{ SEHUN }
4 days after the incident

-- May 1st 201X

AFTER WITNESSING YERI’S BULLYING, I honestly didn’t know what to do about it. Even if I talk to those girls and ask them to stop bullying Yeri, they would probably bully her even more in spite of jealousy. One mistake on my part could just ruin everything. Huijing quirked a curious eyebrow at me when I talked to her about it, as if slightly surprised about my change of behaviour.

She knew I wasn’t exactly the nicest person at school; she probably thought I was planning something. But she was also the only one who knew. That’s probably the only reason why she even accepted having this conversation with me.

“Talking to her would simply arise unnecessary rumours,” Huijing said with a sigh. “It’s useless since she’s practically ignoring you, and that might cause your fangirls to confront her even more.”

I stayed silent, expecting her to say more. But contrary to my beliefs, she didn’t.

“What?” she frowned when she saw me staring at her. “Did you expect me to ask you why do you even bother with her?”

I nodded.

True, Huijing could be pretty blunt and honest. Actually, she was like that most of the time. But she meant no harm. After all, we were still friends even after everything I’ve been through and after everything I’ve done to her. She simply didn’t understand why I kept talking to Yeri, even though we’ve practically never talked to each other before. I wasn’t interested in her romantically, that was for sure, I had my eyes on someone else already. That, you already knew, right?

Anyways, I’m just glad that Huijing wasn’t like any of those fangirls. She was someone honest, brave, yet gentle and serene at the same time. Perhaps, intimidating sometimes, but that’s just part of who she was, and nothing could change that.

“I can already guess,” she simply said, before shaking her head and turned to face me. “And you want me to talk to her?”

That’s also one of the qualities that Huijing barely showed to anyone. As surprising as it sounds, Huijing used to be one of those really popular kids who practically up to everyone, just so her popularity would get higher. We couldn’t stand each other back then. I’ve always thought of her as someone super shallow, annoying and even egocentric (who am I to judge her though), but there were a few times she showed her true self to me. And I felt special, somehow. We then became really good friends. Although she stopped hanging out with the people at the top of the food chain, she still remained as someone everyone respected for her kindness and charisma. As a brainy-cheerleader, no wonder she got everyone’s attention and respect.

I can’t say the same about myself, though. Even though Huijing told me many times that she didn’t blame me, nor did she find me shallow or stuck-up for acting this way. Despite everything I’ve been through, I wasn’t able to let go of my popularity. It might have gotten over my head. It used to be a problem that I wanted to fix, but Huijing had always been there to keep me grounded. I’m grateful to her in so many ways.

I knew I was asking too much of her, but at this point, I think she’s the only one who could help Han Yeri.

“Please?” I almost had to bribe her with food. “Just... talk with her for a few seconds, okay?”

Some people from the after-prom committee called her over and she stood up. However, I stayed stubborn and wouldn’t let go of her arm, before she accepted my request. Her eyes then followed someone from behind me, and then reluctantly accepted my selfish request.

“Fine,” she said. “But I’m not going to guarantee anything.”

I smiled up at her. “Thanks! I owe you, big time.”

Somehow, when she left, she didn’t look that happy to me.

Was I being too much with her? Did I do anything bad that might’ve upset her?
Trust me, Huijing would be the last person I would want to hurt. She’s too precious to me.

Perhaps, I was being paranoid. And perhaps, I should’ve trusted Huijing a little bit more. I mean, that annoyed yet relieved look she gave me when she saw me by the door, made me feel guilty. Guilty, because I felt like I was using Huijing for my own benefit. But, those thoughts temporarily disappeared when she tried to include me in their conversation. Apparently, Huijing doesn’t consider herself as one of the popular kids, anymore. I still don’t know whether should I call her thickheaded or just plain stupid.

There was an awkward silence before realization finally hit her.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said as she made a face, as if she wasn’t proud of this newly discovered fact. “Look, guys, I’m not popular, okay? If I was, I wouldn’t be stuck with you, Oh Sehun.”

Oh, touché. She would probably hang out with those annoying people I still somehow call, my friends. And I knew Huijing probably holds a grudge against me just for that.

After that, Han Yeri made an interesting fact. Huijing was still at the top, and yet she didn’t do anything to keep her so-called spot. And to be honest, I kind of envy her for it. But, I shouldn’t, since I wasn’t doing anything about it.

“But you’re also part of the school’s robotics team,” Yeri continued causing Huijing’s body to stiffen.

Robotics has always been a toughie subject for Huijing. Why? I still don’t know. People had a problem with it because it’s legit filled with geeks, and that’s probably why everyone has been so against Huijing’s participation. But I’ve met all the guys, and they were cool. Cooler than most of the popular kids, as much as I hate to admit it. People from the robotics team seem to like Huijing as well. A little too much, but hey, I don’t blame them. Huijing’s pretty chill.

“Oh, good. For a second, I was s