chapter 9

NOTICE: This story will NOT end with 10 chapters. I just put 10 numbers just to let you know there will be more to come.

PS: PM List has reached 50 PM-ers! *yippeee!* Thank you everyone for commenting and asking to be on the PM List. And those of you who commented from the start to now, I LOVE YOU GUYS SOO MUCH! You were the ones who kept me going and going.

PSS: I know the update gap is becoming WIDER AND WIDER, and I'm not going to make up excuses: I'm getting bored. But I have so many ideas that I can cram into this story but the timeline won't work out so well. So I'll be using the time in between updates to: do homework, exercise *Australia is the 2nd fattest country in the world!*, study, BLOG, watch anime & drama *FOR BLOGGING!* and just do stuff. I have a social life as well, dudes.

If that notice offends you in any way, MESSAGE ME!

Now, ON WITH THE STORY~

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BANG!

My head collided with the table.

�Tiff-�

BANG!

�Tiffany!� I looked up at Jessica who was glaring at me with a look that could kill. I banged my head on the table again.

�Jessica~� Seohyun skipped to Jessica�s side and poked me in the back. I moaned.

�Why did he have to come back?� I mumbled. I sat up and looked over at the table where the new transfers were. Jaejin was sitting in the middle, chewing on his lunch and smiling brightly.

God, he looked like a movie star.

�He hasn�t changed, has he?� Yuri said, popping some bread into her mouth. Taeyeon nodded her head in agreement. Sooyoung stared at him, her eyes dazed. I glanced at her and shoved her shoulder lightly.

�Ya! Don�t tell me you�ve fallen for him!� She looked at me, her mouth a bit open.

�Wah?� I threw a bit of bread at her face.

�Don�t fall in love with him!� I said a bit too loudly. Sunny nudged me in the ribs, moving her eyebrows up and down curiously.

�Oh� still in love with him, eh Tiff? What would your boyfriend say?� I glared at my rich friend.

�For your information, I do NOT have a boyfriend!� Sunny raised an eyebrow.

�Then what do you call him?� She pointed. I turned and saw Seungri approaching. I groaned and placed my face in my hands.

Seungri�s hands grabbed my shoulders.

�So, I heard about your wonderful little outburst in class.� I groaned again when I heard the smugness in his voice.

�Shut up Seungri or I�ll break your jaw.�

Tiffany, EXPLODE~

�Daaw!� He pulled my face out of my palms and squeezed my cheeks. �It�s okay! Except for the humiliation of having everyone stare at you for the rest of the lesson!� I groaned again and threw my sandwich at his face. He dodged.

I lost my appetite by looking at his stupid face.

He sat down beside me and placed an arm around my shoulder. He looked at Jaejin.

�So he was the one?� I nodded, a pout on my face.

�Damnit Tiff, you sure know how to pick guys, eh?� He gave that stupid grin. �First Lee Jaejin and now me?� I glared at him.

OH HOW BAD DID I WANT TO PUNCH HIS CUTE FACE!

�Seungri.� He looked at me inquisitively.

�Yes?�

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�Shut up.�

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I spent the whole day hiding my face whenever I saw Lee Jaejin. He was always surrounded by people every time I passed him in the corridor.

When the bell rang, I waved bye to Yuri and Taeyeon before walking out and almost bumping into him.

Sh.it.

He smiled at me.

Lady killer smile.

GAH, STOP IT TIFFANY!

�Hi.� I gave Jaejin a forced smile.

�Hi�� He leant against the doorway.

GOD TOO CUTE!

No wait! NO NO NO NO!

�So� you were the one who called my name out in English this morning?�

I couldn�t say anything so I just nodded.

�Do I know you?�

I wish I never did scream his name out.

�I�m not sure�� Time to put on the senseless Tiffany act. �Have we met?�

He shrugged. �I�m not sure, I was hoping you would tell me.� He slid a finger down my cheek.

*shiver* I felt light all of a sudden.

�Tiff.� I turned around and Seungri was there. He was glaring at Jaejin. �Ready to go?�

�Y-y-yeah�� My eyes darted from Seungri to Jaejin.

Was it me or was Seungri injecting �super kill� into his glare?

�Ehehehehehe�� I grabbed Seungri�s arm.

Farout, was he glued to the spot?!

�Seungri�� I said between my gritted teeth. �Let�s go��

�Okay.� Seungri allowed me to pull him away.

I shook my head.

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Men.

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�Aish!� I banged my head on the table. Today was a Friday so I didn�t have to worry about going school with a bruised forehead. Taeyeon winced when she heard that dull thud. Seungri sat at the kitchen table, quietly muttering to himself.

No doubt they were curses directed at Lee Jaejin.

�Don�t worry Tiff-Tiff.� Taeyeon patted my back reassuringly. They didn�t help. �He�ll forget about it soon.�

�I hope he won�t remember who I am.�

�Damn him� was he a bas.tard to you in school?� Finally, the frozen statue called Seungri said something.

�� No. I just like-�

�But he rejected you?�

�Yeah but-�

�Damnit, how could he do such a thing?�

�I don�t know but Seun-�

�I�m going to go bash him.�

�SEUNGRI, WILL YOU SHUT UP AND LET ME FINISH MY SENTENCE?!�

He sat down obediently. I think my brain was going to explode.

�Okay, let me get this straight. I liked Lee Jaejin in 6th grade. He rejected me but I got over it.� I forced a smile: it didn�t come out too well. �Okaay?!� He nodded. �Goooooooooood.�

Taeyeon looked at me worriedly. She leant aside to whisper to Seungri.

�We really need to get her a stress ball��

�OKAY, THAT�S IT: EVERYONE OUT!� I grabbed the two of them and threw them out my front door. I slammed it, locked every lock and leant against the wall.

What was wrong with me?

I thought I was over him, but apparently, I wasn�t.

And Seungri wasn�t making this easier either. I rubbed my hands down my face, stretching it downwards.

Damnit, why did he have to come back?

I sighed and walked into the lounge room. I ran to my room, changed into my pajamas and grabbed my blanket.

Tonight was going to be my tranquil night.

If tranquil means getting a tub of ice cream and eating it while flicking through shows, then I was right.

I fell asleep the moment my hand touched the remote.

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�Tiffany.� I turned around and saw Lee Jaejin. He smiled his gorgeous smile.

I think I was melting.

�That�s your name right?� The smile grew wider and he held out his hand. I didn�t know what to do so I took it. His grip tightened against mine. We walked down the strangely empty corridors.

�Tiff.� I turned around again and Jaejin�s hand disappeared into thin air. I looked beside me.

Now standing in Jaejin�s spot was Seungri. He was smiling his stupid smile.

�What are you gawking at? Come on, we have to go.� He grabbed my hand and he pulled me down the stairs until we reached the front gates of the school.

�Seungri what the hell are yo-� He placed his finger on my lips, shushing me.

�Shush, just wait.� He swooped down and as soon as his lips touched mine, his face changed instantly.

When he moved his head back, it was now Donghae�s face that was looking at me. He smiled gently.

Farout, how I�d die just to see him smile like that for once.

�Tiffany.� His voice sounded like an echo in my head. �Tiffany, look.� He pointed at my feet.

Please let that not be dog crap�

I looked down. And almost had a heart attack.

On the floor, written in big, black permanent marker were the words:

Lee Tiffany.


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I woke up with a start. My face was sweating and my tub of ice cream had now turned into mush. My spoon was on the floor, covered in my melted ice cream. I sighed and grabbed a damp towel to clean up the mess.

As I knelt on the floor, cleaning up the muck, I thought to myself.

What did that last part mean? Lee Tiffany?

I raised an eyebrow at my own question?

Wait a second�

Lee Jaejin.

Lee Seungri.

Lee Donghae.

They have the same last name.

�AISH!� I screamed out to the world.

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I hate my dreams.

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�How are you feeling today after your little stunt on Friday last week?�

�Perfect. How are you feeling after you saw me do my little stunt?�

�A little surprised as well as confused. How�d you know his name?�

�Oh� is Lee Donghae curious?�

�No, just wondering. Do enlighten me.�

�Long story.�

�I have a lot of time.�

�I don�t want to tell you.�

�Tch. Should�ve said that from the start. Weirdo.�

�You�re the weirdo.�

�No way. I�m not the one who stood out of my seat and screamed out a stranger�s name.�

���

���

�� Donghae.�

�What?�

�� Shut up.�

�Excuse me?� Both me and Donghae turned around when we heard that voice.

Guess who?

Jaejin.

Donghae�s eyebrow rose. Jaejin gave me a smile that almost sent me to the emergency room.

�Do you mind helping me? I heard you were born in America.� I smiled at him and tried to hold in the Tiffany that wanted to maul his eyes out for rejecting me.

�Okaaaay.�

That was dragged out. Jaejin smiled back at me and pulled a chair up to our table. I looked down at the workbook he held.

Oh my god, his handwriting was neater than mine.

I don�t want to help him anymore. I took out my pen and stared explaining things to him. He sat there, with a slight smile on his perfect lips, throwing in questions as well as nods.

As I worked with him, I could feel a pair of eyes watching my every move.

*shiver*

�Oh,� Jaejin looked up as our teacher came in. He grabbed his books and smiled down at me. �Thank you so much for your help�?�

I smiled forcibly at him. �Tiffany.� He smiled and went back to his seat as the teacher reached the table and pulled out his folder.

�Alright students, today we�re going to do some partner work. You�re paired with the person next to you.�

Perfect: working with Donghae will be a joy.

I hate life.

I turned around to face him but I almost fell backwards.

Since when did Donghae�s eyes hold so much loath? I glanced at the direction he was looking at.

Lee Jaejin.

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Was Donghae jealous?

I nudged him on the arm gently. He turned around swiftly to glare at me.

�We�re supposed to do this sheet together�� I whispered softly, scared to even raise my voice. His eyes still remained furious as we worked.

When class ended, Donghae stood up angrily and stomped out into the doorway.

It must be his time of the month. Jessica came up behind me and placed her chin on my shoulder.

�What�s up?� I looked quickly at her before turning away.

�Nothing.�

�Liar. You were watching Donghae storm out.�

�He wasn�t storming out. He was acting normally.�

�Yeah sure, and Yesung likes me. You know Donghae isn�t that PMS-y.�

Sunny came up right next to me, nudging me gently as the rest of the class exited the room.

�What was up in class?�

Were they watching me in class?!

I puffed my cheeks up angrily and walked out without answering. I heard them laughing back in class.

I stomped back to my locker and threw my door open.

GAAH! WHAT WAS WRONG WITH DONGHAE?!

Why was I worrying?

Why did I care so much? I sighed and hit my head a few times against the locker.

�If you keep doing that, you�re not going to be our nerd anymore.� I turned to the right to see Seungri grinning at me as he leant against the side of my locker. He stood up coolly and messed my hair up teasingly.

�Seungri~� I whined. I wanted to talk to someone, but that person was NOT Seungri.

�Where were you this morning?� He said back in the same tone. �I was waiting outside the house and I came to school late because of you!�

I scratched my head sheepishly.

�Sorry, I was still feeling moody.� I pouted at him sadly. �I�m sorry about throwing you out on Friday.� I had spent the whole weekend moody and grumpy. He laughed and grabbed me in a back-breaking hug.

�It�s okay.� He let me go and bent down so his face was level with mine. �But I�ll only forgive you if you gimme a kiss!� He pointed at a spot on his cheek. I grinned and pushed him away before sprinting down the corridor.

�Tiff-Tiff!� I laughed and ran down the stairs.

And tripped.

But someone caught me with his arms.

�Woah! Watch it!� I looked up in the arms of my rescuer and saw the face of the other new kid in my class.

What was his name again?

�Hey, you�re that girl in English class that called out Jaejin�s name.�

� I�m still clueless of his name.

�� Hi?�

�Tiffany!� Seungri appeared at the top of the stairs to see me in that guy�s arms.

� Sh.it.

�Tiffany!� Seungri�s tone suddenly changed. He grabbed me out of the dude�s arms and held me tightly. I was choking!

�Seungri�� I said, my elbows squished against my chest. Seungri glared at the other guy.

�Who the hell are you?� Damn, since when did my best friend turn into a dinosaur?

�Lee Hongki.�

Ah right, that was his name.

�Why are you holding my Tiffany?�

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WHAT THE HELL DID HE SAY?

My Tiffany?

MY TIFFANY?!

SINCE WHEN WAS I A POSSESION OF SEUNGRI�S?!

�Yours? Well, you should�ve been there when she fell down the stairs.�

Good point: this Hongki guy was pretty smart.

���

�Seungri!� I choked: he was pressing me to his chest so tightly I couldn�t breathe. I beat my fists at his chest and he finally seemed to notice. He let me go and placed me on the ground. I grabbed his arm and tried to pull him away. �Seungri! Let�s go!� I stated.

�Wait a second, aren�t you a friend of that Jaejin guy?� My best friend said suspiciously, his eyes narrowing. Hongki crossed his arms at the question raised.

�So?�

�Tell him to stay from Tiffany, okay?� Seungri�s arm somehow wrapped itself around my back and held me tightly against his side.

Farout, was he always this strong?

�Why?� Hongki asked, raising an eyebrow.

�Cause she�s mine.�

Once again, I ask: WHEN DID I BECOME SEUNGRI�S OBJECT OF AFFECTION?!

Hongki�s lips curled into a smile. Damnit, he looked good.

�Fine.� He passed by us. As soon as his back disappeared from sight, I pushed Seungri away and stomped down the stairs to enter the office of the ground floor.

ARGH, MEN!

�Tiff!� Seungri ran up to me, grabbing my arm. �What�s wrong?� I glared at him.

�What was that sh.it?� I used my fingers like talking marks, copying the same words he used. � �Oh� don�t touch my Tiffany�, �stay away from my Tiffany�, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT?!� I screamed at him.

Passer-bys stared at us but ran away at the look of my furious face. Seungri stood there, silently, hands coolly shoved in his pockets.

�Well, it was to protect your dignity.�

�Well, MY DIGNITY WAS TARNISHED WHEN YOU,� I pointed my finger at his chest roughly. �YELLED OUT TO THE WORLD THAT I WAS YOURS!� I kept poking him with each word.

I stopped and took in a deep breath. I placed one hand on my hip and the other on my forehead.

�Look, Seungri. I want you to know, that what I feel for you, is not anything more or anything less than friends okay?� My arms fell to my side as I took in another breath. �No wait, you�re a brother to me. A brother that I really love and care about. But we can�t be siblings if you�re going to run around, screaming out that I�m your girl.�

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Lies.

All lies.

Why did I have to say that?

So that I could save myself? To save myself from choosing between Seungri and �?

Who?

Who was that other person?

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Seungri broke into a smile. But deep within his emotional eyes, I could see turmoil destroying the parts of his heart. He grabbed me and messed my hair up.

�Of course, Tiff-Tiff.� His voice broke with the last word.

That name he gave me when we first became friends.

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�Hey you.� Seungri looked up when he heard a girl call his name. It was the girl whose umma was friends with his. Her hair was tied up in two pigtails today, reaching her elbows in gentle wavy strands.

The girl sat by him. Even though he had seen her since he was 4 every summer, he still couldn�t remember her name. And now they were 12, almost in the older levels of school.

�Hey, I remember you. Doesn�t your umma know mine?� Seungri said, scratching his ear. The girl nodded.

�Yeah.� She placed her books on the table and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. �I�m going to this school from now on.�

�Really? I thought you lived in America.� She looked up, her eyes almost brimming with tears.

�Yeah.� Her voice was soft now. She looked down, fiddling with her hands on her lap. �My parents got divorced.�

�Oh.� Was all that Seungri could say. He didn�t know what else to throw in so he rubbed her back gently. She started sniffling so he gave her the packet of tissues his umma packed in his pencilcase in case.

�Thank you, Seungri.� She said, wiping away the tears that ran from her face. He was surprised that she remembered his name. She looked up, this time with a weak smile. �You know, you�re the only person I know here.�

�Wow, really?�

�Yeah.� She bit her bottom lip lightly before asking. �Will you be my friend?�

Seungri�s lips broke into a smile. �Sure. But before that��

The girl looked up questioningly.

�Yes�?�

�What�s your name again?�

A smile graced the girl�s features as she held her hand out.

�Tiffany.� Seungri took it in his. Her hand was warm.

�Tiffany, eh? Mind if I call you Tiff-Tiff?�

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I told Seungri I�d be out later cause I had to get my lunch. I was a bit too reluctant to leave him, but Taeyang came anyway so those two went outside together. I ran upstairs to my locker: the corridors were completely empty.

I sighed as I rummaged through my bag. Where was my lunch?

I puffed my cheeks up and noticed the slip of paper stuck on my locker door inside.

We�re gonna be at the garden. We got your lunch.
Love, Sooyoung. ;D

WHHHAATT?!

SINCE WHEN DID THEY KNOW MY LOCKER COMBINATION?!?!

I slammed the door and almost hit the figure leaning against my locker.

�Woah! Sorry!� Jaejin stared at me in disbelief.

�You�� I cocked my head on the side.

�You�re that girl� from 6th grade.�

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