Chemicals Collide: Feel Alive
Put Your Love In Lights"LOOK AT THIS PHOTOGRAPH! (Hey!) EVERY TIME I DO I MAKES ME LAUGH! (Hey!)" The girls trailed breezily into the cafeteria belting out songs of their so-called youth. Jessica turned her head and groaned comically at the sight. They were receiving looks from the other students in the room because of their self-proclaimed "remix" of the song that was intended to be beautiful, and to be honest they sounded awful.
"Sica, sing along!" Sooyoung hollered as the awful procession made their way to the lunch line. Jessica just laughed. In the few weeks she had been here, she'd gotten to be quite good friends with the other girls and they'd grown rather close, closer than Jessica had ever been before.
"HOW DID OUR EYES GET SO RED?! (Hey!)" Sunny continued the dreadful singing.
"AND WHAT THE HELL IS ON JESSI'S HEAD?" Tiffany winked, slinging an arm around said girl's shoulders as she playfully changed the lyrics. Jessica's head instinctively went her head, and found nothing there to her immense relief. Hey, you never know with these people.
The song continued, with Tiffany Sunny and Sooyoung belting out the words with fluent/broken English and Hyoyeon Yuri and Yoona dancing like maniacs. Even Seohyun sang along, bobbing to the beat with her unnies.
A voice suddenly caught Jessica's attention. "Taeyeon! Are you busy?"
Jessica's ears suddenly perked up and she turned her head to see Taeyeon standing near the cafeteria entrance with a girl with golden honey hair and curls, with a hopeful smile.
Taeyeon looked over at the girl. "Not really. Did you need something?" She asked cooly, shifting her weight to one foot.
Jessica felt her blood begin to heat up at the interaction. The mystery girl's intentions were clear. Anyone could see she wanted to ask Taeyeon out, and Jessica wasn't having any of it.
"Wow wow hold up guys! Look at Taeyeon unnie over there!" Yoona nudged her partying unnies, and the singing abruptly stopped.
"Is that chick asking her out?" Sunny asked, peering over Seohyun's shoulder curiously.
"Wow, jinja? That's the third person this month." Sooyoung commented nonchalantly, casting a brief glance over her shoulder.
Jessica's head snapped to the tallest' direction. "What do you mean 'this month?'" She asked incredulously.
"Our Taeyeonnie's pretty popular." Hyoyeon said, still dancing. Not that it was anything new. "A lot of people like her. She's all cool and cute anyway."
"Yup. Aww, our kid Taeyeonnie's such a success!" Yuri faked a sob and turned to Tiffany. The fake parental cries and hiccups commenced, to Jessica's chagrin as she turned her attention back to the scene.
"Do you want to have lunch with me then?" The girl asked, now obviously flirting. Taeyeon, to Jessica's immense surprise, didn't even bat an eyelash.
"Sorry, I have plans." She smiled charmingly at the girl and looked around quickly. Her eyes landed on Jessica's figure, which was already turned away, and she quickly headed over, leaving the girl frowning in disappointment while looking after Taeyeon's back.
"Hey." Taeyeon's voice suddenly sounded next to Jessica's ear and she jumped in surprise.
"Oh, Taeyeon." Jessica said, looking at the girl with a surprised expression.
"You brought lunch right? Why are you standing here?" Taeyeon asked, grinning happily at the confused girl.
Jessica shrugged. "They dragged me." She said, gesturing to the rest of their friends.
Taeyeon's eyebrow's furrowed together adorably. "Then don't just stand there! Come with me, I brought lunch too." She said, grabbing Jessica's hand and pulling her outside to a secluded corner by the trees.
The other girls watched on with amusement. "Wow. Taeyeon unnie daebuk." Yoona smirked.
"You wanna find them?" Sooyoung asked, looking around knowingly. The others smirked and collectively shook their heads no.
.................................
Jessica sat down only after Taeyeon forcefully pulled her down on the grass. "Wh-what about the others?" She asked, feeling slightly flustered.
"They'll come later. Sit." The brunette said with a smile, shifting closer to the blonde. It was a beautiful day, with a slight breeze and warm sunshine. Jessica finally relaxed and leaned her back against a tree.
"So why the rush?" Jessica asked, shoving some of her sandwich in .
Taeyeon arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Jessica continued chewing. "I saw you with that girl." She said cooly, not looking at Taeyeon.
"What girl?" Taeyeon popped some kimbap in .
"The one who asked you to have lunch with her." Jessica replied, nonchalantly looking down at her food. Taeyeon's eyes widened and she choked on some rice. Jessica suppressed a smirk and patted the girl's back until she stopped coughing.
"Y-you saw?" Taeyeon asked dumbly. Jessica raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"Yeah. Why? Was it something I shouldn't have seen?" She asked carefully, as not to offend the other.
Taeyeon, to Jessica's immense surprise, blushed a light shade of pink which was a stark comparison to her usual pale shade. "Ah-um-well-I-"
"You're stuttering." Jessica interceded, smirking amusedly. This served to fuel the blush even more, as Taeyeon looked down at her hands in embarrassment.
"Well, it didn't mean anything." She mumbled, keeping her head down.
Jessica chuckled. "Really? Nothing? That poor girl put her heart out on her sleeve, went all out flirting with you, and you say it means nothing?" She teased.
Taeyeon's cheeks were now a rosy red. "N-No! I didn't mean it like that! I-I just-"
"You're stuttering again." Jessica cut in for a second time, stifling a giggle at the shorter's flustered expression. Taeyeon's ears turned crimson, which Jessica found adorable, and she burst out into full-fledged laughter at the sight. She rather enjoyed teasing the older girl and making her squirm. It was a side that rarely came out, and a side she found rather lovable.
"Y-Yah! Cut it out!" Taeyeon pouted, glaring slightly at her companion as she pulled her knees to her chest. Jessica continued, her laughter rising in volume as she wiped forming tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Sorry sorry." The blonde finally calmed down, and looked over at Taeyeon's pouting face. "I'm done, I promise."
"You better be." Taeyeon sulked, putting her head between her knees. Jessica chuckled.
"Aigoo, is Taengoo upset?" She cooed, reaching out to pat the small head.
"Taengoo? Is that a pet name?" Taeyeon scoffed, refusing to meet her companion's eyes.
"What, you don't like it?" Jessica rolled her eyes. "Fine, then I'll just stick to calling you-"
"No!" Taeyeon cut her off. Jessica looked over in surprise.
"I-I like it." Taeyeon looked away after her little outburst, and pulled her knees closer to her chest.
Jessica could only grin, and she decided to spare the girl from furthur teasing. "Arasso arasso. Hey, no one ever came." She looked around. She was right. Their friends, like the green leaves fluttering in the breeze, were gone like the wind. They hadn't even shown their faces after Taeyeon pulled Jessica away from the lunch line.
Taeyeon frowned. "Huh. That's weird. They should know where we are." She said, looking around in confusion. "No one ever comes here anyway, except us."
Jessica shrugged. "Oh well. Lunch is over anyway. Wanna find them before the bell? I'm done eating." She said, readying herself to stand.
"No!" Taeyeon yanked her back in a jerking motion, and Jessica fell back on her .
"I mean… since lunch is almost over, let's just sit here and save the extra effort." Taeyeon said, fighting down the heat threatening to rise in her cheeks for the nth time that lunch.
Jessica only shrugged and yawned. "M'kay. Tell me when we have to go." She said, and closed her eyes as she leaned back against the tree. She was out within seconds.
Taeyeon chuckled at the cute sight before her. "Aigoo, falling asleep like that. Your neck's gonna hurt later pabo." She murmured softly, and gently brushed some hair from Jessica's face before pulling the taller's head onto her lap. A small smile unconsciously flitted across the Jung's face as she slept. Taeyeon looked down at the sleeping girl with a tender smile while relaxing her back against the tree.
Unbeknownst to the peaceful duo, seven pairs of eyes were watching from behind a spectacular bush. "Daeeebuk." Yoona said, wide-eyed.
"Omo… TaeTae looks so happy!" Tiffany exclaimed in a hushed whisper.
"Yah, this Sica sure falls asleep fast." Sunny chuckled in amusement.
"Taeyeon unnie's so smooth." Seohyun noted, seemingly impressed. Her statement elicited a chorus of giggles from her unnies, who ruffled her hair.
"Class is gonna start guys, let's leave them alone. We'll talk about this later." Sooyoung said, straightening up and helping Yuri up from her spot on the ground.
"This is daebuk guys. Really daebuk." Tiffany smiled giddily as she followed Sooyoung and Yuri away.
"I wonder if Taeyeon could possibly like her…" Sunny mused as they all walked away.
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Jessica splashed some cold water on her face. It was rather warm out, and they were playing soccer in gym. Soccer was the only sport she enjoyed, since she could actually play it. Turns out Sunny was also quite athletic and fast despite her short height, and a few of their other friends were actually on sports teams. Sunny herself was on the track team, and she enjoyed pole vaulting among other track events. Yuri was captain of the basketball team and swim team, and Sooyoung was the star of the volleyball team with her tremendous height. Hyoyeon was part of the dance team, Yoona was a strong forward on the soccer team, and Seohyun was a formidable lacrosse player.
"You're really good at soccer." A voice came from besides her in the bathroom. Jessica looked up to see a smiling girl from the opposing team standing next to her.
"Thanks. It's the only sport I can play." Jessica replied satirically as she toweled off her skin. The other girl laughed amiably.
"You're Jessica Jung right? I'm Yoon Bora. It's nice to meet you!" The girl smiled, extending a hand. Jessica smiled back, shaking the girl's hand.
"How'd you know? My name I mean." She asked the girl who was toweling off as well.
"Ah, you have quite the reputation around here you know? News gets around fast." Bora said, putting her towel away.
Apparently Jessica didn't know, and she gestured for the girl to continue. Bora laughed. "Well you're really smart, and super pretty. Everyone wants to know your name. Plus you're friends with Taeyeon and them."
Jessica was curious. "What does that have to do with anything?" She inquired.
Bora shrugged. "Well they're all pretty popular I guess. Especially Taeyeon. Everyone likes Taeyeon." She winked at Jessica playfully, and Jessica decided she rather liked this Bora character despite her teasing.
"Do you like Taeyeon?" She decided to tease back. Bora laughed.
"Not in a romantic way, but yeah, she's cool." She replied honestly, and Jessica somehow felt relieved. They both headed out of the bathroom and back to the field together.
"My point is that you're pretty special to make friends with that bunch. They don't listen easily to anyone you know. Taeyeon's kind of their ringleader in a way. They all listen to her for some reason. Maybe it's cuz she's the oldest, but I wouldn't know. When's your birthday?" Bora asked quizzically.
"April 18th." Jessica responded. Bora tilted her head in surprise.
"Oh? You're the second oldest of that bunch then. It was Sunny before; her birthday's May fifteenth." Bora said. Jessica raised an eyebrow.
"What?! That's like, tomorrow!" She spluttered in surprise. Bora laughed again.
"No one told you? I'm sorry! Maybe they'll tell you later today." She chuckled. Jessica sighed and buried her head in her hands.
"Yeah, they better. Oh well, thanks Bora." She said as they headed to their respective ends of the field.
"No problem! It was nice meeting you Jessica. I hope we can talk again soon." Bora smiled, and jogged back to her friends.
"You have quite the reputation around here. News gets around fast." Bora's words replayed in her mind, but she shook them off and quickly went to rejoin her team.
Hyoyeon grinned. "Took you long enough." She called to Jessica. Sunny stuck her tongue out, and Jessica couldn't help but wonder why no one said anything.
A few minutes later, Hyoyeon took her aside. "By the way, Sunny's birthday is tomorrow so we're all going out for dinner. You in?" She asked in a hushed voice.
Jessica nodded and cast a glance at Sunny. "Sure, text me the time and place." She whispered back to Hyoyeon who gave her a secretive thumbs up.
"Guys I can hear you. Hyoyeon, I was the first person you asked you know." Sunny called from a few feet away. Jessica glared at Hyoyeon.
"Why were you being so secretive if she already knew?!" She shrieked, and Hyoyeon laughed while running away.
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The cool night air tickled Jessica's bare calves as she slipped out her door into the moonlit night. She couldn't sleep, and she thought a walk would do her good.
Walks, she noted, were different here than at home. At home, she would almost always find a fight when she went for a "walk" at night, and they were anything but peaceful. Here, it was so peaceful it was a little scary. It was something the Jung was yet to get used to. Walks here were nice though, she decided, and she continued her nighttime escape, pulling her grey good over her blonde locks.
"Boo."
She almost screamed and she whipped around and threw a punch at the intruder. She came face to face with a grinning Taeyeon, whose teeth seemed to glow rather comically in the dark.
"We really need to stop meeting like this." Taeyeon chuckled at the girl's awestruck expression that quickly turned into fury.
"What're you doing here?!" Jessica almost strangled the girl in rage, but stopped upon hearing the strangely melodious ahjumma laugh.
"I was walking Ginger. What about you?" Taeyeon asked, gesturing to a small black poodle dancing by her feet. Jessica eyed her suspiciously, somewhat not believing the strangeness of the situation.
Apparently here, she ran into strange girls walking their dogs when she went for walks at 2 a.m.
"I couldn't sleep. Why're you walking your dog at this time of the day?" She asked, looking disbelievingly at the small dog who yipped happily.
Taeyeon shrugged. "He was bored. Weren't you boy?" She cooed to the poodle, squatting down and ruffling his fur. Ginger barked happily and ran in circles around Taeyeon's feet.
"Does he not have a leash?" Jessica asked, watching the dog run.
Taeyeon shrugged again. "He follows me everywhere, so I didn't think one was necessary." She replied, watching the dog run himself silly before sitting his cute on the ground and panting happily.
"Ginger, say hi!" Taeyeon said in a strange baby voice, squatting down by the puppy and pointing to Jessica. Ginger promptly trotted over to Jessica and held up his small paw. A small grin made its way across Jessica's face as she accepted the paw in a gentle shake.
Taeyeon squealed happily. "Good boy Ginger!" She cooed, swooping over and scooping up the small dog, planting a kiss on his warm head.
Jessica watched the interaction amusedly. "He's kinda cute. Well I'll see you later I guess." She said as she turned to leave. "Have fun on your walk."
"Waaait! Where are you going?" Taeyeon asked whiningly, turning away from her puppy.
Jessica stopped and looked back. "Around. I dunno, I couldn't sleep so I came out for a walk."
"Come with me! I know where we should go!" Taeyeon perked up and put Ginger down. "It's not far, trust me." She smiled at the blonde and began pulling her with Ginger running behind. After some complaining, squealing, and barking, they soon arrived at an isolated grassy area with willow trees swaying in the breeze. Their branches formed a thick curtain that Jessica couldn't see past, even with the moonlight.
Taeyeon grinned at her and pulled back some branches. "Come on." She gestured for Jessica to enter, and she did carefully after Ginger. She caught her breath.
There was a large pond, hidden from sight by the trees. The water was cool and clear, and there was a bridge leading to the other side where Jessica couldn't see. Willow trees formed a beautifully secretive grove, and the grass was green and lush even in the night. The night was clear and cool, and the moon cast clear silver light on the rippling water and grass. A soft breeze swayed the trees, and Jessica felt it caress her skin soothingly.
"Beautiful isn't it?" Taeyeon came up behind her with a grin. "I always come here when I can't sleep."
Jessica cast her a side glance. "You know, you're the only person I know who would walk her dog at this time of the day." She remarked casually.
Taeyeon shrugged, casting the Jung a grin. "I'm special like that I guess."
Jessica rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless. "Anyway, won't we get in trouble if anyone finds us?" She asked Taeyeon, looking around.
Taeyeon shook her head happily. "Nope. This is private property, and the ahjumma that owns it lets me come whenever I want since no one uses this land anyway." She said, running her fingers through her silvered hair.
Jessica raised an eyebrow but accepted the explanation. "That's cool. So it's kind of like your secret little hideout huh?" She asked jokingly.
Taeyeon smiled at her. "Well now it's yours too. I've never shown anyone this place." She replied honestly, watching her puppy roll around in the grass.
Jessica looked over, feeling somewhat guilty. "Really? I'm sorry for disturbing your secret place then." She said, feeling slightly odd.
"Don't be. I showed it to you didn't I?" Taeyeon replied with a breezy grin. "If you can't sleep, next time just call me and we can meet up if the weather's nice." The girl smiled serenely, and in that moment Jessica felt as if nothing so angelic had ever existed before her.
"I- thanks I guess." Jessica mumbled after finding her voice. "I wouldn't want to wake you though."
Taeyeon looked up at the moon with that serene smile of hers. "Don't worry. It's good to talk to people Sica. Don't keep everything in to yourself."
Jessica looked at her, speechless. Taeyeon really lived up to her name.
Jessica Jung slept very well later that night.
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Jessica yawned as she lethargically strolled through the school's front gates. Daehyun had offered the girls a ride, but Jessica politely declined seeing that Krystal had suddenly rushed out of the house leaving a half-finished bowl of Cheerios. She said something about a Sulli, and had disappeared before any of them could say anything. Normally this wouldn't bother Jessica, but Krystal never left any leftovers. The girl had the stomach capacity of a cow and she could eat more than Jessica and her aunt combined. For Krystal, not eating was just as bad as a hundred degree fever.
Daehyun and Chohee had frowned but let the younger go. After exchanging worried glances, Daehyun and stood and declared his leave for the day. He had offered Jessica a ride, but the school wasn't too far from their house and Jessica had been able to find her way around the neighborhood just fine after Sooyoung and Sunny had shown up at her door the Saturday after they met to show her around.
Jessica's thoughts turned to her sister of sixteen years old. "She's a weird girl… I guess she's still scared of me…" Jessica shrugged to herself as she continued walking past the grassy lawns where the students frequently ate lunch on nice days. She was just about to enter the school when something caught her eye. She stopped, and took a few steps back.
It was her sister. Next to her was a girl, slightly taller than Krystal. Jessica's eyebrows raised, and she quietly slipped behind the corner of the school building as not to be seen.
"I'm so sorry Krystal. I'll try to get better, I promise." The girl said to Krystal with her head down.
Krystal hugged the tall girl. "It's okay Sulli, don't be like that. You know I'm here for you."
Sulli looked up sadly at Krystal. "I'm holding you back Krystal. You should go make friends with other people… normal people." She said with a sad smile.
Krystal scoffed, and slapped the back of Sulli's head. "Pabo. I'm perfectly fine with the friends I have now. I have you don't I?" She scolded gently, putting a hand on Sulli's shoulder.
Sulli sighed but said nothing else. Krystal chuckled softly. "Come on, the bell's gonna ring soon." She said, standing.
Jessica didn't notice her immersion in the scene before her until a voice jolted her out of her thoughts. "Jessi? Jessi? Helloooo??"
A pink manicured hand waved in front of Jessica's face and she blinked. Turning, she saw Tiffany, Seohyun, and Hyoyeon looking at her with concerned expressions. "Unnie, are you okay?" Seohyun asked. "We've been calling you for a long time."
"Jessi, you alright?" Tiffany asked concernedly. Jessica blinked, then put on a reassuring smile.
"Yeah. I'm just a little tired, sorry." She said, smiling at her friends. Hyoyeon looked over her shoulder where Krystal and Sulli were, and furrowed her eyebrows.
"Isn't that Krystal Jung? Are they related?" The blonde dancer made a mental note to ask about it later, and she turned back to the rest with a smile. "Come on, let's go Sica. Class is about to begin." She said, taking her fellow blonde's wrist and happily dragging her along.
Jessica smiled, but her sister caught her eye again. Students had begun to fill in the courtyard, but there was no one near the duo. Some were looking though, and quietly snickering among themselves. Jessica cast one last glance at her sister, then turned and followed Hyoyeon.
A pack of cigarettes, almost finished, sat on the bedside table.
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"Hey what's the answer to this?" Taeyeon asked, her eyebrows furrowed together. She'd come over to Jessica's for help since they had an English test coming up soon. Jessica herself was brushing up on some fine grammar points to ensure her perfect score on the test.
"This one? It's A." She replied, briefly glancing over. "Make sure you remember the pronoun-agreement rules."
"I got it." Taeyeon said in heavily accented English, dorkily flashing an okay sign at her companion as she circled the right answer which elicited an eye roll from Jessica.
Jessica turned her attention back to her own work, as she read over her notes in review. They worked in silence for a bit, since there was no one else in the house save for the duo.
"Hey, where's your sister at?" Taeyeon suddenly asked, breaking the silence.
Jessica glanced up briefly before turning her attention back to her notes. "I don't know, why?"
Taeyeon shrugged, not looking up from her reviewing. "Just wondering. You don't seem to be be very close." She said, referring to the Jung sisters.
Jessica hummed, turning a page. "We don't have much in common. And we've been separated for some time now. I don't really know too much about her."
Taeyeon chuckled quietly. "I see. Well, you're still her unnie you know. You should try to get closer."
Jessica raised a brow and looked up at the older girl. "What? Where is all this coming from?"
Taeyeon held up her hands in defense, still not looking up from her reading. "It's just a suggestion. It's nice to have an unnie looking out for you sometimes you know? They can help you at times when you can't help yourself."
Jessica looked at the girl queerly but said nothing. Taeyeon shot a quick glance at the blonde and said nothing.
A pack of cigarettes, half finished, sat on the bedside table.
I'd love to hear your thoughts! By the way, the song that inspired this was "Chemicals Collide" by Boys Like Girls if anyone was curious.
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