Naeun felt less like a princess than any other day of the year. Her mind told her that it was a bad thing. Her heart spoke otherwise. Because for once she felt a little freer. She felt a little more real. Besides, why did it matter that Jeesun was now off her back? It was wonderful! She hummed lightly as she skipped to work, a bounce in her step despite the uncomfortable flats she was wearing. She flung the bakery door open, bouncing inside, and greeted by her old friend.

          "Ah, Naeun decides to come to work again after ditching me on Friday!" Luhan's grin was wide, his white teeth showing. Naeun smiled gently, ducking her head down ever so slightly.

          "Sorry Luhan," she said quietly and awkwardly. Luhan's smile grew at seeing her embarassed. He reached out and patted her head gently.

          "Aish, how can I stay mad at my mei mei?" he asked teasingly. Naeun smiled at his remark, her eyes slanting downward.

          "Did you manage alright?" Naeun asked with concern, while Luhan just nodded.

          "Of course! Nothing the deer can't do," 

          Naeun wanted to punch him so badly at how stupid he sounded. BUt only a laugh escaped her lips as she didn't want to actually hurt him. The world outside of the vicious school felt like paradise. She couldn't even deny that Luhan contributed to her happiness. 

          

          But what about Sehun? Doesn't he make you happy too?

 

          A little voice at the back of Naeun's mind whispered ever so softly. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the strange thoughts. They were just friends. Good friends. The friends she had always secretly wished for but never had. Right?

 

          "Mei mei? Naeun!"

          Naeun flinched breaking out of her trance. She was unfocused at work, that was for sure. She couldn't stop daydreaming. Wondering. She always thought too much about stuff, but today, the thoughts seemed to be violently grabbing at her brain. 

          "You look distant, anything wrong?" Luhan asked her gently. Naeun looked up at the doe eyes boy, feeling unfocused and a little confused. Was she okay? She was happy right? So why did she feel so threatened all of a sudden?

          "Y-Yeah, I'm fine," she mentally cursed for stuttering. She was so occupied in thoughts to even talk properly. Luhan narrowed his eyes, but they were still filled with concern.

          "If you need to talk about something... you know I'm here right?" Luhan asked her. Naeun nodded half-heartedly, looking as if ignoring Luhan's caring words.

          Little did she know that she caused a little crack in her friend's heart. 

 

That evening, Naeun did something she normally never did. But today she felt it was necessary. She closed her bedroom door and pulled out her old laptop. She couldn't afford the new ones, even a netbook was too much. Instead she settled for an old second hand dell. It worked for her. The old man that worked at the shop she bought it from was very kind, always helping her fix any problems on the electronic. 

Her fingers moved swiftly, running over the keyboard as she typed in a website she hasn't checked in over a year. Facebook. Its not like she didn't have time. But she could be doing more useful things than gagging over fake compliments and over friendly people. The thousand notification didn't surprise her either. Even though she had no profile pictures, the most stupid posts were on her wall. "Naeun, you're so pretty! Why don't you have a picture!" "Naeun answer your chat!" Naeun could only roll her eyes. But what caught her attention was the first four posts that appeared when she signed on. The first one was from Jeesun.

"Tell me the real reason why you weren't at the party. Sleeping around with Sehun?" 

          Naeun's eyes widened a little at how harsh and brutal the words were. Words never affected her before. THey were just letters, pieced together to be a form of communication. A way to express feeling and reason. But seeing Sehun's name in the same sentence made her heart pound and a dangerous heat rise up in her chest. Anger. Its been a while since Naeun's been angry. Been a while since there was a fire in her icy demeanor. And Jeesun just had to put that in public, making sure Naeun saw it for it was posted right when she got on. Fifteen likes were on it within seconds. Fifteen people that had seen it. Fifteen people that were probably at home, making up stories in their heads that weren't true. And fifteen people Sehun would have to deal with. Naeun, out of plain curiosity, scrolled down her wall to the next post. It almost made her heart stop. The horror that people were so suspicious, to the point that they decided to partly blow off her cover. Because the picture of her and Sehun hand in hand on the rooftop did not lie in any way. 

 

Naeun paced around her room, her hand fidgeting, sweating a little. Her heart pounding. Why did it matter so much? Why did she even care? What did she even care about? 

          "What do I do? I can't do this anymore," Naeun whispered to herself. It was the first time in years that she'd felt this kind of pain. Maybe guilt too. She was guilty she dragged Sehun into this. Pained at the rejection that was starting to grow against her. 

          I've been so spoilt. Being a princess for two years. Being treated like royalty. I've let all the attention get to me. I've let myself get used to it. And now that I'm beginning to get dragged down to the bottom of hell, I think I'm starting to feel the pain.

          Naeun sighed, shutting her laptop. That was enough for one night. She was Naeun. She knew she could hold up. She plastered a smile onto her face. Not knowing whether or not it was fake. But it would do. There was nothing for her now. All she could do was see what the next day would bring. And hope that after tonight, her heart and mind wouldn't change. 

 

Naeun partly wished she had stayed at the bottom, being a wallflower that no one knew. Because now that everyone knew her, one rumor would spread throughout the student body like a wildfire. And she knew she was letting these things get to her when she found herself avoiding Sehun was over a week now. 

          This is so cliche. I should just tape myself in this whole situation and make it into Mean girls three.

And it was cliche. The only difference is that rumors were the least of her problems. The disgusting rumor about her and Sehun just brought everyone one step closer to discovering about her other life. The life that Naeun was starting to love more than the one that everyone believed she was living. 

          "Naeun," the voice was so familiar. Comforting, and warm, but now Naeun almost jumped at the voice, for it held so much of her pain. And that voice belonged to Oh Sehun.

          "H-Hey," she turned around, facing the taller boy. His face... kind as always. The same lazy and small smile gracing on his lips everytime he saw her. But this time, Naeun saw sadness within his eyes. And she knew immediately that something was wrong. Worst of all, she was sure she knew just exactly what was wrong. 

          "Are you alright? You look pale..." he asked, his voice filled with concern. THe concern in his voice suddenly reminded her of the concern that was laced within Luhan's voice when she zoned out during work. She didn't even know why she was thinking of her friend at a time like this. 

          "Yeah, I'm fine. I've just been a little tired from w-Homework," she almost so naturally told him about work. THe work just barely slipped. Naeun's breath hitched when she saw the skeptical look in his brown eyes. But relaxed when she felt the gentle touch of his hand as he tucked a piece of loose hair behind her ear. A simple, yet kind gesture. Naeun was sure her face was red. Her skin tingled where he made contact. 

          "Its times like these I wonder how many things your hiding from me Naeun," he said, his voice a laced with sadness that was now obvious. Naeun's eyes widened as she looked up. No, not you. Anyone can leave me right now, anyone but you.

          "You're such a mystery I've been wanting to figure out. But the deeper I dig, the more wounds I suffer," 

          His words pierced Naeun like a knife. Cutting away at her, making her bleed. She was overwhelmed with guilt. With regret.

          "I saw everything last night. I know the picture was from last week. And ever since then I know you've been avoiding me. It looks like being with you has its consequences as well. I'm quite a patient person. But its been weeks, and I still can't figure you out. I wonder to myself why I was so happy when you came to my house that night, bringing your little sister with you. I wonder if that meant anything to you at all," everything he said was true. He was smart to figure things out. But it pained Naeun to the core. 

          "I really hope it did mean something to you," it was the last thing that Sehun murmured before turning around and walking away from the girl who stared after him dazed. She hadn't realized how quickly she had become friends with him. And she hadn't realized how quickly he had begun to slip in between her fingers. Naeun didn't expect things to fall apart so quickly. And she didn't expect it to hurt. But now she realized it did. 

          "If you need to talk about something... you know I'm here right?"

          Luhan's words echoed in her mind. The remnants of his voice seemed to comfort her. And she unconsciously felt herself  drawn to the comfort. 

          Tomorrow. Tomorrow I will tell him. I will tell him everything before I break. 

---

Hi guys I am back!

My exam is tommorow so wish me luck TTTTTTTTTTTT

But after hours of cramming I decided to update because its been too long of a while!

Thanks for all the subs and upvotes guys! I really appreciate it so much! <3