Amber did not return to school until the following week and it got me all guilty and worried about her condition as her injury seemed to have worsened since she saved me. I couldn’t visit her as the teachers said that the student’s particulars are confidential, and nobody else knows her address. So I actually looked forward to going to school every day, in hope that I would see the familiar back that I used to see every morning.

“She’s not here again?” asked Sulli as she entered the classroom from the back door and placed her belongings on the table next to mine which is her seat.

I nodded.

I was sitting on my seat, elbows on the table, supporting my forearm and my hands supporting my head. I was feeling disheartened as I didn’t see the familiar figure again. Amber would always arrive the earliest, so her presence in class is determined by whether I see her first thing in the morning or not. But the next moment caught me by surprise as I saw a figure dragging her leg and her bag towards the front door of the classroom.

My head shot up and Sulli followed my gaze.

“Amber!!!!!!” Sulli and I half shouted excitedly.

The said person was in shock by our reactions as we pulled her in for a hug together. It is cute to see her head turning left and right, while looking at us.

“H-hey!” she said.

“What happened? Why did you miss the rest of the classes for the week last week?” asked Sulli.

“U-uh… something came up so I couldn’t attend school.”

Sensing that she doesn’t want to talk, we let it slide and allowed her to settle down on her seat.

“Oh look who's back! It’s the princess!” oh here we go again...

Sulli and I scrunched our eyebrows, very annoyed by the bullies in our class. I switched my vision to the clock that was hung on the wall which is right in front of me and since it is still early for class, I stood up and grabbed Sulli’s hands and half dragged her to Amber’s seat before grabbing her hands as well and dragged both of them out carefully in fear that I would injure Amber again.

“Where are going?” asked Sulli.

Amber’s gaze followed me as I dragged the both of them.

“Somewhere quiet. I had enough of those people.”

We ended up in the school’s garden and sitting on the bench under a big tree. It rained at dawn, so the weather now is perfect. It isn’t too hot, neither is it too cold. Sulli settled down and stretched her arms across the table while resting her head on it.

“Did you sleep late again?” I asked. Sulli has a bad habit of sleeping late, catching up on dramas and her idols and would always turn up in school the following day with a pair of heavy eye bags under her eyes. She would always regret it the next day but would still repeat the same cycle anyway.

She nodded while I shook my head in disagreement.

“S-so what are we doing here?” Amber asked.

“Nothing. Just chilling until the bell rings.” I said.

“What are you girls doing here? And who is she??” a voice sounded from afar.

The three of us turned to look for the voice’s owner and it turns out to be…

“VICTORIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!” Sulli screamed while running towards her and spreading her arms wide, preparing for a hug from the older girl. She looked like a different person as compared to 3 minutes ago where she was so lethargic.

“Victoria, this is Amber, and Amber, this is Victoria.” I introduced.

“Hi!” Victoria waved and said with a smile.

“H-hello.” Amber said shyly.

“Why is Sulli so excited to see Victoria?” Amber asked.

“Because Victoria would always treat us to food. And being a big eater, Sulli would of course stick close to her.” I said while suppressing a laugh.

“Noooooo! That’s not trueeeeee!!!!! It is because Vic-unnie treats me like the sister I never had!” Sulli protested.

The Victoria and I went into a fit of laughter while Sulli pouted and Amber gave a slight smile.

“I wish I could have friends like you.” Amber said to me.

“You are our friend! I told you that before you took your sick leave!”

Victoria noticed Amber’s insecurities while Sulli whispered something to her. I saw Victoria giving a slight nod at times so I am guessing that Sulli is explaining what happened to her.

“Yeah! Amber! We’ll be your friends from now on! Leave those people alone! And we won’t judge!” Victoria spoke up.

Just then, the bell rang.

“Okay, I will see you girls during lunch with Luna.” With that, Victoria waved and left the garden for classes.

“Classes are starting. We should head back then!” Sulli said before taking off while we followed suit.

We walked into our class with staring eyes all across the classroom. They are probably gossiping about what happened earlier and judging Amber again. I could feel the atmosphere tensing up as I approached them to collect their English homework since I am the appointed representative. And I have a feeling that they are distancing themselves away from me already. I sighed after collecting their homework and facing their cold glares, and returned to my seat.

“It’s okay. They are not worth to make friends with. Plus, I got Sulli and the others now. Things won’t be lonely anymore.” I thought.

Class ended in a swift and in no time, it’s the lunch period. As I packed my table and getting ready to head out for lunch in the canteen, I see Amber fishing out her book from her bag and flipping to a page that is folded with doggy ears.

“Amber, why did you take out your book? We are heading for lunch.” said Sulli.

Amber has a habit of not appearing in the canteen during lunch, probably because of her handicap and those judgemental people in the canteen. I would always see her reading in class during lunch which reminds me so much of the life in Korea I had before moving. I would head to the library during lunch then, and bury myself into books or catching up on my homework/sleep. So I could really relate to her intention to read in class during lunch.

“Amber, you don’t have to read in class during lunch today. We will eat together with you.” I said with much understanding about her actions.

“S-sure. Let’s go then.”

We joined Luna and Victoria who was already tucking into the noodles that they just bought. After some introductions between Amber and Luna, and the latter giving the former a very warm and comforting smile, in which I have learnt over the past weeks that it is from Luna’s bright personality. Victoria and Luna were very welcoming and for the first time, I saw a smile on Amber’s face when she reacted to the various happenings in Luna’s life that was told and animated by Sulli’s exaggerating acting while she received a smack on the head by the older girl, which brought a smile across mine as well.

“Having friends felt so right.” I thought. 

A/N: doggy ears are pages of book that is folded at the top of the page. my mum love to say "stop folding dog ears on your book!" whenever she saw how i do my bookmarks on my books...  

Did anybody watch MAMA last night??? it crashed with my prom night because I am in the same timezone as Hong Kong ._. i couldn't watch it but received updates from my Mum who was watching at home and a friend whose bias group is 2NE1. she died the moment they appeared and i got a shock. i was so happy for her seeing 2NE1 back on stage like that. any blackjacks out there? if so, i am happy for you guys!^^

did you guys see Krystal last night?!?!?! she looked so amazing in that sleeveless dress!!!! if only i had her figure, i would have worn that for prom LOLLL. but the poor girl was so nervous last night that it affected her on stage when she received the award and when she became the award presenter. she was shaking so much!!

my mum gave me a heart attack yesterday when she said Krystal was performing when she meant f(3) because she only knew Krystal from her dramas, and referred Amber as the girl in short hair and Luna as the other girl. i couldn't stop laughing at my dear mum HAHAHAH. and when PSB and f(x) came out i laughed really hard looking at the straw outfits when i went to watch the videos after i got home. but to admit, Krystal still looked so good in that outfit... it is like you could give her anything, and she could still look good... poor Amber for accidentally poking her eyes due to the straw outfit. hopefully it is not a big deal. 

and being a cpop fan too, the moment i saw Jolin Tsai's performance, SHE TOTALLY NAILED IT! i really really love her outfit!!!! my mum said she could look y without showing too much of her skin and i totally agree!!!

okay, enought about MAMA which actually got me entertained during an awkward prom that i felt like suffocating. how is the story so far? is it to your liking?? ^^ there will be something more later. okay! goodbye! see you guys next week!^^