As Luhan sputtered out of laugh, Haeun felt a bump on her shoulder. It was Baekhyun, passing them in the hall on his way to lunch. Haeun would have gone sprawling if not for his hand reaching back to steady her.

“Easy there.” He shot her a quick smile, and she wondered if he had bumped her intentionally.

She still felt unglued by what had happened this morning when she’d seen Kai. The pull toward him—she didn’t understand where it came from, yet here it was again. Haeun made herself tear her eyes away from his brown hair, from the smooth line of his jaw. She refused to be caught staring.

She did not want to give him any reason to flip her off a second time.

“Chanyeol,” Luhan said. “He is so focused on that hamburger, he wouldn’t hear the call of the teacher.” He gestured at Chanyeol, who did look intensely focused on chewing his burger.

Haeun glanced across the table at Kai’s friend named, Tao. He was looking straight at her. When he caught her eye, he waggled his eyebrows in a way that Haeun couldn’t make sense of it but still creeped her out a little.

Haeun turned back at Luhan, “Why is everyone at this school so weird?”

Luhan shrugged and chuckles a bit in respond. “Haeun, look out!”

All Haeun did was take one step backward, but as soon as she did, she felt the rough of two hands on her shoulder. Immediately, she knew she was going down.

She reached out in front of her for support, but all her hands found were someone else’s full lunch tray. The whole thing tumbled down right along with her. She landed with a thud on the cafeteria floor, a full cup of borscht in her face.

When she’d wiped enough mushy beets out of her eyes to see, Haeun looked up. The angriest pixie she’d ever seen was standing over her. The girl had short black hair, at least ten piercings on her left ear, and a death glare.

She pressed her lips together and hissed at Haeun, “If the sight of you hadn’t just ruined my appetite, I’d make you buy me another lunch.”

Haeun stammered an apology. She tried to get up, but the girl clamped the heel of her black stiletto boot down on Haeun’s foot. Pain shot up her leg, and she had to bite her lip so she wouldn’t cry out.

“Why don’t I just take a rain check,” the girl said.

“That’s enough, Bang Min Ah,” Luhan said coolly, he reached down to help Haeun to her feet.

Haeun winced. The stiletto was definitely going to leave a bruise.

Min Ah squared her hips to face Luhan, and Haeun got the feeling this was not the first time they’d locked horns.

“Fast friends with the newbie, I see,” Min Ah growled.

Haeun swallowed hard. Luhan hadn’t mentioned anything about this one of a kind girl. The whole students in the school cafeteria were in shock.

Min Ah clenched her fist and was about to throw a punch.

“All right, break it up. Break it up,” a husky voice boomed behind them.

Bang Yongguk stood, red-faced, and breathing hard. It was a little too late to break up anything up, Haeun thought, but then Min Ah was lurching toward them, her stiletto heels clicking on the linoleum.

*This girl was shameless.* Haeun thought

*Was she really going to kick the crap out of Bang Yongguk standing right there?* Luhan thought

“Come on,” said Yongguk, more softly, “Let’s go turn you off.”

Min Ah extended her hand to Haeun and helped heave up her tiny, shaking body. “Well,” Min Ah said sweetly, reaching down to pick up the plate of meat loaf that had slipped from her tray.

She dangled it over Haeun’s head for a second, then turned the plate upside down and mashed the food into her hair. Haeun could hear the squish of her own mortification as all students got its viewing of the meat-loaf coated new girl.

“Nice hat,” someone jeered from the other side of the cafeteria. Then, with trepidation, Haeun turned her eyes to Kai, praying that somehow he had missed this whole scene. But no. He was shaking his head and looked annoyed.

Until that moment, Haeun had thought she had a chance at standing up and just shaking off the incident. But seeing Kai’s reaction—well, it finally made her crack.

She dropped her face into her hands as she left the cafeteria and Luhan. Haeun ran into the washroom, without looking at herself in the mirror, she the tap water. She splashed cold water on her face and finally let it all out.

Tears streaming, she pumped the soap dispenser and tried to use some of the cheap pink powdered hand soap to scrub off the meat loaf. And her clothes had definitely looked and smelled better.

The washroom door cracked open and Haeun scrambled against the wall like a trapped animal. When a stranger walked in, Haeun stiffened and waited for the worst,

“You look terrible. What happened?” said the girl as her face crumpled up at the sight of Haeun.

Haeun replied, “I am sure gossip spreads like the plague around here.”

Hello~ Triple update~

Within this week,

I will try to finish this story.

Up-vote if you like it.

Enjoy~