[CONTENTID1]Chapter 18[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Pushing the door open with a slam, I confront the girls. There were four of them, and they all look equally surprised by my sudden appearance. Taeyeon looked the most shocked.  

"Can I ask why you're harassing Kim Taeyeon?" I question them calmly. Walking towards the girls, I closed the door so they won't run away.  

"I-I," One of them stammers. "W-w-we weren't—I..." They inch towards the exit nervously, while Taeyeon still sat on the floor.  

"Leave," I bark. "If I see this again, I won't be as kind. Leave!" I soften my gaze, and look at Taeyeon. To my bewilderment, she just looked sadder than before. "Hey," I greet awkwardly, "Are you okay?" 

"Why are you helping me?" Taeyeon sobs. "I cheated on your best friend with you! I-I'm a ! A ! You heard what they said! Why are you so kind? I'd rather you treat me like then do this, Phoenix. At least then I'd know you won't stab me in the back later!" She hiccups. I sigh, rubbing my neck.  

"You wanna know a secret?" I sat down on the floor next to her. Leaning on the wall, I looked everywhere, except her. "One that I never told anyone?" Taeyeon mumbles a small 'yes', her sniffles lessening. "Well Taeyeon, once upon a time, I was in a relationship. And they—well, let's just call them Cookie, okay? Right. Anyways, Cookie and I were dating. And I really liked Cookie. Enough that I even lost my V-card to them. You know why? Because Cookie was incredibly charming, and a manipulative little—ahem. So, after I lost my V-card to them, they dumped me the next day. Turns out, I was just a bet they made with their friends. That wasn't the worst part, though." 

Now, I had Taeyeon's full attention.  

"The worst part were the rumors Cookie had spread about me," I continue. Smiling bitterly, I think back to those times. "Cookie told everyone in the school I was incredibly easy," I whisper, "That I would let anyone in my pants if they did the right things. Like paying me off. One dollar for a night," I shook my head. "Those were the tame ones, too." 

"What happened after that?" Taeyeon asks softly. She looks at me, her eyes full of empathy.  

"I got bullied. Pushed around. Punched. Told that I deserved to die, that I don't deserve to live. Some people went the extra mile and threw money at me everytime I walked by," I answered her calmly. So much time had passed, that I grew numb to it all. "No one helped. The problem grew worse and worse until I had to convince my dad that I needed to move schools. Tada," I laugh sardonically. "You now know why I moved to Korea." 

"You...you're a girl, aren't you Phoenix?" She whispers.  

"Now how'd you figure that out?" I look down, playing with my fingers.  

"Because guys don't get bullied for sleeping around. They get congratulated. It's us girls who get -shamed," Taeyeon clarifies.  

"What an unfair world we live in, huh?" I smile scathingly. "Congrats on figuring that out. Yeah, I am a girl. And Cookie was a guy." 

"Oh." After a moment of silence, Taeyeon opens . "You wanna know my secret? My mom is a mistress." Curious, I finally looked at her. "My dad has an actual wife, and it's not her. He pays us to keep quiet about it. If word gets out that I'm his illegitimate child, his rep as a respected lawyer will be ruined." Taeyeon looks down at her lap, engrossed in her bracelet. "I think that's why I cheat. Because if I don't, then someone will cheat on me. Just like my mother." 

"Well, us s gotta stick together, right?" I scoff. "Not all guys are like that, Taeyeon. They won't cheat on you. We just got the bad bunch." We sit in silence for awhile. Just us, not saying anything, comforted by each other's presence alone. 

As much as I hate to admit it, we had more in common than I originally thought. And her knowing my secret didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. I just had a feeling that she'll keep it to herself. 

"Hey," I break the silence. Standing up, I hold my hand out to Taeyeon. "You wanna go outside and eat? We still have forty five minutes left or so." 

"I don't think I'll be well received in the cafeteria," She shakes her head. "And you being seen with me will create more rumors." 

"I didn't say in the cafeteria," I laugh, "I know a café not far from here, and we have time to go there and back. What do you say? No one there goes to our school." Hesitantly, Taeyeon takes my hand, and let me pull her up. 

"Sure," She smiles shyly. "Let's go. I can drive us there." 

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter