Chapter Sixteen

Yuri stared at the text she had already written with furrowed eyebrows. She nibbles on her bottom lip.

'Let's hang out today.'

Her thumb lingered over the 'send' button. It had been a few weeks since the incident at the store. Jessica could still be mad at her, or sad, or - whatever she was at Yuri. Yuri just didn't want them to be awkward.

"Hey, Yuri," 

The voice shocked her, causing her thumb to hit the sensitive touch screen of her phone. There was a 'swish' sound, indicating that the text sent successfully. Yuri looked up and saw her stepfather standing at her doorway. 

"Breakfast is ready." He smiled at her. Yuri nods and looks down at her phone. She could see that Jessica was already texting back. That was quick. 

Halfway down the hall, Yuri felt the device in her hand vibrate. She looked down at the screen immediately, pausing in her steps. 

'Sure. What do you have in mind, Yuri?'

Her stomach bursted into butterflies and she tried to contain her smile by biting on her inner cheeks. This was a day out as friends. Friends who survived on a not so lonely island together. Friends who weren't really just friends. But - they were friends nonetheless.

Yuri typed a reply, continuing on her way to the dining room.

'What do you like to do?'

"Morning," Yuri greeted her family as she got into view. Three pairs of eyes turned to look at her. Her stepsister narrowed her eyes. 

"You're oddly chirpy today." Yoona said.

Yuri sat across from her and took a slice of toast, biting a piece of it. "Am I not allowed to be?"

"No," Yoona shook her head, observing the older girl. "It's just... weird."

"Yoona, let her be happy." Yuri's mom scokded her playfully. Yuri rolled her eyes and felt her phone vibrate once again.

'Let's just walk around. We'll find something to do eventually.'

Yoona opened as she saw Yuri looking down at her phone and smiling. "Ah, now I know why you're so happy." She snuiled at Yuri. "Got a special someone, don't you?"

"It's Jessica."

"Not Yujee?" Her stepfather asked, pouring Yuri a cup of orange juice. Yuri shook her head, typing a reply. "Nope." 

'Come by my house in thirty minutes?'

Yuri smiled at the other three people sitting with her, taking hold of her fork and gently poking around her scrambled eggs.

A vibration.

'Sure. See you soon, Yuri.'

She sliped her phone into her pocket and continued to eat breakfast with a smile planted on her face the entire time.

"Hey." Yuri greeted the shorter girl as she opened the door. The blonde smiled, scanning the girl up and down. "Ready?"

"Yep." Yuri said as she stepped out and closed the door behind her. She stuffs her hands into the pockets of her pants, "Where exactly do you want to walk around?"

Jessica took a deep breath. "Anywhere, really." She glances over to the girl walking next to her. "It doesn't matter. As long as it's with you."

Yuri, a bit taken aback, blushed and looked at her feet. Jessica laughed weakly, also looking elsewhere. "Sorry. That was a weird thing to say, wasn't it?"

"Not weird." Yuri shook her head, smiling. "A bit blunt..." Jessica looked back over to her. "...but not weird." Yuri assured her, a small twinkle in her eye. It was odd being with Yuri now that they were off the island. It was a good kind of odd, though. They didn't have to hunt or scavenge for food, they didn't have to constantly travel to get clean water, and they didn't have to worry about people literally hunting them down. Jessica could get used to this.

"How have you been at home?" Jessica asked, allowing her shoulder to brush against Yuri's. The sidewalks were relatively empty, but Yuri knew how Jessica loved to be touchy. "Have you adjusted already?"

Yuri smiled at her choice of words. "Yeah, I mean I'm more jumpy than I was before... but I'm alright." She liked talking to Jessica like this. They hadn't had a real conversation like this in a while. "How about you? Have you been alright?"

The older girl's shoulders lift and fall as she sighed deeply. Yuri turned her head to look down at her, her worried side coming out. "Everything alright?"

Jessica smiled and nodded. "It's fine... It's just..." Yuri looked at her expectantly. Jessica sighed once again when her eyes met Yuri's before she looked away, towards the street where cars passed by every now and then. "They treat me better than they did before the wreck happened."

Yuri's worry turned to confusion. "Sorry.. but how's that bad?"

The shorter one speeds up her pace as she talked. "It's annoying." Yuri had to jog a few steps to get back on track with the other girl. "How so?" She asked.

"The me before the wreck would've loved this kind of treatment but... this me doesn't. They won't ever let me do anything by myself. I'm not able to go anywhere without having one of the workers following me. I had to yell at them to leave me alone long enough so I could go out with you." Jessica spoke quietly, her eyes trained on the tip of her sneakers with each step she took. Her voice was a bit higher than Yuri remembered it was. "I can't even brush my teeth without one of them trying to help me. It's like they think I'm severely scarred."

"Aren't you?" The words slipped out of Yuri's mouth before she could stop them because, hell, Yuri was scarred for life. Jessica looked up.

"Well... Yeah I am... I mean... Who wouldn't be?" She replied before lightly bumping her shoulder against Yuri's, "But I'm not so scarred that I can't brush my teeth by myself, Yuri." She smiled, lightening the mood a bit. Yuri laughed a little and nodded. "Yeah, I see what you mean."

"I just want them to back off a bit." Jessica breathed. 

"Have you told them that?" Yuri asjed. "Maybe if you told them, it'd help."

"I have." Jessica answered. "But then they just go back to acting like that after I have a nightmare - " She cut herself off and she heard the footsteps beside her stop. She slowed her walking, too. Yuri tilted her head slightly.

"You've been having nightmares?"

"They aren't that bad." Jessica said as she turned around, assuring Yuri as well as herself, but Yuri didn't look like she was convinced. "I swear they aren't."

"Why do they have to act so protective around you if they weren't bad?" 

Jessica avoided eye contact and Yuri frowned, thinking that Jessica resembled a really ashamed puppy who had just been scolded. "You should see someone about this."

"I'm good." Jessica turned and continued walking. Yuri followed.

"Why not?"

"I just don't want to." She replied.

"It could help."

"Or it could make me worse." Jessica retorted. 

Yuri sighed and dropped the topic. "Alright." She didn't like the idea of Jessica having nightmares. She's had her fair share of nightmares but Jessica... Jessica was more vulnurable than she was and Yuri knew that Jessica's nightmares would be more dramatic and frightening.

The shorter one lightly nudged Yuri. "So... how are you and... Yujee?"

She expected this question to come up. "We've been doing good." Yuri answered because truthfully, they were doing good. They had been on more dates and had already had their first kiss already. Yujee made Yuri happy, Yuri made Yujee happy. 

So where did Jessica fit in?

"How about you? Have you found anybody?"

Jessica scoffed. "Me? God no." Yuri feels the girl move closer to her as a breeze went by. "I'd rather not date anybody for a while. I'm all set." Jessica's hands were eventually wrapped around Yuri's arm. As expected by Jessica Jung.

"You've gotten offers though, haven't you?"

"Of course." Jessica shrugged. "They're all boring, though. My dad keeps trying to set me up with people. They're all boring."

"You won't date any of them because they're boring." Yuri quirked an eyebrow. Jessica nodded once, holding onto Yuri as she thought of what she actually wanted to say.

I won't date any of them because they aren't you.

Long time no see!!! Thanks for the feature :p it's been literally a year since I last updated this. I guess you can tell because the writing (?) might be a little different. It's two in the morning here haha but thanks!!!! You've all been here for a while and I'm sorry for being a bad author and not updating but !! I updated :D This story... I really enjoyed writing it. I rememeber writing it and having so much fun. Looking back at it, it's probably one of the few stories I've written that doesn't make me want to curl into a ball of shame. I really am proud of this story despite chapters being so so so so short. (Sorry :p)      but! thanks again for the feature! I wouldn't be here without any of you all! Leave me a comment and maybe an upvote!! Thanks <3

- Peggy