stranger siblings: (v)

Anyone who’s been to high school knows that the social hierarchy among students is an infrastructure built of unsaid, invisible, yet totally impassable bounds. People stuck to their designated groups and there was nothing more to say on the matter.

In Taeyeon’s opinion the social hierarchy at their school wasn’t as severe or extreme as those teen movies made it out to be – it existed, but not brutally. And besides, it never really bothered her. Taeyeon had her friends like Yuri and the other kids in her class all of whom were pretty neutral and that’s how Taeyeon liked it – neutral, no drama, no fuss and no gossip; a happy little medium.

However, just because she was content, didn’t mean that she hadn’t been observing. The popular kids at their school fell into two groups, Taeyeon surmised. You had the popular kids who were smart and pretty – Yeseo and her group of friends, for instance. They got good grades and made effort to win the love of the masses by being kind and polite. And then you had the popular kids who were pretty and did bad and everyone was very much infatuated with them – Jessica and her group of meatheads. The nice popular kids and bad popular kids tended to intermingle sometimes, but the separation was apparent and no one person could be part of both.

Or so Taeyeon thought. But, of course, Tiffany seemed to think and prove otherwise.

“It really is quite amazing.” Yuri said, her eyes fixed on the other side of the classroom – her hand in a bag of crisps. “I didn’t think it was possible. But she managed to do it.”

Taeyeon rolled her eyes and turned to look where Yuri was looking. Tiffany was at the back of the class, seated on one of the desks, laughing prettily with Jessica Jung on one side, and Kang Yeseo on the other.

“She’s both a nice popular kid and a bad popular kid.” Yuri continued munching, almost as though she was lost in a daze. “It’s almost humanly impossible to be both.“

Wordlessly, Taeyeon turned back around to look over the biology notes she had made during class – well tried to anyway. She didn’t know why, and she’d never say it out loud, but she felt bothered by it, Tiffany, everything.

During her first week at a completely new school, in an almost entirely foreign country, Tiffany had coasted up the social ladder faster and smoother than anyone ever had. And Taeyeon had watched much more intently that she’d ever admit.

She’d look over sometimes during class and see Tiffany passing notes back and forth with various people, giggling silently as she read whatever it said, smirking as she wrote back a reply. Sometimes she’d be waiting in the lunch queue and the people in front of her would talk quietly and excitedly and she’d hear Tiffany’s name being said. Sometimes when they passed each other in the hallways, Taeyeon would pretend not to see Tiffany, but would look back just see the back of her head. Sometimes she’d look out the classroom window and see Tiffany out the in field in her tracksuit top and shorts as she ran laps during P.E.

Taeyeon just couldn’t seem to get away from her. They hadn’t spoken much, if at all. At home Tiffany spent most of her time in her room or on her phone. Not that Taeyeon really had anything in particular that she wanted to say to her stepsister anyway.

But she’d been thinking a lot about their confrontation last week outside of the school, and had been surprised that Tiffany hadn’t done anything overtly aggressive since. Maybe she was all bark and no bite? Taeyeon thought idly.

She glanced over again and saw Tiffany gossiping quietly with Yeseo, whispering into her ear. It was then, Tiffany caught Taeyeon’s gaze and looked right back at her, unwaveringly, eyes aglitter with things that entranced her and terrified her all the same.

It was only Monday, only the second week back at school, and Taeyeon was already so tired.

* * *

“Did you hear the rumors?” Yuri asked, she was slightly breathless, holding onto the straps of her backpack.

They were barely two minutes into their walk home, and the sun was beating down on their backs heavily. Taeyeon didn’t have to think too hard to figure out who these rumors were probably about. “Nope. But I’m guessing its something to do with my lovely stepsister?”

Yuri nodded. “A couple of girls on the hockey team said they saw Tiffany, Jessica and Gyuri smoking behind the bleachers.”

“Huh.” Taeyeon shook her head, not exactly surprised. “Is that so?”

“Yup. And not only that,” Yuri took a breath – clearly more excited and intrigued than Taeyeon was. “Sooyoung said she saw Tiffany making out with Nick under the stairwell in the science corridor during fourth period.”

“Wow.” Taeyeon found herself chuckling mirthfully, looking down below them as they passed over cracks and dents carved into the pavement. “She’s moves fast doesn’t she?”

Not only had Tiffany been smoking on school property, but she’d also managed to exchange saliva with the school’s most desired bad boy, while cutting class in the process, all in one day. Quite impressive, really.

“I guess she’s finally showing everyone why she got kicked out of her last school, huh?” Yuri said thoughtfully, squinting up at the bright sky. “Are you gonna tell your parents?”

Taeyeon took a breath; her mind wandering to what Tiffany would look like drawing on a cigarette, kissing somebody in the shadows of a stairwell, sharing body heat and breath- She stopped herself and shrugged, brushing the thought from her mind. “I don’t know.”

* * *

At home they had dinner, all four them, together, at the dinner table, like they always did. Her mother and Mr. Hwang had been talking about some drama in her mother’s workplace and Taeyeon had nodded and listened, just like she always did. Tiffany did the same, but only when their parents were looking.

Mr. Hwang and Mrs. Kim may have not noticed, but Tiffany had her phone under the table and had been texting all through dinner. She’d smile down at her screen intermittently before wiping it away to join back into the conversation. Taeyeon wondered, briefly, who she might be texting, but kicked herself because why the should I care?

They cleared the table, her mother disappeared into her office, Tiffany slipped upstairs and Taeyeon was on dishes duty. She was rinsing some plates and slotting them into the dishwasher when Mr. Hwang slinked in and leaned up against the counter.

“You need help?” He asked, folding his arms against his chest.

Taeyeon shook her head. “It’s okay, I got it.”

Mr. Hwang hummed in acknowledgement and stepped around the open dishwasher until he was hovering awkwardly next to the sink where Taeyeon was. It was then she noticed just