She didn’t like to believe that she was like most people. Not that she thought she was exceptionally unique or interesting, but she wouldn’t label herself as “normal”. She looked like your average girl; long, golden brown hair with dark eyes. Her skin was pale, and no matter how many hours she spent in the sun, it would never turn a shade darker. It used to annoy her whenever she read about the ideal women in magazines; about being blond and having sun-kissed skin. She’s not tall either; but that’s what high heels are for, right?

However, even if she appears normal, she still wouldn’t label herself as normal. It could have been the way she was raised, or rather the lack of ways she was raised. It didn’t really matter to her anymore, she had the world in front of her, and it was hers to explore.

She had seen the city lights of New York, the breathtaking mountains in Tibet, and had the best wine in France. Her footsteps, or some other form of transportation, had taken her from the lazy afternoon siestas in Spain to the biting cold winters in the Netherlands. Through small communities with vast nature to large cities which she could use a whole lifetime exploring, but never cover even half of the mysteries they hid.

Her destination was Los Angeles, California. She lived there many years ago, but left when she finally could.

She left when she was seventeen, but now she’s twenty and back again. Her father didn’t mind her leaving, and she thought it was the best decision of her life. If she remembered correctly, he just sat by the porch with his daily intake of cheap bear, watching her leave as if she was going to return.

She did return, but not to see him. Actually she never did see him again. Maybe he died of drinking too much alcohol; or maybe he caught a disease from one of his many one-night lovers and never got treated for it. It sounds cruel; maybe she is, but that man was never there for her. He would never be there no matter how many times she wanted to correct herself. But now that she’s twenty, she believed she had matured enough to talk things over with him and grow up.  

She never got around to it though, and instead she walked around the entire neighborhood, down the rocky paths and aging concrete, avoiding the corner that led towards that fading and old house she once lived in. She couldn’t face him because he wouldn’t be home, and she has an aching feeling of it.

Her feet had guided her to a park she never really frequented, not even when she was a child, but she remembered it. She slept on one of the white benches for a night, the night when she couldn’t find her keys and her father wouldn’t open up the door. She stood by that same bench, looking at the pond in front of her, the blue water gentle and still.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” a female, probably around her age judging by the voice and tone, said. She was the outgoing type, most likely, one who seemed to not care about the term “strangers”. It wouldn’t surprise her if she told her entire life story right then and there, had you asked her, because she knew a chatty person when she heard one.

“I’ve seen better,” she replied to the stranger. It wasn’t weird for her to speak to strangers; she did it in every country where it was the norm. In various languages too, if her capabilities could manage. She only spoke two fluently, Korean and English, but spoke French and Japanese quite well.

“You have? Then that must be a site,” the stranger continued. “I’ve been around many places, but I still like this view the best.”

She wanted to snort a bit by that; this woman must have been in far too few countries. She didn’t though, and instead gave a shrug. “Each to their own,” was the only thing she could reply to that. Everyone was entitled to his or her own opinions, but it didn’t mean that she had to understand them.

“I’m Tiffany,” the woman continued, and only then did the pale girl turn around to look over at the stranger. She had dark locks, running freely through curled ends which made her almost look a bit wild. Her skin wasn’t as pale as her own was, but she wasn’t tan compared to many other women in LA.

“Stephanie,” she corrected then, after studying the stranger for a moment, mostly earning a confused look by the dark-haired woman.

“Yes, but no. It’s Tiffany,” the woman, or Tiffany, attempted to correct her.

The light brunette wanted to smile in triumph, because she knew she was right, but she didn’t. “Yes, but that’s what people call you because most Stephanie’s prefer that,” she retorted then, watching Tiffany’s eyes widen a bit. She didn’t even care if she came off as weird; she usually preferred to speak her mind because it made things much more interesting.

Tiffany seemed a bit confused, maybe a bit impressed as well, but she couldn’t really tell despite her widened eyes. It took her a second to shake it off, and in that second she decided to introduce herself. “I’m Jessica, before you ask. And could you close your mouth? You might catch a fly.”

That was all it took for Tiffany to shut her lips again, painted in heavy lip gloss, and her lashes were long and thick with mascara. The top of her eyelids were rimmed with eyeliner, and she wore a leather jacket atop of a white t-shirt and ripped jeans. A guitar case was hanging loosely on her shoulder. “You’re in a band?” Jessica had to ask then, gesturing to the said case, and waited for the woman to reply.

“Yeah, sort of,” Tiffany replied then. “We’re called T.T.S… We’re nothing big; not yet at least,” she said with that hope most musicians had to have if they wanted to succeed in that tough industry.  Jessica wondered in that moment, if she was talking to a potential future rock star, or a future drug addict. “Speaking of, I got to get to practice,” Tiffany suddenly said with her hands on her phone before tucking it away. “We’re playing a gig at this bar-club-thing called Chaos, nine pm… you should check it out,” she offered then.

Bars and alcohol and sweaty rooms were nothing but a nuisance for Jessica, she hated those places and never really went there anymore. That was a thought that used to entertain her, but nowadays she couldn’t bother.

She was going to reject her with a bad lie, she didn’t even know the woman, but there was something about the expectation in Tiffany’s eyes. That look made her stop and think for another lingering second. “Maybe,” Jessica compromised with herself, which gave her a reason to come and not come at the same time. She had nothing to lose either way; she’d be out of the state by tomorrow, knowing herself correctly.

“Well, I hope you’ll be there, but if not you’re going to have to live in regret,” Tiffany joked before taking a step towards the opposite direction. “I’m a very entertaining person.”

Jessica wanted to laugh then, but she smiled a bit instead. “I bet you are,” she replied then, and she had no idea what that was supposed to mean in any way, but she didn’t think too much about it as she saw the figure of a woman in an oversized jacket and a guitar case walk away in the distance.

**

Hours later, Jessica had found herself standing by the entrance of that said bar. The place was already packed with people, and sighing to herself she opened up the doors. It was indeed a bar that lived up to its name, because everything just seemed chaotic.

“Hey there everyone,” she heard a familiar voice speak through a microphone. The buzz in the crowd plus the other music had been toned out then, because most paid attention to the three girls on stage behind each their positions.

The drummer seemed a bit out of place; she was sitting quite poised and elegantly, despite wearing a lot of leather and spikes. She didn’t seem too uncomfortable; it appeared as if she actually did belong there, but she didn’t at the same time. Their singer slash bassist was a short little thing, despite the heavy chunk of heels on her feet. A pair of sunglasses was on her face, which was odd because despite the stage lights it was nearly dark as black in the room.

Of course, the person who caught her attention the most was their guitarist however. She was wearing the same as she was a few hours ago, although she had ruffled her dark locks even more, while standing on the other side of the tiny stage.

She introduced herself as Tiffany, while the bassist was named Taeyeon and the drummer Seohyun. It took her a while to realize that they were all of Asian or rather Korean descent, but then again they were in LA, who wasn’t?

The first song was something a bit high tempo, called Checkmate she believed. It was a nice song, maybe she would have listened to it once or twice, but not really her style at the same time. It didn’t really seem to matter, as her eyes were focused on the dark-haired girl on stage rather than the possible future of her listening to that song again.

They played another set of songs, the crowd cheering for each one, and many comments flying from left to right. Most of them were positive, which must’ve been good enough for them. Nothing too exciting happened though, not until Tiffany stepped off the stage, only to suddenly stand right in front of her again with a smile on her shiny face, sweat from the heat radiation on her complexion. “You made it!” she smiled then, her eyes turning to small creases, which made Jessica smile back.

“Why wouldn’t I?” She asked back, although she really thought she wouldn’t even pass by, but something made her change her mind. Maybe it was the way Tiffany spoke, or how she knew she wouldn’t have anything better to do.

“You wanna meet the band?” Tiffany asked through the heavy and loud music, the bass making Jessica’s heart tremble a bit by every beat. The golden brunette could only nod in reply, not having it in her to shout over the music, so she followed the silhouette of the dark-haired girl through the lights.

“You took your time,” Jessica heard the short girl, Taeyeon if she remembered correctly, said to Tiffany as they both sat down by the booth in the corner. “Already out getting groupies?”

There was a type of redness on Tiffany’s concealed cheeks, and Jessica had a feeling it wasn’t because of the blush she was wearing, but she couldn’t be too sure. Instead she opted to return her gaze a bit awkwardly to the two other women in front of her, who both seemed to give her slightly bored looks. “No, I’m not that kind of person,” Jessica said then, but suddenly a drink ended up in front of her on the table by the waiter. One she didn’t order, most importantly, but the girls just waved him off as if they did order it.

“So you’re spaghetti until it gets hot?” Shorty continued to ask, black manicured nails tapping around the glass in her hands before taking a swig.

Jessica had no idea what to reply to that, but before she could, someone else did. “They don’t seem to get along with straight people too well,” the too stiff girl suddenly said, Seohyun perhaps, while placing her phone down on the table. “It’s a miracle they even let me join.”

Taeyeon seemed to scoff by that, placing her glass of some alcoholic thing down. “It’s not like we have anything against them, obviously,” she began before straightening up her sunglasses. Why the hell was she even wearing them? “It’s just that I’m taking back for all the bull they say about us.”

“That’s sweet, but you’re as harmful as a fluffy pillow, Tae,” Seohyun retorted, and the overplayed club-music drowned them in a silence for a moment.

“I didn’t order this, is it for you guys?” Jessica asked then after a moment, looking over to Tiffany although she was already drinking something.

She only shook her head, and so did the two others. “I only ordered three, don’t know where it came from,” Taeyeon said while slouching on the red velvety sofa they were sitting on. “But if it’s free then I give zero s.”

Jessica had to laugh, she didn’t know why, but it sounded a bit funny with the way she said it. She wasn’t really sure if she actually thought Taeyeon a bit entertaining or a bit annoying, but nevertheless, it wasn’t really any of her business to know. She wasn’t really one to make friends easily anyway.

“Just take it,” Tiffany offered then. “Unless you don’t drink?” she asked a bit uncertain, and honestly Jessica didn’t. She didn’t like the taste of liquor or even the look of it anymore. When she did she usually did stupid things with equally as stupid people, so it didn’t sound too appealing.

Still, she decided to try. She still liked wine after all, just not the really strong stuff, and for all she knew it might not have been that bad. She took a swig, and let the burning taste run hotly down . It made her feel a bit hotter already, as if someone switched up the temperature, and already a queasy feeling entered her stomach after a few minutes.

Taeyeon’s glass was already half empty, her leg lying slightly on top of Seohyun who didn’t seem to bother. “So I didn’t catch your name stranger,” shorty suddenly said, her posture still slouched and her sunglasses still on, probably looking at her.

“Jessica,” the said young woman introduced herself curtly, and they both nodded before going back to whatever they were doing, which wasn’t much.

“They’re not in the mood for much tonight,” Tiffany suddenly said, and then a small and slightly tanned hand was offered to her. “You wanna dance?”

Jessica didn’t know what to say, she wasn’t much of a dancer and never would be. Her dancing wasn’t a pretty sight, but when she looked up at Tiffany’s eyes that seem to light up by the strobe-lights, she wondered if she even could deny her.

“Don’t worry, I’m a terrible dancer, so there’s no need to be shy,” Tiffany said with a smile, and before Jessica could even understand anything, she felt herself being dragged across a sea of bodies, yet she could only see the figure of one.

“Try not to get too frisky, I don’t wanna get kicked out of another club!” she could hear Taeyeon yell, but she didn’t think too much of it even if she should have. Did she give of a vibe that she was interested in her? Jessica hadn’t thought of all of this in that light, but now that she did, she was uncertain.

They both stood somewhere in the crowd, the music still loud, the bass still heavy on Jessica’s heart. She wasn’t sure what to do, so she kept on swaying her hips lightly to the music, because she saw Tiffany do it, with her hands in the air. The lights were colorful, falling above them both like rain, although the only wetness she got was the sweat of the mass bodies in the small dancing floor.

It took them a couple of songs, and a random drink in Jessica’s hand again, for her to let loose for real. She had her hands in the air, singing poorly along to songs she had never even heard before, her entire body moving from left to right along with Tiffany who seemed to do everything with a hundred times more excitement. She hadn’t had that much fun in a long time, and neither had her body as the alcohol was already beginning to work its way into her system.

“You wanna get out of here?” she heard Tiffany almost shout to her ear, her body suddenly a lot closer than before, the fabric of her jacket brushing against Jessica’s bare skin from the spots her t-shirt didn’t cover. It sounded like something someone would say for a hook up; to do dirtier deeds in even dirtier places, and Jessica didn’t roll that way. It wasn’t that she had never done one-night stands; she’d had plenty that she could more or less care to share, but never with a woman.

She had no idea if she even wanted to, in the first place. She already knew that Tiffany was swinging some sort of way that wasn’t straight, at least according to Taeyeon. “I’m not gay,” was the first thing she uttered when they got out to the cold night air, or maybe it was just cold because of the heat in the club. Jessica wasn’t sure either way what went through her head then, but as they walked down the curb, she could hear Tiffany laugh beside her.

“Are you not happy?” Tiffany asked then, a playful tone to her voice, as she unstably tried to balance herself on the sidewalk. Her hands were stretched out, like a child who concentrated on not stepping on the tile lines because if he did, there would be lava. “You don’t strike me as the depressed kind.”

Jessica felt herself roll her eyes, despite her buzzed and cloudy mind as they walked down the empty road. No one walks in L.A, but then again, Jessica never liked cars. “I’m just saying that I’m not going to sleep with you,” she retorted smartly.

She watched Tiffany turn her gaze to meet hers, her eyes still in a playful glean, a smirk following soon after. “Oh my Jessica, who said anything about us sleeping together?” she asked, stopping on her tracks.

Jessica didn’t know why, but she suddenly felt hot on the tip of her ears for no reason. It was weird, because that wasn’t supposed to happen. She still didn’t know why she even said it, but she couldn’t afford to look flustered. “It’s just that most scenarios end with one of us spreading our legs.”

Tiffany chuckled then, her hands going down in her pockets, before facing Jessica fully. She wasn’t really that close, but it still felt close enough for Jessica to quicken her breath. “I might not be straight, but that doesn’t mean I hump everyone I see, Jess.”

The golden brunette girl could only look at her a bit oddly, but she still felt a bit embarrassed for how they even got to this conversation topic. Maybe she sounded a bit too naïve and stupid, maybe even a bit ignorant, but Tiffany didn’t really seem to mind before she smiled again. “So I’m taking you to the least ual place I can think of,” she began before skipping ahead of Jessica with her combat boots, a smile on her face as she turned around to look at Jessica standing there dumbly. “Let’s go!”

Jessica could only sigh, but then again she followed the girl, knowing that things couldn’t possibly get worse. She jogged slightly, dizzyingly, to catch up to Tiffany before they headed off their merry way.

Through the roads and city lights they ended up at a playground, the ones she probably would have liked had she been a child. The first thing Tiffany did was sit down by the swings, one that was just enough to support her thin body that did not belong to a kid. “You took me to a playground?” Jessica asked a bit disbelievingly, but had to hand it to her, that it at least wasn’t something too ual or suggesting. She sat down beside her, the wind blowing slightly between them both.

“Want a smoke?” Tiffany offered, already having lit up one of those cancer sticks. Jessica shook her head, and the other girl didn’t say no more before she tucked the Marlboro pack away in her pocket.

“You know, I’ve known you in a total of…thirteen hours, but I still have no idea about you, except for your name,” Tiffany began while puffing out a huge ring of smoke. She placed the stick between her slender fingers, lightly tapping on it, probably waiting for Jessica to reply.

“I’m a woman who hates drinking, partying and smoking yet here I am,” Jessica shared wittingly, thinking about how absurd the situation really was. Talking to a stranger in the middle of the night after drinking?

Tiffany laughed shortly again. “Good for you, but I was thinking more about how I’ve never seen you before, despite living here my whole life,” she began, and Jessica had to shrug although the answer should’ve been obvious either way. LA was a huge, huge city and Tiffany couldn’t have impossibly have met everyone.

“You must know many people here then,” Jessica said after a while, leaning on the uncomfortable chunk of chain that held the swing together. “I’ve been away from here for seven years now; I’m just staying until later today.”

Tiffany nodded then, halfway with her cigarette, her gaze on the night sky. “You travel a lot?” she asked, causing Jessica to nod despite not being seen.

“Money?” Tiffany asked shortly, probably wondering about exactly how someone as young as her could afford it.

“Various jobs I can come across, mostly been a waitress or singing at local lounges,” she continued, thinking about the endless hours she’d spent doing jobs with either good or too low pay. She enjoyed the singing gigs the most, not because she thought she was very great, but she loved standing on the stage performing. Not enough for it to become a passion, but enough for it to make her smile when she got off stage.

“So you sing?” Tiffany continued to ask, to bury herself deeper into what kind of person she was. Jessica wanted to remind her that she would be gone in less than a day; she’d only know a small and insignificant part of her, and not the full story.

“A bit,” she concluded, and that was really all to it.

When a moment of silence passed by, maybe five seconds or so, she saw Tiffany smile a bit. “Well, I’m gonna become famous,” Tiffany said, dumping the last of her cigarette on the floor, her boots lightly burying it in the sand. “And then I’m going to make lots of money, and people are going to sing our songs over and over again.”

Jessica looked at her then, observing the dark-haired girl’s side profile, looking up at the night sky. They were at a darker part of town, which made some of the stars clearer to watch throughout the dark sky. Tiffany must’ve been looking at them, but even if Jessica could see them as unfocused dots, she had a clear look of her face.

“You’re very confident all of the sudden,” Jessica began, and observed the way the moon light reflected her complexion, lightly present in her dark eyes through a light gleam.

A small laugh escaped her lips. “That’s what alcohol does to you, sweetheart,” Tiffany said then, before her eyes went over to hers again, something mysterious yet lively through them. “Age?” she asked out of the sudden.

“Twenty,” she replied shortly, a young age, old enough to do everything she wanted and young enough to look pretty. She’d heard it many times before, although she thought she was average, but that was another story.

“Youngster,” Tiffany said with a playful smirk. “You look older,” she began, her hands now in her pockets.

Jessica quirked her eyebrows a bit by that, wondering what it was supposed to mean, and if Tiffany was any older. “And you’re what? Twenty five?” Jessica a little, although it wasn’t much to tease. Five years wasn’t much, not at all to be honest, but she had no idea what to say.

“No, we’re the same age,” Tiffany shrugged. “I just thought you were older than me, you look very mature,” she shared then, her eyes suddenly seeming to observe Jessica, making her feel small. She didn’t like it, but she didn’t mind at the same time. It was an odd feeling.

“That’s nothing new,” Jessica shared then, and it was true, she had heard she’d been and sometimes acted very mature. She even remembered all the surprised faces the time she was still a minor trying to get a decent job, where they thought she was way older, but she wasn’t.

“Maybe it’s time for you to do something new,” Tiffany retorted, that smirk still on her face, but even more visible in the moonlight. Jessica wondered for a second, what that would mean, but she didn’t need to overthink things.

“Like what?” Jessica asked then, and she felt as if she did something new every day. By disappearing every day, she meant. Her whole life was a mess of what she wanted to do and where she felt like sleeping; it could range from a bench, to a strangers bed, to the backseat of an abandoned car.

“What haven’t you done?” Tiffany replied with a question, her head tilted just a bit to the side, looking at her with faint wonder. Jessica had to stop and think, but had really little to contribute with in the conversation.

She let her eyes scan their surroundings of the dark playground, looking at the slides and the bright colors everywhere, illuminated by the streetlights. “I’ve never used a Merry-Go-Round,” she said the moment she saw one ahead, and she didn’t know why she found that as anything significant.

Jessica could, however, hear Tiffany laugh loudly, but not in a mocking way. She sounded more amused, or in disbelief, than anything else. “Are you kidding me?” Tiffany asked then, as Jessica returned her eyes to look over at her. “I used to live in them when I was a child; my mother had to pry me away them whenever I saw one.”

Jessica didn’t really know why, but she could imagine it, a small kid holding onto the rusty and yellow poles not wanting to leave. She let out a short chuckle then, before getting up from the swings. “Then take me to the merry-go-round,” Jessica more like commanded, than offered, and waited for Tiffany to get up and follow.

What she didn’t expect, was the girl to stand a lot closer than before. Close enough to grab her hand, and with unbalanced steps she skipped to the said item. It was a bit odd, Jessica couldn’t really figure her out, but maybe it didn’t matter.

They both got on, Jessica struggling to keep her shaken legs in place, grasping onto the cold metal of the playground device. It was a bit weird, standing on a round platform that was way too small for her, making her have to bend her back a bit awkwardly.

Tiffany wasn’t really slow with doing anything, and she just grasped the handles before running around in such a drunken speed, with such a laugh that it made Jessica almost burst out doing the same. She probably would have, hadn’t she been so surprised she nearly fell off from the spinning speed. “You could’ve warned me!” Jessica found herself shrieking, her dizzy mind not helping, as she was tightly holding onto the poles in hopes of not spinning off into the distance.

She looked up from the yellow, paint flickering from her touch, to look up into Tiffany’s bright smile and playful eyes. She seemed to always have that kind of look on her, a smile that was infections, but there was a type of mystery to them as well. Something out of Jessica’s understanding or comprehension, but it was fascinating, almost drawing her in, despite the sickening speed. Their hair was flying everywhere, some even landing on her own face, but she couldn’t contain the laugh that almost made her breathless.

She didn’t know how long they had been doing this, but she enjoyed it, even if she would probably become sick or vomit. She ignored the nausea, and instead, focused on the rush of the wind hitting against her, the bubbling in her stomach, that look in Tiffany’s eyes, the epic heartbeats that followed a second later.

Jessica stopped the merry-go-round with her own feet, hopping off the moment it slowed down, trying to figure what that was. She was a bit drunk, maybe sobered up to tipsy, but she wasn’t that out of it.  “You alright Princess?” Tiffany had asked, somehow ended up beside her, although she wasn’t too far away to begin with.

Jessica could only shake her head. “I think I should call it a night,” she explained, it was the only way she could explain how to figure out her racing heart and odd mind.

“You need me to help you home?” Tiffany offered, already having slung an arm around her as if it was normal, although she was basically as unstable as Jessica was.

“Depends on where home is,” Jessica said, bringing her hand to steady her dizzy head. “Just drop me off at a random motel,” was the only thing she could say. She had a couple of bucks to spare for a small room, she was certain of that.

She could lightly sense Tiffany shaking her head, adjusting the grip on her slightly, before they took a turn to the left. “Just crash at my place,” Tiffany offered then, and Jessica could make out the coming streetlights. “My sofa is very comfortable; you’d be surprised over how much you’d love an ugly couch before now.”

Jessica chuckled by her lame joke, but didn’t bother say no. Although it still sounded suspicious, and that things felt a bit odd, there was an odd sense of anticipation and excitement coursing through her veins. It made her feel hotter, just by the thought to be honest, but she didn’t know why. “It’s not too far away, let’s go,” Tiffany said then, leading the way, slowly but surely.

Through the lights of LA, and whatever neighborhood they were passing through, they walked together. Close as ever, but instead of it getting more awkward, Jessica oddly enough felt a bit more comfortable.  She didn’t know, maybe it was Tiffany’s odd scent which she couldn’t pinpoint. Maybe it was the way she looked underneath the tacky neon lights, how her skin lightly reflected the vast colors, and how the gloss on her lips seemed to shine even more.

“You know I said that one of us would end up spreading our legs?” Jessica asked, recalling that conversation that must’ve been less than an hour ago, watching Tiffany slightly as they walked, before looking away.

“If you plan on peeing, for God’s sake, get off me!” Tiffany exclaimed and it made Jessica roll her eyes before shoving her slightly with her hip. It was odd, how comfortable around each other they had gotten, despite not really knowing each other.

“I was talking about sleeping together,” Jessica explained, her speech suddenly less slurred and clearer. She had been more aware now, more than before, but it didn’t seem to stop her. She looked over at Tiffany again, who was now looking at her as well, and that same smirk on her lips which made Jessica want to punch her. Her eyebrows were quirked up suggestively, and Jessica had to snort.

“That’s so not happening.”