Miyeon walked up the grand stairs. The building was so fancy that no one would know it was a school for troubled girls. She didn’t think it was fair that her parents sent her here after one huge misunderstanding.

 

They found a weed brownie tucked away in her nightstand drawer. Her explanations fell under deaf ears as her parents immediately started calling rehab centers and special schools.

 

So here she was, standing in front of an old headmaster, wondering what her life is going to be like at this place.

 

 

Miyeon quickly understood her place in this school. She knew not to mess with others, and wanted to keep her head down for the rest of her time there.

 

She couldn’t trust anyone, befriend anyone, or confide in anyone. That’s the way it has to be, she thought.

 

Her first week, a red haired girl had approached her during lunch. She tossed her tray onto the table, plopping onto the seat across from Miyeon.

 

“I’ll give you the run down of this place, as a favor. If you return the favor when I ask for one.” The girl muttered as she looked at her nails distractedly.

 

Miyeon’s eyes were wide, the first time anyone’s bothered to talk to her, let alone acknowledge her.

 

“S-Sure.”

 

The girl stood up, grabbing Miyeon’s hand and dragging her out of the cafeteria, leaving their untouched food on the table.

 

“The name’s Soojin. Yours?”

 

“Miyeon.”

 

She ducked away from Soojin’s piercing gaze. “How did someone like you end up in here?”

 

“Would you believe me if I said it was a misunderstanding?” Miyeon muttered under her breath as they walked down the hall.

 

“Definitely, because you stick out like a sore thumb.”

 

Miyeon was oddly offended. Soojin let out a laugh.

 

“Well, what are you in for then?” She questioned the red haired girl. Soojin’s soft smile turned into a frown.

 

The question went unanswered as a group of girls walked by. Soojin straightened up, crossing her arms in defense as she gave a dirty look to one of the girls in particular.

 

Miyeon’s breath caught in the instant her eyes met with the one leading the group.

 

She was tall and pale, with long and wavy black hair, and empty black eyes. The aura she oozed gave Miyeon goosebumps. But something about her was off.

 

She was too cute.

 

They walked right by them, but not before Miyeon caught one of them whispering to another. “Looks like Soojin is doing charity work again.”

 

“Watch your back, Soyeon.” Soojin shouted after the shorter girl.

 

“Who was that?” Miyeon whispered quietly, not minding being called a charity case, still in awe at the mysterious girl who just passed by.

 

“That was Shuhua and her minions, Soyeon and Minnie.”

 

“Shuhua.”

Soojin gave her a weird look. “I wouldn’t go there if I were you, she’s bad news.”

 

Miyeon turned to face Soojin. “Why is that?”

 

They continued to walk down the hall and out into the courtyard. They sat on a concrete bench under a large tree.

 

“All I know is that shes from Taiwan and is a few years younger than us. She rarely talks and no one knows why she’s here.”

 

“And that makes her dangerous?”

 

Soojin nodded as if it was obvious. Miyeon smirked at Soojin speaking so ill of this girl who didn’t look intimidating to Miyeon at all.

 

 

She went back to her dorm after spending the whole day with Soojin. She wouldn’t call them friends just yet, but she was the closest she had to one here.

 

Her roommate was barely around ever since Miyeon moved in, all she knew was that she was a few years younger and from China. She wondered why she was so far away from home.

 

So she was surprised to find her roommate and another familiar figure, that’s slowly been engraving into her mind, in her room conversing in a language Miyeon couldn’t understand.

 

Soojin had failed to mention that Shuhua had other friends besides her minions.

 

“Hello.” Miyeon wanted to facepalm herself. She was interrupting what seemed to be a serious conversation between her roommate and the girl who she was told not to mess with, Soojin’s voice ringing in the back of her head.

 

They both looked up at her with blank stares, Miyeon noticed Shuhua raise her eyebrow and tilt her head slightly.

 

Miyeon was too embarrassed to tell Shuhua that she was laying on her bed, so she gave them a smile and walked right back out of the room.

 

 

Miyeon felt like a loser sitting out in the hall. She just thought it would be another minute, but an hour had gone by and it was getting late.

 

The room door opened and shut, startling Miyeon to stand up, facing an equally startled Shuhua.

 

The foreign girl looked like she wanted to say something, but she swiftly turned around and disappeared around the corner.

Miyeon stared blankly at the empty space in front of her before stepping back into her dorm. Yuqi was already cuddled into her sheets, her night light turned off while Miyeon’s was still .

 

The sheets were made too.

 

When she noticed Shuhua on her bed earlier, the girl had helped herself and wrapped her body with Miyeon’s blanket.

 

Miyeon was the least bit creepy, but she subtly sniffed her sheets as she snuggled under her covers to go to bed. It smelled like someone unfamiliar.

 

“Don’t tell anyone you saw her here.”

 

Miyeon perked up at her roommate’s voice. “Saw who?” She asked innocently.

 

“Perfect.” Her roommate mumbled sleepily.

 

Miyeon didn’t understand until she woke up the next morning. Yuqi and Shuhua’s friendship was a secret, maybe that’s why Soojin didn’t tell her, because she was just unaware.

 

She really wanted to tell Soojin, but she wouldn’t want to cross her roommate, someone she sleeps with at night.

 

 

Soojin and Miyeon sat in the corner of the cafeteria, having eyes on the whole room from their vantage point. Soojin was still telling Miyeon about the do’s and don’t’s and the who’s and what not, but Miyeon couldn’t care so much anymore.

 

She was too busy staring at Shuhua.

 

“I’ll warn you, over and over, if i have to.” Soojin paused mid rant, having noticed that Miyeon’s attention was focused elsewhere.

 

“She doesn’t scare me.”

 

Soojin deadpanned. “Well, at least I tried.”

 

Shuhua caught Miyeon’s stare, holding it until Miyeon waved, making the quiet girl abruptly look away.

 

Soojin’s eyes widened. “Excuse me, what the hell was that?!”

 

“Like I said.” Miyeon smirked, picking at her fries. “I’m not afraid of her.”

 

 

Miyeon thought about it. Maybe Shuhua was quiet because she just couldn’t speak Korean well. She was proven wrong when she stepped out of the bathroom stall, only to be confronted by the very girl she was just thinking about.

 

Miyeon looked at her expectantly, unfazed by Shuhua’s look of intimidation. Shuhua blinked.

 

“Got something to say?” Miyeon questioned first. It threw Shuhua off.

 

Miyeon stepped around, going towards the sink to wash her hands. She looked in the mirror to see Shuhua turn around, still wordless.

 

“Thanks for making my bed.” Miyeon cautiously teased. She didn’t miss Shuhua’s instant blush.

 

“I didn’t do anything.”

 

Miyeon was taken aback, but composed herself as she dried her hands.

 

“Sure you didn’t.” She winked and walked right out of the bathroom. If Soojin was right about Shuhua, Miyeon was walking on a thin line.

 

She was afraid of pretty much everyone at this school, besides Soojin maybe, but Shuhua didn’t scare her one bit.

 

 

Miyeon decided to check out the library. She got there and it was completely deserted, just as she thought, considering “troubled” girls wouldn’t be caught dead in a library.

 

She was proven wrong when a book clattered off a shelf two rows away from her. She quickly hid behind a desk. All she heard was a fury of what she assumed were curse words in a language that seemed familiar.

 

Miyeon slowly stood up from behind the desk and approached the aisle she heard the noise come from. She grinned when she saw the girl in front of her.

 

“Hello!”

 

Shuhua squealed and jumped, the book in her hand dropping to the floor again. She heaved a big sigh, swooping down to grab it again.

 

“I didn’t think anyone would be in here.” Miyeon spoke up, not expecting much response from Shuhua. “What are you doing here?”

 

Shuhua gave her a quick glance. “Reading.”

 

Miyeon’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. She looked at the book in Shuhua’s hands. It was a dictionary.

 

“So where are you from?” Miyeon questioned as she turned to the shelf to distract herself from staring too hard at Shuhua.

 

“Taiwan.”

 

“So that’s how you could talk to Yuqi.”

 

It all happened so fast, the next thing she knew, she was pinned against the wall. Shuhua looked around in useless panic before her eyes set on Miyeon’s, fire behind them.

 

“Do not mention her.”

 

Miyeon gulped not out of fear, but out of nervousness by being this close to Shuhua. They were only mere inches apart.

 

“Why?” She whispered back.

 

Shuhua relaxed her grip on Miyeon’s shoulder. “It’s not safe.”

 

And just like the other night, Shuhua turned away and disappeared out of her sight.

 

 

Miyeon thought way too hard about what happened in the library. More so about their close encounter than the ambiguity of what Shuhua had told her.

 

She was joined in the courtyard by Soojin, eyeing her weirdly as she took a seat across from her.

 

“What’s up?”

 

Miyeon groaned in response, laying her head on the concrete table.

 

Soojin waved her hand dismissively. “Never mind that. I’m going to ask for that favor now.”

 

She looked up to see Soojin grinning with a mischievous glint in her eye, causing another groan to come out of Miyeon.

 

 

If someone would’ve told Miyeon that she’d end up in a school for troubled girls, drinking alcohol for the first time with a real troubled girl, she would’ve told them they were crazy.

 

She didn’t know Soojin would rope her into this.

 

Two drinks and a shot later, Soojin was talking non stop. “You asked what I was here for? Exactly this.” She slurred out to a slightly bewildered Miyeon in the confines of Soojin’s dorm.

 

“You’re an alcoholic?!”

 

If Soojin were sober she would’ve slapped Miyeon, but she was drunk enough to nod her head vigorously in agreement.

 

Miyeon shook her head, scolding herself internally for enabling Soojin.

 

“Take a shot with me!”

 

She didn’t know why she agreed, maybe because deep down she’s always wanted to try alcohol, or maybe because she wanted to get her mind off a certain mysterious girl from Taiwan.

 

 

The next morning was a mess for several different reasons. The first one being that Miyeon woke up in a bed that wasn’t hers, with her clothes off. The second one being the major headache pounding her head.

 

She looked to her side to see a passed out Soojin, clothes off just like her. Miyeon was too preoccupied with the head splitting hangover to grasp her current situation.

 

The next reason was the dorm door swinging open to reveal the last person Miyeon expected.

 

Shuhua.

 

 

The Taiwanese girl was frozen in place. Her eyes glanced at Soojin’s sleeping body before landing on Miyeon’s look of confusion on her face.

 

She had to get out of there, but she couldn’t break her gaze away from Miyeon’s questioning eyes.

 

Miyeon knew what this must look like, but it also looked weird for Shuhua to be here. The girl was staring a bit too hard at Miyeon, now getting self conscious about her bare body.

 

She wrapped the blanket around her tighter, sufficiently snapping Shuhua out of her trance.

 

And just like always, she turned away and disappeared out the door.

 

 

Miyeon went into hiding for the rest of the week. She was too embarrassed to face Soojin, and she was too confused about Shuhua.

 

She had so many questions, and the two people she could get answers from were the same people she was avoiding.

 

She screamed into her pillow just as Yuqi walked in.

 

“Shuhua asked for you.”

 

Miyeon shot up in her bed. “W-What?”

 

“Meet her on the rooftop in five.”

 

Without another word, Yuqi went into the bathroom, leaving Miyeon to consider going up to the roof to talk to Shuhua.

 

 

Miyeon pushed the heavy door open, peering outside to see what the roof looked like. It was empty, but she spotted a lone figure with their back to her near the edge of the building.

 

She walked out onto the roof and inched closer. “You’re probably really confused.”

 

Miyeon stood still, staring at Shuhua’s back. She let the girl continue.

 

“There’s not much I could say.”

 

Miyeon sighed as she stood by the Taiwanese girl. “It doesn’t matter.” She gave her a reassuring smile, pretending like she wasn’t dying of curiosity.

 

Shuhua gave her a tight lipped smile back, awkwardly nodding her head in acknowledgement.

 

“Soojin told me to avoid you.”

 

Miyeon missed the way Shuhua’s body stiffened momentarily at the mention of the red haired girl. She went on when the girl didn’t talk back or look her way.

 

“Which was why it was so weird to see you in her room.”

 

Shuhua couldn’t help blurting out her next words. “Was that the only reason why it was so weird?”

 

Miyeon thought she was hearing a slight twinge of jealousy in Shuhua’s tone, but she dismissed it. That couldn’t be it, she thought.

 

“I apologize for the state we were in when you walked in.”

 

She spotted Shuhua blushing this time. Miyeon smirked.

 

Shuhua was about to turn around and make her grand exit, as she always does, but Miyeon grabbed her wrist to stop her.

 

The younger girl looked at Miyeon expectantly, glancing down quickly at Miyeon’s hands on her wrist.

 

It was the older girl’s turn to blush. “I want to get to know you.” She confessed, honestly wanting to know more about the mysterious girl in front of her.

 

Shuhua had a pensive look on her face. She looked torn over what to think or say about all of this. She ignored the warnings in her head, following what her heart wants for once.

 

“Okay.”

 

 

“Long time no see.” Soojin announced as she plopped down next to Miyeon at the lunch table. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d have thought you were avoiding me!”

 

Miyeon’s eyes grew wide. Soojin laughed at her facial expression.

 

“Relax. It was a one time thing!” Miyeon groaned and hid her face in her hands. “A fun one time thing, I might add.”

 

The older girl vigorously shook her head while the red haired girl watched, chuckling in amusement.

 

They ate their lunches in silence, a certain something still eating away at Miyeon. Her curiosity got the best of her.

 

“Why was Shuhua in your room that day?”

 

The fork in Soojin’s hand slipped and clattered onto the metal cafeteria tray. She quickly looked around to check if anyone was listening and leaned in closer.

 

“Keep it down!”

 

Miyeon was quite frankly, fed up with all the secrets. She scoffed, even though she whispered her next words.

 

“What’s with all this mystery? First Yuqi, and now you?” Miyeon rubbed her temples. “It makes no sense.”

 

Soojin let out a big sigh. “Not here.” She grabbed Miyeon’s hand, leaving their half eaten lunch on the table, and led them back to her dorm room.

 

 

Miyeon fidgeted in her seat. The library was deserted as usual. She was getting used to life at this school, although she couldn’t get over the creepiness factor.

 

The entrance door creaked open and Miyeon couldn’t help but jump in surprise.

 

Shuhua gave her a strange look with a hint of a smirk. She had asked the older girl to meet in the library, mainly because nobody would be there to disturb them.

 

Miyeon nervously smiled, trying hard to forget what Soojin ended up telling her the other day.

 

They wandered around the aisles, picking out books with interesting covers and descriptions. Miyeon was flipping through a romance book when the entrance to the library swung open loudly.

 

Before she knew it, Shuhua had grabbed her and hid them behind a desk in the other corner of the room. The younger girl’s grip was tight, but Miyeon worried more about their close proximity when Shuhua put a finger to .

 

“Be quiet!”

 

Miyeon was flabbergasted to say the least, she tried to peak from the side, but Shuhua immediately pulled her back.

 

“Don’t move!”

 

They stayed frozen, Shuhua’s hands gripping Miyeon’s shoulders, while listening to the loud voices that have disturbed their library time.

 

The two voices arguing sounded familiar to Miyeon. Voices that she’s heard once or twice in passing. She was dying to know who they were.

 

She caught Shuhua rolling her eyes, grip still unrelenting.

 

“Who is it?!”

 

“Minnie and Soyeon.”

 

“What, why?”

 

The door slammed shut again, signaling that the interruption has left and Shuhua let out a breathe in relief.

 

“They were looking for me.” Shuhua let go of Miyeon’s shoulders, standing up and brushing herself off. “I ditched them to come see you.”

 

Butterflies erupted in Miyeon’s stomach. A face eating grin covered her face while Shuhua scowled light heartedly.

 

They resumed looking at books, but this time they couldn’t stop glancing at one another.

 

 

A week went by, thoughts of what Soojin told her still simmering in the back of her mind. Everyday, she would meet Shuhua in the library and just be in each other’s company.

 

Shuhua didn’t talk much, and Miyeon was okay with that. For now.

 

One particularly stormy night, Shuhua walked Miyeon back to her dorm. Miyeon unlocked the door and turned back to Shuhua.

 

“Do you want to stay the night? Yuqi won’t be back until tomorrow.” Miyeon knew she was being bold, but she was honestly afraid of storms and didn’t want to be alone.

 

Shuhua looked deep in thought. “I shouldn’t.”

 

Miyeon pouted, grabbing Shuhua’s hand softly. “I’m afraid of storms.”

 

“I really shouldn’t.” Shuhua whispered as Miyeon tugged on her hand, pulling them into her room.

 

 

Miyeon woke up to hushed voices arguing in a language she couldn’t understand, but she knew it was Chinese.

 

Shuhua was up, and Yuqi was back. Miyeon closed her eyes, pretending to sleep, hoping they didn’t notice her eavesdropping.

 

All they did last night was lay in bed and stare at each other until they fell asleep. And now it was early morning and Shuhua was walking out the front door after Yuqi presumably told her to leave.

 

Miyeon ignored the feeling in the pit of her stomach. She was falling for Shuhua, and it was stupid because they barely talked, barely knew each other.

 

It was just a feeling she felt. A connection.

 

She was sure Shuhua felt it too, or else she wouldn’t be hanging out with Miyeon every chance she gets.

 

But what Soojin told her kept picking at her mind.

 

 

“I lied to you.” Soojin starts off. Miyeon racked her brain on what the red haired girl could possibly lie about.

 

“About what?”

 

“I’m not in here for being an alcoholic.”

 

Miyeon scrunched up her eyebrows in confusion. She let the girl continue.

 

“Yuqi, Shuhua, and I were apart of a gang.”

 

Confusion was an understatement. This was flat out unbelievable.

 

“Do you think I’m that gullible?” Miyeon nervously chuckled, thinking a bit too hard on how if she was telling the truth, Soojin could probably kill her.

 

Soojin rolled her eyes. “We managed to escape and hide out at this school.”

 

It still didn’t make sense to Miyeon.

 

Soojin continued her explanation. “We decided not to interact in public or else people would start to ask questions. And we can’t risk someone finding out who we really are.”

 

All this shocking information went over Miyeon’s head.

 

“A couple months ago, before you came, Yuqi found someone suspicious following her during class.”

 

Now it made some sense to Miyeon. The paranoia and overall weirdness the two foreign girl’s had about knowing or mentioning each other.

 

“So we’ve been extra cautious ever since.”

 

 

Miyeon wasn’t sure what to believe. It never left her mind since and it’s been eating away at her.

 

So what if her friend, her roommate, and her current crush were all former gang members?

 

Miyeon let out a laugh. Of course she’d get entangled in something like this. She was just supposed to have a quiet year at this school her parents dropped her off at.

 

A school she wasn’t supposed to be in in the first place.

 

She was sitting in the library, her thoughts drifting elsewhere. She was exhausted thinking about what Soojin told her.

 

A pale girl with long, flowy black hair came to mind. Miyeon set her chin on top of her hand, daydreaming.

 

The way Shuhua’s eyes were so enticing yet mysterious. The way she could just be there and a soft feeling would explode within Miyeon.

 

Everything the younger girl did was cute in Miyeon’s eyes. The way she would scrunch her eyebrows trying to read a book in Korean. The way she would subtly touch Miyeon, even if she thought the older girl wouldn’t notice.

 

Miyeon sighed, getting up to browse the shelves in hopes to find an interesting book.

 

She didn’t realize how much time had passed standing in the aisle, falling deep into a crime book, not noticing a certain someone sliding up behind her.

 

“I’m sorry I left.”

 

Miyeon jumped at the soft whisper in her ear, clenching her chest as she dropped her book. The owner of the voice swooped down gracefully to pick up the book, handing it back to a speechless Miyeon.

 

“H-Hi!”

 

Shuhua smiled softly as she placed her hand on the shelf behind the older girl, leaning in impossibly closer.

 

“Hi.”

 

Miyeon looked at her, helplessly drowning in Shuhua’s eyes. As cliché as it sounded, time seemed to have stopped. Just like it stopped for Miyeon the first time she saw Shuhua walking down the hall.

 

Their moment was interrupted by an unwelcome thought that came to her mind. Miyeon frowned, causing Shuhua to furrow her brows, giving her a look of confusion and slight concern.

 

“Soojin told me why you guys are here.” She whispered as quiet as possible. Shuhua visibly stiffened, subtly checking around them even though they knew no one would be in the library.

 

“Oh.”

 

Now would be a time where Miyeon wished Shuhua talked more.

 

 

Throwing a party at the school wasn’t unheard of, but it was very rare and hard to pull off. Soojin had dragged her to the farthest dorm building where the party was held, against Miyeon’s wishes.

 

She didn’t want to be taking care of a drunk Soojin, and definitely did not want to end up in bed with her again.

The minute they walked in, a wave of music overwhelmed her. It was loud enough for a party, but not so much that it could cause a disturbance or attract attention.

 

Miyeon looked around, seeing familiar faces she sees everyday. Then she spotted Minnie and Soyeon.

 

And Shuhua. A drink in hand.

 

Soojin made a beeline to the kitchen, eyeing a bottle of vodka on the counter.

 

“On second thought, I’ll have a drink with you!” Miyeon ducked, hiding her face as she followed Soojin into the kitchen. 

 

Soojin eyed the older girl as she downed a shot with no chaser. She looked around the party, and noticed a familiar face. She smirked, things now making some sense.

 

“You know what?” Soojin set the bottle down to examine Miyeon. “All those things I said about Shuhua the first day we met, I obviously didn’t mean.”

 

Miyeon blushed at the mention of her name, going to pour herself another shot before Soojin snatched it out of her grasp.

 

“You got it bad, huh?”

 

Miyeon groaned. “Real bad.” She mumbled honestly, the alcohol slowly getting to her.

 

They left the alcohol and Soojin led them through the crowd, nonchalantly bumping Miyeon into Shuhua as she tried to distract her minions with a sneer and insult.

 

Shuhua’s look of surprise mirrored Miyeon’s as they stood in front of each other, deep in the crowd of the party.

 

The younger girl’s surprise turned into excitement.

 

“Hi!”

 

This was the most expressive Miyeon has ever seen Shuhua. She let out a chuckle.

 

“Hi.”

 

Shuhua rapidly looked around, presumably checking if her friends were around. They weren’t.

 

She grabbed Miyeon’s hand, sparks shooting as usual, and dragged her into the bathroom.

 

Miyeon was about to say something when Shuhua cut her off, rambling on and on about how sorry she was.

 

“Just how much have you had to drink?” Miyeon said jokingly, but still slightly concerned.

 

“I don’t think enough.” Shuhua replied as she mumbled something in Chinese to herself.

 

Me either, Miyeon thought. She grabbed Shuhua’s shoulders lightly, steadying her body to face hers.

 

“You don’t have to be sorry.”

 

Shuhua’s eyes got glossy, and worry ran through Miyeon’s body. The Taiwanese girl leaned closer, touching her forehead against Miyeon’s. The older girl shivered.

 

She mumbled some more in Chinese before she spoke in Korean. “I really like you, Miyeon. But I don’t think I’m good enough for you.”

 

The younger girl pulled away slightly, setting her eyes on Miyeon’s.

 

“That’s not true.” Miyeon frowned, placing her hand on her pale cheek softly. “I really like you, too.”

 

Shuhua was about to respond when a loud and obnoxious knock on the door interrupted their moment.

 

Miyeon internally groaned, unraveling herself from Shuhua. She yelled back, about to open the door, when she felt a hand on her wrist turn her around.

 

She felt soft lips on hers, and she melted.

 

Miyeon kissed back, ignoring the adamant knocks on the door, losing herself in everything that is Shuhua.