"Sica!" Taeyeon's eyes widened, and she wished she hadn't done that. She wished she didn't call her at that specific time. She wished Jessica didn't stop. Because at that moment, Jessica looked back one more time, only to stop at the middle of the road, oblivious to the red truck that was coming her way.

"No!" She screamed.

Of course, reality is as fast-paced as it can get. But in Taeyeon's point of view, everything was happening in slow motion, and she wasn't sure if it was even a good thing. Taeyeon ran as fast as she could, hoping she could still make things right, hoping she could save her. She stared into her eyes, but what she didn't get was the scene before her. A tear escaped from Jessica's eyes as the girl opened and seemed to mumble something out, but she couldn't read it. She heard the tires of the truck screeching and the driver yelling.

Taeyeon came to a halt all of a sudden, as someone pressed the normal speed button of reality again, remembering that the last thing she saw was Jessica's tearful eyes and her lips moving to mumble something she didn't understand. Yes, that was the last thing she saw before Jessica was hit by the truck which was going too fast. Too fast that the time when the brakes were stepped on weren't enough to slow it down and avoid disaster. The next thing she knew, Jessica was already on the ground. 

"Jessica!" Taeyeon didn't care if she won't be able to walk or run again after this, she just needed to get to her girl as soon as possible. She didn't have time to catch her breath. She immediately squatted down, her heart beating erratically, her tears accompanying her unsteady breathing as she held Jessica's hand.

"S-sica..." Taeyeon shook her arm. She slowly lifted her head to place it on her lap, only to feel something wet beneath Jessica's head. She pulled her hand back, and that's when she noticed it. It's blood. Blood dripping from her lover's head. 

No.

Her eyes widened in horror as she stared at the red liquid that filled her hand. She looked back at Jessica's face and noticed that her eyes were half open but she didn't know if she was still conscious.

"Jessica." Taeyeon held her hand and brought it to touch her cheek while her other arm supported her head.

"Jessica, keep your eyes open." Taeyeon whimpered as Jessica seemed to be doing the exact opposite.

"Sica, open your eyes. Please." Taeyeon begged. Taeyeon let go of Jessica's hand as she used it to tilt her head towards her. "Look at me."

But it only took a couple more seconds before Jessica's hand, which was on her cheek, fell to the ground, and it was followed by Jessica's eyes that went completely shut.

"No.." Taeyeon tapped Jessica's cheek. 

"Help!" She looked around, noticing a crowd that was already forming around them, before her eyes stopped at the truck driver at her side, which appeared to be contemplating whether to approach them or not.

"M-miss.. I'm sorry, I was late for my deliveries but I swear I honked on t-"

"What are you waiting for? Call for an ambulance!" 

The driver was taken aback by Taeyeon's outburst that he took a couple of steps back.

"Now!"

"Y..yes!" He quickly turned around and dialed on his phone. Taeyeon meanwhile, miraculously used what remains of her strength to fish her own phone out of her pocket to inform Yuri. She hesitated for a bit before she informed granny Jung as well through a text message. She couldn't inform her through a call. It would eat the guilt out of her.

The ambulance arrived soon after, and Jessica was placed on a stretcher and was carried into the ambulance. Taeyeon rode on it as well, taking the seat near Jessica's head. She held her hand, not wanting to let go.

I'm sorry. Taeyeon placed her lips against Jessica's hand while staring at her face which was now partly covered by the oxygen mask.

"Don't leave me Jessica. Please."

The hospital was just nearby, but Taeyeon felt like they were in the vehicle for hours.

By the time they arrived and the nurses were pushing the stretcher, Taeyeon was in the midst of breaking down. Clearly, the white cover of the stretcher was already stained with blood, and the sight of Jessica in an unconscioused state didn't help ease what she was feeling at the moment, but she never let go of her hand.

"Please stay outside." The nurse said before signalling the other nurses to bring the patient inside the Operating room.

"No! I need to be with her." Taeyeon refused to heed to the nurse's instruction and held on tighter.

"You can't enter. Miss, please. This is for her own good." Then it struck her. Even the nurse was telling her to let go. For her own good. 
Taeyeon looked at her face one more time before she reluctantly loosened her grip on her hand, allowing the nurses to push her inside the room.

Taeyeon went to the nearest wall for support, processing everything that happened for the day. Why did everything happen so fast? Why did she have to hurt Jessica?

"Taeng!" She turned around to see her best friend running towards her. "What happened? I told you I was just going to watch a movie and then buy you ice cream after but when I got home you weren't there anym-"  Suddenly, Taeyeon's legs lost the strength to even stand up. "Taeyeon!" Yuri caught her and steadied her. Then she wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, trying to give her as much comfort as she needed. 

"Jessica..." Taeyeon mumbled through her best friend's shoulder. Yuri could feel her body shaking. 

"Yuri!" The girl peeked behind her and spotted Yoona who just came from her friend's house to do their group project. "I only read your text 10 minutes after." She then turned her attention to the girl whose face was buried in Yuri's shirt. "Taeyeon.." She patted her back as she heard her whimper. Taeyeon barely looked up to see their worried expressions. They clearly skipped whatever activities they planned for the day... for her.  She felt even guiltier because of that. So in the presence of her best friend and her cousin, she broke down.

"It's my fault!" Yoona tensed as her cousin pulled back. "It's all my fault she's in there!"

"Taeng, it's not your fault. You told me she was hit by a truck. So basically it wasn't your fault, it must've been the driver's f-"

"She ran away from me." The two girls tilted their heads towards her. Taeyeon took a deep breath before she started to tell them everything. Yes, everything. From what happened at school, even what happened at home earlier that morning when Yuri was gone. 

-

"Tiffany is Minnie? As in.. the girl from the story you told me years ago, right?" Yuri asked. Taeyeon slowly nodded. Yoona squinted as she didn't seem to follow what the 2 other girls were talking about.

"Wait, I'm kinda lost."

Taeyeon turned to Yoona. "Remember my Disneyland treasure chest?"

"Oh yeah! The one I used to snatch from you when we..were....kids." Yoona's expression suddenly turned dim. "I'm sorry for that Taeyeon. I'm sorry for the old me."

"It's nothing. But yeah, remember how you'd always complain to me how there's no Minnie mouse?" 

Yes I... Oh." Yoona connected the story to the one she just recently heard from Yuri and Taeyeon. "I see."

But when Taeyeon began tellin