I hated having next to no classes with you.  Even if we took the same subjects, the stupid school system placed us in different classes.  This was the lucky semester where we had 2 classes in a row with each other.

“Hey, where’s Tiff?”  Seohyun asked as I picked a seat directly in front of her.

“I don’t know.  Maybe she’s in another class?”

“Hey.”  Taemin greeted us both, placing his chair next to mine.

I should’ve sat in the middle.  Damn.

Seohyun smirked at me, seeing as how out of all the free and better seats in the room, he picked the one next to me.  Then you entered the room and I swear I saw your face drop when you saw Taemin, sitting next to me.  So you sat down with him between us.

Ugh, Taemin, just leave!

I was suddenly confused with my own thoughts.

Why am I irritated by Taemin?  Lee Taemin?  My supposed-to-be crush?  Did I finally get over this kid or something?

I couldn’t bring myself to forget that or forget you.  Heck, I couldn’t even look away when I saw you.  Every time I tried, my eyes would automatically trace back to you.  It scared me.  So I tried avoiding you a little and holding back from these feelings.  But then sometimes, I felt like I needed to be around you.  It felt like you really needed me too.

So I stayed.

“Hand in your tests everyone!”  The teacher called as the bell rang.  I followed through, collecting my pencil and eraser, and then placing my paper in the pile.

“Tae…”  I heard your voice call me from behind.  As soon as I turned around, I felt a hand on my wrist.  You spun me around and pulled me into a hug.

“T-Tiffany?  Are you okay?”  I froze.

“No.”  You tightened your arms around my shoulders.

“Fany-ah, is it because of the test?  Come on, it wasn’t that bad.  I’m sure you did fine.”

“…”

“Tiffany?”  I felt my left shoulder becoming wet.  “Please don’t cry.  It’s only the first test.  There will be other tests!”  I rubbed your back with my palms, trying to soothe you.

Dear heart, please stop pounding.

It’s not that I was happy.  It was more like seeing you cry broke my heart.  It hurt a little.

The rest of the students were clearing out of the classroom, rushing for the bell.  Before leaving, each of them sent us weird stares and looks of confusion.

I’m just as confused…

By now, the second bell had gone, indicating that any students, not in class yet, were late.  I gave up with my words and just hugged you back, giving you a squeeze of reassurance.

Agh, I’m going to be late for music class.

I let my arms loosen.

No, screw that.

She needs me.

I tightened my arms around your waist again.  After another two minutes, we were the only ones left in the room, with the exception of Sunny who was waiting for you and a few students who desperately needed extra time.

“Fany-ah, you have to go to class.  You’re going to be late.”

You stepped back, wiping your face of tears while I brushed a strand of hair from your eyes.

“Are you going to be okay?”  I smiled, hoping to make you smile too.

“Yeah.  I think so.”  You sniffled a few times while picking up your backpack.

“Let’s go, then.”  I put my arm around your waist, guiding you out the door.

In the hallway, we retrieved our books from my locker.  In the corner of my eyes, I kept myself aware of how you were still reacting.

It’s like she wants to say something…

“Tiff?  Let’s go?”  I closed my locker and my hands automatically returning to the position around your waist.  “Don’t worry about that test.  You have way more to come that you’ll totally ace!”

You smiled and leaned your head on my shoulder as we walked.

“You always beat me when it comes to grades, anyway.  What are you worried about?  But then again…  My grades aren’t all that perfect either.”  We both laughed.  “Alright, my class is just down the stairs.  You should hurry to yours.”  I stepped back.

“Hey.”  You grabbed my wrist again.  “Thanks.”  You hugged me again before leaving.  I stood behind you, waiting until you turned the corner.

____

That pain that was always hinting its presence in my chest was gone for a while.

It’s like it just didn’t exist.

And I noticed that this year, we were always together.

I knew it, too.   I just hid it at the back of my mind.

What a great way to start off my second year, huh?

Even my thoughts about Jessica changed too.

I started off year one secretly disliking her sometimes…

But now, I’m incredibly thankful that I met her.

“Taeyeon, do you know how to do the last question from last night’s math homework?”  Jessica fumbled with her books while talking.

“Yeah, but I didn’t really-”

“Hey, sit down, everyone!”  The teacher called out, indicating the beginning of class.

“Ugh, do you think you could explain it to me after school?”

“Yeah, sure, no problem.”

“Where should we meet up?”

“I always meet up with Tiffany after school on Fridays so just look for us in the stairwell near the science classrooms.”

“Ah, alright.  Psh.  What are you two, dating, or something?”

“What?”

“Nothing…”

What…?

No way… That would never happen.

Right?

That isn’t possible.  She’s not a guy… And I’m straight.

Right?

She’s my best friend!  We’re just good friends!

…  Right?

Honestly, I owe it all to Jessica that I know I like you now.

Eventually, I escaped denial and I finally figured it out.  I finally accepted it.

“Hey, Taeyeon.”  Seohyun smiled as I arrived at the door of our classroom.

“Hey.  Did you finish the assignment yet?”

“Yup.  It’s due tomorrow though, don’t worry.”

“I’ve been so stressed lately.  I swear, teachers plan out certain weeks where they bury me in schoolwork.”

“Oh, hey, it’s Tiffany!”

“Where?”  I turned.  “Oh!  H-hey, Tiff!”

You smiled and waved back.

“I have so little classes with her, this year.”  Seohyun sighed.

“Me too…”

Thud thud thud…

Oh God, what’s happening to me?

Oh man.

Oh man, oh man, oh man.

My face is turning red.

My legs are shaking.

Stop!

 “Taeyeon… Are you okay?”  Seohyun looked at me weirdly.  “You looked kind of lost for a second.”

“Y-yeah, I think so.”

There it is again…

There’s no way…

Is there?  Ugh!  Who am I kidding?

I give up!  I give up, okay?

I like my best friend!  I like my best friend!  I love my best friend!

I’m…

I’m in love with my best friend…

I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t mistaking this for anything else.

I even did some medical research…

But the results showed that fluttering hearts can be caused by the sight of a loved one.

… And I didn’t fit any of the other possibilities…

“Hey, Seo.  Is it normal that my heart would randomly start beating really fast for one moment?”

“Uhm, no, not really.”

“It’s kind of funny.  I can control it with my thoughts.”

“That’s weird…”

“When I think of happy thoughts, my heart beats faster.  It’s pretty cool too.”

“What do you even think about?”  Sunny laughed while giving me a suspicious grin.

“You know… Happy things.”  I smiled back.

As class started, I sighed and looked in your direction.

You.

Man, even if I can’t see her face, it still makes my heart go crazy.

Ah…  I don’t even need to see your face.

You’re in my head 90% of the time, anyway.

It’s kind of impossible to forget.  It’s especially difficult when you treat us like a couple all the time, too.

“You smell nice.”  You nudged your face against my ear while your arms were busy, wrapping around my waist from behind.

“H-huh?”

“Nothing, nothing!”  You giggled and squeezed me.

I always wondered if you were afraid of people seeing us.  It’s a little embarrassing isn’t it?  But I guess it didn’t matter.  You always did it when the room was dark.  It made me wish that our science teacher would do more demonstrations that required dark lighting.

But then sometimes you wouldn’t even wait until it was dark.

“I think we’re good to go, once we weigh the samples.  I-” I felt something soft press against my temple and looked up at you, only to find you with puckered lips.  You giggled and looked away.

I loved being alone with you.  Just sitting in that same old stairwell with a view of the empty street wasn’t boring at all.  In a way, it was romantic.  Even if it was a dull day, something amazing would happen, sending me home with a smile on my face.

You looked out the window and sighed.  Unconsciously, I just stared at you.  After a few seconds, I noticed that you were watching my reflection in the window.  Our eyes connected through the reflection before you suddenly threw your arms around my waist.

“I miss this.”

I reached out and grabbed the railing near the window to maintain my balance.

“Miss what?”  I looked at your reflection in the glass.

“I miss spending time with you.  You know, just the two of us.”

“Me too.  Well, actually, we spend a lot of time together, you know.”  I smiled.

“I mean compared to last year.  I thought we grew apart.  I thought you forgot me.”

“Well you were wrong.”

For anyone who doesn’t know what it feels like, imagine like you’re standing on stage and you’re nervous about singing to everyone.  Your heart starts racing, your palms get all sweaty, your legs shake, your lips tremble, and your stomach feels really light.  It’s almost like you’re nauseous.  But when you throw up, you throw up rainbows…

Did I mention that you also become really cheesy and stupid all the time?  Then it’s like suddenly, you’re super nice to everyone.  That warm, fuzzy feeling in your stomach spreads… and it spreads quickly, too.

“Did you pack our bags for us?”  Jiyeon and Jessica looked at me.

“Yeah, there wasn’t much time left until the bell goes.  You could get to class quicker if I packed everything.  So I did.”

“Aww, you’re too nice.”  Jessica smiled.

“Hm, it’s not much.”  I shrugged.

That’s what happens I guess.  When you fall in love with an angle, you become influenced.  I think I finally get it.  Love songs are only stupid to people who don’t know what it feels like.  But now that I’m here, I get it now.  Love really does do all those things to you.  It makes you crazy, stupid, weird, nice, loving, and caring and so much more.

But it’s a trade.

You risk having your heart broken.

I guess I just have to take the good with the bad.  And I’ll admit it.  The good is more than amazing.

I returned home and threw my bag on the floor.  I sighed as I fell backwards onto my mattress.

So here I am again… lying down on the bed of my room after a long day and automatically, my thoughts trail back to you.  Your face, your smile, your laugh, your hugs, your jokes…  Agh!  This is so frustrating.  It sounds so stupid at the same time.  I just wish I could hug you and never let you go.  I wish I could give you a light kiss and tell you how much I care about you.  It’s torture, knowing that I can’t do that.

But you did it.

“Hey, Sooyoung.  Let’s go bowling.”

“Huh, really?”

“Yeah, well you wanted to go a while back.  Let’s do it.”

“Oh, sure!”

“Let’s bring Tiff, too.”

I just wanted you around.  And luckily for me, I got more than what I prayed for.

“Hey, Sooyoung, it’s your turn.”  I stood in front of the machine, watching the ball return.  I felt familiar arms wrap around my waist again.

“Hi.”  You buried your face into my shoulder, muffling your voice a little.

I froze.  I simply stood there, letting you back hug me while you had no idea what you were doing to me.

It wasn’t the first time.  It wasn’t the second, third, fifth, tenth.  I lost count.  But every time, you wouldn’t fail to make my heart flutter while my stomach did summersaults.  Just when I thought you were done, you caught me off guard again.

“Hey, you know when couples in movies share a drink.  They have two straws in one drink, right?”  You asked while stuffing two straws into a soda we decided on sharing.  “Let’s try that.”

“H-huh?  Why?”

“Oh, c’mon.  Let’s try it!”  We sat down, and set down the drink between us.

“Alright…”  Slowly, I leaned forward and only managed to take a little sip before I pulled back.  Both of us turned away with our faces, flushed red.

“That’s so awkward!”  You laughed.

On the other hand, I was secretly hoping you’d ask to do it again.

In one year, you made me join after school club activities.  I honestly couldn’t care less about what we do during these after school sessions.  I agreed, not because I was genuinely interested in it but because I just wanted to spend time with you.

In one year, you made me adore love songs which I thought were so stupid.

In one year, you turned me into an author who writes love stories.

In one year, you made me addicted to your embraces and your touch.

In one year, you made me motivated to work hard so I could set a good example for you.

In one year, you made me fall for you.

… And I fell, hard.

Someone asked me if the fluffy moments in real life were exaggerated on here.  No, they weren't.  I've described them exactly as they happened.

I really did live through these moments.

(:  They made me really happy.

Happy reading! ♥