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As the water continued to seep through the layers of fabric, the excess liquid dripped downward, creating a faint rhythm every time a droplet kissed the floor. “And that’s for not knowing your place,” girl hissed, throwing the empty bucket at the drenched student’s feet. Two other girls, who were there as well, cackled softly, not feeling the slightest bit remorseful for what they had done.

On the inside, the student was fuming. She was angry but instead of picking up the pail and smacking the culprit’s face with it, she chose to bury that scornful feeling. And surprisingly enough, she managed to contort her lips into a smile while she laughed melodically. “Wow, thanks for that. I was still hot from all of the exercises we did in gym. It also feels like I was standing out in the rain which is a good thing. Anyways, I have to go. See you girls tomorrow.”

Walking out of the locker room still soaked from head to toe, Jia held her head up high and journeyed to her class. On the way there, students all looked at her like she was some kind of alien from outer-space who had just crash-landed at their school. This kind of thing had been going on for the last couple of days now.

First it started with carvings on her desk and graffiti plastered all over her locker. Then, students who she didn’t even know began to purge venomous and rude remarks at her. What did she do to deserve this sort of thing? This was injustice at its finest and Jia hated it. It hurt to have such scrutiny bestowed upon her when she did nothing wrong but she wasn’t going to let them know that they were slowly starting to get under her skin. She refused to give them the satisfaction.

They thought they were going to break her.

Have her being miserable, wallowing in her own self-pity but their pretentious thoughts were all wrong.

Because that’s not the person Ming Jia was raised to be. It was actually the way she learned not to react.

She was already a victim once and she was determined not to play that role ever again.  

Despite the uninvited shivers and goosebumps now decorating her body, she acted like everything was normal. She acted like she always did. “Hi, Hansol.” She waved at a boy from her class who quickly turned away and blatantly ignored her. However, his actions did not discourage her as she continued moving along, greeting anyone she knew in the halls.

Fifteen.

That’s the number of people Jia said hello to who all pretended like she hadn’t uttered a single word to them.

They ostracized her.

Treated her like she was the black plague but their harsh treatment was not strong enough to wipe off the gleaming smile still dancing on her lips.

When she finally arrived to class, Mr Jang was the first to react. “Goodness gracious. What happened to you? Why are you all wet?”

“It’s nothing,” Jia announced. “I’m okay.”

“Are you crazy, young lady? You’re covered in water and you’re calling it nothing? I don’t know what happened but I know you’re going to catch a cold if you stay in those clothes any longer. Go change,” he instructed, shooing her out of the room.

“But I only have my gym clothes,” she pointed out.

“Then that will have to do. Don’t worry. I will talk to the principle about it so that you won’t receive any punishment for not wearing your uniform,” Mr Jang promised before closing the door on her.

With no other choice left, Jia heaved out a heavy sigh before she trudged back toward the gym locker rooms. Her head was hung low while her eyes were fixated on the floor she was treading on. The corridors were deserted by this point in time and when she was at her destination, she slipped inside and changed her attire.

Now she was wearing a dull yellow t-shirt with gray shorts (which stopped mid-thigh on her) and her running sneakers while her wet hair cascaded down her back. Thankfully, her undergarments were still dry because heck, she had no extras lying around and would have been screwed if they were. Not wanting her hair all tangled and knotty when she got home (in fear that questions would be roused), she decided to let it down and comb it. At least, until it dried anyways.

After she had bagged her damp clothes, she couldn’t control it anymore and slammed her locker shut. And for the first time, in a very long time, Jia’s anger was shown.  

Making her way back to class yet again, Jia’s sudden outburst of fury dissipated as fast as it had arrived. Breathing in and out to keep herself calm, she made a sharp turn. In the corridor she was now walking in, she could hear faint laughter from somewhere off in the distance. However, she paid no mind to the noise as she picked up her pace.

Knocking on the door to her classroom, Jia was forced to wait ten seconds or so before Mr Jang finally opened the barrier. “You may take your seat now,” he said as he moved to the side, providing her with some space for entrance.

“Yes, sir,” Jia replied, stepping into the classroom.

Obviously everyone’s attention had been directed at the entryway but what they saw next was not anything they had expected. Jaws dropped, eyes widened and certain things even stiffened at the sight of Jia dressed in her gym uniform. Her lengthy, flawless legs paired with her pretty face, which was framed by her long, chocolate brown hair, had regret whirling around the room, creating chaos in every boy’s mind. It’s funny how such minor details to a person’s appearance could change the entire world’s perspective of them.

Not really thinking much of all of the stares she was getting, Jia walked to her desk and sat down beside Feilin. Everyone’s eyes were still focused on her before Mr Jang took his meter stick and tapped it against the board. It looked like everyone saw the new glow emanating from Jia, even her friends. It was bizarre, really. Everyone except for Jia herself that is.

It wasn’t like she was wearing anything all that amazing either. Just a plain t-shirt and a pair of shorts. But that’s all it took for the guys in the class to realize that maybe, just maybe, there was still hope for the oh-so bubbly Taiwanese transfer stude