chapter 8

Whoop-de-doo.

Let�s give a round of applause to Tiffany, the world�s biggest idiot.

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WHY THE HELL DID I HAVE TO SAY THAT?!

STUPID STUPID TIFFANY!

I froze when I saw him turn around slowly.

Why did this have to go slowly, like a movie or something?

Come on Seungri: hurry up and turn around to go �what the hell� at me or something!

Please� please!!!

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I never got to see any of that happen.

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Someone grabbed my hand and pulled me away down the street from where I came from.

OH MY GOD, I WAS GETTING TIFF-NAPPED!

AND IT WASN�T FAKE THIS TIME!

�ARRGGGHHH!!! LEMME GO YOU PERVERT!!!� I balled my hands into fists and began hitting my Tiff-napper.

I hope he gets brain damage so he can�t dob me into the police for injuring him. Or maybe his nose could get broken and he�d stay unconscious in the hospital for a veeeeeeeeeeeeerry long time.

�HELP! HELP! HELP! RAPIST!!!�

�Oh, first I�m a gay bas.tard, now I�m a rapist?� I stopped and blinked.

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�Lee Donghae?�

He let go of my arm and sighed. He leant against the fence of wherever the hell we were and I stood there, staring at him with a doped-up expression.

�Mind wiping that stupid face while you�re around me?�

I shook my head, letting all the questions fly out of my head.

�What the hell are you doing?�

�What am I doing? Well, I think I�m saving you from embarrassment after you declared your love to Lee Seungri.� My jaw dropped.

�You heard that?� He rolled his eyes.

�As if no one didn�t hear it. People from Australia could even hear you.�

�YOU MEAN I SCREAMED IT OUT?!�

�Man, do you mind lowering your voice?� I peered around the corner to see Seungri looking around, turning his head in every single direction. He must be looking for me. But his eyes past where I stood, totally unaware of where I was.

Great, now Seungri�s gonna wonder who the hell declared their love for him.

I better tell him that it was one of his fangirls or something�

Anything that can make me unsuspicious.

Gaaah I�m so stupid.

I turned back to look at Donghae who was still leaning on the fence, crossing his arms and scowling.

�Sheesh, sorry for impending your �sad time� but I have to go.� I made to move but he grabbed my arm again.

Far out man, his grip was going to crush me.

�Where are you going?� He said in a voice that was like a command instead of a question.

��The supermarket?� He sighed and went back on his feet.

�Me too.�

�Why? Are you cooking tonight?�

�No you idi.ot. Super Junior practices need snacks. It�s my turn.� My mouth formed an �o�. I started walking and he followed not too far behind. I sighed and slowed down to walk side by side with him.

It was hard to believe that barely two weeks ago, he was swearing at me and shoving me like a punching bag.

At least now he was treating me like someone.

Could it be because of�

The haircut?

Did he act differently to me because I looked prettier?

Was this all an act? Did he act like this so he could try to get a date with me, now that I looked different?!

DAMN HIM!

I started walking faster, almost power walking.

Grrr�

�Ya, if you keep walking like that, you�re going to hit a pole without even noticing.�

�SHUT UP!�

�You need to keep your anger down, Tiffany.�

At least he knew my name. That put me back in a good mood.

I needed to keep the conversation flowing�

�So how did you know I was the girl who you were pissed at when I came into English class?�

Perfect, Tiffany, perfect. You chose the best subject to talk about in the world.

Bad bad mind!

�Kyuhyun told me. He recognized you.�

�But but��

�But but shut up.�

The rest of the walk was in silence.

We stood outside the supermarket. Donghae walked forward.

I paused.

Okay, NO WAY WAS I GOING IN THERE WITH HIM!

I mean, people would think we were friends: or even worse�

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A COUPLE!

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I�d rather go back with Seungri than enter a supermarket accompanying Lee Donghae.

Stuff dinner tonight: I�LL ORDER TAKEAWAY!

I started walking away when Donghae grabbed my arm.

�Where are you going?�

��Home?�

�I thought you needed to go here.�

Sh.it Tiffany, make up an excuse.

�I�m going over to my aunty�s tonight, I just remembered�� I gave a sheepish laugh and started backing away. He just shrugged.

�Suit yourself.� He went inside and turned around. �See ya tomorrow, Tiffany.� I nodded and when he turned back around, I broke into a sprint back home.

Five seconds after my Olympic-like sprint, I turned around to make sure he wasn�t watching me when I bumped into someone.

�Ouch! I mean, sor-Yuri?� She looked up, grinning at me.

�Tiff! What are you doing here?�

�I thought you were walking home with your cousin!�

�I was: we went here to drop off Boa at her house.� I nodded: not really smartly. I helped her up and brushed the dirt off her skirt for her.

�Then where�s Micky?�

�He�s staying over. He asked me if I could walk home by myself.� Yuri broke into a grin. �Hey, we can walk home together!� She lived only a few blocks away from me.

As we walked, I told her about my horrible outburst with Seungri. We had to stop for five minutes cause she couldn�t stop laughing.

Note to self: kill Yuri.

Damn my black list was getting too long.

I said goodbye to Yuri when I reached my house. I went in and SURPRISE SURPRISE, I saw my umma.

�Tiffany, since when did you get a haircut?�

What a nice greeting to get after a long day with an annoying best friend and a bas.tard sitting next to you in a class.

�A long time ago umma.�

Yeah, I got it last week, and you even saw it.

�Oh, really? I never noticed.�

Maybe because you never notice anything while you�re daydreaming about the days when you were rich with appa.

�I�m going to go do my homework.�

And chew on my pillow to release my stress.

I walked into my room and heard my mobile ringing. I picked it up and saw the caller I.D.

Sh.it, WHY NOW?!

I picked up, holding it two feet away from my ear.

�What is it now Seungri?�

I tried to act as normal as possible. But that was hard to do when my voice was high and squeaky.

�Tiff, are you okay? You sound sick��

�I�M FINE! Now what was it that you wanted?� My voice sounded like a rollercoaster.

CALM, TIFFANY, CAAALLLMMM.

�Did you say something when I left?�

�NO! I didn�t hear anything at all!� I laughed weakly: so so so fake.

�Oh okay, Bye!� He hung up. I slammed the phone on the table and plopped on my bed.

GOD WAS THAT HARD! I laid my head on my pillow and closed my eyes�

I was so tired�

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I was back in grade 6, running down the corridors. I could hear Taeyeon calling for me as I ran away from her.

�Wait for me!� I turned around and yelled at her. Yuri was next to her, back in our old uniform. They were waving at me but I ignored them and turned the corner, to look for the boy.

�Hello!� I called out. The corridor was empty. I heard a locker slamming and I ran into that direction.

I was so relieved to see him. I took a deep breath.

�Come on Tiffany�� I told myself, taking in more breaths. �Do what you did in front of the mirror this morning.� I kept walking until I was right behind him. He closed his locker and turned around, almost face to face with me.

�Woah! You scared me.� He raised an eyebrow. �What do you want?�

I took another deep breath.

�I like you.�

Now for his response�

�I�m sorry, I don�t like ugly girls.�

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HEARTBREAK!!!

God kill me where I stand.

HELPHELPHELPHELPHELP!

I�ve been scarred for my entire life.

Stupid bas.tard.

Stupid boy.

Stupid grade 6 crush.

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I woke up. I heard my phone ringing. I grabbed it and looked at the ID number. Seungri.

I picked up.

�Sup Seungri?� After that dream, I felt much more strangely calmer.

BREAAATTTHHEEEE~

�Hey Tiff! Where the hell were you? I was calling you for like, the last 10 gafillion minutes!� I rubbed my eyes sleepily and looked at my alarm clock.

8.30?!?!!? I jumped up and started cleaning my room.

Wait, why am I cleaning up for?

�Sorry�� I rubbed my eyes again: they were killing me. �I fell asleep.�

�Oh, sorry for waking you. ANYWAY, I HAVE BIG NEWS!� I rolled my eyes.

My guess: he found a coin in the gutter.

�Big Bang is going to play for the first time in public!�

Close enough. I yawned: I was still sleepy.

�That�s great!�

Now on air: Tiffany displaying fake enthusiasm.

I spent the next hour or so listening to Seungri�s rants and gushes. I had to stop him when my stomach started rumbling.

�Wow that�s great! Hey Seungri, I have to go eat now� I�m starving!�

�Really? I�ll come join you: umma�s gone off with a meeting with grandpa!� I rolled my eyes: another mouth to feed. I hung up and went into the kitchen.

I saw a note on the kitchen table and picked it up.

Tiffany dear, I�ve gone on a date. Won�t be back tonight.

That�s one mouth done to feed. I sighed and looked into the pantry. Nothing.

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Stupid Donghae.

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I grabbed the phone and ordered Thai. Some stir fry ought to be good.

Rain thudded against the windows and I sighed. What a perfect winter.

I heard the doorbell ring and I ran to get it. There, at the door, stood Seungri drenched.

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And he was only wearing a t-shirt and pants. I pulled him inside.

�Ya, you idi.ot! Why didn�t you wear a jacket?� I ran to get a towel and threw it at him. He started drying himself.

�Well SORRY UMMA, but when I went out of the house, it was a beautiful sunshine-y day!� I rolled my eyes and went back into the kitchen. He sat down on a chair.

�Ya! Dry yourself before you go around, wetting the whole house!� I pointed my finger at him. It was his turn to roll his eyes and he stood up, droplets of water running down his face and clothes.

�OKAY OKAY, no need to�� He paused. �Yeah.�

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Lazy bas.tard: couldn�t even be bothered finishing his own sentence.

I threw him some old clothes (my appa�s) and we sat down to eat when the food arrived. He kept talking about the live performance at the bar in two more weeks until my brain was about to explode.

KABOOOOOOMMMM~

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Just kidding.

�Okay okay Seungri, I�ve heard enough about Big Bang�s debut!� I finally threw my arms up in protest. �Tell me something that I haven�t heard in the last 2 hours!�

He pointed his chopsticks on his chin, deep in thought.

�Well, did I tell you that-�

�IF IT�S ABOUT YOU AND BIG BANG GOING ON STAGE, GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!� He cracked up laughing.

I sat back down on my chair and pouted. When he FINALLY calmed down, he shoveled some more noodles into his mouth.

�Well�� He said with his mouth full. I hit him across the head with my chopsticks.

�Don�t talk with your mouth full!� He glared and swallowed it down.

�Well, did I tell you my umma got promoted? Grandpa gave her a higher position at the office.�

�Really? What position?�

�I dunno, something about manager or some crap. She gets more work hours and less holidays.� He sighed and placed down his chopsticks. He ran his hands down his face. �Why why why Tiff? She�s supposed to spend less time at work! I hardly see her nowadays!� I patted him on the back.

�What about your appa? Isn�t he coming back soon?�

�If soon means 9 more months, then yes.�

�Holy crap! 9 months? But he�s been in Japan for like�� I used my fingers to count. �A year or two already!�

�I dunno! My grandpa decides it all! He�s the �big boss�, ya know.� Seungri hit me on the shoulder lightly. He faked a grin.

So so so so fake.

He could sooo not act. I rubbed him on the back once more.

�Hey, don�t worry. One day, your grandpa will give ya lots and lots of riches!� I smiled at him and he smiled back.

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Personally, I think friends would be better than lovers.

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�Tiff hurry up!� I splashed some more water on my face before drying it with a towel.

�Coming!� I checked my face in the mirror once more and ran outside. Seungri waited with his bag slung over his shoulder.

Very cooool.

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Not.

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�Hey, you�re late today.� I rolled my eyes.

�No sh.it. Maybe it�s because I slipped over a puddle of water in my kitchen!� I glared at him and he just laughed weakly.

�Sorry about that: I forgot to tell you.� I rubbed my butt: it still ached. I glared at him once more and started walking.

Ouch ouch ouch!

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�Hey Tiff-Tiff!� Taeyeon glanced at my pained expression and my hand on my butt. �Sore bottom?� I nodded and walked towards the lockers. She broke into a grin and squeezed my face.

�Daaw you look so adorable with that expression!� I slapped her hand away.

�Ya!� I glared at her. �Do you want to die?�

Taeyeon poked her tongue out at me.

Lucky for her, Yuri came towards us. Taeyeon just got her as.s saved.

�Hey guys!� She waved. I waved back, a bit grumpy thanks to our ever so-old �big sister�.

�Ya ya ya!� Taeyeon jumped up suddenly. �Have you heard?� I raised an eyebrow.

�No�?�

�We have�� Dramatic pause�

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�New transfers!�

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I closed my locker door and me and Yuri walked off, leaving Taeyeon behind.

�Ya! Ya! Why are you leaving me?!� She caught up with us and grabbed my shoulder.

�Ya, Taeyeon-unnie, you don�t have to say things are oh-so-obvious, okay?� Yuri said, rolling her eyes. Taeyeon pouted.

�Who did you hear the news from?�

�I know one of those �new transfers�.� Yuri mocked talking marks with her fingers.

�Ooohhh�� Taeyeon nudged her in the ribs gently. �Which one? The pretty leader? Or the freshman?�

�The freshman. He�s a family friend.� Yuri indicated with her chin at Sooyoung who was approaching. �Sooyoung knows him as well. Awesome on the drums!� Sooyoung nodded and started walking with us.

�He�s pretty cute: too bad he�s younger.� She sighed wistfully. I hit her across the head.

�Stop dreaming you!� She grinned and entered her classroom. We went into ours and I sat down with Yoona: Seungri still hadn�t arrived.

�Hi Yoona!� She smiled at me.

�Hi Tiff!� She fixed a strand of my hair that was sticking up. �Heard about the new transfers?� I nodded.

�Know any of them?�

�Only one. He�s in our year level: four of them are while only one�s in the freshman year.�

�Wow!� I looked at her. �How�d you find out?� She pointed at Taeyeon.

I laughed and pulled out my scrapbook. Yoona looked over my shoulder as I wrote in today�s date.

�I have something like that at home.� She said, watching me as my messy scrawl appeared on the white pages. �But it�s kinda like a diary, for special events.�

�Mine�s just random stuff. Anything goes in.� I pulled out a pen and wrote down:

New transfers.

Yoona grinned at me and leant back on her chair while Seungri came into the classroom.

�Hi guys.� He waved at Yoona who waved back lazily. He put his books on the table and sat down. �Hey Yoona, did you kno-�

�That Big Bang is finally going to perform live? Yes I heard when you called me ten million times yesterday.� She rolled her eyes sarcastically but a teasing smile was on her face. Seungri grinned and pulled out his earphones. He turned it on and disappeared from our conversation.

I rolled my eyes and hit him over the head.

�Watch out! Teachers are gonna confiscate that.� He sighed but put it away when Mr. Gook came in. I ran to my seat just in time when Kibum took his seat. I glanced back at Mr. Gook where he was taking the roll.

I guess we weren�t going to have a transfer in our class�

I checked the timetable and groaned.

Double English�.

Double nightmare with Donghae.

I banged my head on the table loudly. Kibum patted me on the back.

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It didn�t comfort me.

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I went down the corridor sighing. I brushed my fringe out of the way before turning around to see if Kibum was following.

Me and him had made a �truce�. We only talked occasionally now and then.

Well, the only reason why I had forgiven him was because he found my scrapbook.

He�s not that much of a bad guy. biggrin.gif

Kibum was down way at the back, talking to Bae Jaelin at the back. I sighed and turned around, only to hit someone.

Oh God, please don�t make it be Lee Donghae�

�Woops, sorry!� I opened my eyes to see a complete stranger.

He had a young looking face, with a cute gentle smile on his lips. He was real handsome, but I didn�t know who the hell he was.

�I�m so sorry!� He bowed down, dropping his books.

What a klutz.

I helped him pick up his books and gave it to him. He bowed again before running. I turned back to watch him disappear.

Could he be one of those new transfers?

Kibum called my name: magically, he appeared in front of me. I ran to him and we entered the classroom.

There was Lee Donghae, looking oh-so bored with his chin leaning on his hand. He gave a nod to Kibum before watching me sit down on my seat.

�Sup?� I moved my books in front of me and pulled out my pens.

�Got another greeting except that? I�m getting tired of hearing it, especially with your bored tone.� He gave a tired smirk.

Everyone in the class sat down. Jessica threw a paper ball at my head.

� I�m going to kill her later.

Our teacher came with two people following him.

My bet: the new transfers.

They turned around and my heart started skipping beats.

Our teacher started saying, �Hello students. These two students here are new transfers.�

The first one waved happily with a huge grin on his face. The other brought back so many memories.

The image of my grade 6 crush flooded my mind.

The tone of his voice that echoed throughout my mind for the last 5 years.

The reason why 3 years ago, I hid my face from the world.

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�I�m sorry, I don�t like ugly girls.�

�I�m sorry, I don�t like ugly girls.�

�I�m sorry, I don�t like ugly girls.�

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�This is Lee Hongki and-�

The teacher didn�t finish his sentence because I stood up from my chair and finished it for him.

�Lee JaeJin?!�

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