Areum gripped onto her books as she walked down the hallway. That morning, she acted like coming back to school wasn't a big deal, but Jackson kept following her around, staring at her face until she finally gave it and told him that she was nervous.

"Don't be. Just remember our deal."

Areum rolled her shoulders back and strode through the building, ignoring the inquisitive looks.

"Yo!" Yang called out as he walked towards her with Yoomi.

Areum nodded in acknowledgement as she turned to the bank of lockers sectioned off for students who live off campus.

"Where were you yesterday?" Yoomi asked as Areum turned her dial on her lock.

"Yeah, did your sister rake you over the coals?" Yang snorted.

Areum chuckled. "No, we actually just spent he day together…hanging out."

Areum's smile died when she flung her locker open and was hit with a rancid smell.  

"What the hell is that?" Yang squeaked as he pinched his nose.

Areum gagged and felt herself tearing up from the burning smell.

"Is that a dead mouse?" Yoomi gasped while holding her shirt over her nose. Areum scanned her locker and saw two small decaying mice propped over her books with flies buzzing around.

Areum sighed and looked away before closing her locker shut before she paused when she saw the same three freshmen watching her from the corner, giggling at her.

"You grew up telling yourself to be strong, you prided yourself of that."

"No." Areum growled under her breath. "Not this time." She dropped her bag pulled out a handkerchief and picked up the mice.

"What the are you doing?!" Yang exclaimed, stepping away from Areum.

The girl ignored him and walked straight up to the three girls and threw the mice at their feet, watching them squeal and jump back.

"It looks like you girls left a few of your friends in my locker. What? You think I'm a ? Or a ? Why? Because of some stupid rumours that you started because you're jealous of me. Please, grow up, you're not children. You think I'm going to go home and write in my diary that a couple of wannabes were hurting my precious feelings? You freshmen can barely reach my level, you think I give a rat's about you? Or should I say mice?"

A crowd started surrounding them, but instead of whispering about Areum, they were giggling at the three girls who suddenly seemed pitiable.

That's when Areum realized something.

The only reason all these kids were so entranced with picking on Areum was that she never fought back. It was easier to target someone who just let it happen.

They just wanted someone to laugh at and it didn't matter who it was.

And everyone went to town on her because they didn't want to risk being the next targets.

"You guys are pathetic, you know that? You're so worried about being the laughing stock that you using me as your shield because let's be honest, if you were in my shoes for an hour you would blow your brains out because you're weak. Do you feel accomplished? You spent  God knows how long trekking through  the dumpster, looking for dead mice, but I'm not really effected. I'm going to get the maintenance crew to clean it up and get my books replaced for free and my hands will be clean. Was it really worth it?" Areum snapped, her voice getting louder. "Not to mention the security cameras that caught you breaking into my locker. I'm sure the dean will love dealing with that."

She was done with all of it.

With the bull.

With the stupid jokes.

With everything.

"I have spent years dealing with your bull because I didn't want to make things worse, but what's the point? You'll keep doing it either way. I hated my life and I just wanted to run away. Run away from myself, from this school, from my life and from you all. But why should I give you the satisfaction?" She walked up to the girl who hit her and slammed her into a locker.

"What the hell are you doing?" She screeched.

"You think you're strong because you slapped me around, 3 against 1? What about now, huh? I doubt your friends will intervene. I heard a rumour that I used to be part of a gang. Should we see if it's true? Do you think you could take me in a fight?" Areum chuckled dryly as the girl started tearing up.

"Don't ing touch me."The girl snapped.

"Are you going to cry? After all you put me through, you're going to play victim?" Areum said as she shoved the girl away, stepping back.

She had values, she wasn't going to hit anyone.

At least with her hands.

The crowd started to quiet down when they realized that Areum was getting furious. The girls looked around, shrinking under everyone's gaze.

"You know what's sad? No one is ever going to take you seriously because of this. Once I graduate, you'll be stuck here for two years with no one to pick on and a reputation of being bullies. Not even intimidating bullies, just bullies who use fifth grade tactics. I'm not your punching bag and if you ever. Ever, pull something like this, I will make your life so ing wretched that you'd wish you were never born." She heaved out.

The girls looked away and she could tell that they were afraid.

"Who cares? You're still a ."

Areum snorted, "Yeah?"

"Everyone knows you've had with every guy since you got here." The girl said with the flick of her hair.

Areum raised her brows, "Wow, every guy? Damn. Okay, let's just say that, that's true. What's the problem? You're just jealous because you've been conditioned to think that is some sort of sin. Well guess what? Maybe isn't as good or as evil as you've built it up to be, but that's besides the point. You can't justify the way you treat me just because I've had '' with more guys that you'll ever touch in your life. I never did anything to you girls. I never talked about you or even looked at you. , I didn't even know you existed. But for some reason you still wanted to make my life hell."

A few people started to clap and some even cheered.

They were pathetic.

Everyone was giving the three girls scolding looks as if they were always on Areum's side since day one.

Areum turned to the crowd around her, "And you all are just as bad. Was it fun spreading false rumours about me? Watching me struggle? Well, news flash, none of them were ever true and you and I all know that. And you know what? Who cares if they were true? Gives you no right to give me about it. You've made my 2 years here the worst years of my life to the point where I didn't even know who I was. And I will never forgive you all for that. So go crawl back into the miserable rock you all came out of and leave me the alone before you regret it."

Everyone's faces dropped as they glanced at each other nervously.

"You've all ruined my life. You've made waking up in the morning and getting dressed, a battle. I dread seeing this building when I walk to school because I know what'll be waiting for me. Immature, arrogant, self centered little children. I couldn't even breathe when I got here because you all were too busy destroying me because I wasn't my sister. It was like you all forgot that I was human. But it makes sense since you're all monsters."

She laughed, but it sounded terrifying, "In the tv shows, I'm supposed to be forgiving, saying that there is good in everyone and that there must be a reason why you did this to me, but you know what? you all. I hope you all rot in hell."   

The crowd watched in a stunned silence as Areum her heel and stormed away, but just as she reached the outer linings of the group, someone grabbed her elbow.

She looked up to see Yang staring at the crowd, whose attention was turned to them.

"Well since we're already on the topic of shaming." He mumbled to her before raising his voice, "Up until last week, I was a , which means that any girl other than Jung Yoomi who's claimed to have with me is a filthy liar. That's right, I was a this whole time. So you can all on that. Boom! Yang out!"

He quickly grabbed Areum and Yoomi's hand and yanked them out of the hallway and into an empty lecture room. He closed the door shut and leaned his back against it before closing his eyes and letting out a breath.

"That was draining."

Yoomi sat on a desk and snorted, "You didn't even do much."

Yang pouted, "But now my player image is gone."

"I'm pretty sure, your player image was gone when you followed Yoomi around like a lost child." Areum breathed out.

Yang shot a look at his girlfriend, "You know, Yoomi, usually when friends air our their dirty laundry as an act of solidarity, they all share their embarrassing stories."

Yoomi smiled, "Well my embarrassing story is that I'm dating you."

Yang rolled his eyes, mumbling something about taking one for the team.

Yoomi looked over and noticed Areum's hands trembling. "How does it feel?"

Areum looked up at her in confusion, "What?"

"How does it feel to put everyone in their place? No one's going to be crossing you in the next hundred years."

Areum laughed, her voice shaky while she tried to recover, "Honestly? Pretty liberating. I feel like I can take anyone down."

"Are you kidding? You slam dunked their tiny asses. You were like ', stay in your lane. I'm Jo freaking Areum. Watch out!' Even I got nervous." Yang said excitedly.

Yoomi hopped off the table and awkwardly held her arms out, "I know we promised not to do this. But…come on."

Areum blinked at her before snorting and giving the girl a hug, "I'm proud of you. Maybe I could learn a thing or two." Yoomi mumbled.

Areum pulled away and felt renewed. "I did it! I can't believe I did it."

"Ayyyy!" Yang cheered, holding his hand out for a high five that she returned.

Yoomi checked the clock in the building before jumping to the door, "Sorry to break this up, but we're going to be late!"

"All hail the mighty Jo Areum!" Yang pumped his fist up in the air before dragging Yoomi into the hall to their class.

Areum shook her head in amusement until  she was left alone in the room. She slowly slid to the floor and brought her knees up to her chest before laughing out loud.

Freely.

Happily.  

She did it.

Her heart was racing and it felt incredible.

She couldn't wait until she told Jac--

"Umm…hey."

Areum looked over and her eyes suddenly clouded when she saw one of the panthers standing by the door.

The one that saved her and told Yoomi to check the bathrooms.

Her body started to tense as she shifted away. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to talk."

-----

Mino remembered clearly the first day that he saw Jo Areum.

And the first day he fell in love with her.

He was leaping through the forest, closing in on the White Fang district, but dancing just outside the territory line when he saw someone walking by.

His eyes darted to her and he saw a girl tossing her keys in the air as she walked to her little cabin. He didn't know why, but he sat there, watching her. He stayed there the whole night, watching the house, waiting for a glimpse of her, even if it was when she took the trash out or the half a second through her window before she drew the curtains.

He brushed it off as intrigue for not being around the human race for so long, but he found himself always coming back to that same spot to watch her walk to and from school.

He saw her sister come and go in the nights and mornings, presumably for work. He watched, one day, as the two girls packed suitcases into