Running. Running, running, running.

Have I ever told you how much I hate it?

Especially right now, in PE.

I never understood how running in circles around a dusty track, probably getting dirt in your eyes by some motherer in front of you kicking way too high, would help you.

I glared at a girl blazing by me, her pale muscular legs obvious in contrast with the black PE uniform shorts.

Kim Jisoo. Most popular girl in school. Guys and girls would kill to go on a date with her. What wasn’t there to like? Gorgeous, intelligent, athletic, and had a likeable personality.

At least, that’s what most people think.

To me, Kim Jisoo will always be a complete . Fake and sweet on the outside, but inside, I swear she’s rotten to the core.

I mean, I’ve never talked to her before. Just seen her. You know those classmates that you just know, but you never talk to? She was one of those people. But you can just feel it, you know what I mean? That sugary sweet voice and those big puppy eyes—what a load of bull.

I rolled my eyes in her direction and continued to focus on not tripping and falling flat on my face.

Because that’d be embarrassing, especially in front of that despicable Kim Jisoo. I’d never hear the end of it from my friends.

I successfully made it through the rest of the four laps, albeit with lots of swearing in my head, and slowed to a walk once I crossed the finish line.

“7:46,” our PE teacher with the potbelly yelled.

Rose, who had finished a little earlier, walked towards me. “Hey, Jennie.”

I held up one hand, the other on my knee, and gasped a little, trying to catch my breath.

“One...sec…”

She patiently waited as my heartbeat returned to a slightly more normal rate.

“Okay, you can talk now.”

“You know that museum a few miles away from the school?”

I frowned. “Yeah, what about it?”

“There’s a diamond missing apparently.”

“So what? It’s just a diamond. Can’t be that big of a deal.”

“No, no, no. You don’t understand. It’s the museum’s most priceless artifact apparently. It’s like...huge news.”

I shrugged. “That’s what they get for security. to .”

She sighed in impatience. “It was guarded by top-notch security systems, Jennie. Apparently it’s super important, you remember when the president came to our city? It was because of that. The CIA had a hand in its security too. Think about it. Someone was able to get through the security. We’re not talking local news, we’re talking national.”

I frowned. “But it’s just a stupid diamond.”

My thoughts were interrupted when Lisa jogged over toward us.

“Hey,” she greeted us. “Tonight. Party at my place. You guys down?”

“What’s the occasion?” I asked, still wiping the sweat on my face with my shirt.

“Nothing. It’s Friday, dude, time to relax!” Lisa grinned. “We can always find a reason to celebrate anyways. Like that—what was it? A diamond? That thingamabob being stolen. There’s the occasion.”

“Why does everyone know about that except for me?” I scowled. “Do I live under a rock or something?”

“Yes,” the two said loudly in unison.

“Shut up.”

Quickly changing from my gross PE uniform into a plain shirt and shorts, I was hurriedly tying my converse shoes when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“For the final time,” I sighed, turning my head over my shoulder. “I will not help you bomb—oh.”

And there was Kim Jisoo, standing in all her glory. Her purple hair fell naturally upon her shoulders, the hair tie once holding her hair together wrapped around her wrist; she was still in her gym clothes, sweat evidently glistening on her neck, and she looked annoyingly gorgeous when she wasn’t supposed to.

My stomach started to churn nervously for some reason—probably from all the obvious fakeness bleeding from her. Obviously.

“Oh—sorry—I just thought—you were Rose and she keeps asking me to bom—,” I stumbled on my words. “Ah forget it, um, sorry, what did you need?”

Jisoo chuckled. “It’s alright—I was just wondering if you were going to Lisa’s party today?” she asked with a shy smile. In my dehydrated, exhausted state of mind from all the running, I almost felt like