I hadn't expected it to be easy to get next to Soori, but it proved to be even more difficult than anticipated. I didn't want the whole world to know what was I doing

I knew she ate lunch at Cube Cafe, sometimes even without Minwoo, but that wasn't an option. I still couldn't bring myself to show myself there. Not after the dance humiliation, although that scandal had died down a bit.

During math class, I wan't paying attention at all and made a list of the information I'd managed to glean about Soori.

Drama was the most important extracurricular activity she was in.

She was an only child, like me. Her parents were rich.

She'd gone to Shinil High School and Changbook Middle school.

Slim pickings as far as information went. I tapped my pencil against my chin as I thought about my options.

Changbook Middle School. That was it! I started thinking about my own hideous appearance back then. There had to be something I could use there.

During lunch, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Bomi's number again. I left a brief, innocuous message on her home phone. She and Soori seemed chummy at the swim meet. Maybe she knew something I could use.

Bomi still hadn't called by the weekend. On Saturday, Haemi and I were hanging out in her room when the doorbell rang, but she didn't move to get it.

I look at her inquiringly.

She shrugged. "It's for Dongwoon. Sohyun is coming over."

"I thought they weren't serious?" I said. I don't know why the thought of them alone in Dongwoon's bedroom bothered me so much, but it did.

"They're not." she said. "I don't know what he sees in her anyway."

"She's cute." I replied honestly. "And athletic. She's the captain of our volley ball team, have you ever seen her play? So they have that in common."

"She has the personality of wet spaghetti," Haemi replied. "I never thought Dongwoon would go for the doormat type."

I didn't replied after that. Why were we bothered talking about Dongwoon and our senior anyway?

When we went downstairs to get snacks, Dongwoon was sitting at the kitchen table reading a comic book.

"Where's Sohyun?" Haemi asked.

"She left. She just came by to get some history notes." He said.

"Shouldn't you be studying too?" I said, rejoicing the fact that they weren't holed up in his room with the door closed.

"Nahh. I was born smart." He said and I rolled my eyes.

When I got home, the answering machine in the kitchen was blinking, but I ignored it. No one called me on that line.

I checked my phone for messages, but there weren't any, yet another sign of my waning popularity. But I'm more pissed off from Bomi's lack of response. I mean, It wasn't like she had anything better to do than to call me.

I was in my room when mom got home from work, "Mihyo, there's a message for you from Bomi on the phone downstairs."

"Okay, mom. Thanks!" I said and went downstairs. 

Bomi turned out to be the information jackpot. Soori had gone to Shinil High School with her and both had attented Changbook Middle School together too,

I did my nails as she talked, listening with only half an ear while she rambled on and on about how wonderful Kim Soori was. I was trying to decide between pale pink or a bright orange when something she said caught my attention.

"And we even went to fat camp together the summer before eighth grade. I lost fifteen pounds!" Bomi bragged, "but Soori lost thirty."

Fat camp? I didn't have any room to talk, especially since I hadn't been exactly a model thin myself in those days. But I learned to make most of what I had. So had Soori. But could I use it against her? I couldn't sink so low, could I?

Apparently, I could.

"Do you happen to have any pictures of you and Soori laying around?" I tried to keep the excitement from my voice.

"Forget I said anything." Bomi said quickly. "I heard all about those photos of you that Eunrim plastered all around school. I don't want anything like that happen to Soori?"

I frowned. "You heard wrong," I said sharply. "Eunrim is a friend of mine. She'd never do that."

"Some friend." Bomi muttered. "If that's how the popular kids treat their friends, I'm glad I'm not popular."

"I'm telling you, you're mistaken. It wasn't Eunrim." I said, but even I could hear the lack of convictionin my voice.

"I'm sure you're right.." Bomi said soothingly.

"I am right. Now, do you have any photos or not?"

"I wasn't supposed to tell anyone about the fat camp." she freeted. "Soori asked me not to. Don't say anything, please. Just.. Ignore what I had said.

I thought quickly, "I'm writing a piece about her." I lied. "It's a surprise, an inspirational piece about how she triumphed her over weight problem. It's for church."

There was silence on the other end of the phone. We didn't even go to church, but  Bomi obviously didn't know that.

"Well, I guess it would be alright. I'll e-mail them to you."

"Can you do it tonight?" I asked eagerly.

"Sure," she said. "I'll do it right now. What's your e-mail address?"

Ten minutes later, the incriminating photos were delivered to my inbox.

I stared at the photos. One was a group shot of the entire camp. In the other one, a much larger Soori wore shorts and T-shirt.

I hesitated for a second. Soori would know those photos had come from and Bomi would be in deep trouble. Soori didn't strike me as the 'forgive-and-forget' type, but I had to do it. I told myself that Bomi had to know that I had been lying. She was on her own.

Would trashing Soori make me feel any better? She'd been fat in middle school? So what? I had been a pudgy little dweep too. Did that mean she deserved to have her secret revealed to the entire school?  I stared at the photo. Soori look completely different from head to toe.

Part of me wanted to forget about it and move on. But I couldn't.

Kim Soori was going to find out who the real queen bee was at Seoul High. That pictures would make sure of it.