Length of Happiness

Chapter 25 - Sh*t Eating Grin

[A/N: Just a few more chapters! Stay with me :D]

Taeyeon finally finished her lunch with Sunny since Tiffany had club meetings for her dance group. She eventually learned to enjoy her time with the latter and not just have her mind narrowed on Tiffany all day.

The two walked out of the cafeteria and headed towards Taeyeon's favourite spot to spend the rest of their lunch.

Just to their luck, as they walked towards the exit to the large playing field, they saw Jessica and Yuri walking towards them hand in hand.

Taeyeon took Sunny's hand and kept her close. She knew she did the right thing when she felt Sunny's hand tense up when they walked up in front of them.

There was something odd. Jessica seemed out of her usual self and did not look like she wanted to be there. It was Yuri who confronted them.

"What do you want this time?" Said Taeyeon with an exasperated sigh, pulling Sunny behind her.

—SLAP—

Yuri struck Taeyeon with her left palm hard enough to turn her own palms red. The tall girl grabbed the Taeyeon by the collar and yanked her harshly against the wall without another word. "You bitch! Do you know what you fucking did?" She shouted, eyes gazing into the girl venomously.

Taeyeon was bewildered, seeing how much hatred was in Yuri's eyes and how unusually quiet Jessica is.

Before Yuri could make the scene more complicated, Jessica pulled her away from Taeyeon. "Yuri-ah, I don't want to deal with them. Control yourself, let's go." She said and dragged an angry Yuri away. Yuri looked frustratedly at Jess and glanced back at them.

Taeyeon rubbed her burning cheeks and winced a bit from the sting.

Sunny was shocked at what just happened and felt relieved that it didn't escalate into something more serious. She was curious why Yuri was like that. They were never that aggressive, and they were in the middle of the school hallway too. But she grew worried seeing her friend's face red and lips bleeding. "Taeyoon, you are bleeding!" Her hands quickly hovered over Taeyeon's now bruised lips and tried to give her some comfort by rubbing a hand on the distracted girl's shoulders.

"Huh?" Taeyeon glanced at her after staring in the direction Jessica and Yuri left to. She licked the corner of her lips, and it indeed tastes like blood, heaving a sigh.

"Let's go to the nurse and get some ice." Sunny suggested.

"There is no need." She grabbed Sunny's hand again and headed towards the entrance.

Once again, Taeyeon sat on the steps. The cut on her lips and bruised cheeks seem not to bother her as she leaned back against her arms, propped up by her palms resting on the concrete floor. She tried to relax by closing her eyes, basking her face in the sunlight. This is nice, She thought. I wish I can do this all day, every day.

Sunny wished she was Tiffany at this moment. Perhaps then she can get some words out of this girl. And what's odd to her was how Taeyeon went through the whole scene without uttering a word. If this was any other day, she would have some witty remark or something to piss off Jessica.

"Don't just stand there. Come sit." Said Taeyeon looking up at her.

Sunny gave up on trying to understand Taeyeon's antics at this point. She could never make sense of it, and she will never be able to. Perhaps this girl is really just like this, living through life with no single care in the world.

Sunny nodded and sat beside her. "I am sorry."

"Mmm?"

"I could have tried to protect you. I should have...." Said a guilt-ridden Sunny. "You always protected me and back there...I couldn't even move...."