Continuation...

 

Amber had two options.  In this split second decision, only two made sense.  (1) Drop the phone, catch Krystal or (2) hold the phone, dodge Krystal.

 

In one swift motion, Amber’s decided movement seemed rather visceral.  Amber drops the phone, tucks both her arms behind the girl who was momentarily on the brink of falling, and quickly shuffles her feet to leverage her weight and Krystal’s.  In matter of seconds, Amber spins Krystal with finesses, pulling her tight as both find their balance leaving the two’s faces only a centimeter apart.

 

No drinks were spilled this time but only the momentary lapse of attraction.

 

There was really only one person who has caught Amber’s full attention the way that she did.  But maybe for just a second—even if it was just for a second—Krystal would be the first to steal that attention away.

 

It wasn’t some kind of magical spark for Krystal either.  This wasn’t the first time she was this close with another person and she’s not the type to easily be swept up away by feelings.  Krystal’s well guarded.  When it comes to things like “falling in love” she was never one to have these romantic delusions of grandeur.  But maybe for just a second—even it was just for a second—Amber would be the first to make her entertain such delusion.

 

All eyes were on the two as the crowd had picked up on the peculiar momentary exchange between them.  Nevertheless, the key word is…momentary.

 

Amber moves her hands from Krystal’s waist to her arms and carefully sits her down on one of the pool deck lawn chairs without shedding her ever-so-serious neutral gaze on Krystal’s stunned expression.  And maybe it was the way she touched her or the way she’s gazing at her but perhaps the second lasted longer for Krystal than expected rendering inarticulate than her usually eloquent self.  On the other hand, Amber has already snapped back to reality.  And now the only thing that occupied her attention was the person behind the other side of the phone call.

 

Amber searches behind her and finds her phone faced down.  She reaches for it and disappointingly finds a missed call and a voicemail on her lock screen.

 

Goddamnit.  Of all the moments—

 

“You okay bro?”

 

She finally noticed the hand on her shoulder.  Now she’s more than done.  She was annoyed…annoyed at this party, annoyed at Krystal, annoyed that she missed the one chance she’ll get to hear her voice and really the only birthday wish she had.

 

Amber ignores her friends and makes her way inside the penthouse.  She looks for a quiet room furthest from the pool deck, away from the blaring sound and the suffocating atmosphere of the crowd.

 

She sits down at the edge of the bed and regrettably looks at her phone.  She heaves a disappointed sigh as she swipes the screen to open her voicemail.  Disheartened yet nervous she slowly moves the phone to her ear and anxiously listened.

 

“Happy birthday to you!  Happy birthday to you…”

 

Hearing her sweet singing voice brought an immediate smile to her face.

 

“Happy birthday dear Amberrr—happy birthday to you!  Hehehe.  Happy birthday dongsaeng!  Sorry I only got to call now and I’m bummed that I didn’t get to catch you.  I know you’re probably celebrating so I understand.  But you better not be getting drunk with Kai and Joohyuk or I swear I’ll kick their asses after I kick yours!  Hehe.  But Amber, happy 18^th birthday…I miss you…Mmmm…I love you Am, I’m always thinking about you, I hope you know that.  Also, I wish that you had a good day today…and again…I miss you…I’ll talk to you soon?  Bye.”

 

Click.

 

Paper Hearts | Tori Kelly

 

Amber plops down on the bed, her arm covering her eyes.  She doesn’t know whether to feel happy or depressed after hearing that voicemail.

 

“I miss you…”

 

God I miss you too.

 

Two knocks on the open door followed after.  She doesn’t bother to even look but grumbles, “Leave me alone.”

 

“Amber…”

 

Irene’s voice always had a way to disarm her coldness immediately.  She sits up slowly and suppresses her frustration.  Irene carefully places a hand on Amber’s back and slowly sits next to her.

 

“Happy birthday,” Irene extends a box towards her.  “I haven’t had the chance to give you your present so here it is.”

 

She looks at the box in front of her and flashes Irene a smile.  Amber has always been thankful for Irene.  Like Kai and Joohyuk, Irene was a confidant, a friend she was deeply thankful for after all these years.  And because she was a girl, Amber has always treated her with gentleness compared to her other two friends.

 

Amber stares at the box as Irene adds, “It’s probably nowhere as good as the ones that Tiffany unnie always bakes you…but I hope you like it.”

 

And this is the reason why Amber has a soft spot for Irene.  She has a way of comforting her through the small and simple efforts that come from a genuine place of care.

 

Amber opens the box and sees that mini cupcakes that spelled “HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMBER”.  Of course it reminded her of Tiffany.  Tiffany would bake her cupcakes all the time and it’s a treasured memory.  Yet, on a day that she feels the most detached due to the unwarranted attention that she is abundantly receiving from people she viewed indifferently, a nostalgic touch was perhaps the remedy to salvage any “normalcy” from this special occasion.

 

Amber smiles and takes a cupcake and takes a bite into it.  Sure it was nothing like the original but the effort and the sentimental value in the gift from a thoughtful friend like Irene was greatly appreciated.

 

She takes another cupcake and takes Irene’s hand.  She places a cupcake on her hand, teases and adds, “Thanks.  Your baking skills are getting better.  Still needs work but it’s getting there.”

---

 

KRYSTAL POV

 

What just happened?

 

“You okay Krystal?”

 

I looked at the person who was now in front of me and the last fifteen seconds finally registered.

 

I shook my head and answered, “I’m okay.”  Thanks to her.

 

I swear, I’m pretty sure I didn’t do anything intentionally stupid to almost fall in the same accidental predicament that I found myself with the same person for the third time.  I was observing the scene with a non-alcoholic beverage in my hand while I chatted away with my friends.  I was just as immersed in the happenings around me just about the same as the next person and was enjoying myself with the company of the people and the lively spirit in my surroundings.  And then I take one innocent step backwards and bam!  Next thing I know I was falling backwards in slow motion then falling into the arms of the birthday celebrant almost causing a massive party foul.

 

But I strictly remember not ever hitting the ground…I don’t recall a humiliating moment…so why do I feel…weird?

 

“Krystal?  Yo.  Krystal?”

 

The hand that was waving in front of me finally snapped me out of my thoughts.  It was Kai.

 

“Are you okay?  You still look a little shocked?”

 

God, I need to stop spacing out.

 

I flashed him a smile as I gathered my composure and answered, “I’m fine.  I’m sorry…I’m just a little bit…flustered.”

 

“Are you okay?  Are you sure?  You didn’t seem to hit your head or anything?”  Sulli continued to ask.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine.  I’m sure.”  I reassured them.

 

I meant what I said…but why do I have this weird nagging feeling.  I didn’t hit my head.  I didn’t fall down.  I didn’t slip.  But why is my mind reacting like I did?  Like…what just happened?

 

Restroom.  Let’s compose ourselves in the restroom.

 

“If you guys can excuse me…I’ll be back.  I’ll just go to the restroom and freshen up.  I think I just got the wind knocked out of me by the suddenness of almost falling down.  But I’m fine.  I just need to use the restroom,” I explained to them as tactfully as I could.

 

I went inside the penthouse and made my way through the crowded living room to find a bathroom.  As I walked around, my first wandering thought was this:  she has very soft and gentle eyes.

 

Wait Krystal.  Stop.  Why the hell am I thinking about this?

 

But her discovering soft eyes was…unexpected.

 

As I walked all the way down at the end of one of the hallways, I noticed the open door that led to the dimly lit room with two people sitting at the edge of the bed.  My feet stopped due to my unfailing curiosity and took a peek inside and of course…I find Amber and Irene.

 

Hmm…  Amber had a lot of fangirls.  It’s both surprising and not so surprising.  The bad girl-cold prince aura have the girls swooning over her for days. I think I understand the allure of someone like that.  I mean…I had a reputation for being the cold and chic impossible girl to date back at Harbor.  I just have really high standards, that’s all.  I didn’t give the flirtboys and the boys the time of day.  That incidentally earned me the reputation as “the girl that no one can have.”  I guess I had my fair share of similar attention; therefore, I reckon maybe it’s just part of human nature…to want something that you can’t have.  That explained the swarms of fangirls that she had.  Yet, on the other hand it’s very surprising because Amber was never known to be friendly.   In fact, I’ve never seen Amber friendly with anyone outside of her three friends.  And the most obvious observation is that the only girl that Amber was friendly with was Irene.

 

It’s more evidently clear to me as I’m watching the comfortable exchange between the two in this room how different Amber appears to be with her…

 

And for some reason…why am I remotely bothered by this?

 

---

 

Hwang Mansion | 09.21.15 | 7:00am

 

*Knock* *Knock*

 

“Young miss, they’re waiting for you.”

 

Adjusting her tie underneath her suit, she takes one look at the mirror and takes one deep breath.

 

She exited her bedroom and made her way downstairs towards the front entrance of their mansion.  The butlers automatically opened the doors for her as she made her exit.  With one heavy yet confident step at a time, she descended down the marbled stairs towards the limousine parked in front.  She buttoned the only button on her suit as she stepped inside the vehicle.

 

Although she has comfortably settled in her seat, she’s far from being settled in her own skin just yet.  The man sitting adjacent to her, who her uncle has appointed to be her personal assistant since two days ago, handed her a black dossier.

 

“Chairman Hwang asked to have you review the profiles in the dossier regarding the meeting you will be attending today.”

 

She nods her head at her new personal assistant and opens the files.

 

Amber has expected this.  She expected the new responsibilities, the new duties, the new obligations, and the new set-up that will eventually prepare her for the position that will be endowed to her in the future.  Although this inauguration will give her the first step towards the throne, it was still only a mere opportunity to dip her toes in the shallow end of the water for the meantime.

 

She’s still only a high school student after all.

 

Twenty minutes later, the limo stops in front of the headquarters.  Amber waits patiently and takes a large nervous breath.  Deep breaths in.  Deep breaths out.  Deep breaths in.  Deep breaths out.

 

The driver opens the door and she steps out…to the point of no return.  Men in black suits aligned in formation around her as she entered and sure enough, the security guards and especially the custodians that have heard the rumors of the arrival of the heiress and was, therefore, prepared to greet her, were more than surprised to see a very different looking Amber.  For the past year and a half Amber was just regular teenager who worked part-time to earn extra cash to them.  But now, with a smile, she politely greets the uncles and aunts who she had the chance to work with and they were shocked and speechless to say the least.  Change was in the air here at JL Group.  The organizational shift was deeply felt all the way from the 35th floor to the 3rd level basement.  Yet one thing hasn't changed and that is Amber’s respect and endearment towards her elderly co-workers in the custodial staff.

 

After she made her introductions and greetings, the guards led her to the presidential elevator where she waited until it reached the 35^th floor.  ‘Anxious’ fail to encompass the nerves that were coursing through her body.  She was on her way to finally meet not only the C-Level figures of JL Group but also the Board of Directors.  This was a bold move for her uncle James to have her come at this particular point in time.  But he knows better than anyone that this was primetime, especially in the new stages of development and transition that JL Group is heading into.

 

Amber has mulled over this moment for a while now, even before her birthday.  Of course she’d be lying if she said she didn’t feel a bit pressured and nervous.  A part of her questioned whether she was ready for this or not.  She knows her limitations, she has heard the criticisms, and she understands the weight of carrying the crown of the most influential conglomerate of the postmodern world and has questioned whether she will be ready for it when that time comes…but those questions lasted for a brief moment because…

 

She was Amber Liu.  And even she knew that.

---

 

JL Academy | 9:24am

 

The same limousine was now parked in front of the Academy’s campus.  Her eyes were shut closed but this time it wasn’t because she was napping.  The meeting today consumed her thoughts.  She sat in one of the daily tactical meetings amongst top management and just like working through a formula of a math equation, Amber’s mind was on hyperdrive—processing, regurgitating, analyzing data, statistics and projections—all related to the complex and robust entity that is the industry juggernaut, JL Group, a.k.a her future responsibility.

 

The level of comprehension and competence that she has exhibited surpassed expectations.  Amber’s brilliance surely lived up to her reputation and allowed her to keep up with the dialogue and conversation around the table.  Even her uncle couldn’t help but smirk throughout the meeting upon seeing his daughter rise to the occasion.

 

Nevertheless, she’s just an eighteen year old, a student, a kid, a young woman with responsibilities that exceeded her stage of life.

 

“Young miss, we’re here.  Your school uniform is in the bag.”

 

Amber slowly opened her eyes.  She takes a hard look at her new assistant.  He was slightly taller than her but looked younger than the regular staff members around her who were mostly in their late forties and fifties, which made her feel somewhat comfortable than the usual.

 

“What’s your name?”  Amber asked.

 

“Lee Donghae, miss.”

 

“Age?”

 

“Thirty-one years old.”

 

Amber was curious, “How did you become my personal assistant and, for the lack of a better description, really my glorified bodyguard?”
 

“Actually…I worked as one of Chairman Hwang’s assistant for the last year.  He offered me a new position…so here I am now…as you’re new assistant as well as your chief executive manager,” Donghae answered concisely.

 

Amber examined him for a moment before extending her hand out.  “Just call me Amber.”

 

With a small smirk due to the unexpected friendliness of the young miss, Chief Lee Donghae, however, had to decline, “I’m sorry young miss but…I would feel uncomfortable just calling you by your first name.”

 

Amber flashed him a small smile and told him, “Fine.  But just don’t call me young miss.  It makes me cringe.  Secondly, it makes me feel uncomfortable coming from a dude in a suit who could pass for my older brother.  Just call me…Amber-ssi?  Cool?”

 

Amber stuck out her fist, which confounded Chief Lee.

 

“Uhh?  I mean…yeah—”

 

“You’re suppose to bump it Chief.  You know…a fist bump?”

 

“Uh.  Yes young mi—”

 

“Oh!  What did I say?”

 

Donghae exhales in relief and candidly appeases the young miss with the fist bump.  He followed it with a bow and a farewell.  “Have a good day at school Amber-ssi.”

 

Meanwhile, Amber makes her way inside the high school campus.  As expected, the halls were empty.  Classes were already in session and she has arrived about ninety minutes late for her Independent Study class.  Amber quickly changes from her all-black suit to her blue and khaki uniform.  It’s funny how a change in wardrobe could also attribute to the change of attitude and motivation.  As she shuffled through her locker to find the appropriate materials and notebook for the class she was already late for, she felt the intense desire to just it and skip it.  She also didn’t want to have to deal with the questioning glances from her professor and classmates as well as having to deal with workin with her new partner.

 

Krystal Jung.

 

Why did the name bother her?  Was it the drink accidents?  Was it because she’s the reason why she missed Tiffany’s phone call?  Or was it because at the penthouse when she caught her and perfectly enveloped her hands around her small waist that she felt this flickering attraction even if it was just for a brief second?

 

Definitely the drinks.  Definitely the phone call.

 

So Amber pulls out a portfolio from her leather backpack, the 22-page draft that she has already finished over the weekend and resolve to the decsion to stop by the class.

 

She quietly enters the classroom, though she could not prevent the reverted attention that now faced her direction.  She looks around the room and finds most of her classmates congregated with their partners, all except for one.  Kai, Irene and Joohyuk silently greeted her, which she acknowledged with a nod.  Amber then walks over and finds her partner towards the corner of the room seated in front of the desk that was unofficially designated for Amber.

 

Amber slowly approaches Krystal and the two could only exchange stares.  The two met eyes and there it was again—a faint flicker of attraction.  However, Amber mentally refuses to fully acknowledge how stunning Krystal actually looked, especially up close.  Instead, she keeps her very uncompromising bravado, her signature neutrality and doesn’t expose even a mere twitch.   It was very awkward and even Krystal wasn’t sure how to start a conversation. 

 

Judging from the rough scribbling found on Krystal’s notebook, Amber has noted that she has begun brainstorming for their project.  Little did Krystal know that her partner operates in complete independence.

 

Amber pulls the portfolio and drops it on Krystal’s desk.

 

In a cold tone accompanied with her elitist snob, Amber tells Krystal, “I’m not the type to work with partners.  And I’m also not the type to get anything less than an A.”

 

And with that succinct and pithy explanation, Amber leaves the room without turning back, showing zero regard for Krystal.

 

Meanwhile, it took Krystal a second to register what her partner meant.  She opens the portfolio, which incidentally opened up a fire within her.  Never in her academic career has she ever tolerated anyone, no matter who they were and the status they hold, to look down on her and dismiss her the way Amber just did.  Krystal gets it.  Krystal understands this wall of prestige, arrogance, snobbery, and superiority that followed the air that surrounded Amber.  But something erupted in Krystal.  She could ignore the rudeness, she could brush off the coldness, and she could overlook the arrogance but she cannot, nor will she not, tolerate getting unfairly disrespected in this manner.

 

Krystal stands up, taking the portfolio with her, and with fire breathing out of her nostrils, she storms out of the classroom to find Amber.  Their classmates couldn’t ignore the sudden shift of temperature even if they tried.

 

Joohyuk whispered to his partner, Sulli, “This should interesting.”

 

Sulli was also concerned for her friend, “What is she doing?”

 

Joohyuk, amused and concerned all at the same time, hollered across the room for Kai and Irene, “Yah!  I think we should follow them.”

 

Kai, in particular, was more amused than concerned.  He has made the mental note of this moment of how never in all his years in JL Academy has he ever seen anyone brave enough to contest his best friend when it comes to these kinds of antics that she freely pulls.

 

Irene, of course, was more concerned that this could escalate into an episode that could result into an unnecessary incident.  Hence, the four people stood up and without saying much to the professor, they hurriedly left the room to follow after Krystal and Amber.

AMBER POV

 

I was peacefully listening to my music when it suddenly stopped.  What the—

 

I sat up quickly at the sight of an unexpected intruder.

 

The unexpected intruder was none other than Krystal Jung.  She held the portfolio that I handed her in front of me and ripped it in half.  What the fu—

 

“Yah—”

 

She boldly interrupted before I could say anything, “For your information, I’m also not the type to get anything less than an A.  But I’m not the type to get a grade without earning it either.  Last time I checked this senior project was designed as a collaboration.  My assumption is that you’re smart enough to know what ‘collaboration’ means since you’re number one in class rankings after all…”

 

Scoffing, I was rendered speechless by the audacity of this girl.

 

She continued, “You might be the prince of this high school and I get it, you’re miss genius so you probably don’t need me or anyone.  But…” She inched rather closely to my face and there was that thing again happening in my stomach.  And the source came from that look with that intensity.

 

Ugh, I wanted to say something but the churn in my stomach prevented me from uttering anything.  As a result, she kept going.

 

“I’m not the type to need you either.  And I’m definitely not the type to let someone like you, no matter who you think you are, walk all over me.  And as far as I’m concerned, you need me to sign off on this project to even get a grade.  Therefore, you need me as much as I need you.  And lastly…I’m not the type to deal with this kind of bull.”

---

 

KAI POV

 

“And lastly…I’m not the type to deal with this kind of bull.”

 

Amber 0.  Krystal 1.

 

I couldn’t control the grin that formed on my face as I’m watching Krystal drop the mic and storm out of the library leaving my best friend with the dumbest flabbergasted look on her face.

 

Sulli soon followed after Krystal while Joohyuk, Irene and I stayed with Amber.  As soon as the two girls were out of earshot distance, I turned my face towards Amber, who still wore the same face, and couldn’t help but laugh and applaud the brilliance of that moment.  Joohyuk reacted the same way as we began to approach Amber.

 

I , “That was probably the best thing I’ve seen in this school in a long time!”

 

That earned me a pinch from Irene and as I looked at Amber, she was definitely not amused.  Joohyuk took another jab at her, “Bro…she told you!  You just got wrecked!”

 

“Yah!  You guys are suppose to be my friends!”  Amber finally erupted, which only added fuel to our laughter.  Irene couldn’t contain her smile either.

 

Here’s the deal.  This is why this was so entertaining and so fascinating.  No one—as in no one—has ever stood up to Amber and paralyzed her the way Krystal just did.  Last one someone tried…well let’s just say it was bad news for the person, which resulted in a suspension for my best friend.  But this time, it was different.  Maybe it’s a Jung effect or something else but in that battle…Krystal had the resounding victory.  The scene was like Superman meeting kryptonite actually.  Amber couldn’t even fire back with one of her sassy comebacks, which honestly is one of the most entertaining things I’ve witnessed in a long time.

 

Even now, Amber could only let out a frustrated scoff.

 

Joohyuk added, “That’s what you get when you mess with a Jung!  You had it coming.”

 

“Yah!  Whose side are you on?!  And seriously!  Who the hell does she think she is?!”  Amber finally whined and complained.

 

Smirking at the scene, Irene jumped into the conversation too, “She’s right though, Am.  It’s a partner project and you both have to sign off on it.”

 

“But still!”

 

“Amber,” I placed a hand on her shoulder, “Krystal Jung has just scaled the Top Elite wall and has temporarily dethroned the prince.”  That comment earned me a hard jab on my shoulder, which only incited more laughter.

 

Krystal Jung.  She’s definitely something.

 

---

 

Author's Note

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a good one!  :)