SkyHigh was debuting today. And all SM trainees were required to go and provide support.

Yell and scream and support the girls who had tried to make my life miserable for the past what…half year or so? Hellz yea! Where the frick to I sign up?

Regardless of her unwillingness to attend, they all were required to go. So Tiffany had spent an hour releasing her anger at the gym before heading home to shower and get dressed for the occasion.

Then all together, they had headed there in one huge van provided by the company. The girls were crazy on the ride there. Making jokes, singing off tune, throwing food at each other (much to Sooyoung’s despair), making final desperate attempts at slamming the Cheap Plastics before they became true idols and shed the title of trainee.

Tiffany just sat back and reveled in the chaos that was these girls she had come to see as more than mere fellow trainees. She was glad she had them with her to endure the hours of torture. Glancing over to the side, she saw Jessica laughing while trying to draw on Sooyoung’s face with a washable blue marker while the shikshin scrambled desperately with mouth open wide trying to catch the pieces of chips flying through the air.

Tiffany had come to care for Jessica, as more than a simple friend. But what exactly…she didn’t really know. These few weeks of whispering into the darkness between them, telling Jessica things she hadn’t even told Nayeong, personal things, made Tiffany realize her previous conjecture that all she felt and could feel for Jessica was purely physical lust…was completely invalid. But was her affection for Jessica familial or romantic? She was still attracted to the older girl, though that burning, crazy lust-filled insanity had died down some. People aren’t supposed to be attracted to their family members. So what did that make Jessica?

She had thought all she would ever have would be her family. Lexi and now Nayeong. She had never thought herself whole enough, bright enough, shiny enough, or normal enough to be able to have another half. And frankly, all her fears about dumping her owns problems and hardshipds on her possible significant other were still there. But since Jessica had started to open her up little by little, Tiffany felt perhaps, just perhaps…it was possible for her to enjoy the amazing love her parents had for each other. Was that a possibility between her and Jessica?

Tiffany smiled a little to herself as she continued to watch Jessica fool around with her friends. No. Their friends.

Sooyoung now had two blue moles and one swirly on her face, but the girl didn’t seem to care as chips were now flying all over the place in the van. Jessica was now trying to draw a pile of steaming poo on Sooyoung’s neck. Yuri, for some reason, was trying to kiss Yoona and the latter didn’t seem to be trying all that hard to get away. Hyoyeon was dancing in her seat while still staying seated, which resulted in the van bouncing up and down to the rhythm of her powerful exaggerated movements. Seohyun was trying to stuff as much goguma snacks into as quick as she could before it too was used as ammo in the ensuing food fight between Taeyeon and Sunny. The maknae looked like a craze rabid chipmunk and Tiffany couldn’t contain her ungainly snort of laugher seeing the younger girl try to ‘save’ her goguma. The driver was yelling for them to ‘shut up!’ and ‘calm the hell down!’. But no one listened.

There were much worse places she could be Tiffany decided. Much worse.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The girls ended up having a great time. There were idols and trainees from other companies and the girls were more than happy to prance and romp around with whoever else was crazy enough to join in their antics.

Apart from almost causing Yeonhi to have a wardrobe malfunction right on stage (Yuri had cut some of the threads on the straps holding the dress up but the dress only fell down just as Yeonhi was leaving the stage), having Miyeon narrowly avoid falling flat on her face (the lucky girl just missed the huge puddle of water Hyoyeon had ‘conveniently spilled’ from her water bottle onto the stage), and almost giving Yuki and Junghwa explosive diarrhea even before their debut had started (the girls only drank the laxative laced drinks after their debut, but the pranksters still had a fabulous time watching the two turn pale and run helter-skelter out of the room, holding their butts as they ran), the show was a great success!

Everyone had a great time.

Everyone except Tiffany.

She had more than enjoyed the pranks the girls pulled, but she couldn’t help but notice that Jessica was particularly ‘popular’ amongst the male idols and trainees. She could tell Jessica thought nothing of their advances, merely saw them as being friendly. But more than once, Tiffany had caught one of the guys blatantly checking out Jessica’s backside when her back was turned and Tiffany’s blood had heated up a little. Ok. Fine. More than just a little. She was more than tempted to smack those ‘friendly’ hands off Jessica’s shoulders, punch those leering smirks of those pig’s faces, maybe chop off a few…

No…that’s too far Tiffany Hwang…

It didn’t take a genius to figure out she was jealous, and Tiffany wasn’t exactly the type to be in self-denial when the plain truth was shoved into her face. Tiffany was jealous. But did she have a right to be? Should she do something about it? Perhaps tonight…when she and Jessica were alone in Jessica’s room…

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The ride home was thankfully a rather calmer version of the ride there. The girls had tired themselves out and more than half of them were conked out. And it so happened that Yoona’s head in the crook of Yuri’s neck was not lost upon Tiffany. When they finally got home, all nine girls stumbled out of the van and the driver had muttered something about ‘crazy- girls from hell’ before speeding off.

Taeyeon was super tired and had stumbled and crumpled into a heap right on the front steps up to their dorms. She had wailed and cried like a baby, stretching her hands out and asking for someone to carry her. No one paid the kid any attention.

As Tiffany was walking past, Taeyeon latched herself onto Tiffany’s leg.

“TIPPANY!!! CARRY ME!!!!” she screamed. All eight girls had turned to look at her. You don’t really initiate skinship with Tiffany unless you were either Jessica or Yuri. It was kind of an unspoken rule. Last time that had happened…well you can ask Hyoyeon.

The girls weren’t necessarily afraid of Tiffany per say, but you don’t exactly get all unnecessarily touchy-touchy with someone who can break you in half. Taeyeon herself also seemed to have realized her blunder and had immediately released her hold on Tiffany’s legs, staring at her own outstretched hands like they were aliens from outer space, completely flabbergasted at what they had the audacity to do.

Tiffany had peered around curiously at the reactions of the girls, rather amused at their stricken faces.

“Am I really that scary?”

She didn’t get an answer.

Tiffany sighed and bent down to Taeyeon’s level, turning around so her back was towards the older girl.

“Get on Tae, let’s go home,” Tiffany said as she looked over her shoulder at Taeyeon. The older girl continued to stare at her and didn’t move. Shuffling backwards Tiffany practically pressed her back to Taeyeon’s front, then grabbing the older girl’s still frozen outstretched hands, Tiffany easily hoisted the shorter girl onto her back.

Taeyeon was tiny, and carrying her felt very much like Tiffany was carrying Lexi on h