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{20}

The faster program meant that I would be able to graduate medical school by next September at the latest. If I condensed all of my summer into my education, then I would be done by next June. What the just happened?! I asked Xiumin about it and he looked at me oddly. “You knew medical school took four years and you didn’t tell me?!”

“I just thought you were confused with your years! I didn’t think you legitimately believed it took five years!” he held up his hands and I covered my face with my hands. “They always told you it was five years? You’ve never even heard of four years?”

“No! My counselor told me five years, my administrators told me five years, my coach even told me five years!” I groaned, rolling around in my chair. “Holy I’m mad.”

“I would be too! You should talk with your coach, he’s the one that probably fought harder to tell you it was five years,” he noted and I nodded.

“The season already ended…I might be able to get a meeting with him soon,” I tapped my chin and opened up my laptop to check my email.

“Did you tell Tiffany that you’re taking the new program?” Xiumin asked and I shook my head as I tried to sound firm but not angry towards my track coach. I was so mad, I stressed so much about the next few years of medical school, I never knew I was allowed to end it in the next year!

“I haven’t talked to her in a while, she’s busy and I’m busy,” I hummed. I hadn’t even texted my girlfriend since my meeting with the percussionists, so it had been little a while.

“You should tell her, especially since you guys have to balance each other out with work and school,” he advised and I hummed again, feeling sort of absent in our conversation. “She’ll be excited to know you’re graduating when she can come back.”

“Mm, I’ll tell her soon,” I mumbled and sent the email to my coach. I should hear back in a couple of days or so. “Are you sure you’re not going to take the program with me? Dr. Huang said you qualify.”

“I’m not in a rush, I’m perfectly okay with graduating a year later,” he nodded and I sighed, tapping the table. “I can’t handle studying over the summer.”

“Yeah, I’m kind of glad Tiffany can’t be here in the next few months, I’d hate to divide up my one week between her and my family,” I commented.

“True, that would be hard to split,” he agreed and I moved from my chair to my bed. “Did you tell your family that Tiffany won’t be with you?”

“They know, she’s only been to one and in that trip my cousin, Kevin, jumped out of his tent when Tiffany needed to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night,” I smirked and Xiumin laughed. “She screamed at me for not coming with her after that.”

“Of course she would, do you guys always go camping for reunions?” Xiumin wondered and I nodded, letting him sit beside me on my bed.

“Camping is fun, we don’t go to the same site every year but we make sure it has a lake. We also take up at least two camps so younger kids can jump around and have fun with each other,” I said and sighed, smiling. “It’s really great, food is pretty amazing too.”

“We should invite people and go camping sometime, you know, instead of a family reunion it can just be friends,” he suggested and I grinned even more.

“That’d be fun! Maybe next year, when Tiffany can come,” I nodded and he patted my head with a nod.

“Of course,” he said and I started thinking about next year, being in one place with all of my friends and my girlfriend again. That’ll be fun. “Do you miss her?”

“Yeah, just because I don’t talk doesn’t mean I don’t miss her, I just hate ending conversations in the middle. But, I don’t know, it feels a little easier nowadays. I’ve been reconnecting with more things in my life,” I shrugged and he patted my back. “You should go back to your room; I still have to go to the hospital tomorrow.”

“Alright, alright, get some sleep. I’ll bring you lunch,” he offered and I sighed as he got up.

“You’re the greatest, man,” I nodded and we laughed until he left.

I didn’t want to go out running because the last time I did that I locked myself into some serious teenage bull, but I couldn’t sleep. My mind was over occupied with so many things, it was overwhelming. I traced my tattoo on my wrist as my thoughts slowly drifted to my girlfriend. Gosh I feel like a little kid thinking about her in bed. I chuckled to myself. I said that things were getting easier with Tiffany being away, but I still missed her like crazy. My hand drifted to my phone and I looked at our old messages. We used to have outrageously long conversation, from the moment we woke up to the moment we folded in. I missed being able to do that, whenever she was actually with me we tried to do everything we could to maximize time. I set my phone down and the lights, deciding to make myself an egg and spam sandwich. Ew, I’m getting my dad’s habits. I could only laugh to myself as I finished my midnight snack and fell asleep on a full stomach.

My eyes started burning from the glare of the computer and I leaned away for a moment, groaning. Dammit, this is stressful. I quickly finished typing the patients’ report and printed it out for Dr. Huang when my pager buzzed. It was said doctor, saying there were visitors. Visitors? Oh God, please tell me my family isn’t here while I’m working. I bit my lip and hurried to his office, opening the door to see a few sets of older men and women that I didn’t recognize. I bowed slightly and made my way inside of the office. “Taeyeon, these are the parents of Jackson, Luna, and Jieun.” I widened my eyes a little and bowed once more.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I greeted and shook their hands.

“And you as well! It’s a pleasure to meet the doctor that tended to our children after the accident,” one man said and I smiled, feeling the rush of pride in my chest. Oh so this is what it’s like.

“We were rather hoping that you could come to the children’s graduation, along with the other student who helped, Kim Xiumin,” his wife gave me a card that stated the date, time, and venue of the graduation. “The kids really hoped both of you could go.” Woah. It seemed that Dr. Huang was okay with it, I hadn’t been to a graduation since my own, but it seemed very personal. Honestly, I was nervous about going simply because Jieun was in the group of kids that expected me to come. If it was everyone but her I would go in a heartbeat. Her very presence made me nervous. But her parents came all the way here to invite Xiumin and I. I can’t be rude.

“It’ll be an honor to attend, I’ll try my best for the both of us to come,” I said politely and they all beamed at me. Gosh I have to please all the elders. “Doctor, can you please excuse me? I’ll ask Xiumin now if he can go.”

“Of course, please remember to deliver the report I had you write up,” he reminded and I nodded, bowing before leaving. . I immediately called up my friend, who answered the phone with music blasting in the background.

“Dude! It’s like 2 in the afternoon!” I scolded and he scoffed as the bass grew quieter.

“Please, you partied with me so many times in our undergrad years Tiffany would have a heart attack,” he insisted and I rolled my eyes. “What’s up?”

“The teens want us at their graduation, you game for this weekend?” I asked and he hummed, thinking. “Their parents personally invited us, I couldn’t say no, but I don’t want to go alone either.”

“I’ll go, this Saturday we’ll both be free,” he said and I nodded to myself, patting my leg. I was a tad worried about it, but if they wanted us to be there I couldn’t let them down.

“Thanks man, I gotta get back to work, I’ll see you later,” I told him.

“Work well,” he replied.

“Party well,” I chuckled and he hung up on me. He’s no fun.

It was always kind of weird for Xiumin and I to be mistaken as a couple, but it made sense. We were extremely close and didn’t hide it; unless I told people I was in a relationship with a woman, they generally didn’t believe us. I sort of gave up with Jackson’s parents who were observing Xiumin and I when we sat beside them. I glanced at the band and sighed. I played at two graduations in the band, it was surprisingly fun and I liked watching my older friends graduate. It was a good feeling to see their accomplished work after 13 years of school. “Hey Taeng, don’t they look really flustered down there?” I followed Xiumin’s finger and noticed the band director talking with a student in the corner of the stadium. The band players seemed really fidgety. I started counting the students and what instruments they had, I realized that they were short one percussionist for a traditional graduation concert. “They’re missing one huh?”

“Not my problem, it’s theirs,” I insisted and tried to look back but Xiumin urged me to stand up. “Dude! That’s not my business!”

“Come on let’s show off a bit and get down there! Excuse us, Mr. and Mrs. Wang,” Xiumin said and he pulled me down the bleachers.

“Dude!” I whined but he managed to pull me all the way towards the director.

“Hello Sir, is there a problem?” Xiumin smiled politely and I could only do the same while cursing him on the inside. The man sighed deeply and rubbed his face.

“We’re trying to figure out how to replace a person in our band,” he said simply.

“It wouldn’t happen to be a percussionist would it?” Xiumin asked not so discreetly and he looked at us hopefully.

“Are you a percussionist?” he asked Xiumin. Oh my God he’s been doing all the talking and I’m just standing here, what does he think I’m here for?!

“No I’m not, but my friend Taeyeon, is an incredible percussionist,” my college mate pulled me forward and I nodded.

“Can you sight read?” the director asked and for a moment he reminded me of my old director. I felt softer.

“Yes, I can sight read,” I nodded and the relief on his face was evident. My director would’ve felt the same if one of us ditched playing at graduation. “I can take whatever part you want me to.” The stupid teenagers made me take the crash cymbals for the graduation song and by the time every senior came out my forearms burned.

I didn’t care if I was around snobby percussionists, I cheered whenever I saw a former patient of mine. I screamed loud enough for Xiumin to harmonize with my yells. I was kind of lucky that they played songs I did when I was playing in the band for graduation, because to be honest I still wasn’t good at sight reading. But, I made up for the lie by helping the percussionists pack up a few of their heavier things. “Stay in Band, it makes a difference,” I told them and quickly ran off, following Xiumin as he gestured for me at the exit. “Yah! er, I had to sit with a bunch of teenage boys! They’re not my percussionists!”

“You played pretty well,” he said, ignoring my comment, and I sighed, putting my arm around his shoulders. “Let’s take a couple of pictures and head back to the dorms.”

“Ew,” I made a face. I still hated pictures, unless we were doing goofy ones and I had friends I was comfortable being goofy with. But I it up and congratulated all of my old patients, I even hugged Jieun. “There, feel better about it all?” I asked and she smiled, nodding so her white tassel shook.

“Taeyeon! Jieun! Picture!” Jackson called, jumping up and down between Xiumin and Luna. God he’s so hyper.

“Calm down!” I shouted and knelt to the ground in front of them, making gang signs like I remember Seunghyun doing. Xiumin immediately knelt down beside me and we made stupid faces and did stupid poses, making the kids and parents laugh. “Xiumin, can you grab the car? I don’t want to back out in this traffic,” I handed him my keys and he sighed, taking my keys.

“I’ll be back in a little bit,” he patted my shoulder and I hummed, sitting on the curb to wait for him. It didn’t take long for Jieun to sit beside me with a broad smile still on her face.

“You graduated,” I said and she nodded, laughing. “When I graduated I cried, I don’t understand you.”

 “You’re just really emotional,” she pushed my shoulder and I laughed. That’s true.

“What college are you going to?” I wondered, internally hoping she didn’t choose UCLA.

“I’m going to community first before deciding what I want to do,” she said. She doesn’t know her career choice yet. I leaned closer to her.

“Take your time; lots of people have no idea. Enjoy college but remember to balance,” I advised and she nodded. “It’s kind of like high school but bigger and independent.”

“Was it hard?” she asked and I shrugged.

“It was, but our stories are really different. A lot of my friends stayed in state and their experiences seem easier than mine because of that fact, so I’m sure you’ll be okay,” I assured and she lightly touched my hand. I glanced at it but didn’t make it a big deal, even though it kind of was.

“Thanks a lot, Taeyeon. You and Xiumin are actually really inspiring to me and my friends,” she mumbled and I smiled. It just felt good to be inspiring, I liked being a role model. I knew I could be a good one. “I don’t want to look or sound weird, but even though you’re a lot older than me I hope that we can be friends.” I looked at her and I saw it in her eyes again. Goddammit, stop letting me see.

“Of course we can,” I kissed her head gently and stood up when Xiumin honked.