| Fan Fiction |
by etoile
“Jess, you’re acting like he’s dead or something.” I poured a cup of warm water into a mug and brought it to Jess’s lips. “You shouldn’t even be giving Tom that luxury! In fact, he’s just a cad who dumped you because he wanted to get with a younger girl. That’s it, end of. You are so much better than that, so why are you self-destructing like this? It’s not like it’s going to make him come back, you know.” I was only speaking my mind. There really was no reason why Jess should be wasting her tears over a guy who didn’t cherish her at all.
She sniffed and wiped her eyes, before retorting, “And what would you rather I did? Try and forget he ever existed and forget all the happiness we had together? Try to be just like you after Changmin left?” I was taken aback by her harsh words as she glared at me accusingly through her bloodshot eyes. What was she doing taking me as an item of comparison? Before I could say anything, Jess shook her head and mumbled something incomprehensible. “Speak up, I can’t hear the insults you’re throwing my way.” I huffed, before handing the mug of water to her and standing up.
“Joori, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.” Jess reached out and grabbed my hand, plumping me right down on the sofa again. Instinctively, I wrestled myself away from her. The hell I had been through ever since I started riding that wave of nostalgia the night before was enough to make me tip over the edge. What Jessica had just done was just rubbing salt into an already festering wound. “You know what, I don’t care what you meant. I’ve been keeping quiet about you heading out every night and getting dead drunk. Have you ever considered the fact that when you waltz away every night to drown your sorrows, I am the one who’s left at home to pick up the pieces? You lament the fact that Tom left, but hello! He left you, remember? When you consider the small point that he cheated on you with the office slut, you should be happy that he left of his own accord and you didn’t have to do the pushing.”
My outburst was followed by what seemed like an endless tract of silence. When I turned around to look at Jess, who was still lying recumbent on the sofa, I could see the moistness in her eyes and her lower lip trembling. Oh God, Kim Joori, what have you done? I sat down next to her and took her hand. “I’m sorry Jess, I didn’t mean to be so harsh. The… the words just came out all wrong in my anger.”
I was expecting Jess to go off into a frenzy about how unfair I had been on her and how my sharp tongue would get me into some real trouble someday, but she didn’t. instead, she gave my hand a squeeze and reached over to hug me. Blinking back tears, she finally started crying her heart out, which was something that she had been hiding behind the endless flow of alcohol ever since the break-up.
“Joori… y-y-you’re right. I should be, b-be so happy that I got a n-n-narrow escape. T-t-tom doesn’t d-d-deserve my f-feelings. B-but the thing is,” she sniffed in between sobs. “The thing is, I s-s-still l-love him!” Following that outburst, big fat teardrops started falling and wetting the shoulder of my sweater. Poor Jess, she was so cut up about Tom leaving her. As objective as I was about the whole thing, seeing my best friend and rock for the past two years falling to pieces because of a worthless guy was heart-rending.
Eventually, the sobbing stopped, and Jessica started to pull herself together, just like the Jess I knew and loved. I handed her the box of tissues that stood on the coffee table to dry her tears. “I’m sorry Joori. I really shouldn’t have said… what I said. In fact,” she mustered a watery smile and grabbed hold of my hand again “I have to thank you. Without you, I’d probably be a worse wreck than I am now.”
I shook my head. “Think nothing of it. After all, you were by my side when I was in a similar situation a few years ago, remember?” Although compared to Jessica, I hadn’t dealt with my heartbreak by trying to pickle myself in alcohol. I had shut myself away from everyone and everything, almost as if I had lost the will to live. When push came to shove, it was almost as if there was nothing left to live for. I refused to speak to anyone, but Jessica was the only one who had managed to pick me up from the ocean of misery at that crucial moment, right before I lost myself.
By this time, Jessica had allowed me to leave her side and go over to the fridge to get two glasses of orange juice. As I did, I remembered something Jess had said from the night before. “Jess, you did mention something that I wanted to ask you abou—“
I never got to finish my sentence because, almost as if on cue, the house phone started ringing. Strange, no one ever called us at home, except for my parents. Jess scrambled to pick up the phone. “Hello, Jess and Joori’s residence!” I heard some scratchy sounds from over the phone, and next thing I knew, Jess cast me a furtive glance and lowered her voice as she hurried into her bedroom, shutting the door tightly after her. Surprised, I raised my eyebrows and plunked the glasses of orange juice onto a tray. It looked like this was some guy, who Jess had most certainly met at some club. I picked the tray up, but stalled for a second before setting it down again. I peered into the frosty depths of the freezer, and pulled out two tubs of comfort ‘emergency’ ice-cream. That would be just the ticket. One scoop of this, and Jess wouldn’t remember who Tom was.
Tray in hand, I was just about to knock on Jess’ door, when she flung the door open and almost bumped into me in her haste to get out the door. “Whoa Jess! Where are you off to in such a hurry? Who was that, anyway?” She replaced the phone on the receiver and shrugged. “Nowhere! Ah… it was nobody. A wrong number.”
If it was one thing Jess was lousy at, it was lying. She was so transparent, it was almost unreal. I set the tray down again and bundled her into the bedroom. Handing her a spoon, I sat her down on a fluffy beanbag that lay in a corner of the room. “I know you’re lying. You’re sitting down right now with some triple chocolate fudge ice-cream, and we are going to make sure that there are no more secrets between us.”
~*~
A/N: If you're there and you're reading, comment and let me know! Especially if you enjoyed it ;) Seriously, it'll make my day.
Oh, and shameless advertising. If you haven't already seen, I have a new fic up at /etoile2. It's a long form fic, so it's a totally new challenge! xx