Jessica returned to school after a long weekend of doing nothing but pouting and scheming in her room. She had a strong desire to resolve everything with Taeyeon that she ignored her family and friends for the past 2 days. Now that she was back in school, Jessica felt even more lost on what to do. In fact, Jessica thought she might be going mad with her yearning to find a truce between her and Taeyeon.

Not wanting to stick around for lunch, Jessica escaped Yuri’s sharp eyes and made her way outside. Near the back of the school Jessica spotted the greenhouse where all her problems started. Walking closer to the building, Jessica could feel anxiety build up inside her knowing that she could have handled that day much better than she did. All her regrets started here.

~A week ago~

Jessica didn’t know how she got herself into this predicament. She offered to help the science teacher out of a whim because she was a good student, but never did she think it would turn into her taking care of the greenhouse after school.

“This is a bad idea…I know nothing about flowers…” Jessica mumbled to herself as she patted down some fresh soil before reaching over to get the water canister, but when Jessica reached over, she felt nothing but air, “What the…”

“Are you looking for this?” Taeyeon was grinning widely at the bewildered girl.

“Yah! Taeyeon give me that back so I can finish up and go home.”

“Do you even know what you are doing?”

Jessica stood up and brushed off some dirt, “for the most part. You put soil, fertilize and water.”

Taeyeon waved her finger, “No no, not every plant is the same. You can’t assume everything you read is true in every situation.”

Jessica huffed tired of Taeyeon’s little games, “Okay smarty-pants. Is there a reason I can’t water my plant?”

“That is a cactus Jessica…” Taeyeon pointed at the plant, “it doesn’t need water or soil…you need to plant that over there where the sand is.”

“Oh…But it has a flower on it.” Jessica tried to justify her actions.

“Still a desert plant.” Taeyeon rose her brow, “Come on, I will help you move it so we can go home together.”

Jessica laughed, “don’t tell the girls. I want to keep up this rouse that I am smart.”

“No problem,” Taeyeon giggled as they uprooted the cactus to move it to a place it would flourish, “hey have you thought about prom?”

Jessica rubbed the back of her neck as she eyed out Taeyeon with her heart beating a little faster than normal, “ah…a little…not so much. I mean I don’t know if I will go.”

“Oh? Why not?”

Jessica shrugged, “I wouldn’t know who I would go with.” Although deep inside, Jessica knew who she really wanted to attend prom with, but she always shook off that thought knowing it would never happen.

“You haven’t been asked yet?” Taeyeon stopped patting down the sand around the plant to look at Jessica, “I was sure you would get asked before me.”

Jessica looked up surprised, “y-you were asked?”

“Umm yea…” Taeyeon blushed a little, “no big deal, I am sure you will get asked too.”

Jessica felt numb for a second, “Did you say yes?”

“Well I don’t know…I was asked by a few guys.” Taeyeon rubbed the back of her neck, “I haven’t picked one yet.”

Jessica gazed at Taeyeon with a dull stabbing in her heart. She should have known that she wasn’t the only one that saw her beauty, “ah good for you.”

Taeyeon finished planting the cactus and brushed the sand off her hands, “So are you going? I can help you get a date.”

Jessica carefully took off her gardening gloves and started to clean up her area, avoiding eye-contact with Taeyeon, “I don’t know. I am probably going to skip it.”

“Really? Why? All of us are going with or without dates. Prom is like a high school must.”

Jessica didn’t know why anger boiled up with the thought of Taeyeon having a good time with some boy, “I don’t need to go.”

Yet Taeyeon pushed the topic further, “Come on Jessica. You don’t need to study all the time. It is one night to let loose and have fun.”

That anger finally tipped over and Jessica snapped, “I said I don’t want to go! I am not like some kind of who has many boys oogling at me asking me to prom.”

Taeyeon heard those words and quickly turned from smiling to lashing back with the same anger, “what the hell. That is what you think of me? A ? I am sorry I am not some loser that only studies. I don’t want to waste my life always thinking of college like you.”

“Then why are you here? Huh? You shouldn’t be caught with a loser like me?” Jessica stood her ground against Taeyeon who stared right back with ill-intent.

“Yea why am I here? I shouldn’t be wasting my time here with you putting plants into the ground. I have real friends out there that would be happy to know somebody has interest in me.” Taeyeon nearly kicked the cactus on her way out of the greenhouse before slamming the door shut, leaving Jessica alone.

As soon as Taeyeon left, Jessica collapsed onto her knees and cried. Everything Taeyeon said to her hit her hard in the heart. Was that what Taeyeon felt about her this whole time? Was she really a loser?

Reaching over, to her recently planted cactus, Jessica gently touched the beautiful flower blooming from the prickly plant, “s-she is wrong…prom is stupid. I don’t need that…I don’t need her…” Although Jessica said those words out loud, in her heart, Jessica didn’t believe she could last a day without Taeyeon in her life.

Jessica found the cactus she planted during that time, “You are growing so well here.” Knowing the bristles would hurt, Jessica purposely poked herself with the cactus’s thorn causing blood to gush around the wound.

“That was stupid.”

Jessica nearly had a heart attack with the sound of Taeyeon’s voice, “W-what are you doing here?”

“I was in here first.” Taeyeon said as she walked over to find the first-aid kit near the corner, “why are you here?”

Jessica pointed at the cactus, “I wanted to see how it was doing.”

Taeyeon’s face remained emotionless as she helped Jessica clean up her wound and placed a Band-Aid on it, “it grew 2 inches since we planted it.”

Jessica looked at the wound on her finger, not once daring to peek at Taeyeon, “Are you keeping track of it?”

Taeyeon shrugged, “I come around here nearly every day.”

“W-why?” Jessica wanted to take back her words remembering Taeyeon saying she wouldn’t be caught dead in a place like this. Only losers should be here.

“It is quiet. I am surprised to see you here.” Taeyeon finished filling out a notebook before going to the door, “you never came back since then.”

Jessica sat looking down at the dirt on the ground, “I told the teacher I didn’t know how to take care of plants. I thought someone else would get assigned to be here.”

Taeyeon sighed, “I guess that is why she chose me.”

“Wait you are in charge of this place now?” Jessica finally glanced up to meet Taeyeon’s expressionless eyes.

Taeyeon nodded, “it is hard to say no to Ms. Park.”

Jessica knew all too well because that is how she got into this mess to begin with.

“You can stay if you want. I will lock up later.” Taeyeon responded as she went to leave the greenhouse.

“Taeyeon!” Jessica raced to get off the ground and go after Taeyeon, “Wait.”

Taeyeon turned quickly when she felt Jessica grasp onto her shirt, “what?”

Jessica let go of Taeyeon’s shirt out of fear she might upset the girl more, “did you really mean it?”

Taeyeon raised her brow trying to ignore the tears b in Jessica’s eyes, “what?”

“W-we really can’t be friends anymore?” Jessica felt the excruciating pain in her whole body wondering if she really lost Taeyeon from her life.

Taeyeon sighed knowing Jessica was not going to let her drop this and go on with their separate lives, “why does it matter so much to you that we are friends? Go hang out with Yuri, I don’t need to be your friend.”

That stung, “But I do need you…” Jessica didn’t care that the tears pushed down her cheeks.

Taeyeon bit her lip trying to keep her resolve, “I-I don’t need you…” the response came out hushed.

Jessica couldn’t stop the flood of tears as she tried to brush them away, “o-ok….” She didn’t want to admit defeat like this but Jessica felt tired of forcing her affection on to a girl that clearly didn’t want anything to do with her, “I get it…”

Taeyeon didn’t know if she was making the right choice when she took those heavy steps away from Jessica who was still crying alone in the greenhouse. She wasn’t an emotionless monster, Taeyeon could feel her heart shattering at her words but at the same time Taeyeon knew it had to be done. She needed to move on.

--------------------------------

Yuri could have sworn she searched the whole school in and out looking for Jessica but the hushed sobs from the greenhouse made Yuri dash to the location, “Jessica!” It broke Yuri’s heart seeing Jessica crying her heart out, “Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?”

Jessica lunged up into Yuri’s arms to cry on her shoulder, “It is over.”

Yuri held onto her friend tight, “what is over?”

“T-Taeyeon hates me…it is over…” Jessica sniffed and rubbed her tears onto Yuri’s shirt.

Rubbing soothing circles on Jessica’s back, Yuri hoped the girl would calm down, “What makes you think that?”

Jessica hiccupped the last of her tears away before parting from Yuri, “She told me….I can’t be her friend.”

Yuri furrowed her brow in sadness and concern for her friend, “Wow…really? I couldn’t picture her…wow…”

“I apologized several times but it didn’t matter…she hates me and I can’t ever make it right.” Jessica felt her heart breaking all over again, “I can never leave now…this must be my punishment.”

“The door is open…we can still leave,” Yuri pointed at the open door not understanding what Jessica was referring to.

Jessica shook her head while wiping away her tears and snot on her sleeve, “I don’t know what to do now…”

Yuri patted Jessica’s back, “This isn’t the end of the world. It is just one little fight. Give her some space.”

“I don’t have the time…” Jessica thought of 10 more years of waiting for Taeyeon to forgive her.

“Why not?” Yuri had no idea what was really going on, “I don’t think Taeyeon will hold onto this forever. Just win her friendship back. Show her you are sincere and truly want to be her friend. Sure girls hold grudges but only someone heartless would not see your sincerity.”

Immediately the tears stopped and Jessica looked up in surprise at Yuri, “you are right. I am doing this all wrong.”

Yuri smiled knowing she gave Jessica the answer she was looking for, “did you need my help?”

Jessica nodded shyly, “I could use all the help I can get.”

“Does this mean you are done crying?”

Jessica giggled, “Yea…sorry you had to see that.”

Yuri shook her head, “I am sure that is the only time I will see you being a mess. We all have moments like that.”

Jessica went around the greenhouse finding a mirror, “Oh god…I can’t be caught dead going back to class looking like this.”

“We could ditch our last two periods.”

“Last two!” Jessica pulled up Yuri’s watch on her wrist, “Oh my! I was crying in here for nearly an hour? …”

“I told the teacher you were sick and I went on a bathroom break to find you.” Yuri held up her bathroom pass, “your perfect record is already ruined so it doesn’t matter if you ditch the rest of the day right?”

Jessica leaned on the storage shed thinking of her choices, “you are right…lets get out of here.”

“Really?!” Yuri was genuinely surprised Jessica was going to break the rules.

“Yea. I look like and I don’t want to go back in there and face everyone.”

“Cool!” Yuri quickly got up and followed Jessica out of the greenhouse, “I don’t think we can go back into the school…”

Jessica shrugged, “how about we get the bus home so I can fix my makeup and we can go out and do something fun?”

Yuri was smiling happily with the thought of a whole afternoon with Jessica, “Yea sure. Sounds great!” She would do anything to make Jessica happy again. Whatever would make Jessica distracted from her woes with Taeyeon, Yuri wanted to be by her side to make them go away.

“What did you have in mind to do?”

Jessica shrugged, “I never skipped class like this before. What do people normally do?”

Yuri thought for a while, “I don’t know. I never skipped class on purpose like this.”

“Oh! I have an idea. There are a ton of movies I wanted to see in the theater right now.”

“Perfect. The theater is not too far from our houses.”

“And karaoke! I want to do that. I have never done that before but it looks fun.” Jessica smiled happily at achieving some of her goals.

“You never did that? Wow… Jessica I am happy to be the person that gets rid of your karaoke ity.”

The bus halted at their street corner and Yuri followed Jessica into her home where Jessica fixed up her smeared makeup and they changed out of their school uniforms before picking out a romantic comedy to watch.

Jessica never felt so happy in her life. For once she let go of everything and truly enjoyed herself for one day. She was so happy that Jessica thought that Taeyeon was right. Why did she need her when Yuri was here with her? Why go back to her ty life 10 years from now when she could make meaningful changes now and create a better life for herself?

A clean slate, a new start, Jessica wondered if that was her true future. Or was Jessica just fooling herself? Can Jessica erase Taeyeon from her life completely? Will that make her happy? Will that make Taeyeon happy?

Jessica stopped singing and shook her head, “no stop thinking…”

Yuri also put her mic down, “Hey are you okay?”

Jessica put on a fake smile, “Yea…small headache is all.”

Yuri gently felt the back of Jessica’s head, “your bump is nearly gone. Are you sure we shouldn’t get you checked out?”

Jessica tried to laugh it off, “I am fine really.”

Yuri didn’t move from her position but instead leaned closer and brushed her lips with Jessica’s causing Jessica’s eyes to widen in pure shock.

Yuri pulled back when she felt Jessica stiffen in her arms, “Omo…I am sorry…I thought maybe you…”

Jessica was still in shock at the thought of Yuri…and her? Did Yuri have feelings for her all this time?

“Jessica?”

Jessica tried to shake off whatever it was she was feeling, “I didn’t know…”

Yuri covered her face in embarrassment, “I totally read it wrong. I am sorry…we were having such a good time and I ruined it.”

Jessica tried to uncover Yuri’s face, “No no…that was…I just didn’t expect that. All these years…I am so sorry if I lead you on…” Jessica felt a mound of guilt that Yuri might have kept these feelings inside for over 10 years…for all the times she went to the coffee shop and kept their friendship intact was because…but did she feel that way too?

No she didn’t.

“Yuri I am sorry…but…”

Yuri’s mood quickly changed from embarrassment to a goofy laugh, “don’t worry about it.”

“Yuri…”

“I am fine really.” Yuri gave Jessica a strange laugh after that which wasn’t convincing Jessica that she was fine, “I get it…you don’t need to apologize. I should have asked or something…”

“But…”

“Seriously…I am fine.” Yuri walked away from Jessica to the song book, “what song should we sing next?”

Clearly not fine, Jessica wanted to make things better but how? Are they now going to be awkward friends or what?

Playing along with Yuri’s ‘ignoring the situation’ mood, Jessica walked over and pointed at a classic, “this one.”

Yuri smiled as if she told Jessica she was relieved the topic was dropped, “Alright! Are you ready?”

Jessica gave her friend a smile, “Hit it!”

Just like that, Jessica knew her life would never be the same.