It was a lazy Sunday morning. The winter breeze skimmed my face as I made my way to the white Kia Soul sitting outside the house. Pulling my jacket close to my skin, I shoved my backpack in the front seat and ran to the other side. I waited a bit for my body to stop shivering and turned my car on. 

Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt. 

"Hello?"

"Are you on your way?"

"Yeah. I just started my car."

"Awesome. Thanks again for helping me study."

"I'll see you in a few."

"Alright. Bye."

Plugging my phone in my auxiliary plug and navigated my way to her house. I got my backpack and walked up to her front porch. 

"Hello."

"Hi, Mr. Hwang." I smiled politely, "Tiffany invited me over to help her with her homework. I hope that's alright."

"It's more than alright." He chuckled. He leaned closer to my ear and whispered, "She's going to need all the help she can get with her failing math and all."

"Daddy!" Tiffany glared and crossed her arms, "I heard that."

"I'm sorry, princess, but you do need the help." He gave me a pat on the head, "I have work. Be good you two."

Tiffany and I stood next to each other as we waved goodbye to her dad. He smiled and waved back as he drove out of our sight. I suddenly became aware that the most beautiful girl in all the land was now standing right next to me. I glanced her way and awkwardly stared. 

"What'd you wanna do first?"

"Well, I am having trouble with math, but since I don't like math, you can help me with history."

"But we don't have a history final till Friday."

"Exactly." She took me by the hand and dragged me inside her house, "You can pick a movie and I'll go to the kitchen and pop some popcorn."

I took the remote from the table and laid back as I scrolled through Netflix. Tiffany came back with a bowl full of popcorn and seated herself surprisingly close to me. I slowly recoiled my arm, but Tiffany sat up and looked at me. 

"What are you doing?"

"Taking my arm back?" I asked hesitantly. 

"Keep it there." She rested her head back on my arm. "Hug me."

"O-oh. O-okay." I slowly hugged her as she rested her head on my chest. 

Tiffany took a deep breath and closed her eyes. I nervously chuckled and patter her shoulder. I scanned the room to look for an excuse to get myself out of this hold. . I knew I shouldn't have put on a random shirt and sprayed it with perfume. I knew I shouldn't have put on my older sister's shorts from two years ago. I knew I should've tried to at least look decent, but no! I had to randomly ing find clothes because I was too much in a ing rush to see her. my life. 

"Are you okay?"

No I am not okay. I look like and you're trying to cuddle with me. I probably smell like too. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"You look like you were about to have a mental breakdown for a second."

I laughed, "Nah. Just thinking about the math homework you will never do."

My focus went back to watching the movie that I have no memory of choosing, but it seemed like a good movie. Tiffany snuggled closer to me and wrapped her arm underneath my lower back as she pulled me closer to her body. My eyes widened and my breath hitched. 

Okay. Now I really regret wearing hobo clothing with Tiffany trying to cuddle with me. Wait. Why is she cuddling with me? Wasn't she the one who told me that she wasn't ready to be in a relationship? Wasn't she the one who told me that it would be best if we stayed friends? Wasn't she the one who told me that I should just help her with her homework? Stupid. Of course there's nothing going on between us. Tiffany is just a touchy person. She's like this with all her friends, there's nothing more to this skinship that friendship. Nothing more, nothing less, although I wouldn't mind if there was something wrong to this. 

I sighed. 

"Something wrong?" Tiffany lifted her head from my chest and looked at me with those beautiful worried eyes. 

"Nothing." I nervously laughed, "It's just that I've seen this movie before." 

Of course, that was a complete, total lie. 

"Did you wanna watch a different one?"

Will she get off me if I say yes? Will she lay on top of me again if she does get up to change the movie? Will she sit across from me? What the hell is this trying to do to me?

"Sure."

What the was that!? Stupid! Jessica, stupid! Stupid!

"What kind of movie did you have in mind?"

A o. Just kidding. 

"Horror?"

"No. You can pick anything, but horror."

"Then I don't know. Horror movies are perfect for the end of the school year pretending to be studying for finals week."

She hit me with a pillow, "Idiot."

"Just saying. It seems like the perfect way to pretend to study for finals."

Tiffany glared at me, "Did you actually wanna study for finals?"

"Your call. I don't need to study." I said in a snobbish tone. 

"Of course not because you just happen to be the best at everything and you are never wrong." She mocked. 

"Damn straight. Never forget that and we will never have an argument." I laughed and stood up to go to the kitchen. 

She followed me to the kitchen, "So a couple of my friends and I are gonna go to the mall this weekend." 

"That's nice. What do you guys plan on doing there?" I opened her fridge and took out some fruits. 

"We might watch a movie and go summer shopping."

"That sounds like fun." I nodded and began rummaging through the cupboards to look for a cutting board and a knife. 

"Yeah. We're gonna go out to dinner too."

"Sounds like your friends are super into having fun!" I said excitedly and gave her a sarcastic grin. 

"Stupid. I was gonna ask you if you wanted to tag along."

"I dunno, Tiff." I said slowly, "I barely know your friends and they barely know me. I don't think I should be there. I'd just feel awkward."

"I guess you're right." She said a tad bit disappointed. 

"Besides, going to the mall isn't exactly my kind of fun." I shrugged opening the  dishwasher. "Found it." I took out the cutting board and the knife. 

"What is your ideal fun night?"

I shrugged and began cutting the fruits, "Well, I guess it would be any other night for me and Sooyoung." I laughed. 

"What do you two do anyway?"

"We found this spot by her house that over looks the city. It gets kinda cold, so we bring blankets up there and stuff like that. Sometimes we go to the  grocery store first and get food to take up there or just buy dinner. Then we just sit on the roof of my car and just watch the city lights. But on occasions, we'll go to a gas station and buy hookah pens and just smoke up there." I placed all the fruit I cut up in a bowl, "Apple?"

"That sounds like a really peaceful spot." Tiffany smiled and up a piece of apple from the bowl. "Do you two go up here often?"

I shrugged, "I guess it depends. We haven't been there in a while because of finals and stuff. Plus I've been working on weekends for the past month and a half. So it really just depends on the days I'm not working."

"Do you guys ever take anyone else in your secret spot?"

"We took Amber once, but we were just showing her what we normally do on the nights we hang out and stuff."

"Where'd you guys go?"

"We took her to Incheon and showed her the places we buy my vinyl records and CREAM."

"The one with the college campus?"

I nodded, "Yeah, but Youngie and I went deeper into Seoul and we found four different places to find vinyls."

"What's a vinyl?"

"Another word for a record album. You know the big black ones that they used to use back then? You need a record player in order to use it."

"That's so cool! Where'd you find one?"

"Garage sale for $10. It literally was a steal."

Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt. 

"Hello?"

"Dude! You'll never guess what just happened?"

"Youngie?"

"I found your pajamas in my room!"

"You couldn't wait to tell me till tomorrow?"

"No. Why? Are you hanging out with your girlfriend?"

I sighed, "You know that it's not like that."

"Okay. Okay. Tell Tiffany I said howdy."

"Alright, will do."

I closed my phone and went back to eating fruits. 

"Are you sure you don't wanna go to the mall this weekend?"

"I'll think about it."

"Yay!" She clapped her hands and showed her famous eye-smile. "I knew you're the one friend I can always count on."

How the do I get out of the friend zone?