Fragmented Memories;

‘We use to be best friends.’

It was a whispered plea, almost a surrendering goodbye that was spoken behind the high school building. Two girls stood frozen there, wearing matching uniforms except ones skirt was pulled higher, bunch at the waist. One girl had her hands folded over her chest and wouldn’t make eye contact with the other - who stood with her hands clenched, eyes downcast trying to blink away the tears.

‘I use to be a lot of things,’ the irritated one said, obviously frustrated with the situation. Her manicured nails tapped against her arm anxiously.

‘You were never this mean,’ came the careful reply.

The retaliation. ‘You were never this pathetic.’

‘What exactly happened to us?’ Jieun bit down on her bottom lip, trying to stifle the tears that threatened to erupt.

Cold blue eyes met Jieun’s, ‘I grew tired of you.’

‘Please, don’t be like this Jiyeon,’ maybe she was getting desperate, maybe it was the loneliness or watching her best friend slip away from her but Jieun moved closer, reaching out to hold onto her old friends arm, ‘I can change.’

‘Just stop it already!’ Jiyeon yelled, throwing Jieun off her she watched coldly as the younger girl fell to the ground. Her backpack slipped off, the zipper already undone. Books flew onto the ground, pages of notes fluttering in the breeze.

Out of one of the books had floated an old photograph. It spiraled through the air to land on the concrete, the picture facing up. Two girls, younger than them, were framed by sunlight. Both seemed carefree, not a fear or trouble in their minds and were laughing together, blissfully young. Two pairs of eyes locked on the picture.

Jieun stared at herself from three years ago, her hair was exactly the same as it had been before, the only real difference in her was that she’d lost some baby fat. She had an arm around Jiyeon’s waist, the other holding their middle school graduation certificate.

Next to her stood Jiyeon, the difference between then and now was huge. Back then Jiyeon had kept her hair shorter, mostly tied up in two side pigtails. She’d always been confident and even then kept her signature ‘peace’ sign in all photographs. She was so different to Jieun but they’d both thought they would be best friends forever.

Now, Jiyeon’s hair was long, always perfectly styled. She’d kept the peace sign but lost the bright smile in photographs, trading it for a fake pout that Jieun hated. She missed the careless joy in her friends face.  

Cynical laughter bubbled out of Jiyeon. With her hands on her hips she stared at Jieun incredulously, ‘You carry that thing around?’

Jieun just ducked her head down, allowing her hair to fall into her face. With no courage to say anything she simply watched as the other girl stepped towards the picture, picking it up with manicured fingers.

She watched, half in shock, as those perfect fingers gripped the picture and ripped it, not in half, but enough to leave it broken. Ruined. Torn. Like their friendship. Hanging on by the teeth.

‘Forget about us,’ the taller girl mumbled. Throwing the picture back on the ground she stalked away.

Jieun walked home oblivious to the world. She ignored the welcome from her mother when she stepped into her house and simply made her way to the bedroom. In her hand she still clutched the picture she’d picked up blindly at the school yard.

Carefully, careful not to make any more rips, the girl began to stitch it back together. Such a silly thing, stitching together a photograph. She could have very well stuck it together with sticky tape but something about the sentiment of actually going to the trouble to stitch it together made her continue.

It was more precious than something that should be held together with sticky tape.

And she cried. Because, while she knew in her head not every friendship would last she’d never actually expected it to happen. She cried because the friendship she’d cherished for seven years had crashed apart in her arms, despite how much she tried to keep it together.

Chapter Characters;
                     IU and Tara's Jiyeon