“Taeyeon?” someone called her name. In the buzz of voices she looked for the owner of the one that had called her. A tall woman was getting closer to her. Taeyeon could only see the top of her head over the numerous packages she was carrying. They were not heavy but bulky and obstructed most of her sight. She fought with the zipper of her jacket that was stuck on some bag and threatened the already precarious equilibrium Taeyeon had accomplished. Someone took off the weight of the packages on her arm and she was finally able to see a smiling face she had not seen for years. 

“Sooyoung!” Taeyeon greeted “Let’s go sit somewhere I feel like my arms are falling off”

Once they were seated surrounded for bags and packages the started to talk.

“You said you’ll never tint your hair but blonde really suits you” said Sooyoung admiring her new hairstyle. She smiled at the tired Taeyeon “What were you doing standing over there all by yourself? And with all those stuff?”

“It’s that crazy woman’s fault” Taeyeon said while leaning on the bench they had chosen. Cheeks all red because of the effort.

“Crazy woman?” Sooyoung wondered “Ahhhh, I get it! Wow! After all this time you’re still togheter, that’s what I call compromise”

“I should have done some pretty bad in my past life” Taeyeon occupied herself with her cellphone, texting said crazy woman.

“I know you don’t mean it”

“Do you think so?” Taeyeon eyed all the things surrounding them.

“I can bet on it” Sooyoung could’t stop smiling thanks to her exhausted friend “You don’t seem to have changed at all… Where is she anyway?”

“Spending our money” said Taeyeon all brought down, massaging her left shoulder “I had been waiting for half an hour already when you saw me there. She said 'no more than ten minutes' I don’t know why I believed her”

“Poor Taeyeon” said Sooyoung she then inspected some of the bags “What is all this for?”

“Baby stu… ow! What it!” Sooyoung was all excited and throw herself at Taeyeon in a congratulation hug.

“Who is it?”

“This time is me” Taeyeon looked at her own belly.

“Awww!” Sooyoung hugged her again “Wait, you mean you have a kid already?”

“A girl, two years. A miniature version of her crazy mother” this time, Taeyeon had a wide smile on her face and showed Sooyoung a picture of her toddler in her cellphone´s screen.

“She’s so cute!” Sooyoung melted again “Who would have tought it, you two… But I think I had seen it coming you know? All that fights and pet names…”

“I know what you mean” they stayed quite for a moment, remembering.

“It's had been like what? 13 to 14 years?” Sooyoung wondered.

“Yeah more or less” Taeyeon thought about it “That day… I was so upset!”

“I know right? You slammed the door when entering the dorm and I thought you were violent and mad. Your hair was all messy and you were sweating with that crazy look on your eyes. The image of an insane person”

“It was my first day in campus and I had never been far from my home and then I had to walk a good hour under the sun!”

 

***

She mentally blessed the bus driver for not slowing down. The bump in the street made the vehicle jump. She thought that would wake her. When the weight on her shoulder moved, she almost signed in relief. But then that head was there again and now, there was hair pressed on Taeyeon’s ear and cheek as well. She had tried a lot of things like shaking her own shoulder that the strange girl had took as a pillow or moving her shoulder to wake her up. But that girl was a heavy sleeper and not even the crackling of the bus had perturbed her. Taeyeon wondered if she should pinched her, maybe that would do it. She could see a string of saliva making its way to his own shoulder. That was it. She pushed said girl’s head hard with her hand and removed herself. Then pretended nothing happened while searching for another seat in the bus.

“Hey” Taeyeon heard the girl, angry tone in her voice. She looked at her, pretending to be confused. The girl frowned at her, offended “You just pushed me”

“What?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. You pushed me, I can still feel you sweaty hand on my forehead” she said with a loud voice that attracted everyone’s attention “Why would you do such thing?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. You were sleeping, you should have dreamed it…” said Taeyeon in a low voice, trying to calm down the girl waving her hands in the air.

“So, when you see someone sleeping you think is alright to wake them up?” she did not diminished even a little the volume of her voice. The driver was looking at them too, and the noise of the vehicle running was the only sound besides the discussion.

“Are you high?” Taeyeon asked “You were sleeping ON my shoulder!”

“So, what?”

“Wh..?”

“Is that going to kill you? You’re so rude!”

“Do you think is polite to sleep in someone else’s shoulder? Someone you don’t even know?” now Taeyeon was screaming too.

“There’s nothing wrong with it!”

“You’re crazy”

“You’re an idiot”

“What? You were drooling! Your saliva was about to end up in my jacket!”

“Then you're one of those! There!” the girl wiped her drool in Taeyeon’s jacket.

“Hey!” and both started screaming at each other. The fight did not went on for too long.

“You two, out” the bus stopped. The driver told them to get out and they still had a long way to go.

“But…” the girl tried to argue.

“I don’t care. You can solve your issues out of my bus” said the driver. Taeyeon had already put on her backpack.

“Did you have to be such a douche?” the girl asked. She was dragging two big suitcases that seemed pretty heavy once Taeyeon saw her red face. She started to walk without paying more attention to the struggling girl. Taeyeon was so mad she could have strangled her. At least the sun was not so brighter. She put the earbuds on her ears and the music soothed her. One step at a time, she looked at her feet. Left, right, left, right in an endless succession. The pavement changed color from time to time, dirty, full of old gums stuck forever in it. Black spots, cracks, holes.

 

Taeyeon hoped her new roomate were nicer than the crazy girl. She could feel her cheeks heating up remembering what happened. She hoped too that those suitcases were not an indicator of a shared destination. Music not only numbed her ears but also her temperament. She was happy she had send her stuff earlier and now she only had to carry her backpack. After passing some blocks, Taeyeon finally saw the bus stop. She almost lost her good mood when she found out the girl was indeed going to the same place as she took the same bus. A guy rushed to help her with her stuff. The craziness Taeyeon witnessed before was gone, and now the girl smilled charmingly to the boy. However, she looked coldly at Taeyeon before sitting beside him. She suppressed the urge of snorting at the childish gesture. Confirmed the shared destination, Taeyeon could only wish for the girl to not have the same classes as her. She could feel her sweaty shirt and she could only take off her glasses while resenting the girl who was now laughing.

 

The crazy girl kept busy with the boy and Taeyeon finally sank in her dreams. The walk made her sleepy. She finally got out the bus after a while and the girl did the same with the help of that guy. But then, Taeyeon noticed she had not her earbuds with her. She had took them off when she climbed on. She went back on her tracks and saw them on the sidewalk.

“Oh. What’s this?” the heel of a boot crushed one of the earbuds. Her stomach felt empty and a blood like taste filled when she bit her tongue “I-I’m sorry! I did not saw it!”

Taeyeon said nothing. She collected the remains of the earbuds and walked to the campus.

“Hey, take mine” the girl said, extending her own earbuds to Taeyeon.

“No, thanks”

“C’mon, take them”

“I don’t want them”

“Let me pay for them then”

“No! Just… just get the out of my way”

“You’re an ! And it was not even my fault! It´s your fault we got kicked out before ”

“You were the one that started to yell like a mad woman!”

“How dear you! You don’t even know me!”

“Er… Stephanie?” he said nervously. There was people already watching the arguement.

“Stop being an idiot and take the damn earbuds” Stephanie said.

“No, thanks” Taeyeon walked away before Stephanie could say anything else.

 

Taeyeon irrupted in her new room. She was fuming, and the fleeting image of her new roommate, a tall and slim girl, jumping because of the surprise, appeared before her eyes.

“Umm…Hi” Taeyeon heard her say after she had slammed the door shut.

“Hi” she said, curtly. She threw the backpack on the empty bed and sat on it, her head between her legs.

“I’m Sooyoung”

“Taeyeon”

“I’m- I’m gonna get something to eat and I was wondering if…” Taeyeon did not move and Sooyoung gave up “Ok”

She went out without saying anything else. Great. Now her roommate was going to think she was crazy. As the anger dissipated, Taeyeon regretted not taking the earbuds Stephanie offered. It was childish and she could not stop thinking Stephanie was right, it was not her fault. 

 

“Wow, some day you’ve had” said Sooyoung after hearing her story. Taeyeon apologized to Sooyoung and foud out they were both studying Law.

“I have never met such weird person” said Taeyeon.

“To try to use you as a pillow… crazy” Sooyoung tried not to laugh. Taeyeon knew, deep down, that it could have been a funny story if it had not happened to her.

 

Days after Taeyeon had forgotten about it. She had new earbuds and the still intact enthusiasm of beggining something new.

“Hey! 'Bowling ball' it’s on his way!” one of the students said from the door. Everyone took their phones out of sight. Professor Kang, who had the subject of Friday’s morning, liked to confiscate any electronic device. He did not tolerate whispers, laughs or any kind of sound that were not her own voice or the sound of his Italian shoes on the floor. Click- clack resonated through the classroom while he walked the two meter space before the blackboard. He looked at every student in search of conducts to sanction and sermons to distribute. His classes were always cramped because no one wanted to spend the afternoon at school, even if it was with Professor Yoo, who just talked without paying attention to anything else. There was no exceptions in Jaeyong Kang’s class rutine and no one dared to question it. They just stayed sat and quiet with wide eyes, afraid to look at anything else because if the bald head directed her shine to any of them, that could only mean they were going to get asked something they would not be able to answer. That’s was the reason why “The Incident” became something future generations talked about as if it were some kind of legend.

 

Taeyeon and Sooyoung regretted the party of the night before. A Thursday night party sounded good, the day after they had Kang Bowling Ball and nothing else and they could sleep afterwards. As soon as the professor started the class they realized how much of a bad decision was. The hangover was a weight over they shoulders and heads. Taeyeon had it worst, with her bad eyesight and her red and swollen eyes. Keeping them wide open was resulting in the most difficult task. They were burning and she was sure Kang was giving her the evil eye. She prayed for him to forget about her eyes and envied Sooyoung who was asleep but could do it keeping her eyes open. Such ability. Kang continued her monologue, and Taeyeon’s eyes kept closing from time to time. She could feel her body going numb and turning into jelly. Just when darkness drowned her the door opened violently. It left a mark on the wall where the handle collided with it. A human body went in or more exactly slid in front of a very perplexed professor Kang. Taeyeon was completely awake as everyone else on the room. Stephanie was just as surprised, frozen in a weird pose in front of the class like she was ready to skiing.

“This is not Animal Protection Laws class” she said as if they didn’t know. She quickly straightened up and put a hand of Kang’s shoulder. She looked at the class and her eyes stopped for a brief moment on Taeyeon’s face and said before turning to leave “Well, I’m so sorry”

“Miss!” professor Kang composed herself. Her ears and bald head were bright red and the rest of her face was becoming purple. A little vein in her forehead throbbed in sync with her rapid pulse. The thirst of blood was evident in his face but Stephanie did not seem scared at all. She looked at the class again. There were a lot of red faces, fighting laugh and trying to look stoic. Professor Kang’s shining bald head, angry and red was looking more than ever like a Bowling ball. Taeyeon had never seen fins of the nose so expanded.

“Yes?” Stephanie asked with a calm face, all relaxed.

“Do you think this is the way to enter a classroom?” the hairs in his mustache flailing.

“I’m really late, do you think we could talk about this some other time?” she turned again.

“Come back here!” he roared. Saliva rained on the first row and on the nape of Stephanie, who had her hair up in a ponytail.

“There’s no need for you to howl like that” she cleaned her nape with her green sweater. Stephanie was looking at him as if he were a big, watery piece of she has stepped on.

“You can’t talk to me in such manner!” his face was dark purple and the vein in his forehead seemed to be about exploding “Give me your name! I will tell the principal on you!”

“Pshh” she cleaned saliva off his face “You’re overreacting and I really have to go. As if I had interrupted an important issue here, all of them were sleeping! Look at her! Her head was almost reclined on the back of her seat” Stephanie pointed at Taeyeon.

All eyes Kang’s included, were on her.

“I-I..” she drowned with own spit “I was not… I swear to you that I-“

“That’s the proof. They were dying of boredom I just woke up your zombie class. You’re welcome” Stephanie tried to leave again. Kang was livid and his eyes went from Taeyeon to Stephanie and back. Finally, he collected himself and shouted his head off.

“OUT!” to Taeyeon whose hands were flailing in an attempt to calm him down.

“Bu-But”

“This is not…” they said at the same time.

“OOOOUUUUUT!” he shrieked pointing a finger to the door.

 

“Some professors need to stop teaching don´t you think so?” Stephanie said once they were out of the door.

“You!” Taeyeon felt like having an astral travel. She just had been thrown out of professor Kang’s class “He kicked me out because of you!”

“He would forget soon enough…Do you know where is Animal Protection Laws class?”

“How come you’re acting this way? Do you realize what did you just do to me? What if I got kicked out of school too?”

“They won’t, calm down” Stephanie walked away and Taeyeon followed.

“He kicked me out of his class! Kang Bowling Ball has never kicked out anyone!”

“I’m sure you would find a way to get back in or you could take the subject with some other professor” Stephanie stopped in front of the correct door and was now smiling.

“I’m going to spend all my Fridays on the afternoon here! And is all because of you, you damn woman!”

“It’s not that bad, believe me” Stephanie had her hand on the handle “Besides you were sleeping, he was going to kick you out anyway”

And the door closed in Taeyeon’s nose.

 

“Maybe if I talked to him I could…” later at the cafeteria Taeyeon tried to eat ignoring the taste of cardboard the food had in . Sooyoung told her what happened after they left. Taeyeon and her angry cries were heard inside the classroom, and so were Stephanie’s comments on how bad of a teacher Kang was. He was so mad he left them a big project for next week. He said he did not want to see Taeyeon, nor in that or any of his classes. Then he threw a talk about manners, respect and proper behavior. Taeyeon was doomed to a whole semester with Yoo and her afternoon classes every Friday.

“Don’t even try. He said nothing about expelling you, be glad about it and shut it” a smile then crawled on Sooyoung’s face “You’re crazy popular now, everyone’s talking about you and that girl. Is she your girlfriend or something?”

“That insane woman? Of course not! She is the one crazy girl who is getting me thrown of everywhere”

“Wha- Oh! She’s the one!” Sooyoung realized who Taeyeon was talking about “No wonder she’s one special girl. You’ll be a legend! They are saying you beat him in a word fight even though you said nothing and that you left him speechles. You´re a hero now! Isn’t it great? You´ll be invited to every party from now on” but Taeyeon was not listening anymore. She was watching her food, wondering how it was possible one person could have done that to her in such brief time.

 

Taeyeon became a specialist in hiding and avoiding both Kang and Stephanie. Her fight with Kang died down a little, but not her unexpected fame. She suddenly had admirers and her once little group of friends grew. She had put down quite a few date propositions. Her Fridays were ruined but while Sooyoung and the others had tons of work from Kang, she was free to just read her notes on Yoo’s classes with no pressure at all. On the other way, she received a lot of questions about Stephanie whose name was very well known in the whole campus because of being outspoken, maybe too much. She kept on getting in trouble with professors and got one of them fired. She was a savior for the students and the teachers hated her guts. In the few occasions Taeyeon saw her, she was surrounded for her own club of admirers, they followed her around like puppies but she would turn them down all smiles and charm. The semester went by like this as Taeyeon wished, without Stephanie getting her in more trouble.

 

“I think I can feel my head about to explode” said Sooyoung “I envy you so much, I have to write a long essay for Kang”

They were sitting under a tree in front of the dorm surrounded by books and notes.

“Well, Yoo is not a fan of reading” Taeyeon was writing a paper with concepts to memorize “I don’t think he even cares If we learn anything at all”

“Argh! I’m sick of it!” Sooyoung left down her notebook and lied down in the yellowish ground “Let’s go out and play it’s been a while since we did something fun”

“What do you sugest?”

“I heard Minho and friends are giving a big party in that new bar place downtown” said Sooyoung looking at Taeyeon while smiling.

“Minho…?” Taeyeon was trying to remember who said guy was.

“That poor guy you’ve rejected so many times”

“Oh! That Minho” The face of the guy came to her mind. He was a tall and slim boy who did not give up even after she said to him she only dated women “I really don’t feel like partying”

“That cute girl Jisook is going…”

“Really?” Taeyeon was interested now. She had liked the second grade girl since she saw her at the cafeteria the first week of the semester “Do you think she would like to have a date with me?”

“She thinks Kang kicked you out because you’re some kind of rebel she’ll love to have a date with you! So… you’re coming?”

“Yeah, it could be funny” Taeyeon was thinking where to invite Jisook on a date.

 

Sooyoung lied. Jisook was nowhere near and Minho was. During the last hour, he had invited Taeyeon again with the alcohol given courage. There were more people Taeyeon imagined of every major. She had the chance to hear every version of The incident with Kang. She ended up sitting in a dark corner with a lukewarm beer bottle. Sooyoung abandoned her for some guy in the first minutes and Taeyeon was left alone to entertain herself with beer and now she was starting to feel dizzy. She was hearing things like a loud voice, a voice she knew too well. Stephanie was closer, a drunk Stephanie, and Taeyeon had no intentions of finding out what that could mean for her. So she made an effort of getting up and started to walk to the door.

“Teyoon” Minho got in her way and put an arm around her shoulders. He was absolutely wasted “Don’t g-goo, you’re so pretty c’mon dance with me”

“Let go, Minho we’ll dance some other time” she was struggling to free herself from the guy.

“You swear?” his breath was deadly.

“Of course! But I have to go now”

“Teyon I…” the weight of Minho was gone in a second.

“What the do you think you’re doing?” Stephanie had Minho on the floor.

“You!” the alcohol Taeyeon consumed was finally setting in and she found hard to focus her eyes in Stephanie who was also drunk and could barely stand still.

“I just saved you from that ert!” her breath was also very strong. Alcohol made people forget about personal space.

“He’s just as wasted as you are!” Taeyeon helped Minho to get on his feet with much effort.

“That’s no excuse for putting her hands on you!” yelled Stephanie putting a hand on Taeyeon’s shoulder for balance. They were so close that their alcohol breaths made each other dizzier.

“You didn’t have to p-push him I have him under control”

“Why are you so ungrateful?” Stephanie was shaking of Taeyeon with her hands now on both of her shoulders.

“Why are you so nosy?”

“I just saved you and you won’t even thank me”

“I did not asked for help”

“You didn’t have to I could see it”

“Girls…” someone was trying to tear them apart.

“I know… you like him? Don’t ya?” Stephanie broke free from her own friends that were trying to rescue her “That’s it! You like that ert”

“He is not a ert!”

“Admit it!” Stephanie’s voice could be heard above the music. A group of onlookers surrounding them.

“What’s it to you if I do? What do you care?”

“I…!”

“Taeyeon!” Sooyoung had finally come to save her friend. She took her by the shoulders while Stephanie’s friends do the same.

“Let me go! Let me I say! I’m gonna give that idiot what she deserves” but Taeyeon was too tiny and Sooyoung was easily dragging her out of Stephanie’s reach.

“Yeah, yeah let’s take you to the dorm so you can sleep and then you can give her anything you want but not now” said Sooyoung “Jeez, you’re so popular”

“You forgot your ert!” Stephanie was grabbing the knocked out Minho by the collar.

“That damn b…!” cried Taeyeon before Soooyoung covered . Minho’s friend was already taking him from Stephanies grab. Taeyeon did not get to hear what Stephanie was yelling at him because Sooyoung was soon putting her into a taxi.

 

The headache next day was the worst she ever had. She woke up on her bed, fully clothed and in a weird position. Sooyoung was gone but she had left her a cup of coffee she drank gratefully.

“Oh you’re awake” Sooyoung entered and took out food containers from her backpack “I bought you some spicy food for the hangover and some aspirins”

“I love you so much” Taeyeon had her eyes half closed because of the light that feel like stabbing “You’re the greatest”

“I know” Sooyoung laughed “I hope the coffee helped”

“It did, thank you” Taeyeon said starting to eat “Did I really… say and do all that?”

“I got there a little bit late in the argument but I think Minho will give up now”

“Was it that bad?”

“Nah, don’t worry. After we left, some girls got at it and someone put the video on Youtube and they had quite a fight over some guy”

“It was all because that nosy crazy girl”

“Well, thank’s to her, Minho won’t bother you again…” Sooyoung tried not to laugh.

“Why do you say so?”

“He might think you two are like dating”

“Minho and I?”

“Stephanie and you”

“WHAT?”

“It might be that some picture of you two that could be misinterpreted”

“No…” Taeyeon was already checking the party’s photos “NO!”

“Calm down, no one is talking about it anyway”

“But it looks like we’re kissing!” Taeyeon pointed out the photo to Sooyoung “Wait, it’s that Jisook at the back?”

 

Jisook never talked to her again. She would not even look at Taeyeon. Minho did not asked her out again either and after a class he apologized for bothering her girlfriend. Taeyeon tried to explain him Stephanie was not her girlfriend but Minho didn’t let her. He was not the only one who was convinced that she and Stephanie were dating.

“I think she likes you” said Sooyoung.

“Do you want to die?”

“I mean is weird she always shows up whenever you are and manages to get you in some king of trouble” said Sooyoung more seriously Taeyeon had liked “You’re not friends or anything”

“So you’re saying that’s the best way she can come up for courting me? To make my life miserable? If that’s true, I don’t want to know what she will do to ask me out”

“That’s how love is” Sooyoung joked.

“You definitely want me to kill you”

“If you accept her love and date her, maybe she won’t messed up with you anymore” Sooyoung said before running away.

 

Her fake girlfriend got fired yet another professor who appeared to be dating a student. Then a girl went after her but not the one she had tell the professor on for. So both girls started to fight. Taeyeon was more that tired to hear of Stephanie’s messes. She passed her free time locked in her room so she would not met her. Unfortunately for her, Stephanie seemed to have a Taeyeon-dar. Some hot day, she was buying a sandwich in her favorite place when she saw her. She rushed to the exit with her head down so Stephanie wouldn’t notice her.

“Taeyeon?” she saw her. Taeyeon speed up until she couldn’t hear her voice.

Some blocks after she had relaxed and was waiting for the light to change when someone touched her shoulder.

“Taeyeon, didn’t you hear me calling you?” Stephanie reached her. The light changed and Taeyeon started to run with Stephanie behind.

“Hey!” but Taeyeon didn’t stop even when her sandwich fell to the ground.

“Stay away from me!” she made it to her dorm but before she closed the door, Stephanie shoved a sandwich to her

“Your sandwich!” she said madly and then she was gone.

At least she had her lunch, she thought while taking a bite. Her sandwich had a strange taste. Stephanie had given her the wrong one. The nuts flavor in the sauce filled and Taeyeon started to feel closing.  

When she was getting in the ambulance with her face all swollen because of the allergic reaction she could see Stephanie’s scared face. That girl was going to kill her.

“Oh, Taeyeon! I’m so sorry!” Stephanie waited with her in the emergency room. Taeyeon was terrified “I don’t know why I keep messing it up with you. First at the bus and now with this, I’m so so sorry! I think you’re cute and I was trying to ask you out on that bus but then everything got out of control. I’m so clumsy!”

Sooyoung was right after all. Damn her. Taeyeon could’t say a word.

“I promise I’ll leave you alone from now on” said Stephanie but when she got up, she took a wire with her and a lamp post fell on Taeyeon’s head.

 

***

“That’s why you keep your enemies closer” said Sooyoung.

Stephanie appeared then, with a little girl in her arms and with another bunch of bags.

“I found that onesie you wanted for the baby… Sooyoung!”

“Hi” she said.

“It was time” Taeyeon complained “Come home and have dinner with us, I would told you how Stephanie managed to ruin our first kiss”

“You said you won’t tell anyone!”

“Sooyoung was the one who took me to the hospital later since you were gone so fast afterwards, it’s just fair”

“Oh! So it was because of her?” Sooyong took some bags.

“She forgot the peanut-butter and jelly sandwich she had for lunch that day”

“Taeyeon!”

---

NOTES

-Kind of long, lame update.

-Thank you all for sticking with this, it takes a while for me to update since I translate from spanish. I hope you're enjoying the shots.

-Thanks for commenting, subscribing and upvoting.