Author's Note: Happy New Year!!! I really love reading your comments so please let it come. I get to have some ideas while reading each comment.;) So Thank you. From my last question to the previous chapter..some people are not comfortable when they're are on the receiving end, even if it comes from a friend. So we should always be mindful of our actions no matter how good is our intention is. 

Taeyeon

"Seriously, what’s your plan Taeng?”, Yuri asks as we sit on an uncomfortable sofa in what’s called the east room. There’s a buffet table against the back wall that has a bunch of china teacups and saucers, plus tiers of cakes and cookies, but I’m definitely not hungry right now. I did take the cucumber sandwich Yuri offered me from her plate, but I’m mostly just crumbling it into a napkin. “I think Jessica has a point though, though your intention was good, still..it seems you overstep your boundary. You’re not even that close to her yet.”

“I..I know..and seriously I don’t know how to resolve this,” I tell Yuri now in a low voice. “I know I told you that I’ll just tell her everything but, I’m scared..I don’t want her to avoid me or even hate me?”

I don’t add that I’m her childhood friend who lied to her about my real gender.

God, why it seems like nothing’s going right, every time I feel that I’m starting to connect with her, then something always came up and threaten to cut that connection?

Hyoyeon is perched on a rickety-looking chair she dragged over from the side of the room, and she leans closer, her bony elbows on her knees. “Why not just tell her everything, come clean,” she says. “You cannot expect to build a strong relationship if your foundation is made up of lies and cover-up stories.” She shrugs her narrow shoulders. “It’s a good idea, really. Makes things less awkward and you feeling anxious every now and then.”

I remember asking her out in front of her best friend and her sister.

“I . . . may have already made it a little awkward,” I confess. “Although she seems to take it in a light and positive way. I think.”

Yuri’s and Hyoyeon’s eyes go wide, and Yuri grabs my hand. “Okay, tell me everything immediately.”

We sit there on the sofa while I pick at my sandwich some more, visions of being stripped of uniform circling my brain, and fill them in on my straightforward moves with Tiffany. When I get to the part where I told how Tiffany’s sister asks if two girls can date, Yuri, scoots closer.

“Oh my lord, I would’ve given anything to see your face when she answers that.”

“She didn’t take it negatively, isn’t it?” I ask, crumpling up my crumb-filled napkin. “I mean, she said it’s nice to be ask—”

“But still she didn’t agree?” Yuri asks, and I shoot her a look.

“For now!..so it’s not that she doesn’t want too, I was thinking more along the lines of she’s just really busy at the moment.”

Hyoyeon shakes her head before snatching a tea cake from Yuri’s plate. “Then, there’s still some hope,” she says before demolishing the cake in one bite. “Talk to her, tell her everything that she needs to know if you want this relationship between you two to work on. That’s the only way.”

At that moment, Tiffany comes into the room, flanked by two more people aside from her best friend, one guy and another girl whom I remember is the girl she was with when they got hurt last time. They’re all wearing the same uniform but different from us.

Her eyes briefly land on me and before I could smile at her, she just gave me a quick nod and immediately look away. Did she find out already what I did? Did Jessica tell her what I’ve done?

She walks over to another sofa, this one is bigger than the one we’re sitting on and already occupied by three younger girls.

The three girls are very excited to greet them. She approaches them and gave each of them a warm hug.

“Did you notice how she avoid giving me any eye contact, did you think she found out already what I did?” I ask worriedly.

“Sorry, I didn’t notice, maybe she just didn’t notice you” Hyoyeon replies. “And they seem to have a meeting with her group of friends.”

Yuri looks at me, her dark eyes narrowed slightly. “Hmmm . . . well, if you really that bother that Tiffany didn’t greet us well, let’s make our presence known then.”

“Are you insane!?. Don’t do something stupid.” I hissed.

Laughing, Hyoyeon put her hands up surrendering. “I’m out of this,” she says, laughing. “You better hold your leash with Yuri Taeng, as she tends to do stupid things.”

“Easy, wise-,” Yuri counters. “It’s not like I’m doing this for myself.”

Hyoyeon grins. “Well, from what I’ve heard, Taeng is not the only one who is desperate for the attention of a girl here.”

“I..I am not!!” Yuri retort with a little panicked, lifting her chin in the air. “Besides, I’m just taking my time to approach her.”

She says it with such confidence that I don’t even question it, but Hyoyeon rolls her eyes. “Give it up Yul. She’s a tough nut, you’re not even sure if she swings the same team. Unlike with Taeng here, at lest...Tiffany didn’t seem to shut her down at her offer.”

Yuri made a deep sigh. “I’m fine by just watching her from afar. I don’t need to know whether she swings or not.” Yuri says frowning.

“So, you’re fine even you can’t talk to her or she just ignore you?” I ask Yuri, but to my surprise, she nods her head.

“Yes, as long as she doesn’t hate me. I mean, I still dream to at least be a friend to her. But the real goal is just for her to accept that I exist in this world. This is the first time that I feel like I don’t exist in someone else’s world even though we both go to the same school.” Then she shrugs. “Also, she started to glare at me from sometimes, so I guess she started to notice me as well.”

“Unbelievable,” Hyoyeon mutters, but before Yuri can reply, a woman walks into the room with three more people trailing her back. She’s not wearing the same uniform as ours but a designer brand of clothing, her hair is almost as red as an apple, and it’s pulled back from her face in a flattering updo.