By the end of the second day ignoring Jessica, Yuri had found going to school bearable, especially having the very perky redhead Tiffany by her side. Tiffany was bright but Yuri felt that sometimes the redhead didn’t give herself enough credit. Certainly sometimes she had her moments but other times Yuri found that Tiffany was quite intelligent. By lunchtime on the third day Yuri was beginning to feel like she could walk down the halls again without wanting to run away when Jessica occupied the same space.

“So, what do you think Nichkhun will like more for tonight? Tight black dress or flowy red dress?” Tiffany asked as they sat down for lunch. The two girls had taken to sitting themselves and usually Nichkhun would join if he wasn’t busy.

“Hmm….definitely the tight black dress.” Yuri smiled as she sipped at her coffee. Now that it was Friday, Yuri was happy that she could just make it through the weekend with no drama. Yuri enjoyed spending time with Tiffany. Physically Tiffany was all over the place. The redhead let out a quick squeal then looked over her shoulder.

“Ooooh quick he’s coming! Let’s talk about something else.” Yuri looked towards Nichkhun, he was stopped by one of his teachers and seemed in deep conversation but as Yuri went to look away her eyes fell upon Jessica. The beautiful blonde was looking directly at her and she didn't bother to avert her gaze. Jessica was missing Yuri greatly and as the last couple of days progressed her anger for the brunette subsided and was replaced with jealousy. Jessica was jealous that Yuri had now confided in somebody else and she seemed happy with that. The blonde secretly wanted to be the cause of the happiness but she knew that she deserved to be ignored. Her words were unjust and to say the least, hurtful.

Yuri quickly looked away and back to her coffee. Why was seeing Jessica so hard? Was it because whenever she saw the blonde she was reminded of her father and then in turn Kris? She wanted to look at Jessica like she used to, but now, she was just scared.

“What’s wrong?” Tiffany asked as she looked over her shoulder to investigate what altered Yuri’s mood. Her eyes then found Jessica. Her friend that was sitting across the courtyard having lunch with Seohyun and Sunny. They all seemed deep in conversation except that Jessi’s eyes were looking towards Yuri, almost as if mesmerized by the brunette.

“Don’t worry Yuri. It’ll all work out.” Tiffany placed her hand on Yuri’s shoulder encouragingly.

“I don’t think it can Fany, it’s complicated.” Yuri continued to sip at her coffee. It was the only distraction that would stop her from looking towards Jessica again.

“I can do complicated and so can Jessi. When you’re ready you should try talking to her.” Tiffany wasn’t sure why she was sticking up for Jessica, she was still mad at her for her actions but she wanted both Yuri and the blonde to be happy so she would try to fix this. Whatever “this” was.

Yuri looked up from her coffee and at Tiffany. It was hard to just talk to Jessica again. Yuri was considering telling her about what had happened with her and Kris, but she wasn’t sure the blonde would take it lightly. She hadn’t told Tiffany either.

----Meanwhile the other side-----

“Has Tiffany spoken to you since her little outburst the other day?” Jessica asked her to friends when their conversation died down. She felt rude for interrupting since Sunny and Seo were so interested in talking about college, so she waited. Another new thing for Jessica Jung to do, she would usually just interrupt.

Sunny and Seo looked between each other and contemplated whether telling her the truth or not.

“You can tell me. I won’t get mad.” The dark haired girls mildly surprised at Jessica’s remark, they could still tell it was genuine.

“Yeah, we’ve been talking a bit. Tiff said she’s trying to get Yuri to talk to you again.” Sunny said with a weary smile. Jessica’s eyebrow lifted slightly in confusion. Tiff was trying to help her? The blonde thought that Tiff was mad at her.

“Really? Why?” Jessica’s curiosity was growing as her friends spoke.

“Not sure. But Yuri seems like she wants to talk to you. But she also looks upset whenever she talks about you.” Seo was playing with her coffee cup, it was clear she had finished it some time ago and was hankering for another.

“Wait, she’s talking to you guys as well?” Jessica was again surprised as Sun and Seo exchanged another look before nodding in unison. Jessica could feel jealousy bubble within her. Now Yuri seems to be talking to everyone but the blonde and it made her envious of her friends. This was another first for Jessica. She was usually never envious of anyone.

“Don’t tell me that the one and only Jessica Jung is jealous?” Sunny joked and Seo chuckled slightly but Jessica shot them both an irritated look, causing them both to become silent again. Pleased with the peace, Jessica gazed back over at Yuri, not seeing the look Seo and Sunny exchanged, they both knew Jessica was jealous.

As Jessica walked from her locker to her car after school she was surprised to see Donghae waiting for her. She wasn’t in the mood for him today, or ever for that matter. The blonde was still covetous about Yuri talking to everyone but her.

When Jessica made it to her car, Hae smiled at her. She didn’t know why she went to his party that Friday night, she was just angry. She seemed to be angry a lot more than usual lately.

“Hey Gorjess.” Hae said as he leaned in to kiss the blonde. She quickly moved her cheek again and smiled. His eye was still bruised from the fight with Yuri. He seemed un-phased that Jessica didn’t allow him a kiss because he knew they were still on a “trial run”.

“So have you been thinking about us? Are we getting together or what?” He asked hopefully but Jessica wasn’t in the mood. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Yuri departing from school totally unaware of her and Donghae.

Jessica sighed out of frustration. “Look Donghae, I can’t do this. I’ve got way too much going on right now.” Jessica could tell that Hae was upset with her and as he followed her gaze, he was even more displeased.

“Whatever Jessica. You two deserve each other.” He turned to walk away. His remark was so bold even Jessica had no reply. The blonde instead got into her car and drove away. She was not in the mood for any of this.

As the blonde pulled her car into the driveway she was greeted with her father’s Mercedes already parked at the front of the house. She was mildly surprised to see that her father was home so early, she briefly thought there might have been some special occasion but decided he had just finished work.

“Dad?” Jessica called as she entered her home. No one answered but she could hear her father talking up in his study room. Subconsciously the blonde found herself slowly walking up the stairs trying to listen in on the conversation. She assumed her father would be on the phone as he always was.

“What do you mean she visited him?” Jessica’s father sounded angry when she placed her ear on the door. Curiosity always getting the better of her.

“You’re a prison, you should’ve some sort of notification process!” The person on the other end spoke for a while and Jessica could hea her father’s frequent footsteps. He was pacing.

“Well next time Ms.Kwon visits my client you let me know straight away!”

Jessica heard her father slam his phone on the desk. He was not happy. But what caught the blonde’s attention more was the surname who visited his client. It was probably just a coincidence. It has to be. Unless… Who was Yuri visiting in jail? Jessica had to find out. She knocked on the study door and then opened it, not bothering to wait for permission.

“Hey dad, just wanted to let you know there’s a lot of mail for you down stairs.” Sang Woo hadn’t been home in several days. Business was always his life and he didn’t know anything more than that.

“Thank you sweetie. I’ll go sort it out.” He turned to pick up an empty coffee cup on his desk.

“I’ve got that. You go sort out those letters.” Her father smiled before leaving the room. His head was not clear enough to realize that his daughter’s behaviour was slightly out of character.

Jessica turned to her father’s desk and shuffled through some old case files. Nothing seems remotely interesting and when she shut the draw again she decided she was being paranoid. How many people had the last name Kwon anyway?

When Jessica was about to give up in her search she noticed an old case file with “closed” imprinted on the front, on the desk. Looking towards the door Jessica quickly grabbed the file and read through it. The first page was a large photo of her brother Kris, in a police mug shot. The image confused her. Kris was in prison? Why wasn’t she told about this? Above the police record there was a visiting record. Her mother’s name was written almost every single day except for the occasional appearances of her father’s. But the most recent date on the record was what stood out the most.

Date visited: Tuesday 18th

TIme: 10:36pm

Kwon Yuri

That was the day Yuri’s mother had practically thrown Jessica out after the dinner and the next day Yuri was ignoring her? What was Yuri doing seeing Kris? As the blonde went to turn the page she heard her father walking up the stairs. Quickly shutting the files, Jessica grabbed the cup from the desk and headed downstairs like nothing was out of the ordinary. In the back of her mind however many questions were running over her head. Why was Kris locked up? Why did Yuri visit him? How’d they know each other? And why didn’t her father tell her any of this?

As badly as Jessica wanted to ask her father, she already knew he wouldn’t tell her anything with his client confidentiality and all that. So Jessica decided to go straight to the source….

When Yuri made it home from school that day she felt on edge but wasn’t sure why, she had spent most of the day with Tiffany. However, since it was Friday the bubbly redhead had plans with Nichkhun and Yuri was left at home by herself until her parents finished work.

The brunette decided to preoccupy herself with reading, anything to keep her mind off Jessica and her family.

Yuri pulled her copy of “Great Expectations” from her bag and continued where she left off last night, the brunette was aware that the assignments for the book had been finished and long gone but she merely wanted a distraction. And she figured Charles Dickens would keep her busy.

The brunette made herself a cup of tea and sat herself in front of the television with the music channel playing. It was nice to have some noise in the background. It made her feel like she wasn’t alone. As time passed Yuri had made it through two chapter but Yuri still found her thoughts fixated on Jessica. Sipping from her tea Yuri briefly thought of going and seeing the blonde but realized she was supposed to be ignoring her. It was easier when Tiffany was around.

Moments later Yuri heard footsteps from outside and then the front door bursting open. At first the brunette thought it was her mother so she didn’t stand. But as a few short moments passed, Yuri found not her mother but a flustered Jessica standing in front of her.

“Come on in.” Yuri murmured before she went back to her tea. However, Jessica didn’t appreciate the humour and the brunette could tell.

“Oh so you’re talking to me now?” Jessica wasn’t expecting Yuri to talk to her straight away. The blonde originally thought it would take some time though persuasion.

“Why do you care?” Yuri was fast with her response as she sipped at her tea again. She was getting better at sticking up for herself.

“I don’t.” Jessica tried to hide her jealousy but secretly Yuri wished she wouldn’t. Yuri wanted Jessica to show that she was jealous. It made her feel like she did matter to the blonde.

Sipping from her tea once more Yuri gave Jessica a nod and rolled her eyes.

“How do you know my brother?” Jessica spat out. She towered over the brunette as she struggled for words. How did Jessica know?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Yuri said calmly as she put her book on the coffee table next to her tea, giving Jessica her full attention.

“Don’t lie to me! You went and visited him in jail on Tuesday. Why?” Yuri knew she had been busted, but she wasn’t sure why she felt guilty. The brunette didn’t really owe Jessica anything, even if she felt she did. As badly as Yuri wanted to tell Jessica about what happened, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

What if Jessica didn’t believe her? No one else did!

When the brunette’s silences continued, Jessica’s patience wore out. She was not in the mood for anymore silence!

“Tell me Yuri!”

“I met him at a party about a year ago.” It wasn’t a lie and it didn’t reveal any details about her past, Yuri felt she had done a good job of answering the enraged blonde’s questions. But Jessica wasn’t satisfied, she wanted more than that.

“It wasn’t a friendly visit so tell me why.”

“I can’t Jessica.” Yuri stuttered and looked away from the blonde. Her confidence ceased to exist from that moment on.

“You can’t? Or you won’t Yuri?” The brunette looked away from Jessica. This was too hard for her and she was already having a hard time coping.

“I can’t. You wouldn’t understand.”
 

“Try me,” The blonde said crossing her arms, still standing dominantly in front of the brunette.

Yuri was lost for words.

She was emotionally and physically stuck. It was too hard to talk about what had happened with Kris, she had done it once before and it did her absolutely no good. Of course there was going to be struggle if she were to ever talk about it again.

“God Yuri! Just tell me!”

“He me!!”

And there it was. The words stuck to the air like a thickness so uncomfortable anyone would run.

But Jessica didn’t. She merely stood there, shocked at Yuri’s outburst and revelation. Her brother Kris? There was no way he could have….could he? Yuri broke down into tears and fled from the room. Heading upstairs to find sanctuary in her four walls was all she had. The brunette assumed by the silence Jessica gave her that she didn’t believe a word. It was too hard to believe. But saying it out loud, made it so much real. It meant it really happened and even after almost a year, Yuri still couldn’t accept that. She fell on her bed feeling helpless.

“Yul?” Jessica said softly as she walked into the crying brunette’s room. To see Yuri in that much pain meant something, it meant that she couldn’t have been lying. Jessica trusted her and cared for Yuri way too much to see her feel this way.

“I’m not lying. I swear Sica.” The brunette was practically sobbing into her pillow as she spoke. The scene Jessica was witnessing was too painful and she had to do something.

“I believe you Yul.” The blonde said as she sat on the edge of Yuri’s bed, tenderly placing her hand on Yuri’s shoulder. With the touch of Jessica’s hand, Yuri felt herself let go. She let go of all her anger towards the blonde and reached for a hug. Tightly returning the gesture, Jessica held Yuri close and her hair

“I’m so sorry Yul. I didn’t know.” Jessica realized in that moment what a complete fool she was. Yuri was so special and dear to her that the blonde couldn’t believe she let her jealousy get the better of her. Jessica knew she deserved to be ignored for the rest of her life from Yuri.

As Yuri’s crying subsided, Jessica was sure her hold remained tighter than before and she was content with this. The blonde wanted to hold this damaged girl until she was better. Even if she had to hold her for the rest of eternity. At first she thought it was out of guilt for what her brother had done bit instead the blonde knew she felt something more than that. Her heart was beating faster than it ever had before and it was all because Yuri was holding her.

The brunette let out a deep sigh and wiped her eyes of her remaining tears. Removing herself from Jessica’s hold Yuri looked deep into her eyes. Smiling softly Jessica leaned in and kissed the brunette’s forehead.

“I am sorry Yuri.” Yuri could feel the authenticity of Jessica’s apology and it made her smile. Forgetting every negative emotion Yuri had towards Jessica, the brunette felt herself moving in to kiss her. Yuri needed some reassurance that Jessica was truly there with her and holding her. The brunette just wanted to hold on to the one thing that made her feel good.

The kiss was tender and soft. Jessica was momentarily surprised as she wasn't really expecting it but the blonde wasn’t complaining. Bringing her hand up to Yuri’s neck Jessica held the girl tightly, making her know that the blonde had no intentions of letting go. Yuri could feel her heartbeat accelerate and she felt her hands move to Jessica’s hips subconsciously. Pulling at the blonde, Yuri sunk back into the bed, letting Jessica hover over her. Their kissing slowly grew in passion, for Yuri it was hard to control herself when it came to Jessica. She desperately wanted the blonde and as the kissing continued Yuri felt Jessica’s hands move to her waist. The touch of Jessica’s hands on Yuri’s skin caused a soft moan to escape her lips. Control seemed impossible at this point. Passion grew between the girls as their kissing amplified, Yuri could feel Jessica fight over dominance and this time she allowed it because Yuri knew that Jessica needed this as much as she did.

Jessica let her hand roam Yuri. At first through her clothing but after a certain amount of time she found it wasn’t enough. Slowly but surely the blonde gently let her fingers slightly lift up the hem of Yuri’s shirt, causing her to moan again. Slowly revealing the brunette’s tanned and rather toned body. Jessica couldn’t help but break the kiss to look. As Jessica observed she noticed a large scar on Yuri’s hip. It caused Jessica to remember the scar on Yuri’s back. Many questions rose as Jessica laid her eyes on Yuri’s body. There were several small scars around her stomach and ribs and then the larger one peaking from the top of her jeans, the all looked painful.

Yuri noticed Jessica’s gaze and became embarrassed. She attempted to pull her shirt back down but the blonde stopped her. Softly, before Yuri could retaliate, Jessica lowered her lips to a small scar and kissed it. Yuri let out a large breath that she must have been holding in for longer than the blonde noticed, but she continued kissing each scar. Jessica counted eleven in her head when she made it to to the largest scar. When the blonde went to kiss it she noticed Yuri inhale a large amount of air.

“Does it hurt?” Jessica paused before kissing and looked at Yuri.

“Yes...it does. All the time.” The brunette held her breath, afraid Jessica would judge the amount of scars on her body. Though it wasn’t her fault, Yuri had gotten into the mindset of blaming herself. Jessica pulled away, she didn’t want to hurt Yuri anymore than she already had.

“Don’t stop Sica.” Yuri murmured. Every single time the blonde’s lips touched her skin, Yuri felt sparks spread through her. The brunette wanted more.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” Jessica paused before hovering over Yuri’s skin again.

“You won’t.” Yuri sounded convincing and even though Jessica could sense hesitation, she could also sense the brunette’s need for her. Moving to the edge of Yuri’s jeans, Jessica slowly kissed the scar that stretched several inches across her skin.

“Did….he do this?” Jessica couldn’t say her brother’s name anymore. She didn’t even want to think if him, but as Yuri slowly nodded Jessica realized she would feel guilty every time she looked at Yuri’s scars. She would see her brother and she would be reminded of what he did to her. Yuri looked away momentarily before looking back to Jessica, giving her a small nod.

The two sat up and crossed their legs, knees touching and hands intertwined. Yuri felt a comfort she hadn’t felt in a long time. Jessica gave the brunette an encouraging smile before bringing Yuri’s hands to her lips, kissing them delicately.

“I went to a party with some friends. We finished school for the year and everyone was celebrating.” Yuri paused even though Jessica could tell that the beginning of the story was a struggle.

“There’s no rush to talk. Take as long as you need, I’ll be right here when you’re ready.” Jessica’s words were genuine and Yuri knew she could trust the blonde. It was just hard.

“I want to tell you.”Jessica smiled softly at the brunette. She was ready.

“My friend introduced me to her brother’s friend. It was Kris but I didn’t know his name until later that night. We were dancing and everything and it was fun, I guess. But I was uncomfortable. I remember everything, how loud the music was, I remember him holding me when we danced. It was just...uncomfortable.” Yuri breathed in and watched Jessica. She seemed pained and the thought of anyone touching Yuri angered her.

“We got talking. He said he wanted to travel once he finished college. Since I always wanted to travel I was interested in what he had to say. He offered for us to go upstairs so we could hear each other. At that time I thought he was just trying to be sweet but now...well now I just feel stupid.” Yuri rolled her eyes at her immaturity. She should’ve known Kris’s true intentions.

“So he... you at the party?” Jessica struggled with the word. It wasn’t even her experience and she was struggling! No wonder Yuri didn’t speak for so long!

“No, he tried but I pushed him away and ran downstairs to find my friends. I wanted to go home but they wanted to stay. Kris had followed me down by that point and tried to pull me back, everyone though it was normal but I had had enough. So I pushed him over and left. I was too afraid to call anyone and I was still in shock from the bedroom incident all I could do was walk and it was pouring outside.”

As Yuri retold her story it was like reliving the whole thing.

“In the rain? Was it a long walk?” Jessica had many questions she wanted ask but she tried to let Yuri speak.

“Yes but I never made it home. I had been walking for almost and hour when I noticed Kris was following me. I didn’t know if he had driven or if he had walked. I tried to run from him but he was too fast. He hit me on the back of my head with a bottle. It didn’t knock me out but it really hurt.” Yuri led Jessica’s hands to the back of her head, guiding the soft inspectors to the small scars that Kris had made with the glass bottle. Jessica felt the small bumps and almost instantly covered in shock.

“He dragged me into a nearby alley and held me down and…” But Yuri couldn’t finish, she couldn’t relive that again, it was too horrible.

“I remember everything, the small of the rain, the smell of the rubbish in a nearby dumpster. I remember him, the way he touched me and pushed me down. It’s still haunting me and all I want to do is forget. He took everything from me.” Yuri held onto Jessica’s hands tightly and made herself continue. She needed to talk. She needed this.

“I always see it. I always see that alley in my dreams. I see my own blood beneath me. I see him even when I wake up, I hear him. I just want to forget but all I can do is remember. I can remember the way I felt when he first punctured my skin with that bottle. It was excruciating. At first he just used the glass to tear my clothes but when I screamed because he cut me he seemed to find it pleasurable. He made me say his name when he did it. He started off with little scratches. They’ve healed. Then he went on digging pieces of glass into my skin. Which are these.”

Yuri lifted her shirt to display her small scars to Jessica and even though the blonde had already seen them, seeing them a second time was just as disturbing as the first.

“And this one…” Yuri pointed to the larger scar that disappeared passed her jeans. “...Goes halfway down my thigh. He dragged the bottle down and listened to me scream. At first it was just a small drag but because it was that painful I didn’t say his name. So he continued and me say it.” Jessica felt her jaw drop, the scar looked so painful and it was permanent. She hated her brother for what he did to Yuri.

“What about the one on your back?” Jessica distinctly remembered seeing that scar on Yuri’s back the day she visited her at home for the first time. But the scar didn't look like a cut, it looked significantly worse. Yuri’s hand instinctively went to her side, she couldn’t completely hold the scar because of the angle but even now she could still feel it through her shirt.

“When he had finished, I tried to run away, I thought he wouldn’t bother chasing me because he had gotten what he wanted. I couldn’t exactly run, so as I slowly stumbled away he pulled my head back and stabbed me in the back with the bottle. I don’t really remember many details after that. I remember the pain and I remember him throwing me to the ground after but that was it. I lay waiting there. I thought I was going to die, so I waited for death. Someone found me not too long after that. I think they were taking rubbish to the dumpster and then they called the police. Next thing I know I woke up in a hospital.”

Yuri waited for Jessica to talk. The brunette knew that Jessica was still taking the whole story in. It was a lot to hear in one go. Yuri’s mother hadn’t even heard the whole story through without bursting out crying several times.

“Oh my god...Yuri….” It seemed like an eternity had passed before Jessica finally spoke. Her hands went to Yuri’s neck and pulled her into a hug. This was the only thing Jessica felt she could do. What could she say? Yuri’s experience was enough to give up in life but here she was, with Jessica. By some freak chance she was here with Jessica. The blonde had never felt so blessed to have met someone, but at the same time she felt so much guilt spread through her body, not because of her brother but because of how she treated Yuri. The jealousy and the nager, it was all so unnecessary. Yuri was just scared and who could blame her? Jessica felt immensely bad for not caring for the brunette more.

“I’m so sorry about everything I did Yul. I’m so sorry I got angry at you. I’m sorry I yelled. I’m sorry I got jealous when you talked to the others.” Jessica held Yuri tightly to her and she never wanted to let go.

“Wait you were jealous?” Yuri pulled away from the blonde so she could see her beautiful brown eyes. Jessica nodded shyly. “Why?”

“Because I want to be the one that you want to talk to. I want to be the one that you want to be with all the time. I want you to want me in the same way that I want you.” Jessica knew that expressing feelings was never her thing but the words she spoke to Yuri were crystal clear.

“And Yuri...there is nothing in this world that I want more than you.”

 

Jessica’s confession made Yuri’s haart race. How could Jessica be so perfect about what the brunette had just told her? She knew it wasn’t easy to hear. Yuri realized in that moment, that even though Jessica wasn’t perfect, she was perfect to her.

“I want you too Jessica.”