Becoming friends with Minjung was going to be harder than she thought, Taeyeon realized. The girl seemed stony today, and just downright inaccessible, and if Taeyeon hadn't caught a break during lunch, she might have never caught a moment alone with Minjung.

It wasn't even because of Minjung that Taeyeon went to the library. In fact, it was because of something that had happened way before Minjung. While she'd been dressing in the morning, her mother walked by her room. It was rare that her parents were ever actually home, but when they were, it seldom made a difference to Taeyeon. However, today, her mother had actually taken notice of the girl trying on outfits in front of a mirror.

"You've gotten big," the woman commented before going down for some rum-laced coffee. Of course, she'd meant it as "You've grown up because I haven't properly looked at you in so long," but you know how teenage girls are. In shame, Taeyeon had looked down at her flat stomach, which suddenly looked like the abdomen of a 8-months pregnant woman.

Skipping lunch was on the schedule.

Minjung had slept through her classes like usual, which was starting to bug Taeyeon, because for once she actually wanted a conversation, but Minjung didn't even seem to notice that Taeyeon was there, which irked the girl even more. She hated being ignored, even by a freak like Minnung.

Still, she managed to scrape together a smile during the day while with Jinki. She felt like guilting him a bit, saying something along the lines of "You know, I'm only trying to make friends with that freak so that you'll make me fall in love with you. If you weren't so perfect, I wouldn't have to do this." Still, that was rude, so she refrained. She just let him flirt a bit with her between classes and held his hand in the hallways and escaped from her mission for a little while in his arms. With him, she could pretend that Minjung didn't exist.

As lunchtime rolled around, she'd made up her mind to skip the meal and go to the library. Maybe she could get lost in the knowledgeable ambience for a bit and forget about her gnawing hunger and her rumbling stomach. Of course, as luck would have it, Minjung was in there, her head on one of the long tables where kids usually studied, if anyone actually used the library.

"M-Minjung?" Taeyeon murmured softly, seizing the chance. She expected the older girl to be asleep, like she usually was, but the dark-haired head lifted and Minjung's dark eyes met Taeyeon's, making the slim girl feel weak all over. It was a wonder that her knees didn't buckle under her.

"I'm not in the mood to screw around with you today. You should be running," Minjung snarled softly, lowering her head. Taeyeon whimpered but steeled herself, moving cautiously to sit next to Minjung. The older girl turned her head and gave Taeyeon a weak glare.

"I-I'm not here to make fun of you or anything," Taeyeon assured as she watched Minjung watch her. In Minjung's eyes, she could see her own terrified face, and she knew that Minjung was starting to lose patience.

"I'll say it again: You should be running," Minjung hissed, but Taeyeon wasn't about to give up. Now when she was so close. Instead, she put on her fiercest face and stared at the bristling girl, who was looking like an irked rattlesnake.

"I'm not moving from this spot and you can't make me," Taeyeon said firmly, even though her legs were shaking like crazy. She hugged herself absentmindedly, as if her flimsy arms could protect her from whatever wrath Minjung wanted to unleash. Minjung lunged towards Taeyeon, and the smaller girl flinched, cowering away from the expected blow.

"Nice job not moving," Minjung sneered softly, grabbing one of Taeyeon's arms and pinning it to the table. Taeyeon gasped out and looked up to see Minjung leaning over her, a smirk painted on her face. Taeyeon panted with fear, her chest rising and falling with the deep breaths. Minjung's eyes were hard, angry, and...

"Your eyes are red," Taeyeon whispered like she'd done that morning, but now there was even more shock in her voice. They should've stopped being red by now, unless... Taeyeon looked from Minjung's eyes to her cheek and saw the wet trails on the tanned skin. "Were you crying?"

"Why do you care?" Minjung muttered, releasing Taeyeon's hand and sitting back down. The younger girl bit her lip and scooted her chair closer, not letting Minjung's grumpy face stop her this time. She was going to be friendly and nothing was going to stop her.

"You don't seem like the type to cry," Taeyeon murmured as she stopped her chair where she could still see Minjung's eyes. The scent of leather and mint tickled Taeyeon's nose almost pleasantly.

"You don't seem like the type to give a crap," Minjung retorted, looking away, but Taeyeon could see her jaw twitch. She was breaking down. Gently, Taeyeon put a hand on Minjung's back to soothe her. Minjung jerked away, fixing Taeyeon with hard eyes. "Why do you even care?"

"Because I want to be friends!" Taeyeon said a bit too loudly, gulping loudly as Minjung's eyes became accusing and virulent. Taeyeon felt like she was being cornered at knifepoint. She shrank away instinctively. It'd be a miracle if she made it out alive.

"You, the -zilla of the school, suddenly want to be friends with a freak?" Minjung asked acidly, a deep doubt seeding in her voice. Taeyeon whimpered and nodded furiously, crossing her fingers behind her back.

"Yes, I really do. I feel super bad about treating you like I did and I just really want us to be friends," she whispered, looking hesitantly into Minjung's eyes. A small smirk creeped its way across Minjung's full lips, and the girl leaned back and examined Taeyeon like a farmer watching cattle going to the slaughter house.

"Be my friend then, but at your own risk," she said, her fingers, curling out flippantly as she shrugged. She looked away, ignoring Taeyeon's presence again. A pregnant silence hung between them until Minjung finally said, "Why were your eyes red this morning?"

"M-my mom," Taeyeon lied quickly. She saw Minho's eyes soften a little, and the older girl looked almost sad. Taeyeon looked on as Minjung's eyes found hers, and Taeyeon could feel her body run hot under Minjung's scrutinizing gaze.

"How did she make you cry?" Minjung whispered as Taeyeon tried to comprehend her tone. Minjung's voice was soft, concerned, empathizing, almost. Taeyeon looked down, fidgeting with her manicured fingers.

"Well, you see, she called me fat this morning and I guess I just let it get to me," Taeyeon whispered, looking down and picking at her nails. She peeked up to see Minjung's eyes on her, softer than they'd ever been before.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. The bell rang before anything else could be exchanged between them, and Minjung's got up as if she didn't even notice the girl beside her. Taeyeon followed Minjung's to the door, staying back as Minjung's headed to English. Taeyeon wished, silently prayed, that Minjung would just turn around and—

"Hey," Jinki greeted cheerfully as he popped up by Taeyeon. The girl turned and blushed at the sight of her boyfriend, who gave her a sweet kiss that made her wish that her heart would flutter.

"Hey! Ready for English?" she asked as cheerfully as she could. Jinki nodded enthusiastically and took her arm into his, looping them together so that he could take her up to class. She smiled at him, hoping that some part of her would begin to love him soon.

"How was lunch?" Jinki asked as they mounted each step one by one. Taeyeon perked up at the opportunity to tell him about her latest achievement.

"I was with Minjung in the library. We're totally friends now," she said with a proud look shining across her face. Jinki's eyes widened and then turned into happy crescents as he hugged Taeyeon.

"That's great! That's absolutely fantastic! I'm so happy for you," he said with a delighted tone. His arms made Taeyeon feel so safe, and she closed her eyes as she relaxed in them.

By the time they showed up to class, the bell was about to ring and the teacher was passing out some papers. The pair quickly took their seats, with Jinki only letting Taeyeon's waist go at the last minute. Minjung was, of course, sleeping.

"Now, class, in fifteen minutes, fill out the three rhetorical strategies used in arguments as dictated by Plato," the teacher said. Taeyeon gasped softly. How could she possibly know this? She looked at Jinki, who was looking at his own paper, confused.

"Hey," Taeyeon heard someone whisper. The whole class was confused and lost and scared, except for one person, and Taeyeon had a sinking feeling that she knew who that one person was. Sure enough, Minjung's paper landed on her desk. Taeyeon opened it with shaking fingers.

Ethos: Credibility of the arguing party.

Pathos: Emotional appeal.

Logos: Logical appeal.

Taeyeon shakily copied everything, looking up at Minjung, who looked like she had been through Hell. The older girl glanced at Taeyeon with bleary eyes, motioning for Taeyeon to toss her paper over. Taeyeon swallowed and looked at Onew, who was still stuck.

"Hey," she whispered to her boyfriend. He looked up just in time to see her slide the paper to him. He copied quickly and smiled up at her. She pointed at Minjung. He nodded, understanding.

"Alright, pass up your papers," the teacher said, clapping his hands for attention. Taeyeon looked at Minjung, who just rolled her eyes and went back to sleep. Taeyeon slipped their papers together and handed them up with Jinki's, praying that they didn't get caught.

"Sorry," she mouthed to Minjung. The girl just turned her head to look out the window, sending a shiver up Taeyeon's spine. The teacher shuffled through the papers, grunting with surprise and then disapproval when he got to the trio with answers.

"Minjung, Taeyeon and Jinki, would you care to explain to me why you have identical correct answers?" the teacher asked, peering at the three. Taeyeon's cheeks grew red and Jinki stiffened as the whole class turned to look at them. Okay, this was bad.

"Jinki and Taeyeon are attached at the hip. Why wouldn't they have identical answers?" Minjung snarled from her corner. All eyes shifted to her, and Taeyeon's shoulders relaxed just a bit. Minjung shot challenging glares at everyone.

"And you, Miss. Choi? What's your reason?" the teacher pressed with a slight sneer. Taeyeon stiffened again. Minjung couldn't possibly lie to get out of this one. She didn't know Jinki and Taeyeon well enough to possibly—

"I cheated. Duh," she said, rolling her eyes at the teacher's flabbergasted face. She sat up and leaned back in her chair, smirking at his shocked expression. "Oh, don't act so surprised. How else would your resident class delinquent get the right answers?"

"Cheating means a detention for you, Miss. Choi," the teacher warned. Minjung let out a short laugh and shrugged, never breaking her eye contact.

"Do whatever you want, man. I'll just sleep through it anyway." As if to prove her point, she let her head hit her desk again, her sides expanding and contracting with each breath, but Taeyeon could see from her reflection that Minjung's face was full of stony anger.

The period kept going, even without Minjung. Taeyeon snuck glances over to the girl, checking to see if Minjung was asleep yet. She wasn't. She didn't fall asleep for the rest of the period. Her expression remained the same, full of a fury that made Taeyeon's blood run cold.

When the bell rang, Taeyeon and Jinki both got up to walk with Minjung. Jinki's face was full of guilt, as was Taeyeon's. Minjung brushed past them without a words, but Taeyeon wasn't going to let her get away that easily. She sped up, grabbing Minjung's arm and sending the older girl's books crashing onto the ground.

"Why? Why did you do that for us? You didn't have to, you know. Why would you take the blame?" she demanded, her hand tightening on the other girl's elbow. She and Minjung looked at each other, one desperate and one completely walled off. Finally, Minjung brushed Taeyeon away and stooped down to pick up her books. Taeyeon watched, not knowing what to do. Finally, Minjung stood up again and stepped closer to Taeyeon, books in her arms. The younger's body felt strange inside and out, her breath coming in shallow and quick. Her pulse went wild as Minjung's eyes connected with hers, so empty and yet so filling, as if an oasis was springing from a desert.

"Because that's what friends are for," Minjung whispered. The familiar scent of coffee and mint wrapped around Taeyeon like an invisible embrace, and she felt herself unconsciously drawn forward. Minjung raised an eyebrow as Taeyeon looked into the older girl's eyes, her own expression softening as her lips floated apart and her muscles relaxed. Minjung gently, slowly lifted a hand, her palm nearing Taeyeon's translucent skin...

"Taeyeon!" Jinki said brightly from the end of the hallway. Minjung's hand quickly snapped back to its side. She gave Jinki a nod of greeting as he ran over and hugged his girlfriend, kissing her cheek. Taeyeon smiled as she turned a bit so that she could see him. When she looked back again, Minjung was gone.

"Oh no! I'm going to be late for gym class!" Taeyeon squeaked. Jinki took her hand and they rushed off, fingers interlaced, Taeyeon's heart beating fast, but not because of Jinki.

What had happened between her and Minjung? Why had she acted like that? How could she let the tug of Minjung's eyes and scent pull her so close? She shivered now at the thought of being so near that...

"Have fun, sweetie," Jinki said happily, kissing Taeyeon on the cheek. Taeyeon smiled and placed her hands on Jinki's broad chest, kissing him on his lips, but her mind wasn't there. How could she not have noticed stopping? What was wrong with her?

"See you later," she said with a smile, going into the locker room to change. She hurried to her locker, smiling superficially at her friends. She turned around to change, taking off her shirt and feeling a thousand envious eyes on her. She slid the loose gym shirt over her B-cup s and felt it curl into her flat stomach as she leaned back to mess with her hair. She took off her jeans pulled the gym shorts up her well shaped thighs. She turned and felt a little better at the eyes on her, silently admiring her figure.

And then she felt a pair of eyes on her that made her blood run cold. She looked over and saw Minjung, already changed and leaning against a wall of lockers, eyes on Taeyeon. But they weren't admiring eyes. They were hard and stony and piercing. The gaze lasted for a minute, and then Minjung turned and walked out into the gym. Taeyeon felt a rush of blood throughout her whole body as she stared at the spot Minjung had just been standing in.

Minjung stood in the gym, looking at the large, slowly-filling room. What was up with Taeyeon? Why did she suddenly want to be "friends"? What was wrong with this picture? And what was it about her that had made Minjung feel so funny back in the hallway? Why had it hurt to see her and Jinki together?

"," Minjung muttered. She wasn't starting to like Taeyeon again, was she? Minjung sighed and leaned her head back. No, no, no. She wasn't going down this path. Not again. She wasn't going to let herself get hurt by that again.

"You okay?" Taeyeon asked softly from Minjung's side. Minjung nearly jumped with surprise, looking at the girl who seemed to have suddenly appeared without warning. Mutely, Minjung nodded.

"Taeyeon! Come here, girl," a bunch of giggling little Barbie dolls called from the corner of the gym. Taeyeon looked in their direction, starting to step away, when the gym teacher marched onto the floor.

"Girls will be playing volleyball, boys will be playing football. Now, get into your gender classes before I beat someone over the head," she snarled. Taeyeon looked at Minjung and then at her friends, and then back at the older girl.

"What?" Minjung muttered, slightly irked. If Taeyeon's signals got any more mixed, Minjung might have just punched someone in the face. Taeyeon sighed and opened .

"Let's be a team."

A/N—LE STAGE IS SET!

More to come, comments are love!