part two

high school

***

The following morning, Wendy told me about Krystal from Califronia and her recent kiss with Sooyoung over breakfast even though I had already heard the details the previous night. It was unnecessary, but I wasn’t going to interject her storytelling. Wendy had this glint in her eyes, sparkling with excitement, and I was just endeared to have my best friend be comfortable in speaking about her uality.

Sooyoung was a chatty person. She gushed about their rendezvous at the local mall to someone, and that someone told someone, who told someone, and blah blah blah. Wendy practically claimed the story to anyone who asked, dispelling the students saying it was a dumb rumor to make our school lives less boring.

At the beginning of our senior year, Wendy’s openness drew more and more admirers at school. Girls who I had no suspicions of being gay or bi came out. There weren’t direct confessions to Wendy, but there were admissions from girls saying they had a crush on her. She and I were in one class again so I had people hounding me inquiring about, “Is she not interested in anybody?” and “Do you think she’ll like me back if I do this or that?” I couldn’t provide a sure-fire answer. That was something only Wendy herself can give. She was everyone’s eye-candy. They greasy pick-up lines, her talent in singing, her flirtatious personality, they were very alluring qualities to the ladies and gents.

Craziest part was, she did give in to Koo Junhoe’s advances. The grapevine disseminated information faster than I had finished peeing. I was inside the cubicle as a group of girls were squealing about Wendy kissing Junoe. Spin the bottle at the theater they said. There weren’t any teachers. I confronted Wendy and she confirmed it. She said she had also kissed this other girl. My best friend was on a roll.

Anyhow, her soft spot for unnie hadn’t withered. She was at her beck and call, dropping everything she was doing if she caught wind of unnie in distress. One time, unnie was in PE class when her period came. Wendy snuck out of our class to buy unnie some pads. She got into detention. The girls were swooning over her “romantic” gesture.

“Seul, why isn’t Wan in your classroom?”

“She’s at the counselor’s office for detention.”

“Wendy has detention?!”

“She did run out of class to buy you your pads.”

“What?!”

“She couldn’t sit still when you texted us. Neither of us had any spare. We had our experiment worksheet to fill out in the Chemistry lab, and she completed hers in five minutes and gave the excuse to Mr. Lee that she had to go to the restroom. Rosie said she got caught on their floor after coming back from the gym.”

“What the heck? She lied to me! She told me I texted her at the perfect timing because a teacher requested to run an errand for her. I’m appreciative of her buying me pads, but breaking the rules is inexcusable. Once I get my hands on her…”

“You guys looking for Wendy?”

“She’s in detention, Jisoo.”

“Oof. Yeah. I’m straining to grasp that she’s become this rule-breaking baddie. Earning detention for PDA? Never would have imagined.”

“Did you say PDA?”

“Yeah. Got caught making out with Koo Junhoe, adding to being on Jennie’s floor when it’s a restricted area to upperclassmen. Two offenses in one day.”

“Holy crap.”

-

Losing their ity was a topic my friends rarely spoke about. It wasn’t a crime to delve into the topic, although was largely taboo to be inserted into our conversations. The teachings in school would emphasize on the importance on saving yourself before marriage, barely dwelling on the methods of safe , as if they could totally inspire everyone to abstain. Teenagers are raging with hormones. A number of them won’t be celibate by graduation. Just stating the facts.

This isn’t an encouragement for you to have while being in high school. Your sister would kill me. I’m just presenting to you the reality. You may be hearing other kids shrugging about popping their cherry like it’s no big deal, but it really is a big step to take. Do it when you’re confident you’re ready. Don’t have for the sake of the other person. should be consensual.

Jisoo mumbled to me an offhanded remark during a -ed talk that it really does take two to tango. I hadn’t construed the meaning of what she said straightaway, and no I won’t be answering you about the stats of my v-card since this isn’t about me. This is about my best friend.

Wendy fooled around, but to the extent of her fooling around, unnie and I weren’t briefed into the particulars. It had been common knowledge to everyone that she wasn’t looking to be committed. She said it herself. Relationships were deemed distracting and draining to her, with exerting the effort and dedicating a certain time for your significant other and whatnot. She preferred the thrill of a short-term, no strings attached canoodling much to my disapproval. It was a road I didn’t peg for her to drive into, but I wasn’t going to control her over it. I do wish I had been firmer on my stand against it. You can’t kiss someone then cast them aside like they’re disposable hand towels.

Same applies to .

“You seeing Koo Junhoe again?”

“He’s alright when he isn’t talking, which is convenient on my end. I’m not seeing for an intelligible exchange. I have my Student Council friends for that.”

“Out of the guys in our school, you just had to go for Koo Junhoe, huh?”

“He isn’t clingy and he’s got these nice toned arms. A basketball player’s physique. You would know, Jisoo.”

“I love my boyfriend for more than just his arms. And abs.”

“Besides, Eunwoo isn’t a jerk.”

“You two don’t ever sway the opportunity to gang up on me when it comes to him.”

“You don’t listen anyway.”

“Yet, you still love me anyway. Isn’t that right, Hyun?”

“Your life. Your choice.”

“There’s a supportive best friend. If you’ll excuse me, I have places to be and—”

“Hey, Wannie, something fell out of your pocket!”

“…”

“You bring a ramyeon seasoning packet with you?”

“Uh, you don’t have to pick that up, Jisoo.”

“This is a .”

“…”

“Son Seungwan. Are you..?”

“Whoops, I gotta go, later gator!”

“…”

“…”

“At least she’s safe?”

“It’s…whatever.”

-

There are obvious signs of attraction. For some, it’s the straightforward affirmations and grand gestures. You and unnie have had guys from your class professing their attraction by sending you gifts, anonymous love letters and dedicating love songs to you. Lisa poked her nose into Jennie’s business whenever and however she can so Jennie could give her a smidgen of her attention. I don’t have to expound on those. The examples are self-explanatory.

For some, their attraction is guised under thinly veiled indifference and a mask of denial. These are the people who refuse to accept they’re attracted to this specific person. Their aversion from the acknowledgement provides them the illusion that whatever they feel isn’t real. Ignorance is bliss. They can be experts at hiding their emotions. But often times, a speck of their feelings surfaces at given circumstances, unearthed by a trigger, shooting through their mask point-blank.

The denial doesn’t evaporate in an instant, but the truth slowly crawls up to them, punctuated in a single defining moment.

Where unnie is classified under? You decide.

“I owe you one for this, Seulgi.”

“You owe me nothing, Taeyeon-unnie. Sketching is my favorite pastime. Very therapeutic. Frankly, I’d do this over studying. I hope what I’m doing will go well with the theme of little Yeri’s poem.”

“Yeri, I’m going to meet Sooyoung-unnie and Tiffany-unnie. I need you to be on your best behavior. Don’t leave the park without any of the unnis. If you gotta pee, tell them. If you see a duck, tell them you’re scared. If you’re restless, do not go out of their sight. If possible, just please, please, please glue your to this blanket on the grass. Understood?”

“We’ll take it from here, unnie.”

“Thank you for babysitting, guys. See you in a couple of hours!”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Is she your girlfriend?”

“Wha—who?”

“The smaller one.”

“Hey, I’m not small!”

“Who said it was you?”

“…”

“Ha! You should have seen your face! It is you. Duh!”

“Irene and I are of the same height!”

“Correction. I’m taller by two centimeters, thank you very much.”

“Barely noticeable.”

“I don’t care about your small problems. So? Girlfriends?”

“We’re not, you little demon.”

“Wendy. She’s ten.”

“A ten year-old demon.”

“You guys hold hands all the time.”

“Best friends do that.”

“Yeah.”

“And I can’t help it if Irene can’t resist me—ow!”

“Wendy!”

“’Cause you’re so small?”

“You’re smaller than I am, you gremlin.”

“I’m only ten and I can overpower you in a few years. Back to my question, so you’re really not girlfriends?”

“No.”

“But she sits on your lap?”

“Yes.”

“So do other girls.”

“And you sometimes kiss her?”

“Platonic kisses on the cheek.”

“She kisses everyone.”

“But you’re not together?”

“Nope.”

“This is middle school all over again.”

“Okay. Irene-unnie can do better anyway.”

“Listen here you little shi—”

“Lookie, Yeri! How’s this sketch?”

“Woooah, that is so cool! So, so cool. I love it! You’re super awesome, Seulgi-unnie!”

“Aww, thanks for the hug, you cutie!”

“Careful, Seulgi. Demons come in an array of shapes and sizes.”

“But you can’t relate since you’ve been one size your entire life.”

“That’s it!”

“Watch your step, both of you!”

“Tae-unnie! I’m being chased by a gerbil!”

“What a weird way to bond.”

“Wendy! Don’t tickle her too much, she has a tiny bladder!”

“Yeah, Wendy, do what your girlfriend says!”

“We are not girlfriends!”

“Yet!”

“She’s my best friend. I wouldn’t date her, you heathen.”

“Then who would you date, Wannie?”

“Hmm. Let me think. There’s Park Sooyoung, but I’ll admit that I’ll mainly be in it for her long legs. There’s Koo Junhoe too, but yes, he is the ultimate jerk and he can be a literal dickhead at times. So…no one.”

“What’s with all the flirting then?”

“All in the name of good fun, Hyun. But if I really have to choose, it would have to be…Kim Yongsun.”

“!”

“…”

“Dropped my apple on the grass. My bad.”

“Unnie. You cursed!”

“Haha, !”

“Uh-oh.”

“Directly within the child’s hearing range, Hyun? We can’t return her swearing like a sailor to Taeyeon-unnie. She’ll have our heads mounted on pitchforks!”

“I don’t swear with unnie. I’m not stupid. Fany-unnie said I’ll just have to say it with my inside voice so she won’t know.”

“This kid’s trained.”

“So why not date Irene-unnie?”

“Because, pure innocent Yeri, best friends do not date each other, nor should they develop feelings for each other. That would be wrong and extremely complicated. There’s a lot at stake, so the universe would be at peace if best friends stay best friends. Am I right?”

“…”

“Hyun?”

“What?”

“Am I right?”

“About?”

“Best friends staying best friends?”

“Oh. Um. Yes. Best friends stay best friends.”

“Get what I’m saying, Yeri?”

“Unnie, your apple is rolling away.”

-

Let’s discuss your favorite female artist, Joy. Or Park Sooyoung as she had been known in high school. The girl had been a prominent beauty and had a sizeable quantity of fanboys that rivaled Irene unnie’s cult. She was signed to an entertainment company in her freshman year. Her face had already been plastered on TV, appearing in commercials and this boy group’s music video. Did some modelling for school uniforms. She had a taste of fame even then. We had this one guy from another high school who was so devoted to her and would shriek her name at the top of his lungs. Guy must have stretched his vocal cords. I have to commend on his loyalty. He’s the president of Joy’s fanclub now.

We weren’t close but she and Jennie were, so my sources for anything Sooyoung-related came from her. She didn’t go out with anyone when she studied there as her contract prohibited her from being in a relationship, but she was, similar to Wendy, a resident flirt in our school. The term “relationship” wasn’t properly delineated in her contract and Sooyoung seized it as a loophole to kiss whoever she pleased without labelling what they have.

And when I say whoever, that whoever points to Wendy. Sooyoung had randomly disclosed to me how Wendy is such a good kisser and has a “talent with her tongue”, an info I didn’t have to live with. I could have gone my merry way without the scarring enlightenment of her kissing skills.

Besides each other’s faces, Wendy had tutored her after classes. Sooyoung had a ton of catching up to do due to her daily training. Trainee life was a life of sleepless nights, she’d groan to us. She was marking her path to stardom, but she had to graduate high school first.

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