“Yoona!” It took a nudge to her rib for Yoona to answer Yuri. “I’ve been calling you ten times now.”

“Eight. Just eight.” Yoona corrected, never averting focus from the zombie dystopian novel that had her at the edge and almost perfectly condensed the chitchats, a garble of yelling and unnecessary shouting inside the university canteen into white noise.

“Like I should be happy to know you’ve been ignoring me on purpose.” Yuri huffed as if that would win her the attention or a mere exchange of friendly concern.

Sooyoung lunged across Yuri. “Exhibit A on why we don’t talk to Yoona when she reads. The devil in her awakens and surfaces.”

“Listen to her.” Yoona seconded with astute.

“In short, you’re capable of being a jerk without exceptions.”

Yoona just smirked at the straightforward critic. “Everyone has potential of becoming dickheads. It’s one of the contemporaries of humanity which makes us intriguing. Most of us are unconsciously hypocrites of its lowest form in a natural but inert way.”

“I can’t believe you turned the tables around to favor your rhetoric and your ness.”

“Lo and behold what I had to endure since high school.” Sooyoung dramatically gestured over to Yoona and the latest glory of her infuriating wit and humor.

Yoona made any conversation into something a bit charging. She’d spew words you’ll think she’s only saying to create an impression or intimidate, but the girl actually knows her so there’s pressure to the other party to think before talking.

“Really, Yoona. Can you like drop the stupid book for a sec?” Yuri petitioned again. When she has an itch for news, there’s also the fervent need to be scratched.

Yoona shut her book, the exact response Yuri hoped to produce.

“First of all, this isn’t a stupid book.” She started jabbing a finger in the air. “It puts ethics and morality in the hot seat. Second, I know you’re trying to piss me off so I’d talk to you. So...” Yoona waved a hand, giving Yuri the entire floor for whatever she’s been igniting to say.

“Okay!” Yuri’s face lit up like the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. She’s always elated about anything and a lot more so lately. The side effects of the rigorous training to cope with an out of practice Yoona who’s about to debut her worst possible performance for their game in three weeks are showing. She’s probably drunk with endorphins.

“Yesterday, you’ve got a few screamers at the halls.”

“I believe it’s hard to forget an experience where my ears were about to pop out.”

“You’ve got lookers. From sorority tables.”

“. They are looking.” Sooyoung confirmed the phenomena that’s unlikeliest to happen to a member of the most underrated and watered down sports team of the university. There’s a valid excuse why they never signed up for sorority although it gave boost to student character and profile. Because they can’t. Most of the greek life society in Jane Avery are composed of elite students, or fundamentally, elitists and supremacists who couldn’t wait to take over the world so they take over the school, thinking that would reflect to their professional and social lives in the future. Avery Athenas are losers. These clubs got legacies to preserve. The math is pretty simple.

Yoona gave the group a quick glance out of plain curiosity and the girls dressed in their business casual wear shuddered as they’re giggling.

“Word on the street, your little confession with Seo Juhyun has made its wave.” Sooyoung is revelling to this astonishing event that surely peeved Yoona. She always hated this juvenile kind of focus that put her under the microscope. It came with the territory when her overly successful parents are constantly in the limelight that a part of it could shed above Yoona. The demands and scrutiny it called would have hindered Yoona to enjoy her youth, the normalcy and the anonymous mechanism she created.

“Is this you telling me to thank the heavens for the occasional drop of dyke comments?” Yoona reproached.

“Just look at the bright side,” Yuri connived. “You can quit chasing for Juhyun, skip mulling over it and hit on as many girls at the party later.”

“What party?” Sooyoung and Yoona asked.

“At the three story sorority house? I forgot which part of the social bracket those people who reside there belong.”

Yoona snorted. “You’re telling us about a party you don’t even know who’s holding?”

“Like everyone does. As long as you say there’s a keg, they all go storming in to any on-campus party with dazzling lights seen from a mile.”

“Because we, college kids, are alcoholic fools and addicts doing age appropriate activities. Cheers to that!” Yoona raised an imaginary drink, hand shooting up lazily and uncelebratory.

“How did you even get an invite?” The news remained to echo on Sooyoung as the impossible.

“Lucy Han walked to my seat during our class and, I don’t know if she’s lying to look good or just sincere, but she told me she saw the game last time and thought we were cool so maybe we can go to this party and hang out. Oh, and she’s hoping Yoona would be there.”

“That doesn’t sound legit.” Sooyoung called out with a straightface.

“Actually, I did see her and her other computer genius friends coming in to the bleachers around half-time.” Yoona filled in, mind drifting to recall.

“This should easily trump your traumatic experience from that boring adult party last week.”

Yoona scoffed at Yuri. “It wasn’t boring. I had company.”

“You actually hit it off with someone? All the more reason for you to go.”

“We’re definitely going.” Sooyoung mood has spirited, very one-tracked to the good sake of their team. “We should be putting ourselves out there, rub some elbows so they’d send a good word to their sponsors.”

They are waiting for Yoona’s pitch and Yoona only realized she should be saying something in camaraderie ten seconds later.

“What?” Yoona said absently.

“You’re our poster child now.”

“I’m not going.” Both her friends’ face fell and Yoona tried to appease to them by smiling too widely.

“You’re kidding.” Sooyoung attempted to laugh it off. Surprise is Yoona’s middle name. She liked throwing the unexpected on the table. Who knows, maybe she already knew about this party and got asked personally and she’s just playing along to the progress of discussion to poke on Yuri.

“I am not.” So it’s not a stunt that she’s certainly asking for an early death on the hands of Sooyoung because nobody would dare. “I can’t do the whole PR business for the team. It compromises my position since I’ve been doing the exact opposite of promoting myself.”

“Figures. You don’t want them to find out you’re the only child of the company whom their parents are probably working for.” Yuri grimaced. “Jesus, you’re not as humble and bashful as I believed you to be. I guess I was wrong.”

“Okay, you’re just saying that because I’m blowing you guys off but I really can’t go. I got to visit my doctor and take off the cast. You both know how I’m dying to start practice soon.” Yoona practically pleaded. “And I don’t like interrogations about me, my family and what they do in life.”

“Yoona, the game is still in a month. It’s just for today and you still have plenty enough time for practice. Also, you’re being insane. They’re not gonna ask questions. It’s not a talkshow.” Sooyoung fiddled with her hands so Yoona would acquire a differed sense. She’s barely having it together with Yoona and her ridiculous musings. So this could be what she picked up from reading all those comic books.

“Have you seen college themed movies? They ask questions to nobodies who abruptly became one of the cool kids. They care about background and some other .” That emanated the existence of her Instagram account without a single shot of her face. She’s invisible and she liked it as it is.

“I heard Juhyun is going.” Yuri tried to emulate Yoona into changing her mind.

“She totally is when she’s one of the Zetas.”

“Let’s see,” Yoona pretended to weigh in the variables. The thought of assimilating with these sorts of people is already horrifying enough to stomach. “No.”

“Wow, you move on fast.” There weren’t holds barred upon Yuri’s bitter play.

“Yul, I don’t need a wingman. I can hook myself up with a girl if I want to. Thank you for the generous offer.” Arrogant but true.

Yoona motioned her head around a bit to ease herself from the sluggish pace of what is originally lunch then turned into an emergency team meeting. Her eyes caught Ms. Daisy Chung entering the cafeteria area through the double doors with her rumored beau. Unconsciously, her stare followed the woman as she pondered her choice of meal at the counter.

“Jesus, Yoona.” Sooyoung grimaced. “Stop gawking at my philosophy professor. You’re making it too obvious that you wanna undress her.” Because it’s one of the telling signs when Yoona is attracted to someone. She would just lay her eyes at them in silence for a long duration.

“Sorry. Very beautiful woman. Inappropriate behaviour.”

“I know the uni doesn’t frown upon a professor and student affair but Ms. Chung is straight.”

“Yes, Yuri. That’s what I keep telling myself to all the girls I’ve liked. No need to remind me.” Yoona dryly said.

“And that’s her boyfriend too.” Yuri mentioned the obvious which Yoona remained insistent to debunk.

“Probably just a suitor. She doesn’t even look like she’s having the time of her life.”

“Ms. Chung has a resting face. That doesn’t account to anything you’re claiming except that it makes her scary, coming from a student’s perspective. But if it helps you, I do feel less scared during her class because all I can think about is you trying to bone her.”

“It’s not even about that.” Even with Sooyoung expressing her appal quite frankly, Yoona is yet take her eyes off of Ms. Chung. “She’s beautiful. I like looking at her. Pretty things, pretty people, it's hard not to look at them. At least, I'm just looking. Have you seen those boys forcing themselves on her? No wonder she conjures up a face, so they will stop pestering her."

“God, whatever.” Sooyoung gave up. Both her and Yuri corroborating against Yoona didn’t really work most of the time. Putting Yoona in a rock and a hard place is an effort they shouldn’t even have done in the first place. The girl will climb her way out of the gap and be a full load of justifications to her weird actions which are often clever on her part, kudos to her.

“Let’s go back to the agenda of you coming with us!” Yuri exclaimed, almost commanding.

“I can’t. I really need to see Jessica.” Yoona mindlessly blurted.

Yuri turned to Sooyoung in complete daze and then back to Yoona. “Who’s Jessica?”

“Right, she’s the doctor seeing my condition. I forgot to tell.” Yoona informed while mentally berating herself for not realizing her slip up. She isn’t ashamed of Jessica, brewing a friendship with someone way older than her (especially with this whole older woman kink they had going about with Ms. Daisy Chung and the others preceding her) or that she’s not worth the mention in conversations with her friends.

Last week counted as what she’d call a moment and she rarely had that nowadays. Yoona wanted to take her time with it, with Jessica, to wrap her head fully around it first before telling them about her (and ruin it for her with their mocking).

It’s amazing to see the older woman’s persistence to make it up to her and Yoona applauded the eccentric effort. Not that she’s trying to channel too much esteem and confidence about herself but Jessica still seemed fond with her, one of the few things she can only remember about her and it didn’t change although they’re both different people now.

It isn’t an everyday occasion that someone would reveal a part of themselves by pouring out their complexities at first hand. Everyone is so busy trying to be liked in order feel important as if that’s the only key for progress and making amends. It’s like she sent Yoona a trigger warning saying, “I’m not the easiest person to be with. I’ve got adult problems you probably don’t wanna hear about or bear in the future. But I wanna make it work.” It’s a subtle, but real and raw message. Jessica wanted to communicate, something she