The images on Tiffany’s big screen TV had only appeared for two seconds before Jessica impatiently flipped to the next channel. She had just tidied up the living room by throwing away trash that was on the floor. Normally she would never clean up other people’s messes, but since it was her best friend she figured she could make an exception.

 

She and Tiffany should still be in school right now, but given the previous events of her friend acting like a jackass, she found it a good enough excuse to skip classes and relax. She only wished Tiffany had something in her kitchen that wasn’t deep fried and processed.

 

Half an hour passed by and Tiffany came into the living room, hugging her Totoro doll. Jessica could tell she just finished crying and did a terrible job of wiping her tears away. She stood there for a good fifteen seconds until Jessica sighed.

 

“You know this is your condo. You can sit on your couch whenever you want.”

 

Tiffany didn’t say anything. She walked past the recliner and the coffee table before sitting next to Jessica on the sofa. She hugged her smiling plushie tighter as she stared at the screen.

 

“You still carry around that thing? You do know you’re in your last year of high school,” Jessica sighed.

 

Tiffany glared at Jessica. “You know it’s special to me.” Tiffany placed her doll on the edge of the sofa. She reached behind the sofa to pull out an unopened bag of chips which she immediately opened and stuffed into her face. Jessica stared at her with wide eyes and mouth agape.

 

“Honestly Tiff, were you raised on a farm?”

 

“It’s my secret stash of cheese balls. I didn’t want the cleaning ladies to steal it,” Tiffany mumbled as she continued to stuff a handful of cheese balls into .

 

“You fired your cleaning ladies a month ago, stupid. That’s plenty of time to collect all your food and throw them in your kitchen,” Jessica argued before turning her gaze back to the TV.

 

After a few minutes, Jessica saw that Tiffany finished her bag of cheese balls and came back from the kitchen with a bottle of beer.

 

“You also need to lay off the beer Tiff. You’re gonna get fat,” Jessica criticized as Tiffany was already half way done with the bottle.

 

Tiffany was about to say something back at her, but instead clicked her tongue and slammed the bottle hard on the coffee table. Jessica didn’t even flinch at Tiffany’s wild behavior; she was more amazed to how the glass bottle didn’t shatter. Tiffany had already crossed her arms and Jessica thought it was the right time to talk again. She switched the TV off on the remote and shifted her body towards her friend.

 

“Since you’re out of your room, I assume you’re ready to talk now.”

 

Tiffany grabbed her smiling Totoro and looked into its happy face rather than Jessica’s interrogation glare.

 

“I’m not mad Tiff, I was just surprised. That’s all. For these past couple of weeks you’ve been acting weirder than normal and you couldn’t even tell me about it. You never kept secrets from Tiff. You know you can trust me,” Jessica frowned as she tried to choose her words carefully.

 

“Trust you?” Tiffany scoffed. “Like how you went behind my back and tried to conspire some diabolical scheme with your new friends?” Tiffany‘s voice got louder as she scowled; Jessica stayed calm since she was already used to TIffany’s tantrums.

 

“I wasn’t planning anything against you Tiff. I was trying to help you.”

 

“Help me?!” Tiffany yelled. “How was talking to that ing midget supposed to help me, Jess?!” Tiffany clenched her fist while squeezing her doll tightly.

 

“Because I needed to see why she was so special to you.”

 

“I told you already I hate her fuc-”

 

“And when I found out more about her, all I found out was that she was a stupid little girl with an even more idiotic friend!” Jessica interrupted, her eyes glaring at Tiffany as if to say ‘don’t mess with me’. “So then I started putting the pieces together and my god Tiff, I never thought you’d be that stupid to believe in such a ridiculous thing.”

 

Tiffany’s mouth was shut tight. Jessica knew she hit a nerve when she saw Tiffany’s eyes watering.

 

“You know it’s amazing. I haven’t seen you shed a tear since… that day,” Jessica spoke gently.

 

Tiffany rubbed her eyes with her arm harshly in order to wipe away the tears she wouldn’t let fall.

 

“To be honest Jess, it might just be ridiculous. There’s no way my mom could’ve chosen that .”

 

“I’m embarrassed to say that I almost forgot about you telling me about it. I probably thought you were still grieving and thought you were just spouting nonsense.”

 

Tiffany was about to grab her most treasured item in her pocket, but fought the urge to grab it. She ruffled her hair forcefully as she almost slammed her fist on the coffee table.

 

“It was supposed to be you Jessi. I was supposed to be with you,” Tiffany choked back on her words.

 

Jessica shook her head. “You and I both know I don’t see you like that Tiff. To me you’re still that shy little girl who was afraid of me back in my old mansion. You’re like family Tiff. I just don’t feel the same way as you do.” Jessica tried to touch Tiffany’s shoulder, but Tiffany forcefully turned her shoulder away, not making eye contact.

 

“My mom was supposed to choose you Jess. You’re supposed to be the one.”

 

“But I’m not Tiff. According to your logic, it’s Kim Taeyeon. You say you can’t accept that yet I saw you kissing her in that library; you with your hands all over her and you lustfully kissing . You’re contradicting yourself Tiffany and I want to know.”

 

“What do you want me to say Jess?!” Tiffany squeezed her legs. “That I was curious maybe? That I found her somewhat cute? That maybe if I kissed her a second time it would show that I didn’t enjoy myself and it wasn’t a fluke? Because you know what? I have no ing idea why!”

 

The room was silent for a minute. Tiffany buried her face in her plushie while Jessica just sat there and stared at her friend.

 

“When did this whole thing start Tiff? Was it before she-”

 

“No,” Tiffany interrupted. “No. It was a few months before that. I started to suspect it during my sixth birthday party. Do you remember? You were there.”

 

Jessica lowered her gaze towards the grey plushie in Tiffany’s arms.

 

“I vaguely remember.”

 

“Well, do you remember my sixth birthday party?.”

 

***

 

“Happy Birthday Stephanie!”

 

The sound of party poppers going off could be heard throughout the opulent dining room. Little Stephanie blew out the six candles on her giant pink birthday cake. The crowd of her parent’s business friends all clapped behind her as many of them were snapping pictures of the cute little girl in her party dress. Stephanie stepped away and let her butler cut the cake as she approached the only girl who was even remotely close to her age.

 

“You know I told Mommy and Daddy not to buy me a cake since I’m a grown up now, but they insisted since I’m only six once. But anyways, I’m glad you came Jessi. It’s always boring when Mommy and Daddy’s business friend’s come over,” Stephanie pouted.

 

“Don’t worry about it Steph. My parents are the same when it comes to celebrations and get-togethers. I think the only difference is at times I find father’s guests to be quite humorous at times when they spout nonsense when they actually think they’re being smart,” Jessica looked at the corner of her eye as a group of men in suits were laughing about economic fluctuations.

 

“I guess I’m still not used to you being a smart girl Jessi. You must really be a genius.”

 

“I wouldn’t say that. I blame my tutors for stuffing my head with useless information I’ll probably never apply in life. But don’t let it get to you. I’m in the same boat as you, remember? In a way we both need each other since we both live similar lives.”

 

Stephanie nodded her head in agreement. Even though it has been a few weeks since she met Jessica, she felt really close to her once she learned that Jessica was just as lonely as she was. At first Stephanie thought Jessica was scary, but after Jessica started to open up a bit she saw that Jessica was just a nice girl who had other ways of expressing herself. At times Jessica did say some harsh words, but she eventually learned to not take it by heart.

 

“Stephanie, let’s open your presents before we have cake,” Stephanie’s mother called from the other side of the room. Stephanie whipped her head back and instantly trotted to her mother.

 

“Yay! Presents!”

 

When she got close to her parents, she saw her mother was holding a box that was wrapped in blue and pink with a silver bow on top.

 

“Happy Birthday sweetie. We love you so much,” Stephanie’s mother cooed before handing the neatly wrapped gift to her now jumping daughter.

 

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Did you really buy it?” Stephanie said quickly as she recklessly tore away the wrapping paper and opened a box to find a smiling grey raccoon she was begging her parents for weeks. “Oh my gosh you did buy it! Thank you mommy!” Stephanie squealed while tightly hugging the grinning raccoon doll she always loved since she watched the movie.

 

She remembered she constantly asked her mommy to buy it when they passed by a toy store one day and was so heartbroken when her mom said they were in a rush to get back home. Stephanie was bouncing with glee as she continued to thank her mother.

 

“It wasn’t just me sweetie. Your daddy helped to buy it as well.”

 

Mr. Hwang scratched his head while shyly chuckling. Stephanie immediately stopped jumping as the thought of her daddy actually doing something for her didn’t make sense. She looked at him for a second and looked back at the ground, not wanting to make eye contact.

 

“Oh… thanks Daddy.” Stephanie murmured with less enthusiasm..

 

“You’re very welcome Stephanie. Now why don’t you go enjoy your party? Me and mommy need to talk to some of our work friends.”

 

Stephanie’s dad patted her head and led him and his wife towards the kitchen. Stephanie shook her head; she assumed her mommy just said that to make it look like her daddy actually did something for her. In the back of her mind she assumed only her mommy bought her the doll. She skipped back to Jessica with the big grey plushie in her arms.

 

“Look Jessi! Totoro!” Stephanie pushed the doll close to Jessica’s face.

 

“Yeah Steph, that is a doll,” Jessica pushed the doll to the side.

 

“Aww don’t you like Totoro, Jessi?” Stephanie pouted.

 

“I’ve told you before Steph, I’m just not interested in toys. My parents keep buying them for me and I just pretend to like them so they think I’m a normal kid,” Jessica took a sip of her apple juice slowly.

 

“Hmph. I bet you really like toys, but you’re just trying to be all miss tough pants,” Stephanie said in a silly deep voice behind her new toy.

 

“Yeah, sure Steph. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

 

The two friends decided to get some cake while having many of the Hwang’s business associates congratulate Stephanie while telling her she’s going to grow to be a fine young lady one day. Stephanie blushed in happiness while Jessica just rolled her eyes. Stephanie was going to sneak with Jessica back to the playroom, but she noticed that her parents weren’t in the dining room anymore. She wondered where they went.

 

“Hey Jessi, can you put Totoro in my room? I need to find my mommy and daddy.”

 

Stephanie gave her toy to Jessica and Stephanie walked around the giant dining hall. It was weird to not see her parents schmoozing with the guests and wondered if they went to their room. She wanted to ask her mommy if Jessica could stay and have a sleepover tonight.

 

She walked out of the dining room and passed the luxurious living room before hearing her mommy and daddy’s upset voices in one of the first floor guest rooms. She sneaked quietly near the closed door and tried to make out what they were saying.

 

“You are so unbelievable Yongsil! This is your daughter’s birthday for god’s sake! Why did you invite all of our colleagues for this?”

 

“You don’t understand Anna. This is a crucial moment for us. If the Hwang Hotel Company can complete this merger with Cube Corp, then our stock price will increase at a minimum of thirty-five percent! And besides, you know Stephanie is practically a loner! She doesn’t have any friends besides the Jung’s daughter. Plus she might actually have friends her own age here for her party if you weren’t sheltering her the whole time.”

 

It sounded like her parents were having an argument. This was the first time she heard her mommy and daddy talk like that. Stephanie felt like she should walk away quickly, but was curious to hear what else her parents were going to say.

 

“I can’t believe you sometimes! Have you forgotten you haven’t spent time with your daughter for nearly a month? My god Yong, I’m still surprised she still remembers you’re her father.”

 

“Don’t get me started on that again Anna. I’m doing this so that we can all live a happy life where we don’t have to worry about money. This entire company we created was to make sure Stephanie has a beautiful future.”

 

“So how is she going to have a beautiful future if you’re not going to be there to see it? God you can be so dense about work.”

 

Hearing her parents talk about her made her feel nauseous in her stomach. It’s true that she didn’t like to talk to other kids, but that’s because she would rather be with her mommy and most recently Jessica. She didn’t mind all of the grownups as long as her mommy was there.

 

Her dad on the other hand, she kind of cared about him but she rarely saw him since he worked most of the time. Plus what her mom said was true. Sometimes she did forget she had a daddy.

 

Stephanie thought now would be a good time to walk away, but suddenly she heard her mother coughing uncontrollably from the other side of the door. Stephanie was cringing because it sounded like her mother was having another coughing fit and it sounded a lot worse than before.

 

“Anna! Oh my god, are you okay? I’m going to call 911.”

 

Her father’s voice sounded frantic as her mother’s forced coughing was beginning to sound very painful. Stephanie knew her mother’s body was physically weak and has occasionally gotten sick, but it still scared Stephanie to know that her mother was in pain.

 

“There’s no need for that Yong. I’m fine now. I think I just got over excited again.”

 

There was silence in the room. It sounded like they both sat on the bed. She heard her mother drinking some water, so she assumed everything was okay again.

 

“It’s getting worse Yongsil. I can feel it. I don’t think it’s just a cold.”

 

Stephanie leaned closer on the door in order to hear well. Before she could hear more, a small hand covered and pulled her away from the door.

 

“Ahhhmmmmhhh-”

 

Jessica muffled Stephanie’s mouth and dragged her friend away from the room.

 

“What are you doing Stephanie? Some of the adults are asking where you are. They have presents for you,” Jessica moved her hand away from her friend’s house.

 

Stephanie looked behind her to see if her parents heard her. After a few seconds the door to the guest room remained close so she was safe for now.

 

“Did you have to grab my mouth? That hurt,” Stephanie rubbed her lips.

 

Jessica merely shrugged her shoulder. “I didn’t see any other way of getting your attention without you scaring whoever is in that room.”

 

Stephanie looked back at the guest room. She was curious what her mommy meant about getting worse and if she had to go to the hospital.

 

“Come on, you have to go see your guests,” Jessica pulled her arm.

 

Stephanie decided to put it behind her and followed Jessica back to the dining room.

 

It was probably nothing to worry about.

 

***

 

“But it was something to worry about,” Tiffany muttered.

 

Jessica nodded as she vaguely remembered catching her friend snooping.

 

“What was she diagnosed with?” Jessica asked.

 

Tiffany twitched as the hurtful memories started to come back.

 

“The doctor said it was systemic lupus erythematosus,” Tiffany said softly.

 

“Lupus,” Jessica looked to the ground, knowing exactly what the disease was.

 

“Doctor’s thought she was just having occasional flu attacks, but it turned out she was suffering from a lot of immune system diseases.”

 

Tiffany looked to be very emotional as she talked about her mother’s disease, so Jessica thought it would be better if she talked for her.

 

“By the time the doctors fully diagnosed her it was already too late, right? That was about six months after your birthday,” Jessica thought carefully. “I remember my parents talking about it and how it was really hard for everyone in your home.”

 

Tiffany closed her eyes for a few seconds in order to control her emotions. She forced herself to take slow deep breaths in order to not cry.

 

“All I knew was she was dying, Jess. Doctor didn’t even know how long she had. Me and the staff tried our best to help find a cure or at least take away her pain. Daddy on the other hand…”

 

Jessica saw that Tiffany was clenching her fists to the point her knuckles were turning white. Tiffany took another deep breath and looked directly at Jessica.

 

“Daddy did absolutely nothing.”

---

 

As promised, I updated on time :)

 

Part 3 will be uploaded in 1-3 weeks.