Tiffany stared at her food as her right hand cupped her jaw. She wasn’t hungry. She hasn’t been hungry actually. But, she eats here and there ever since that day Taeyeon dropped off breakfast that one morning. That same morning that she told Taeyeon to go herself.

There are days when Tiffany wants to take it all back. Days when she just wants someone to hug her and just comfort her, specifically a short haired blond, but she can’t give in. It’s Taeyeon’s fault. Taeyeon’s the one who hurt her.

‘She has to apologize….. No, not just apologize but explain...

She’s been wanting an explanation from the other girl but hasn’t received one. Then again, maybe she doesn’t want one. Maybe she’s afraid of what Taeyeon will tell her.

‘Or maybe I’m just over-thinking things…’

A sigh left Tiffany’s lips.

‘But she’s the one who stopped talking to me first.’

“Have you guys heard?” A guy sat adjacent to Tiffany, and everyone at the table turned to Paul, the guy.

“Heard what?” Jessica’s boyfriend was the one who spoke.

Paul leaned into everyone, making sure to look around him before he said, “Some girl got stabbed yesterday.” Everyone looked at him with wide eyes. “At least, that’s what I’m betting on with Mark and his friends.” And on cue, everyone then rolled their eyes. For a second there, they actually believed Paul and his high tailed story.

“You’re a ing idiot Paul. You don’t joke about those type of things.” Jessica called him out, and Paul exaggeratedly placed a palm on his chest.

“Damn, princess. That hurt, calling me a liar and what not. I’m telling you something did happen,” Everyone turned away from Paul as they tried to continue through with their lunch, “Look, something did happen. Apparently, one of Mark’s cousins’ is a nurse, and his cousin told him that some girl from our school got rushed into the hospital yesterday because she lost a lot of blood.”

“So you’re assuming she got stabbed? Here?” Jessica’s boyfriend humored him.

“Yeah.” Paul sized up.

“Then why weren’t there any ambulances here yesterday while we were practicing genius?” Jessica followed her boyfriend’s tracks.

“Because her mom found her in her room bleeding. And, the girl’s mom said that she found the girl’s backpack still in her car with the driver’s seat stained with blood.” Paul countered and no one said a word.

Something didn’t sit well in Tiffany. She felt what little she ate wanting to come straight back up.

“Do you guys think,” A tall brunet dude spoke, “It’s that one girl who’s always by herself?” Everyone then looked at the at him. The girls’ at the table looked scared while the guys’ looked curious, wanting to know who she could be.

“What makes you say that?” Jessica’s boyfriend leaned towards him, his toned frame showing as he tried to hear the tall boy’s next words.

Tiffany looked scared at Mike, the tall brunet that spoke, as he mentioned Taeyeon. Her right hand that was once supporting her head was now gripping the table, showing off the whites of her knuckles.

Jessica looked at her best friend. She saw the way Tiffany was giving Mike a scared look. She slid her hand under the table and took Tiffany’s in hers. Tiffany’s hand was cold, and her grip was strong as she shook.

Taeyeon wasn’t at school that day, so there was a high possibility that she’s the same girl everyone’s so curious about.

“Well, remember how I told you that I had to go take a piss during practice, but said that I didn’t want to go in the locker room because the soccer team had just finished with their practice?”

Jessica’s boyfriend nodded. “Yeah, and I told you to just go to one of the other ones if you really had to go.”

“And I did.” Everyone looked at him, eerily waiting for him to confirm their suspicions. Even the tables’ next to them were trying to listen in on what was happening. “She was in there when I stepped in. I thought I accidently walked into the girl’s for a second, but I quickly dismissed the thought. And, well, I mean, she didn’t say anything to me, grabbed her bag and walked out the door, but she looked like she saw a ghost. All pale, sweating and looked like . And not to mention that it smelled like metal in there.”

“Iron,” Paul whispered.

“Blood.” Jessica’s boyfriend finished everyone’s thoughts.

“Who do you think did it?”  A girl with tanned skin and hazel eyes speaks, the same one who tried to reason with Bradley and tell Taeyeon what had happened to Tiffany’s mom.

“Loudmouth Danny,” Jessica spoke without thinking, and she suddenly didn’t feel Tiffany’s presence.

Tiffany felt like she was going to be sick––scratch that––she was sick. What little she ate came rushing straight back up the moment she opened the door to the stalled toilet. Her body shook and shivered as her stomach repeated pushed and pulled on her abdomen.

“Tiffany?!” Jessica ran into the bathroom moments after Tiffany, and she rushed to help her friend, pulling her hair up as she tried her best not to look.

“It’s my fault,” Tiffany said a few minutes after she settled down and wiped her face with the toilet paper Jessica handed her.

“No, it’s not.” Jessica countered.

“Yes,” Tiffany flushed the toilet as she stood up, “It is.”