“You’re so pretty,” a girl’s voice crooned as I slid my fingers through my silky black hair, checking for the non-existent tangles. Upon hearing such words, I snorted and continued to preen. I didn’t know how many times I had heard such a phrase, but it had definitely grown old from the first time.

                Seeming to take my silence as an invitation, the girl stepped up to the mirror that rested on my right. She took a second to stare at her own reflection and fluffed her hair. Out of the corner of my eye, I quickly glanced over at her. Her clothes were nice, sure, but they were obviously a knock-off brand compared to what I was wearing. Her hair color was an attempt to look well-groomed and fashionable, but all I saw was the way it frizzed from the damage of using a store bought dye. All of it pained me to look at, so I quickly went back to staring at my reflection.

                “I wish I could be as half as pretty as you,” she sighed longingly. All I could think of as I stared was that no, no she didn’t. And if she did, then she was insane. Already feeling uncomfortable with this girl by my side, I dropped the hold on my hair.

                “Thanks,” I said only to turn around and leave the girl to pine away on her own. As the restroom door shut behind me, I heaved a sigh and headed back to the separate room in the restaurant where all of my friends had gathered. But as I rounded the corner, the sound of my name being uttered floated down the small distance between where I was and the open door.

                “She’s so rude!” one of my so-called friends gasped.

                “Tell me about it! I don’t think there’s a person who knows her that doesn’t think the same.”

                “Not to mention, she doesn’t care about anything aside from herself. If eyes aren’t on her, then she’s not at all interested.”

                “She doesn’t even go out of her way for anyone.”

                “Exactly! Who cares if you’re the daughter of the CEO of a major music company—”

                “Or extremely pretty.”

                “Or talented.”

                “Just because she’s leading the perfect life, it doesn’t mean that she can act this way. I really can’t stand her.”

                “Neither can I,” one agreed. About three others voiced their opinions. Out of the six friends, each one had stated this shocking truth. Unsure as to how I should respond, I squared my shoulders and strutted into the room.

                “Krystal! You’re back!” my closest friend awkwardly greeted. “We were just waiting so that we could order, right?” she asked, eyes darting to the others as if to say that they needed to be quiet. Trying so hard not to scrunch up my nose in distaste, I quietly moved to where I had set my purse.

                “No need, I’m leaving.”

                “Oh, but why?” she inquired, fear masking her face.

                “Did something happen?” another piped up, her voice a little squeaky. It was as if she was a mouse caught in the paws of a lioness.

                “Did the princess realize we’re too flawed to hang out with her?” a girl across from me snapped, the tone in her voice uglier than I had ever remembered. My gaze snapped right to hers, only to see that it was clouded with fury.

                “Hye Ra!” my closest friend hissed while the girl beside Hye Ra shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

                “What?” she demanded. “You all believe it!”

                “Well…yes…but, why say it to her face?” the uncomfortable one beside her whispered. Scoffing, I glanced at the girls around me.

                “So, this is what you all think of me?” I asked.

What shocked me wasn’t that they all believed all of this. No. What shocked me was the extreme amount of hurt swelling inside of my heart. Was I really that bad of a person? Did I really make such a mistake as to act so mighty among them? Was such a mistake so bad? I didn’t know the answers to any of the questions raging on the inside. But what I did know was that it was dangerous for me to stay surrounded by these girls who held so much hatred. Without a second thought, I shouldered my purse and stormed out of the room.

                “Krystal!” my “friend” called out, but I didn’t look back.

When I turned the corner, I started to dig through my purse to find my phone. As I passed the restrooms, I saw the girl I had seen earlier step out. The moment she saw me, her eyes lit up and she bowed in a small greeting. That slight warmth in her gesture made the pain overflow. Without notice, tears welled up at the corners of my eyes. Biting my lip, I bowed back to her before dashing past. In a matter of seconds, I broke free of the overwhelming restaurant. Cool night air rushed to greet me as I stopped to actually focus on my phone.

                “Where’s the car?” I snapped as my driver answered the call I made. Almost instantly, the man tried to convey where he was. “Where’s the car? It’s not here and I’m ready to leave!” I reiterated, the tears slipping down my cheeks.

                “I’ll be right there, Miss,” he urgently replied.

                “If you aren’t here in five seconds, you’re fired.” With that, I ended the call and shoved my phone back into my purse. Tears continued to roll down my cheeks as I stared into the dark for my car.

                “Krystal!” the girl who had called after me earlier called out once more. Shocked to hear that she had actually followed, I frantically wiped at my eyes. “Krystal, please come back, they didn’t mean it!” she pleaded, but I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to go back. I didn’t want to face the pain I was feeling. Tensing up, my eyes anxiously scanned the darkness for my car. As if my driver had heard the silent plea scream out in my mind, he arrived. Sighing with relief, I rushed towards it and pried open the door. After I had thrown myself in and slammed the door shut once more, I allowed myself to slide down in my seat and let the tears flow once more.

                “I’m really sorry, Miss, I tried to get here in five seconds, I really did,” my driver nervously whispered.

                “Just take me home,” I pleaded.

                “Yes, Miss.”

                It wasn’t long until the car stopped in front of the entrance of a large mansion. But the drive had been long enough for the tears to stop, and for me to gain my composure once more. As the man moved to unbuckle his seatbelt, I leaned forward and put a hand on his shoulder. That instant, he froze completely.

                “If you let anyone know about this, you’re dead,” I hissed. I waited for his answer before I let go of him and slid out of the car. As I stepped away, I patted at my hair and fixed my dress to make myself at least somewhat presentable for when I entered the house.

                It was always a trial whenever I was in the presence of my father. Due to being a man who was surrounded by work that made people as close to perfection as possible, he always expected his daughters to be the same. There were so many times when I found myself being grateful for being born looking the way I did. If I hadn’t been, then I would have been seen as dead in my father’s eyes. Actually, if I wasn’t graced with all that I had, then I would have been seen as more of a mistake than I already was.

                What I didn’t understand, though, was how could I be seen as such a failure with all of these qualifications? Beauty, talent, smarts, money. All of these things are what the world measures in a person. Yet where did I go wrong?

                “Welcome home!” my maid quietly greeted as I stepped through the front door. Ignoring her greeting, I exchanged my shoes for the slippers she held out for me. As I stepped past her, my older sister shuffled from the kitchen, her eyes wide.

                “What are you doing home?” she hissed, her eyes quickly narrowing into slits. Confused by such a greeting, I blinked up at her.

                “Why hello, Jessica. Thanks for the warm greeting.”

               “Jessica, honey?” my father’s voice called out. “Our guests are waiting!” That instant, I froze, my blood running cold. Guests?

                “I’ll be right there!” she called out, her voice taking on a sweeter tone. “Can’t you just go? Better yet, stay somewhere for the night?” she lowered her voice to a whisper, her eyes pleading. I realized what she meant the moment she opened to speak.

                “Who is it this time? The CEO of a hotel corporation? It would be better if it was the prince of some country. But it isn’t, now is it? He’s probably 30 years older than you. Well then, I’ll take my leave, sister dearest. And let father know that if he wants to do this, you guys should host it outside of our house.”

Not saying another word, I kicked off my slippers and grabbed the shoes I had just taken off. I didn’t even take the time to put them back on. Instead, I pried open the door and slammed it shut behind me. Barefooted, I padded down the pathway that led to where we kept the cars. There, I pulled out my set of keys and headed straight to the convertible at the end of the row of cars. Once I was inside and pulling out of the parking space, I sped out of the driveway and to the road.

                I don’t remember when these little meetings my father hosted for my sister started. At first, I believed that they were simple blind dates to find her someone to marry, and I supported them wholeheartedly. But then I noticed something different about my sister. The group of male friends she hung out with disappeared, and she grew awkward around anyone of the male gender. Strange marks started to show up on her skin—broken blood vessels. After I put two and two together, I realized that it was much more than simple blind dates. No, my father was using her gender and age as a chance to build his business and power.

                For the longest time, I tried my best to convince my sister to decline. To do anything to get away from such a horrific scheme. But she just wouldn’t listen. And that was when I happened across a “meeting” while I went out with a friend. We decided to go to a restaurant that opened up in a newly built hotel. Of all things, they were dining there with someone who was supposed to be a potential business partner. And because I happened to stumble across them, I was talked into joining.

                All I could remember with that past encounter was that the man had such an animalistic gleam in his eyes as he stared at me. He even asked if I was up for grabs instead of my sister. And that was when I realized why my sister refused to quit adhering to my father’s requests. If she quit, then I would be the next in line. My own father would disregard the fact that I was his daughter and use me for expanding his business like he had with Jessica. Just the thought of it made me squirm with disgust.

                Deep in thought, I continued to aimlessly drive. I didn’t know where I would go, and I didn’t know where I would stay. I didn’t want to resort to a hotel, but I didn’t have the friends I thought I could rely on. So I continued along the road in silence. I drove for so long that I didn’t realize that I left the confinements of the city until I was only surrounded by darkness.

                By the time I reached the next city, my stomach began to claw with hunger, my eyelids grew heavy from staring in one direction for the longest time, and my mind was sick and tired of the world I lived in. In a society full of standards on beauty, money, and talents, why did people get pushed aside? Why did they get treated so poorly if they didn’t fit in? What were the true standards?

                Sighing, I to a random road and drove until I found a café that seemed to be open quite late. I decided to stop there and fill my stomach before something clawed its way out. Upon turning off the car, I finally slipped my shoes on and stepped out of my car. Inside, the café was small and not up to par with the ones I frequented. But I was tired—tired of judging every little aspect of life. Thankfully, the place was quiet with only a couple of girls sitting in the corner whispering to each other. Choosing a random table, I waited until the waiter came to take my order. But no one stepped up.

                “Excuse me!” I called out, waving over at the waiter leaning on the counter talking to the cook. The man looked my way, made a face, and went back to his conversation. Scoffing at such nonsense, I tapped my fingers in annoyance.

                “Miss,” one of the girls from the other table awkwardly injected. Reluctantly, I looked her way. “I don’t know what kind of café’s you’ve been to, but this one is one you have to order at the counter.” Embarrassed, I shot up from my seat and moved to leave.

                “You don’t have to leave after making that mistake,” the boyish-looking girl chuckled. “Just go order.” Pressing my lips together, I stopped and spun around.

                “I wasn’t leaving because of that. I remembered that because…I forgot something in my car.”

An “oh” formed on the girl’s lips at that moment. Trying to shake myself of the embarrassment, I continued on my way out. Once at my car, I pulled my phone out of my purse and then went back into the café. With that, I held it up at the girls who were staring my way. The boyish-looking one smiled and nodded. Feeling a little ashamed for trying to cover up my own mistake, I strutted up to the counter and placed my order.

                “You don’t come to these places often, do you?” the girl who had corrected me questioned as I went back to my table.

                “No, I’m typically at the VIP café’s,” I sniffed.

                “You must be really rich then!” Scrunching up my nose, I turned away from the two.

                “Then why did you come here? Surely there’s a VIP café that’s open at all times of the night like this one, right?”

                “I didn’t want to go there.”

                “Oh. Well, do you want to join us?” Not particularly.

                “Maybe you could give us some insight on the topic we’ve been debating about.”

                “And what is that?”

                “The standards of society.” Taken aback, I just stared at the two girls. It took me a moment before I decided to join them. Maybe it would do me some good to talk about it. Maybe my mind will let it go once I’ve uttered something about it. Slowly, I picked myself up from my chair and moved over to the table the two sat at.

                “I’m Luna by the way,” the small girl with the bob haircut smiled.

                “And I’m Amber,” the boyish-looking one greeted.

                “I’m Krystal,” I greeted, a small smile forming on my lips. And with that, the three of us began to discuss the topic that had been laid heavy on our minds.