"Doesn't this mean we're skipping school?" I ask when the bus starts moving. 

"Duh." She rolls her eyes at me. "Come on, don't be so serious 24/7." 

"B-but we are wearing school uniform!" 

"You're right." She snaps her fingers in realization. "Then we'll stop here." She pushes me out of the bus, and I almost stumbled but was lucky enough to hold on to the bus straps.

It's my first time skipping classes, I can't believe I'm doing it with a girl I barely know. She takes my arm, I tried to resist but she holds it firmly. I give up and let her lead me into the mall. 

We shop for who the hell knows how long. All I know is that it's getting dark outside and my feet feels like they've lost all the blood. I drag my feet to the next shop Nicole enters, and plop myself down on a bean bag beside the shoe section. I've been doing nothing but following her all around for past few hours. I'm dying to go home and rest.

"Amber! This will look hot on you!" Nicole walks to me with a black leather jacket in hand. 

"Thanks but no thanks, not my style." I shake my head. 

"Come on, today I'm gonna give you a big makeover. " I look at her incredulously. "Cause tonight we're gonna party like we've never before." I was about to tell her that I've in fact never in my life went to a party before but then i realized what she just said.

"Party? What do you mean party? Where are we going? " I really shouldn't have followed her here.

"You'll see." She says with a sly smirk.

"No seriously, I can't. I have to be home before 12, my dad's gonna kill me if I'm late even by a minute." I say nervously. Who knows when my dad and my brothers are coming home. I'm never allowed to be outside the house after 12 regardless they're gone or not. 

"Geez, you're the mood killer. Don't worry so much, we'll be back before 11:59." 

"Are you sure about that?" I ask, chewing on my inner lips. 

"Never been so sure in my life, but first, you need to get your..... this this this and all of these fixed." She say, practically pointing at my whole being. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her. Who is she to judge my appearance? I thought that she would somehow be different from those bullies.

"Nope, like it or not I'm not changing." I insist, crossing my arms. 

"You're not going there with me looking like this. I want you to change." I snort and shake my head in disbelief. She's indifferent from those jocks and cheerleaders. 

"Fine, I'll, only if you promise to leave me alone after this. I don't get why you're hanging out with someone like me in the first place." I say. She looks at me with a pissed off expression.

"Fine. " She pushes the leather jacket and some other clothing to me. "And take off that geek glasses of yours. I'll go get you a pair of contacts." She demands, before slamming the fitting room's door on my face. What the hell? First she confessed to me, then she acted all cheesy and now she's being a . Endure Amber, endure, that's what you've been doing for the past years. Sighing, I peel off my usual plaid shirt and loose baggy jeans.

"Omo, you look amazingly hot!" Nicole exclaims, after fixing my hair into some kind of weird hairstyle with my hair sticking out at all direction. And then they say my messy hair looks foolish. "If you would've used this getup at school, I bet you would be one of the most popular kids in school." 

"Yeah, yeah whatever." I say nonchalantly while looking at myself through the mirror. I’m wearing a plain white V-neck shirt and grey blazer with the sleeves rolled up to my elbow and my lower half is clad in a skinny black jeans with holes here and there. In all honesty, I think I look like a fool. “By the way can wear my glasses instead? You bought the wrong pair of contacts. I can't even see properly." 

"Don't squint your eyes." Nicole hit me in the arm. "You look like an old man doing that." I wanted to roll my eyes so hard but the contacts are making me to uncomfortable to do so. 

"By the way, what time is it?"

"Don't worry, it's just a little over 9. We have plenty of time."

"And where are we going?" I ask as she pulls me into a cab.

"My favourite place."

.......

"Is this a nightclub? We're not in a club are we?" I shout over the loud music.

"Don't ask the obvious." She says, leaning against the bar and orders us some kind of drinks I'm sure we aren’t even legal to drink. I shake my head when she hands me a glass of liquor, she shrugs before sipping hers.

"How the hell did you get us in here? We are 16 for God's sake. What are we gonna do if we got caught?" I ask in panic.

"We won't if you shut the hell up." Nicole shouts close beside my ear. I wince slightly and rub my ear. 

First I ditched school, then I wasted my money on these useless clothes I probably wouldn’t wear after tonight, and now I'm in a nightclub? Dad's gonna kill me if he finds out about this. I turn around slowly, making sure Nicole's not paying attention at me, before tiptoeing away even though the music is deafening in here.

Someone grabs my wrist and yanks me from behind. I turn over my shoulder and see a woman with thick makeup and sultry attire clinging to my arm, her huge pressing on my arm. I gulp and try to free my arm but she clings to me tighter and smiles at me creepily.

“Hey handsome.” She whispers dangerously close to me. Ew, she reeks of alcohol and smoke. She must be a heavy drinker and smoker.

“Hello and goodbye, I have to go.” I force a smile at her and try pushing her away.

“Not so fast, at least have a drink with me.”

“No can’t do. Look, my girlfriend is here, I have to go.” I say, my eyes scanning around for Nicole. Geez, she disappears just when I am in need for her.

“Is that so?” She sounds skeptical. “Where is she then?”

“S-sh-she…” Crap, where the hell is Nicole. Damn, it’s hard to see with these contacts and dark atmosphere. I look around the place in panic while squinting my eyes until I see a girl sitting alone at the bar. “There she is.” I point at the bar. “That’s my girlfriend over there and she needs my company now. So if you can please…”

“Is she?” The woman looks at me sceptically. “Show me then.”

“H-huh?”

“I don’t believe you. If she really is your girlfriend, show me.” She stops clinging on me and crosses her arms. “I’m not leaving until you prove it to me that she’s your girlfriend.” I look at her incredulously. What the hell is her problem? Why won’t she leave me alone? I sigh and start approaching the bar. I feel the woman trailing closely behind me. What should I do? If that creepy woman finds out that I’m lying, she’ll never stop bothering me. Here goes nothing.

“Hey my love.” I hug the girl sitting at the bar from the back. I feel her tensing for a moment. “Please don’t freak out. I’m trying to get rid of someone.” I whisper. I turn over my shoulder and see the woman still standing a few feet behind me while looking at us. Crap, can’t she go already? This is getting real awkward.

“Don’t you think this is the tiest way to hook up with someone?” I hear the girl in my arms says.

“O-oh no no  no, I-I’m not…” I stutter nervously, my face getting hotter and hotter. I hear the girl snickers before she turns around and wraps her arms around my waist while her chin resting on my shoulder. Everything happened so fast I didn’t even catch a glimpse of her face. “W-wha…”

“Shh... the woman is still there.” She says, her voice sounds like music to my ears. My heart begins beating like crazy and I feel lightheaded. “You have to hug me back or else it’ll be suspicious.”

“A-a-ah, y-yes.” I wrap my arms around her shoulder as gently as I can and pull her closer to me. "Has the woman left?"

"No, I think she's still being doubtful." I feel her lifting her head off my shoulder. "We need to do something." Before I could ask her what she meant, a pair of lips press against mine. I take a while to register what is happening right at the moment. A pair of lips on my lips, that means she's kissing me right? Yes, she is kissing me! My first kiss is being stolen by some stranger.

I feel her lips starting to move as she unwraps her arm around my waist to cup my face. Unconsciously, I move my lips along and place my hands behind her head and back. I lungs are sreaming for air but I ignore them and continue nibbling the stranger's lips. I pull away when I start turning blue. I pant heavily as if I just ran a mile or two. I turn my head over my shoulder and the woman isn't there anymore. Sighing in relief and I turn my attention back to the stranger and I think my eyes just popped out of their sockets.

In front of me stand Krystal. Yes, Krystal the popular Jung,  panting as heavily as I am while looking at me. I'm better off dead.