I found refuge inside the warm school as the wind was blowing rather hard at this early hour of morning. Shrugging off my backpack I became aware of all the stares that were directed towards me, snickers and fingers pointed. Feeling myself shrinking back a little bit, the door was snapped open and it collided with my back making me yelp loudly.

“Chae-Yeong--” Jongdae’s face showed worry but it quickly went away when Sehun stepped inside after him.

“What are you doing?” Sehun asked Jongdae, unaware of my presence.

“I knocked into Chae-Yeong accidentally” Jongdae muttered, softly pushing me out of their way.

“She was standing in our way” Sehun shrugged, casting a glance at me before he stalked down the hallway with his friend. I gulped, feeling a little scared after what happened yesterday. Even though I have known Sehun for a long time, he was scary in a different way that didn’t fit well with me. I snapped out of my thoughts when a girl passing by actually glanced back at me and started laughing loudly. What was so funny? Didn’t the whole school already see my new hair? I don’t think my hair is really that funny.

Sighing, I walked down the hallway, trying to ignore once again all the fingers pointed at me and malicious comments that followed them. Taking a left turn towards my locker, I became aware of how packed the whole hallway was, I actually had to push away a few people in order to be able to walk forward. I was just apologizing to pass by a smaller group of friends when the words died in my mouth. Eyes widening, I took in the pictures stamped on my locker and the whole hallway. That day when they took me and did that ugly make up, all around the hallway with everyone like it was a selfie taken by Sooyoung and her friends. Walking closer to my locker with trembling fingers, I could make out some words on the posters that brought tears in my eyes.

‘Dearest friend, found some cringey pics...hope you don’t mind if I share them’ Friend? Cringey pics? After everything they did to me they have to continue and even act like we are friends? Ripping the paper off my locker and opening my locker forcefully, a few jumped when it slammed into the other locker door. Throwing my backpack inside and taking out my book for maths, I bit my lower lip trying to keep back the tears. Why did they do this every day? Why do I even wake up every day hoping they would actually forget about my existence?

“Ah, Chae-Chae got our present?” A loud laugh came from behind me, making me sniff. I won’t cry in front of everyone, not when the whole school is already laughing at me. I don’t want to give them more reasons to point their fingers or laugh at me.

“Friends don’t ignore each other, Chae-Chae” The whole hallway laughed at Baekhyun’s words, making me turn around as I gripped the crumbled paper harder.

“You did this?” I asked quietly, extending my hand towards him.

“Oh wait, you actually don’t like my surprise?” Baekhyun made a shocked face, acting as if he was hurt.

“This is not funny” I muttered, glaring at him harder than ever.

“It’s not?” Baekhyun asked his eyebrows raised as he looked around “Is this not funny?”

The whole crowd went livid, cheering and even throwing some paper at me. Why were they doing this to me?

“Chae-Chae, you see--actually everyone thinks this is funny” Baekhyun chuckled, crossing his arms in front of his chest, becoming more amused.

“It’s not” I growled, throwing the paper on the floor beside me “What made you think you could just do this?”

“Oh my god” Baekhyun widened his eyes, mocking me “I think I hurt you real hard, now you won’t speak to me for a week?”

“Are you really that bored, Baek?” A low voice spoke from the crowd which soon parted, making way for Oh Sehun.

“Oh, you are here too!” Baekhyun exclaimed “What do you think, it turned out really good, didn’t it?”

“It did, but I thought you’d make something that would have a bigger impact on people” Sehun shrugged, his bored eyes landing on my fuming form.

“No one can please you” Baekhyun rolled his eyes, looking at his friend with a grimace.

“What is happening here?” Kyungsoo pushed past the people, eyes landing on me. I looked at him, feeling my lips tremble again.

“Get lost, everyone!” Kyungsoo suddenly shouted, glaring at everyone as they started scrambling away.

“Chae-Yeong, are you okay?” Kyungsoo asked quietly after he walked up to me.

“No, I’m not” I shook my head, looking at the ground as he gripped my shoulder.

“Oh, lover boy is here too” Baekhyun said with a snicker “If you are our friend you really need to stop protecting Chae-Chae”

“And I think you should stop all your stupid games, Baekhyun” Kyungsoo snapped, making the boy actually jump “They are not even a bit funny”

“Everyone was having fun though” Baekhyun said with a shrug, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“What good do you get out of laughing at Chae-Yeong? Don’t you get bored?” Kyungsoo scoffed, bringing his arm around my shoulder as I turned more into him, trying to hide my close to crying state.

“She’s too funny to watch suffer, hard to get bored of something like that” Baekhyun chuckled, looking up at Sehun who had a blank face as he watched Kyungsoo and I.

“How are you, Kyungsoo?” A smirk stretched on Sehun’s lips as he watched Kyungsoo glare at him.

“Great, could you leave Chae-Yeong alone finally?” He muttered quietly, avoiding Sehun’s eyes.

“Easier said than done, Soo” Sehun chuckled, turning around and going to his locker. I raised my head and pushed away from Kyungsoo bowing a little bit.

“I have to get to class” I muttered, being aware that Baekhyun was watching us with narrowed eyes.

“I’ll walk you” Kyungsoo smiled at me but I quickly shook my head, declining his offer quickly.

“It’s alright, I have to go” I offered him a small smile, turning around and quickly walking away to my class, wiping away a tear that somehow managed to fall. I won’t have a quiet day anymore and Kyungsoo will be after me as well knowing I was hurt and not feeling well. Everything jus