With all her might, Taeyeon burst through the school doors and jumped straight over a short flight of stairs. She knew the brunette was about to go through that door and she desperately needed a place to hide. She ran around the corner of the school as she wiped off the sweat appearing on her forehead. There didn’t appear to be any sufficient hiding spots until she noticed a big green dumpster next to the school wall.

 

Hmm… I don’t know… I mean I could hide there, but what if there are rats in there? I mean, it wouldn’t be the worst hiding place in the world, but... I could just keep running and -

 

Just as Taeyeon was contemplating the notion of running away, she heard the unmistakable sound of the school doors being thrown aside with a loud bang.

 

“WHERE ARE YOU KIM?!”

 

Without another second of hesitation, Taeyeon quietly opened the dumpster lid and hopped into it with a slight measure of difficulty.

 

The inside of the dumpster was just too rancid. Taeyeon hugged her bag, wishing it was her smiling peapod. Even though the smell of expired milk was stinging her nostrils - the foul aroma effectively rendering her nose useless after this incident - it was a price to pay if she wanted to leave with her body in one piece.

 

As if the death of her nose was not enough to worry about, she was able to make out the distinct sounds of someone approaching her hiding spot.

 

Oh no, please no!

 

The sound of footsteps finally stopped, but then she heard the sound of the dumpster opening and she futilely tried to cringe away from the incoming light.

 

I didn’t mean it! It wasn't my fault! I wish I can just go back in time and warn myself of her! If only I’d have stayed away from Tiffany Hwang!

 

The lid finally opened fully, but instead of a certain mushroom reaching in to rip out, a pretty girl with slightly tanned skin and long black hair was staring at her in confusion.

 

For a second Taeyeon was relieved that her savior had finally come, but was then horrified to realize that she’d arrived at the worst possible time.

 

“Taeyeon, what are you-”

 

“Yah! Get in here, stupid!” Taeyeon hissed before grabbing Yuri’s arms and pulling her into the heap of trash, immediately closing the lid above her as soon as Yuri’s head cleared the top.

 

“Taeyeon what has gotten in-” Taeyeon stuck her dirty hand onto Yuri’s mouth before Yuri could make any more noise. She used her other hand to hold her index finger to her lips and made a shushing noise. Yuri nodded in understanding and Taeyeon removed her hand from Yuri’s now soiled lips in order to check if anybody was coming near them.

 

Before Yuri could say anything else, Taeyeon put up her index finger again and placed her ear against the dumpster wall.

 

“Hey Jessi, there you are. Have you seen that dork running around here?”

 

Damn it, she’s still here! What am I supposed to do?

 

“Taeyeon,” Yuri whispered as softly as she could. “Why are we in a dumpster?”

 

“I can explain everything,” Taeyeon put her hands up, “but right now we need to find a way to get home without getting our asses kicked.”

 

The awful smells were starting to get to Yuri and covering wasn’t helping the urge to throw up everywhere. Taeyeon pinched her nose while breathing in through , but her tongue tasted three week old tofu, so she reverted back to Yuri’s strategy.

 

Footsteps could be heard again and this time they were heading straight for Taeyeon’s hiding spot. The small girl squeezed her bag and her eyes shut, waiting for Tiffany to drag her out.

 

The lid flew open again, but instead of an uproar being created, Taeyeon noticed that it was very quiet. She and Yuri looked up to meet the eyes of a familiar yet unsurprised looking blonde. Having Tiffany’s best friend find her was just as bad and Taeyeon prepared herself for the impending doom of having Tiffany find her hiding place.

 

“Did you find them Jessi?” Tiffany yelled from afar.

 

“No, I’m just throwing my gum away,” Jessica responded. She turned her attention to the dreadfully smelling girls and pinched her nose as she spoke. “If you want to get out of this with your skin attached, you’ll stay quiet until I come back.” Jessica focused mainly on Taeyeon, and then shifted her gaze to the girl next to her. “That goes double for you Ms. Kwon Yuri.”

           

She slammed the dumpster lid down and Taeyeon could hear the sound of her heels fading as they clicked away into the distance.

 

“Hey Tiff, I think I saw Teoyeong or whatever her name is run towards the gym.”

 

As the sound of their voices started to become faint, Taeyeon thought it would be a good time to start talking while keeping the lid slightly open so they could get some fresh air.

 

“Yuri, what the hell are you doing here?” Taeyeon asked her confused friend.

 

“Me? Why the heck did you lie to me?”

 

“It’s a long story.”

 

“Well, we’re gonna be here for a while unless you want to just run for it.” Yuri started to get up, but Taeyeon stopped her.

 

“No!” Taeyeon whispered as she grabbed Yuri’s hand.

 

“Why not? We don’t have to listen to what that girl says.”

 

“It’s just…” Taeyeon had to think about it for a while. Why was she taking Jessica’s advice? Probably because she didn’t have many options and trusting the cold looking girl seemed like her best bet. The last thing she wanted was to disobey Jessica’s order; the last thing she needed was to get kidnapped by her bodyguards again in the middle of the night. “Jessica seems to be trustworthy. I think she’s trying to help us.”

 

“Are you serious? That girl is crazy.” Yuri pointed behind her. “Few days ago back at the mall, little Miss Frosty nearly crushed my hand in the bathroom.” Yuri held out her hand that looked only slightly less bruised then it was a few days ago.

 

“So she was the one that bruised your hand?” Taeyeon looked surprised. “Why didn’t you tell me before?” Yuri didn’t know what to say since she was guilty of what Taeyeon was doing; she didn’t want to worry her. “Look Yuri, just think about it. She could’ve just ratted us out and watch Tiffany beat us up, but instead she chose to lead her away. She might be trying to help us.”

 

“I don’t know about this...” Yuri looked worried. She stared at the clear path she could make outside of the dumpster, but then she saw the caring eyes of her friend and that was all she needed. “But I’ll trust you for now.” She stuck her arm up, helping Taeyeon air out their septic prison. “But anyways, let’s get down to the real issue. Why the heck are you hiding in a dumpster?”

 

“To make a long story short, I needed a place to hide and this seemed like the best choice.”

 

“No, I didn't mean literally." Yuri pinched the bridge of her nose while looking at the dirty girl. "I meant why did you lie to me about the dentist? I knew something fishy was going on.”

 

Taeyeon sunk her head low. “I’m sorry Yuri, I didn’t want you to get involved.”

 

Yuri let out a sigh. “I’m guessing you met up with Tiffany alone and now she’s after you.” Taeyeon was about to tell Yuri about everything that went down, but suddenly she felt her face turn red. The previous memory of the warm feeling on her lips made her feel all fuzzy inside, but at the same time it was because of that memory Tiffany is trying to kill her. It was best to just tell Yuri the simple truth without spilling the details.

 

“I really wanted to handle this on my own,” Taeyeon tried to reason.

 

Yuri rolled her eyes. “Like how you did in the locker and the clothing store?”

 

Taeyeon gave Yuri a look of agitation. “That’s not fair Yuri.”

 

“No, what isn’t fair is that I keep telling you I’m here to help you and apparently that won’t get through your thick skull. Why can’t you take my advice and go to a teacher?”

 

Taeyeon didn’t want to make eye contact with Yuri. She readjusted herself uncomfortably while keeping her eyes glued on an empty bag of chips.

 

“I just don’t know what else to do for you, Tae.”

 

Taeyeon looked at Yuri quizzically. “Tae?” She told Yuri how she hated nicknames, but for some reason she felt a little safer when the pretty girl in front of her called her ‘Tae’.

 

“Yes, you’re my Tae. And as my Tae, I don’t know what else I have to do to prove to you that I’m doing my best to help you out.”

 

Taeyeon shook her head. “No, I meant why are you calling me Tae?”

 

Yuri had to think for a moment before responding. “Maybe it’s because you mean a lot to me, you know? You’re not just some crazy girl from the streets. At the end of the day you’re just Tae, a strange blonde girl who thinks she can handle the world on her shoulders.”

 

Taeyeon slumped her shoulder. “Sometimes I feel that way.”

 

“That’s why I keep telling you,” Yuri patted her shoulder, “you don’t have to. Let me carry your load.”

 

Taeyeon nodded her head in apology before quickly ducking her head down. Yuri assumed it was out of grief, but a few seconds later Yuri heard the blonde snort like a pig. A big question mark hung above Yuri’s head. “What’s so funny?”

 

Taeyeon was now trying to mask her snickering. “You said load.”

 

Yuri had to process it for a few seconds until realization hit her. “Yah!” She playfully slapped Taeyeon’s arm. “Are you a ten year old boy? Stop thinking dirty thoughts!” Taeyeon tried to hold back her erted laughing and Yuri took it upon herself play around with her. Yuri swiftly stuck her hands under Taeyeon’s small arms and proceeded to tickle the smaller girl.

 

“Are you gonna keep being a ert? Huh?” Taeyeon was thrashing around hysterically, despite the strong odors attacking her nose.

 

“No, I’m a good girl.” Taeyeon did her best to keep her volume down, in case Tiffany overheard her.

 

“Good girl my , you’re like a dirty old man,” Yuri playfully scolded her in a comical tone. Taeyeon tried to fight back by tickling Yuri.

 

“If you’re sitting in garbage with me that makes you pretty dirty too.” For a minute, Taeyeon forgot she was hiding from the one girl who could probably ruin her entire life and her entire face. No matter what the circumstance, Yuri always knew how to cheer Taeyeon up despite her lying or avoiding any discussion. Their tickling was so intense and fun that they both also forgot that they were writhing around in other people’s trash; it was to the point where they didn’t mind the awful smells.

 

After a few minutes of back and forth attacks, Yuri finally called a time out and proceeded to lift the lid a little bit to try and get some fresh air in. They were both breathing pretty hard, especially Taeyeon; the smell of rotten fruit was finally made clear again and Taeyeon felt like she was going to vomit. Eventually they both caught their breath as they wiped away their sweat. Without even thinking about it, Taeyeon crawled towards the younger girl. Yuri looked at her in confusion.

 

"What's up Tae?"

 

Taeyeon responded by placing her face in the crook of Yuri’s neck. She felt so spoiled wanting comfort from Yuri. As the older one, she was supposed to be taking care of her own problems while making sure Yuri was okay. It was at moments like this Taeyeon wished she was younger so she could find an excuse for Yuri to take care of her; in her current situation, it didn't seem like Yuri really minded looking after the older girl. Yuri really cared for Taeyeon like a younger sister, but Yuri was still questioning if this was a really a friendly sisterly relationship or something more.

 

“I’m sorry Yul.”

 

Yuri couldn’t stay mad at her - just the cute action itself made her want to hold her in her arms and never let go. She slung her free arm around Taeyeon’s back, making sure to keep Taeyeon close. Despite being in a dumpster, being able to smell Taeyeon’s lavender scented hair was well worth the torture. All she wanted to do now was savor the moment and keep the small girl in her arms.

 

Yuri felt the lid fly up forcefully and she quickly hugged Taeyeon out of protection.  She expected Tiffany to jump into the bin and murder them, but instead it was Jessica who looked down at them, wide eyed with disgust.

 

“What in God’s name do you think you two are doing?!”

 

Yuri looked down to see Taeyeon in her arms and quickly released the small girl. She couldn’t explain it, but with the glare Jessica was giving her, a feeling of guilt had started to form at the bottom of her chest.

 

“You two can come out now. I sent Tiff home.”

 

The tall girl tried to help her friend out first, but Jessica pulled out Yuri rather vigorously without her consent while Taeyeon was left to struggle herself out. While Jessica was busy wiping off random junk on the taller girl, Yuri looked over at her friend and noticed random articles of garbage strewn around her body.

 

“Oh Tae, you have some stuff on you,” Yuri mumbled. She walked away from Jessica's assistance and took initiative to clean up her friend. Taeyeon saw that Yuri looked a lot worse with random stains on her white shirt and smears of a random yellow liquid on her jeans. She thought it was really sweet, the way that Yuri took it upon herself to clean her up, but a few feet away Jessica did not look pleased.

 

“Aish, you two,” she nagged them with repulsion. She pulled out a spray bottle of which looked like it contained an odor eliminator and relentlessly sprayed both of them as she stood a good distance away.

 

“Hey! What are you doing?”

 

“Knock it off!”

 

Jessica continued to spray until the once full bottle was half way empty. Taeyeon and Yuri not only felt dirty, they now also felt wet and had a strong scent of a spring meadow.

 

“What did you do that for?” Taeyeon was trying to rub the stuff off from her arms and face.

 

“If I’m going to talk to you, the least you should do is smell bearable to my nose,” Jessica scoffed as she got close to take a whiff of the people she saved. “Huh, I guess the stuff really does work.”

 

“You know you could’ve warned us before spraying us with your random chemicals,” Yuri complained as she wiped her face down with a handkerchief.”Hey Tae, you have a little something on your face.”

 

Taeyeon wiped her forehead. “Did I get it?”

 

“No, it’s-”

 

She wiped her left cheek. “How about now?”

 

“Heh, here you pabo.” Yuri bent over a little bit in order to properly wipe Taeyeon’s right cheek with the fabric. Taeyeon thought it felt nice to have her cheek rubbed by Yuri, but with the look on Jessica’s face it didn’t look like she was enjoying it half as much.

 

“Okay, I think you got it,” Jessica interrupted the cute moment. She grabbed a hold of Yuri’s hand holding the handkerchief and dragged her a few meters away.

 

“What’s your problem?” Yuri was baffled by Jessica’s random actions.

 

“Just stick next to me and hush for a minute.” Jessica raised her index finger before pulling out her cell phone and holding it next to her ear. “Bring the limo over. Be sure to cover the seats with a plastic cover and cellophane. Also be sure the compartments are stocked with my requests,” Jessica ordered whoever was on the other side of the phone call. “Do you think I care about how you get it? Just do it and be at my location in 3 minutes. The clock is ticking, Youngjae. Oh and be sure to spray the limo with Febreze. A few guests will be riding with me.” The man on the phone was still talking, but Jessica hung up on him as if she didn’t care.

 

“I’m sure you won’t mind, but I’m going to offer you a ride back to your apartment. It'll be easy since you live in the same building.” Jessica forced a smile that looked sincere to the untrained eye, but to Taeyeon it seemed as though she had an ulterior motive.

 

“Oh it’s okay. Me and Taeyeon can just-”

 

“I insist Ms. Kwon Yuri,” Jessica interrupted, keeping that fake smile plastered on her pretty face. “It’s the least you can do since I saved you.”

 

“Umm, hello? You actually saved me as well?” Taeyeon raised her hand as she was a few meters away from them. “And we’re both really thankful for helping us.”

 

“Yes yes, I’m sure you are.” Jessica kept her eyes on Yuri the whole time, but Yuri was a little more concerned for her friend since she kept glancing back at her.

 

“We really are very grateful you didn’t tell Tiffany about our hiding spot." Yuri forgot to thank Jessica properly and showed her a small bow, in which Jessica showed no response. “By the way, I'm curious.  How did you know me and Taeyeon lived in the same apartment?”

 

The look on Jessica's face showed that she was caught off guard. Taeyeon was staring at her because she also wanted to know how Jessica knew their living arrangements. She kind of remembered she said she had 'special connections' during their chat a few nights ago.

 

"Let's just say I saw you and your friend walking into the apartment and I just assumed," Jessica said matter of factly. Jessica took a step forward towards Yuri which made the taller girl step back. "You believe me, right Ms. Kwon Yuri?"

 

Yuri could sense the venom seeping through Jessica's words, so she tried to get on her good side. "Of course I believe you!" Yuri said nervously. "You have no reason to lie, Ms. Jung.”

 

“Oh please." Jessica took another small step forward, looking upwards rather cutely. "Call me Jessica, Ms. Kwon Yuri.” Jessica playfully hit Yuri’s arm. Yuri was treading lightly with Jessica; she never forgot what happened in the bathroom. She knew Jessica was probably putting on a fake cute act and tried to remember that she was actually a conniving little… person.

 

“For the record, you can just call me Yuri,” she said, trying to sound friendly.

 

Jessica laughed quite properly as she covered and faced the side. “Oh Ms. Kwon Yuri.” She patted Yuri again before responding, “How about I just call you whatever I feel like calling you and you just learn to accept that?”

 

As Taeyeon was only a step away from them, she could’ve sworn she felt a cold breeze slap her behind the neck. She and Yuri still weren’t used to Jessica’s direct bluntness. If she didn’t know it, Taeyeon would’ve guessed she was treating Yuri like a good friend compared to how she treated her that night in the limo. It was as if Jessica only acted nice when she wanted something and reverted back to her rude self when she was done with them.

 

“Again, we’re really thankful for what you did-” Taeyeon tried to drag Yuri away “-but we wouldn’t want to impose on you.” In an instant, Jessica’s demeanor turned from bright and playful to somewhat annoyed.

 

“I just saved you Kim. The least you can do is accept my help and keep your mouth shut because I can call Tiff right now and I can have nothing to do with this. I’d probably be in boiling water right now if she ever found out I was even speaking with you two,” Jessica shot back. It was exactly like her midnight meeting. She could still remember the inside of the limousine freezing over and the feeling of Jessica wanting to rip her into shreds. Yuri saw that her friend was being treated unfairly and tried to defend her.

 

“Yah, you can’t talk to her like-”

 

“And that goes double for you Ms. Kwon Yuri.”

 

Yuri was about to say something else, but Taeyeon grasped her hand, signaling her to hold back; Yuri squeezed back since she understood: the last thing she wanted to do was endanger Taeyeon or herself.

 

Unbeknownst to Yuri, Taeyeon just noticed three familiar black limousines pulling up next to them. She wondered how the giant stretch cars were able to drive at that small part of the school. The doors of the front and back limos quickly opened and men in black suits and sunglasses were all walking towards the girls in a soldier-like fashion.

 

Taeyeon clearly remembered those men from before and swiftly hid behind Yuri’s taller frame. She expected them to grab her again, but instead they all stood in a straight line while one of them held the door open. The man at the very end took a step forward and Jessica walked towards him.

 

“Everything you requested has been done ma’am,” he said monotonously without daring to make eye contact with the prissy girl.

 

“Did you make sure it was empty?” She cocked her eyebrow in question.

 

“The man and the lady of the house have gone on their business trip since this morning as you said. The young mistress is at the shopping mall with Ms. Liu and is planning to stay at Ms. Liu’s estate until later tonight.”

 

“And the inhabitants?” Jessica asked, now adopting a business-like tone.

 

“The only inhabitants are the butlers, the maids, the estate security personnel, and your security personnel.”

 

“And mother and father have not caught wind of this?”

 

“Correct ma’am.”

 

Jessica turned her face towards the two and showed off her forced smile again. “Before I drop you two off, I want to bring you to my house. There’s some important business I want to discuss.” Taeyeon looked at Yuri with a slightly unwilling look on her face and Yuri understood completely. Yuri tried to come up with an excuse to decline.

 

“I’m sorry, but we really wouldn’t want to bother you-”

 

“This isn’t some fluffy friendly get together Ms. Kwon Yuri. I want to discuss your problem with Tiffany and the only way of explaining your predicament properly is to bring you to my home,” Jessica explained, very annoyed. Taeyeon heard the same spiel before and she wasn’t ready to waste her time again with Jessica.

 

Taeyeon let go of Yuri’s arm and suddenly stepped towards Jessica. All of her bodyguards quickly rushed towards Taeyeon, but with a raise of Jessica’s hand they stopped on a dime leaving Taeyeon clinging onto Yuri again.

 

“Why do you want to help me, Jessica? There doesn’t seem to be any gain in helping me. Why not just call Tiffany now and let her have her have her way with me?” Taeyeon questioned while trying to stick her chin up, hoping to look brave in front of her.

 

“Believe me Kim, I could care less about Tiffany physically and mentally traumatizing you, but this something beyond that. I’m not doing this for you Kim, I’m doing this for my so called friend. Plus this is a great opportunity to get to know Ms. Kwon Yuri,” Jessica explained by coldly staring at Taeyeon, then averting her gaze towards Yuri with a more gentle look.

 

Wow, this girl really knows how to be subtle…

 

“Okay, I guess I can understand that.” Taeyeon was feeling a bad vibe coming from Jessica as she said that, so she thought it would be safer if she was next to Yuri. “Even if you do care about Tiffany, how do we know you’re telling the truth?” Taeyeon managed to say behind Yuri’s back.

 

“Don’t get me wrong, Kim,” Jessica began to slowly walk forward. “I don’t necessarily ‘care’ about Tiffany. She can do whatever she pleases.” Jessica stopped in front of Yuri with a smile, but shifted her focus to the girl behind her with a fake grin. “Just for the sake of satisfying your curiosity, I’m doing this as a favor for someone. As for you believing me or not,” Jessica leaned her head towards Taeyeon, causing Taeyeon to flinch, “that’s for you to decide.”

 

She hastily grabbed hold of Yuri’s arm and pulled the confused girl and herself into the limousine; Yuri tried to grab a hold of Taeyeon but Jessica was too fast and pulled her out of reach. Jessica quickly sat on the plastic covered seat next to Yuri without saying a word. “Are you coming Kim?” Jessica chimed to the outside.

 

Jessica’s bodyguards took another step towards the small girl and in an instant she ran into the limousine and sat in the open seat across from Yuri and Jessica.

 

Jessica laughed in a held back manner. She s her arm around Yuri’s, which made Yuri look at her then back to Taeyeon as if she was signaling for help.

 

“Don’t look so glum now.” Jessica gripped tightly onto Yuri, while Yuri’s expression made it look like she was in serious pain.

 

The door was slammed shut and in an instant, the giant vehicle zoomed away from the school and towards Jessica's home without Yuri or Taeyeon's say in the matter.

 

"Now just enjoy yourselves. It’s not like I’m kidnapping you two." Jessica loosened her grip and smiled at the somewhat scared girl next to her.

 

Taeyeon just stared at them for a while, hoping that Yuri was alright. Eventually she averted her attention to the ground and leaned forward, waiting to arrive at her destination.

 

You say you're not kidnapping us? Then why does it feel like I’m never going to see home ever again?

---

안녕! (annyeong)! I wonder if anyone really reads this part of my story? lol, oh well. Hope you enjoyed Just remember, even though I'm really busy with school, I try my best to write on my freetime just for you guys :) Hopefully I wont fail my classes, lol. I hope you enjoy the story so far ;)

As always, comments and constructive criticisms are always welcomed. If you really enjoy the story so far, an up-vote would be most appreciated. Take care everyone!