2

 

 

 

KRIIIING! KRIIIING!

“Ugh… Tzuyuu… turn that off!” Jeongyeon groaned and kicked Tzuyu out of annoyance but Tzuyu hit her in the head. Jeongyeon sat up and held her head. “What the—Tzuyu! What’s that for?”

“Your leg trespassed.” Tzuyu retorted and turned off the alarm. “I’m going to bath now.” Then she left the bed.

“Yah! Don’t use alarm next time okay?” Then Jeongyeon lie back down the bed.

“How are you going to wake up?”

“I’m a responsible student. I can wake up by myself.”

Tzuyu only scoffed from Jeongyeon’s answer.

But after 20-30 minutes after Tzuyu had taken a bath she saw Jeongyeon is still sleeping. “I thought she’s a responsible student and knows how to wake up by herself.” Tzuyu muttered. “Hey, wake up. I’m going to dress up.”

No respond.

“Yah, Jeongyeon.” She shook her this time but still no response.

“Aissh…”

 Then again, harder this time. But still… no response.

So Tzuyu has no choice but to pull Jeongyeon’s blanket that is wrapped around her that cause Jeongyeon to fell from the bed.

“ARGH! Why did you—“  she froze as she saw Tzuyu just in a towel. She felt awkward and quickly looks away and without any word, she left the room to give Tzuyu privacy.

 

*

 

After preparing for school the two girls made their way to school like strangers, like they do not know each other. Tzuyu walking ten steps ahead from Jeongyeon to the bus station.

Jeongyeon took a deep breath as she entered the school gates and the first person she saw is Myoui Mina.

And once Jeongyeon saw Mina again, all of her feelings for her came back.  Then Jeongyeon only realized that her silly fights with Tzuyu had helped her to prevent from thinking about Mina that whole vacation. So even if she and Tzuyu aren’t in good terms and is always arguing, she still finds it as a blessing in disguise.

She thinks that her stepmom and Tzuyu coming into her and her dad’s life… is not bad at all.

 

*

Chou Tzuyu

“Hey, you’re a Yoo now right?” Mark Tuan, Tzuyu’s seatmate and guy friend, noticed that Tzuyu is writing her old surname.

Tzuyu noticed her mistake and face-palmed. “Oh, right.” Then she corrected it and written Yoo Tzuyu down.

“How does it feel?” Mark asked.

“Feel what?”

“Mm… that you’re a Yoo now.”

Tzuyu chuckled. “What kind of question is that?”

Mark chuckled too. “Nothing. But I know one thing for sure.”

“What?”

“I know that you’ll be a Tuan in the future.” Then Mark winked at Tzuyu.

And because Mark is adorable Tzuyu can’t help but to smile after rolling her eyes from his corny pick-up line.

 

-/-/

*-Fast forward: Dismissal time-*

 

Tzuyu was the first who got home from school.

“Where’s your sister?” Her mom asked.

“Sis—“ Tzuyu was surprised by the question and then she remembered that she has a sister now. “—Oh right, uhm… I don’t know mom. By the way, I have to do my assignment. I’ll go to my room now.”

“Okay, honey.”

Tzuyu is still not used calling or treating Jeongyeon as her sister and she still doesn’t want to.

*

Well, our Jeongyeonie was about to go for volleyball try out but when she saw Mina going home, she decided to approach her since it’s getting dark.

“Mina.” Jeongyeon called, Mina turned. They gave each other a smile.

“Uhm… are you alone? Where’s Momo?” Jeongyeon asked.

“She left first. I told her to go because I applied to be an officer in the campus patrol squad.” Mina replied.

They started to walk together.

“Really? Can I still apply?” Jeongyeon thought that maybe she should try to get Mina back again. They had a pleasant break up or closure that’s why there’s not much awkwardness between them right now.

“Yes.”

Then silence engulfed them while they continue to walk.

Mina noticed then that they had already walked past the bus stop. “Wait, aren’t you taking a bus?” She asked Jeongyeon. Mina doesn’t need to take the bus because her house is just walking distance, unlike Jeongyeon’s.

“Oh, uhm… I thought of going to the bookstore near your place.” Jeongyeon excused but she just really wanted to accompany Mina to make sure that she’s safe home and besides, they used to be like this. She always accompanies Mina before she takes the bus home. But today is different. She needs to make an excuse.

Mina didn’t respond anymore since it’s true that there’s a bookstore near her house.

Then again, silence engulfed them but Jeongyeon’s thoughts are raising whether if this is the right time to confess and try to ask Mina to try again.

Her mind is telling her no but her heart is telling her to try. And because Jeongyeon is consumed by her feelings, she listened to her heart.

“Mina… I-I miss you.” She blurts out of the blue. She stopped walking.

“Jeongyeon…” Mina stopped walking too and turns at Jeongyeon.

“C-can we try again?”

“Jeongyeon, the thing is… I only see you as a friend. And I think it’s going to be that way from now on. I’m sorry but let’s just stay as friends.” Then Mina walked away leaving Jeongyeon.

Doesn’t she love her anymore?

*

It’s dinner time already when Jeongyeon got home. Her stepmom and Tzuyu are already in the dining room, eating dinner.

“It’s dinner already? Where have you been?” Her stepmom said which surprised Jeongyeon. She’s not used to someone thinking about where she is but she felt touched by it.

“I’m sorry mom, I took a try out.” Jeongyeon replied. ‘I took a try-out with Mina again.’

“Try out for?”

Jeongyeon almost say Mina, thankfully she caught herself straightaway. “Volleyball.” She lied. She never took a try out in volleyball.

Tzuyu snorted. “Why didn’t you tried out for basketball?”

“Tzuyu.” Her mom scolded and then she turned to Jeongyeon. “How was it?”

Jeongyeon only shook her head.

“Don’t be sad. Maybe volleyball isn’t for you. For sure there are still better things coming your way. Don’t lose hope.”

“I’ll try. Thanks mom.” Jeongyeon managed a smile. And her stepmom’s advice sounded like this to her ears: Maybe Mina isn’t for you. For sure there’ll be a better person coming for you. Don’t lose hope.’

That made her sigh. Then she took a sit to eat and saw that their dinner is fried chicken. Yum.

Jeongyeon gave her stepmom a grateful smile before looking back at the fried chicken. Then she saw her favourite part. The drumstick.

But as she was about to get it a hand stopped her.

It was Tzuyu.

“What are you doing?”

“That’s mine.”

“But you already have your part. It’s the same.”

“This isn’t enough. I’ll add more. Here, take the wings.” Tzuyu put the wing part on Jeongyeon’s plate.

And Jeongyeon could only sigh since she’s not in the mood to argue. ‘Great. Just great. First I couldn’t get Mina back and now I can’t have my favourite part of the chicken.’

 

*

 

Jeongyeon keeps tossing and turning on the bed. She can’t sleep. Mina keeps coming back in her head. ‘Stop thinking about her. Stop. Stop. It’s pointless. Just move on.’

“What the hell?! Why do you keep tossing and turning?” Tzuyu said in annoyance as she can’t sleep as well because of Jeongyeon’s jerkiness.

Jeongyeon didn’t answer Tzuyu but she left the bed and went to get a box in her cabinet. The box contains all her memories with Mina.

She went to reminisce by looking at their pictures and she can’t help but to cry. She told herself that she’s not going to look at this box but she just really misses Mina.

Jeongyeon covered so she won’t produce a sound while she cries.

But no matter how hard Jeongyeon try to muffle her sobs, Tzuyu still heard it. “Are you crying?” She asked as she sat up on the bed.

Jeongyeon hurriedly wiped away her tears but she didn’t respond to Tzuyu’s question. She’s unable to speak.

“Why are you crying? Do you really want to get in the volleyball that badly?” Tzuyu continued to ask.

“Just… just go back to sleep Tzuyu. Don’t mind me.”

But Tzuyu is hard-headed. “I didn’t know that you’re a bit of an emo. And you’re crying just because of…of volleyball? What a softie!”

Jeongyeon felt irritated at Tzuyu’s chattiness but she’s thankful how Tzuyu is annoying the sh*t out of her because somehow she’s forgetting the hurt she’s feeling. She threw a pillow at Tzuyu. “So what if I’m a softie?”

“Oww…” Tzuyu threw the pillow back at Jeongyeon which the latter only caught.

“You’re a tomboy right? You like girls so you must be tough.” Tzuyu continued.

Jeongyeon snorted from Tzuyu’s theory about lesbians but it’s pointless to explain things like this towards a homophobic. “Just go back to sleep.” Then she tossed back the pillow to Tzuyu. “You’ll never understand.” She mumbled, sadly.

*

The next day, Jeongyeon still went to apply for being an officer because that is the closest thing for her to be with Mina.

And it seems that the odds are on her favour because she and Mina got in along with Mark, Bambam, Junior, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and many more.

Their general gave them their military like uniform and badges.

Mark excitedly showed the badge to Tzuyu. “Hey, I got in!”

“Nice.” Tzuyu gave Mark a congratulatory smile.

“Me and Jeongyeon, your sister, are in the same troop.” Mark said.

“Really? How many are you in one troop?”

“Seven. By the way, why didn’t you join?”

“I’m not interested, besides I want to join bowling.” Tzuyu joked. There’s no bowling in their school.

Mark laughed from Tzuyu’s nonsensical joke. “Bowling?”

 “Hehe… The truth is I haven’t thought of what to join.”

“Ah… it will get to you eventually. By the way, are you free later?”

Tzuyu only sees Mark as a friend and thinking beyond that gives her some weird feelings. So she thought of turning him down. “I’m not. Why?”

“Oh, err… nothing. Maybe next time.”

 

*

Jeongyeon has been staring at Mina occasionally during their training, and there’s an awkward air betwe