(A/N: Wow am I late. Ooof. Hope you enjoy the chapter and comment-you'll know why after you read :) )

Suzy blew her bangs up in frustration. Stomping through the music department in a scowl. How in the world was she going to get the entire student body to pass her? Who the hells idea was this?! When was this decided?! It’s next freaking month! I don’t have time for this crap. This is like a popularity thing!

Not really, if you were good enough it would be obvious that you’d pass, being known in school or not. Your music was the one to be judged on not you. It was stage presence, the quiet ones were able to stand out in stage and if being nervous was your weakness, this wasn’t the career path for you then

I’m not nervous

Suzy had no problem with jitters, it was just the fact that she had to get Krystal to pass her that angered her. Her music was elegant and Krystal knew that but Krystal was also stubborn. She would be fair to the rest of the performers because that’s who she is, being friends or not. An ex friend and it being Suzy at that was a different story-Krystal hated her now and she knew everything about her too.

My entire grade is at the mercy of that brat!

Too focused in her own misery Suzy failed to realize where she was going or who she was running into. Her back hit the floor and her bag piling out all her books. Great, now I’m going to be late to class.

She crouched up and scurried to put her things back, not even uttering an apology, she didn’t care if the other person was hurt or not. She was going to be late

“Yah!” Suzy lazily raised her head, her gaze piercing. The boy in front of her was glaring down at her, trying to look superior but failing terribly, he knew who he had just yelled at.

“Yah yourself, shouldn’t you be helping me since I’m your sunbae?” She scoffed and continued to pack her pencils taking note that the red hair on the boy’s head was familiar.

A grab to her left elbow reminded her. She dropped her bag and whirled on the boy gripping her elbow.

“Sunbae or not it was your fault in running into me. An apology is in order” His voice was dripped with menace

Now that it wasn’t night and she could see properly, Suzy gave him the ‘one over’. His hair was dyed bright red having the tips of his bangs cover his eyebrows. He was only a few inches taller, mono eyelids- his eyes barely there but he had a somewhat okay appearance, not someone she would fancy but not someone who was ugly.

The students in the hallway were already watching the scene, whispering back and forth, some stepping forward to intervene only to be pulled back by their friends.

“I don’t say sorry. It’s a sign of weakness, plus red head “His eyes narrowed “you should have been watching were you were going or have you still not recognized me yet? What should I do with you? ”

The boy nose twitched at his own words being thrown back at him. She laughed and grabbed his hand with her right arm, flicking it away as if he was a pestering fly.

“I’m not one to curse so I’ll leave it at that” She was about to pick up her bag when another person wearing a thick white bandage on his nose stepped out. And it took Suzy all her willpower to not laugh

“Ahh Myungsoo, not too bad not too bad” Her lips were pressed tight to suppress her giggles but some escaped.    

“Bae Su-ji” He growled. His nose was swollen making his eyes look puffy. Suzy admired her work for it was worth the pain she felt right giving it. Her hand was just a little sore now, not even hurting anymore. She walked up to Myungsoo, her eyes ice cold and mocking. He opened his mouth to speak when she flicked her nose, irrupting a yelp instead.

“This new look goes well on you, I only hope to return the favor to the one who originating it”

She heard it then, the harsh whispers floating about

“She gave him a broken nose?!” “Poor Myungsoo Oppa, she’s really awful”

Suzy turned her attention to the group of students all pointing and watching her every move

“No wonder they left her” “She didn’t even say sorry to Sunggyu!” “And it was her fault too!”

Sunggyu smirked at that and whispered in her ear “Seems like the world is spinning even faster huh Queen Suji. Not the response you were going for was it?”

Before she lost her cool Suzy stepped closer to Sunggyu, his breath tickling his ear “It was Naeun’s idea wasn’t it?” The tips of his ears turned red as she stepped back. His eyes darted to Myungsoo who was tending to his nose.

“Once a puppet always a puppet huh. Just surprised that you went along with it Sunggyu, I mean we all know Naeun’s connection to Myungsoo but what’s yours?”

“Naeun?!!” The students’ ears perked up at the mentions of Naeun who was amongst the crowd. The gasp that emitted from Naeun’s lips and the quick bite at her lip along with a cold glare to her angered Suzy.

“Why don’t you tell them Naeun ah? Not something to be proud of right? Setting these two after me.”

The students looked appalled. Naeun tried to have Myungsoo and Sunggyu hurt Suzy?

She walked into the crowd having them split apart like the red sea as she approached Naeun. Her eyes trained at the girl not noticing the familiar faces among her, she pushed back Naeun’s hair that was lying on her shoulders. “That scared of me aren’t you?”

Naeun scoffed and brushed Suzy’s hand away. “You can’t prove anything”

Her teeth gritted and all she wanted to do was punched girl that was standing shamelessly in front of her. Suzy didn’t care that she would possibly get in trouble for hitting Naeun as long as she and Myungsoo would have couple bandages. With her fists raised and her blood boiling with anger as the images of Hyeri floated in her brain, she was pissed beyond belief when a curt jerk back had her back pressed once more on the damn floor.

“I am not a damn doll!” Her fighting spirit was still high and reached the rim of its glass begging to be spilled over when she saw whom prevented her from creating a couple look.

Taemin was looking at her with the same look he had that night. As if he couldn’t recognize her. The fire was extinguished in a glance.

“What are you doing Bae Suji?!” His voice shook with so much emotion that Suzy was stunned for a moment.  And it was a moment too long because the voices were pounding through her skull.

“She was going to hit Naeun too!” “Do you think the rumors are true then?”

Mentions of that night had her hands curled back to fist, her eyes closed trying to control her breathing.

“Sulli” wisped through the air and Taemin froze.

Naeun took this as her chance and ran to Taemin. “She was accusing me of something awful oppa!” She looped her arm around his, leaning her head on his shoulder, giving him those puppy dog eyes that only one person could master enough to make him weak but she wasn’t her. Not even close.

“How could you think Naeun would do something like that? That’s too much Suzy, you are too much”

Her hands were starting to feel cold, the tips numbing and soon she won’t be able to feel her nails digging into her palms. She wouldn’t think about the pinch of her skin stinging but having it remind her that she was still human. That she can still feel hurt-that her heart wasn’t cold like they all thought.

They don’t know Suzy, it’s okay. You’re okay. You are fine Bae Suji. You’ve gone this long without them. You don’t need them.

“No Taemin, what I think is too much, is how you can act like I’m being too much when you are the one believing anything this girl says. Need I remind you that she cheated on you? Or are you that desperate for love that you don’t even feel, to settle for her?”

His eyes practically popped out of his sockets are her claim on him being desperate I’m not!

Suzy regained her composure, lifted her bag from the floor, swinging it on her right shoulder. Her words for the other but her eyes were set on Naeun “Sulli deserved better”

Taemin nostrils flared “You have no right to say that! You have no right to say her name!!” But it fell on the deaf ears of Suzy for she was already out of the hallway, heading towards her class, the one she was already late too. 

The air was still tense even after the ex-queen left, Myungsoo and his minion both left, not able to stand the judgmental stares of their peers. They after all heard of their doing. Naeun was still holding onto Taemin who was spitting fire.

“Taemin, get over it” He whipped around to the owner of the voice “Are you really going to listen to the girl that cheated on you or to someone that you’ve known your entire life?”

His eyes returned to normal size but there was a fire in them “She’s not someone I know”

“And neither is Naeun” Said girl stepped even closer to Taemin, shaking her head, trying to have him not heed to her words.

He was losing himself in a desperate attempt for love. Not caring for her actions because he considered himself no better. He had gotten hurt the same way Sulli did. It was what he deserved, the kind of love he was meant to have. “Why are you defending her? What do you know?”

Hyeri’s head dropped, gazing at the floor, eyes scanning the slight cracks in the ground. Her voice was soft but clear “I was there Taemin” her head lifted, her words sharper now “Now tell me, who are you going to believe, me or Naeun?”

Hyeri intertwined her fingers with Jaebum again who was standing next to her. They both were in the crowd but Hyeri was still too scared to say anything. She wanted to but seeing Myungsoo and Sunggyu again made her immobile which is why she was still holding onto Jaebum’s hand. He noticed her pale face and grabbed her hand to calm her down giving her a wide smile. She approached Taemin once she felt reassured, feeling pity for Taemin because he was the one most damaged.

Hyeri started walking down the hall with Jaebum whom placed a hand on Taemin’s shoulder squeezing it and giving a small. We all make mistakes. After that he didn’t look back but maybe if he took just a peek he would have saw. That even though Taemin was fully clothed he felt so exposed. So opened to the world and its influences that just one tap could steer him down a dark path.

…………………………………………………………………

(In the classroom)

Suzy sat down in her vocal class throwing her bag down loudly, not caring if her things broke inside, she was already broken so her things should be too no? Argh! I knew it was a mistake.

No, she wasn’t saying saving Hyeri was a mistake but being too brash about the whole ordeal with Naeun and her goons were. She was getting stares at from her fellow classmates, she was late and to top it all off they were in the mist of warm ups when she hurled through the door growling. The person she threw herself next to was frozen, not daring to look at her.

“Ah Suzy, always an entrance” Teacher Yoon commented and was about to remind her that tardiness was frowned upon in her class when Jaebum and Hyeri walked in. Hyeri made a slight nod in Suzy’s direction, a small nod-barely a tilt in the chin, but it was a nod none the less. Suzy would have noted it in her “gold star for you!” book but in all honesty she was too tired to and it wasn’t anything worth a sticker.

Teacher Yoon curled her finger that was already in the air, the whole “wagging a finger” gesture was wasted now because of the two people. She sighed “You guys what did I say-“

The door once again slammed open and Taemin reluctantly walked in. That was it for Seongsang-nim though. “Oh my God! If that door opens one more time, I swear that the person walking through will walk right out crying!” She stared down the door, willing it to pry open, slide just a little so she could blow up but sadly it kept shut.

“Um Teacher, I think everyone is here now….” Someone said in the back bashfully.

She turned back to class that were all watching her, well, all but one since Suzy was looking out the window. She cleared “Well now that everyone is here” glaring at the four. “I was just going to announce some news after the warm ups. Krystal, Kai come up.”

Jongin walked to the front, eyes floating to Suzy at times but she wasn’t looking back, the trees were being blown softly by the wind and that was much more interesting for Suzy than Jongin’s warm, beautiful chocolate eyes. Yup, much more interesting. His eyes drooped down a bit at her blatantly ignoring him, Krystal’s cough quickly changed that and charming Kai was present.

“Okay, so the dance team thought that the vocal team should team up with us for a performance” straight to the point.

Excited chatter traveled that Suzy took no part in it, she already knew because of Hyeri. Why act surprise?

“Teacher Yoon was going to select the voice member but the dance team didn’t want to have its teacher choose between them so Krystal and I came up with an idea. So this performance has only one voice person along with one dance member. Yeah I know some people are in both but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be include right? Plus the names are in two separate bowls.”

Krystal lifted up two bowls with folded up pieces of paper in them

“But if something like my name coming up twice’ Kai’ from the vocal bowl and one more time for the dance bowl, then we’ll throw my name out of one and choose again. Ready to start this?”

Eager squeals signaled for them to begin. Krystal reached into the dance bowl, hand trapping the ‘once was part of a tree’ paper in her fingers pulling it out towards the surface. She smiled when she read the printed name “Sehunnie”

Everyone nodded in agreement, glad that Oh Sehun would be representing them, he was an amazing dancer. Taemin cheered in the back, his gloominess faded away and Jiyoung smiled. The person next to Suzy twitched in his seat, rubbing the back of his neck but Suzy didn’t realize, she was still watching the trees dance.

“Okay now for the accompanying vocal it’s……..Sehun?” Kai laughed when he read his friend’s name “This is what I just talked about! I know my buddy, he’ll dance for us, let’s not have him collapse with singing too. One more time now” Kai tossed Sehun’s name on the table, making sure it wouldn’t get chosen again. “The person that will sing for Sehun will be………

(Now who should be his partner? Hmmmm :OOOOO. P.S i will edit any mistakes later. haha this is already late enough )