"I can't believe you're one of them Cindy. You stood up Taecyeon for Jiyong. He was heartbroken when you didn't show up! He didn't even want to eat he was so let down"

Gina dug her face deeper into the pillow,

" After everything; the dates to the amusement park, the couple shirts, the ballets, the movies.... I-I don't know why... Onew!...."

Ever since the crash and burn of a date last night, Gina just kept harassing me about my decision, and then trailing into her situation with Onew.  I had explained over and over about how I had been tricked, but she didn't get it. 

"I swear! I thought it was Taec! It smelt just like him" I defended. 

Then again Jiyong smelt really good last night, just like Taec. Dammit; they probably had the same cologne. 

"It doesn't matter! You could have just said 'no' and walked away" argued Gina

I threw a pillow at her head and rolled up in my blanket, 

"What part of protecting-my-boyfriend's-identity-so-he-doesn't-get-slaughtered don't you understand" 

It was easily 5 am, and we hadn't slept a wink. Gina had been a mess since seeing Onew with Suzy. He apparently tried to explain to her that he wasn't cheating, but when she asked him what the real reason was he said he couldn't say. What else was she suppose to believe? 

As for myself, my insides felt like Gina's outside. I wanted to throw up, cry, and punch walls I was so frustrated. I cried out an explanation to Taecyeon, but it was obvious how hurt he still was. I couldn't bear to walk home with the guys, Xiaxue, Emily, and Gina, or by myself because it was night so I had to go back with Jiyong. The entire ride I just stuck my head out the window and pretended he was non-existent. 

Why the hell did I feel like I hurt Jiyong too? 

"H-he was probably using me" Gina flopped face up on the mattress, "Something to do with Suzy and her initiations"

She sat up, 

"Wait; do you have to do one?"

Panic. I "hmm'd" and "ha'd" for a little, trying to avoid telling her that I was suppose to make her an Heir. 

"No. Everyone hates me"

My classic default answer. She seemed to buy it as a "no" to the initiation, moving on from the question. Sweet. 

Gina blinked a few times, then rolled over on her back and began to mumble away, not really to anyone imparticular. I tried to go to sleep, but her mindless jibber kept me awake. 

"Emily and Wooyoung; I wonder if they like each other. But then there's Key, who was so jealous last night. He got right up in Woo's face and scared him off, up until Emily slapped him across the face. Then there's Khun, Victoria, and Xiaxue. Honestly; I don't think th...."

Guess I did drift off somehow, since I can't remember how that sentence ended. I'm glad it was Saturday, it meant I didn't have to face any one other than Gina. 

I don't know whether I am more scared about meeting with Taecyeon or Jiyong. 

My legs were hanging off the end of my bed when I was woken up by noise. 

"Gina; stop it. You don't need do your ballet exercises right now" I groaned kicking some pillows and clothes on to the floor

"Now you're awake short-stack. Took long enough."

I bolted straight up to see Key and Onew standing in my room, Gina no where in sight. 

"Get out!" I screamed, sitting there in my matching cloud pyjamas. 

Of course they didn't. 

Swinging myself onto the floor, I pushed past them to the bathroom. I quickly tied up my hair, and splashed my face with some water.  Maybe this was some freaky dream sequence that I could magically wake up from. 

I sighed, seeing them still there

"How'd you guys ge-"

"Gina gave me the passcode for when she wasn't around" interrupted Onew

"Daebak; 24/7 access to my dump of a room" I mumbled, pulling out my desk chair to sit on. 

For a few seconds we all just sat down and exchanged looks. I don't know why; they were the ones who let themselves in. 

Eventually Key broke my tired silence, 

"So who are you dating Canada?"

Ugh; the nicknames. I'm considering giving them a fake nickname for my boyfriend and then promptly kicking them out. 

I ditched the idea when I realized something; I didn't really know the answer myself. 

Under my breath, I responded 

"I honestly don't know Key. After last night; I just don't know"

Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry.... Not in front of these two bozos...

Luckily, not even a tear fell out. They relieved me again of the spotlight and kept on interrogating, 

"You and Jiyong have matching earrings.... " Onew leaned on his knees, "And he took triple the time to chose what to wear yesterday for your date"

"What are you talking about! Jiyong always takes that long to get ready. Plus; the earrings mean nothing. She is dating Ok Taecyeon" Key rebutted, giving him a condescending smirk of idiocy 

Onew rubbed his eyes, and shook his head at Key like he was a child. I don't know why I let them stay in my room. I would have kicked them out if I wasn't so sleepy. 

"Babo. Why would she be dating Taecyeon when she was at the festival with Jiyong" 

These two continued to bicker back and forth over who they thought I was dating. I found it quite interesting hearing what other people knew about the topic. It was approaching the time for my fool proof default answer though.

I stood up and shrugged,

"No. Everyone hates me" 

"Ya right" Onew pushed the chair back in, and stood up. Key did the same as he kept speaking, "Jiyong is in love with you. I just know it"

"So is Taecyeon. You can't deny that one huyng" commented Key with a finger wag.

He pouted his lips in agreement, 

"Fine; I have to agree, even with them not dating"

I inched forward discreetly, pushing them back towards the door. If the questions about my relationship status were all-not some life threatening, time altering thing- it was a really dumb and inconsiderate to just come into my room. 

"Don't be telling me about relationships. Go fix your own" I growled, the two guys still openly discussing Jiyong, Taecyeon, and I.

"Oteoke. Meolla" spat Onew, now in the hallway. Success. 

"Well, don't you still feel the same for her?" I asked rhetorically (or at least I hope...)

Key jumped in, yipping back strongly

"Ya! I can't believe she went with Cheeks!" 

He received a shove from Onew as he answered. His tone was no longer smug, but honest and sad

"Of course I do. I love her"

"Then man up, and show it. Stop avoiding her" I replied, beginning to close the door. 

I almost had it all the way shut when Onew shoved his foot in the door. He looked me directly in the eyes, despite my unwashed bangs hanging in front of my still droopy eyes

"Then you should too; stop avoiding the problem. Jiyong wants to see you anyways" 

He disappeared but then Key's head popped in instead, 

"... and don't mention we were here. Thanks short-stack" 

I hate to admit it; but they were right. I do need to sort this mess out before it gets shoved underneath the bed and collects dust that'll get blown in someone's face long after. It'll probably be my face anyways. 

Now irritated by the fact the two Heir-heads had a valid point, I got showered and dressed to go meet Jiyong. I'd meet Taec right after. 

Without question, I still wanted to be with Taecyeon. He supported me, and had been a good person towards me from the start. Jiyong was the complete opposite, still having no idea where he loyalties really laid. Why did I want Jiyong still in my life; was I just being selfish? Did I have stronger feelings for him than Taec?

Lightly I tapped on his door. I knew he was a heavy sleeper, but I'm sure his roommate would answer. I'd only met Seungri once or twice, but he seemed to have manners. More than Jiyong at least 

"Oh, it's you Cindy" Seungri smiled and gave me the number three with his fingers, "I'll wake up Jiyong. Give me three."

I nodded, waiting outside the door. It must have been past noon, so I don't know why he was still sleeping. He usually rushed to one of the studios to put one of his brilliant art inspirations into action after lunch. 

"Jebal! Jiyong! Wake up!"

"No! You go back to sleep maknae" 

"A girl is-"

"I don't care."

"It's Cindy."

"…I'm up! Toss me some pants!"

After the morning scuffle, I heard a lot of swearing and running around on the other side. I played with the leather string of the Heir necklace, twirling it around my finger. The door practically flew off with how fast it was opened. Jiyong looked extremely tired and worn out; puffy eyes, red face and stringy hair. No glitz and glam here. He wasn't even wearing a shirt; just some long track pants. 

He cleared his throat with a few coughs before muttering away, 

"Sorry about last night and the fact I forced you on a date with me even though you hate me and wish I didn't exist despite the reality that I really like you which you don't believe."

His run on sentence of absolute crazy finally ended with an apologetic half smile. I matched it, ready to drop the bomb. Dammit; I felt my empty stomach doing flips, being nervous to tell him. Deliberately I chose this moment to push my hair behind my ears, giving me a split second where I didn't have to look at his eyes. 

Unfortunately nothing came out as I stood silently frozen on the fuzzy pink welcome mat. 

"Do you want to come in?" Jiyong threw his head over his shoulder a couple times, "Seungri has probably started his two hour Saturday bath"

"N-no. I'll be leaving soon anyways" I murmured, trying to figure out how to force myself to confess. 

We stood without speaking, just giving each other looks up and down every so often. Neither of us could interpret what the other was thinking. Jiyong was in this weird state where he was as calm as ever, but looked messier then the art room after the freshman first period class. 

With a deep breath, I pushed myself off the cliff. The one I had been shying away from, afraid to admit the fact. Face first I dove for the cold water,  

"I have a boyfriend Jiyong. I can't date you. Sorry"

"I don't exactly take that as new" He crossed his arms, "But just not seriously. Who is he? Get my approval, and you don't need all the other Heirs. Not even the y girls. "

Like hell he'd approve my relationship. Jiyong probably has a dart board with Taecyeon's face on it. 

He added,

"I don't mind him actually. Yunho is a good dancer, singer, and his frie-"

"I'm not dating him" I corrected

"You sure? Then you should. His bandmates from his label are pretty cool. By cool I mean that they are the next generation so act fast" said Jiyong

I rolled my eyes, "You think everything is about getting a higher status, having something more than someone else; don't you?"

 "Well isn't that why you're still here, being apart of the Heirs?" 

Glaring at Jiyong I practically yelled back, 

"If you recall, I originally didn't want to. The circumstances changed and I agreed, nothing to do with popularity. I actually hate being one"

He looked like I had just defied the laws of physics, looking absolutely horrified at the notion. He squealed back, 

"How? Why? Look how much power you have, how much influence you have."

"If you think those are two important things to me, than may as well forget everything else. You know nothing about me" I replied

Jiyong and I met eyes after much avoiding. I got side tracked when I saw that he was still wearing the earrings from last night. He also was wearing one of the bracelets I'd made during a slow art class. The beads were losing colour, and the twine was becoming ratty. It looked as if he wore it daily ever since. 

Out of curiosity and to break the cold and hard ice that had formed, I asked a nice comfortable question for him and his Heir status, 

"Just wondering GD; who had your Heir necklace before you?"

"Random" Jiyong pouted his lips and thought, "But I switched, so this is my second. It's Wen's"

Why did I feel like I had been punched in the stomach? That my mouth was about to jump off my face with all the twitching? I began to stutter lamely and desperately,

"And t-that's why you can't be with me. Wen is stopping you" I wiped my eyes that were accumulating tears of frustration, "Both of us are held back by someone we love. We just can't seem to play nice with each other"

"Are you saying you like me?" whispered Jiyong

I shook my head a slow "no" while I backed away from him, 

"That's why I can't like you. You can't get rid of your feelings for Wen, and I can't get rid of mine for Taecy-"

My lips froze before I could finish his name. It was clear by Jiyong's expression that he knew who I was going to say. Sounds were stuck in my throat in an attempt to take it back, but I knew it was too late. He knew that I was dating Taecyeon, not Yunho or some other guy. 

Jiyong bowed his head and didn't peer at me through his eyelashes like usual. He just glared at the ground with his laser eyes. Robotically he spoke, 

"You and Taecyeon. That Cater."

"At least he stood up for himself, and knew being an Heir wasn't for him" I defended, feeling quite the same about my status

He snapped his head up and snarled, 

"That wasn't courage, that was cowardice. He ran away from the Heirs, from his own problems, ones that I had to then deal with . Ok Taecyeon is a Cater because he abandoned us all when we needed him" 

I had a sense that it was because he abandoned Jiyong, his best friend. 

"Again this is why I can't like you; you don't know how to move on" I stated, now against the hall wall. 

"Tell that to your boyfriend; the one who is still trying to still the girls I have" he retorted in almost a hiss. 

I began to walk away. Not a soul was wandering the hall, they were all enjoying their weekend unlike me. Out of pure instinct and frustration I yelled over my shoulder, 

"You never had me Jiyong, so I don't know what you're talking about"

I'm sure my heavy stomp/run was making dents in the floor as I headed for Taecyeon's room. We definitely were not on good terms after that argument. I don't even remember what we were arguing about, it always seemed to be on whatever Jiyong was angry about at the time. I swear that all we did was fight. 

"Hello? Annyeong?" I muttered, knocking softly three times

The door creaked open, just the eyes of the person visible. They were clearly Junsu's, 

"Oh. Hi Cindy. Taec is out looking for you, and he told me to tell you to wait in the maze if you showed. He said you'd know what that is"

"Don't worry; I know" I replied

Junsu was about to close the door, but stopped. Shyly he asked, 

"So; what did happen yesterday? With the festival?" He drummed his fingers along the door's edge, "Why didn't you show?"

By now there must be a million rumours flying around, all depending on who saw who together. I should get my side of the story out before the worst rumours emerge. After all, I was the only one that knew the truth. Not Taec, Jiyong, or Gina.

I sighed, "I got a card with tickets for two, thinking it was from Taec. I followed the instructions and instead found it was Jiyong. Then there was some black mail, which takes us to the part where I have to go out with him instead of you guys"

"Wow; that's unfortunate" whistled Junsu

My stomach grumbled loudly from the thought of last night and the food. I rubbed and patted it, as if it would be quiet. 

"Want a snack? You seem hungry"  he laughed

I nodded anxiously as I shuffled into the room. They had a cute green fridge in the corner along with a microwave. The microwave was against school policy since it was considered a fire hazard. They were lucky to not have been kicked out. 

Junsu tossed me a rice cake and a bottle of aloe vera drink. I ripped off the packaging and scarfed them down. As I drank the aloe vera I took a good look around the room. Even though I had been here many times with Taec, I had never noticed how only the bed was truly his. His desk, closet, and dresser had been overtaken by Junsu and his stuff. My personal favourite was the collection of pandas living in Taecyeons drawers. 

"How'd your night go? With everyone in the unusual pairings" I asked, curious if anyone had found a soulmate. 

"It was pretty good if you take away how down Taecyeon was. Gina is a cool girl that I would definitely date, but she is with Onew. Xiaxue and Khun were really getting along though, they couldn't keep their eyes off each other. It was so obvious he was holding back his inner fanboy, but I think she found it cute that he listened to her music. Plus, when we watched this horror film her hands were all over him. Those two definitely have a thing"

My brain automatically blurred over everything else when I heard mention of Taecyeon. I felt horrible.

"How angry is he with me?" I muttered, turning the now empty bottle around in my hands

Junsu shrugged, 

"He doesn't seem mad at you. More like confused and mad at himself for losing you"

"Already we're having drama. That's high school for you" I replied not really to anyone. 

"He's still absolutely obsessed with you. Cindy this, Cindy that, what would Cindy like? That's all he ever thinks about nowadays. I swear" he said

Taecyeon was a great friend, and a loving boyfriend. He knew how to express his feelings in his personal dorky ways. I loved those little things. I didn't want them to go away. 

Ever since I found out he had cheated though, it never left my mind.

I eventually left to meet up with Taec. Hopefully he was still there, or I'd just be going there for no reason and look neglectful. Maybe we should break up because of last night, it'd save me from possibly hurting him again. Both of us were feeling the strain already of me being an Heir, having to eat lunch with the Heiress' and actually interact with them. Jiyong and I just tipped the scales of the problem. 

He was sitting in front of the fountain when I entered the maze area. Just by his posture I could tell he was very down, his hunched shoulders unmoving. Silently I approached him and took a seat, ready to settle the misunderstanding. 

"So; last night…."

Thoroughly I explained what had happened using my signature interpretive actions. I even threw in my voice imitation of Jiyong to make it better. I didn't dare look at him in the eyes, afraid I would stop and burst into tears. For all I know he could be already tearing up like at the festival. 

"…Then he drove me home while I murdered him several times in my imagination"

Nothing was said after that. Taecyeon just hugged me tighter than any other time. We just stayed in that position while I tried to grasp what he was thinking. 

"Sorry for everything. This was the biggest mistake I've ever made" I apologized, gripping his hand securely 

He shook his head,

"It wasn't a mistake but an accident. You didn't know it was him and I didn't have my phone. I should be the one who's apologizing, apologizing for you having to protect me and not the other way around. I will be better Cindy" 

 "Can you forgive me?" I whispered nervously, knowing this still was completely my fault. Taec was just too considerate to put all the blame on me. 

"Of course. My feelings don't just change over night" he said

Taec tipped up my chin with his finger and kissed me softly. I leaned into it as he wrapped his arms around me. 

"So we're ok? I can still show the picture of us proudly to people?" I asked, snuggling my head into his chest. 

He smiled, 

"If that hypothetically was possible and we were allowed to date publicly, then yes. We're ok. More than ok" 

I almost fell asleep in his arms, still brain dead from stress over the situation. Plus the rude awakening from Key and Onew. My head fit perfectly on his chest, feeling the rise and fall as he breathed. The smell of him made me feel at home, like I'd been on vacation and just returned. 

"I promised Khun that I'd go clothes shopping today. He says it's too embarassing to be seen with me now, and that I'm ruining his chance with girls" chuckled Taec in his matching khaki outfit. 

"I'll let you go then" I stood up from the bench, dusting off my pants. "Tell him I say hi"

Taecyeon took my hand and walked me around to the door. As we were about to exit, he asked

"Is there anything else we need to talk about? Or was yesterday all?" 

I was about to smile and say that we were perfectly understanding of each other when I realized we weren't. Well; I wasn't. 

"It's a little awkward" I muttered, secretly hoping he wouldn't hear me but I knew I had to get it off my chest. 

"Come on; I play neopets with you and wear our couple shirt every other day. The awkward ship sailed long ago in this girlfriend-boyfriend thing" he laughed. 

"True; we do play Turmac Roll at least six times a day…" I adjusted my clothing, feeling like a six year old. I continued, "But it's a more serious"

"Ask me; there's nothing I should be hiding from you" he encouraged

"It's about Wen. Kinda" I hinted, wanting to see his preliminary reaction. 

Surprisingly he was quite blasé about it, shrugging as if I'd ask what he has for me to eat. 

"Ok, then I'm just going to say it" I huffed, prepping myself for the uncomfortable query. 

I enunciated the words, and used my best vocabulary to make the question accurate. I didn't want to come across as mistrusting. I just wanted to know so I could stop obsessing over the unknown. Again I jumped off a cliff into the possibly shark infested water below, 

"When you cheated with Xiaxue, what did Wen catch you doing?"

He swallowed, clearly not suspecting this type of question, before answering

"I had dropped by to visit her during break, but she wasn't home yet so I waited. Wen came home from an audition to find Xiaxue and I making out on her bed" 

Hm; not as bad as I thought. Honestly I was waiting for him to say he had with Xiaxue. 

"Then what happened, between the the sisters and you" I asked. 

"Wen didn't want to have anything to do with Xiaxue because of me. She immediately kicked me out and gave back everything, then screamed at her sister. Also she declined the offer from my father to be apart of the company, wanting to not have any ties to my family either. Instead she gave Xiaxue the opportunity, and Sisi is born instead of Gigi."

Shocked by the relationship between the twins, I posed another question

"When did they stop fighting, didn't their parents step in?"

Taec's lips twisted into a half-smile, 

"The day Xiaxue moved away for full time training and they didn't have to see each other the arguing stopped. As for the parents, they were too ignorant of the fact they even had children to take care of them. They only have a mother, and she lives in America taking care of her million dollar company. Wen always said, 'Umma would have sold me off if I was worth enough money'. "

"That's disgusting…" I breathed, unaware of Wen's family background. I felt such gratitude for mine at that moment. 

He nodded, adding

"She shipped them off to Korea, enrolling them in the most expensive schools so she didn't have to deal with them. Her mother is so poor that all she has is money" 

"Didn't know it was that complicated…" I mumbled, feeling bad for inquiring. 

"Not many do. Even Xiaxue is in denial that it even happened" he stated

I sighed, 

"I'm done. I won't hold you up from guy's day out any longer"

"Ok. Again; glad we talked" Taec gave me a quick goodbye kiss and hug, "And don't feel bad for asking. I want to make sure we understand each other. I'll ask some questions in return eventually; don't worry."

Totally swamped by even more information, I stayed in the maze's courtyard and thought about it. No wonder Wen was buried here; she had no other place to go. The only solution that solved anything between the sister's was their separation and then Wen's death. Her boyfriend and whatever friends she had was the only support she had. 

I'm glad that my worry was clarified. Now I didn't have to assume the worst and freak myself out.

I wondered if Wen was still alive, would we be friends. She seemed like the popular type but for all the rights reasons. The girls looked up to her while the boys fell into line to date her. Some what, she had become an inspiration for the school I guess. It's a shame she had to die. 

Now I was starting to get a true understanding. Not of just Taecyeon, but myself. I now knew what I wanted most; to be happy, whatever that meant or whoever. 

In other words, I shouldn't be pushing away Jiyong so harshly. He was only human, just like the rest. 

He deserved some happiness too. 

-

Mianhe. Desole. Sorry. Dui bu qui. Komendasi. This update took much too long due to my vacation; but I'm back! Please do leave comments, it'll help me decide about some final things in the outline. Speaking of that... if I follow my story board, there are only about 10 chapters left! Omo! So please; show some love for you favourite couple whether it's Jiyong, Taec, Yunho, or someone else. (: -Chacha