Chemicals Collide: The Changes You Don't See
Put Your Love In LightsThere are probably many, many grammar issues and logic issues and all that good stuff in this story. I wrote everything on my phone, and editing just became tedious. I'm positive I didn't catch everything though, so... sorry :)
First multichapter! Yay! This was originally a oneshot but it took a different path... I spent a four-hour car ride writing this up, and I think I covered all the essential parts of my plan. This'll probably be three parts, I'm hoping. I didn't really have a good place to divvy it up though, so I guess this'll have to do.
Enjoy!
________________________________________
I got a coup
le addict
ions
But I swear that I'm coming clean
I got a new way of thinking
Yeah you're bringing out the best in me…
"Young lady, until you've improved your behavior you'll be staying here with your aunt and uncle, no questions asked."
Jessica Jung looked furious, ignoring the warning glances her parents were giving her as she angrily stood. "That's ridiculous! All this just because of one stupid fight?"
"Please realize that if this was the first or second offense we would let you off with a warning." The superintendent said. "But at this point, we simply cannot overlook it anymore."
"Jessi, please. This'll be good for you." Her mother said gently, her father nodding his consent.
Jessica shook her head angrily. "Is that the best 'punishment' you could come up with?" She scowled darkly, eyes flashing.
The superintendent chuckled wryly. "It seems to have effect though no? Miss. Jung, please realize you simply don't have another choice unless you want this to go on your permanent record."
Jessica glowered at the man and her heel. She slammed the door behind her, hard enough to rattle the window shutters, and stormed out of the office.
"What good could making me live in the countryside possibly do?" She grumbled angrily to herself as she made her way back to her aunt and uncle's house.
"What indeed." A lilting voice sounded from behind her.
Jessica Jung whipped around, instinctually ready for a fight. To her surprise she came face to face with a girl, a rather pretty one at that. A girl with dark reddish brown hair and dark chocolate eyes, contrasting with Jessica's blonde hair with black highlights.
"What do you mean?" Jessica asked carefully, but the stranger had somehow vanished.
Jessica looked around suspiciously but said nothing. She her heel and left.
Two packs of cigarettes lay finished, crumpled in her wake.
(Just imagine Taeyeon's hair color from the Run Devil Run mv :D)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I got a bit of a history
But you're telling me that you don't care
I've been a bit of a mystery
But the only thing that I could find to think about was you…
Jessica opened the door to her aunt and uncle's place. "Well at least it's a nice house." She thought to herself, looking around. Her aunt and uncle were pretty well off, with a rather large beautifully furnished house and a gorgeous garden.
She kicked off her shoes and headed to the kitchen. The kitchen was large and spacious, connected to the living room. Jessica admitted to herself that she did like the open-space concept of the house, and high ceilings. She also liked the sunlight that streamed in through large windows and the kitchen's glass sliding door, and the beautiful simplicity of the house. Sighing in resignation, she entered the kitchen to see a strangely familiar girl standing by the marble countertops eating a cup of peach yogurt. Jessica stopped short.
"Who are you?" She demanded, stepping closer to the strange girl. The girl's eyes went to Jessica and she tried to swallow before she said anything, but she never had the chance.
"You better speak up now or I'll break your face." Jessica calmly threatened with the iciest expression on her face. The girl seemed rather frightened at that point and she tried to explain herself.
"I-"
Before she could get anything else out, Jessica had crossed the room and slammed the girl into the nearest wall, holding her by the collar. "Listen here you little , I don't think you want to mess with me right now. Tell me who you are and what you're doing here before I beat the living crap outta you-"
"I'M KRYSTAL!" The girl cut her off before she could finish her death threats. Jessica's expression went from icy and angry to icy and confused as she loosened her grip on the girl's shirt.
"Krystal? Do I know you?" Jessica asked blankly.
The girl swallowed nervously. "Um, you're Sooyeon unnie right?"
Jessica narrowed her eyes, suspicion returning. "Yes? How did you know that? And who told you my name was Sooyeon?"
The girl backed down the hallway connected to the kitchen towards the stairs. "Nice to meet you unnie! I'm sorry for not properly greeting you earlier, I hope you'll forgive me! I'll try my best to stay out of your way from now on!" She stammered nervously, her face a wonderful shade of red, then she turned and sprinted up the stairs at an alarmingly fast speed.
Jessica furrowed her eyebrows. "Unnie? Krystal? Who…" She frowned in confusion, tapping her chin.
Suddenly she snapped her fingers. "… that wasn't Soojung was it?"
She glanced over her shoulder warily at where Krystal had been standing. Noticing a few pictures, she made her way over and leaned over to look closer. There were pictures of a young girl that looked suspiciously like the younger sister that she hadn't seen in years, as well as pictures of her own younger self.
Jessica face-palmed. "Great. First meeting in five years and I've scared her away. Dammit!" She cursed under her breath, and made her way to the spacious living room. Laying down on a couch, she sighed and stared up at the high ceiling.
It's been a long time since she had a moment like this. Peace and quiet, no one around (save for her terrified sister upstairs) and nothing to bother her.
Jessica closed her eyes. Her fellow gang members were probably missing her right now. The only reason she was here was because her gang kept picking fights with their biggest rivals, the Hansung gang. Hansung was a neighboring school, and they were not particularly fond of Jessica's school, Bugil. The two gangs in each school were constantly fighting, and Jessica was usually the ringleader. She smiled as she remembered their biggest victory over Hansung; it was a few months back when one of the Hansung leaders had just left the school, and consequently the gang. More importantly, the person had left the day before a huge rumble was scheduled between the gangs. Jessica's best friend, Hara, had heard the news from another gang member Guyri, and had immediately come to Jessica to deliver the news. Jessica wasted no time in telling the rest of the gang, and they went to the rumble with confidence, Jessica in the lead. She'd come face to face with one of her best friend Hara's sworn enemies, Jiyoung, and all hell broke loose when Hara swung the first punch at Jiyoung's face. The Bugil kids had won after a long twenty minutes since both sides had so many members. She remembered screaming in victory as the Bugil gang chased the Hansung back to their town, only stopping when they reached the small shallow river that the Hansung wasted no time in crossing.
Jessica sighed as she remembered the thrill of fights; the incredible adrenaline rush and heightened senses. She internally groaned as she suddenly remembered where she was and why she was here, and all her negative thoughts came back in a rush of sighs and vacant stares.
Suddenly the image of the chestnut-haired girl she'd met earlier flashed through her mind. "Who was she… and why was she there?"
Jessica would never bring herself to admit that the mystery girl was completely hot.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ooo
So come on come on you want to…
Jessica didn't realize she'd dozed off until she felt herself being gently shaken by a hand. She instantly shot up, instinctively slapping the intruding hand.
"Woah, easy there tiger." Her uncle Daehyun chuckled. "Just wanted to tell you it's dinner time."
Jessica felt her cheeks warm, but she stood with a curt nod to the man and headed to the dinner table.
When she got to the dining room for dinner, the first person she saw was Krystal. Krystal didn't notice her until she sat down, and her eyes instantly widened. Jessica's aunt and uncle didn't seem to notice though, and they quickly introduced the two.
"Oh Jessica, this is Krystal. You remember, your little sister?" Aunt Chohee said with a smile.
Jessica nodded at Krystal, who seemed to be frozen in her seat. "Yeah, we ran into each other when I got here."
"Great! So then let's eat. A man can only wait for so long." Daehyun joked, and the four quickly dug into their meals. Daehyun and Chohee made small talk with Jessica, asking her about herself. Jessica's replies were short, one-worded answers in a clipped tone which didn't seem to bother her uncle and aunt. She sighed at their persistence, even though they were nice people. She desperately wished to go home to her beloved city.
At some point, Krystal had silently gotten up to get some water and was somewhere in the kitchen. Jessica herself felt a little thirsty so she got up as well. "I'm just gonna grab some water." She said, pushing her chair out.
"Oh it's alright sweetie, Krystal can get it for you. Krystal!" Chohee called to the kitchen. "Can you get Jessica some water please?"
A squeak, followed by an "Okay!" was heard, and a few moments later Krystal emerged with two glasses of water in her hands.
"Um, here you go- ah!"
The next thing Jessica could process was the fact that she was covered with water and there were two glasses shattered beyond repair on the ground.
Krystal looked horrified.
"Oh my gosh! I- I'm so sorry!" She apologized frantically, bowing ninety degrees.
Jessica wiped the water from her eyes. "It's alright." She replied with an annoyed sigh. "Be more careful next time will you?" She bent down to pick up the shattered glass.
"Oh sweetie don't do that, you'll get hurt. Let me get a dustpan, you just dry off and finish your dinner." Chohee smiled warmly at her niece, despite the latter's curt attitude, then headed to the kitchen in search of a dustpan. Daehyun shrugged, and continued eating.
"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it, really! I swear I'll stay out of your way from now on!" Krystal said, slowly backing away from Jessica.
"Oh it's okay, don't worry about it." Jessica said unconvincingly, wringing her hair in disgust.
Krystal looked ready to faint from fear. Before Jessica could say anything else, she had turned and ran upstairs.
Daehyun gave a low whistle. "Those were some pretty big glasses. You're all wet. If you're done eating, you should go ahead and shower before you catch a cold. Chohee and I can clean up here, don't worry about it."
Jessica nodded with a sigh and got up. "Thanks, I will." She said with a straight face, then headed upstairs to take a shower.
She emerged from her shower and quickly changed into jeans and a jacket, even though it was getting late.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shut your eyes
And feel the chemicals collide
You and I tonight
You're the sugar in my high
Jessica found herself unable to sleep, millions of thoughts swimming in her mind. She never could adjust to new environments well anyway.
She pulled on a jacket, jeans, and her black converse, and headed outside, deciding that some fresh air would do her well. Quietly slipping out the back door as not to disturb anyone, she quickly made her way to the sidewalks under the moonlight.
It was quiet, she decided, and a rather strange quiet at that. She wasn't used to such quietness that came with living in the countryside. She was used to bright lights and crowded streets, not moonlit sidewalks and empty roads. There was the occasional car that came by, but nothing like she was used to.
She found herself near the busy part of town, where the pubs and shops were. This was a setting she was more accustomed to. The neighborhood was smaller but the town itself had a good amount of people. There were multiple schools for kids in different parts.
Jessica walked along, relishing the artificial street lights. It probably the closest to a city she'd get in a while anyway.
"Is it really a good idea to be out alone on a Sunday night by all the bars?"
Jessica almost jumped out of her skin in fright. She instantly threw out an experienced fist at the source of the voice, only to have it stopped midair.
"Wow, easy there. I didn't even do anything." A soothingly familiar voice invaded her senses. She turned around to see none other than the chestnut-haired girl from before with a firm yet gentle grasp on her wrist and a white jacket, complementing her reddish hair. (Again, Run Devil Run hair for those who missed the first note.)
Jessica's eyes widened in recognition. "You!" She said, pointing an accusing finger at the girl.
"Me?" The girl asked, all composure lost for a split second as she choked on her flustered, dorky response.
"You're the girl that was by my house earlier! Who are you?" Jessica demanded, hands on hips.
The girl blinked. "Um, Taeyeon?"
"…"
"……"
"………"
"…………"
Jessica finally threw her hands up. "Well?"
Taeyeon shrugged. "What? That's my name. Kim Taeyeon."
"Is that all you have to say?" Jessica asked, arching an unimpressed eyebrow at Taeyeon.
Taeyeon blinked. "You ask who I was. I answered."
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm leaving." She announced, and spun on her heel to walk back home.
Suddenly she heard Taeyeon's voice cry out behind her and she saw incoming headlights getting brighter and brighter and she braced herself for the impact, opening to scream and-
"Oomph!"
Her scream turned into a grunt as she felt herself roughly tackled to the sidewalk. The car swerved by with a resounding beep, the screeching of tires fading in the distance.
Silence.
All that was heard was the heaving of breaths lost and the pounding of petrified hearts.
Jessica found herself pinned under a warm body, with a pair of arms wrapped securely around her waist. She stared wide-eyed at her savior, not finding the words to say.
"That was so close." Taeyeon breathed, slumping against Jessica's chest in relief.
Jessica could only lie there, numb with shock.
"Damn those drunk drivers." Taeyeon chuckled wryly, trying to lighten the atmosphere as she picked herself up off of Jessica, who continued to lie still. Taeyeon grabbed Jessica's wrists and hauled her to her feet, steadying her as the blonde swayed.
"I…I…" Jessica said numbly as she registered what had just happened in her head.
"Aren't you glad you ran into me now?" Taeyeon chuckled, pulling away from the blonde. Jessica blinked as Taeyeon did so, somehow missing the girl's presence by her side.
"You… just… saved… my… life…" Jessica said in a shocked monotone.
"I sound pretty heroic when you put it that way yes?" Taeyeon nodded to herself, satisfied. "I'm guessing you're not from this town since I haven't seen you around."
Jessica nodded, shivering. "Yeah. I just came out for a walk, I couldn't sleep."
Taeyeon nodded. "Do you know your way around? You can get back to your house right?"
"…"
"……"
"………"
"You're totally lost aren't you."
"Yup."
Taeyeon sighed. "Alright, I'll take you home. Where do you live?"
Jessica arched a brow, wondering if it was okay to trust a complete stranger, but this stranger had just saved her life so she assumed it would be alright. Plus, this particular stranger happened to be completely cute.
"I live on Forest road." Jessica said, and Taeyeon nodded.
"Wow, you walked a pretty good distance. That's a good twenty minutes of walking. It's no problem though, don't worry. I'll get you home safe and sound." She smiled dorkily at Jessica, and the blonde couldn't help but somehow melt at the adorable sight.
Taeyeon started walking, and Jessica stood and watched. When she felt the blonde girl not following, Taeyeon turned and looked back. "You coming? You're the lost one, not me"
Jessica blinked and robotically made her way to the other girl. Taeyeon gently tugged her by the elbow and led her to the sidewalk. "Come on, it's alright. You're fine, I'm fine, everything's fine. No more cars and idiotic drivers okay?" She said, pulling Jessica along as she walked. Her white jacket seemed to glow in the night, akin to an angel.
Jessica didn't really sleep that night, but somehow it wasn't because of the car.
A pack of cigarettes sat finished by her bedside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shut your eyes
I feel the chemicals collide
Stars and satellites
Spinning round and round
On the night you saved my life…
"RINGA LINGA EY RINGA LINGA EY"
"SHUT UP." Jessica groaned as she slapped her phone's alarm off. She wearily rolled out bed to prepare for her first day of school. After Saturday's accident and a peaceful Sunday, she was to resume her student career at a local high school in the area as a second year. Krystal was a first year, so they'd be attending the same school.
"Well I promised Hara and the rest I'd be back as soon as possible… and this is the only way to do it." Jessica groaned to herself, and dragged herself to the bathroom. She quickly washed up and headed downstairs with her bag since she was already short on time. Daehyun was standing by the door.
"Oh there you are. I'll drive you to school today to help get you settled. Krystal's in the car already, so we can head out."
Jessica nodded and silently got in the passenger seat. Krystal somehow refused to look at her, and rightfully so. It's not everyday a strange girl barges into your house and threatens you for eating yogurt.
They arrived at the school in no time, and Daehyun quickly settled Jessica's schedule and classes. He smiled before he left. "Be good alright? Don't start too much trouble." He joked, then left.
Jessica nodded and headed off to her first period class, math. Krystal had run off as soon as they set foot in the building, leaving her sister on her own.
"This better be the right room…" Jessica thought with gritted teeth. Taking a breath, she slid the door open.
Roughly twenty-eight pairs of eyes instantly turned to stare at her. She internally rolled her own eyes, and turned her attention to the teacher. "Hi, I'm new here and I believe this is my first class?"
The teacher nodded. "Ah, you must be Jessica. Come on in." He said, gesturing for her to enter.
Jessica stepped in the room confidently. All eyes were on her, and she already saw kids whispering. The teacher looked around. "Why don't you sit in that empty seat back there?" He said, pointing to an empty seat in the back row next to a sleeping chestnut-haired girl. Jessica nodded and put her things down, and the teacher quickly resumed his lecture.
Jessica shot a quick glance at the girl next to her. "She looks familiar." Jessica thought to herself. "Maybe I saw her when moving in yesterday."
Poor Jessica didn't know just how true her thoughts were.
Math passed rather slowly, with kids casting glances back at her every now and then. The bell rang and everyone started to pack up, including Jessica. She was in the middle of putting away her notebook when the sleeping girl stirred, sat up, and stretched.
Jessica took no note of her until the girl reached over and tapped her shoulder. "Hey, you dropped-!"
Jessica turned to look at the stranger, and her jaw dropped. "You!" She said, pointing an accusing finger at the girl.
"Oh! Hi Jessica." Taeyeon blinked in surprise before a small smirk made its way across her face. "You dropped a pen, I think."
Jessica looked down at Taeyeon's outstretched hand. "Thanks." She muttered, accepting the pink pen. "What're you doing here?!" She went back to demanding instantly.
Taeyeon shrugged. "I could ask you the same thing." She said. "So you really are new here."
"Yeah." Jessica nodded, secretly taking in Taeyeon's full appearance. Taeyeon looked even better in daylight; her skin was pale and clear, paler than Jessica's, and her almond shaped eyes were dark onyx and sparking with something foreign to the blonde. She had moist lips and long lashes, trimmed eyebrows and a cute appearance. Her hair was a beautiful shade of reddish chestnut, and her teeth were white and straight. Jessica noticed the dimple on her chin when she smiled at the girl.
"Well who knew you'd end up here with me." Taeyeon chuckled jokingly as Jessica glared at her, refusing to dignify that with a response.
"Hey, can I see your schedule?" Taeyeon asked. Jessica wordlessly threw a piece of paper at the paler girl who swiftly snatched it from the air and examined it.
"Cool, we have some classes together!" Taeyeon exclaimed happily, much to Jessica's chagrin.
"What? We do?" Jessica asked, looking over the shorter girl's shoulder.
"Yeah see? We have english, math, and vocals together." Taeyeon said smugly, pointing to the now glaringly offending schedule in her hand.
Jessica raised an eyebrow warily and sighed. "So what do I have next then?" She asked.
"Chemistry." Taeyeon answered. "I have physics."
Jessica nodded. "Cool. Well I'm gonna be late." She said as she stood up, heading to the door.
She heard a laugh strangely akin to an ahjumma's as she left the math room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chemistry passed without a hitch. She supposed the teacher was alright, but the class itself was rather uneventful.
"What's next?" She murmured to herself. "English…"
"Hey there."
"AH!" She let the out a high pitched dolphin shriek and jumped back, ready to swing. Taeyeon was standing behind her with her hands up.
"What's with you?" The shorter girl chortled, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
Jessica glared at her, but the other seemed unfazed. "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?!" She demanded, slinging her bag over her shoulder.
"I'm just here to walk you to our next class." Taeyeon smirked.
Jessica looked at her weirdly. "How'd you know what I have next?"
Taeyeon shrugged, not answering the question. "It's magic." She replied airily.
Jessica raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Oh really?"
Taeyeon laughed. "Nope, I just so happened to memorize your schedule."
Jessica felt her cheeks heat up as they started walking. "Stalker much? How did you even manage to memorize it?"
Taeyeon shrugged. "Not sure. I'm just cool like that. Anyway, aren't you glad I came to pick you up?"
Jessica shot her a side glance. "I didn't ask for your assistance did I?"
"But it's not like you know where you're going anyway." Taeyeon said cheekily. "So I decided kindness wasn't completely beyond me and I came to get you!"
Jessica scoffed as they arrived to the music room. "Whatever."
Taeyeon opened the door and held it open for Jessica who walked in with a muttered "thanks." The blonde suddenly felt self-conscious, as everyone in the room turned to stare at her and the short brunette behind her. Everywhere she looked, there were students stealing glances at the two and whispering among themselves.
"This is like math all over again." Jessica internally groaned. As she followed Taeyeon to a seat, she overheard her peer's conversations.
"Who's that?"
"She's hot."
"Is she friends with Taeyeon?!"
"Omg! Don't tell me she likes Taeyeon!"
Jessica mentally cringed at the accuracy of the whispers, although she vehemently denied her minuscule feelings for the brunette.
"Sit." Taeyeon said, patting the seat next to her. Jessica sat.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked suspiciously, making herself comfortable next to the brunette.
Taeyeon rolled her eyes. "Why so cynical? And because you usually need a partner in this class, so I thought we could be partners."
Jessica nodded mutely. Taeyeon chuckled and laid a hand on her arm. "Relax okay? I'm not gonna bite you or anything."
Jessica glanced at her warily as the teacher walked in. "Oh? How do I know that?"
Taeyeon threw up her hands. "I saved you from getting flattened the other day didn't I?"
A wave of guilt suddenly rushed over the blonde and she stared blankly at the shorter girl. Taeyeon sighed. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that. But still, why don't you trust me?"
Jessica looked away. "Who says I don't trust you?"
"Practically every fiber of your being is screaming it at me." Was the flat response.
There was no reply as the class began.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Jessica! Where're you going?!"
The blonde turned to see Taeyeon standing behind her, a crowd of students huddled behind the shorter girl who didn't notice a thing. "It's this way." She said, gesturing to the blonde.
"What?" Jessica asked.
"The cafeteria." Taeyeon replied in a 'duh' voice, rolling her eyes at the blonde who bristled at the action.
"I know! I was just going to my locker." She said as she crossed her arms defensively, warily eyeing the crowd behind Taeyeon.
"Oh? Cool, I'll come with you." Taeyeon said, stepping closer.
Jessica stared blankly at the shorter girl as Taeyeon waited for her to start walking.
"…"
"……"
"………"
"… you have no idea where you're going do you?"
"Nope."
Taeyeon rolled her eyes and suddenly grabbed Jessica's wrist. "Come on. You can sit with us." She said, pulling the blonde along with her.
Jessica stumbled at the sudden pull. "H-Hey! Where're we going?!" She said, feeling rather flustered
"Just come!" Taeyeon called over her shoulder, not letting go of Jessica's hand.
It was getting harder to ignore the stares, Jessica noted, as she stumbled after the brunette. They arrived at the cafeteria soon after and Taeyeon led her to an isolated table in the corner. There were three girls already sitting there.
"Hey guys." Taeyeon greeted, gripping Jessica's arm tighter so she wouldn't flee.
Three heads turned to stare. "Hi TaeTae!" A girl with black hair and a beautiful eyesmile beamed.
"Hey midget." Another girl greeted casually with a smirk.
"Hi midget unnie." Another girl laughed.
Taeyeon glared at the two. "Yah, is that how you greet your unnie Yoona?" She said playfully.
Yoona laughed widely, and Jessica could see her uvula. "Sorry Tae unnie." She apologized cheekily.
"Who's your friend Tae?" The second girl asked curiously.
"This is Jessica. She's new." Taeyeon said, pulling the silent blonde closer to her friends.
"Oh! I saw you this morning!" The black-haired girl said with a bright smile. "I'm Tiffany."
"Yuri." The other girl smiled.
"Yoona." The uvula girl introduced herself.
"Come sit!" Tiffany reached over and pulled Jessica in the seat next to her. Taeyeon sat across from Jessica, next to Yuri.
Suddenly four more girls appeared, one with a short blonde pixie cut, another with long wavy brown hair, another with long blonde hair, and another with long straight brown hair.
"Sup chumps." The short girl with the pixie cut greeted, plopping next to Taeyeon.
"Hey guys." The girl wavy brown hair greeted.
"Hi unnies." The last girl greeted politely.
"Hi losers!" The long-haired blonde said cheerily, sitting next to Yuri.
"Choi Sooyoung! Where's my lunch?" Tiffany demanded as soon as the tall girl's hit the bench.
Sooyoung rolled her eyes. "Here here. I'm sorry Fany, geez!" She said, pulling a brown paper bag from her backpack.
Tiffany smiled sweetly at her tall friend. "Thanks chingoo!" She said, and opened the bag.
"Unnie, if you hadn't taken Fany unnie's lunch in the first place you wouldn't be in this situation." Seohyun said. Sooyoung chuckled and wrapped her arms around the younger girl in a hug.
"I know Seo. Don't worry." She said.
Sunny blinked, noticing their new companion. "Oh hello. I haven't seen you here before." She smiled amicably, extending an arm.
"This is Jessi!" Tiffany took the liberty of introducing the girl as she slung an arm around Jessica as Jessica grasped Sunny's hand lightly.
Jessica grunted, slightly disgruntled by the impact. "Jessica. Jessica Jung." She said with a tight smile to the girls. She didn't do too well with strangers, and it didn't help that she was rather shy.
"I'm Sunny." The short-haired girl said with a smile. "You're new right?"
Jessica nodded. "Yeah, today's my first day."
"And you're a second year?" Sooyoung asked.
Jessica nodded again. "Yeah."
"It's nice to meet you unnie!" Seohyun and Yoona smiled. Jessica smiled back politely.
"So how do you know Taeyeon?" Yuri asked curiously.
Jessica felt an unusual slight heat rise to her cheeks. "Um- I-"
"She's in my first period math." Taeyeon interjected smoothly, popping one of Sunny's chips in . Sunny scowled at her before turning back to Jessica.
"Oh really? Taeyeon just talked to you like that?" Sunny asked Jessica curiously, casting Taeyeon a suspicious glance.
"Yeah." Taeyeon replied before Jessica could get anything in. "She sits next to me, and since I'm all alone in the back I figured I might as well."
Sunny raised an eyebrow at her best friend but let it go. Sooyoung and Hyoyeon exchanged glances and looked back at their shorter friend. "If you say so." Sooyoung said in a rather disbelieving tone.
Jessica looked on confusedly, not understanding the strange atmosphere between the friends. It soon vanished though, as Hyoyeon sat up and suddenly hurled a waddled piece of tinfoil at a boy by the far exit. It sped through the air at an awesome speed and miraculously hit the boy right on the back of his head. He whipped around and found the table of girls laughing uproariously and high-fiving Hyoyeon. He laughed with them, sticking his tongue out and went on his way.
"That's Jonghyun. He's the same age as us." Yuri explained to Jessica, who nodded.
"I think he's in my physics class." Jessica noted, vaguely remembering the boy sitting in front of her in class. His brown hair and blonde tips looked familiar.
"He's a cool guy. He's Tiffany's neighbor." Sunny piped in, overhearing their conversation.
Lunch went by smoothly, and Jessica found herself quite enjoying the company of her eight new friends. They were all unique and different, and she remembered seeing a few of them when she walked in the school. They seemed to be an elite group of sorts; untouchable by the world. They seemed to be kind to everyone, but no one could touch the special bond they had with each other. Jessica felt a little awkward at first, but all eight had made her feel comfortable and all of them talked to her and cared to include her in all the crazy conversations. She'd never met such a strange, welcoming group of girls in her life. The people at her old school were much more cliquey; you had a group you belonged to and there was distinct separation between certain people. It was a typical dramatic high school. It seemed much more relaxed here though; of course everyone had their own friends but the school was so much smaller.
"Hey unnie, what class do you have next?" Yoona asked, playfully poking the older girl's arm. The girls were quick to drop honorifics; Tiffany had even called her 'Jessi' while introducing her to the rest of the girls. She found out Tiffany was from America as well, and the two quickly bonded with English and Californian accents. Yoona had quickly taken to calling her 'Sica unnie,' and the girl reminded her somewhat of Krystal (whom she hadn't seen since the morn) in the sense that they were both tall and pretty, and they somehow resembled each other as well. Yoona was louder though, and bolder. Seohyun, she found, was a sweet girl who seemed more like the oldest unnie than the maknae. If it wasn't for the girl's youthful looks, Jessica would've thought the girl to be the oldest of all of them.
"I have gym next." Jessica responded, glancing at her schedule.
"Ah really? We're in the same class! Soo! Sunny! Sica's in our gym class!" Hyoyeon yelled across the table. Two heads perked up.
"Wah really? Yay!" Sunny cheered from her spot next to Yoona.
"Reary? Aungf!" Sooyoung said with a mouthful of chicken.
"Swallow then speak shikshin." Taeyeon playfully slapped the girl's arm. Sooyoung glared at her but swallowed nonetheless.
"I said really yay." She said, and shot Jessica a grin.
Jessica nodded, smiling. At least there were some people she knew in the class. "Well I have to go find my gym locker first, so I'll see you guys there?" She asked, standing.
Sunny stood as well. "No worries, we'll take you! Lunch is over in a few minutes anyway, so we should hurry." She said. Sooyoung and Hyoyeon stood as well, stuffing the last of their large meals in their mouths.
"Really? Thanks so much!" Jessica smiled gratefully at the three, grabbing her backpack.
Hyoyeon danced over and linked arms with Jessica. "We're doing track events today."
Sunny linked Jessica's other arm with hers. "Hope you like running."
Sooyoung skipped ahead. "Hurry up losers!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gym had gone well, despite the running factor. She discovered that Hyoyeon and Sunny were quite athletic, and Sooyoung was rather clumsy. The tall girl had almost barfed, complaining that running after eating should be outlawed to "protect the welfare and health of the students." The weather was nice though, and even though her cold demeanor had driven off most people, Taeyeon and her friends didn't go anywhere. They seemed to be the only ones unfazed by her attitude and aura.
The whispers didn't stop though, nor did the fleeting glances in the blonde's direction. It somewhat irritated her, but not terribly much. Her new friends didn't seem to notice though, as they went on with their normal banter and laughs.
The three had pointed Jessica in the direction of her next class which was History. She found it with little difficulty and sat through another rather boring lecture, but Yuri and Tiffany were in her class which made it a little better.
"What do you have next Sica?" Yuri asked, slinging her bag over her shoulder.
"English." Jessica replied. Tiffany chuckled and patted her shoulder.
"Have fun." She smiled at the girl. "My class is this way, so I'll see you later Jessi!" She called, and went down a different hallway.
Yuri pointed Jessica in the direction of her english class, and left as to not be late to her next class. Jessica found her class just fine, although she was the last one to enter. Twenty-four pairs of eyes turned their attention to her the second she entered the room.
She scanned the room, internally rolling her eyes. "Well this is nice."
Suddenly a familiar reddish-brown head stood up. "Sica, over here."
She whipped around to the source of the voice. Taeyeon was waving at her from a desk in the back. Whispers erupted and Jessica quickly made her way over to the shorter girl.
"You're here too? Are you stalking me?" Jessica asked sarcastically as she sat down next to the shorter.
"Yes." Taeyeon deadpanned, sarcastically as well. "I follow you everywhere."
"Sure seems like it." Jessica muttered.
Taeyeon smirked and let it go, facing the front of the room. "Didn't you say you were from the states?"
Jessica glanced at the girl. "Yeah, why?"
"Your english must be pretty good then right?"
"Yeah… it was my first language."
"Then why are you in this class?"
"Easy A?"
Taeyeon chuckled. "Wow."
Jessica scowled. "Shut up."
The teacher walked in and they quieted as class started. To everyone's surprise but Taeyeon, Jessica proved her fluency in English and was quick in becoming the teacher's favorite student by the end of class.
"Alright class, remember your test is on Friday! Don't forget to study the pronouns." The teacher called after his students as they filed out of class.
Taeyeon groaned quietly from next to Jessica, who cast the shorter girl an amused glance. "What's wrong with you?" She asked curiously.
"Let's just say pronouns and I don't get along very well." Taeyeon mumbled, looking at her feet.
Jessica couldn't help but snicker. "That's unfortunate. Well luckily for you, pronouns aren't that hard. Your small brain shouldn't have too many problems comprehending them." She said airily, slinging her bag over her shoulder.
"Well if you're so good at them maybe you should teach me."
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Please, you don't need my help." She said, heading out the door.
"You seem pretty smart yourself, so it shouldn't be a problem to teach me right?"
"I'm busy! And I have a sister at the house."
"You have a sister?" Taeyeon asked. "How old is she?"
Jessica shrugged. "She's a year younger than us, so sixteen? She goes to this school but I haven't seen her all day."
Taeyeon tilted her head curiously, and Jessica almost punched herself for finding the other girl completely adorable. "So can I meet her?" She asked, eyes lighting up like an excited puppy.
"No." Jessica deadpanned.
"…"
"…"
"Why not?"
"Because… just because!" Jessica spluttered, waving her hands about. "I'm going home."
When Taeyeon didn't say anything, Jessica thought she finally got the other girl off her back and she visibly relaxed as she walked back. "Ah, peace and quiet." She thought contentedly as she continued the stroll back to her house.
"So how long's the walk to your house?"
"AAHHHH!!" Jessica shrieked, and spun around with a roundhouse kick.
Taeyeon ducked under her kick effortlessly. "Wow, calm down. It was a simple question." She chuckled, which only served to further fray Jessica's nerves.
Jessica recovered her wits and shot the girl the iciest glare she's given the whole day. "Why are you following me?!" She demanded.
Taeyeon smiled innocently. "I want to meet your sister."
Jessica looked at her incredulously. "Why? What do you want from my life?" She asked desperately, dramatically.
Taeyeon smiled angelically, and for a moment she actually looked beautifully innocent. Jessica frowned at her and sighed. "Fine. Come over, whatever. You know this place better than I do anyway." She muttered, turning away from the girl.
Taeyeon cheered. "Yay! I get to see Sica's house!" She grinned dorkily at Jessica, who could only sigh at the bright smile she was receiving.
The duo soon arrived at Jessica's aunt and uncle's house. Jessica opened the door and let the shorter girl in, who smirked at Jessica's obvious reluctance. "Nice house. I actually live a street across." Taeyeon pointed to the street across from Jessica's.
Jessica looked at her with wide eyes. "Oh no."
Taeyeon smirked. "Oh yes."
"Are you serious?!" Jessica asked the ceiling disbelievingly.
"That means you can see me eeeevry single day at aaany given time. Isn't that exciting?" Taeyeon teased, enjoying the other girl's despondant reaction.
Jessica sighed, feeling rather defeated. "Whatever. I'll just find a new way of avoiding you." She muttered, kicking off her shoes.
Taeyeon pouted. "That's not nice."
Jessica glared at her half-heartedly. "You followed me to my house!"
"Touché…" Taeyeon smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.
"So why exactly are you here again?" Jessica asked after closing the door behind them.
"Because I need help with pronouns?" Taeyeon said hesitantly, rubbing the back of her neck.
Jessica rolled her eyes. "How is it possible that you have ten thousand people swooning over you at school with your dorky behavior?" She said in half-Korean and half-English.
Taeyeon tilted her head to the side in geniune questioning. "What? I didn't get that first part."
Jessica arched an eyebrow at her, leading her up the stairs. "What do you mean 'what?' Don't act all naive."
"…"
"…"
"…"
Jessica turned around as she reached the door of her room at the girl's silence, only to find the shorter girl with a confused expression. Her eyebrows were drawn together and there was an adorable pout on her childlike face. Jessica instantly looked away, fighting down the uncharacteristic squeal rising in her. "What? Are you really that dense?" She asked Taeyeon.
Taeyeon frowned. "What does 'swoon' mean?" She asked, repeating the new vocabulary word in accented English. Jessica facepalmed at the blunder and ignored the her, to Taeyeon's dismay.
"Never mind. So now that you've seen my house and know where I live, you can go home right?" She asked, pushing door to her room open and tossing her bag by her desk.
"You have a nice room." Taeyeon remarked, stepping in and looking at the plain white walls.
Jessica arched an eyebrow. "There's nothing in here." She deadpanned, staring blankly at the other. She decided to overlook the fact that Taeyeon had completely ignored her previous statement.
"But there will be." Taeyeon smirked, casting Jessica a sly grin. "Anyway, you haven't introduced me to your sister yet."
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Really? Fine. Let's go." She said, leading the shorter girl out of her room. She heard a hushed cheer from behind her and she rolled her eyes. How childish could a person possibly be under that cool demeanor?
Jessica went downstairs to the kitchen, and sure enough, Krystal was by the refrigerator munching on some baby carrots as she looked in the vast refrigerator for something more to eat.
"Krystal?" Jessica called out. Krystal jumped and whipped around with wide eyes. She made a move to run but Jessica strategically blocked her path.
Krystal looked lost, with nowhere to run. "Y-Yes Jessica unnie?" She stuttered slightly.
"This is Taeyeon." Jessica deadpanned, gesturing to said girl who beamed brightly and waved to Krystal.
"Hi there! I'm Jessica's friend." Taeyeon chirped happily. Krystal seemed surprised at the chipper greeting and waved hesitantly.
"Hi Taeyeon unnie." She replied shyly with a slight smile at the older girl. Jessica watched their exchange with interest. It seemed Soojung was still shy as ever, but she seemed more open to Taeyeon.
"So you've met. Can you go now?" She asked Taeyeon, who was busy examining the counter.
"No way! This is fun!" Taeyeon grinned wickedly at Jessica, sensing the other girl's slight irritation. Jessica huffed indignantly and crossed her arms.
"What do you want from me?" She asked exasperatedly, turning around.
Taeyeon followed her to her room after waving to Krystal. "Help with English. If it makes you feel better, I'll help you catch up with some of your assignments since I'm already here."
Jessica rolled her eyes, wondering how the girl was so persistent. Not that she minded Taeyeon's presence though; she was pretty cute after all.
"Alright, fine." The blonde reluctantly agreed as she shut the door of her room. "So what do you not get?"
Taeyeon looked back at her blankly. "All of it."
"…"
"…"
"… ugh."
This was gonna be a long night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It turned out that Taeyeon was smarter than she let on, and she picked up on things faster than Jessica expected. She was also a good teacher; she walked Jessica through the assignments she didn't understand and knew everything Jessica didn't. After a grudging thanks to Taeyeon and a chipper goodbye from the other, the shorter left and Jessica was finally alone.
"I got a lot done…" she murmured to herself. She packed her things for the next day and looked at the clock. It was getting late, so the Jung decided to go to sleep.
A pack of cigarettes sat half-finished on her bedside.
.
Comments