Jhenie felt relieved when the day was finally done. She was having a hard time as more and more students were pressing on her make over issue. She haven’t talked to Lhisa yet and she already wanted to ask her best friend the things that had been bothering her.

She was about to turn towards the empty lawn of the school’s backyard when a group of girls stopped in front of her. They looked at her sternly. There were about six of them.

She was about to pass them but two of them grabbed her by the arm.

“Anou… let me go, onegai…” she pleaded in a soft voice. She didn’t want to attract attention so she was trying to talk quietly.

“Why are you talking to Haruma-sama?” one of them who was the prettiest asked her. The girl was wearing a black sleeveless top and short pleated red and black skirt.

“I am not talking to him, he talked to me. I didn’t even know him.” Jhenie argued in a soft voice.

“Hah, too proud, I see.” The girl commented. The other girls stared at her as if she was some kind of a .

“You see, we don’t want anybody get near our Haruma.” One of the girls said. She had short blonde hair which she seemed to have colored just recently. “So you back off.”

“I don’t care about your Haruma so just please let go of me!” She squirmed trying to break free. The two girls who was holding her tried to stop her from wriggling.

“Damn you,” one of them said.

She realized that the prettiest girl was about to slap her when the girl herself was thrown away. They stared as Keito loomed over them. He was taller than any of the girls so they looked up to his face.

“Let her go.” Keito commanded.

The girls let Jhenie go. They eyed Keito and scrambled away.

Keito stared down at Jhenie who was tending at her aching arm. “Where is your supposed to be ? He should be here.” He commented.

“Jhenie…” That was then, Daiki came to her aid. He helped her stand up and he even checked her bruised arm. “What happened?” he asked.

“He was cornered by some girls. I guess, they were Haruma’s ex.” Keito explained.

“Gomenasai, I did something in the lab so I wasn’t able to check on you.” Daiki explained.

“Iie, that is fine.” Jhenie said.

“Jhenie…” the three looked up and saw Lhisa staring angrily at Jhenie.

Jhenie became aware that Lhisa was looking at Daiki’s hand which was in Jhenie’s arm. There was fire in Lhisa’s eyes.

Lhisa was about to run away when Jhenie caught her in the arm. “Lhisa, let me explain.”

“Explain what?” Lhisa asked angrily. “Explain that you and Daiki are dating and I wasn’t even aware of it?” Lhisa asked bitterly.

“We are not dating…” Jhenie said in a low voice. There was confusion in her mind.

Lhisa chuckled bitterly. “Not dating. Oh come on. You’ve been seen together yesterday. And then today, you were practically in each others’ arms, what do you want me to think?”

Jhenie looked at Daiki for help. The guy was also frozen on the spot. There was also confusion in his eyes.

“He was just helping me with this make-over.” Jhenie said.

Lhisa stared at her bestfriend. She was really flaming in anger. “I hate you, Jhenie.” She said. “Ever since we were young, I hated you.”

Jhenie gaped at her best friend.

“I hate that you are prettier than me. I hate that you are richer than me.” Lhisa’s eyes were tearing while Jhenie’s heart seemed to burn in her best friend’s words. “You know why I told you to were those ugly glasses?” Lhisa asked but didn’t wait for an answer. “Because, I want to become prettier than you. I want people to like me more than you.”

Lhisa looked at Jhenie’s eyes which were gleaming with hints of tears that were about to fall. “I hate you for being prettier than me. I hate you for having a really good family. I hate you for being always a top student. I hate you for being richer and I hate you for taking away Daiki.”

That was when Ryosuke appeared and held Lhisa’s arms. Lhisa looked at Ryosuke in confusion. Ryosuke stared back at her before dragging her away.

“Hey! Let go of me.” Lhisa exclaimed.

She was about to go after her best friend and Ryosuke when Yuto and Yuri who also came with Ryosuke held her in the shoulders.

“Don’t worry about her. Just let Yama-chan take care of her,” Yuri assured her.

She nodded then faced the others. “Gomenasai. I didn’t know that Lhisa felt that way. She may have misunderstood our being close.” She told Daiki.

Daiki just stared at her.

“I’m not needed here anymore.” Keito said and walked away.

“Okamoto-san…” Jhenie called and took a hold of his sleeve.

Keito looked down on her.

“Anou…” she started. She couldn’t look him in the eye and the simple touch of his sleeve sent shivers in her spine. “About yesterday…” she couldn’t find the proper words.

Keito sighed. “About yesterday, my decision is still the same.” He said harshly. “I still don’t like you.”

Jhenie felt her world crashed in her feet. So, her make-over was for nothing. It all ended up in just plain disaster.

It was then she heard a thud and a broken jaw. Daiki had launched himself at Keito. “How dare you become so harsh on her? She was just being true to herself!”

Yuto and Yuri came to their aid and tried to separate Keito from being strangled by Daiki.

“I am also being true to myself.” Keito answered back while rubbing off the trail of blood that trickled from the cut which Daiki gave.

“How can you be so full of yourself?” Daiki asked and was about to strike back but was being held by Yuto and Ryutaro who had just came.

Yuri was looking at two of them glaring at each other. He was the middle-man though he was as confused as everybody else.

Jhenie sobbed. She felt helpless. She wanted to run and help Keito clean his cut but she couldn’t. She wanted to stop Daiki but she couldn’t. Her legs wouldn’t allow her.

“Why do you care?!” Keito exclaimed.

“Because you are hurting the girl.” Daiki said.

“Will you stop, you two.” Yuto commanded while still holding Daiki.

“If you are so brave, why don’t you just tell her that you like and get over it? Do not use me as your punching bag so you could release your frustration just because you are coward enough to court her.” Keito said on Daiki’s face which made the latter transfixed on spot.

Daiki stopped struggling. Keito stared back at the older guy and walked away trying to wipe the blood away from his face.

Jhenie was also rooted on the ground. Her brain wouldn’t function well. What had Keito said about Daiki?

The others relaxed. Yuto and Ryutaro let go of Daiki. Yuri patted the guy and followed Keito. Ryutaro did the same. Yuto, on the other hand stared at Jhenie then back at Daiki. “Be true to yourself.” He told Daiki before walking to the path that the others took.

It was an awkward silence for the two of them.

Daiki was about to turn away when Jhenie called him. “Arioka-san…” she called in a soft voice.

Daiki stopped. His back was on hers. “Keito was right. I am a coward.” He said. “I’ve liked you ever since the day I first saw you and yet I just couldn’t say it out loud. I envy you because you were able to tell Keito that you like him even though everybody see you as an ugly duckling.”

Jhenie couldn’t say anything. Arioka Daiki was confessing to her. It felt like a dream to her. She just didn’t know what to feel.

“I never really wanted to help you in that make-over. I am quite selfish, you know. I don’t want anybody else to see how beautiful you are. But I can’t take seeing you cry like that. It hurts me more than you know.

“I didn’t care for any other girl but only you. The group might have thought that I was gay then because I didn’t look at any girl. I never really intended to fall in love but then you came and you brought a new air in my life.

“But everything crushed when Keito-kun came. I immediately knew that you like him because I could see how you look at him. I could feel how you sigh whenever he was near. I was really pained, then.

“I thought when he dumped you, I would have my chance but I was wrong. I couldn’t allow you to get hurt. You didn’t deserve it so I tried to help you. I wanted the world to see how beautiful you are without your mask. I wanted them to see what I saw in you even though that means I have to let you go.”

Jhenie was shaking all over after he was done talking. “Anou, Arioka-san…” she stammered. “I don’t know…” she couldn’t finish her sentence. She didn’t know what to say.

Daiki turned to her. He smiled. “Yeah. Don’t worry, I can wait. I’ll show that Keito that I am brave enough to court you.” He said determinedly.

She didn’t say anything.

“I am quite starving.” He said. “Come on, let’s grab a bite.” He said and held her arms and guided her towards the nearest café.

~~~~End of Volume I~~~~

A/N: SHORT?! OF COURSE BECAUSE THERE IS STILL VOLUME 2... THERE ARE ACTUALLY 10 VOLUMES OF THIS SO... TILL NEXT TIME THEN...