TAEYEON

Juniper University. Taeyeon’s final year in the university has just started. She was more than halfway through her degree program and all she could think of was graduating as fast as she could. It wasn’t because she hated studying or hated her school, she just wants to get the whole education thing over and done with. Most of her childhood friends ended up in the same school. Some got in because of their grades while others, it was more about the connections. Juniper University is always ranked within the top 10 universities in the country, so in a way, they were in good hands. Now, Taeyeon was just three semesters away from freedom.

Taeyeon found herself staring out of the window of a café near her campus. It was Wednesday. She hated Wednesdays the most. There was a 4-hour break between her morning lecture and the next one. 4-hours of waiting and wasting time. She could study or revise her work but she would only end up looking like a nerd or get distracted by her surroundings. She could go home and stay there for 40 minutes before having to make her way back to campus, that itself was not worth the travel time. So on Wednesdays, Taeyeon would settle herself at one of the many coffee houses near her campus and literally camp there for the next 4 hours.

Sometimes, her friends would join her. Some days, she gets to enjoy her own company. Today however, was an exception. She found herself at an empty café. It was empty until someone else came in about two hours after her. Someone she had never noticed before. Given that most of the people around the neighborhood knew each other, this girl is a stranger. Taeyeon unconsciously stared at the girl who had just walked in. She doesn’t know what it was but it something about that girl that compelled her. Red hair, pink backpack, pink shoes, almost pink everything. This girl is weird.

Taeyeon went back to reading her book. The curious incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon. Taeyeon was just at the part where Christopher found the letters when the girl sat directly across from her. She stole a glance at the girl, this time having a better view of her. The girl was staring out of the window, possibly spacing out. Red hair, pink backpack, pink shoes, pink notebook, pink pen, pink watch, pink everything. This girl is weird.

An hour later, Taeyeon packed her bag. Wide awake from the two cups of coffee she had during her stay at the café. She walked past the girl, catching the sweet vanilla scent. Taeyeon took one last look. Red hair, pink backpack, pink shoes, pink notebook, pink pen, pink watch, pink earrings, pink ribbon, pink everything. This girl loves pink and weird by Taeyeon's definition.

Taeyeon walked down the long hallway to get to her lecture room. Her friends were already chatting in the room, and the class was close to full. She took her usual seat like in most lectures, the one at the corner. Yuri, Hyoyeon, Jessica sat behind her. Hyomin and Sunny sat on the same row but left two seats in between them knowing that Taeyeon loved having personal space more than anything. Sooyoung, Kyungho, Yoona and Seunggi sat in front of her. It was the only lecture that she had this semester with all of her friends in it. She didn’t need such distractions but lucky for her, it was a non-examinable module. All she has to do was pay attention in class, attend all classes and she gets an easy simple A+ on her record sheet.

It took a while after the lecturer, Mr Rodman, stood in the front of the small lecture hall for everyone to settle down. By then, Seohyun who didn’t manage to get a seat in the front, had taken the empty one next to Yoona. Almost all the seats were taken, except for the two next to Taeyeon and the two next to Hyoyeon and maybe a few more in between students up front that required plenty of squeezing through. No one ever sits next to Hyoyeon or Yuri. It was an unspoken rule if the aura given out by them wasn’t unwelcoming enough.

Mr Rodman was in the middle of going through the module schedule when the doors of the lecture hall creaked open causing almost everyone to turn to the direction of the source. There, Taeyeon saw someone familiar. Red hair, pink backpack, pink shoes. The weird girl.

‘Woah. Pink monster alert!’ Hyoyeon muttered. Loud enough for some students to laugh out loud as they turned their attention back to Mr Rodman.

‘I don’t tolerate tardiness. But I’m guessing you’re new here because I’ve never seen you around. Find yourself a seat, hurry now.’

Taeyeon turned back to face the front. She heard Yuri and Hyoyeon muttering a few incoherent words and giggling.

‘Sorry, the seat’s taken’

Taeyeon could hear the multiple excuses that were given.

‘Sorry, Pinkstar. No one sits here.’

Taeyeon heard Hyoyeon’s voice. She could tell from Hyoyeon’s voice that the girl was trying her best not to burst into laughter. For some reason, Taeyeon could feel her heart beating faster as she heard the girl shuffling behind Hyoyeon and walking down the step that was next to her.

‘Sorry, do you mind if I sit here?’

Taeyeon heard a sweet yet husky voice. She was about to answer but found that was dry. Instead, Taeyeon just shrugged her shoulders and a few seconds after, felt the chair next to her shift as the new girl took her seat.

‘Aww man, now all I see in pink and red.’ Hyoyeon couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst into fits of laughter.

‘Ms Kim, I would appreciate minimal disruption for my lectures. And I’m sure Ms Jung would appreciate it too.’

The class erupted into laughter. Taeyeon didn’t have to turn back to know that Jessica was giving Hyoyeon a death stare. Hyoyeon deserved it, for not giving the new girl a break and for waking the ice princess up from her beauty sleep.

Taeyeon’s ride home was in the back of Yuri’s car. Yuri wasn’t just Taeyeon’s friend. They were neighbors too. Taeyeon would have driven her own car to campus but her car wouldn’t start this morning. It was just a 20 minute drive. She thanked the taller girl when she was dropped off. Taeyeon waved goodbye to Yuri and Jessica. Taeyeon greeted her parents and went straight to her room. She rested for a few minutes before heading to the bathroom for a shower. The whole time, she can’t seem to get the new girl out of her head.

TIFFANY

New school. New start. Tiffany had just moved near the outskirts of town. It took her over an hour just to get to her new school by bus. Juniper University. Tiffany finished the remaining administrative work needed for her transfer at the administrative building. Moving here was Tiffany’s idea of escaping reality back home. Lily and I are getting married. That was what her dad announced when he broke the news to the whole family. Lily happened to be the woman her dad has been seeing for just over two year. Aunt Lily was what Tiffany used to call her. Lily was the best friend of Tiffany’s late mother. The two were almost inseparable. Lily was even the bridesmaid for her parents wedding. How Lily and her father ended up being engaged to each other, now soon to be married was still a mystery in her head. It was a form of betrayal for her.

‘Your mother would have wanted me to move on. To be happy’

Her father would argue when Tiffany refuses to show up for dinners if she knew Lily was going to be there. In her head, she was yelling Not with her best friend. Anyone but her.

Her siblings took it more lightly. They welcomed Lily with open arms. Michelle even said that Lily was family a long time ago. If mum was still alive, you wouldn’t say such things. Tiffany would scoff.

Another year of school and that’s it. Tiffany would have her ticket out, away from her father and Lily. Something inside her disliked Lily even more after the marriage was announced. The number of times Tiffany caught Lily looking at her father longingly when her mother was still alive suddenly made more sense now.

Tiffany had thought that the administrative work would take longer but she overestimated Juniper University’s efficiency and found herself having two whole hours to spare. She decided to walk around the campus for a bit and made a mental note of where her first official lecture would be. After checking it out, she decided to visit the quaint café that she had seen on the way to campus.

Cling! Cling! The doors of the café jingled due to the bells attached to the handles.

Tiffany walked into the empty café. Empty except for the lone customer. Black hair, camo jacket and a black five-panel hat that had white crosses on the front. Tiffany looked for just a few seconds before she stared at the huge chalkboard menu displayed above the cashier.

‘Can I have the passion fruit iced tea? Yes, the special. I’d like to try that’ Tiffany made her order while taking out her pink wallet.

Tiffany carried her phone, wallet and drink all in one hand as she walked to a table. She liked sitting near the windows. Only because she likes staring out from them. Tiffany noticed that the girl was staring at it from the corner of her eye but choose to ignore it. She’s used to the stares. It could be the red hair or her pink shoes or pink backpack or everything pink about her. Tiffany is obsessed with pink and just because others think she’s weird for expressing her love for the color that way, she wasn’t going to change for anyone. Tiffany would usually wear pink in moderation, it just happened that she has yet to finish unpacking and those things were in the first box she opened.

Tiffany looked at the girl when she felt the staring stopped. She noticed how the girl was reading a book she has read before. She also noticed how the girl constantly tapped her finger on the table as she was reading. What an annoying habit. Tiffany thought to herself. She sipped her iced tea and continued looking out. Letting her thoughts consume her.

She must have spaced out too long because by the time she snapped out from her daydream, the girl in front of her was gone. Tiffany glanced at the clock and noticed that there was only 10 minutes left before her first class. Great. She was going to be late. What a first impression. She gulped down the remaining tea that was now diluted and only slightly colder than room temperature. Tiffany rushed to the lecture room, she was 5 minutes late.

Everyone was staring at her as soon as she entered the small hall. She heard someone muttering something and a slight laughter erupted. Then the lecturer said something that Tiffany assumed was about her tardiness. She barely paid attention as she busily scanned the room for a seat. She spotted a few and walked towards it only to be rejected.

A blonde girl who had two empty chairs told her that they were taken. She knew even if they weren’t Tiffany wouldn’t even want to sit there. Just in front of the girl, there were two empty seats as well. She noticed the camo jacket and five-panel hat. It was the girl from the café. Tiffany asked politely if the seat was taken and received a shrug as a response. She took her seat. As soon as she sat down, the blonde girl who didn’t let her sit earlier said out loud about seeing red and pink. Great, it’s like high school all over again Tiffany thought. She ignored as the room was filled with laughter again after something the lecturer had said.

Tiffany looked to the girl next to her, the girl kept her head down, still reading same book that Tiffany saw at the café. At least she’s not bothering me Tiffany thought to herself.

Tiffany decided to stay a while more after the lecture instead of heading home straight. What was the rush if she’s going back to an empty house? She walked around her new ‘neighborhood’ and bought herself dinner on the way home. This wasn’t a bad start. She could actually get used to this.