2009 . 02 . 17 – 8:57PM

“Alright, let’s take a break, I’m exhausted.”

Four other girls in the room agreed to the oldest who spoke up and exhaled a small sigh of relief.  Victoria gave out a smile, finally having the chance to take a break from everything for a bit.  Despite preparing for their debut, it kind of seemed to be a bad image for the leader to suggest a break in the middle of dancing, but everyone was close to one another and breaks now and then were good for their health.

After getting a drink from their bottles, all of them huddled around each other in a small semi-circle next to the air conditioner and started chatting amongst themselves.  In the midst of everything, a cell phone began to ring from the other side of the room where the bags were placed.  Amber got up, "Ugh, who's calling me at this hour?"

"Haha, hyung you're popular!" Sulli yelled out brightly.  The other girls laughed while Amber shook her head with a chuckle escaping as she headed to her bag.

She fished out for her phone and looked at it.  It was an unknown number that she didn't recognize, therefore making her hesitate to answer it.  However, she decided to give it a shot and picked it up.

"Hello?" she said in Korean.

"Uh... Amber?"

Her eyes widened slightly, "Vanessa?"

"Oh, okay good, it's you," Vanessa said with relief on the other line.

"How did you get my number?" As rude as that may have sounded, Amber didn't mean it with intention— it just surprised her.

“Sorry,” Vanessa apologized, “I got your number from Eros.  Are you busy right now?”

Amber turned back to the others on the other side of the room.  Sulli was seen doing a weird gesture making everyone laugh.  She knew that they had to get back to practice sooner or later and even if Vanessa needed help or wanted to hang out, she had to decline.  She bit back a sigh, “Kind of… sorry.”

“Oh, wait, you’re at practice, right?” It wasn’t that long ago that Amber told her about being a trainee in SM Entertainment and the debut they were preparing for.  Vanessa was thrilled, yet very surprised when she found out.  It wasn’t everyday in your life that you would meet an upcoming celebrity.  But Vanessa assured Amber that the reason why she got close to Amber wasn’t because of her status.  It was far from that.  Vanessa knew Amber as a person, not as an upcoming celebrity who was going to debut soon.  Amber liked that; she liked the fact that Vanessa was a real friend.

Still, the tomboy chuckled with pity, “Yeah.  But right now, we’re all taking a break.”

“Why?  What did you need?” she added the questions.

“I need help with the math homework… haha.  Eros can’t help me right now, he said he’s busy.  And so is Erika,” Vanessa answered.

“Well, I usually finish up at like ten o’ clock, so, if you’re still up, I can help you with it when I get back to my dorm.”

“Seriously?” Vanessa asked with delight apparent in her tone, “That’d be really great of you.”

“Yeah, no problem.  I’ll just call you later, okay?”

“Sure, sure.  Thanks a lot.”

Amber smiled as they both hung up.  She put her phone back in her bag and sauntered over to the group.  “Who was that?” Krystal asked.

“A friend from school; she needed help with math,” the latter replied.

“Ah,” Luna gave out, “No wonder.  We heard you talking in English.”

“Do you ever talk in Korean at school?” Sulli asked.

Amber shook her head, “No.  Well, at least, I don’t.”

“The main language at our school is English,” Krystal added.

The girls nodded as a reply.  Victoria exhaled and got up, “Alright, let’s back to practice.  Time will fly by faster if we keep moving.”

2009 . 02 . 26 – 9:12AM

“Hey, twin!”

Amber turned her head and saw Jay walking towards her.  It was Spirit week at their school and today’s special day was “Twin Day”.  Spirit week reminded Amber of the United States— heck, everything the school did reminded her of the United States.  It was one week of wearing different things; things to wear on days such as Nerd Day, Dress 2 Impress, Twin Day and etc.  It was all made by the seniors of the school and everyone was free to participate. 

Unfortunately, Amber was asked— more like, begged by Jay to be his twin for Twin Day.  Why?  Because Eros was with Nick and Jay didn’t have anyone else to be with.  Amber declined at first but Jay reasoned saying that it would be extremely fun; he even offered to pay for the clothing when they went shopping.  Eventually, Amber did give in and here she was, standing in front of her locker, exchanging books back and forth for her next few classes with the same exact clothes as Jay— minus the under garments.

“Hey,” Amber replied with a smile. 

“The clothes look good on you, haha.  I chose well,” Jay stated.

Amber looked at herself.  She was wearing black skinny jeans, which she pulled down slightly below her waist, because Jay did that, too.  Jay mentioned to her that the term was called, “sagging” and was very common amongst “ghetto people” as he liked to call it.  He lived in New York for two years before moving to Korea and he adjusted to living in Queens quickly; moving to Korea made him miss it more.  But yes, she also had to do things his way.  Amber didn’t have enough energy to debate with him so she just went along with the scenario.  Besides, it only lasted for a day, anyways.  She was also wearing black and grey checkered Vans.  At the top, she wore a white V-neck t-shirt under a dark grey cardigan from Urban Outfitters.  It wasn’t Jay’s idea, but Amber kept her black and yellow LA fitted hat in her locker.  Wearing hats in school was prohibited, but she was thankful that Jay didn’t suggest wearing the same hats, at least.  She was starting to think that Jay really did see her as a younger tomboyish sister that he’s wanted all of his life.

“Thanks, same with you,” she replied with sarcasm.  Jay rolled his eyes and leaned against a locker near Amber’s.

“So, how’s Vanessa?”

Amber eyed the person next to her and saw a blank face.  It was random of Jay to ask how Vanessa was, considering how he knew that she was 100% gay.  Maybe it was a close friend, thing, or maybe Jay was up to no good, once again.  Ever since Vanessa stepped into the picture, Jay and the rest of them stopped teasing Amber about Krystal… to which she found very… weird.  But it was never unwelcome.  They shut up about Krystal and now moved their target of teasing to Vanessa— yet, they didn’t say anything directly.

“She’s… good.  Why do you ask?”  Amber closed her locker and slung her book bag over her shoulder and they began to walk to Health class.

Amber saw Jay shake his head.  He then shrugged, “Nothing.  It’s just that you guys got pretty close ever since she got here.”

“And your point is?”

He exhaled, “I know that I always tease you being with a girl, but this time I’m being for real.”  Jay stopped in his tracks and put a hand on Amber’s shoulder, “I think she likes you.”

Amber scrunched her eye brows together, a reaction that was uncommonly seen by Jay.  He raised an eye brow.  Jay and everyone else figured out that whenever Amber was the victim of pointing and laughing since she was a tomboy, she would just roll her eyes or add a curse word here and there, telling them to .  He decided to experiment this a little bit longer.

“And what makes you say that?” she asked in a monotone.

“It’s just one of those feelings, you know?  I’m being completely serious here,” Jay reasoned with a hand slightly raised.  He blinked, “Besides, I see the way you look at her sometimes during lunch.”

Amber’s eyes widened and she began to pick up her pace towards class.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she quickly mumbled.

“AHA!  So you do feel something!” Jay yelled after her, which only caused Amber to move from walking fast to a slightly faster jog to Health class in the gym.

As Amber continued on jogging, she ignored the random screams of irrational statements coming from the boy behind her.  Maybe there was something.  She just wasn’t sure.  Or maybe she was, but she just didn’t want to admit it.  The thing is, was it okay to start dating?  What if she was going to push her and Vanessa’s friendship too fast onto the next level?  Vanessa was already gay to begin with, that was a given, so it was basically okay for Amber to say at least something.  Still, the fear of rejection rung in her head and it was never a welcome feeling.

Walking into the gymnasium, she stopped, noticing more people than usual.  Jay caught up, catching his breath and wrapped his arm around Amber’s shoulder, a common thing they did to one another.  “So, you gonna go talk to her?” she heard him ask.

Amber looked around the area and found Vanessa sitting with their usual friends at a nearby bleacher.  She caught eyes with her and Vanessa smiled with a wave.  Amber waved back and she could see a grin developing on Jay’s face from the corner of her eye.  Amber decided to shake it off and they both walked to their friends.  After noticing the increase of students in their Health class, Amber realized that two classes were combined.

“Hey, guys,” Jay said with a bright smile.

Everyone greeted each other back and Vanessa patted an empty space next to her, signaling Amber to sit next to her.  Amber heard Jay snicker and she glared at him silently.

Before class started, Vanessa started a random conversation with Amber, entering their own little world.  From where Amber was sitting, she could clearly see that the others were eyeing the two of them, whispering to each other.  They all smiled at Amber and kept giving her indecipherable signals to give it a shot with Vanessa.  Their mischievous whispering soon stopped when Eros noticed someone walking towards them.

“Oh, Krystal— 12 o’ clock,” he said with a cough.

Amber heard it and turned around, seeing Krystal with a smile, waving at them.  Amber waved back and swallowed a lump in .  She almost forgot about Krystal for a second there—Not that it would matter, anyways, Amber thought to herself, mentally face-palming.

“Hey,” she greeted, hugging Amber.  She waved to the rest.  “Hey,” Amber greeted back.

Nick gave out a monotone whistle, while Amber heard Erika mumble, “Awkward…” lowly.  She bit back a sigh and forced a smile out.  “So, Krystal this is Vanessa.  She’s a new student that came a while ago but I never got to introduce you to her,” she said.

Krystal and Vanessa greeted each other with smiles and shook hands.  “How come I’ve never seen you around before?” Vanessa asked.

“Oh, I’m an 8^th grader.  And during lunch, I’d always sit with my friends or help out in the library,” Krystal replied.  She looked at Amber, “I’m one of this delinquent’s best friends.”

Amber rolled her eyes, giving out a small laugh, “I guess our Health classes are combined together today, huh?”

Krystal nodded, “I didn’t find out until now.  When I saw you and everyone here, I thought I’d say hi.”  She looked at Amber’s outfit, “You look really nice today, by the way.”

Jay coughed.  Krystal heard it and chuckled, “You look nice today, too.”

Jay smiled broadly, causing everyone to laugh at his facial expression.  Even if she gave out a vague statement, truthfully, Krystal found herself attracted to how Amber looked today.  She wasn’t sure if it was just a typical male idol thing she saw in her, or if it was something else.  Amber always wore boyish clothing; it didn’t make sense to Krystal on why she caught herself glancing at her in the outfit she was in right now.  The style that Amber wore was very similar to Krystal’s taste in guys; maybe that was why she was feeling weird about it.

“Wow, you definitely don’t look like an 8^th grader,” Vanessa said, impressed by the younger girl’s mature appearance and aura.

“Yeah, so I’ve been told,” the latter replied with a small laugh.  She brushed her pants, “Anyways, I’m gonna go back to my friends.  I’ll see you guys, later.”

Amber watched Krystal walk away after everyone said goodbye to her.  All of a sudden, her phone began to vibrate in her pocket.  She looked around her, making sure that no teacher was looking at their way.  She placed her bag in front of her, just to be sure.  Looking at the text message she received; it was from Erika.

Yang, Erika (Mobile)

Received one minute ago

Are you gonna make a move or not?  Stop being in denial already.  Okay? :/

Amber looked up from her phone and took a glance at Erika.  She had a sympathetic smile on her face, to which Amber just stared back, not knowing what to say.  Was she being in denial?  Vanessa seemed like a chill person; it wasn’t as if she was going to smack her and leave the gymnasium if Amber asked her to hang out during her free time when the weekend came.  The more she thought about it, the more she became familiar with the feelings she was developing.

I like her, Amber said in her head.  She gulped, Oh my God, I like her.  She grimaced silently, finally realizing her feelings towards the senior and she took a glance at her.  She was talking to Michelle, who was on the other side of her.  When she noticed that she was done, she took the shot.

“So… uh, are you busy on Saturday?”

Vanessa’s eye brows rose.  She smiled, “No, actually, I’m not.  Why do you ask?”

As if Amber couldn’t get any more nervous than in the state she was in right now.  She pondered her thoughts for a bit, while the stares of the entire gang weren’t helping.  Vanessa continued looking at Amber innocently and Amber knew that she was a er for that.  Just relax… okay?  Just relax, she kept telling herself.

“I just wanted to know if you wanted to hang out.  You know, just the two of us.  I know a really nice café nearby… and yeah,” Amber stuttered slightly.  She gave out an embarrassed chuckle and avoided eyes with her.

Eros face palmed.  “I think this is the first time I’ve seen Amber so nervous about anything,” he whispered.

The others agreed while Vanessa blushed a little.  She gave out a small giggle and tucked some hair behind her ear.  Erika’s eyes widened, “I know what gesture that is!  She’s feeling it.  Watch her say ‘yes’.”

“They seriously need to speak louder… I’m about to lose it,” Jay said as he shook his head.

“Uh, I think there’s a word for that,” Vanessa implied with feigned confusion.  Amber stared back blankly.  “You know, two people, going out alone…”

“A date?” Amber questioned.  She was a nervous wreck right now, and she knew it.

“Yeah, that’s the word,” the latter responded sarcastically.

Amber laughed, “I’m not asking you out on a date.  I just wanna hang out.”

Vanessa wasn’t satisfied with what she heard.  She gave out a small glare that made Amber’s mouth into a slight agape.  She laughed and nodded, “Okay, okay.  Yes, I’m asking you out on a date.”

Vanessa smiled.  “Hm, I’ll have to see,” she teased.

Amber scoffed, “Vanessa.  Come on.”

The latter laughed, “I’m kidding!” She playfully punched Amber in the shoulder, “I thought you were straight.”

Amber shrugged and leaned in a little, “I’m not into labels, anyways.  So, you’ll go?”

“Yes.  I will go.  Just tell me where it is and I’ll meet you there.”

“I can’t pick you up at your house?”

“Whoa,” Vanessa said with a laugh, “You wanna know where I live, already?”

Amber rolled her eyes, “You know what I mean.  We can walk together.”

Vanessa contemplated with a fabricated expression, trying to tease the tomboy in front of her.  It was working, as she saw that Amber was very anxious in some way.  She was enjoying it.  She had to admit, though, she found herself starting to develop feelings for Amber once she started getting close to her.  It was weird, she was never really into tomboys— her last two exes were girly girls, but Amber was different.  She didn’t know why, but she saw a different light in her.  She nodded with a smile, “Okay then.  I’ll give you my address later… or you can walk me home to see my house.”

Amber’s face dropped, “I can’t.  I have practice… sorry.”  It had almost slipped Vanessa’s mind that Amber was preparing for her debut.  It didn’t let her affect the moment, though.  She nodded with an assuring smile.  Before she was able to say something, a figure ran up to them, “Vanessa?”

She looked up and saw a familiar face.  “Oh hey, what’s up?”

The girl pointed over at a young looking man, maybe in his late twenties, who was located at the center of the room with other teachers and a few more students, “Coach wants to talk to us about our next game.”

Vanessa nodded and got up.  “Game?” Amber asked, “You’re on a team?”

“Yup.  Volleyball,” she replied before running off.

Amber whistled.  I guess she joined recently; tryouts were on Monday.

“So?” Amber turned her head and found everyone looking at her with expectant eyes.  “What happened?” Nick asked.

“I thought you guys heard since all of you are so pro at eavesdropping,” Amber answered, sarcasm and annoyance apparent in her tone.

“We didn’t actually,” Jay said.  “You guys were talking too low.”

Amber shook her head and hung her head low.  The others took it the wrong way and thought that maybe she got rejected in some sort of way.  But before one of them could “comfort” her, Amber started to laugh, “She said ‘yes’.”

Eros and Jay howled and shook Amber in excitement.  The others smiled widely and patted Amber’s back.  “So, where are you guys going?” Michelle asked once the small chaos within the group ended.

“I don’t know if I should even say,” Amber replied.  She leaned against the bleacher behind her, “I’m afraid that you guys will stalk me since it’s my first date.”

Erika scowled, “Don’t be such a wuss.  We’re not gonna stalk you, we just wanna know.  Gosh.”

Amber chuckled, “Alright, alright.  We’re going to the café nearby.”

“Mozart?”

Amber nodded to Nick’s suggested answer.  Nick nodded back; Mozart was a regular hang out spot for them after school during the day and on the weekends.  A lot of piano players played there live, and in the evening, it turned into an active club or open mic night.

“What are you gonna do about Krystal?” Jay asked as he beckoned his head towards her direction.  Amber looked at Jay, and then looked at Krystal, who was across the gymnasium on the other set of bleachers.  She was laughing and chatting away with her friends, sharing a bag of chips.  She knew that she couldn’t tell Krystal about this; especially when she and Vanessa’s relationship might kick off to something new.  Even if she found Krystal to be open-minded, Amber just had the gut feeling that she couldn’t tell her about going out with a girl.  It just wouldn’t be easy.

“There’s nothing to do about Krystal,” Amber replied uneasily.

She looked at the rest, “Just… don’t tell her about this.  Okay?”

“Vanessa’s your first, right?” Erika asked.  Amber didn’t need to question it; she meant first girlfriend.  She pondered for a moment, running through the chains of memories locked inside her.  She nodded slowly, “Yeah, Vanessa’s my first.”  She lied.  But no one knew.

Eros nodded and looked around him, “Don’t worry, Amber,” he assured.  “We’ve got you; we promise.”