felt a tug, and it took a few seconds before she realized the emptiness of her hands. She looked down the table, curling her fingers around thin air where her box of pocky was. Her eyes tiredly trailed to her side, finding a tight faced Tiffany furiously going through her treat. Gingerly, she reached out, just managing to snag the flap of the box. She retreated quietly to her side the moment Tiffany’s hardened eyes snapped to her hand, much like a pit bull to an idiot trying to take their food away.

 

Tiffany’s eyes narrowed at her for a brief moment, savagely taking a large bite off the stick, before her eyes snapped back to the front. Yuri continued to nibble on her first stick, nearly down to the end of the biscuit, following Tiffany’s gaze.

 

Jessica and Taeyeon were sitting on the other side, leaning against each other as they shared secret whispers and soft giggles. At times, Taeyeon would make the weird stifled giggles that shook her entire body, and in turn,      Jessica would slap her lightly on her shoulder, pulling her back to continue her whisperings. It looked innocent enough, but so, so wrong.

 

Looking at the two felt so surreal, akin to watching a foreign movie on the full screen. Yuri had no idea what was going on and couldn’t even begin to pick out the right reaction to what she was seeing. She swallowed the last bit of the pocky stick and leaned towards Tiffany.

 

“Is it just me, or does this seem… strange?” She asked, just loud enough for Tiffany to hear. Plucking the remaining pocky stick from Tiffany begrudgingly turned her sights to Yuri. Her lips were pursed into a thin line, brows drawn in obvious displeasure.

 

Yuri nodded her head; maybe it was just a strange day. Like she woke up on the wrong side of the bed and everything just looks a little skewed. But, she convinced herself, just half the day has passed, everything would eventually return to normal—hopefully soon.

 

“Oh, hey, look at the time.” Yuri heard Taeyeon speak. Her gaze flew to the opposite side of the table, feeling a slight sense of relief at the respectable space in between her cousin and Jessica. She searched for Jessica’s eyes, Jessica too busy eating the last of her yoghurt to look up, a smile pulling at her lips. When Jessica looked up Yuri’s grin stretched further as she straightened up, hoping to catch her attention and get a few words in.

 

Jessica beats her to it.

 

“Yah, Tiffany Hwang! What do you think you’re doing, eating all of Yuri’s pocky?” Jessica frowns, leaning forward to try and snatch the slim box from Tiffany’s grip. Tiffany was a little faster and pulled her hand back, sticking her tongue out at Jessica.

 

“It’s not fair, you only bought one for Yuri. What about the rest of us?”

 

“Well, did you hurt yourself and are currently struggling to walk without support?” Tiffany pouted and shoved the box towards Yuri, looking away in faux hurt. Jessica giggles at the act.

 

“Besides, you and Taengoo already went through my stash of twinkies. I think you both had enough sugar.” She said, grinning cheekily at the exasperated look thrown her way.

 

“Anyway, we need to get to class. Sica and I have a pop quiz today and we need all the last minute cramming we can get.” Jessica scrunched her nose at the thought, and Yuri wanted to laugh at her plight.

 

Whatever merriment she felt died as Taeyeon jumped to her feet, pulling Jessica’s arm on the way up. She frowned at the light laughter that left Jessica’s mouth when she lost her footing and they slammed into each other. Her jaws clenched when Taeyeon curled her arm around Jessica’s waist, Jessica slinging her arm over the shorter girl’s shoulder as they navigated their way out of the crowded cafeteria.

 

Not once had Jessica looked at her.
 

“Yeah, we’ll see you around.” Tiffany’s loud voice, dripping with sarcasm, had her snapping her head to the source. The normally cheery girl was glaring at the two retreating back with cheeks stained crimson.

 

Yuri quirked a brow and smirked.

 

A harsh slap to her arm dropped the smirk to a grimace as she pushed away from the violent girl. “What was that for?” Yuri rubbed at her smarting arm.

 

“Unbelievable!” Tiffany started, throwing her arms at the direction their two friends left. “Do you believe that? It was like we weren’t even here! The nerve of those two. They didn’t even greet us when we sat down—like we didn’t even exist. They were just… so wrapped around their conversation that they couldn’t even share with us.”

 

Yuri sighed, placing a calming hand on her friend. “Calm down, Ppany-ah. They’re friends too. Nothing wrong with sharing conversation with friends.”

 

“And what are we? Table lamps?” Tiffany harrumphed, referring to their exclusion from said conversation. She childishly crossed her arms and turned away from the amused look Yuri was giving her.

 

“Are you jealous, Ppany-ah?” Yuri grinned. She leaned close to the simmering girl, wrapping her arms around Tiffany’s middle and resting her chin over her neck. “You are, aren’t you? Not used to not having our cute Taengoo right by your side.” Yuri teased, internally patting herself on the back at the way Tiffany was turning rigid and the way her cheeks were turning a deeper shade of red.

 

“Me? Jealous?” Tiffany frowned, her bottom lip jutting out as her nostrils flared. “TaeTae can have whatever conversation with whoever she chooses to have them with. I don’t care. But she can’t keep a quiet conversation when I’m close by! I’m her oldest, best-est, best friend and we can’t have that! It’s preposterous! She can’t keep a secret from me! Especially not right in front of me!”

 

Yuri just smiled and tilted her head to a better position, still holding the grumbling Tiffany tight. Tiffany is jealous, even the blind could see that.

 

She could see it in the way Tiffany was staring at their two friends earlier like she had wanted to jump the table and forcibly pry them apart. Yuri chuckled when her eyes fell on the semi-crushed box of pocky left forgotten on the table.

 

“Maybe they were talking about history class.” She tried.

 

Tiffany scoffed. “What’s so funny about a bunch of dead people and out-dated facts?”

 

Yuri puckered her lips. “True… Hm… Talking about Miss Goo?”

 

“That old T-rex? I can’t even think of something remotely funny about her tight-.”

 

Yuri chuckled, squeezing Tiffany’s middle. “That’s not nice, Ppany-ah. Anyway, isn’t it a good thing, to see two introverts actually talk to each other without us having to constantly keep the conversation going?”

 

Tiffany takes a few seconds pondering in silence before she hung her head and sighed. “You’re right… I guess… I may not have been ready to not have Taeyeon with the same wavelength as me. Sorry. I was over-exaggerating.”

 

Yuri chuckles and disentangles from her friend, reaching up to fondly pat the top of her head. “Come on. Since Taengoo left you in the lurch, I’ll walk you to class. Treat me like your replacement TaeTae.”

 

“You’re not replacing anyone, stupid. And with that bad leg of yours? I think it should be the other way around.”

 

“Oh, but I can’t let Taengoo’s princess walk around unprotected. Who knows what kind of big baddies lurk around the corner, ready to snatch the princess away?”

 

Yuri laughs as she ducks under her good arm, blocking the barrage of slaps from the flustered Tiffany.

 

 

 

 

 

“Ppany’s going to be so mad at me.” Jessica rolled her eyes at the troubled mutter. Taeyeon, the poor sap, had been muttering the same thing since they left the cafeteria. It had been an unwritten rule that Taeyeon walk Tiffany to all her classes, and without fail she had, until that day. The poor girl was tormenting herself as they half-heartedly went through their notes. Jessica doesn’t mind, as she never liked the subject anyway, believing she retained more than enough information for the quiz. What concerns her is the far off look in Taeyeon’s face. For sure, the girl would not be able to concentrate, and Jessica was not going to be blamed for it.

 

“Relax, will you. Tiff can walk herself to class by herself.”

 

“But Sica-yah.. It’s our tradition. I always walk her to class. She probably thinks I’m purposely ignoring her.”

 

“For God’s sake, Taeyeon, you are purposely ignoring her. You’re supposed to be hanging out with me for the time being.”

 

“I can’t help it, Sica-yah… I just… I feel.. bad. It feels like I’m turning my back to her when I’m supposed to have her back.”

 

Jessica let out a long drawn out sigh. Taeyeon, she found out, was too much of an angel to rope into her plans. She was much too happy trailing after Tiffany like a puppy, even if it means she has to sit on the side lines as the girl lived her life. It was not a healthy kind of relationship, especially for an introverted 18 year old.

 

Jessica was going to fix that. 2 for 1, sounds like a good deal to her.

 

“It’ll be alright Taengoo. It’s just for the time being. I want to prove something to myself and this is the best way to do it.”

 

“I know. And I understand your reasoning and am behind you. It’s just” Taeyeon shook her head and soughed in deeply. “I’m just not.. used to it, that’s all. It’s been routine, and I’ve never let Ppany-ah down.”

 

“Oh, God, Taeyeon… please don’t tell me you’ll go running back to Tiffany and rat me out. I’m telling you now, I cannot deal with her peacefully if she rages at me.”

 

“I won’t. I won’t.” Taeyeon says, shaking her hands in front of her. She then runs a frustrated hand through her hair. “It’s just…. my mind’s guilt tripping me. I’ve never kept a secret from her before”

 

“Oh,” Jessica says simply, leaning back on her seat. “so she knows you’re head over heels in love with her.”

 

“Shhhh!” Taeyeon jumps to her feet, looking wildly around the empty room. “How did you know that?!” she hissed, warily eyeing the closed door.

 

“It’s just the two of us here. Sit down, Taengoo.” Jessica says, throwing her small eraser at Taeyeon’s head. Her aim falls short and the rubber projectile merely bounces off Taeyeon’s chest and rebounds to the floor. It does nothing to the multitude of emotions flashing across Taeyeon’s pale face, worry and agitation being the most prominent.

 

Jessica sighs and reaches for Taeyeon’s hand, snagging her pinky with her thumb and index. “Hey, just trust me on this. Okay?” she smiled softly up at the older girl, tugging at her pinky to get her to sit down. Taeyeon does, with reluctance, and her body immediately deflates as soon as her hit the chair.

 

Jessica grinned at the act. “You know, you’re so cute, Taengoo. Like a puppy. I see why Tiffany hates it when other people steal you away from her.”

 

“S-She’s just b-b-being protect-tive.” Taeyeon stuttered, hanging her head down to hide her blush and the smile that pulled at her lips.

 

Jessica scoffs. “Did you see the way she looked at us earlier? She looked like she was ready to bite my head off. Do you know how horrifying that is, knowing I’m her roommate?”

 

Taeyeon’s eyes widen and her brows shot up to her bangs. “I-I didn’t notice. I was... didn’t want to look at her face.”

 

Jessica smiled wider and even laughed a little bit. “You are just too cute. And I’m almost a 100% sure she likes you too. Like, romantically speaking…" She just hasn’t figured that fully out yet.

 

Taeyeon stared blankly for a minute, going over Jessica’s words in her mind. Finally, she shook her head and frowned. “I don’t see it. She treats me the same way she’s treated me before. Truthfully, I’m alright with the way we are. I’m just glad she cares for me.” She says, trying to play it off coolly.

 

“Right, as if you have never imagined what it’s like to kiss her.” Jessica teased, smirking slyly when the older girl opened , soundlessly imitating a fish out of water as her entire being turned pink. A sight she was sure Tiffany would have loved to see. “Stop lying to me Taengoo. I know you love her, too much so that you’re willing to sacrifice anything for her. As nice as the gesture is, you’re not even trying, and that’s just being unfair to the both of you.”

 

“Heh- who-who s-said any-thing about love? Sica-yah, you’re reading too much into it.”

 

“Yuri told me-”

 

“Aish- that loud mouth.” Taeyeon unintentionally interrupted, rubbing her palms against her face. “Urgh- I knew it was a bad idea to tell her. She won’t admit it, but she’s terrible at keeping secrets.”

 

Jessica shut and cocked her head, grinning. “Yuri only kind of hinted at it, but I’ll take your reaction as a confirmation.” She giggled at the follow-up dismal groan.

 

“So,” Jessica prompted, using her arms to prop her head up. “what are you gonna do about it?”

 

Taeyeon shook her head. “There’s too much weighing against this..”

 

“Like?” Jessica frowns, a little put off by Taeyeon’s lack of enthusiasm, tilting her head to the side.
 

“Well… She’s Catholic.” Taeyeon bleated weakly.

 

To which Jessica responded with, “So am I.” while shaking her head forlornly at her shorter friend. “Doesn’t mean I’m going to back out of my plan.”

 

“The public will never understand.”

 

“And who are we that we need to please the public?” Jessica sighed, reaching to grip Taeyeon’s hand in a firm hold. “Taeyeon-ah, why do you push yourself down, like your happiness doesn’t matter? Tiffany makes you happy as you do her. I know she loves you. Maybe not as much as you love her, but definitely more than a best friend should.”

 

Taeyeon attempted a sardonic grin. “Stop trying to convince me. You know I’ll help you with Yul either way.”

 

“You don’t get it. Argh!” Jessica leapt up from her seat, catching Taeyeon’s surprised face in her hands. “You listen to me okay. No, no. Look at me, Taeyeon. I’m not doing this because I feel like I have a debt of gratitude towards you- well, not entirely. Now, I may not constantly comment on it, but I notice your actions. I see the way you look at her like there’s nothing that could bring you down if she’s right beside you. I mean, look at you now. Just because I’m “borrowing” you, it’s like the end of the world for you. And don’t use the best friend excuse or that dumb tradition thing you tried earlier. I don’t buy it.”

 

Seeing the perturbed look Jessica retracts her hands, Taeyeon’s chin falling to her chest the moment she was freed. The younger represses a weary sigh. “I like you Taengoo-yah, as a friend. So trust me when I say that I have no underlying reason as to why I’m doing this, except that I want to see you happy —to see you both happy. The months I knew you guys I’ve never seen Tiffany happier than she is with you, and she’s not exactly shy of draping her body around you while in public. So what’s your worry? You confess to her, she accepts, you get your happy ending… Jesus, that sounds trite.” Jessica laughs at the clichéd words that left , missing the shy smile pulling at Taeyeon’s thin lips.

 

“Anyway, if you two get together all that’s going to change is that you two will be officially off the market. She’ll still be clingy as ever and you’ll still be her “TaeTae”.” Probably, Jessica wanted to add but felt Taeyeon may take it the wrong way.

 

“I- I don’t know…” Taeyeon said hesitatingly. She chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully.

 

“I’m not saying you just go up to her and confess right now. What I’m trying to say is…” Jessica pauses, reaching halfway across the table. Taeyeon hesitates, briefly, reaching out slowly to meet Jessica halfway. Jessica clutches the hand with both of hers, squeezing them empathically. “someone once told me that there was a reason it’s called matters of the heart. Our brain will always choose to save ourselves the pain. Let your heart decide for you too.”

 

“Was that what made up your mind?” Taeyeon asks, looking up from under her hair. Jessica smiles and pats her hand.

 

“I have a lot of reasons; that was just one of them.”

 

Taeyeon breathed deeply, nodding her head. “… Let me mull it over.”

 

 

 

 

 

Yuri whistled a chirping reply to the unseen chattering of a singular bird, her eyes shifting from one tree to the next, the upper half of her body leaning over the safety railings to get a better view. Once in a while, she would push her torso a little over, letting her feet dangle a few inches off the ground. She was careful not to over tip her balance.

 

She fired another triple note whistle, pausing for the reply. It was quiet for a few heartbeats, then a responding chirp.

 

Yuri grinned, puckering up her lips to ready for another response when she felt a pull around her waist. She yelped, steadying herself on her good foot and the supporting arm around her waist. Heart leaping from her chest, Yuri looked over her shoulder, frowning at the pouting face of her shorter cousin.

 

“What are you doing?” Taeyeon asked, warily eyeing Yuri. Her eyes move to the railing, her grip around Yuri tightening slightly.

 

Pretending not to have noticed the tense vibes coming from the shorter girl Yuri shrugged offhandedly. “Bird imitation. What are you doing up here?”

 

Taeyeon eyes her a few seconds longer before relaxing and retracting her hands to her side. Not quite knowing what to do with her hands she stuffs them into her jacket pocket. “Looking for a quiet place to think.” She responds, taking a step towards the railing and resting her hip against them. She looks out to the empty school grounds, the expression on her face not hiding her troubled mind. “Do you mind sharing your place for a bit?”

 

Yuri cocked a brow. “Your problem that serious? Wanna share it? Two heads are better than one after all—Wait! You’re not pregnant are you?”

 

Taeyeon’s lips twist in annoyance. She socks her cousin’s shoulder and returns to her plaintive thinking. She doesn’t even look up at her cousin’s gleefully laughing.

 

“Seriously, don’t you want to share? Families are supposed to have your back on everything.”

 

Taeyeon ruefully shakes her head. “It’s just.. something—a thought, I personally need to go over. By myself.” She adds as an afterthought, knowing her cousin would pester her to try and lift her spirits up.

 

Yuri’s brows lift inquisitively, but she backs off the prodding questions and jokes, for now. “Well, if you ever need to talk to someone, I’m right here.”

 

Taeyeon hums disconnectedly.

 

Yuri settles down a shaded portion of the rooftop, not too far away from where her cousin stood. The distress on Taeyeon’s face was quickly bringing her mood down. She wonders where Jessica is. The last she’s seen of the two was before third period when the giggling duo left before the bell rang. Had something happened between the two of them?

 

Yuri pulls the phone from her pocket, wondering whether she should shoot Jessica a message despite the absence of a response from her previous messages. Her fingers distractedly tap the surface of her phone, eyeing her cousin’s moves carefully.

 

Maybe she should let Tiffany know Taeyeon was there. The short trip to Tiffany’s classroom proved to be quite the task, what with Tiffany having that far off look in her eyes, not even looking where she was going. Yuri had easily turned their trip around, instead of Tiffany dropping her off to her class they did the opposite. Tiffany didn’t even notice the role reversal and simply headed straight to the windows. It was obvious she was affected by Taeyeon’s absence, even though she wouldn’t admit it herself.

 

“Taengoo-yah,” Yuri called out, pocketing her phone. When the older looked over Yuri’s direction she smiled, patting the empty spot beside her. “come sit beside me.”

 

“I promise I won’t ask what’s bothering you.” She adds upon the furrowed brows and small frown.

 

Taeyeon continues eyeing her warily, shoulders slumped in a fashion that Yuri knew whatever was troubling her cousin was not something she should play around with. So she continues smiling up at her, hoping that it was enough to set her at ease. Finally, Taeyeon moves, sluggishly dragging her sneakers over the concrete flooring. She eases herself on the space beside Yuri, lips shut and eyes looking elsewhere, yet not really seeing anything.

 

“So… I walked Tiffany to her class today.” She started carefully, her voice carrying that casual tone to it. “She looked a little distracted, didn’t even acknowledge the few guys trying to flirt with her.” That was a lie. No one had tried flirting with her, but it had roused her cousin from the depths of her thought. Brown eyes flicked towards her, her tight lips upturned in a slight smile.

 

“Is that so.” Taeyeon muttered.

 

Yuri leaned back, humming her response.  “Before that, she was full of complaints— Talked my ears off. Pretty sure she was jealous of Sica.”

 

“W-why would she be?”

 

Yuri grinned toothily at her cousin. “Well, duh. Because Sica was with you the whole time. You guys haven’t actually exchanged words today, have you?”

 

Yuri’s thoughts brought her back to Jessica and she became extra aware of the silent phone in her pocket. Had she done something wrong? Everything was fine with them yesterday. Ever since they came back from visiting her family the two of them had grown even closer. Yuri had loved the attention, felt special that Jessica’s barriers were nearly non-existent when it came to her. She was a lot more affectionate, even attentive with her phone. It was a pleasant surprise to find Jessica eagerly replying with her own inputs with just about any topic Yuri could pull out of her mind.

 

And then, that morning, it was like she wasn’t even there.

 

“Is Jessica alright?”

 

Taeyeon blinked up at her. “Er… yeah, she’s alright. Probably sulking off after the quiz, but that’s to be expected… You—” Taeyeon’s eyes narrow at her and Yuri prays she doesn’t catch on and start prying. Her face was on the brink of overheating, her pulse point palpitating, expecting extra information about Jessica.

 

Taeyeon breaks eye contact first, staring off with a smug grin in place. She nods her head. “She’s alright. I wouldn’t worry too much about her. I have a feeling she’ll be over the moon soon enough.”

 

“Uh…” Yuri states eloquently. A second later she decides not to push her luck and sit back quietly. She doesn’t even attempt to look over her cousin’s shoulder to read over the small screen of her phone as she rapidly fires a text.

 

She jolts when the device in her pocket vibrates and the familiar chime reaches her ears. She swiftly pulls the phone to her hand, trembling finger pressing against the bouncy tiles. Her grin reaches her ears as her eyes scan the text she had been waiting for.

 

~~~

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I ended up scrapping the whole draft of what was supposed to be a connecting story to chapter 21. This came out way better (and less awkward) than the first draft.

On another note: Wow! 142 subscribers?! So that means 142 people that are going to skin me if I decide to abandon this fic...

 

Kidding. I've already have a semi-idea on how to end this. Bear with me, I've been juggling a few things with my registration and looking for new work while working full-time and helping out with a friend's new cafe.

Anyway, thank you to those that left a comment. Reading them gives me the tingly feels and inspires me to do even better. Drop a hello, I might write quicker. No promises. Haha.