Tiffany grimaced, narrowing her eyes at her drink. Her goal had been to try every single beverage offered at the library’s cafe over the course of the semester, but this new flavor was particularly unpleasant and she was not enjoying herself. She pressed her lips in a thin, unimpressed line, putting the cup down. A poor start to the day--but Jessica claimed she would meet her at this library and had even texted two minutes ago for clarification on her current desk location—Tiffany was, to say the least, surprised. Quite honestly, she had been expecting to be dragging Jung’s deadweight partnership through the mud to finish this project over the next couple months, but she let herself be cautiously optimistic that the girl could actually be of some academic assistance.

As if summoned, Jessica cleared , standing at the edge of the table. She pointed at the cup. “Mint and coffee? Sounds awful,” she said, shrugging off a snow-coated parka. The girl seated herself comfortably across from Tiffany and pulled out her laptop. Her hair said model , but her eyes said ready to go back to sleep . Tiffany took a deep breath, bracing herself for another mind-numbing homework session.

“Why do they call this a ‘mojito’ coffee if there’s not even alcohol in it?” It wasn't really meant to start a conversation, but Tiffany wasn't used to silence. She sipped at the drink again, making a face.

“If it’s that bad, you could just throw it out,” Jessica pointed out, blinking over the top of her laptop.

“But I already bought it,” Tiffany mumbled around the straw. “I’ve made a commitment now.”

“Commitment,” Jessica said, glancing back down at her screen. “Uh huh.”

Tiffany raised a brow. Was that supposed to feel as pointed as it did? “Anyway…” she said, putting down the cup, “I just made an outline of the things we’ll want to cover, like a few case studies and just like… why this topic is still relevant, and more than just a high-school-level copout question.” Staring at the girl across the table, she paused to give her a chance to interrupt. Jessica did not. “So… hang on, I’ll send you a link to it on Facebook—uh, are we…?” —friends?

The girl blinked a few times before responding. “Oh, sorry, no. I’ll add you. Give me a second.”

A second passed, and then Tiffany’s phone dinged with a Jessica Jung wants to be friends with you on Facebook.

Confirm , Tiffany tapped. Instinctually, she opened the profile, finding herself smiling at the profile picture. Jessica was pinching a younger girl’s cheeks in the photo, and the other girl looked less than pleased. "You have a sister?” she asked.

“Ah,” Jessica said, smiling at the memory of the photo. Subtly forcing her face back to a neutral expression, Tiffany pried her eyes away and glued them back to her phone. “That picture is so old. Soojung’s in high school now.”

“It’s cute,” she said.

The other girl’s sleeve was brought to her laptop screen, brushing off a piece of dust. She blinked blearily. “Thanks.”

Tiffany hummed, sipping her coffee again. These lulls in conversation seemed to be the norm with this girl.

The other girl yawned.

“Do you like… need caffeine, or something?” she tried. “We have some time before class, and the line isn’t that long right now.”

Jessica shook her head. “I’m fine, just not really a morning person.” She yawned again.

She wasn’t convinced. “God, just take mine. I don’t want you falling asleep mid-presentation.” The cup was pushed across the table, leaving a trail of condensation across the glass. When she didn't get a response, she sighed. “Really,” Tiffany emphasized.

Said cup was stared at for a split second before it was taken and sipped at quietly.

Pushing her hair over her shoulder, she shifted in her seat. “So yeah, just like—“

“Thanks.”

“Yeah,” Tiffany nodded, “anytime.”

The silence that followed was cut short with Jessica’s amused, “You’re right, though. This really isn’t very good.”

“Thank you, I don’t know who gave this drink the green light,” Tiffany laughed. “I mean, you don’t have to finish it either. Maybe this was my secret way of getting rid of my drink without feeling like I wasted it.”

Jessica rolled her eyes. “Well, ‘I’ve made a commitment now,’ right?” she echoed, “Although I don’t know why you got an iced drink in the dead of winter.”

Appalled, Tiffany leaned forward. “It’s almost spring! And we’re—we’re off topic, anyway, class starts in like five minutes. Here, I sent you the link—just go over it really quick, we can just kinda play it by ear.”  

"Sure,” she said, taking a long sip from the drink. "We'll play it by ear."

"So, ultimately, we plan to delve into the history of different types and examples of governmental regimes, and maybe touch upon vigilantism and a few recent case studies."

Tiffany nodded. "That's about all we have for now."

The class gave an appropriate smattering of bored claps as the two returned to their seats. Tiffany was simultaneously entertained and annoyed that her ongoing streak of not sitting next to her project partner was ended, and was also begrudgingly impressed at the girl's last-minute additions to their presentation. Not that she was about to tell her that, though. Packing up, her notebook was pushed into her bag with more force than she intended.

“I gotta be somewhere, but see you later!” she said in Jessica's general direction, making an uncharacteristic escape before any further conversation could be prompted. In Tiffany’s professional opinion, the net worth of interactions with Jessica Jung that day had settled to a positive outcome, and she was not willing to risk ruining that. It was a rare enough occasion, and it wasn’t as though Tiffany was trying to antagonize Jung.

Glancing at her watch, Tiffany picked up her pace, startled by how much snow had fallen since that morning—she really did have to be at dance practice, and she hadn’t realized how long she and Jessica had presented for.

By the time she made it to the practice room, she was out of breath and damp from the snow. "Sorry I'm late," she breathed as soon as she reached the doorway. "Class went way over.”

She received a vague nod from the instructor that she took to be understanding and made her way to her usual spot by Hyoyeon, who gave her a curious look. It was unlike Tiffany to be late--if anything, she was reliably the person doing the headcounts and mental attendance record at the beginning of practice.

In response to Hyoyeon’s glance, Tiffany just shrugged. She was learning many things about her new friend, including (but not limited to): a savage, unrelenting dry humor that could leave anyone in tears due to laughter; an impressive talent for dance that was almost mystifying in skill; a relatable affinity for alcohol and parties; and, of course, her friendship with the ever-prevalent Jessica Jung. They both knew exactly what kind of conversation would be prompted by a mention of the Jung girl.

While Tiffany remained uncharacteristically silent, Hyoyeon raised a brow. Ignoring her, Tiffany followed the steps, hyper-focused on not missing a beat. Hyoyeon seemed to drop it, and she was thankful for that. Practice went on as normal.

When practice ended, nothing happened, either. In fact, Tiffany would have been suspicious that Hyoyeon really had dropped the matter--if she hadn't been so relieved that she did. They made some small talk-- how was class today? Pretty good, you? Normal, which is to say really boring. Laughter. The usual. It was basically the weekend. It was a good day.

Kwon Yuri was having a bad day. She just wanted to wipe down the tables like a good employee was supposed to and go back to her apartment and take a nap, but Fridays were always busy busy busy.

She suppressed a deep sigh, making the fifteenth caramel latte since 3pm. Yuri glanced at the clock. It was 4pm.

"Have a nice day.” It was her own voice, probably.

"You sound like you want to die," replied caramel latte owner #15.

Having to make conversation during work was always awful. Glancing up, she meant to laugh, say something to the effect of I can't complain, but met the eyes of one Choi Sooyoung instead.

"Can't blame you," Sooyoung said, when Yuri found nothing in her arsenal to reply with. "When do you get off? Hyoyeon and I wanted to hang out."

"Why do I need to be off for you two to hang out?"

Sooyoung was blatantly ignoring the line behind her. Yuri was screaming internally. "Hang out with you . Strategizing. Conspiring." Sooyoung sipped at her coffee. "The usual."

"The usual," Yuri repeated, slowly. They had only talked once, and Yuri only appreciated it because Hyoyeon and Sooyoung had helped her clean up.

"Just tell me when your shift is over," Sooyoung sighed. "Good coffee, by the way."

The words left Yuri's mouth like a prayer. "Fifteen minutes."

"Cool," was a the simple response, and she was gone.

Fourteen minutes later, the blonde one appeared in the corner of her vision. "Hey."

Yuri was already untying her apron and clocking out. "Hey."

"Come sit," Hyoyeon said.

Yuri sat.

Sooyoung was already shaking her head. "Nothing to report on my end. Tiffany's been at class all day."

Hyoyeon held out her hand to stop the girl. "She didn't tell you about class?"

"What about class?"

"They had to present today."

"They what?"

"Jessica left early this morning," Hyoyeon explained. "When would she ever do that of her own accord?"

Yuri felt like she was watching a tennis match. "It's kind of creepy that you know that," Yuri muttered. She fixed her ponytail.

"Oh, wait, no," Hyoyeon said, "I'm Jessica's roommate."

"Oh," Yuri said. She was tired.

“I just came from dance with Tiffany,” Hyoyeon added.

The two went back and forth about this meeting--how early did she leave? Did she say anything about it? Yuri listened with the barest thread of interest, watching the bell above the door swing with every opening, quietly thanking the fact that she wasn't working. Side to side, letting out a confident ding every time.

Her only investment in this entire issue was that she had lived in the same freshman dorm as Tiffany, and maybe, just maybe , this would provide her enough entertainment and life to make it through the next few shifts at the cafe. She also had a sneaking suspicion that Sooyoung and Hyoyeon wouldn't leave her alone, regardless.

When the door swung open and a girl walked in, Yuri's eyes left the bell and quietly followed her movement.

Eventually, Yuri noted a silence from the other two. She slid her eyes back and shifted her gaze back and forth between them. "What?"

"Yuri, Yuri, Yuri," Hyoyeon muttered, shaking her head. She was smiling, and Yuri did not like it. Not one bit.

"I can't believe my eyes," Sooyoung whispered, grinning from ear to ear. "Im Yoona?"

Yuri stared at the table that she had wiped down half an hour ago. "I don't know what you mean." She had missed a spot. Was it getting warm?

She barely knew her, but she knew Sooyoung was using that voice. "Our little Yul--"

"I think I'm older than you," Yuri mumbled, putting her head on the mostly-clean table. She really should have gone home and taken that nap she'd been thinking about for hours. What was the phrase? Digging her own grave? Something to that effect.

Hyoyeon looked to Sooyoung. “Side mission?” Then she turned to Yuri. "I think today is your lucky day.”

"I really don't think so," Yuri replied.

"I happen to be very good friends with Yoona," she continued. "Are you interested now?"

"No," Yuri mumbled, but picked her head up off the table. "And keep your voice down."

TY: well???

Tiffany scowled at the notification. “ ??? what” she typed back. Why was everyone so invested in her business lately?

TY: you know.

Tiffany locked her phone. It was a Friday and she had other things to worry about. Taeyeon interrogating her on Jessica Jung wasn't one of them.

She dragged a hand down her face. And yet! And yet here she was, actively thinking about Jessica Jung. Couldn't she go one day with some peace of mind?

What was the deal, anyway? It wasn't as if one night should be indicative of any form of future relationship--the core of the whole idea had been exactly the opposite .

After New Year’s, she genuinely had never expected to see Miss Jung again. And the horrific, terrifying fact was Jessica was an interesting person. She was not opposed to a… any sort of relationship with--

She slapped her forehead. Stop that, Tiffany, before you convince yourself it's the right thing to do. Twirling her phone in her hand, she fell back into bed, sighing deeply. This was, she supposed, the peak college experience-- at least she's not my TA. Or professor, she reasoned. People date their lab partners or group project members, right? Wasn't that the plot of John Tucker Must Die, or something?

Probably not.

The pillow beneath her head was cool, and Tiffany had no intent of moving-- but it's Friday, and what loser stays in on a Friday night?

A knock interrupted her internal reflection-- thank God.

“It's me!” came a voice, barely muffled by her door.

Tiffany didn't budge a single inch. “It's open!” she shouted, surprised Sooyoung had bothered to give a warning at all.

“‘Sup,” Sooyoung said, throwing herself into Tiffany’s desk chair. She tossed her feet onto the end of the bed, nearly kicking Tiffany in the face.

Tiffany threw her right hand up, fingers splayed, palm reaching for the ceiling. She squinted at the texturing between the gaps, offering a melodramatic sigh. "You ever have this like... this image of someone, and they just totally--"

"I get it, Fany, we both know you're talking about Jessica. Next."

Tiffany was not fazed. "She just... it's like there's so many pieces to her. What do I do?"

Sooyoung wasn't impressed, either. "Wow, it's like she's a multidimensional human being, or something."

"Multidimensional is a pretty big word for you."

"This whole situation is pretty big for you," Sooyoung shot back, and Tiffany found the girl's failed suppression of a smirk contagious.

“Damn,” she said simply, laughing. She let her arms collapse to her sides.

“Sooyoung: one; Tiffany: zero. No, Tiffany: negative two.”

She frowned. “What's the negative two?”

“Negative one was being a and not just asking Jessica out on January second.” Tiffany shrugged, shirt crumpling awkwardly beneath her shoulders with the motion. She would concede to that. “Negative two was being a  again and not asking her out today,” Sooyoung explained.

“Today?” She sat up. “What, did you see her today?” Tiffany shook her head as if it would clear her thoughts. “Do you even know her? Like have you ever even seen her before, in real life?”

Sooyoung folded her arms, leaning back precariously in the chair. “Everyone knows her.”

Tiffany groaned, pushing the heel of her hand into her right eye. “What does that even mean ?”

Sooyoung laughed, reaching to push Tiffany's knee with her own foot. “Relax, girl. She was my undergrad TA in Intro to Business Management last year.”

“Undergrad TA,” Tiffany mumbled. Fear confirmed: Jessica was smart, too. Just watch her love animals and be great with kids, too. She could basically visualize the figurative rabbit hole.

“Are you a parrot? What's with the repetition today?”

“This is pathetic,” Tiffany moaned, ever with the dramatics.

Sooyoung snorted. “Which part of that is new?”

Tiffany threw her pillow.

“Awful rebuttal. I thought you wanted to go to law school,” Sooyoung snickered, catching the pillow and putting her feet back on the ground. She hugged the pillow, and Tiffany felt even more ridiculous without it to hide behind.

“Jerk,” she muttered.

“Ad hominem. Terrible, Fany. You're better than this.” Then Sooyoung seemed to take pity, because she said, “Life’s short. Just text her.”

“Her life is short too. She can text me first.” Apparently, her stubbornness had not abandoned her like the rest of her usual strengths.

“Come on, I'm trying to help you! Here, just hand it over,” Sooyoung offered, holding out her hand pointedly.

Tiffany held her phone to her chest, considering. “It's… not a big deal. I'm--we’re just…”

Sooyoung looked expectant. “‘Just project partners?’ Do you hear yourself? Since when did Tiffany Hwang ever hesitate at anything?”

She hadn't thought of a good response before Sooyoung continued. “One--just one--lunch date isn't gonna kill you,” she said.

“But--”

“If you wait until the end of this semester, it'll be summer, and we both know your chances are shot once we all leave campus.” She paused. “Just one, Fany. If it's awful and you hate her at the end, then fine. Never again. Drop out of the class. Transfer schools, whatever. But right now, you're hopeless right now, and I don't like it.” She gave an affected shiver. “Freaks me out.”

Tiffany took a very, very deep breath, feeling the ache in her lungs when she refused to let it out for a fraction of a second.

“Fine,” she said, not meaning to whisper. “You're a bad influence.”

“Hm?”

“ Fine, ” she repeated, closing her eyes. Her jaw ached; she hadn't realized she'd been grinding her teeth.

“You make it sound like the end of the world.”

Tiffany stared at her phone, blinking blue cursor glaring at her mockingly. Well.

///////

A/N: Hello, friends. Sorry.

Tried the mojito cold brew coffee recently. Wouldn’t recommend. I'd sooner just get the cold brew fog, and I really did not enjoy the cold brew fog. Also, you'll probably accidentally order a "cold brew frog" because you're tired and the girl making your coffee will laugh at you. Hypothetically.