"Hey Steph, we need a little help here!"

"Oh," Tiffany took a last look at her notes. She smiled brightly and walked over to her classmates' desk, offering her help with whatever she could. They hoarded her the whole afternoon; Tiffany assisting in their assignments until an orange hue falls upon the classroom. 

"It's getting late. We should go."

"Yeah, we'll be late." Her friends packed their books into their bags- some reaching over to give Tiffany a pat on her shoulder.

"Hey Kate, your party is still on right?"

"It is- oh come on, hurry up! I'm the host, I'm not supposed to be late!" The group jokingly shoved each other, giggling as they challenged to see who could pack their bags in record speed.

"Thanks, Steph!"

They waved goodbye and hurried out of the classroom. Tiffany waved at their retreating figures a smile plastered on her face. She wished they would invite her too, she thought. They are friends... right? Tiffany shook her head at her silly thoughts. She slides her noted into her file, slung her bag over her shoulder and headed home alone instead. 

"Mom, I'm home." Tiffany flopped down on the couch in exhaustion and series of steps followed closely. A dip beside her and Tiffany cracked her eyes open. Sunny mirrored her grin and lied down on her lap. 

"Hi sis," Tiffany giggled and brushed a few strands of hair out of Sunny's face. Sunny smiled at her but there was something in her eyes these days that Tiffany couldn't explain, "You look gorgeous. Going somewhere?"

"Oh sweetie," Tiffany's mother appeared from her room and interrupted them before Sunny could respond. Her mother leaned down to give her a peck on her cheek. 

"I'm going somewhere with Sun. Be a dear and don't stay up to wait for us."

"Yeah, that." Sunny pointed at her mother to indicate her response to Tiffany's question. 

"There is an In-N-Out Double-double in the fridge. Heat it up before you eat."

"See ya, baby sis," Sunny pushed herself up from the couch and ruffled her hair. Her mother hastily kissed her goodbye and Sunny tolled after her mother unenthusiastically. Tiffany waved goodbye at the retreating duo, heaved a sigh and dragged her feet upstairs. 

Tiffany realized that in her sight, she saw always looking at others' back. Have anyone properly acknowledged her existence? She was lonely and it is pathetic. To be surrounded in a world that is overwhelming with people yet feeling lonely; Tiffany scoffed at how miserable her life was. Tiffany stood under the shower and turn up the temperature, letting the warmth of the water envelope the soul in her body.

Tiffany did not bother dressing as she laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She pulled out a bottle of pills from her vanity closet and popped the prescribed amount into . With a sigh, she picked up her phone and leisurely browsed her social media. Photographs of smiling faces, glasses of wine and delicacies speckled her timeline from the party at Kate's. There was a group photo and Tiffany squinted. She noticed that most of her classmates and batch mates were invited to the party- probably missing a few jocks who are overseas, Kate's mortal enemy and Tiffany herself.

She felt it; Tiffany felt that warmth shot right up her nose and it pooled in her eyelids. She buried her face in her pillow, fighting her tears as she mercilessly pounded against it. She made a decision that night- she knew staying in States wasn't healthy for her anymore.

Tiffany thought migrating back to her homeland was one of the best decision she had ever made. The process was long and tedious- coupled with her academical subjects but Tiffany gritted her teeth and went with it. Tiffany felt gratefulness when her mother seems to have never-ending tears and her father had repeatedly reminded her that their doors will always be open for her. Tiffany was adopted into their family; coming from a single-parent family, she lost her biological mother in a fire and her relatives' hands were too full to provide for another. The Lee family; her mother's friend has gracefully adopted her into her family and allowed her to keep her surname. The most she could do as an appreciation for them over her growing years were to call them mother and father. 

What truly surprised her the most was Sunny. Tiffany had thought they were drifting away when their relationship seems to stale the recent years. Sunny was becoming erratic, withdrawn and so unpredictable that Tiffany seldom sees her around the house. Sunny initiated and offered to migrate with Tiffany, effortlessly persuading her parents that she needed a fresh start. Sunny applied for a major in the university Tiffany was enrolled in for her internship. 

"Sleeping soon?" Sunny peeked into her room and welcomed herself in with a cup of warm milk. Tiffany grunted as she zipped her luggage and accepted the cup from her sister. 

"Yes but I don't think I can. I'm so excited, unnie!"

"Unnie?" Sunny chuckled and playfully patted her bottom, "That's weird."

"Since we're going to Korea, we should learn the language, you know." Tiffany retort in her mother tongue. Sunny laughed. 

"We are actually Koreans if you haven't realized. Plus I speak Korean much better than you, thank you very much. You sound like a foreigner." Sunny replied in the same language. Tiffany stuck out her tongue. 

"Go to sleep soon," Sunny took the emptied cup from her, "And take your pills." 

"Wait, how do you know?"

"Know what?" Sunny halted and blinked. 

"That I'm on medication...?"

"Ah, I'm an observant sister you know." Sunny had a glint in her eyes, "Now take them and go to sleep. We've to be up in a few hours time." She left the room and Tiffany shrugged. She counted the pills and popped them into . 

Migrating to Korea wasn't much of an issue for Tiffany. The change of environment was fresh, the food was amazing despite Tiffany craving the food back home. She relied on Domino to ease her homesickness and started getting accustomed to Korean cuisine. She adapted easily- it was thrilling and scary but with Sunny's presence, it reassured her greatly. They decided to live separately- Sunny had a friend who resides in Korea and offered a place of refuge for her. It somehow comforted her- Sunny was eluding a weird aura lately which made her skin prickled. Sunny was still cheerful and witty but Tiffany had stayed with her long enough to know that her sister was somehow not to same since they moved from California. Instead, Tiffany came to a conclusion that Sunny must be was dating someone thus a change. Tiffany moved into the apartment her mother left for her and had plans to refurnished it in pastel pink that Sunny couldn't tolerate. 

Tiffany started developing severe headaches and insomnia towards her end of the year. It aggravated and affected her work. She brushed it off as a stress from adapting to the changes. Refusing to spend her painstakingly earned salary, Tiffany strike off the thoughts of seeking medical help. She rummaged through her drawer, popped a few more pills than usual that night to put her throbbing head to sleep and fell asleep with a deep frown between her brows.