“Hey Cleo, wait up!!” Cleo stopped mid-track and her ears perked at the shout of her name being called out loud across the crowded hallway. She turned just in time to see Alice striding up to her, not really having to push her way through as the students simply stepped aside to let her through. Cleo somewhat always envied Alice’s powers as the school’s Head Student Body.

“Where were you yesterday? Been trying to call you all day but you simply wouldn’t pick up your phone,” Alice questioned Cleo as they head down to the cafeteria. The picture of a cozy lush house came into view and the vivid image of Jonghyun’s broken expression came into mind. In an instant Cleo shook her head.

“Nothing. It’s just, I was busy helping my uncle rebuild his err…paint, I mean…paint his ermmm…tool shed..yeah. That’s right. I was busy repainting my uncle’s tool shed,” Cleo stuttered her way through her lie. She was never really a brilliant liar. She was infamous for her honesty. She was basically bullied and cursed at due to it. People simply hated how they got into trouble for skipping class all thanks to her and her stupid honest mouth, although, teachers loved her for that.

Alice raised her eyebrow at her friend. Cleo let out a sigh of a relief when Alice simply nodded and dropped the subject. Thinking that she was saved, her heart was definitely not prepared for her next question as it plunged deep into the bottom of her hollowed stomach.

“Are you and Jonghyun together?”

“Wh-What? I don’t understand. I mean I do understand you cause you’re speaking in English and I understand English cause well my parents are English and I grew up with them eventhough I have Korean relatives which I’m staying with right now but what I mean is that I do not understand what you mean in the context of your question which you had just asked just now…in English…” Cleo felt like kicking her face a thousand and five times in public as she stared at Alice’s bewildered expression after she had blabbered out nothing but nonsense from start till end.

“So is that a yes or a no?” Alice asked after a full minute of staring confusedly at her friend.

Not trusting her own voice, Cleo simply shook her head. She could not help but to notice a flash of what look like amusement...or was it relief, in Alice's eyes. Cleo could not  really pin-point the exact expression but it was gone as soon as it appeared.

“Are you sure there’s no feelings involved? Cause I always find the two of you together, before school and even after,” Alice shrugged her shoulders amusedly as she lead the two of them down the nearly deserted hallway. Cleo’s hands suddenly felt clammy and her heart thudded against her chest. She then realized that there was definitely nothing wrong from hanging out with Jonghyun and she certainly was sure that there was nothing going on between the two of them.

Right?

Cleo turned to Alice and realized that she was still waiting for an answer. She was about to say that she definitely have no feelings towards the said boy however the simple answer could not seem to rise to her lips.

As if god had answered her prayers, Onew came jogging up to the both of them. Alice turned around, breaking the eye-contact between her and Cleo. Cleo exhaled. The three of them then entered the noisy cafeteria and headed to the far end where their group of friends, including the other remaining four “popular” kids.  Jonghyun’s head shot up as they approached the table.

Cleo could not help but to look at the floor at the sudden embarrassment she felt when he threw his dazzling teeth smile straight at her arrival. Seeing him there, Alice’s question pounded in her head loudly. Realizing that it had affected her rather greatly, she started to question her own feelings. Does she really have feelings for him or is it just all because of friendship and nothing more?

Cleo looked up and realized that Alice had filled up the seat right beside Jonghyun, hence she made her way to the seat across from him. She knew that it was a much better choice of sitting there than having to sit right beside the guy who had made her feel so confused and frustrated inside. She thanked Alice quietly in her head. Pulling out her orange juice from her bag, she poked the straw through the hole and out the sour-sweet liquid to fill her empty stomach. Her mind buzzing with so many emotions.

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Yeah, I apologise for the extremely short update but it's really a somewhat an important chapter. It's just to show Cleo's feelings building up:)

Please do bear with me.

Love!!<33