Weeks passed and Sooyoung is slowly forgetting about sadness. She’s slowly accepting that Jessica would not change her mind and come back to her. She was not and would never be a significant person to Jessica whom she thought is her best friend or maybe a little bit more than that. She found a new friend who actually has a good impact on her. Her grades are slowly going up. She used her vacant times in studying or taking some snacks. She’s getting used to this. Spend her time with herself.

 

“Joohyun!” she called out while munching on some biscuits. She used the books in her hand to wave to her new found friend.

 

Joohyun then waved back before calling Sooyoung to come closer. “Unnie, this is the library. You can’t be too loud and you can’t eat here!”

 

“Oh, my bad.” Sooyoung then engulfed the whole piece of biscuit and smiled widely to Joohyun who had a poker face at Sooyoung.

 

Sooyoung sat across Joohyun and flipped her book open. “So, will you teach me now on that topic in Geometry? I tried so many times in solving this problem,” she gave Joohyun a piece of paper. “I always get stuck in that equation in the lower part of the paper.”

 

Joohyun examined her paper for a while. She had a puzzled look on her face and Sooyoung is anticipating on what could be wrong in her equation. “Ah, saw it. You had some error here,” she pointed some points at the paper. “You should multiply the values instead of dividing them. That’s probably why you kept getting a smaller value than the expected.”

 

Sooyoung took her paper and smiled in delight. “I will worship your brain anytime soon now, Joohyun.” She said as she is erasing her answers and solving it all over again.

 

Hours passed and Joohyun frowned while looking at the time. She tapped the part if the table that was infront of Sooyoung. “Unnie, as much as I want to spend time in here, I need to go home already because it’s my father’s birthday and my family will celebrate it.”

 

“Oh? Go then. Say happy birthday to your father for me.” Sooyoung nodded while fidling with her pen. “Have a great night!”

 

“I will, unnie.” Joohyun started to gather her things up. “Don’t worry; I won’t forget to bring you that slice of cake that my mom will bake.”

 

“Ahh, this is why I love being your friend.” Sooyoung grinned. “Tell your mom that she should open up a resto or something. Her pastries are so good!”

 

“I’m giving her that idea ever since.” Seohyun frowned. “But she said it might eat her time and she wouldn’t have time for us anymore.”

 

“I’m sure she wouldn’t. She’s a great mom.” Sooyoung had met Joohyun’s parents when she came over their house to study slash to eat since Joohyun said that her mother would be baking a lot of pastries because she just bought a new oven to use.

 

“I agree with that. I’ll get going now, unnie. See you tomorrow!”

 

“Take care! Update me when you get home!” the two then bid goodbye to each other and Sooyoung continued to study.

 

Hours passed and Sooyoung forgot about the time because she was busy solving some of her homeworks. She was about to go home when the pouring rain came. She quickly searched for her umbrella in her bag.

 

“Ahhhhhh! Why now!” She forgot her umbrella and it’s already 9PM. She groaned and took her phone out but to her dismay, the battery is dead. “Now how the hell do I go home?”

 

She waited for some minutes, hoping that the rain would at least stop so she can run all the way to the bus stop. There was no one around to get help from. It was already 9:45PM and she really need to go home. She has been contemplating about her life and whether if she should go and run in the rain now.

 

“Thank God this bag is waterproof or else all my homeworks are dead.” She sighed and got herself ready to run in the rain. “On the count of three, Choi Sooyoung. One, two, thr----“

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BEEEEEEEEEP! BEEEEEEEEEP!

 

 

 

The noise startled Sooyoung and caused her to stumble down. “Ouch!” She looked up and was about to curse whoever is the driver of the pink car infront of her but then she froze as the window of the car slowly rolled down and revealed who the owner was.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tiffany Hwang.

 

“Get on now, Choi! I’ll give you a ride!” Tiffany shouted from inside of the car.

 

Sooyoung stared at her before quickly getting up. “I don’t want to! You might kill me this time!”

 

Tiffany rolled her eyes, “Oh come on, Choi! I promise to drive you to your house and not anywhere else.”

 

“I don’t trust you!” Sooyoung shouted and fixed herself up again.

 

“Did you eat the sandwich I gave you?” Tiffany shouted so Sooyoung can hear her properly.

 

“Yes!” Sooyoung answered, “But because I was so hungry, and I didn’t have anyth----“

 

“Did you die?!”

 

“No! I am so alive and kicking right now!”

 

Tiffany smiled at Sooyoung’s answer. “Then trust me!!!”

 

Sooyoung hesitated for a while. Both of them are sure that the rain is not stopping any moment now. Sooyoung does not trust Tiffany and she probably won’t for the rest of her life but her words this time felt so real. Why is Tiffany being like this? The thunder roared and that was the only thing that Tiffany needed to make Sooyoung run inside her car. After Sooyoung got in, she gave Sooyoung a towel and smiled.

 

“Dry yourself up, I don’t want you to stain my car seat with whatever liquid is in your skin right now and oh, seatbelt. I don’t want you to die inside my car. You might haunt me.”

 

Sooyoung quickly dried herself up before wearing her seatbelt. She quickly looked outside the window and sighed to herself. She watched the raindrops fall on the window, envying those teardrops because they didn’t have to be in this kind of situation.

 

Tiffany on the other hand, was glancing at Sooyoung from time to time. She was all smiles while driving the girl home. “Aren’t you forgetting something? To say maybe?”

 

“I-I... Uhm... Well, thank you for the sandwich,” Sooyoung was playing with her fingers. “A-And this ride...Thank you.”

 

Tiffany glanced again at Sooyoung and her smile is getting wider and wider. “Well... I’m sorry too, Sooyoung.”

 

Sooyoung looked up at Tiffany, “Are you sick? Or possessed? Did you eat something weird?”

 

Tiffany laughed and shook her head, “No, i’m not sick nor possessed. I haven’t eaten so I probably didn’t eat something weird. I’m just sorry, for all the things that I have done to you in the past. I had my reasons before and took it all out on you but now, I’m really sorry. I know you’d not believe me now but here I am.”

 

Sooyoung looked at her in disbelief. She was so sure that this is not the Tiffany she knows. Ahhh, maybe she’s in an alternate universe where Tiffany is a good kid? Maybe not. “Well, I-I don’t know...”

 

“Have you eaten?” Tiffany focused on the road while talking to her.

 

“No-No, I just got out from the library...”

 

“Oh shoot, I forgot.”

 

“...”

 

“Want some ramen? Maybe we can stop over a resto or something? I’m hungry now too. I haven’t eaten anything ever since our cheerdance practice ended.

 

“I.. I think i’l just eat at home..”

 

“Why?”

 

“I... I don’t have any money right now.” And won’t probably have for the rest of the month, or forever. “And I thought you won’t bring me anywhere else..”

 

“Are you hungry?”

 

“W-Well, I am but I ha---“

 

“Am I hungry?”

 

“Uhm... You... You said you are...”

 

“Then let’s go eat!” Tiffany grinned and parked at the nearest ramen restaurant she saw. “Have you tried eating here? They say food here is good.”

 

The rain stopped pouring and Sooyoung stared at the exteriors of a fancy looking ramen restaurant. She gulped. As far as she can remember, she only had two dollars in her purse and probably some coins and this restaurant looks like they sell expensive food. Food is life for her but how can it be when she didn’t have any money right now. “Tiffany Hwang, I told you already I don’t have any mo---“

 

“It’s on me so let’s go!” Before Sooyoung can say something back, Tiffany was already outisde her car, grinning widely while motioning Sooyoung to come out of the car already. “Come on, Choi! Don’t worry about anything now!”

 

Sooyoung had no choice. She can’t stay at the car and wait for Tiffany to finish eating, can’t she? Or maybe she can? What if Tiffany beat the hell out of her this time if she didn’t follow? Fear is slowly creeping on her. Tiffany’s demons were something to be afraid of. She slowly opened the car door. Afraid that Tiffany might do something to her because she took some time to get of her car.

 

“Here I go,” she whispered to herself and followed Tiffany inside.

 

Tiffany led Sooyoung to a nice table by the window, “This is a good view, I think.” She said as she took her seat.

 

“U-Uhm, yes…” Sooyoung answered and sat across Tiffany.

 

The waiter walked to them and handed them their menu. Sooyoung mentally cursed herself because she was right. The food her costs like some gold or diamonds was sprinkled on it. She gulped and looked up at Tiffany who was busy picking out what she would eat.

 

“C-Can I just have bread...” she cleared . “and water?”

 

“No, I’ll order yours instead.” Tiffany nodded and called the waiter for their orders. It was silent the whole time because Sooyoung did nothing but to stare at her hands rested in her lap. Tiffany, on the other hand, watched Sooyoung. She didn’t actually know what to say or what to do right now but being with the tall girl made her feel at ease that moment. “Say Sooyoung, aside from Dongbangshinki, what are your other interests?”

 

“Why are you asking me this?” Sooyoung looked up at Tiffany. “I don’t think I need to tell you what I like.

 

“You need to,” Tiffany nodded. “Because you owe me this dinner.”

 

“But I didn’t tell you to do this.”

 

“But I want to.”

 

“Then you owe yourself.”

 

“I like you when you’re like that,” Tiffany smiled and propped her elbows on the table. “When you answer, or even fight back. Just like now, just like in front of the library.”

 

“Why?”

 

“No reason.” Tiffany shrugged. “Not everything has a reason.”

 

“Everything has,” Sooyoung titled her head on the side and watched some cars pass by. “Jessica told me that everythi—“

 

“I don’t want to hear that name.” Tiffany’s expression changed from a sweetheart to a demon one.

 

Sooyoung looked a bit terrified at Tiffany’s sudden change of facial expression. She started fiddling with her fingers and stooped her head down. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it... It’s just that she told me that one and, and...”

 

“And what?” Tiffany was frowning this time. She thought that tonight would be a great start in making it up to Sooyoung but it’s not. It will always be about Jessica. Well, of course. Jessics is Sooyoung’s savior. The one who always got her back when there’s something bad that’s gonna happen. Tiffany sighed deeply and shook her head, “Never mind that. I’m sorry. I just don’t like her.”

 

Sooyoung had her eyebrows furrowed before looking up at Jessica. “Is there a reason?”

 

Before Tiffany could even answer the waiter already arrived and served them their orders. Sooyoung’s eyes widened at the sight of the bowls of ramen. It was kind of worth it to pay expensive for this since it does not look like your ordinary bowl of ramen.

 

“Go eat up,” Tiffany smiled while stirring her ramen and blowing on to it.

Sooyoung stared at her bowl of ramen. It’s expensive that she’s even having second thoughts of touching it. She looked up at Tiffany and watched the girl devour on her own bowl. Sooyoung shrugged and lifted her chopsticks up to start eating.

 

They were both silent the whole time. Neither wants to starts speaking or making some noises. After eating, both went back to Tiffany’s car and Tiffany drove Sooyoung home.

 

“Hey, Choi..”

 

 

 

No response.

 

 

 

Tiffany looked over Sooyoung and smiled to herself. Sooyoung had fallen asleep with her head resting on the window. Tiffany shifted her seat and watched Sooyoung for a while. She observed the girl’s face and frowned. She really looked liked she haven’t slept well. Sooyoung still had those dark marks under her eyes. She looked tired even when sleeping.

 

“Damn you, Jung.” Tiffany muttered under her breath. “Should I wake her up now?”

 

Tiffany cleared and poked Sooyoung on the arm, “Wake up, Choi.”

 

She received no response.

 

“Sooyoung.”

 

What the hell, is she dead?!

 

She looked at her hand and slowly, she gently shook the sleeping girl. “Choi Sooyoung, wake up. I think this is your place.”

 

“5 minutes...” Sooyoung groaned and hugged herself more.

 

Tiffany can’t help but find the taller girl cute. She then got her phone and took a picture of Sooyoung. “Something I can make use in the future.”

 

“Choi Sooyoung, wake up or i’ll burn your Dongbangshi----“

 

“I’m up! I’m up! No burning!” Sooyoung bolted up.

 

“Now, get your out of here before I burn your house.”

 

“Nooooo!” Sooyoung quickly gathered her stuff and was about to go out but Tiffany stopped her by her arm.

 

“You’re paying me, okay?” Tiffany smiled. “But not with money. I’ll think about something else but for now. Go and be free, my pet.”

 

Sooyoung nodded and got out of the car. She peeked inside for the last time, “Y-Yes, i’ll pay you! I don’t want to owe you anything at all.”

 

“Good then.”

 

“But uhhh, what pet?”

 

“Pet. Slave. Pet. Something like that. Goodnight, pet giraffe!” Tiffany grinned and stepped on the gas, quickly driving away.

 

“Yaaaaa!” Sooyoung hissed, “Do I look like a pet?!”

 

The tall girl groaned and walked to her front door. She held on the doorknob but stopped and smiled to herself. “Pet, huh.”

 

“Ah… Choi Sooyoung. You are being weird right now. No, Tiffany is the one being super weird.” She chuckled and went inside her house. That was enough for that day.