The past week was like hell for the blonde haired girl. She’s been waking up every single day without Taeyeon’s arms around her and she missed it. Not only because she was used to it but also because of the fact that she needed to feel Taeyeon’s warmth when she wakes up.

So today she made sure she got up earlier than her the shorter girl sleeping beside her, back facing the younger girl. She placed a hand on Taeyeon’s back and gently it.

She looked at the digital clock beside Taeyeon’s bed. “I woke up too early.” The younger girl lay down beside the shorter one and put an arm around the latter’s waist. She brushed the hair that was covering Taeyeon’s nape and started planting kisses on the girl’s creamy white skin. It was out of character but it was her last resort to make whatever issue Taeyeon has to go away.

Taeyeon stirred but when Jessica didn’t stop what she was doing, she turned around to face her. “What are you doing?” she asked, her eyes still half-closed.

“I’m kissing my girlfriend?”

Taeyeon rubbed her eyes and went inside the bathroom, leaving an already agitated Jessica alone.

When the older girl came out, the first thing she heard was a scoff from her girlfriend. “Yah, Kim Taeyeon.”

Instead of answering, she left the room and made her way to their kitchen. It was still a little dark outside and she was shivering because of the cold air. She decided to make a make a hot chocolate but even before she could start boiling water, she got a rough pat on the back by none other than Jessica.

“Yah! What the hell is wrong with you?” The girl was yelling at the top of her lungs but the forming tears in her eyes are fairly visible. Taeyeon faced her.
Taeyeon turned around again and filled the electric kettle with water and plugged it in. “After a week of ignoring you, you’re only going to ask me that now? Man, you really are dense.” Her tone was harsh and she was aware of that. She said it almost inaudibly but since it was five in the morning and pretty much everyone was still sleeping, Jessica caught it.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do here, Taeyeon. If you have a problem, then tell me. Do you think ignoring me would solve whatever that problem is?” Unlike Taeyeon, Jessica was practically shouting and the volume of her voice seemed to go up with every word that she says.

The shorter girl, who was now gripping the cup that she got from the cupboard moments ago, so tight that it might probably crack, let out a bitter laugh. “Alright then. Where were you last week during your birthday?”

“I already told you that I was at a friend’s house because we had a group mee—“

“STOP LYING!”

Jessica gasped. The cup that was in Taeyeon’s hand earlier has turned into shards of broken glass. Much like Taeyeon who’s been holding it all in for a week now. The older girl has cracked.

Taeyeon’s body was trembling and she was breathing heavily. Jessica, on the other hand, couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.

The shorter of the two walked towards the other girl and stopped, leaving mere inches between them. “I knew you were lying the moment I saw the shirt you were wearing when you got back,” she said in a low voice. “If you weren’t so stupid then you’d realize that the placement of the buttons on a guy’s shirt is different from the girl’s shirt. Women’s shirt has its button on the left side. Next time you’re going to lie, make sure you actually know things so you don’t look like a pathetic idio—“

Taeyeon felt her cheek stinging.

“Do you feel better calling me stupid? Do you enjoy poking fun at me, huh?”

Taeyeon huffed. “You’re getting mad at me now? I’m not the one lying about my whereabouts…over and over again. I gave you a chance to come clean. I’ve dropped every possible hint for you to do so but you still lied. I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve tried squeezing the truth out of you but you won’t seem to budge.”

Jessica wiped away her tears and said, “I just didn’t want you to do something stupid to that jerk so I thought of not telling you what he did and it’s not like I lied about that group meeting when I told you that the first time. I was tricked into thinking that we were really going to discuss about the project.”

Jessica told her what happened that night and all the things that Jaebeom tried to do but failed to actually do to her, even the text message she received that was also sent by the devious guy. By the time she finished telling all that to Taeyeon, she could hear feel the latter’s breathing get heavy, as if trying hard not to cry.

“You never thought of telling all that to me? You didn’t think I deserved to know? Am I that worthless to you that you can’t even tell me something that important? Am I?”

She held Taeyeon’s hands and said, “Taengoo, you know it’s not like that. I just didn’t want you to make a big deal out of it. Nothing happened so forget about it. I’m sorry I lied. I just—“

“I’m supposed to just let it go like that?” Taeyeon huffed and stormed out of the house leaving Jessica standing alone in the kitchen, breath hitching, trying to stop herself from crying.

“Why is she being so difficult?” she yelled in frustration, wiping her tear-stained face with the sleeves of her shirt.

“Sica?” the tanned girl embraced the crying girl and gently her back. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

The blonde muttered something inaudible and hugged Yuri tighter.

Tiffany who woke up a few seconds after Yuri did entered the kitchen only to see the scene and it made her jealous. Very jealous. “Yuri-ah,” she whined as approached the two and tried to pry away Yuri’s arms off of her sister. “Why are you hugging her?” As soon as the two broke the hug, she noticed her sister’s face she glared at Yuri then hugged Jessica tightly. “Yah! Kwon, what did you do to Jessie?”

“Hey, I didn’t do anything! I came here and she’s already crying,” Yuri said.

Jessica spoke, “Taeng. I lied to her and now she’s angry.”

Yuri decided not to ask but Tiffany, being the nosy one, had to. Her curiosity just gets the best of her sometimes. “What did you lie to her about? It’s not that serious, is it?” When her sister didn’t answer, she pulled her again into a hug and mouthed, “Yuri-ah, cook us food. It cheers her up and I’m hungry.”

“Let’s go up to my room to talk about it, okay?” It was answered by a nod and the two left Yuri to clean the mess in the kitchen and to cook breakfast.

“Aish! I feel like I’m an all-around maid in this house.” She could only sigh in frustration.


---


Taeyeon returned at home after a few hours but didn’t bother greeting anyone although most of them were in the living room except for the step sisters.

“I’m scared of Taeyeon-unnie. Can someone please talk to her and stop her from being mad because I really don’t know how I could sleep in our room tonight,” said Yoona while she snuggled her body against Seohyun’s.

By the time they finished eating breakfast, everyone in the house knew about the thing that happened in their kitchen earlier. Yuri regretted telling Sunny right away.

Sunny looked at her cousin’s girlfriend and said, “Are you sure you’re not just taking advantage of Seohyunnie?”

Yoona whined, “I don’t see how this is taking advantage of her, Sunny-unnie.”

“Yuri should talk to her,” Sooyoung suggested, smirking as she buried her face in the bowl of ramen.

The mentioned girl looked at her in disbelief. “Why me?” She was only answered by a shrug. “You are such a grudge holder, Soo,” she mumbled. “What about Sunny or Hyoyeon?”

Hyoyeon shook her head. “I am not getting dragged into this mess.”

“Just go there and try talking to her, Yuri-ah,” said Sunny.

“I’m sure she wants to be left alone.”

“Unnie, please talk to her,” Yoona pleaded.

“Aww, come on, Yul. Are you going to let Im-choding suffer?” Sooyoung slyly asked.

Yuri stood up and huffed while mumbling, “Grudge-holding shikshin.” She made her way upstairs and stealthily went inside the room where Taeyeon was in. She frowned when she saw the huge gap between Taeyeon’s bed and Jessica’s. That gap was basically non-existent before.

“Taeyeon-ah,” she called softly and sat on the sulking girl’s bed. Taeyeon was lying on her tummy with her face buried on her pillows and clutching tightly on her phone.

The older girl said something but it came out muffled. “What?”

She pushed herself off the bed and said, “Leave me alone and mind your own business.” She got off her bed and was supposed to go to their bathroom but was halted by the taller girl who grabbed the collar of her shirt and roughly pulled her back to the bed. “YAH!” She fixed her shirt and rubbed her bum which unfortunately collided on the bed frame.

The other girl just grinned and talked cheerfully. “I’ve perfected the chocolate pudding and bacon recipe that we were working on a few weeks ago. I’ll give you half the credit if I decided on putting it on my future restaurant’s menu. Not gonna lie though, I still think it’s gross but what the hell, right? It tastes nice.”

The older girl just glared at her and huffed. “Is that it?

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Yuri snapped. I’m only trying to cheer you up and you’re getting mad at me, midget? she thought. 

“You barged into my room wanting to talk about stupid things and you’re going to ask me what’s wrong with me? Just get the hell out and leave me alone.”

Yuri was never good in calming herself down. She only came here to talk and to try and lift the girl’s mood but this is what she got for that. She crouched down and held Taeyeon’s forearm tightly. “Look, you imp, don’t you dare vent your anger towards me just because you’re having problems with your girlfriend right now. I’m only doing this because you’re scaring people out! Sica’s decision of not telling you was probably the smartest thing she’s ever done because you just love making a mountain out of a molehill.”

Taeyeon struggled to get her arm free from Yuri’s grasp and she shoved her away. “You don’t know anything!”

“Don’t I? You left Sica weeping there. You didn’t think we’d eventually find out what happened? I was there earlier as she sobbed and tried telling what happened to me and to Tiffany so I think I know enough, Taeyeon, to say that you’re overreacting and you’re taking things the wrong way.”

“She lied to me! Over and over! She made me feel like I’m completely useless, like I’m some kid who doesn’t know anything! I’ve given her chances to come clean but she didn’t! I trusted her and she made me look like a fool!” Taeyeon spat. “You don’t know how that feels! You don’t know how I feel. Something happened and she didn’t even tell me!”

“She’s already told you, didn’t she? But what did you do? You just left her the—“

“That’s because I forced it out of her. She wouldn’t have told me if I didn’t!”

“Does that even matter?”

“She made me look like a fool!” she repeated as she balled her fists, glaring hard at Yuri. The latter returned it with the same fervour.

“She didn’t. She didn’t need to do that, Taeyeon. You already are a fool,” she said in disgust. “Because in your head, you think you got your pride trampled on by Sica for not telling you about what that guy did. That’s what it is, right? News flash, Kim Taeyeon, she didn’t tell you because she didn’t want you to stress out about it. Because she didn’t want you to do anything stupid that could get you in trouble. She actually cared about you. You, on the other hand, took it as if she didn’t trust you with such information. Instead of hugging her when she finally told you and telling her no one can ever do something bad to her ever again, you blew up and called her stupid. You’re a selfish prᵢck!”

Yuri walked away but before she got out of the room, she left a few words that Taeyeon could ponder about while she’s busy shutting herself off from the rest of the girls. “Don’t make me believe that you don’t really love her and care about her because I’m already this close to believing that you only care about yourself and your stupid pride.”

“Overdramatic midget,” she mumbled as she finally stepped out of the room.


---


A couple of days later, word got around that a sophomore student and a junior got expelled, reasons undisclosed. Jessica found out from her classmates, that those students were Jaebeom and Leeteuk. She avoided talking about it with Taeyeon in class because she didn’t want to cause a scene. As soon as they got home, the blonde entered their shared room again after two days of rooming with her sister and Yuri, only to possibly have a huge argument with Taeyeon again.

“What did you do?” she immediately asked when she saw the older girl sitting on her bed, taking out her notes from her bag. “Did you say anything to Jieun-unnie?” Her questions just got ignored. She huffed. “This is part of why I didn’t want to tell you. You just blew it out of proportion.”

Taeyeon smirked bitterly. “Oh so you’re siding with him now? You suddenly became BFFs when he tried to do something to you?

“Stop that! Stop being childish. This isn’t something you can undo, Taeyeon. Yes, I don’t like both of them. I don’t know what Leeteuk is like but I still don’t like him. Yes, they did something wrong, they did something stupid but did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, getting expelled and possibly having a rough future ahead of you is too much of a punishment? People make stupid decisions. I’ve made a stupid decision by lying to you and I’m sorry. I’m sure you’ve done stupid things too but that doesn’t mean you deserve to get your life ruined because of that one mistake.”

She stared at Taeyeon who had no sign of feeling remorse for what she did. Why should I feel sorry? I did the right thing from getting those crooks expelled, didn’t I?

“Jaebeom might’ve been a total . Leeteuk was even more of an for suggesting such things but…I don’t think they deserve getting kicked out of this school. That was too much. Seeing you right now not even having an ounce of regret for telling that to the dean…it just breaks my heart. It’s like I’m talking to a different person. You were the one who taught me to be considerate and now here you are, not even caring if those two stupid people who committed a stupid mistake would have a hard time getting into another university.”

She immediately wiped the lone tear that fell as she turned around and faced the door. “I’m sorry for lying. It wasn’t my intention to disregard your feelings but I’m even more sorry that I…the things I’ve done was the reason for your hasty actions.”