It was a cloudy afternoon. It was a few minutes before six in the evening. Jessica and Yuri went straight to Yuri’s house after school. Jessica told her mom that it was for a project, an experiment, and Yuri told her parents the same thing, only with a few more details. No one was home but the two of them and they decided to make great use of the opportunity. They entered through the house’s front door and they locked it behind them. They went up the stairs to Yuri’s room and they were planning to enter it soon.

“Jessi,” Yuri stopped as she clutched the doorknob. “Are you sure you want to go through with this?”

“Y-yes. I’m sure.”

Yuri smiled slightly at Jessica and she finally opened the door and shut it quickly behind her. Jessica sat on the bed in the middle of the room and Yuri followed after her.

“Th… this is only a one time thing right?” Jessica worriedly asked Yuri.

“Yes. One time,” Yuri agreed. “Nothing else.”

“This is just because everyone else is doing it,” Jessica added.

“Yeah. Just for that reason.”

“This isn’t because I like you or anything–”

“Let’s just get on with this,” Yuri interrupted as she looked Jessica in the eye. “So it’ll be over soon.”

Yuri started to her uniform, but Jessica remained seated.

“What’s wrong?” Yuri asked as she stopped undressing.

“N-nothing,” Jessica replied. “It’s just that it’s my first time.”

“Don’t worry,” Yuri encouraged. “I’ll help.”

Yuri continued to remove her school attire as Jessica started to do the same, slowly. Jessica retained her blank expression as she carefully slides down her first layer of clothing through her shoulders. Yuri was already ping her skirt at this point, but Jessica was moving very slowly and was hesitating.

“Let me help you with that,” Yuri told Jessica as she noticed the other girl’s behavior.

“No. I’m fine. I can do this on my own,” Jessica replied coldly.

“Don’t you want to do this?”

“Well,” Jessica started. “It’s just tha–”

“You said it yourself. This doesn’t mean anything. So why are you hesitating like that?”

“I–”

“Let’s just get this over with.”

Yuri, who was standing in front of the bed, helped Jessica lay down on her bed. Jessica only took her top off and it wasn’t even all of it. Yuri crawled on top of her and their faces were soon inches away. Yuri puckered her lips up and she closed her eyes. Jessica’s lips shriveled as they hid themselves in . As Yuri’s lips made contact with Jessica, she realized that she wasn’t actually kissing her lips. Yuri opened her eyes and saw the folded lips of Jessica. She smiled at the girl’s act as she started to kiss her in other places. Yuri’s lips went from Jessica’s cheeks, to her ears, her neck, and they were soon down to the girl’s body. Jessica’s expression was the same throughout the whole process. Yuri crawled lower down Jessica’s body and soon, she was at her stomach. For a fifteen year old, Yuri was quite the experienced one. As Yuri did her thing, all Jessica could do was to clasp the bed sheets with her hands. She bit her lip with mixed emotions and she couldn’t keep her legs still at the same time. They kept shifting and bending as Yuri caressed her body. Yuri was slowly inching downwards and she suddenly grabs a hold of Jessica’s school skirt. She reached for the zipper with her fingers, but Jessica suddenly stopped her from doing so.

“What’s the matter?” Yuri asked as she sat up on the bed, disappointed.

“I… I’m not ready yet,” Jessica replied reluctantly.

“What are you talking about?” Yuri questioned.

“I… I…”

Before Jessica could answer, the bare body of Yuri started crawling towards her face once more. She kissed her neck in an upward motion and from there, her lips traveled to the back of Jessica’s ear. Jessica was still motionless. Her expression was still the same and her hands were grabbing the bed sheet like it was her life at risk. Then, Yuri abruptly kissed Jessica near her lips. Like before, Jessica’s lips shriveled inwards, in , and it seemed like she didn’t want to be kissed.

“Open your mouth,” Yuri ordered.

Yuri kissed her again, but her lips were still nowhere in sight.

“What’s wrong with you? Open your damn mouth!” Yuri ordered once more.

Jessica released the pressure and tension on her dry and pink lips and Yuri took the opportunity to kiss them. But instead of kissing back, Jessica had other ideas.

“Owww!” Yuri screamed in pain. “Why did you bite me?!”

“I’m sorry…” Jessica apologized as she pushed Yuri off of her. “I… I can’t do this.”

Jessica got up from the bed and took her clothes which were on the floor and she put them on quickly.

“I’m sorry,” Jessica apologized once more as she opened the bedroom door. “I… I thought I was ready… but… I’m not. I’m sorry.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Yuri asked for the hundredth time. “No one has been this way with me before. Why are you like this?”

“What?” Jessica yelled out as she let go of the door. “You… you said it was your first time too?”

“I just said that because I knew you wouldn’t agree to do this if I wasn’t in the same state as you.”

“I’m going,” Jessica replied coldly as she stepped out of the room. “I’m sorry.”

“Wait!”

Just like that, the two friends separated. Jessica was just curious, but curiosity got her nowhere. She went home soon after she left, and Yuri stayed in her room, dumbfounded by what happened. Jessica didn’t go to school the next day. She told her mom that she wasn’t feeling well. It went on for a few days or so, with the memory still fresh in Jessica’s mind. Luckily, Jessica’s mother received a call from her work, saying that they were transferring to a different place. Jessica immediately agrees with her mom and without more ado, they fixed the necessary papers for transfer. Jessica went with her mom to school the next day; to get her things, talk to the principal, and fill up more paperworks. Jessica hid behind her mom as they walked the hallways, afraid that she and Yuri might meet. Luckily, Yuri wasn’t at school that day. And so, the Jungs went to a different place to live; in a small town, in a small village. Jessica transferred to another all-girls school and they were finally at peace. On their first night there, Jessica went to bed straight away. She closed her eyes, with her mind finally getting rid of the embarrassing experience she had.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Hey Jessica!”

“Wh-wher-what is it?”

“It’s your turn.”

“To what?”

“Sing!” Yuri yelled out. “Sheesh. What happened to you? Did you fall asleep or something?”

“No. I mean yes. I mean…” Jessica stuttered as she replied to Yuri, with her brain refreshed with the past. “Yes, I’ll sing. And no, I didn’t fall asleep.”

“Let’s hear it then.”

“I’ll sing the same song,” Jessica muttered as she finally came back to her senses.

Jessica started singing from the next verse and she tried to follow what Yuri demonstrated.

“Oh once in your life you’ll find someone~ who will turn your world around~ bring you up when you’re feeling down~”

For someone who only sings in the shower, Jessica was singing quite well. She hit the right notes from the start and she was exemplifying excellent vibrato on her end notes.

“Now nothing can change what you mean to me~ there’s a lot that I could say~ but just hold me now ‘cause our love will light the way~”

Her voice was quite heavenly for an amateur and it brought a soothing sound to the listener’s ears.

Baby you’re all that I want when you’re lying here in my arms~ I’m finding it hard to believe, we’re in heaven~

Even at this stage in the song, Jessica’s vocals seemed like it was that of a professional. Her voice brought off a different feeling than Yuri’s, but it was as excellent

“Love is all that I need, and I found it there in your heart~ it isn’t too hard to see, we’re in heaven~”

As the song ended, Yuri could not help but be amazed at the hidden talent of her past friend.

“Wow! That was awesome!” Yuri praised as she clapped her hands. “You said you didn’t know how to sing! What did you call that?”

“Was it good?” Jessica asked, unsure of how she did. “I really don’t know how to.”

“It was better than good!” Yuri praised once more. “But there are still some areas we can improve on.”

“Like what?”

“You need to form an oval shape with your mouth when you sing the ‘a’ vowel.”

“Like this?” Jessica asked for confirmation as she formed in a circular shape. “Lalala~”

“No. Not like that,” Yuri told the other girl. “Don’t bring your lips too far.”

“Like this?” Jessica asked as she tried again.

“Not like that.”

Out of frustration, Yuri took her hands from her lap and formed the ‘o’ shape with Jessica’s lips herself. She held her lower and upper lip with different hands and she tried to position them correctly. The contact between Yuri’s fingertips and her lips made Jessica’s cheeks turn red. She has never kissed anyone her whole life, and here, touching those ‘unkissed’ lips, was a girl who nearly gave her the first.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Jessica asked awkwardly as she removed Yuri’s hands from her lips.

“I’m teaching you how to sing!”

“Well, you didn’t have to do that.”

“I was teaching you how to do it properly since you can’t do it right.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Why are you acting this way again? I never did anything wr-” Yuri paused for a moment and she finally realized why Jessica was acting strangely. “You don’t want me to touch your lips?” Yuri asked as she smiled at the girl. “Haven’t you kissed before?”

“I have!”

“By your mom?”

“Well… yeah.”

“Who else?” Yuri asked curiously.

“Well… you… nearly.”

Yuri was taken aback by the response and she didn’t know what to say.

“Oh come on! Don’t bring that back! Those days are way behind us. We’re all grown up here aren’t we?”

“But you kept on asking!”

“You really haven’t been kissed?”

“Well…”

“Really?”

“I…”

“For more than twenty years?”

“No! I’ve never been kissed before! There! I said it! Are you happy now?!” Jessica replied furiously.

“What are you getting mad about?”

“I’m not like you who just kisses and makes out with anyone at anytime!”

“Hey! I’m not like that!”

“Well, remember that time? You told me it was your first time too! But it wasn’t!”

“Well, okay. I’ve done it with some other people before you, but it doesn’t mean that I’m what you think I am.”

“Then what are you?”

“I’ve changed!”

“Oh really?”

“Yes! I’m not like that anymore! Why don’t you believe me?”

“You lied to me once! How can I be sure that you’re not lying right now?”

“I’m not!”

“I don’t want to hear any of it!”

Jessica stood up from the floor and left the room. She slammed the door behind her, leaving the other girl behind. The once peaceful practice session suddenly turned into a heated conversation between the two girls. Yuri, once again, was dumbfounded with what just happened. Jessica, on the other hand, walked away, far away, from the girl who made her remember the memory she wanted to forget.

“Why did it have to be her? Couldn’t it have been some other student?” Jessica asked herself as she entered an empty classroom on the first floor of the school. “But, I really didn’t have to get angry like that.” Jessica sat down on a chair at the last row and rested. “But after six years of not seeing each other, with our last memory being… well… not a good one, I can’t really expect myself to act normally.” Jessica placed her hands on the desk and crossed them. “She didn’t even say sorry to me.” She placed her head on her crossed arms and she rested some more. “But, did she really change?” Jessica asked herself once more as her eyes slowly closed. Soon enough, she was drifting to sleep.

“Jessi!”