Over the next few weeks of break, Tiffany decided to invite Sunny over to hang with them. After she told Sunny that she invited Taeyeon to Yuri’s birthday party, Sunny was shocked that she couldn’t keep closed. Despite having not been talking to Taeyeon for a while, Sunny still feels somewhat conflicted. The former did go through the trouble of getting her out of Jessica’s torture and becoming the victim herself. But all these thoughts were blown out of the window when she saw her again, still careless as ever.

Taeyeon, Tiffany and Sunny were almost always together throughout the break, either at Tiffany’s or Taeyon’s place and sometimes they went out shopping.

Tiffany and Sunny talked more than Taeyeon spoke to them. Mostly because Taeyeon wasn’t interested in buying anything and just window shopped. Her reason was that she wants to buy something meaningful rather than just buying whatever she likes at the moment. Tiffany told her that they are still young and should enjoy themselves, so they should buy more stuff. Sunny agrees with Tiffany, but she only bought a few small things due to her financial situation.

Ok, maybe not. Taeyeon was grumpy because Sunny was there, taking away her time with Tiffany. So, she strolled behind them and anticipated the announcement of the other shorty leaving.

However, Tiffany did realize something odd between Taeyeon and Sunny. Although Sunny responded to everything the former had said, she could tell it was a half-hearted reply, as if they were mere acquaintances. Tiffany didn’t want to bring the mood down, so she kept it to herself.

On other days, the three hung at Tiffany’s place. She had an entire entertainment system set up – large screen TV, soundbars, and many movies. Sunny could see how close the two still were, Taeyeon sitting cross-legged on the carpet and Tiffany hugging her friend’s arm like a koala, cheeks resting on the kid’s shoulder. Perhaps that was the only time when Taeyeon felt at ease when Sunny was around. Being the friendly one, Tiffany would ask Sunny to join them, and the latter would happily oblige. However, not without earning a visible frown from the other.

…

Before the break was over, Tiffany and Yoona decided to give Taeyeon a makeover. They made her leave her hair long into wavy side-swept bangs, and her fringe naturally parted in the middle, resting just above her cheekbones.

“UNNIE, YOU LOOK AMAZING!” Yoona practically screamed once they are out of the bathroom.

Tiffany took her hairstyling kit and asked Taeyeon to be her customer. Yoona thought it was a great idea, but Taeyeon did not. However, there was no way she could run from two crazy girls who wanted to see her in a new style.

“She’s like a whole new person! Much cooler than before!” Tiffany exclaimed alongside her sister. “I can’t wait to put some makeup on you when school starts and see people’s reactions!”

Feeling self-conscious with her new haircut, Taeyeon pouted, looking away from her two overly excited companions.

“Aww, she is shy!” One of them squealed.

“Come on, TaeTae, you are almost 17!!! Why are you blushing like a kid who just got her first compliment?” The other started laughing.

“OK! OK! I JUST LIKE IT!... I LIKE IT A LOT!” She shouted back at them.

“There we go!” Tiffany clapped her hands, “So, so, so pretty! Let me see up close!”

“You saw it up close A BILLION TIMES!”

“Shush.” Her friend hushed her and wrapped the palm of her hands around the back of Taeyeon’s neck. She observed her new look with pursed lips, studying her new face closely. She looked from left to right, up and down, not missing a tiny detail.

“Are you looking at my hair or at my skin? Can you even see anything this close?” Taeyeon asked, her eyes following her friend’s, only a few inches away from her own, studying her head like it was an art piece she created.

“Hmmm, looks a bit messy, but it suits you.”

“I think I should cut it; I can’t see anything from my right eye because of stupid hair.”

“No. That’s not allowed.”

“It’s my hair!”

“IT’S MY WORK!”

“Pfffffffffffffft….fine…not fine….” Taeyeon said but stuttered because she did not want to upset the girl. When she noticed Tiffany giving her a mean look, she finally gave in. “Fine.”

…

Senior year. Gifted Class.

Jessica, Yuri, Sunny and Taeyeon all made it into the gifted program, while Tiffany and Hyoyeon stayed behind.

…

Taeyeon’s new look was a hit. No longer the innocent-looking high schooler that still rocked a pumpkin bob cut, her new look made her look sharper and more suited for her age. Tiffany only did minimal natural makeup because she thought she might look too intimidating if she put on more.

Being Jessica’s nemesis, her new look gained a lot of comments. Some students said she looked prettier, some said she looked cooler, while others said she looked scary, which Taeyeon took as a compliment. Even the students that despised her during her first semester at the school looked shocked.

Tiffany was proud of her work and smiled wider every time she saw her.

This year felt different for everyone. In