Tribute to the Lost
A/N: Ai shet, you know meee. Always straying away from WIB,INE, yet always updating. Anyways... I wrote this in memory of one of my friends, and because I couldn't stop crying in school during the memorial for one of our city's police officers. I didn't know the guy, but it was the fact teachers kept tapping into the death topic. Most of my readers should be familiar with the fact I don't do unhappy endings. This ending will be up to you if it's happy or not though. It might not even make sense to you, but it does to me. Hahaha. SNSD-Forever, Jessica&Tiffany-Heaven, DBSK-Don't Say Goodbye, Selena-Dreaming of You.
Jessica was sitting on the edge of the park's sand box, picking up sand just to let the tiny particles slip through her fingers. It reminded her of the small pressure that used to occupy her hand.
*
Ding dong
Loud thumps followed subsequently to the welcomed alarm as little pitter-patters skated across the floor.
A little girl swung the door open to meet another pip-squeak girl. She had been expecting the visitor as her grin grew goofier.
"Jessi! Can you play outside!?" Jessica excitedly giggled at her playmate holding a jump rope and a soccer ball.
"Lemme ask my parents real quick!" little Jessica rushed up the stairs and into her parents room. She shook her mother's body, "Umma, umma, can I go play outside with Fany?"
Her mother grunted, "Mm"
"Thank you!" Jessica kissed her mother's cheek and rushed back out to Tiffany.
"She said yeah!"
Jessica rushed her shoes on and grabbed her scooter by the door. They headed down the street to the park they always played at with all the other neighbor kids.
And just like every Saturday morning, they went through the routine of picking out activities to play with everyone else. Childish squeals and occasional cries of pain emitted from the play place along with the joy of everyone's companionship in a game they never could properly perform.
"Jessica go easy on them! You kick too hard!" One of her teammates voiced a warning to her, but like always, she decided to shrug off the useless warning. People should just get out of her way.
She was getting closer and closer to the goal in front of her when a duo of boys ran up ahead of her to block her. She acknowledged the fact she couldn't make it past them and kicked the ball as hard as she could- childishly hoping it would somehow reach the goal.
The ball flew over the boys' heads and past the goal post, heading straight for a couple of girls in the sand box.
"BAAAAAALL!!" The little boy who warned her in the first place shouted frantically, hoping the girls wold hear it. They didn't.
The ball continued travelling through the air, its momentum still in full force.
"FANY!! FAAANY!!" Jessica frantically shouted, knowing there wasn't enough time to run and save her.
When the little girl finally turned around, the ball smacked her right in the face.
"Oh no!" Jessica gripped her hair and ran over to the sand box.
Tiffany was covering her face in agony, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
"Ouuch" She tried holding in her tears not wanting to look like a cry baby in front of everyone.
The other girl with her quickly tried soothing her, "Are you alright?! Lets go put an ice pack on your face!"
Jessica finally reached them and got on her knees, "Fany! Are you okay!? I'm so sorry!"
A group formed around them, all curious of the damage and reaction.
Jessica tried grabbing Tiffany's hands away to see her face, but Tiffany wouldn't let her. Jessica struggled with her for a bit, "Fany! Lemme see!" When she finally saw through the girl's fingers, she regretted brushing off every warning she's ever been told up until now.
Jessica stripped off her worn jacket and shoved it into Tiffany's hands, forcibly offering her to use it. The girl's shoulders were shaking as she took the jacket and covered her face. Guilt was washing over Jessica like a tidal wave as her hands anxiously shook.
"We're going home!" Jessica announced to the anxious group and pulled Tiffany up. Tiffany got up slowly, holding the jacket to her face and quickly wrapping her arms around Jessica's shoulders.
Jessica picked the girl up into her arms as she carried the smaller girl home. The whole time, Jessica was whispering her countless apologies, begging for forgiveness. Tiffany would nod her head, but Jessica reprimanded the weak apology, pondering how she should really apologize.
Once she thought of a way, she stopped apologizing.
As soon as they got to Jessica's house, she sat Tiffany on the swinging chair on her front porch and tugged on her sweater covering Tiffany's injured face.
"Let me see" Tiffany slowly retracted the bloodied jacket.
Tiffany felt like her face was burned off and her nose was broken.
And Jessica was completely disheartened. She ran inside, grabbed a roll of paper towels, ripped one off, placed it under the ice dispenser, and ran out with the roll of paper towels- one filled with ice.
"Here." Jessica gently placed the bundled up ice on Tiffany's face.
Tiffany blew her bloody nose first before sniffling up her boogers, "You broke my nose!"
Jessica smiled as Tiffany sent her a Cheshire grin trying to lighten the mood.
"That's okay! It was too fat to begin with!" Jessica giggled and Tiffany scrunched up her nose, ignoring her throbbing face.
"Sorry about your jacket by the way." Tiffany looked at the discarded bloodied garment.
"That's okay as long as you're okay." Jessica smiled at her apologetically as she gently placed the paper towel full of ice on injured girl's nose..
Tiffany turned back to her, "I'm gonna beat you up one day."
Jessica raised her brows, "You can't touch me!"
Tiffany stabbed her finger into Jessica's shoulder, "TOUCH TOUCH TOUCH TOUCH!"
Jessica backed away with a playful grin on her face, "Bet you can't touch me now!"
Tiffany grinned and hopped of the swinging chair, quickly chasing Jessica around her front yard.
When the next morning came, it was Jessica that showed up at Tiffany's door first along with her apology. She had asked her dad to buy a Totoro doll on his way home last night.
*
Jessica picked up the soccer ball beside her, dropping it on the ground as she dribbled it around her feet. She kicked it as hard as she could, and it spun perfectly against the back of the net.
After hurting Tiffany that day, she rigorously practiced aiming. She told herself it was either, get better, or never play again.
She looked across the field to the sand box. A new generation of kids had taken over their park as the same childish banter played between her ears.
Looking the opposite direction further down the street was their elementary school. And if she recalled correctly, it was sixth grade that was the best year ever.
*
"You're stupid!" Tiffany shouted at her across their desks.
"I know you are, but what am I!?" Jessica made a silly face at her with her tongue sticking out.
"Stupid!" Tiffany huffed in annoyance as Jessica continued teasing her, keeping all her pink writing utensils captive.
"NA NA NA NA NA NAAAAAA- You can't have them~!" Tiffany continued glaring in her chair as Jessica flaunted the stolen utensils in front of her face.
"Give them back!" Tiffany hopped out of her chair and attempted chasing Jessica, but they both knew it was futile as Jessica easily evaded her hands.
The teacher was too busy attending to other students to pay attention to their childish antics.
Tiffany continued helplessly chasing after Jessica knowing she'd give in some time.
Jessica slowed down a bit to tease Tiffany again, "You're so slow!" She turned around and began running again, only to bump into one of the fat boys in class. Jessica sprawled out on the floor as Tiffany quickly got on her knees and retrieved her precious pink pens and pencils from Jessica's stupid hands.
"Ha-ha! That's what you get!" She pointed at Jessica's scared face and laughed, unbeknownst of the teacher towering behind her.
"Tiffany! Jessica!" Tiffany instantly clamped her mouth shut, her eyes now matching Jessica's.
Jessica slowly got up and stood slightly in front of Tiffany. "You both have lunch detention!"
They both looked down in response, nodding their heads as they went back to their respective desks.
Jessica sat directly in front of Tiffany and when lunch came around, they remained seated as sighs repetitively escaped their lips.
"You got us in trouble stupid!" Tiffany chastised Jessica on the way home.
Jessica smiled at her and shrugged, "Don't be such a pansy."
"You got me lunch detention again" Tiffany sighed for the millionth time.
"It's okay, I was there for you." Jessica teased her, but for some reason, she didn't get the usual retort back. She looked over at Tiffany and she was looking down.
"What's got your panties in a bunch?" Jessica felt nervous, was Tiffany going to get mad?
Tiffany looked up at Jessica with an unsettling look.
"Do you like someone?"
Jessica looked at Tiffany bewildered, "No way! Boys are gross!"
Tiffany looked back at the ground again, pursing her lips together.
"Well are you ever gonna get a boyfriend?"
Jessica continued looking at Tiffany, the thought of a boyfriend never really crossed her mind. She was always too busy looking forward to tomorrow with Tiffany, school with Tiffany, games with Tiffany, everything with Tiffany.
Perhaps out of gullibility, Jessica spoke exactly what she was thinking, "I don't really think about anyone else except you."
She pondered if there was anything she was missing.
And she remembers this day very clearly, as vivid as yesterday.
They were almost to Jessica's house, but Tiffany was grinning at her response and halted on the side walk.
"Then, can you be my girlfriend?" She remembers how bright red Tiffany was even though her voice sounded cool and collected.
It was Jessica's response that threw the scene off, "NO WAY! I can't think of you like that!"
She didn't mean it, but she was caught off guard and too proud. In all honesty, she was the happiest person in the world. She just couldn't control her feelings.
Jessica ran home and once she got in her house, she felt like shouting in joy. She ran to the front window and looked out to see if Tiffany was still there, and she was.
Tiffany was looking down, about ready to cry.
Jessica felt almost excited she could make Tiffany cry, but she also felt hurt.
She was about to run back out and kiss her on the cheeks, but then some boy came rushing over to her, it was one of their neighborhood friends; Taecyeon.
Jessica quickly hopped off the couch, running back outside barefoot.
Taecyeon was asking her what's wrong when Jessica intervened, "Hey! Don't touch my girlfriend!"
Taecyeon moved his hands away and held them up in defense, "I was just asking what's wrong."
Tiffany looked up at Jessica surprised. Jessica pulled her into her house and they went up to Jessica's room.
Jessica tried acting cool as she sat on her floor and set Tiffany down beside her, "Fine, I'll be your girlfriend."
Jessica thought Tiffany would be happy, but when she looked at her, she looked perplexed. "What if I don't want you to be my girlfriend anymore?"
Jessica let her jaw hang, "Then- That's too bad! Because I already accepted!"
Tiffany stood up and Jessica can still feel the frantic flip in her stomach, "You can't be my girlfriend until you stop playing around."
Tiffany turned to leave, but Jessica grabbed her leg, "I'll stop! I'll stop! Just don't leave!"
Tiffany looked down and narrowed her eyes on Jessica, "Why should I believe you?"
Jessica hurriedly got up and the best part was how ecstatic she felt, "Because I love you and even if I do play a joke on you, it'd only be for your attention."
Tiffany smiled halfheartedly and it scared Jessica, "Find a better way to get my affection." She emphasized the last word.
Jessica doesn't recall Tiffany ever being this witty, she always saw her as an easy target. But this new Tiffany was even more attractive to her as a grin spread across her face. "Okay."
*
She remembers wearing something pink everyday from then on. It really wasn't that hard for Jessica to ditch the teasing and move on to more romantic tactics, especially when it was more pleasing to receive Tiffany's smile rather than her glares.
Jessica looked down at her pink watch, checking what time it was in case any teachers might be on campus.
When she looked back up, she spotted a familiar woman, now aged over time, but extremely memorable. With an excited heart, she approached her old sixth grade teacher.
*
"Mm, stop. I have practice." Tiffany was pushed up against her locker as she grabbed Jessica's wandering hands and retracted from their heated kiss.
"Noo, just a little more" Jessica started kissing down Tiffany's neck as her hands continued up her cheerleading skirt. In their junior year of high school, Tiffany made cheerleading captain.
"No. Jess, stop." She pushed Jessica away, looking her in the eye before pecking her pouting lips. "I'll see you in a bit. You have soccer practice." And Jessica made the soccer team even though they didn't necessarily get cheerleaders at their games.
Tiffany walked out of the locker room before Jessica could protest anymore.
Once she heard the door open, Jessica turned on her heels and headed to her own locker to get ready for practice early. As she reached her locker, she didn't see the person behind her.
"Frustrated?" Jessica whipped her head to the voice. It was one of her team mates; Woo Jihae.
"Not really, she always leaves me wanting more." Jessica opens her locker and started unloading her gear.
"Then how 'bout I help you with that? I can give you a little more." The brunette girl closed in on Jessica from behind, and grabbed onto her waist.
"S'all good, don't need it." Jessica shifted away from her touch and ignored her, fully aware of the lust in the other girl's eyes. She continued to strip off her shirt, rushing to dress out and leave. But maybe she should've been more careful. Jihae captured Jessica's face between her hands and crashed her lips onto her vulnerable ones. Jessica's eyes were as big as the moon as she frantically shoved the girl away.
"Don't do that!" Jessica pointed at her accusingly, scolding her for her immoral habits.
"Why!? I can be just as good!" Jihae approached Jessica again, but the latter grabbed her jersey and held it up as a barrier. "Yah! I said stop!"
Jihae halted knowing she wasn't going to get any further. Her lips were pursed, hands clenched, and eyes boring into Jessica's, "I don't see what you see in her. She's always bossing you around and never returning your affection."
Jessica flabbergasted as she looked at Jihae over her jersey.
"Even the team talks about how desperate you look! And to make it worse, you're the team captain! I can give you way more than that slut can!"
Jessica quickly put on her jersey before speaking, "Wait, you don't even understand." She held her hands up in a stopping gesture, "First off, DON'T CALL MY GIRLFRIEND A SLUT! Man, if I had a say in what she wore, she'd be wearing an over sized sweater with some baggy ass sweats over those, delicious thighs." She felt old agitation rise, but a new one grow larger.
"She's bossy, but I like that. I'd be too reckless most of the time and she points me back to the right path. One of us has to be in the right mind." Jessica didn't like the feeling of having to explain herself, but she felt like she owed her team at least this much.
"How is that a good thing if she's the only one receiving?" Jihae challenged her words; she craved the cool Jessica on the field, not this stupid one blindly following some bimbo's words.
"No, it's not even like that! I receive a lot; like right now when she kissed me and said, 'see you later' all sexily. She knows I'm just gonna rush dressing out early to watch her practice." Jessica glanced at her pink watch, calculating how much time she'd have left to watch Tiffany flaunt her goodies in that mini skirt.
Jihae closed in on her a little more again, "And I can give you A LOT more than that." The more-than-apparent lust in her eyes angered Jessica, it was like the girl was belittling hers and Tiffany's love.
"No, no you can't. No one can. She gives me everything, her undivided attention, the smiles and looks she only gives me." Jessica's eyes looked straight into Jihae's; "Sometimes I even feel spoiled and I don't want to let her out of my cage. She has to be 'bossy' or I'd probably have her locked away. She's at every game, every family dinner, and occasionally waiting at every teacher's door I have detention for. I feel indebted to her, and I really, really wanna go see her flaunt those godly assets right now while I still have time- Shit, I only have ten minutes left to enjoy my view and you're not worth wasting time on; she doesn't wear it in the bedroom, y'know. " Jessica glanced at her watch again, stripping off her pants to reveal her shorts already on.
Jihae was extremely aggravated as she sat down on the benches. She was heaving deep sighs as she watched Jessica pull on her pink goalie gloves and matching pink socks and cleats. She was cool just now too, and a majority of the time on the field, but it was these little things that ruined her image in Jihae's eyes.
"Is everything you own pink?" Jihae watched her exasperatedly.
Jessica was tying her shoes, "Not my normal clothes, and that's enough for my dignity."
She adjusted her shin guards and strapped them on before pulling her socks up. "And just to make things clear, I don't chase after her with lust in my eyes. It's called making love, not sex. I don't do sex. And you shouldn't either; don't sell yourself short of what you're really after. You'll get disappointed."
Jessica clicked her lock back onto her locker before waving Jihae a goodbye and running off to the field. Luckily, soccer players were allowed relatively close to the cheerleaders' practice area.
But when she reached the cheerleading squad out on the field, she immediately noticed Tiffany was missing. She tapped the coach's shoulder and asked where she was.
"She said she forgot her pompoms in the locker room, I don't know what's taking her so long."
Jessica ran back to the locker rooms and found her sitting on the bench in front of her locker.
"Did you hear what I said?" Jessica was slightly out of breath and staring at Tiffany.
Tiffany seemed to be in deep thought as she finally looked up at Jessica. "Yeah"
"I'm sorry." Jessica's breath was ragged, she didn't know if she wanted to hold it in or not.
"For what?" Tiffany inquired, her face showcasing full curiosity.
"For... Letting Jihae kiss me." She didn't know whether or not Tiffany was there to witness or over hear that part, but she needed to get it out anyway.
Tiffany chuckled and looked away, "I'm not even mad." A smile finally started growing on Tiffany's lips.
Jessica felt relieved, but still a little frantic. What does she mean 'she's not even mad'?
"Then what's wrong?" Jessica approached her, but Tiffany suddenly shot up from her seat and grabbed Jessica's collar, crashing her lips onto hers. Mid-kiss, Tiffany retracted and began muttering against Jessica's lips, "I was just scared." She kissed her again. "I thought you might let her win."
Before things could get any hotter, Jessica grabbed her hand and led them to their car. They quickly got in and Jessica rushed home to Tiffany's; her parents won't be home 'til six.
Even before they reached the room, Jessica's jersey was littered in the hallway and Tiffany's mouth was around her chest.
*
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that..." The decrepit woman let out a long sigh.
Jessica smiled and bowed respectfully to her, "Well I must get going and you must be busy with work."
Her old teacher smiled and nodded, "Take care."
"You too." Jessica bowed again and left.
On Jessica's way out of the school, a laughing kid sprinting backwards unaware of Jessica's presence, suddenly crashed into her.
"Oomph!" "AH!"
She held onto the small fry to make sure she didn't rebound onto the ground.
Once the kid was stable, another kid finally caught up out of breath huffing, but somehow managed words out of her mouth.
"Unnie! Sorry!"
The other kid in Jessica's grasp wiggled around and looked up curiously. Jessica met her eyes and smiled back at her warmly.
"Sorry!" She instantly stepped back and bowed apologetically to Jessica, but the older girl just continued smiling at them.
"What's your guys' names? Don't worry, I won't tell on you guys or anything." Jessica bent down on her knees to meet eye level with them.
The one out of breath stepped forward first, "I'm Hyomin and this is Eunjung!"
Eunjung was rocking back and forth on her heels behind Hyomin, and it sort of reminded her of herself, or maybe it was just the nostalgia in her heart.
She stood up and patted the kids' heads, "Nice to meet you, I'm Jessica."
She softly bowed back to the kids in a playful manner and they both smiled at her, admiring her kindness.
"It's nice to meet you too, Unnie! We'll be careful next time!" It was Eunjung who spoke up this time, and Jessica expected her to. She patted their heads again before turning away to leave, "Bye bye."
The kids waved a goodbye back and it warmed Jessica's heart to witness another eye smiling sprout.
She walked on, heading back to her old house. Her parents wouldn't be home around this time. She took out her old key and twisted in the lock.
*
It was six thirty and Tiffany still hadn't let Jessica go for standing up for them.
"Sssh, my parents are home." Tiffany whispered into Jessica's ear as her hands were digging underneath the blankets and in between Jessica's legs. Jessica was bare, and her shorts were lost somewhere in the bed. At the same time, Jessica heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs.
Jessica shivered and grabbed the pillow beside her, burying her face into it to muffle her voice.
Tiffany smirked and crossed her fingers before shoving them back in and rapidly jerking her fingers across Jessica's tightening walls. A loud whimper escaped Jessica's lips as she jolted up the bed and clenched the bed sheets between her fingers.
"You don't wanna get caught, do you Jess?" Tiffany was hovering over Jessica's arched and squirming body as she left as many love marks as she could around the older girl's chest.
Jessica was heaving out shallow breaths, desperately trying to calm herself down before Tiffany twisted her fingers around and started massaging Jessica's g-spot. Jessica immediately spread her legs wider and slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle her screams. She came on Tiffany's hand and the younger girl pulled out, but held her wet palm against Jessica's thighs
Tiffany was licking Jessica's breasts before Jessica threaded her fingers through Tiffany's hair and grasped the strands in a tight grip. Jessica yanked Tiffany up into a kiss, groaning into her lips.
A moan escaped Tiffany when Jessica started pulling her hair brusquely and flipped their positions.
Jessica had Tiffany on her back as she sat up, taking in the sight as the blanket slid away from them.
The black haired girl was staring at her bewildered before Jessica grabbed her hips and pulled them up to her face, latching her lips onto her clit.
"Jessica!" Her legs were hanging over Jessica's shoulders and her back was hardly on the bed, "Not this position!"
Jessica wrapped her arms around Tiffany's hips, securing the girl against her. She nibbled on Tiffany's clit and Tiffany's legs instantly tightened around her head. "Jess" She spoke through gritted teeth, she could hardly move her body.
Tiffany's hands were attached to the sheets as her knuckles turned white and her face scrunched up defiantly.
Jessica's tongue was slithering inside of her and Tiffany's voice was guttural as her neck strained in her helpless position.
"Jessica" Said girl had suddenly pulled her tongue out of Tiffany leaving the desperate girl to buck against her face, "You're not done!" Tiffany could feel Jessica smiling against her folds before teasing her with small licks.
"Please" Her body was tingling, just a little more. "Jessica! Please! Please! Please!" Jessica's mouth opened against her soaking folds and Tiffany's legs tightened in anticipation as she chanted her plea and Jessica devoured her.
*
"Unnie?" A little head popped out of the Kitchen.
"Krys?" Jessica leaned left to get a better view of her around the Kitchen's entry.
"What are you doing here Unnie?" She stepped around the kitchen so her and Jessica were properly facing each other.
"Is mom and dad home?" She walked past Krystal and into the kitchen, inspecting the old walls and dining furniture.
"Yeah, they're in dad's office. Where's-"
"School" Jessica hopped up the stairs and to the very end of the hall.
*
"Uh, we have something to tell you." Jessica was squirming in her seat, fidgeting with her hand twitching back and forth from Tiffany who was sitting beside her.
Both of their family's were gathered in the Jung's family room. They had already graduated high school, and it would only be a week before they left for college. They both applied for Berkley and successfully got in.
"Y-yes? Go on?" Mr.Jung encouraged her, he was also fidgeting in his seat, anxiously awaiting what Jessica had about to announce to the family.
"We-um, we're- uh..." Jessica was sweating bullets and frantically looking down at the floor, trying to find the right words, or at least the courage to say what she's been meaning to say.
Mr.Hwang looked like he was about to pass out any second, and their mothers were biting each other's nails.
"Jessica proposed to me, and we're getting married." Tiffany hurriedly announced the news and her sister's wail was the first to break the solid silence.
"CONGRATULATIONS!!!!" Michelle flung herself onto Jessica, and Leo silently cried in the background.
This was the first time they came out to their families, and the first time they've seen their parents cry so tremendously.
Krystal had clung onto Tiffany from behind and started crying into her hair, she was only eleven at the time, but the emotions in the room had her bawling like a baby as well. It almost took all of Tiffany's strength to pull the smaller Jung into her arms as she continued to cry her heart out as well.
When everyone had calmed down from all the outrageous crying, the fathers gathered everyone into the kitchen.
"This is to Jessica and Tiffany's engagement." Mr.Jung brought out bottles of wine.
"We were all waiting for you guys to announce your relationship to the family." Mr.Hwang patted Jessica's back and stiffly smiled at her. "I'm glad it's you."
Jessica bowed respectfully to him, and Tiffany lightly squeezed her hand.
Krystal was on Tiffany's other hand, still sniffling from her loose boogers.
Mr.Jung soon finished filling up all their cups before raising his own, "To Jessica and Tiffany."
Everyone raised their cups and drank, except sniffling Krystal.
"At least now I know why unnie's bed is always wet." Krystal wiped her nose with her sleeve and chuckled with what she thought would be a chuckling family, but her mother's wine on her face proved her joke was stale.
Almost everyone had choked on their drink if they hadn't already spit it out.
"Soojung!" Mrs.Jung shouted frantically "How do you know things like that!?"
Krystal looked at her weirdly, "We learned about wet dreams in family life"
Her mothers mouth was left gaping, not knowing how to respond to that. Everyone else around the table seemed to calm down as well and Krystal took note of the unfitting atmosphere.
"What else would I be talking about?" Her mother looked away so she looked up to Tiffany, who had a sheepish grin on her face.
"Nothing, it's just odd for women to be having wet dreams" Tiffany gave her another smile as the little girl turned away and was attacked with a tissue by her mother.
Jessica tried laughing away the awkward atmosphere. "How did you guys find out anyway?"
Their family members each exchanged glances and Mr.Jung shrugged, checking everyone's faces to see if they were on the same page.
"But I guess we've all stumbled upon... Jessica having a 'wet dream'" Everyone in the room blushed or smiled at their own personal memories.
All except Tiffany had an appropriate reaction, and Jessica nudged her. Jessica had her head down and was watching Tiffany with an incredulous look, "Tiff, aren't you embarrassed?"
Tiffany nodded her head, "I am, but I don't know when they could've heard your voice. It has to be a lie."
She broke eye contact and looked towards their family, "How long have you guys known?"
She eyed them peculiarly and Jessica joined her. Jessica was usually dominant so if anything, they should've heard Tiffany's voice.
"I've known since you guys were kids, but I've never heard Jessica" Leo interjected, claiming first to know, but not having the same experience as Mr.Jung.
"I found out your guys' freshman year" Michelle claimed her position.
But when it came to their parents' turn, Mr.Hwang's face paled again and Mr.Jung shifted behind his wife.
Mrs.Hwang stepped up this time, "Do you guys remembering skipping practice?" Jessica remembered a couple times and nodded her head "Well your coaches called so we decided to leave work early to check up on you guys, and your father eagerly wanted to spend time with you guys, so he rushed up the stairs but slipped on Jessica's jersey."
Mr.Hwang put his hand to his chest as his wife continued, tears were already welling in his eyes.
"Luckily he caught himself soundlessly and just in time to catch the last seconds of your guys' rendezvous in the hallway."
Jessica paled and shifted behind Tiffany, but the younger girl also shifted to hide behind her. They collided in an embarrassed mess, sharing sheepish grins with their heads hanging low.
"Mr.Jung would've been saved had he trusted us to not check on you guys" The other man looked like he was crying behind his wife.
"What were they doing?" Krystal chirped up again and the parents remembered there was a child in the room.
"Adult stuff, sweetie, you don't need to know. Here, appa bought you apple cider." Krystal didn't like the answer she was given, but she didn't want to push either so she accepted the drink as everyone situated in their seats.
*
"Umma, Appa" Jessica peaked in through the old office door to spy on her parents before walking through.
"Jessica?" Her parents eyed her from their seat before springing up to their feet.
"Jessica! It's been so long since you visited!" Her mother pulled her into a hug and her father stood waiting for his turn.
"What made you come visit?" Her mother released her from her hug and Jessica turned to give her father a hug.
"I was just in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd come see you guys." She noticed her father's hugs weren't as strong as they used to be. Time was passing by, but she couldn't bring herself to say it was passing by fast.
"So how have you been?" Her father wrapped an arm around his wife as they stood together concerned.
"Good, good. Same as always..." Jessica looked down, trying to think of a better response.
"Actually, a little less stressful." She looked back up at them with a small smile. It sent a twinge of pain in her parents' hearts, time was also taking its toll on their daughter.
*
"So you guys have been together since elementary school?" Jessica's friend, Yuri, looked at her incredulously.
"Yeah, that strange?" Jessica was eating noodles outside of a school campus restaurant.
"Kinda, you guys never broke up before?" Yuri couldn't believe such a love life existed.
"Nope. Can't say I hadn't tried though, she almost killt me." Jessica quirked a smile..
"That totally doesn't suit her image" Yuri had her head resting on both of her hands as she watched Jessica eat.
"You'd be surprised"
"What'd she do after you tried breaking up with her?"
Jessica put her chopsticks down and wiped her hands on her pants, "I wasn't even really trying to break up with her, I just asked if she wanted to take a break. I was worried she might've gotten tired of me." Jessica chuckled and her eyes looked distant; Yuri wondered if everyone in love looked this distant when talking.
"So?"
Jessica finally looked back up at Yuri and continued, "She grabbed a baseball bat from my closet, it was right after I got my new car." Jessica grinned widely while looking back at her, "luckily I threw myself in front of the bat before she could take her first swing"
Yuri looked at her flabbergasted, "You didn't get hurt?!"
"I did! She fractured two of my ribs and my arm! I couldn't play soccer for a month" Jessica chuckled in her seat and Yuri looked at her queerly.
"How many times did she hit you?"
"I don't know, but after the first hit, she didn't stop until I- comprehensively- swore I'd never try breaking up with her again." Jessica's face was bright, Yuri almost felt like she could touch her happiness.
"You're really into some kinky shit" Yuri leaned back in her chair, smiling with Jessica. The girl's happiness was contagious.
"At least I'm not a degenerate girl trying to hook up with taken women for their corpulent ego." Jessica snuffed and continued eating her noodles.
"Not all of us are as blessed as you" Yuri scowled before spotting Tiffany walking towards them.
"Hey, Sica, let me massage your hand real quick" Yuri put on a credible face as Jessica looked up at her.
"Sure" She put her hand out for Yuri to take, and the tanned girl quickly took it as Tiffany was closing in on them from behind.
"Awwwe, Sica! I love you too!" Yuri bellowed and giggled haughtily causing Jessica to cringe and look up at her.
"Stop it, I'm eating." Jessica was about to pull her hand away until a perfectly manicured nail landed on it.
"What's this? Found some other delicate beauty to spend time on?" Tiffany's voice mocked Jessica as the girl rose an arrogant eye brow.
"If you could count yourself as a delicate beauty in the first place" Jessica usually didn't tease Tiffany back, especially in these situations and quickly began praying she'd get away with it.
"Oh? You won't be saying that in the morning" Tiffany leaned forward and combed down Jessica's fringe while smirking.
"Why's that?" Jessica beamed, almost gleefully.
"'Cause you'll be sleeping outside, thinking about what you just said." Tiffany walked around Jessica, her tone never changing as Jessica took a second to register her words before gaping at her.
Tiffany took the seat the next to Jessica and began finishing her noodles.
"But baby I was joking!" Jessica pouted and watched Tiffany chew on her noodles.
"You'd think I'd laugh then" Tiffany gave Jessica the cold shoulder
"Don't worry Sica, you can sleep at my place" Yuri winked at Jessica and it almost made Jessica want to slap her to death.
"Oh look Jessi, you should probably go with her. She's offering such a heart warming invitation." Tiffany glanced at Jessica nonchalantly and Jessica almost felt like strangling herself.
"Baby I'm sorry! I don't wanna sleep with her! She looks like Chewbacca's cousin with a black weave!"
"Hey!"
"Get out of here Yuri! No one loves you!" Jessica quickly tried ridding the cause of all her problems.
"Everyone loves me!"
"Your cats are your everything, I know, now leave."
"I only have one!"
"One is all you need, leave."
"You're rude!"
"Leave!"
Yuri shot up from her seat, grabbed her backpack, and stomped off.
"Oh look, now you have no place to sleep tonight" Tiffany finished off her noodles and got up.
"Wait! You're joking, right!? I already got rid of her!" Jessica grasped Tiffany's arm desperately.
Tiffany's lips rose as she tried holding in her smile, "Nope, I'm serious."
Jessica openly smiled, "No, seriously, I'm sleeping inside, right?"
Tiffany hummed as she got up from her seat, "We'll see"
"Baby don't do this to me!" Jessica was grinning, but she still felt frantic inside
Tiffany grinned back, trying to hold in her smile, but failed. They didn't mind it though as she walked off with her bag, ignoring Jessica's griping hands and enjoying her attention.
*
"Do you want to stay for lunch?"
Jessica looked at her parents and smiled again, "No thanks, I have to go soon."
She looked down at her watch, it was two o'clock in the afternoon.
"Maybe I'll come back for dinner."
"Okay, just hurry back." Krystal was setting plates on the table.
"Can I treat you guys to dinner?" Jessica was thinking it'd be nice to go out with her family.
"Sure, as long as it's a good restaurant" Her father smiled and waved a goodbye to Jessica as she nodded and left.
She parked her car by the park and quickly ran to get it.
*
"Honey I'm hooooome!!" Jessica called from the living room and waited for Tiffany to respond. After not getting a response, she quickly hung her coat and hopped up the stairs. She just got done with her shift at the hospital.
"Honeyyyy, I'm hungryyyy" She walked into their bedroom to find Tiffany in front of the computer.
"HONEYYYYY"
"GODDAMMITJESS, WANNA BE ANY LOUDER?! I'M SURE THE NEIGHBORS HAVEN'T HEARD YOU!"
Jessica grinned and walked towards her wife, "Aw shucks, your love is so outrageous today. Have you eaten? Wanna go out tonight?"
"Why? So I can get even fatter? So maybe I can bite someone else's head off?!"
Jessica cooed in Tiffany's ear and rubbed her belly. Tiffany had taken maternity leave from the hospital as a paramedic.
"My wife be so cray-cray, oh noooo" Jessica started pecking her cheeks and snuggling into her hair.
"Stop it, I'm not a child"
"Oh noooo, someone's a widdle cwankyyyy"
"I said STOP! YOU SOUND SO STUPID!"
"Wahhhh!!" Jessica giggled
"AHHH!"
"AHHH!"
"STOP SCREAMING!"
"BUT YOU'RE SCREAMING!"
"I DON'T CARE!"
Jessica's smile turned into a laughing fit on the floor and soon Tiffany cracked a smile.
"Stop making me smile"
"How am I making you smile?" Jessica puckered her lips at Tiffany.
"By being weird, stop it" Tiffany crossed her arms
"But you seem to like it" Jessica got up from her seat on the floor and approached her wife
"Go away" Tiffany turned her head away from Jessica and back to the computer, but Jessica spun her chair around.
"Okay" She planted a kiss on Tiffany's lips and the younger girl squirmed.
"Why don't you ever listen?" Tiffany let Jessica continue kissing her.
"I always listen, that's how I know you love me" Jessica pulled away from Tiffany's lips and went down to her neck
"Jess!" Tiffany grasped Jessica's shirt
"I think my water broke!"
Jessica instantly pulled back, looked down, "YES!" She shouted in victory and Tiffany punched her in the face, "Get me to the damn hospital!"
*
"Umma! You're half an hour late!" A cute girl with pig tails hopped into the passenger seat of Jessica's white BMW.
"Sorry babyyy, umma was visiting grandma and grandpa"
"Stop treating me like a kid!"
"Maybe if you'd stop acting like one..."
"If you'd stop treating me like one, maybe I'd break out of habit"
"Blame yourself, not others"
"Are you saying you're not at fault?"
"What's that? You don't want your phone anymore?"
The youthful girl shot her a frowning glare and Jessica smiled, "That's what I thought"
"Umma, I'm hungry"
"Lets grab a snack at home then, we're eating out tonight"
"Oh? Where are we going?"
"Surprise"
"Yess!!"
"Dress nicely"
"Don't I always?"
"Dress formally"
"Why?"
"Just do it"
*
"There's been an officer down on Springs road! They need paramedics, NOW!"
Tiffany and her team quickly loaded the van and sped off from the hospital.
There's been a bank robbery on Springs Road, police cars surrounded the vicinity, but one of the first-responders had already been shot and the culprits were on the loose.
Tiffany was unloading the stretcher, until she saw one of the robbers sneaking around their van to escape down the forest-like hillside.
Thinking fast, she grabbed the gun from the wounded police officer and slipped into the van, cranking open the side window. She shot twice and the robber had fallen, police surrounded the ambulance she was in and gazed at her and then where she shot.
Seeing she had hit one of the robbers, they quickly evacuated the ambulance and ran down the hill.
Tiffany sighed as she felt someone else enter the vehicle.
She thought it must be the other paramedics with the police officer's body, until she felt a barrel connect with her head.
"Drive us out of here" It was the second robber.
Tiffany noticed the back of the van was shut, there was no escape, until another paramedic entered the vehicle through the driver seat and a gun shout sounded through the van.
The van started, sped down roads for hours until it abruptly stopped and the passenger door opened.
The robber ran, and the second paramedic quickly sped back until he was far enough away from the site she dropped the robber off at.
She turned back to check on Tiffany, the injured girl was shot in the right lung, upper lobe.
Tiffany had already connected herself to the IV drip and held pressure to the open wound, but they could both tell she'd hardly make it back to a hospital in time with all the blood pooling beneath her.
"Last words" Sooyoung spoke between tears as her coworker lay injured on their vehicle's floor.
"Grab my phone, dial Jessi" Her voice was deep and raspy.
Sooyoung patted down Tiffany's clothes until she found her phone in her pants pocket.
She quickly dialed the number and placed it to Tiffany's ear.
'Tiffany?'
"Jess?" Her voice lightened, but was still hoarse.
'Why do you sound hurt? Aren't you out on a job right now?'
"Jess, I've been shot, and I won't be able to make it" She tried sounding strong, but her voice was a whisper.
'What? A-Are you lying? This is a bad joke, Tiffany' She could hear Jessica nervously giggle
"Think of me tomorrow, and forever. I'll see you tomorrow, and I'll see you forever"
'Tiff, stop' She could hear Jessica's voice breaking, and her phone began trembling next to her ear. She guessed Sooyoung was crying too.
"Don't let Tiffany eat too many sweets, and pick her up on time tomorrow, okay?"
'Okay, okay, anything' Jessica's voice was muffled
"Dream of me, and I'll always be with you. I'll always be with you" Tiffany was getting tired and she felt her eyes drooping. Sooyoung used her free hand to hold the pressure to Tiffany's chest.
"I love you Jess, we'll be together forever" Somehow, it made sense to Tiffany. When people said that a dead person never leaves. She'll live inside Jessica, her heaven is where Jessica is.
"You're my heaven, I love you" She felt all her energy draining and soon, her I love you's turned into a chant until she could speak no more.
Jessica was bawling on the other end, and also chanting, chanting the words they've been repeating all their lives to the same person.
When Tiffany blacked out, Sooyoung tried everything she could in the ambulance and hooked everything up to Tiffany properly, but her heartbeat vanished.
*
"C'mon Tiffany, they're waiting" Jessica hurried her daughter out of the car.
"Where are we?" The neighborhood wasn't familiar to the adolescent.
"Mine and your umma's old neighborhood."
Tiffany's eyes lit up as she eyed the whole street.
"Is that the playground you injured her face in?"
"Yep"
"Then is this your parents' house?"
Just as she asked the question, and elderly couple opened the door. Behind them was another elderly couple, and more people came out of the kitchen.
"Welcome home Jessica, is this Tiffany?" Mr.Jung smiled warmly at his daughter, welcoming his family back into their home.
"Yeah, sorry I never brought her over" Jessica stepped into the house, and as she inspected everyone's faces, they all shared the same surprise. Even Jessica couldn't deny the uncanny resemblance between Tiffany and their daughter. The only difference was their body structure, little Tiffany was blessed with Jessica's more model-like body.
"Why'd you guys name her Tiffany?" Krystal, now thirty five asked.
"Someone had to be given the name on their certificate, and Tiffany didn't have it" Jessica wrapped her arm over her daughter's and brought her into the family room.
"I feel like I'm time travelling" Michelle joined them in the family room with her husband and children.
"If you weren't forty years old Jess, I'd think you guys were coming out of the closet again."
The aged woman laughed, but the adolescent cringed. "Who would come out of the closet with this old coot?"
Once Tiffany spoke, everyone shut up. Even their voices were slightly similar and everyone was staring at her in awe.
"Do you have a love interest?" Michelle spoke up again and the majority froze in the room until the young girl nodded a 'no'.
"How old are you sprout?" Mr.Hwang asked with a tender smile.
"Sixteen" She answered meekly.
"She's almost the same age as Sunny and Taeyeon, Michelle's kids." Mr.Hwang gestured to the other awkward teens in the room.
"Who put together the family reunion? I just said I'd treat my family out to dinner" Jessica smirked
"Last I checked, you married my daughter and entered this family too. Thanks for paying, what restaurant have you booked for us?" Mr.Hwang jested with Jessica.
"I'll rent out an Olive Garden tonight" Jessica nodded to the old man and they laughed together.
"Umma, how come you never brought me to visit before?" Tiffany turned her attention to her mother.
"I did, a lot, before Umma passed away." The room was quiet and Tiffany shifted uncomfortably, suddenly distraught.
"Why'd you stop?" Mr.Hwang asked softly.
"Because I had no one to go with"
"What's the difference now?" Tiffany asked her.
"Mm, I'd rather not share" Jessica looked down briefly, and then back up. She finally came to understand Tiffany's last words.
Tiffany will always be with her, she lives on inside her heart. And though they may grow a little bit different, they share this heart and their dreams.