CHAPTER EIGHT.  

Two weeks.  I never felt so clueless.  Why was this happening to me? 

    Rumor had it that Chorong blew up at everyone the day she practically strangled me to the ground.  Because her single dad passed away.  I was, for one, a little bit sad for her.  Part of me wondered— would things be different now if I hadn’t started things with her? The obvious stares from the student body shot me few days afterwards didn’t help at all either.  Ever since, Woollim In a Minute was crossed out, tension surfaced.  Before, there were people that were jealous of me, hated me, even.  But no one’s ever been brave enough to show it.  Now, the under-credited minorities, the ‘nothing cliques’ had this sudden surge of empowerment.  Now, they were dumping the mean girl label on me, slowly.  Now, they had some distorted superiority complex or something.  Utter bull.  

    I couldn’t have been more retarded; what made me think I stood a chance against Myungsoo, who was a completely well-rounded package? 

    No, stop, Naeun.  You’re thinking weirdly again.  There isn’t a major change.  Yet.  

    All I had to do was keep everything under wraps to prevent any other unfavorable change.  

    Aside from that, Hara was yet again, absent.

    “Hey,” Hyuna called out, leaning on the locker next to mine as she shellacked her lips in gloss.  “You forgot.” 

    “Forgot what?” I snapped a tie over my side-pony.  Then, I looked over her shoulder.  “I thought you were carpooling with D.” 

    Hyuna swat her wrists, “I told her to get us Starbucks.  Don’t worry, it’s on my student ID.” 

    I pushed back my old issues of Teen Vogue to the back of my unusually disarrayed locker.  “Thank you, I swear it’s—”

    “So, anyways, I thought we were coming in Burberry today.” 

    Hyuna clucked her tongue, looking a little pissed.  But why would she? I never bailed out on outfit plans.  “Sorry, it must’ve slipped my mind…” I picked at my mint green shrug.  

    She raised a brow.  “Usually it’s the first thing on your mind.  What’s with you lately?” 

    Right at that moment, Dasom came click-clacking in her Jimmy Choo oxfords,  interrupting the heavy pause.  She was carrying a cardboard tray of Grande lattes, out of breath.  Courteously, I popped the cover off my latte, taking a cautious sip.  

    “I thought we were wearing plaid,” Dasom said, tossing her unruly hair to the side.  

    “Plaid and trenches,” Hyuna quipped in, the skim milk foam off her lips.  

    “Whatever, I forgot okay?” I threw my hand up in exasperation as we continued to walk in formation.  It felt weird; leaving the lockers without Hara there to rate our outfits, or fill us in on the trending Twitter searches.  It felt empty.  

    “Is that why you forgot to text us yesterday?” 

    “Uhm, no.  I didn’t forget, I went over to Hara’s yesterday,” I said, a little defensively.  

    “And?” Hyuna gathered the front of her mini trench together.  

    I pursed my lips in a tight line, gripping the strap of my Kate Spade cross body.  “She… wasn’t there.” 

    “What do you mean?” 

    “I think… she moved,” I tried to word things carefully.  Things would definitely spiral out of control if I told them things I didn’t even know about.  

    “No way! Without telling us?” Dasom adjusted the tan belt she had over her pleated skirt.  “Where is she, anyways?” 

    “I know right? didn’t even call,” Hyuna stomped the heel of her killer heels.  Silence engulfed us.  “I’m worried about her.” 

    “, I tried calling her parents and they won’t pick up!” Dasom directed her gaze to the floor.  

    On instinct, I stopped in front of the media room, only to find it locked.  The girls gave me knowing, pitiful glances and sympathetic pouts.  Embarrassment washed over as the realization hit me; I had no reason to be there.  At least, not anymore. 

                        ~

 I never showed up to class early.  When I did, the girls and I were always at the door chatting away, or laughing at last-season’s garb that passed by (this morning I spotted matching Juicy tracksuits in orange and XL Crocs— I guess old habits are hard to kick)   

    Today, things just didn’t add up the way I wanted to.   

    1.) I didn’t have my broadcast

    2.) I should’ve talked to Woohyun in homeroom

    3.) Hara isn’t here

    4.) Everyone’s too busy looking at L to notice me

    I slid into my assigned seat for stats class (which was the only other class besides math where I sat next to one especially gorgeous black-haired male), craving another shot of latte.  Myungsoo came in with a slew of girls following closely behind, chittering like hummingbirds.  If I could, I would’ve punched all of them upside the head.  

    That comes another day, I thought as I glided Hyuna’s rouge stain over my lips, tucking loose strands of hair behind my ears.   I shut my compact.  Much to my chagrin, the girls dispersed, but continued fawning at The Ice Prince from afar.  

    “Be a little discreet, maybe?” I muttered to no one in particular.  

    Myungsoo pulled out his headphones, “Couldn’t even if I tried.” As if on que, he pulls out about a dozen pastel envelopes and a box of chocolate from his desk, his expression unchanging.  I scoff a little to the side.  

    The girls on the other side of the classroom by the window are watching his every move, just to see what he’ll do next.  I cringe a little, because I knew Kim Myungsoo wasn’t the type of guy to just open even one letter from the unknowing, hopeful, desperate group of girls.  

    Still, I had no idea he’d be the type to throw them all out in a split second. Without hesitation.  

    “Campus heart breaker, is that the concept your going for?” the words are out of my mouth before I could stop them.  

    “You think this is an image?” Myungsoo tosses his hair as his dimples deepen in anticipation.  His aftershave smells like a weirdly alluring mixture of spearmint of vanilla.  

    I avoid his eyes.  “Ask your cult of fangirls, not me.” 

    He shrugs, all aloof and cute.  “Why? Was your letter in their too?” Bipolar.  

    My jaw drops.  I could already feel myself going red at his audacity to straight-up tease me, as if we had been friends forever.  “As if!” I yank the band that’s keeping my curls captive, letting the layers tumble over my shoulders.  Please stop talking.  

    “Oh, I forgot.  Confessions are beneath you.  Like most everything is, anyways.” 

    “Thanks for that, L.  Incase you didn’t know, I’ve been asked out by plenty of guys.  So at least I know when to entertain their questions and give them the time of day.” 

    “Sure, but then completely shun those that don’t meet your standards,” he shot back.  

    “Like who?” I challenged, ‘accidentally’ prodding his shin with the tip of my Balenciaga platforms.  

    Then, a lanky brunette came in, naturally sitting in the seat behind Myungsoo.  “Whoa, chocolate? Sharing’s caring,” Lee Sungyeol aired, reaching for the reflective ribbon.  The tall male gave me a wave, to which I could only return with a nod.

    Myungsoo gave me a look, as if that was supposed to answer my question.  I raised my brows at him.  “What?” 

    “Never mind,” he sighed, as he handed the box of Godiva to Sungyeol. 

    “What did I miss?” Sungyeol nudged Myungsoo playfully.  His large, child like eyes looked at me, then Myungsoo expectantly.  Immature. 

    “Aren’t you supposed to be relaying all this to your Otaku bunch that you call friends?” I shot him a plastic smile, as the jocks who heard my jab guffawed.  

    “It wasn’t an insult, Sungjong and I totally ship you two!” Sungyeol said through a mouth full of ganache.  You had to give him credit— he never took things hard, or personally.  So he was either an idiot or a genius at mind games.  

    “Christ, Yeol, you’re so oblivious sometimes,” Myungsoo rubbed the back of his neck.  

    “Says the guy who hasn’t even had his first—”

    Myungsoo shut him up with a patronizing, icy glare.  

    My phone started ringing on the desk.  I thought my blood stopped running as I checked the caller ID.  Frantically, I put the phone to my ear.  

    “Hara? What the heck, where are you? Do you know how worried the girls and—” Unconsciously, I stand up from my seat and take long strides to the door before I went off on tangents in front of everyone.  I had two minutes before first bell.  

    “There’s some things I can’t tell you guys right now.  I’m sorry.” her voice sounded hoarse.  

    “Hey, are you coming to school?” I ran my nail over my bottom lip.  

    “I don’t… think I can.  Look, my family just moved out.” 

    “Yeah, I could figure that out the least,” I barked, rolling my eyes.  Fittingly, all the critical thinking came later.  The moving, the absences, bailing out on mall dates… No way.  “Hara… are your parents…?” 

    I thought I heard her gasp a little before