Steph sighs as she picks the shears up. Prince Fluffy is trotting about the garden shed, running up to her every now and then, smiling at her. It lightens her heart and she squats to give the dog a good rub. His tail wags furiously and she giggles at his antics. Thank goodness for Prince Fluffy. He’s a spark of happiness in her life even if he’s the reason why she’s being punished now.

Damn that girl. Gim Ha Min. The principal’s daughter. Big deal. Ordinarily, Steph wouldn’t waste any time of the day on Ha Min but this incident is getting on her nerves. Because of Ha Min, Prince Fluffy needs a new place to live in until her new apartment is ready. Her first thought is Taeng but he had said no the first time and after this incident, she isn’t sure if she wants him to have anything to do with her and Prince Fluffy anymore.

It is strange how Ha Min found out though. That girl may be the principal’s daughter but she sure is sneaky. And she’s sure Ha Min won’t hesitate to wreck her at the slightest opportunity. Like this one. And the previous one. That had been a vicious whirlwind of a scandal but fortunately, she managed to defend her honour. And it only infuriated Ha Min even more, of course.

Poor Taeng though. She shouldn’t have told him about Prince Fluffy. She doesn’t even know why she did it. Telling a brand new student about her secret definitely wasn’t the smartest thing to do. But Taeng had seemed so open and reliable that she found herself opening up to him easily. However, to be fair, Taeng has proved to be a loyal friend. She has not misplaced her trust.

“Where are you gonna sleep tonight, Prince?” Prince Fluffy simply smiles up at her, tongue out, tail wagging. Steph giggles in spite of her worries. “You must be the happiest homeless dog ever.”

“He’s not homeless.”

Steph looks up and smiles at the loyal friend she was just thinking about. “Does he have a home?”

“I can take care of him until your new place is ready.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. For real.”

“Oh my God.” Steph gets up and flings her arms around her knight in shining armour. “Thanks, Taeng.” But he doesn’t look comfortable when she releases him, which is strange. “What’s wrong?” she asks.

“Nothing.”

Steph doesn’t buy it. He may have said it’s nothing but his eyes are anything but. “Tell me.”

“It’s about something I heard.”

Something in her heart drops. Taeng is doubting her. She just knows it. “What did you hear?”

“It’s not very nice.”

“It’s about my ex-boyfriend, isn’t it?”

“Sort of.”

“It’s about how I betrayed my ex and broke his heart?”

“Something like that.”

“What else?”

Taeng looks constipated. “And how you made boys pay to see . . .”

“Who did you hear it from?” she asks even though she thinks she already knows.

“Ha Min.”

“Of course.” Steph