Want and Resent

Chapter 1

Jessica looks at Sunny apprehensively. "I don't know about this."

"It'll only be for a little while." The younger woman strokes the elder's arm. "Just until Taeyeonie comes back from her maternity leave."

"Isn't that months away, though?" The deep-brunette's worried eyes find Sunny's peaceful ones again.

"Well, you don't have to do it the whole time she's gone. Just until we can find someone else. ...Help me out, Sissy, pwease?"

Jessica smacks herself in the forehead and falls back against the couch cushions. "You know I hate when you do that. ...And love it too." She sighs. When she opens her eyes, Sunny's are already naughtily triumphant. "You're terrible. And we're not sisters!"

"That's okay; you're the best! But we are too sisters!" Another aegyo pout makes Jessica's hand twitch to smack her roommate and her heart melt a little.

Rolling her eyes, she pauses before admitting, "But you know that kids don't like me..."

"Sure they do. You just gotta relax. They can feel when you're stressed or uncomfortable and then take it into themselves. If you're happy and confident, then they will be too."

"Sure."

"Well, it's either you or Fany-ah, so-"

Big eyes widen. "Oh, sure. Play dirty... I couldn't let those poor kids-"

"You're bad! She's gonna be a mother soon too, you know!" Sunny smacks the other woman's arm with a laugh.

"Heh. I had no idea! ...But I'm still the best, right?"

"Yup."

~*~*~*~

Jessica cannot fully follow Sunny's advice. She walks into the classroom well enough, greets the parents and children with passable outgoingness, but reddens once it's just her and Sunny with the kids.

"Good morning, Boys and Girls!" the younger woman calls the children to attention.

"Good morning, Miss Sunny!" they answer back cheerily.

"Look here, Everyone! You know who this is, right?" The small woman pulls the slightly taller one forward and slings an arm over her shoulders.

"That's Miss Jessica!" the children who have met her and remember her name chime.

"Y-yes." Jessica blushes at the ground as she runs her clammy hands down her pant legs. "I-it's great to meet you!"

A tall, thin child pouts severely at the newcomer. "Miss Sunny!" she calls out. "Where's Miss Taeyeon? I don't like this lady and want Miss Taeyeon back!"

"Oooh," several other children giggle.

"Kwon Yoona, that's not nice." Sunny looks at the four year old disapprovingly. "We don't talk about each other like that in this class." On the inside, the woman is reeling from shock.

Yoona has been nothing but sweet, positive, and kind since she joined the class a month ago. "But!" The child crosses her arms in a huff.

"See me after circle time, Yoona-yah," Sunny says clearly but non-threateningly.

The girl seems to take it as such though. Her eyes widen and her mouth drops open. Bringing her criss-crossed legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, the child presses her forehead to her knees.

Jessica stares at her, disheartened. Leaning over to whisper in Sunny's ear, she murmurs, "I told you this was a bad idea."

"You'll be fine!" Sunny grins too hard, speaking without moving her lips or unclenching her teeth in what she and the other teachers call "grown-up ventriloquism-talk."