NOTE: Yeah I know the chapter title is Taylor Swift's song lol
Anw, how have you guys been?

Okay, frankly speaking, I don't think I'd finish this before the 22nd. I'm slow like that hahaha but I'll try my best :))

Oh and advanced sorry for what's written below (especially to those who've read 'The Unwanted') this is the part of the story most of you probably hate. But either way, enjoy? I guess?

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Thursday Morning
Calculus Class

“The following problems illustrate the process of logarithmic differentiation. It is a means of differentiating algebraically complicated functions or functions for which the ordinary rules of differentiation do not apply. For example, in the problems that follow, you will be asked to differentiate expressions where a variable is raised to a variable power. An example and two COMMON INCORRECT SOLUTIONS are...” Blah blah blah... Okay. I know I should be listening to the teacher right now since I ace at this anyways, but obviously, I’m not. Probably because I haven’t had a good night sleep, and probably because Tiffany was absent on Tuesday, yesterday; even today.

I don’t know why. All I remember was a phone call on Monday, from Jessica, and the day after that, she just disappeared. Well, more like, they ALL disappeared. What really happened that they all had to bail on class? And for three straight days? Tiffany isn’t even answering my calls and texts either. Again. I hope she’s okay.

I sighed and dimmed my phone just in time that our calculus professor seemingly called my name, and the whole class staring at me expectantly. “Ms. Kim, can you answer the problem illustrated on the board?” He asks. I tipped my head a little to the side to take a glance at the math problem he’d just written on the board. I almost sighed in relief. It was a good thing I reviewed my notes last night, or else, I would’ve been in trouble. “Yes, sir.” I stood up, accepted the whiteboard marker from his hands, and proceeded to do what he asked me to.

The remaining hours of that class did no change for my attitude today. Even when we were in our assigned groupings, and I needed to be a ‘leader’, I was still the same---emotionless, bored, and missing and worrying about Tiffany Jung. I couldn’t seem to get her off my mind no matter what I do and no matter how many distractions attempt to get my attention today.

Yuri, Yoona, and I headed down the cafeteria for a lunch break after our morning class. Honestly speaking, I just want to skip our next class and go home, because as obvious as it is, I’m not in the mood to complicate my brain with too many information. Tiffany is enough to occupy my whole brain. “It’s weird,” Yoona speaks on right side. We were in Seattle’s Best. “It’s been the third day that the Jungs are absent.” Im choding unconsciously reminds me while sipping on her Ice S’mores Mocha noisily. Yuri takes a bag of gummy bears from her bag and s the plastic ziplock. She offers me and I dig in. “Well, what’s even weirder is that, Sooyoung, Hyoyeon, and Sunny are gone too.” Yoona agrees, while I wasn’t saying anything and watched them converse.

I was vaporizing the Brewed Iced Coffee in front of me while munching on a piece of gummy bear, when my phone violently buzzed inside my blazer’s front pocket. I lifelessly brought out the phone and swiped the screen without even taking a look on who texted. I froze when I saw Tiffany’s name on the top spot of the screen. I immediately opened her message.

From: Tippani~ <3

Hey, sorry if I wasn’t there the past three days. Me and my sisters just had an important matter to attend to, and I’m sorry for not telling you and for missing our tutorial sessions the other day and yesterday. I hope I’m not too late to make it up? (:

Like the usual, I instantly broke into a smile that almost wrapped around my neck. I hear a paper being crumpled and the same material hitting the side of my head. I shot a glare at Yuri (who seemingly threw that paper bag on my head) She snorted at me. “You were smiling like a lovesick fool again. I’m guessing your Cinderella finally texted you?”

“What did she say?” Yoona follows-up the question. But just when I got to open my mouth to answer my dongsaeng, six figures caught my peripheral vision and I immediately whipped my head towards that direction. Yuri and Yoona did the same. I can say the three of us were rather shocked than glad to see the six people who had been missing in action ever since Tuesday. “Did you guys missed us?”

Sooyoung and Hyoyeon pulls a nearby table and connects it with ours so we were all sitting by a long table. They sat down after that.

“What happened to you guys?” Yoona speaks for us first. And the rest of the group’s conversation gets muffled because Tiffany and I were already lost in our own world. “So what happened? Is everything alright?” I ask her, my fingers twiddling hers. When I looked up at her, she had a sheepish smile. “Family matters.” She said casually; hoping I wouldn’t notice and let it go, but because of my incredible observation skills, I knew there was definitely something more... wrong.

I opened my mouth to counter her answer but a lone finger pressed on my lips prevented me from doing so. “No more questions.” Tiffany tells me last, then, we both went silent. Only listening to the other girls’ constant chattering about the classes they missed and lectures they’d need to catch up on and some.

After our little ‘hang-out’ down the cafeteria, the nine of us decided to head straight up to our next class---which was apparently Business Administration III. We settled there and waited for the school bell to ring-a-ding-ding. We chatted long enough, with Sooyoung constantly asking about what happened in our music class (to which was the hilarious part) since Yuri was storytelling about Hongki’s random dance that day. Then, there’s Hyoyeon asking us out on a girls night out on Friday in a bar near the national library twelve blocks away. After that, the much awaited bell rang and we came back to student mode.

Though I’d gladly admit, Tiffany was unusually quiet today---which scares me a bit because she isn’t like this. Like most of us knew, she was like a walking megaphone around the people she’s fond of. And seeing her situation right now (avoiding eye contacts, shuffling through her book, mouth completely sewn together) really makes me curious as to what really happened for her to be this way. I wanted to ask but... I know she won’t answer me straight to the point, so I let it be.

When classes ended, Tiffany and I decided to stay in the room since she’d have to make up to our missed session (and to me as well) as our other friends leave the place altogether. Tiffany pasted her gaze towards the same book from earlier and I think she hadn’t flipped the page since then. She stayed silent even when I walked over to her and stared at her almost intensely.

This time, I had it.

“Hey, are you sure you’re okay? I mean, you haven’t opened your mouth since we came up from the cafeteria.”

Tiffany sighs softly so I wouldn’t hear but still did and closes her book. She slowly turned her head in my direction and looked at me straight in the eye. A small smile. “It’s okay. You can tell me. Just talk. Just let me hear your voice.” I tell her, her smile not wavering. “Please?”

Tiffany breaks our eye contact and holds my hand. She stares at our intertwined fingers like it’s the most fascinating thing in the world. Then, I finally hear her soft voice. “I’m okay. Stop worrying about me. I’m just a little... tired. That’s all.” She looks back at me with the same pretentious smile that obviously doesn’t reach her eyes. Now I know something is definitely wrong. “You should know I’m not going to believe that. Because that’s what they always say.” A worn out chuckle. Then, she cups my face with both hands. I furrow my eyebrows at the gesture (even though I like the feeling)

What this girl in front of me did next totally caught me off guard. Like, what the hell, this isn’t the kind of response I’m expecting from her at all. Tiffany threw her arms around my neck and pulled me close. Hey, we didn’t kissed, okay? We just hugged. To which I still find kind of weird. Because it’s seldom that we hold hands or any other kind of skinship, what more a hug?

She nuzzled deeper into my neck and I rub her back soothingly in the process. Because if I don’t command my hands to do something appropriate, I might faint due to Tiffany’s warm breath grazing over my skin. And then, there was her lips. We reluctantly pull away from each other. Tiffany huffs in the air. I would’ve been laughing by the way she breathed through her nose, like a dragon, but now’s not the time. “I’m sorry,” She interrupts my thoughts. “But I really can’t tell you right now.” My lips drop to a frown. But I soon gathered everything that’s left and smile at her.

“Okay.” I said. “Sure?” She says. I nodded twice. “Maybe... next time?” A weak punch on the shoulder was the only thing I got as a non-verbal answer. Everything went lighter after that conversation. It seems like I helped her get that weight out of her chest somehow. But I’m still worried for her. She doesn’t bring it up, and it worries me that my curiosity is starting to eat me alive.

‘Curiosity kills the cat’, they say.

The tutorial lessons ended earlier than expected because I just came to a realisation that I still have a Physics project to finish and I’m not even halfway through and it’s already due next week. And besides, Tiffany told me she still has a lot of lectures to catch up on and didn’t want to be literally surprised with surprise quizzes. So even though I didn’t want to part yet (and I’m sure she didn’t want to as well because she won’t let go of my hand) eventually, we’d have to because we’re just blockmates. We’re just friends.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” She bid me goodbye---not forgetting to kiss me goodbye on the cheek too---and disappears into a hallway at the end to which I’m sure led to the school gym. I heave a sigh. I force my legs and feet to walk their way towards the library where Yoona and Yuri were both most probably at.

The three of us were walking out to the parking lot when I noticed that Yoona wasn’t in a good mood. Gosh. How many people aren’t in a good mood today?

“What happened to her again?” I asked Yuri, pointing my thumb towards Yoona’s direction---who was walking aimlessly. I’m having a hunch that it has something to do with Seohyun. Yuri shrugged her shoulders on my side. “Like I said, I dunno. She was already like that when I saw her.” I nodded my head in understanding.

It wasn’t like Yoona to be slumping her shoulders and her head hung low while walking painstakingly slow. No matter what had happened, Yoona will always make it seemed like nothing happened; nothing was wrong. She would always assure us that everything was fine so we shouldn’t worry. And I guess Seohyun really has this impact on her, for her to be acting this way.

I sighed.

“Probably has something to do with Seohyun again.” I say, scratching my forehead. Seriously though, Yoona always have had issues with her crushes. I’m almost glad it only took a whole box of pepperoni pizza and a bucket of fried chicken to get her over it.

“Yeah.”

I playfully shoved Yuri to the side harder than usual. “Can you say something longer?” I demanded and chuckled. I saw her took in an amount of air before she countered what I just said. “Yeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh. How’s that? That’s longer.” I rolled my eyes at the sarcastic answer and decided that one shove wasn’t enough. I pushed her again, a little harder than the first one. She retaliated with a hard push, and we kept doing that for a couple of seconds before we both burst out laughing.

“Yah! That wasn’t what I meant when I said say something longer.”

Yuri laughed again. She pushed me once more and I pushed her back. For a moment, I thought we were having the usual ‘push your best friend until one of you stumbles down’ game we used to play in the backyard. “Yah! You’ve been pushing me hard.” Yuri said one last time and pushed me so hard I ended up in the middle of the roadway of the parking lot.

At times like this, I wasn’t expecting something would happen that’ll make me go weak on the knees. Not like the effect Tiffany has on me, but a totally different kind of feeling. The feeling where you suddenly find yourself so close to death, and that you thought that that was the absolute last time you’d ever see the world and the beautiful features it has to offer. You wanted to move and do something, but you couldn’t because you were in the midst of processing why does it happen, and everything was suddenly too fast that the only thing running in your head right now is for someone to save you.

“Tae! Watch out!”

I hardly heard Yuri scream. I was too engrossed on the vehicle approaching my direction in the speed of light. I should be laughing because the scene looked awfully familiar, but instead, I stood there unmoved on my spot even when other students in the parking lot started shouting.

My eyes went wide it almost popped out of its sockets, and I crouched down and put my hands behind my head as if the position would do me any better against the collision. I shut my eyes tight. And instead of feeling a metallic material against my body and me flying off the asphalt road and into the sky, I felt a cold air pass through me. Then, I heard a crashing sound and more screaming people.

My heart was beating so fast against my ribcage and I didn’t know what to do or if I was imagining things. Is this what it felt like to be a soul? To be detached from your physical body and start to hear and witness weird things?

But no.

I wasn’t dead.

I was still in my human body and in one piece. I breathed hard for a while before I mustered all the courage left in me to open my eyes and see what really happened.

“Taengoo, are you okay?”

I didn’t say anything. I didn’t move. I remained on my spot, on my crouching position, and my eyes involuntarily swept through the crowd and found Tiffany. There. Standing a few feet away with Seohyun and Jessica on her both sides. She was staring back at me with those wide eyes and... shining... golden orbs. If it was even possible, my heart thumped faster on my chest.

I feel hands close up around my arms and haul me up on my feet.

“Are you alright, Ms. Kim?” I heard professor Seo Inguk’s voice. I wasn’t in my right mind to say something, so I nodded instead.

I left the water from the showerhead running as I stood there in the middle of the tub and let the warm water trickle down my bare skin. I closed my eyes and let my mind travel back on the incident happened on the school parking lot hours ago. I think back on the shocked expression Tiffany wore as she looked at me; like she was the one responsible for the whole thing.

Like she was the sole reason why the van that was supposed to run over me flipped over my head instead and prevented the grim reaper from taking my life.

A few days before I wouldn’t have imagined this kind of incident would occur, and that I would be suspicious of Tiffany when I shouldn’t be. What does she have to do with this anyway? It’s not like she did what Edward did when he saved Bella from a crash and...

Wait.

Oh so that was why I felt like I was having a déjà vu. The scenes were so alike it was like it was cut straight out from the movie. Except for Edward being there and making a dent on the van’s door and Tiffany’s not...

Tiffany’s not a vampire.

“Fany’s not a vampire...” But why do I feel like---

“Taeng! Are you done? I need to do my... business.” I shut the shower and grabbed the towel from the towel bar on the other side. “Just a sec!” I yelled as I dried myself. I put on the bathrobe and opened the door. From there I saw Yuri leaning on the side while clutching her stomach. I would’ve been teasing her if I was in the mood.

“Thanks.” She scurried down the bathroom and closed the door.

I changed into a white oversized shirt and black boy shorts before I jumped to bed. Due to the deafening silence that surrounded me at the moment, I could practically hear Yuri and Yoona on the other side of the wall arguing about if they should go play inside my room and whatnot. I stared at the door, waiting for a movement. When nothing came, I decided to stand up.

“Go in and play.” I announced as soon as I opened the door. The two choding friends of mine looked at me in bewilderment. I shrugged them off and headed downstairs. Right when I reached the final step of the staircase, I heard a door shut. Tsk. Those kids.

I filled myself a glass of water and stood in front of the sink.

Maybe because I’m still in a momentary shock that’s why I was thinking too much. Maybe I’m just being paranoid to think that I actually consider the fact that maybe Tiffany does have something to do with this. That I consider the ridiculous: that Tiffany was far from being mundane; human.

“No... it can’t be... I’m just... still in a state of shock. That’s all.”

“Why are you talking to yourself? Are you trying to be me?”

I nearly dropped the glass on the sink when I heard Yuri’s voice behind me. She pulled a bar stool and sat down. I looked at her for a quick moment---contemplating whether I should tell her what’s bothering me or not. And as if she had read my thoughts, she said, “Just tell me.” I sat down on a stool beside her and started telling her everything.

At first, she was just nodding her head and looking at me with a blank expression, like she was bored with my story and all, but when I finished, that’s when she started talking. Yuri can be annoying whenever she opens that mouth of hers sometimes, especially during those times when she just couldn’t stop blabbering about Park Shinhye and just about everyone and everything she felt like talking about. But when she’s serious, she’d get all pumped up and leader-like. It was like I’m talking to the president of the Republic of Korea or something.

“Are you sure?” She says after a while. I shook my head. She took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her long locks. “You know... like the school psychiatrist said earlier, there might be tendencies of you being traumatized or hallucinating due to shock. Taeng, it’s possible. I mean, I’m sure if I or Yoona were in your position, we’d be feeling the same.” I almost considered the thought. But why do I really get this feeling that what I saw in Tiffany’s eyes from earlier today was true?

You know, when they say that age might not be present in physical appearance sometimes, and that sometimes it can be shown through the eyes? I’m not saying that Tiffany could be older than what we’ve known but... you get my point.

I slipped down from the stool and decided to go to bed. Yuri was tailing me closely. “Yul, let’s just talk about it tomorrow. I’m tired. And maybe... you’re right.” Yuri patted me on the shoulder, the two of us stopping right in front of her room. “Just know that if you ever need someone to confide in, we’re always here.” “I know.”

I patted her hand in return and went to my room.

I stared up at the ceiling after I’ve successfully kicked Yoona out of my room and force her to sleep. And it took me an hour or so before I completely succumb to slumber.

I felt my phone vibrate on the nightstand, but I shrugged it off. Who could be texting in the middle of the night?

From: Tippani~ <3
Taetae, are you okay?

From: Tippani~ <3
Taetae, are you still awake? Talk to me.

From: Tippani~ <3
Meet me in room N-404. Please Tae, I’m worried. Let’s talk.

It’s been a whole week since the incident and since I started ignoring Tiffany. Well, not really ignoring but... that little distance was evident. We only got to talk during tutoring classes. In normal occasions, we’d be spending a little more time with each other in the library, the coffee shop, the park (and in that one moment, the amusement park) I know Tiffany could’ve thought it was weird. That’s why she was flooding me with texts. And sometimes, missed calls.

I slammed my locker door shut and rested my forehead against the cold metal of its facade.

Maybe I should go talk to her. It’s so immature of me to ignore her out of the blue without even telling her why. Yeah. Maybe I should go talk to her.

“Luna, have you seen Tiffany?”

Luna, our other classmate who’s a member of the student council, and also a math-wiz, furrows her eyebrows; thinking thoroughly. “I think I saw her in the science laboratory earlier. Actually, she also asked me if I saw you around too.” My brain seemed to unplug itself from its socket when she told me that information. And all I managed was a lame “Oh”

I forced my own two feet towards the room she told me to go meet at and waited for her there. In silence.

It’s awfully raining today. Somehow, I wanted to ask her something. I wanted to know what really happened that day. I feel like she knows something. I feel like she really saved me. But how she did it, was a big question mark.

I would’ve considered the possibility of her being a witch. But witches have bulky noses, long eyebrows, distorted teeth, a pointy hat, a black cloak, and a broom stick (at other instances, wands too) But naw. She’s too gorgeous to be a witch. She’s normal-looking. She dresses normal---no. Her fashion sense is way better than mine. And Yoona’s. And Yuri’s. And every other person I know. Okay. She’s definitely NOT a witch, or a warlock, or a wizard, or anyone who has to do with witchcraft.

But if she’s not a witch, then...

“Tae?”

I stiffened a little.

I took a deep breath before I finally managed to look at her. “Fany-ah” is the only word I uttered. We exchanged looks for about a minute or so; arranging the jumbled letters inside our heads for an appropriate thing to say. Before I knew it, Tiffany was already pulling the chair beside the table I was at and dragged it beside mine. I felt my body tremble and my heart ache. I haven’t speak to her in days I almost forgot how her voice sends shiver down my spine. “Hey...” I started.

She gave a single nod and a sly smile. “Hey.” She said in return. Okay. I totally have no idea what to do next. Tiffany turned to me with a worried expression on her face. “Is everything alright?” Is what she says after. I nodded slowly. “Yeah.” ‘Lame, Taeyeon, lame.’ Seriously, I’ve got to do waaaaaaaaayyyyy better than that. But I don’t know what else to say. It’s like I forgot how it is to say words and how the letters feel when they fall out of my mouth.

Tiffany stares at me a little too hard than usual. “You’re not telling me not because I didn’t tell you mine, right?”

I smiled. “No.”

Her stare of what seemed to be a mix of hurt and worriedness lingered a little more longer before she pulled away. I know somewhere deep within her soul she doesn’t believe me. I wouldn’t blame her though. I was the one ignoring her all day. “Sorry.” I breathed out. And I think that’s all I could say. Because nothing else was coming out no matter how much I push my tongue to process more words.

I see Tiffany nod on my peripheral vision and I suddenly feel bad that I needed to lie when I could just ask her what happened that day, like how in the world did the van flew over my head?

But I don’t know, something’s holding me back and I couldn’t comprehend what. I just needed to talk to someone; someone that’s not Tiffany. Not that I don’t trust her or anything, but I just need to take this off my chest with someone who could understand me in a situation like this.

I think I need to talk to Yuri.

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NOTE: Just want ya'll to know that there's only a chapter or two left in this. Sorry, I can't make this any more longer. Because I'd be lacking of ideas by then. And besides, I still got a sequel to attend to.

But THANK YOU so much for all the support, guys~ :DDD

So, until my next update? Hehehe see ya soon!