oneshot
RooftopThey were an odd pair.
One was known to be cheery and bright.
The other was cold and aloof.
One was sociable and approachable.
The other was deemed unfriendly and isolated herself.
The school population couldn’t understand how or when it happened.
It was a breezy afternoon and slightly cloudy which was favorable because it blocked out the sun’s rays.
She placed her blazer on the floor and laid down on it. Not a lot of students came to the rooftop of the old school building anymore, preferring the rooftop of the annexed newer school building. She would come here every lunch period and take advantage of the peace and quiet this place provided.
She eventually succumbed to sleep not long after laying down.
A few moments later, the door to the rooftop opened to reveal a tall girl. Her arms were full of packaged food and bottled drinks.
She turned her head right to left with searching eyes. She rounded the corner and noticed the sleeping girl. She was sleeping so peacefully under the shade the building provided.
The tall girl sighed.
“How many times do I have to tell her she can’t just sleep here,” she muttered under her breath.
She knelt down beside the girl and poked her on the cheek.
“Jessica, hey. Hey~” she said rather loudly.
The girl won’t wake up.
“Sica, wake up. I brought food.”
In an act of desperation, she pinched the girl’s nose.
It was effective.
The girl abruptly woke up and gasped for air.
“Yah!” she yelled as she hit the tall girl.
“You wouldn’t wake up,” she said in defense.
Jessica glared at her.
The tall girl shrugged it off like it’s nothing and continued to throw some packaged bread at her.
“Here, I got you some,” she said. “I also got you that tea you like.”
“I’m not hungry,” Jessica said. “I just want to sleep.”
“You can do that later. Eat!” she urged. “You barely eat lunch. No wonder you easily pass out during PE.”
“I’m anemic,” the girl argued.
“All the more reason for you to eat.”
Jessica begrudgingly opened the packaging and munched on the bread.
“Sooyoung, shouldn’t you be eating lunch with your boyfriend?” Jessica asked as she glanced at her.
“And leave you all alone?”
Jessica frowned at her.
“I don’t mind. I’m used to it.”
“That’s not something that you should get used to,” Sooyoung said. “I’m sure you’d feel lonely if I’m gone.”
She smiled knowingly at Jessica much to the other girl’s annoyance.
“I won’t,” Jessica replied, turning her gaze away from her.
“Really?”
Jessica didn’t reply and opted to eat instead.
“They’re at it again.”
Tiffany watched from across the room as the two girls butted heads.
“Aren’t you used to it by now?” said the smaller girl without looking up from the game she was playing.
“Tae, don’t you think they’re interesting to watch?”
“Fany-ah, what’s so fun about watching two idiots?” Taeyeon asked.
“Hmmm...aren’t you curious how things will develop?”
Taeyeon paused her game and turned her attention to the two bickering girls. She shook her head slightly and sighed.
“I doubt anything will ever happen when they’re both so stubborn,” she said.
Tiffany smirked at her.
“Wanna bet?” she challenged.
Taeyeon thought about it for a moment. She then mirrored the other girl’s smirk.
“Sure. Why not?”
They both shook on it.
Jessica walked through the halls, not even sparing a glance at the people staring at her. She walked with her head held up high and only looking forward.
She had built quite a reputation.
Ice Princess.
The name had stuck since her first week in this school.
She wasn’t always like this. Bad memories and experience from her previous school had made her wary of people she associated with. She would always doubt people’s intention with her to the point that she preferred to avoid any form of social interactions unless necessary.
She isolated herself.
People approached her at first but she was distant and reserved in the way she spoke to them. Students found it harder to approach after seeing her rather cold exterior. Some boys had tried to confess to her but their efforts were all futile as she rejected them every single time.
This didn’t stop the love letters she received though.
Much to her shock the first few times, she found some female admirers as well.
“I like you, Jessica-ssi. Won’t you give me a chance and go on a date with me?” the boy nervously said.
Jessica bowed deeply at him, unable to meet his eyes.
That’s another thing. Jessica was actually a bit awkward around people which also made it hard for her to interact with people without misunderstandings.
“I’m sorry but I can’t accept your confession,” she said sincerely.
She had hoped the guy would just walk away.
He didn’t.
“You know what? You’re not all that anyways! Just because you’re a little bit pretty, you think you can just keep turning all of us down? Do you think of yourself that highly?”
Jessica flinched at the harsh tone but she refused to raise her head. It wasn’t something she’s never heard before.
She remained silent.
“I guess you really are as cold-hearted as they say. Do you get off on trumpling with our feelings?”
“I’m sorry,” Jessica repeated.
“That’s all you can say?” he sneered.
He then proceeded to spit on the ground.
She sighed in relief when the he finally walked away.
She didn’t realize she was crying until she felt a tear land on her arm. She tried to wipe them away but they just wouldn’t stop. She made her way up the old school building to the rooftop. She knew people rarely came here anymore.
The school has been slowly moving into the newly built building. There are plans to demolish it soon and build a new one. For now, the rooms are being used by some clubs.
She crouched into a corner with her head bowed and rested on her forearms. She willed the tears to go away.
“Oh. I didn’t think anyone would be here,” came an unfamiliar voice.
Jessica remained in her position, hoping the stranger would just ignore her.
That didn’t happen of course.
The stranger stood some distance away from her.
“This has been my hiding spot you see. Seeing you here is a bit surprising since rarely anyone comes here except for the club members using this building.
Jessica abruptly stood up.
“I’m just gonna go then. Sorry for invading your space,” she said as she took a step towards the door.
A hand held on to her wrist keeping her from where she is.
“I didn’t say I wanted you to go,” the girl quickly said. “I don’t mind sharing.”
Jessica finally turned to her.
She saw the stranger’s face become full with concern.
“You’re crying! Are you okay?” she said worriedly as she stood up. “Dumb question. Of course not.”
Jessica hurriedly wiped the tears away with her hand.
“I’m fine. Some dust just got into my eyes.”
The girl rolled her eyes at her lie.
“You’re not fooling me.”
“It’s nothing,” Jessica said sternly.
“No one cries for no reason.”
Jessica stayed quiet.
The taller girl sighed.
“Fine. I won’t ask.”
She sat back on the floor then patted the space beside her, gesturing for Jessica to sit too. Jessica didn’t see any harm. Besides, she didn’t feel like going back to the classroom yet.
She sat a bit farther away.
“I’m Sooyoung by the way,” she introduced herself.
“Jessica.”
“Jessica,” Sooyoung repeated. “Oh. You’re that girl.”
Sooyoung quickly covered at what she just said. She regretted how judgemental that sounded.
“Sorry,” Sooyoung apologized immediately.
“It’s fine,” Jessica said with a sigh.
“I’m really sorry,” Sooyoung said accompanied with a bow. She refused to raise her head as she continued to say, “I’m such an idiot sometimes.”
Jessica took pity on her.
“Yeah. You are an idiot,” Jessica replied.
Sooyoung caught on to the teasing tone and grinned at her when she finally raised her head to look at her.
“Ouch,” Sooyoung said, pretending to be hurt.
“Your words not mine,” Jessica said.
Sooyoung chuckled at that.
“If it’s not too much to ask, do you mind if I want to be friends with you?”
Jessica stared at her like she grew a second head. Sooyoung couldn’t help feeling awkward and slightly self-conscious from her stare.
Jessica abruptly stood up.
“I have to go,” she said.
“Oh. Okay.”
Sooyoung couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.
Jessica was about to walk away when she suddenly turned back and told her, “Don’t ever tell anyone you saw me cry.”
She didn't want any more gossip about herself.
“Why?”
“Just don’t.”
Sooyoung never thought of doing so anyways but then a thought came to mind.
“I won’t if you agree to be friends with me,” was her cheeky answer.
Jessica frowned at her. She looked annoyed as she puffed her cheeks as she slightly pout. Sooyoung couldn’t help but think how cute the girl looked right now.
“Fine,” was her reluctant short reply.
She quickly turned away and left.
And that was how they first met.
The following days after that, Sooyoung found herself a new companion. She would always open the door and be greeted by the sight of her back turned to her and her hair flowing with the wind.
They gradually became friends. It was a slow process but Sooyoung saw it as an achievement. She befriended the one person that the school has labeled to be untouchable.
“You’re such an idiot! That’s exactly why they always break up with you! You’re not honest with your feelings! You’re so afraid of hurting their feelings and making them hate you that you sacrifice your own feelings instead! I can't believe you're purposely turning a blind eye towards the fact that he’s cheating on you! He's cheating on you and you still won't confront him?!”
The earth suddenly stood still.
Everyone gaped at Jessica once those words left .
“That’s Blunt Sica for you,” Tiffany whispered to Taeyeon.
Taeyeon could only nod as she continued to watch the two with wide eyes.
Even Sooyoung couldn’t believe it either. She felt her insecurities slowly consuming her mind. Her reaction in turn lead to her glowering and directing her anger at her. She knew deep inside that she was directing it towards the wrong person when she should be directing it to herself.
“Well at least I don’t reject every guy that comes my way! One of these days, people are going to realize how self-centered you really are and stop chasing after you. And when that happens, you really will be all alone! ”
Sooyoung quickly covered in shock and horror at what she said. Jessica seemed equally shocked. However, she’s trained herself to always keep her expressions in check.
“It seems you’re honest with me at least,” Jessica said bitterly.
With that said, she stormed out of the classroom.
Her classmates could only watch, some with pity and indifference. The others sympathized since they didn’t harbor any ill feelings against the girl. They had realized over time that she was a bit socially awkward based on her interactions with Sooyoung. The others had grudges towards the fact that most of the boys seemed to always be directing their attention towards her. They felt neglected somehow.
Sooyoung had stood frozen in place.
She was too shocked at what just transpired between them.
She suddenly felt a hit to the back of her head.
“Pabo!”
The force from the hit made her reflexively take a step forward. She groaned in pain as she looked back to glare at her attacker.
She came face to face with Sunny.
“What are you doing?! Go run after her, idiot!”
Finally coming to her senses, Sooyoung mumbled a quick ‘thanks’.
She ran straight to the one place that first came to mind.
She ran the flight of stairs in record time. She flung the door open and stepped into the vicinity of the rooftop. She was gasping for breath at this point.
She turned her head about, searching for her. She looked around the corner where she would usually sleep.
She wasn’t there.
She wasn’t anywhere on the rooftop.
She was about to leave when she noticed the shadow on the floor beneath her feet. She quickly looked up and lo and behold.
There she was.
Sooyoung quickly climbed the ladder to where she was. She cautiously approached the crouching girl. She dropped to her knees behind her and leaned her head too rest on her back.
“I’m sorry.”
There was no response.
She repeated the phrase many times as she clutched on the fabric of her shirt. She felt the tears sliding down her cheek as she was overcome with guilt.
“Stop,” she finally spoke.
Like she said, Sooyoung bit her tongue and stayed silent.
“I’m the one who should be sorry. I’m the one who started it after all.”
“But-”
“I was just so mad. You may fool everyone with that smile but it doesn’t work on me. I hate it. I hate that you’re the one who’s always hurting.”
“Sica,” Sooyoung said gently.
“He cheated on you so why aren’t you getting angry? This is why I don’t trust men. The lot of them...they just do what suits them without considering who they’re hurting.”
The way she said it, it seemed that her animosity stemmed somewhere else. It sounded like she held a particular grudge.
“Sica,” Sooyoung said again.
She heard Jessica start to sob.
Sooyoung immediately hugged her from behind. Jessica instinctively leaned back against her front. They stayed like that for some time. The bell had rung, signalling the end of their lunch period but neither moved.
“I’m sorry, Sica, for what I said back there,” Sooyoung said.
“I’m sorry too,” Jessica said back. “I just hate seeing you get hurt.”
“I appreciate the concern,” Sooyoung replied with a smile.
“I don’t get why you aren’t getting mad at him.”
Sooyoung made a deep sigh.
“Of course I’m mad. I probably want to hit him as badly as you do.”
“Why aren’t you then?”
“Because what’s the point? I can get mad at him as much as I want but in the end I’m still the one hurting. And it’s exhausting. I’d rather not invest anymore of my energy on him. It’s better to just move on.”
Jessica took note of what she said and thought to herself for a moment.
“It would still be cathartic to hit him even once,” Jessica said with some mischievousness in her voice.
“It would, wouldn’t it?”
Jessica abruptly turned around and faced Sooyoung. Their faces were merely inches apart. Sooyoung couldn’t help but feel slightly anxious and nervous all of a sudden.
“Promise me. Promise me you’ll be more honest with your feelings. If you don’t speak up, they’re just going to take advantage of you.”
Sooyoung gulped. Their proximity was doing weird things to her stomach.
“I promise,” she answered with a nod.
Jessica smiled. She smiled one of those genuine smiles Sooyoung had the benefit of seeing. It never failed to make her feel that fluttering in her chest.
“Afterall, it hurts me deeply too when I see the person I like suffering.”
Ah. Yes. That was another thing that has been sort of an almost forgotten subject in their relationship.
“I like you.”
Sooyoung choked on her drink, causing her to spit some of it in a coughing fit. She snapped her head to the girl beside her.
She had her usual gracee of indifference as if she hadn’t just spoken those words. Sooyoung would have shrugged it off and told herself that she must have been hearing things. However, she noticed that Jessica was blushing all the way to the tips of her ears. Her pale neck had turned red as well.
Sooyoung didn’t know what to say.
What was she supposed to say?
She certainly wasn’t expecting that.
In the end, she chose to ignore it.
The next day after that incident, Sooyoung worried about the awkwardness that would settle between them. However, Jessica did not act any different. It surprised Sooyoung. It was also a relief on her part because she still wasn’t sure what to say.
That confession had become an unspoken lingering subject between them.
Sooyoung expected Jessica to bring it up but she never did. Weeks...months...and now a year had passed.
She’s never heard her say it again. Until now that is.
“Are you okay?” Jessica asked.
“Uh...yeah,” Sooyoung replied awkwardly.
A smirk formed on Jessica’s lips.
“You were staring,” Jessica stated. “Have you fallen for me perhaps?”
“Wha- I...I wasn’t…”
Jessica leaned closer, her smirk never disappearing from her face.
Sooyoung instinctively closed her eyes.
It never came.
She slowly opened her eyes and saw that Jessica had stood up and was dusting off her skirt. She looked down at Sooyoung with a raise of a brow.
“Well? Aren’t you standing up? We’re going to be late for our next class.”
Sooyoung blinked up at her a few times before finally standing up. She couldn’t quite understand it but, she felt a mixture of anticipation and disappointment.
Things have shifted.
Sooyoung could tell there was something wrong with her lately.
The sound of panicked shouting snapped her out of her daze. She looked in the direction of the voices and saw some people crowding over something. As she approached, she realized that they were crowding over someone.
“Get away! Give her some space!” she yelled at them.
Sooyoung pushed through the crowd and bent down to the unconscious girl.
“What’s going on?” their teacher asked.
“She passed out, sir,” one of the students answered.
“Sunsengnim, I’ll take her to the infirmary,” Sooyoung said, moving to carry the girl on her back.
“Are you sure? Can you carry her?” the teacher asked with worry.
“It’s no problem, sunsengnim.”
Their teacher nodded at her.
Fortunately, the nurse was in when she arrived. The nurse instructed her to lay Jessica on one of the beds. She laid her down as carefully as possible.
“Is it okay if I come back here later?” Sooyoung asked.
“Of course you can,” the nurse replied with a smile. “Now go before you get in trouble with your teacher for missing class.”
Sooyoung bowed to her and left quickly.
The whole time, all she could think of was Jessica. The moment the bell rang, she ran straight to the infirmary.
“You sure are quick,” the nurse commented.
“I want to be here when she wakes up,” Sooyoung said as she calmed her breathing.
She took a sit right beside the bed Jessica was sleeping in.
“Then I guess you won’t mind if I leave you here for a while,” the nurse said. “I’m going out for lunch. Do you want me to bring you back anything? My treat.”
Sooyoung smiled at the offer.
“Thanks for the offer, but you don’t have to.”
The nurse sighed and shot her a smile before leaving the infirmary.
Sooyoung shifted her gaze back to the sleeping girl. She couldn’t help feel herself getting slightly drowsy as she let out a yawn. It was one of those days where it was particularly hot and humid outside. The seemingly cooler air in the quiet infirmary made it hard not to feel comfortable.
Her head kept falling to the side. She tried hard to fight it but eventually nodded off to sleep.
Jessica stirred awake moments later. Her browse scrunched in question at the white ceiling. She sat up on the bed and took in her surroundings.
She smiled amusedly at the sight of her friend sleeping while sitting.
“That can’t be comfortable,” she mumbled.
She moved closer to her and shook the girl awake. It took a few tries but eventually Sooyoung opened her eyes.
“You’re awake,” Sooyoung stated, relief obvious in her voice.
“How did I get here?” Jessica asked.
“You passed out so I carried you here,” Sooyoung explained.
“You carried me?” Jessica asked in a rather surprised tone.
Sooyoung nodded.
Jessica watched her yawn and rub her eyes.
“Do you wanna take a nap?” she asked her.
Sooyoung thought about it for a moment before nodding. Jessica then patted the space beside her.
“I can use the other beds,” Sooyoung said.
Jessica pouted at her.
“Just sleep here,” she insisted.
Sooyoung sighed, not really having the energy to argue with her at the moment. It may also have to do with the fact that she was defenseless when it came to her pouting face.
“I mean really. That should really be illegal,” she thought to herself.
“Fine.”
Sooyoung laid down beside her, resting on her side and facing Jessica. Jessica laid on her side as well and faced her too. Sooyoung closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep. However, she felt her staring.
“You’re staring,” she said without opening her eyes.
She didn’t hear a reply but heard a humming sound instead.
“You’re not going to do anything to me in my sleep are you?” Sooyoung asked.
There was a pause.
“Maybe.”
Another pause.
“Who’d ever thought the Jessica Jung was actually quite aggressive,” Sooyoung joked.
“To other people, no. But you,” she paused. She moved her hand to brush off some stray hair from her face and tucked it in her ear. “You just bring it out in me it seems.”
“Is that so?”
She hummed in response.
“Sica?”
“Yes?”
“Why do you like me?”
“I like you because you’re you.”
A pregnant pause.
“Way to go at explaining,” came Sooyoung’s sarcastic reply.
“I’m serious,” Jessica argued. “You’re just likeable.”
Sooyoung wasn’t really sure what to say. That’s probably the vaguest yet most sincere confession she’s ever received.
“Well I guess I am awesome like that,” came Sooyoung’s cheeky reply instead.
“I really do want to know where you get all that confidence.”
Without opening her eyes, Sooyoung could visualize Jessica raising a brow at her.
They didn’t speak anymore after that and resumed to take their nap. Almost half an hour later, they were awaken by the sound of someone clearing their throat.
Sooyoung opened her eyes and couldn’t help but move away as a reaction towards the fact that Jessica was just a few centimeters away. It was a mistake because she didn’t think of the distance between her and the edge of the bed. She fell ungraciously on the floor with a yelp.
“Are you okay?” the nurse asked.
She looked at Sooyoung with mirth in her eyes. Sooyoung could only grin sheepishly up at her as she got up from the floor. Jessica stirred awake seconds later.
“Miss Jung, nice to see you finally awake,” the nurse said with a smile.
Jessica bowed at her and returned the smile.
“I know you said I didn’t have to but I bought you guys some food either way,” the nurse said.
Sooyoung’s ears perked up at that. The nurse looked at her knowingly. The two spent the rest of their lunch period in the infirmary before finally saying their thanks to the nurse and left.
The rest of the day, Sooyoung couldn’t help but be clouded with thoughts. Thoughts she never imagined she’d ever think of.
“Are you free this weekend?” Sooyoung asked.
To her surprise, Jessica shook her head no.
“I have a date.”
Those words were the last things she ever thought she’d ever hear from her.
“A date?!”
Jessica ignored her outburst and finished eating her lunch.
“Yah! When were you planning on telling me this?” Sooyoung asked.
“Was I supposed to?” Jessica asked.
“O-Of course! I’m your best friend. I should know this things,” Sooyoung said.
Sooyoung seemed to think there was something odd with what she said. She also felt something weird inside.
“Well. I just told you.”
Ignoring what she was feeling at the moment, she smiled at her.
“I’m happy for you then.”
Jessica slightly tilted her head to the side as she stared at her for a moment.
“You are?”
“Of course I am.”
Sooyoung found it strange how hard it seemed to smile.
They left it at that and moved on to other topics.
“What am I doing?” Sooyoung thought to herself as she hid herself.
It was unplanned but she couldn’t sleep last night.
So here she was.
Hiding.
“When is her date coming?”
She watched Jessica for a while now. She was sitting alone in a cafe, occupying herself by looking through her phone. Sooyoung couldn’t help but admire her friend in her casual clothes. She even took some effort to curl her hair.
Sooyoung was dumbfounded when a girl suddenly walked up to her. They exchanged greetings and the girl sat opposite to Jessica.
“Is she a friend perhaps?”
They didn’t seem close, she thought. They acted friendly though. Sooyoung waited and waited, looking at the entrance for anyone coming. That was until realization dawned on her.
“She’s on a date with a girl?! I mean, I guess it's not surprising since she said she l-likes me.”
She had no problems with it personally. Girls liking girls.
But now, she just couldn’t explain why it irked her so much.
She followed the two throughout their date. She was careful not to follow too close and hid behind the pair of sunglasses and cap she wore.
The skies had turned a bright shade of orange as the sun had started to set. She looked on at the two as it seemed like they were about to part ways.
The unknown girl seemed to say something to Jessica, sparing a glance her way. Sooyoung immediately hid.
“I wasn’t caught, was I?”
She sneaked a peek and saw the girl hug Jessica before waving goodbye at her. Just then, Ishesaw Jessica turn and walked straight up to her direction. She panicked inside. It was too late to run now.
She sighed as she resigned to what was about to come.
She was smirking at her.
“I didn’t think you were one for stalking, Soo.”
“And I’m apparently good at it too,” she joked. “You wouldn’t have noticed if she didn’t tell you.”
“Oh I noticed. I just chose to ignore you. It would have been rude to my date.”
Her jaw dropped at that.
“You aren’t as sneaky as you think,” she added.
“Well you caught me,” Sooyoung said in surrender. “I’ll be on my way then now.”
She tried to make her escape but Jessica quickly held her by the collar of her shirt.
“Not so fast.”
Sooyoung groaned.
“Explain yourself,” Jessica demanded.
Sooyoung avoided her gaze as she said, “I was just worried.”
“That’s all?”
Jessica asked her expectantly.
Sooyoung bit on her lip before replying, “That’s all.”
“I see.”
The atmosphere between them turned heavy with tension.
Jessica sighed.
She grabbed Sooyoung by the hand and pulled her along.
“Where are we going?” Sooyoung asked curiously.
“Home,” Jessica simply replied.
Just then, both heard the growling sound coming from Sooyoung’s stomach. Jessica looked back at her and bursted out into a fit of giggles. Sooyoung blushed in embarrassment but offered her in her giggling fit.
“I don’t mind a detour,” Jessica said.
“You’re staring.”
Sooyoung barely reacted a the comment and continued to train her gaze in front.
“It’s creepy,” she said again.
Sooyoung turned her head to the side to frown at the sudden presence.
“What do you want, Sunny?”
“So only Jessica receives a nice greeting?”
“Of course she does because she’s pretty.”
“Yah! Are you calling me ugly!?”
Sunny hit her on the head in her outrage. Sooyoung managed to block it with her hand.
“You said it not me,” Sooyoung said in her defense, smirking at the way Sunny had gotten more annoyed.
“I’m gonna let that go for now, Choi, because we have something more important to discuss.”
She looked at her in confusion.
“Don’t give me that look,” Sunny said. “When were you going to tell me you’ve finally realized your feelings?”
“Feelings? What feelings?”
Sunny pressed her lips together in a thin line as she looked on at her with such a none too pleased expression. She proceeded to groan as she dug her face into her hands.
“Oh my god. You really are stupid.”
“Exactly how am I stupid?” she demanded.
In her irritation, Sunny pointed at the one who’s caught Sooyoung’s attention since earlier.
“I’m talking about your feelings for her,” she said bluntly.
Sooyoung’s eyes grew wide.
“What? I don’t-”
“God. You’re so in denial. You’ve been looking so down lately which I’m sure is probably due to the fact she’s been spending a lot of time with that other girl.”
Sooyoung shifted my gaze away from her and towards Jessica. She was talking animatedly with the girl, who’s name was Irene apparently, that she went on a date with.
“See! That right there!”
Sunny pointed at her face.
“What?!” Sooyoung exclaimed in frustration.
“You’re so jealous right now. It’s written all over your face.”
“I’m not-”
Sunny abruptly stood up and glared down at her.
“You better make up your mind already before it’s too late.”
And with that Sunny walked away, leaving Sooyoung to her thoughts. As she turned a corner, she was greeted by Tiffany who was smiling at her.
“Thanks for that,” Tiffany said as she handed her an envelope.
“Sure thing. It was getting really annoying seeing her like that,” Sunny replied as she received the offered envelope. “I don’t have to count this, do I?”
“It’s the exact amount but feel free to count it if you want.”
Sunny looked at her for a moment.
“It’s fine. I trust you,” Sunny said. “Now I can buy that game I’ve been wanting to get.”
“Seriously, what is it with you two and games?” Tiffany said as she slightly shook her head.
They walked together.
Sunny shot her curious looks along the way. When she finally couldn’t contain it, she spoke up.
“You could have done it yourself, you know? Spare you the money and all that.”
Tiffany smiled at her.
“I could have but…we promised not to meddle,” Tiffany explained. “Not directly anyways.”
Sunny wanted to ask who “we” was supposed to be but she already guessed who it was.
“Well. I can’t really complain,” Sunny said instead.
Sooyoung was buried deep in her thought, thinking about what Sunny just told her. She was surprised and yet wasn’t at the same time.
She’s always thought that what she felt toward Jessica was normal between friends. But when she thought about it, her closeness with Jessica was different compared to her other friends. She always thought it was normal to want your friend’s attention; feeling happy whenever you saw them smile; wanting to hold hands; and thinking how pretty they are.
The more she thought about it, the weirder she felt about some of the things she’s done like staring at her lips when she talked; always wanting to touch her; and...
Her.
Her time spent with her was something she always enjoyed and looked forward to.
She felt conflicted.
She knows about Jessica’s feeling for her. But was it still true now? She went on a date, didn’t she? Didn’t that mean that she must have moved on already. So even if she did have feelings for her, wasn’t she already too late?
She felt her heart twinge.
Sooyoung broke away from her thoughts when she felt someone nudge her.
“Hey,” Jessica greeted. “Are you okay?”
Sooyoung waved her off.
“I’m fine. Just thinking.”
“Oh. Okay,” Jessica said. “I came to ask if it was okay if Irene joined us for lunch.”
Sooyoung felt her chest pang.
“Of course,” she replied.
Jessica looked at her for a moment. She then turned her back away and walked back up to Irene.
“Why did I say that?” Sooyoung asked herself.
When lunch came around, Sooyoung expected to see the two once again upon her arrival at the roof. Surprisingly, she only found Jessica sitting alone near the fence.
“Oh? I thought Irene was joining us?”
Jessica raised a brow at the question.
“Seriously? I thought I told you that you can’t fool me with that fake smile,” Jessica said with a sigh.
“I...I’m really fine with it,” Sooyoung argued.
“You’e obviously not fine with it,” Jessica countered.
Sooyoung didn’t respond and just looked away. She couldn’t deny what she said. She was far from okay with the idea of inviting another person here.
“I told her that I want to spend lunch with you alone,” Jessica said as she approached her.
Sooyoung snapped her gaze back to her with a surprised expression.
“You did?”
Jessica nodded.
They were just merely a step a apart now.
“I’m sorry,” Jessica apologized.
“What for?” Sooyoung asked, confused.
“Well, I mean. Looking from your perspective, I know you wouldn’t want to seem rude by saying no to my request,” Jessica explained. “And I honestly think that it was wrong of me for wanting to invite another person here.”
Looking around the roof for a moment, Jessica then smiled shyly at her.
“It’s our place afterall.”
Our place.
She called it their place.
This was a turning point for Sooyoung. It wasn’t a question anymore. She found herself feeling a lot lighter now as she wisfully looked at this girl.
“I’m so slow, aren’t I?” Sooyoung thought.
Exams were closing in.
Sooyoung had invited Jessica over to help her with her studies because of course she was smart on top of being pretty.
Sooyoung felt it this was just unfair for someone to have both brains and looks.
But, since they were friends, Sooyoung happily took advantage of her friend’s intellect. It wasn’t like Jessica could just watch her friend’s grades drop so she obliged.
They planned on going straight to Sooyoung’s house after school. They’ve had many sleepovers before so Sooyoung’s family was actually already familiar with Jessica.
“If only I had a daughter like you,” Mama Choi said wistfully upon meeting the girl a few times.
The Chois happily welcomed her the first time and more so the following times. They’ve even started treating her like their own daughter.
“Hey! I’m right here!” Sooyoung exclaimed..
Ignoring her own daughter, Mama Choi continued to dote on Jessica,
Jessica could only laugh. She loved the times she would spend with Sooyoung's family. But somewhere deep inside, she felt a certain sadness from thinking about the ‘what ifs’.
Would her family be just like this if her father never left them?
She would quickly brush off those thoughts and remind herself of the suffering her mother had to endure. They were a lot happier now which was all she needed. Having the Chois treat her like family brought her even more happiness.
As they approached Sooyoung’s house, they stopped a few meters from the entrances. They watched curiously at a familiar figure. He was standing right outside Sooyoung’s gate.
They approached him.
The guy’s face lit up at the sight of Sooyoung.
“Sooyoung! I’m glad you’re here.”
He looked rather excited.
Both the girls looked at him with an irate stare.
“What are you doing here?” Sooyoung asked, not bothering to mask the irritation in her voice.
“I came to apologize,” he said.
That surprised the two.
“And also, I...I wanted to ask for you to give me another chance,” the guy asked. “I know what I did was wrong and I really am sorry. I’ll do anything for you to forgive me. Just please, give me another chance.”
The guy looked at her earnestly.
Sooyoung was having trouble on what to say.
“I forgot I have to do something at home,” Jessica suddenly spoke up. “Let’s study some other time.”
She didn’t give Sooyoung time to reply as she began to walk away.
Sooyoung was torn as she glanced between the two.
“Finally. Now we can be alone,” the guy said.
Sooyoung glared at him.
She didn’t need to think.
“There’s nothing to talk about. Just go!” Sooyoung said angrily as she began running in the direction she saw Jessica head to.
Jessica didn’t care that people were staring. She couldn’t see them clearly anyways as the tears in her eyes blurred her vision. She went to a fairly uncrowded area and decided to sit.
She was about to use the back of her hand to wipe her tears away, but a hand stopped her movements by grabbing on to her wrist.
“I don’t like it when you cry.”
Jessica immediately looked up.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Pabo. How could you just run away like that?” Sooyoung scolded.
“Because!” Jessica said like it explained her reason why.
Tears continued to stream down her cheeks. With her sleeve, Sooyoung gently dabbed it on her face.
“I can’t understand you if you don’t explain it to me. I’m an idiot remember?” Sooyoung said with a lighter tone.
“I didn’t want to see it,” Jessica explained. “If there was a chance of you guys getting back together, I didn’t want to see it.”
Sooyoung looked surprised at this.
“Why would you say that?”
Jessica couldn’t help but frown at her.
“It was the way you looked at him. You looked at him with pity. Even though he treated you badly, I know that you still genuinely liked him. Knowing how much you care about not hurting other people’s feelings, I just knew there was a chance you might just take him back,” she said. “I didn’t want to see it.”
“Sica-”
“How am I supposed to compete with that?” Jessica said with such sadness. “I know that I’ll always just be a friend to you. I accept that. I tried to move on but you just…”
“Is that what that date was about?”
It finally clicked with her.
“It didn’t work obviously. Because, god. Seeing you standing here right now and not with him is already making me happy. But at the same time, it hurts. I don’t show it but it really hurts, Soo.”
Sooyoung wanted to ask why it hurt.
“I do like being friends with you but damn it. Having you know my feelings and still get to spend time with you, I tell myself it’s enough,” Jessica carried on. But her voice cracked when she continued to say, “But it’s just not enough, Soo. It’s never enough.”
A new batch of tears came through and Sooyoung couldn’t help tearing up herself from seeing her cry. And what broke her heart was the fact that she was crying because of her.
“Sica, please don’t cry. I don’t like seeing you cry.”
Sooyoung carefully wiped them away with her thumb. She then proceeded to hug the girl close to her. She rubbed comforting circles on her back as she soothed her sobbing.
“I get it,” Sooyoung said.
“Get what?”
“I get what you meant about it not being enough,” Sooyoung said. She gently smiled down at her and confessed, “Because I honestly feel the same way about you too.”
Jessica was shocked to hear that. She refused to turn her gaze upwards and clutched tighter onto Sooyoung, afraid that she might just have heard wrong.
“Sica, please look at me.”
“No.”
“Please.”
“No.”
Jessica couldn’t believe this was happening.
Sooyoung kissed her softly on the forehead as she held her by the chin and raised her head. Jessica refused to meet her gaze.
“Please look at me,” Sooyoung begged. “Look at me like you always do.”
She didn’t budge.
“Please,” Sooyoung begged once more.
With a defeated sigh, Jessica slowly met eyes with hers.
“You don’t have to ask,” Jessica said. “Because I’m always looking at you.”
Sooyoung grinned.
“Well, I’m happy to inform you that I’ve only been looking at you lately too.”
“You have?”
“Do you want to know why?”
Jessica nodded.
“Because I like you too,” Sooyoung said smiling lovingly down at her.
“But?”
Sooyoung looked confused.
“What do you mean?”
“There must be a but in there,” Jessica argued. “There’s no way that you would. Why would you like me?”
Sooyoung could see the anxiousness in her eyes. Contrary to what she appeared to be, she was surprised to learn that the girl had a lot of insecurities. She contemplated for a second.
“If there’s any ‘but’, all I could think of would be to say it’s ‘But I think I might be falling in love with you.’”
Jessica looked shocked and disbelieving as she proceeded to bury her head in her chest and hit her.
“You liar. Why would you say that?!”
“But it’s true,” Sooyoung reasoned.
“You’re lying!”
“I’m not lying!”
Jessica stopped hitting and resigned to curling into Sooyoung’s chest. Sooyoung held her, her hair as she finally calmed down.
“I don’t get it. Why would you say that?”
“Why don’t you believe me?” Sooyoung asked back.
“Because,” Jessica stated. “I complain a lot.”
“That just means you know what you like and dislike,” Sooyoung casually responded.
“I don’t think before I speak and can say hurtful things.”
“That’s because you’re honest.”
“I push people away.”
“Because you want to protect yourself.”
“I can be self-centered.”
“It’s okay to focus on yourself sometimes.”
It seemed like Sooyoung had a response to anything Jessica said.
“Is that it?” Sooyoung asked after hearing nothing further from her. “How about me? As you said, I can’t really be honest with my feelings when I’m in a relationship.”
“That’s because you don’t want to hurt their feelings,” Jessica argued.
“I can be a bit stubborn too.”
“You’re just hard-working.”
“I’m an idiot.”
“No. You’re just oblivious.”
“But my grades-”
“Could be higher if you don’t sleep during classes and studied harder.”
Sooyoung chuckled at that.
“I realized recently that I’m pretty selfish too.”
“Selfish ?”
This time, Jessica raised her head to look at Sooyoung with inquisitive eyes.
“I’ve become really selfish when it comes to you apparently.”
Sooyoung took this chance to kiss her on the forehead again.
“I don’t like it when you’re not paying attention to me.”
Another kiss.
“I don’t like it when you’re spending a lot of time with others.”
A kiss on the bridge of her nose.
“I don’t like it when you smile at people other than me.”
A kiss on the tip of her nose.
“I don’t like the fact that you went on a date with someone else.”
Jessica stared at her for some time.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized.
“Don’t apologize. I mean, it must have been a whole lot harder for you, right?” Sooyoung said, implying about all the relationships she’s has while being friends with her.
“You have no idea.”
Sooyoung proceeded to wipe away what’s left of her tears, brushing her cheeks with her thumb. She was glad she’s stopped crying. As she was about to pull her hand away, Jessica held it in place.
“Would it be too soon if I said I wanted to kiss you?”
Sooyoung felt the rising warmth on the girl’s cheek. She found it cute how shy and embarrassed she was from asking.
“Of course not,” Sooyoung replied. “You can kiss me as much as you want.”
“Can I really?”
Sooyoung leaned closer, her gaze dropping down to her lips then back to her yes.
“Let me,” Sooyoung said. “I’ve made you wait for so long, haven’t I?”
She wasted no time after that and finally closed the gap between their lips.
Sooyoung wasn’t sure what kissing Jessica would feel like. But right now, experiencing it for the first time, she found herself regretting how much time she’s wasted mulling over her feelings.
It was different.
It was soft and sweet.
It wasn’t comparable to anything she’d experienced before.
She found herself getting more and more addicted to the feeling as they continued to kiss.
They had to pull apart after some time to breathe.
“If you told me kissing you would feel this great, we could have been doing this since a long time ago,” Sooyoung remarked.
Jessica rolled her eyes at her.
“I’m sorry. Who was it that was in a relationship not so long ago?”
She got her there.
“We should go,” Sooyoung abruptly said. “My mom might be wondering where we are right now.”
Sooyoung saw her reluctance.
“Wait. Do you really have something to do at home?” Sooyoung asked.
“I lied obviously,” Jessica replied. “I just...Is it really okay if I sleepover?”
Sooyoung looked slightly confused at the question.
“Of course.”
Jessica held her by the hand and started to walk, dragging Sooyoung with her.
“I’m not going to be held accountable if anything happens tonight,” Jessica said as she looked back over her shoulder.
She smirked at the way Sooyoung seemed to slowly realize the implication of what she just said.
“W-We’re just going to study!”
“Sure. Let’s call it that.”
“Sica!”
“Looks like I won,” Tiffany said as she sat on top of Taeyeon’s desk.
Besides the two of them, everyone had gone home already. Taeyeon decided to stay for a bit to continue her game and finish until the next chapter of the game.
Taeyeon simply hummed in reply as she continued to focus her attention on her Nintendo Switch.
Tiffany frowned at her.
She took the device from her hands causing the other girl to look up in panic.
“Hey!”
“Will you listen to me now?”
“Give it back!”
Taeyeon tried to grab the device back but the few centimeters of difference in height made all the difference.
“I’ll give it back,” Tiffany said. “But after you listen to me first.”
Taeyeon tried to glare at her but it didn’t come off as intimidating. She looked more like she was pouting than anything. She gave up on trying to get the device.
Tiffany smiled from the small victory.
Tiffany paused the game, much to Taeyeon’s relief.
“So?”
“If you were listening earlier, I came here to tell you I won our bet.”
“And?”
“I want my prize.”
Tiffany held the device and placed it behind her back as she slowly approached her. Taeyeon took a step back after noticing the predatory look behind her eyes.
“W-What do you want?”
Taeyeon winced at the way she just stuttered.
“Like I said, I want my prize.”
She had her trapped between her and the wall.
“Wha-”
“Go on a date with me.”
Taeyeon was obviously surprised from what she just heard. But after a moment, she began giggling and then into a full blown laughter.
Tiffany became annoyed at her reaction.
“I’m being serious here.”
Taeyeon glanced at her. She was slightly blushing and was pouting at her in frustration. Taeyeon decided that was enough laughter for now.
She leaned close to her, their faces merely inches apart.
“Fany-ah, looks like you’re an idiot as well.”
Tiffany seemed to only grow annoyed at that. However, she forgot all about it the moment Taeyeon had abruptly pulled her by the collar and kissed her.
It was unfair how she could easily be disarmed by a kiss.
She eagerly reciprocated but their kiss was cut short.
She opened her eyes and was about to whine but then she saw Taeyeon grinning at her. She also noticed that the device was no longer in her hand.
“Honestly, if it was a date that you wanted, haven’t we been doing that for some time now?” Taeyeon said.
“I don’t understand. I thought we’ve just been sleeping together.”
Taeyeon pretended to be hurt as she placed a hand on her chest.
“I’m hurt, Fany-ah. Do I really look like the type who’d just sleep with anyone?”
“I-I...I don't know.”
Tiffany had grown flustered at the situation.
Taeyeon sighed.
“If it’s reassurance that you want, then fine. Let’s go on a date.”
Tiffany was still out of it.
Taeyeon had to drag her by the hand, as she was still busy processing her thoughts. She grabbed their bags and made way for the door, still pulling the other girl along.
“How could I not know that we’ve been dating?” Tiffany asked in frustration.
“Well, we haven’t exactly defined our relationship,” Taeyeon answered. “But isn’t everything we’ve done so far considered dating?”
Tiffany took a moment to look back.
She was right. At some point in their relationship, they’ve gone from just being physical into something more than that. But they never explicitly said anything.
She groaned to herself. All this time, she just thought Taeyeon was being nice by going along with all her requests of going out or hanging out together. She never stopped to think that Taeyeon might have felt the same way.
Tiffany stopped walking. Noticing this, Taeyeon stopped as well. She looked back at the girl questioningly.
“Fany-ah?”
“I want you to say it.”
“Say what?”
Tiffany huffed, puffing her cheeks as she looked at Taeyeon in a way that said ‘You know what I mean.”.\
It took Taeyeon a while before it finally hit her.
“I…,” Taeyeon paused, as she felt shy all of a sudden.
“Well?”
Taeyeon took the few steps between them, standing on her toes, as she leaned over to whisper in her ear.
“I love you.”
Tiffany expected to be told “I like you”. She wasn’t prepared for her to say the word “love”.
“Happy?” Taeyeon asked, as she took a step back.
Tiffany nodded.
“Can we go?”
Tiffany nodded again.
Taeyeon refused to look at her as they walked side by side. She was still trying to recover from the fact that she just said what she said. And also, because she didn’t hear Tiffany say it back.
Was she too confident? Maybe she was too bold by saying the L word too soon.
She was broken out of her thoughts when she felt her cheek getting poked. The moment she turned her head, she was surprised at the sudden feeling of soft lips on hers.
It was chaste but it was enough to make her feeling all warm inside.
“I love you too.”
Tiffany was grinning at her. Taeyeon bit on her lip to stop her own grin from breaking out. She looked away to hide from Tiffany’s gaze.
Tiffany didn’t mind as she continued to smile.
Her smile only grew bigger when she felt Taeyeon intertwine their fingers.
“Looks like I win,” Sunny said. “Pay up.”
Sunny smiled smugly.
Sooyoung groaned as she reluctantly handed her the money she had in her pocket.
“Remind me again never to bet against you.”
Sunny all but gladly took the crisp bills from her.
“Whoever said you should never gamble on love?”
A/N:
I didn't expect this to be this long.....like WTF
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