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    "So." Krystal looked around. "A normal park, is this what I'm missing?"
    "I thought—" Amber ran a hand through her hair, in despair. "I thought they would be blossoming by now!" Amber let her body fall on one of the benches around them. "It's so pretty, though..."
    Krystal followed her and sat beside her, glancing around the park. "How pretty?"
    Amber took a while to answer. "This pretty." On Amber's phone were a few pictures of cherry blossoms on the very same park where they were. "See it for yourself."
    
    Amber gave her the phone and Krystal happily slid through the photos. It was, in fact, pretty. Every picture would have this white and baby pink background, along with some random people—mostly couples, Krystal noticed— admiring the trees. Petals would be ocasionally falling, giving some wonderland-like spirit to it.
    Krystal liked it.
    She wanted to go there. Not really go, since she was already on the place; she wanted to observe them.
    
    "When is this happening?" Krystal kept on sliding through Amber's phone, looking for more pictures of the beautiful scenario, but as she reached (one kind of) selca where a very sleepy but happy Amber was seen with an arm over another girl with brown bangs and—, Amber took the phone from Krystal's hands, her sudden action shocking the brunette one.
    "March, April, around that." Amber quietly said, throwing her phone inside the backpack.
    Krystal had both her eyebrows raised in surprise. "Who was that?" Curiosity as to understand why Amber reacted that way to the overly-friendly photo, was all over her face and mind.    
    "Ex." Amber mumbled.
    If Krystal could raise more her eyebrows, she would: "Your ex was a girl?"
    Amber sighed, avoiding eye contact.
    "Yo-you like girls?" Krystal felt her heart rate increase for no apparent reason. "You're lesbian?—Gay?"
    Amber scoffed at her. "That's offensive, you know."
    "I didn't mean to, sorry." Krystal immediately said. "But that's... that's not really... natural, right?"
    Amber gave her a confused look, that slowly turned to a hurt one. "Wha-wh—You just did not say that." She shook her head, an expression of unbelief all over her face. "And they say American people are open-minded..." She was used to this reaction from everyone, it's about time she shouldn't be so mad at people for making such ignorant questions, remarks. "What, you're disgusted by me, now? Are you going to leave me too?" She harshly said.
    "What do you mean? When did I ever say that?" Krystal could feel her tone raise, she would probably hate what was about to happen.
    "Come on, it's written all over your face, Soojung." Thump.
    "Wha—"
    "Listen, I'm sorry. I really can't stand homophobe people, I just can't. If you're not okay with it, then we can stop this... this 'thing' we have been doing." Amber stood up and slung her backpack over her shoulder.
    "Wai—"
    "Seriously," Amber started to walk away, but Krystal still managed to listen to what she was saying. "Out of all people." Thump.

    Krystal just sat there. Dumbfounded. Completely unaware of what had just happened.
    But she didn't stop Amber from going away either.




    Krystal felt the worst the next day.
    Amber only threw a fit, didn't even get mad, didn't even scream at her. So why was it that Krystal found it very difficult to even glance at her? She wanted to know what did exactly happen, what she did exactly do to make Amber leave just like that on that afternoon. She tried to recall every moment, but found nothing except for her true, sincere words. She felt nervous. And sad; Sadness, a new feeling for Krystal.
    However, Krystal didn't make any effort to talk to her. She couldn't. She didn't feel like doing so. Amber didn't, either. It's obvious what she had said—liking girls—was a shock for Krystal. That wasn't normal, was it? Liking girls, she thought. What are boys for, then? Krystal had never thought about that. It's weird, it was weird. And then this weird feeling appeared in her, making her feel, stay, walk, further and further away from Amber.
    It just... it just didn't feel natural. Krystal slightly shook her head as she walked around the school, alone. She had no idea where her friends were and she was sure she wouldn't be the first one to break the ice between Amber and herself. If Amber wanted to keep with her childish act, Krystal thought, then she wouldn't be the one to first walk up to her. It wasn't her fault, it was Amber that misinterpreted her words.
    But then, what's so wrong with it, Krystal? Whether Amber likes girls or boys, it's the same, right? What does it have to do with you? You were her friend when you didn't know abut her ual orientation, but what about now? Nothing has really changed since yesterday, or has it?
    Krystal's mind was full of questions with no answers. Before she knew it, she was already leaving school for the day, mindlessly walking down the steps, with her hands on her backpack straps, gaze locked nowhere.


    "What, you're disgusted by me, now?"
    "Are you going to leave me too?"
    Krystal got nervous all of a sudden, once again thinking on how disappointed Amber's voice sounded when she said those words.
    Thump. Thump. Thump.
    Her heart rate increased as she caught the glimpse of a blonde head. Krystal looked up at it, in a way expecting Amber would be waiting for her at the school's gate like she would almost ever day. Amber glanced at the stairs. Krystal smiled, suddenly eager to get to talk to her after a very long day. But that dejection that had been with her all day long once again surrounded her, as she found herself smiling at Amber's back.
    With her head hanging down, she left the school and walked to the car that was waiting for her right in front of the gate.
    
    
    The week went horribly slow for Krystal. She was sitting on the living room's sofa, supposed to be watching a weekend sitcom. Besides not being able to understand not even half of what they were saying, it was surprisingly boring, so her attention was now focused on the wooden wall above the TV. She was home alone; both bodyguards had gone grocery shopping with her grandmother—the mysterious, always-smiling old lady—since she needed some strong arms to carry all the grocery bags. Krystal was invited to go as well, but she wasn't in the mood at all. She actually had a lot of things to do, such as going to the institute and homework, but she felt like doing none.
    She caressed the dog's head — that had previously jumped to her lap, —  as she tried to watch once again that sitcom. It was way too lame. She looked around for the TV's remote, only to find it lying on the floor. As she got up to grab it, she heard a door open. Krystal froze on that very same place, her mind suddenly going blank from fear. The door in front of her flung open, making her jump and squeal.

    "Krystal?!"
    "Jack!" Both let out at the same time.
    "What are you doin—"
    "I'm the one who should be asking that! You scared me!"
    "—I thought you had gone with them," Jack walked, no—limped to the couch where Krystal was just a few moments ago.
    "What's wrong with your leg?" Krystal shook her head as she pointed to his stretched leg and stepped in closer to him.
    "I..." Jack looked around for a moment, in an unsteady way, looking for an excuse. "fell."    
    "That hard?" Krystal didn't believe it the moment it got out of his mouth. She raised her eyebrow and expected him to honestly tell what had happened.
    However, Jack only nodded and grabbed the remote, changing to a music channel and throwing it afterwards.
    "I should have seen that, then." Krystal said in a bored tone.
    "Yeah," Jack mumbled.
    "I thought you were with my Dad?"
    "I was." He glanced at her, flinching for a moment.
    "When did you come back? Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
    "I'm pretty sure you would answer something like 'like I care'," Krystal dryly chuckled. "See?" Krystal shrugged, smiling half-heartedly as she let herself fall on the same couch where Jack was. "Ouch, careful!" His hands flew to his leg as in self-defense.
    "Sorry," She took a look at Jack's leg (he was only wearing a shirt and some boxers; there was no problem, after all, they were siblings, not in blood, but still siblings, she was used to it) and frowned at the ugly wound. "That's disgusting, did you even go to the hospital to treat that? At least cover it!"
    "Shut up. Just get me food already. It feels like I haven't eaten in years."
    Krystal glanced at him rather offended. "Hah. Go get it yourself."
    "What? I always take care of you when you're sick, so why—"
    "You? Take care of me? That's because you're told to do so." Krystal got up and left the living room.
    "Hey! Where are you going?!" Jack turned his head and followed Krystal with his eyes. "YAH, JUNG SOOJUNG!"
    "IT'S KRYSTAL, you dumb piece of—" Krystal sighed, not finishing what she was saying, and laid herself on her bed, making good use of the sun that was iluminating her through the window by closing her eyes and rest.


    "Soojung."
    "Soojung-ah!"
    "Out of all people."

    Krystal forced her eyes closed and shook her head.
    
    "Must not think of her." She whispered.

A/N:

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