fluffyumjii

"Alright class, I will be handing back your tests that you took last week."
The teacher reached behind the desk and pulled out a stack of stapled papers. From where Jessica was sitting, she could see the red marks scribbled messily on the front of the first test. This particular exam had been more difficult than the others, combining various sections from different chapters that all seemed to mold together into a single concept. One by one, he placed each paper on each students desk.

"Some of you did well," he stood in front of some girls desk (Jessica didn't necessarily care to learn anyone's name). She watched as the nameless student cautiously flipped over her test, squealing when she saw how well she did. "And some of you, not so well." As he said this, he placed Jessica's test face down on her desk and moved on. She knew that math wasn't her strongest subject. Hell, school wasn't her best anything really, but she had to get through it if she wanted to move onto bigger things in life (at least, that's what people told her. She really didn’t have her life planned out at this point). She shook herself of her thoughts and focused on the piece of paper in front of her. Based on the red ink that bled through the back, she knew this test wasn't going to be a good one. Warily, she flipped over the stack, examining her grade before shrinking into her seat.

D. A big, fat, red, in-your-face D. She wouldn't want to admit it, but her grades were slowly getting worse and worse. If her parents found out now, they would most definitely ground her for the rest of forever. The teacher had been talking for awhile but Jessica is too dazed about the disaster of her academic career that she doesn't hear him. The dismissal bell knocks her out of her thoughts and as she packs up, the teacher says,
"Jessica, can you stay after?"

She knew how this went because it's happened at least four times before since the school year started. Jessica sighed, shoving the test into her backpack, too soon be forgotten. Sauntering up to the teachers desk, she takes a seat in a chair nearby. He waits patiently until each student exits the classroom and when the door clicks, he begins to speak.
'"Jessica, your last few test grades have been quite disappointing. I thought we would be able to get your overall class grade up by the end of the semester but from the looks of it, that's going to be a greater challenge than I expected." He looked to Jessica for some kind of response and when she gives none, he continues on.

"I've considered finding you a tutor. I think it might help."

A tutor? Seriously? What the hell could a tutor do that she couldn't do herself? Jessica's face scrunches up in disgust.

"I already have someone in mind as well. She's in your class and I talked to her beforehand. She's willing to meet with you after school, free of charge. So you get math help and a new friend." He writes a few numbers down on a post-it note before handing it to Jessica. Whatever is written on it looks similar to a cell phone number and a name. Jessica squints her eyes before reading what's on the small orange piece of paper out loud.

"Kwon...Yuri? Is she my tutor? Why do I need her number?"

"You need her number so you can discuss dates to meet. She already said that she can meet after school. Her number is just in case."

Jessica fiddles with the orange square in her hands before pushing her hair back. Just like with her test, she shoves the post-it note into the biggest pocket and looks to her teacher again when he starts speaking.

"I can obviously tell you're not exactly excited to do this but all I'm asking you is to just give it a shot. Who knows, maybe you guys will become best friends or something."

Jessica mutters a 'yeah, whatever' under her breath before bidding her teacher goodbye. Exiting the schools campus, she reaches into the largest pocket of her backpack again and pulls out that obnoxiously orange square before crumpling it up and shoving it in her pocket. It wasn't that Jessica didn't want help, because she did. But she'll be damned if she ever admits that to anyone.

By the time Jessica gets home, her little sister is watching some reality tv show that's more than likely less reality than she'd ever want to admit. She greets her mom with a hug and kiss on her cheek before trudging upstairs. Tossing her backpack onto the carpeted floor, Jessica faceplants into her bed. Jessica always liked the simple things. This was no doubt reflected in her room. White walls. Minimal artwork. A small wooden vanity. A poster here or there. And a single lamp sitting on her bedside table. Simple always equated to good in Jessica's life.

Her hand felt around in her pockets, searching for her phone. When she finally finds it, that stupid orange note is sticking to the screen. Jessica honestly thinks about texting this Kwon Yuri and asking for help, but she decides against it. Her mom calls her down for dinner a few hours later and she knows that at some point she has to tell her about the bad grade.

She strips quickly and changes into grey sweatpants and a white tanktop. As she's walking down the stairs, she pulls her brown hair into a messy bun.

"So, we got our tests back today..." Jessica trails off before sitting down across from her mother at a relatively small table. She put soup into her mouth. The flavor was great as always, salted and savory but not to the point where it was overbearing. It seared her throat but she didn't really mind. A slight burning sensation inside her mouth was going to be relaxing compared to whatever her mom was going to give her after she breaks the news.

"I know. Mr. Park called and said that he assigned you a tutor."

Jessica nearly chokes on a small cube of chicken upon hearing this.
"He...called?" She asks between coughs. Her mom nods, quite nonchalantly. Jessica wonders if she knows about the bad grade and had time to cool down about it, or she doesn't have the slightest clue.

"I want you to meet with your tutor every week, at least once. Even if there's a day where you don't have homework, meet up so you can study together."

Jessica fights back a groan of agitation and annoyance. She simply nods at her mom before excusing herself from the dinner table and escaping to her room. It's almost 8:30 PM when Jessica finally pulls back her pride and sends a message to her tutor, asking if she wants to meet at a local coffee shop tomorrow to discuss her test. It takes less than a minute for her to message back, all too happy and emotican-filled for Jessica's liking,
"Sure! ^^ See you there :)"


Jessica stood in front of the coffee shop, texting and playing games on her phone. She had seriously considered not showing up today and just leaving this girl alone, but thought that might be a bit rude on her part. Just because she didn't like the girl, didn't mean she'd have to be so cruel. This is a one time thing. I'll just meet with her once and then ditch her.

She was thankful that she picked this day to meet. The sun was shielded by the clouds, peeking through occasionally, which made the temperature outside nicer and more bearable than Jessica had anticipated. Her sun hat guarded her face and eyesight partially so she was startled when someone tapped her shoulder.

"Oh! Sorry I didn't mean to scare you...You're Jessica, right?"
Jessica looked up from under her hat and tried to calm herself down before answering.
"Yeah, that's me."

She huffs before leading them into the café. The bitter scent of coffee beans surrounded them instantly, while the sound of grinding created a peaceful hum. She used to visit this place when she wanted to escape the pressures of her family. The tranquil atmosphere allowed her to forget, even if it was just for a little while. Jessica picked the last booth next to a large window, showcasing the cars and people who walked by.

"Okay so, I thought that we could work on logarithms since that's what the last test was over. The teacher said he'd let you retake it in two weeks if you would like," Yuri says as soons as she sits down, pulling out a thick textbook that has 'Precalculus' written in bright blue letters against a black background.
Jessica lets out a puff of air before reaching across the table to open the book.

Logarithms. It's not that the section was difficult, but it was tedious, studying all the different equations and after much frustration, she gave up. She knew what she was doing but actually putting in effort was the main issue.

"I'm going to have you do some problems like the ones that will be on the test," Yuri says, circling some of the bolded numbers in the book lying on the table. Jessica watches the curves of Yuri's fingers each time she picks a problem. Her fingers look soft. Jessica feels the blood rush to her cheeks, blush dusting her face. What kind of person looks at fingers and thinks that they’re pretty or soft? It didn’t matter. She'd never admit that Kwon Yuri has pretty fingers.

"I've circled 30 problems since there were that many on the test. Go ahead and do these while I go to the bathroom, okay?" Yuri smiled sweetly, reaching to place a comforting and encouraging hand on her shoulder, making the redness on Jessica's cheeks intensify. As soon as Yuri was out of sight, Jessica sighed deeply. This shouldn't be happening. She's a girl I just met with pretty hands and a nice voice and a really, really amazing smile. She would never confess this to anyone, of course.

Jessica leans over the book, glancing down at the small gray marks that Yuri had made before reaching into her backpack and pulling out a piece of lined paper along with a pink mechanical pencil. By the time Yuri gets back and sits across from Jessica, she is on the sixteenth problem out of the thirty that Yuri had assigned.

"How are you doing? Need any help?" Yuri's head is tilted slightly to the right when she asks this, her face held in her hands.

"No, I'm okay." Jessica says in a shy voice. It was odd, since Jessica was anything but shy and awkward (really, she was quite the opposite), but something about the way Yuri looked at her with such concern and care made her nervous. She tried to ignore Yuri's gaze and move on to the next problem.

It didn't take long for Yuri to check the problems and it took barely any time at all for Jessica to fix any that were wrong.

"Can I see your test?" Yuri asks, retrieving a purple pen from her pencil pouch. Hesitantly, Jessica reaches into her bag, handing her the crumpled and marked up packet of paper. She watches as Yuri carefully flattens it out and flips the pages before standing up.

"You just made some simple mistakes," she walks next to Jessica's side of the booth before sitting down, "they can easily be fixed."
"Wait, what are you doing?" Jessica says, shifting her body closer to the window so Yuri had more leg room.
"It's easier to explain things this way." Yuri's mouth curves before looking down at the paper and pointing at the first red mark. Jessica tried her best to listen to every word that came out but the close proximity of Yuri's body next to hers made it more than difficult to pay attention.

Her voice was soothing in a sense that it flowed nicely in and out of Jessica's ears. Her eyes were a deep brown, lighter than the coffee beans that surrounded them in large burlap sacks. And her smile, Jessica liked the most. It was so full of life and happiness that Jessica couldn't help but smile, too.

Once Yuri finished explaining each problem she missed, she moved back over to her side of the table. Jessica would never tell anyone this, but she missed the warmth by her side more than she'd ever admit.

"It seems like you only have trouble with how to set up equations and memorizing them. That's an easy fix though."

Jessica watches Yuri pack her things and she wonders for a fleeting second if Yuri has somewhere else to be or someone else to meet but she doesn't dwell on the thought.

"Aren't you leaving?" Yuri asks, bag fully packed and on her shoulder.

"Ah...no, I'll stay for a bit longer. I'll see you next week."

Yuri gives her a grin and bids her goodbye, saying that Jessica can text her whenever she wants. She watches as Yuri exits the shop and once she's out of sight, lays her head on the table. Her face is still burning and her heart is racing and everything is just too warm right now.
Kwon Yuri... what have you done to me?

It goes on like this for awhile. Jessica and Yuri meet every week, discussing tests, quizzes, homework, or anything even slightly related to math. Jessica's grade slowly, but steadily gets higher and higher. And her feelings for Yuri do the same. She tries her best to suppress any romantic feelings towards her, but she can't help the way her heart nearly skips a beat Yuri pulls her in for a hug after getting good marks on a test, or the way her hands get clammy when Yuri holds her hand as they walk down the street together to the coffee shop after school. Jessica doesn't know why things like this happened to her. She liked simplicity and the feelings she had for Kwon Yuri were anything but simple.
It's raining the day Yuri asks Jessica to come to her house to study instead of the coffee shop. It pours and pours and she honestly thinks they might get flooded in, but she makes it there unharmed. Yuri answers the door immediately, tugging Jessica into the dryness of her house.

“Oh god, you’re soaked. Come upstairs, I have a towel and you can borrow some of my clothes, okay?” Yuri says, reaching for her hand and pulling her toward a relatively large staircase. Jessica slips off her shoes before following, wondering if Yuri can feel how clammy her hands are through the layer of rainwater.

They make it up to Yuri’s room where Jessica is offered a fluffy pink towel to dry off and a pair of pajama pants along with a tee shirt. Yuri leaves her in privacy to change and comes back when Jessica tells her it’s okay to come in.

They sit together on Yuri’s queen sized bed, covered with a large white comforter. Jessica pulls out her textbook and binder before looking to Yuri for instruction. When she looks up, she finds Yuri staring straight at her.

“W-what?” Jessica stutters, shifting under Yuri’s gaze. It seems like Yuri doesn’t realize that she’s staring either.

“Sorry! It’s just that, I was thinking about how cute you look, sorry.” Yuri scratches the back of her neck and Jessica just can't hold her feelings because Yuri is being too nice, too sweet, too everything.

“Why do you this? Why do you-” She's got tear tracks on her face because this isn’t how it was supposed to be. Yuri was just going to be a tutor and that’s it. Why is everything complicated and complex and not simple like she wants? Jessica has never been good at confessing. She’s only loved one other person and that ended so terribly that she was wondering if she’d ever be able to love again.

“Why do I like you more than I should?” Jessica says, barely above a whisper and Yuri isn’t sure for a second that she’s heard her correctly. Yuri takes her thumb and wipes the tears, then moving both of her hands to cup Jessica’s face and bring their foreheads together. It takes several minutes for Jessica to stop crying and slow her breathing to a normal pace. It’s been years since she had cried in front of anyone and quite frankly, the realization that she just bawled her eyes out in front of Yuri makes her feel extremely embarrassed.

“Oh my god,” Jessica says, pulling away and vigorously wiping her face with her hands, “I’m so sorry. Your shirt is totally ruined, I’m sorry.” Apologies keep flowing out of her mouth before Yuri touches a finger to her lips.

“Do you want to stay here tonight? It looks like the rain isn’t going to let up anytime soon.”

“I… yeah, sure.”

Jessica calls her mom, lets her know about the situation and returns back to Yuri within a couple minutes. The night dwells on and before they even have time to register that the sun has kissed the blue sky adieu, it’s 10:30. Yuri strips to her pajamas and Jessica shyly looks away. Yuri shuts the lights off before situating herself next to Jessica.

“Hey,” Jessica turns her head towards the girl next to her, “you know, you’re still really cute, even when you’re crying.”

Jessica’s face flushes and before she can turn away, Yuri gathers her in her arms, pressing them close together. Jessica wonders for a second if Yuri can hear her heart, beating against her chest like a bird wanting to escape a cage. They fall asleep like that, Jessica rested against Yuri, her face in the crook of her neck. It’s comforting and warm and in no time, they’re both asleep, breaths mingling together in the still air.

It's bright and sunny when Jessica curls into Yuri's side after waking up, breathing in the scent of strawberries from Yuri's hair.

It snows when Yuri bends down to plant a soft kiss onto Jessica's lips under a streetlight.

"I love you," she says, her breath coming out in a soft mist in front of her mouth.

"And I love you," Yuri replies, grinning from ear to ear.

Kwon Yuri is everything except simplistic. But I think I could get used to things not being so simple.