Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was around midday, about three in the afternoon. The Los Angeles-Seoul flight had just arrived at Incheon International Airport. Zoey had been on the plane for over twelve hours and had hardly eaten anything on board. She spent most of the journey sleeping, and when she wasn't sleeping, she imagined all the bad things that could happen. An engine failure, someone hijacking the plane, crashing into another plane, the lady next to her taking a knife out of her bag and robbing her... She thought of too many things, but in the end, none of them happened.

When Zoey finally got off the plane, she felt a little dizzy. Probably because of the change in altitude or not having eaten anything during the trip. The first thing she did when she touched solid ground was go to the toilet; she refused to use public toilets, less one on a plane. But this time it was urgent, so she went to the airport toilets. When she came out, she looked at herself in the mirror above the sink, splashed some water on her face and thought, 'New continent, new life, new me.'

She approached a food stall inside the building. They served ramen at a price that was too expensive from Zoey's point of view, but they accepted payment in dollars. Zoey took out her mobile phone and made a note in a calendar app. -Reminder: exchange dollars for won as soon as the move is complete. Zoey bought a bowl of shoyu ramen for $19.99, which was too expensive. But hey, food is food. Once she had ordered, she sat down at one of the tables outside, waiting for her meal to arrive. In the meantime, she called her father to let him know she had landed. But she got his voicemail, which was typical of him.

Then she called her mother, who answered the phone immediately.

"Hello, darling. How was your flight?" she said on the other end of the line.

"Hello, Mum. I've just landed. Why are you awake? Isn't it about one in the morning there?"

"No, it's eleven. I couldn't go to sleep without knowing if my girl had arrived safely in South Korea. Have you met up with the friend you made that year on holiday? What was his name... I can't remember."

"Shit! I forgot to call Baby. Thanks for reminding me, Mum. By the way... Have you heard from Dad? I called him and he didn't answer."

"Zoey, you know I don't talk to your father. He must be busy or asleep. I'm sure he'll call you later. Now call that Baby guy to help you with the move. Is his name really Baby? I can't take that name seriously."

"It's a nickname. Honestly, I don't even remember his real name."

At that moment, the waiter brought Zoey's bowl of ramen to her table.

"Mum, my food has arrived. I'll call you when I'm done moving and show you the flat."

"Okay, darling, Mummy loves you very much."

"I love you too, bye."

Zoey's mother said goodbye and hung up. She immediately took a large spoonful of ramen, which was not a very smart move. The ramen was hotter than the inside of an active volcano. She swallowed the burning food and drank water from the glass they had served her. She felt great relief in her mouth. However, she ate the rest of the ramen without being able to taste it, her taste buds were burned.

Once she finished the dish, Zoey took out her phone and sent a message to Baby.

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Zoey (3:28 p.m.): I'm at the airport!!! Will you pick me up :3??

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She received a reply instantly.

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Zoey (3:28 p.m.): I'm at the airport now!!! Will you pick me up :3??

[~1 new message~]

Baby (3:28 p.m.): I'm at the gate waiting for you. Come to the entrance, I've been waiting for 20 minutes.

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"Damn with this guy," Zoey said aloud as she headed for the airport entrance. She knew Baby was very punctual, but this was another level. Once she walked out the door, she looked around, searching for her friend or his car. Turning her head to the left, she spotted a boy with blue hair; it was him. Zoey shouted his nickname and he immediately looked up from his phone. Zoey quickened her pace, careful not to get hit by a car as she crossed the street. As soon as she arrived, she hugged Baby. They hadn't seen each other since the summer three years ago. Baby tried to make the hug as short as possible; he wasn't a big fan of physical contact.

"You've grown! You're almost as tall as me," said Zoey, sounding overly surprised.

"Why do you say that as if it's impossible for me to grow?" said Baby in an annoyed tone.

"Because I thought it was impossible," said the girl, laughing a little.

"Get in the car before I regret coming."

Zoey was going to sit in the passenger seat, but Baby told her to sit in the back. Zoey obeyed and when she got in, she found that a boy was already in the driver's seat. 'He's cute,' thought Zoey, looking at him a little longer than she should have. The boy clearly noticed.

"My name is Mystery, nice to meet you. You must be Zoey, right?" said the boy as he looked at Zoey in the rear-view mirror.

"Yes, I'm Zoey. Nice to meet you too," said Zoey, also looking in the rear-view mirror.

Baby then got into the car, sat in the passenger seat and searched for Zoey's house on his mobile phone. Once the GPS was activated, Mystery started the car.

"I thought you already had your own car, Baby," said Zoey, trying to make conversation.

"I remind you that I'm younger than you. I'm not 16 yet, and you guys are 17 or 18."

"Ohh, that's why they call you Baby. You're the youngest of the group, like a baby," said Zoey, laughing. "Now that I think about it, it's so obvious. I'm stupid."

The three of them were silent for a while.

"So, from the United States, huh? What brings you to Korea?" asked Mystery, wanting to know more about the girl.

"A scholarship. It's always been my dream to study abroad. At first, I was only going to come to university, but they decided to send me here a year early so I could adapt," explained Zoey.

"And do you have a place to stay? Like the house of your cousin or something like that" Mystery continued.

"No, but the scholarship includes a flat to live in during the course. Plus, it's close to the academy I'm going to, so I don't need a car or bus."

"That's great, a whole flat to yourself. I wish I had that. Which academy are you going to?"

"One that's not far from here, I can't remember the name. Wait, I'll look it up," Zoey took out her mobile phone to search for the name while Baby looked at her. As if he couldn't believe she had forgotten it. "I've got it, it's called Biel-Moon Academy."

"Really? I go there too. Do you know what class you're in?" said Mistery, somewhat surprised.

"We're all in the same class. Haven't you seen the class lists or what?" said Baby in a somewhat dry tone. He always spoke like that.

Both Zoey and Mistery shook their heads and giggled.

"Well, I have, and I have to explain to Zoey what everyone in the class is like. Who she should hang out with and who she shouldn't, where to sit on the first day, and other things. But we'll have that chat when you've settled into the flat. Do you know when the van with your stuff is arriving?"

"Today, between six and eight, approximately," Zoey replied to Baby.

"I can help you if you want. I don't really have much to do. Classes start in a week, and I'm really bored at home," said Mystery.

"Sure, come over if you want to carry boxes until nightfall. It's up to you. You could stay for dinner if you want," Zoey kindly offered to the two boys.

"Perfect, I really like you, Zoey the American," said Mystery, with a humorous tone.

"I like you too, Mystery the Faceless," said Zoey, joking about Mystery's large fringe.

There was another silence, filled by the music playing on the radio. Bohemian Rhapsody, a classic, thought Zoey. She would have sung it at the top of her lungs, but she was a little embarrassed with Mystery there, since she barely knew him. So she just hummed along quietly.

"Baby, how did you get here so early to pick me up?" asked Zoey.

"You literally called me before you got on the flight and said, 'Pick me up at 3 at the airport. I'm too lazy to order an Uber and I'm not going to walk to the flat,'" replied Baby.

"That sounds like something I would say."

Zoey spent the entire trip super excited to be in Korea. She looked out the window at the city's tall buildings while adjusting her seatbelt over and over again. It bothered her neck a little, and besides, she had to keep her hands busy somehow. Otherwise, she would accumulate too much energy, and that meant not sleeping all night.

Her sleep schedule was already out of whack. Between the time difference and having slept so much on the plane but hardly rested, she knew that the nights that week were going to be an odyssey. At least until she got used to it.

"We're here," said Mistery, parking at the door of a modern building with a white façade. There were a few balconies overlooking the street, not very big, but good for clearing your head and getting some fresh air. "Looking forward to seeing your new flat?" he said as he took out his keys and opened the car door.

Zoey got out as quickly as she could and immediately nodded. If it were up to her, she would have already gone inside, but she had to wait for Baby.

"What's with going at 200 km/h, Zoey? The building is right there, it's not going anywhere. Take it easy, you're not going to die tomorrow," said Baby, speaking slowly and calmly, his steps like those of a turtle.

"Leave her alone, she's fulfilling her childhood dream. She'll be setting off fireworks in the middle of the street next. Besides, when you get excited, you're worse than her. Remember when Pokémon Sword and Shield came out? You were ecstatic," said Mystery, looking back, waiting for Baby to catch up with them.

Baby blushed a little with embarrassment. Mystery was right. Whenever something excited him, a smile would spread across his face and he couldn't stop jumping up and down or waving his hands. "Let's go into the building. Zoey, keys."

"Here they are," said Zoey, taking the keys out of her pocket. There were only two keys, but she had more than fifteen key rings, so it was a bit heavy. She approached the large entrance door and tried to insert one of the keys into the lock, but she inserted the wrong one. What were the chances that she would pick the wrong one? 'Fifty percent,' Zoey thought in Baby's voice.

After making a fool of herself with the key, she inserted the other one and this time managed to open the door. Once inside the building, they looked around the lobby. It was nothing special, quite clean, with a large mirror on one side. At the back was a lift and, to Zoey's surprise, there were no stairs. Just a couple of steps next to a ramp to get to the lift. In the corners were plants that were quite pretty for being fake.

The three of them got into the lift; it was very spacious, like an office lift. It could hold ten people and still have space to breathe. That would come in handy for carrying the boxes up, as Zoey might have gone a little overboard with the luggage.

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"Did you really have to bring your drum set!?" asked Baby, pushing a box considerably larger than himself into the living room of the flat.

"Just in case, plus it helps me relax," said Zoey as she took the microwave out of the box and plugged it in in the kitchen.

"Don't you think the neighbours are going to complain about the noise?" asked Mystery as he took more boxes out of the lift.

"I was told it had soundproof walls. Apparently, a lot of people in the building are involved in music," replied Zoey.

The flat was spacious, with slightly low ceilings, but that didn't bother Zoey. As soon as you opened the front door, you found yourself in the open-plan living room, with a sofa in the centre and a piece of furniture in front of it. It was for the television, but Zoey didn't have one, so it remained empty. Next to the door was a fairly large corner, perfect for the drum kit. And at the end of the room was a large glass door leading to the balcony, which was small but cosy. The kitchen was behind the sofa, an open-plan kitchen. It didn't have much, just a few shelves, drawers and cupboards. It came with a fridge and dishwasher included. It had a small island with two pairs of stools around it, which is where Zoey would eat. To the left of the kitchen was a hallway with three doors. The first was on the left, a small bathroom. It had the basics: a shower, a sink with a mirror, and a toilet. Opposite the bathroom was a bedroom with a bed with white sheets and a wardrobe next to the door. At the back of the room was a window with a desk underneath. Finally, at the end of the hallway was another bedroom exactly like the other one, except that it didn't have a desk.

"Hey, this flat's not bad," said Zoey, opening the boxes that Mystery was carrying. At that moment, she saw Baby trying to assemble the drum kit. It was obvious that he had no idea what he was doing. "Baby, I'll put it together later. Don't worry about the drum set. Can you help me unpack the boxes?"

"Okay," said Baby, approaching Zoey, opening a box and taking out the things inside. At that moment, he took out a ceramic ashtray. "Zoey, didn't you quit smoking?"

"Well, not completely. I smoke very occasionally, only when I get really anxious. Don't worry, I don't smoke more than two cigarettes a day," said Zoey, trying to reassure Baby and justify herself. "Besides, I only smoke in private spaces or in places that are specifically designated for smoking. I know how Korea is about that."

"Well, if I tell you to quit smoking, you're going to keep doing it, right?" asked Baby.

"Exactly, I'm hopeless," said Zoey, smiling and lightening the mood with humour.

Just then, Mistery walked through the door. "No more boxes, thank goodness. You really did bring a lot of stuff," he said as he sat down on the kitchen stools next to the other two.

"I took 'make yourself at home' very literally," she said with a pleasant laugh. Just then, her stomach growled like a hungry lion.

"Looks like someone's hungry," said Baby, finishing unpacking the boxes.

"I don't blame her, it's almost ten o'clock. What are we having for dinner?" said Mystery, hungry from carrying so many boxes.

Zoey thought for a few seconds, then an idea came to her. "Lasagne," she said dramatically, as if it were the plot twist in a badly written film.

"Lasagne?" they both said at once, confused.

Zoey got up and looked in her portable fridge. And there they were, three packets of pre-cooked Bolognese lasagne. Five minutes in the microwave and they were ready, just what they needed. Something quick, simple and, above all, delicious. "Lasagne," Zoey repeated as she put them in the microwave.

"I've never tried it. What does it taste like?" said Mystery.

"Pasta with tomato sauce and chunks of meat, basically. Have you really never tried it?" said Baby indifferently. "It's a very typical dish in Italy."

"Genius, I remind you that my family is not rich. I've never left Korea," Mystery threw in his face.

"My family is not rich, I only leave the country on holiday," Baby replied.

"Well, that's more than I've done," Mystery said under his breath, as if trying to prevent Baby from hearing him.

"I heard you, just so you know."

Just then, the microwave beeped like a church bell striking the hour.

"Lasagne's ready. Stop fighting," said Zoey, serving the cardboard plates with the lasagne on top.

The three began to eat, Baby eating slowly. He didn't like to rush in general. Mistery tried a piece of lasagne and, as soon as his taste buds savoured the food, his eyes lit up. He felt as if he had tasted a cloud from heaven trodden on by Italian Jesus Christ himself. Zoey watched the boy eat; he looked like a hungry dog. The girl finished her plate quickly.

"Looks like someone liked the lasagne, huh?" said Zoey, picking up Mistery's plate and throwing it in the bin.

"It's my new favourite food," said Mistery, looking like he was about to explode.

"I'm glad. I'm going to tidy up my room so I can have a good night. Let me know when you're leaving so I can say goodbye. I'll be in my room, first door on the right. Bon appétit, Baby!" said Zoey, on her way to her room.

Once inside, Zoey began unpacking her suitcase, looking for her pyjamas. In the end, she ended up putting all her clothes in the closet the pyjamas being the last thing in her suitcase. She began to change. She had simple pyjamas: a green short-sleeved T-shirt with a turtle's face on the chest. From the waist down, she had long trousers in the same shade of green with a shell print and, last but not least, turtle slippers, of course.

She took some soft toys out of a bag (which she placed on the bed), a small lamp that projected the ocean onto the ceiling of the room, and a charger. She plugged the devices into the sockets on the bedside table. Just as she was about to leave, Baby opened the door.

"We're done. Tomorrow morning, Mistery, a classmate and I will come back. We'll help you finish moving and explain the class schedule and how not to ruin your social life. A little introductory tutorial," said Baby, standing in the doorway.

"And may I know his name? The classmate's. I don't want to let strangers into my flat."

"You say that after letting Mystery in..." said Baby under his breath, neither of them heard him.

"Everyone calls him Romance. He knows everything about everyone, that's why his hair is so big. It's full of secrets. You'll probably get to class and he'll already know more about you than you do yourself," said Mystery, amazed by the door.

"A gossip... What time is he coming?" said Zoey, suddenly more excited by the idea.

"11?" asked Baby.

"Sure, let me put it in my diary," said Zoey, taking out her mobile phone and writing: -Reminder: Baby, Mystery and Gossip are coming to the house at 11 a.m. "Noted."

"Are you so busy that you have to keep a diary?" asked Mystery.

"I'm not that busy. I just organise myself better with a diary so I don't forget things."

"And to no one's surprise, you forget everything anyway," said Baby.

"Shut up, or I'll throw you out of my flat."

"You don't need to throw me out, I was leaving anyway," said Baby, making a mocking face.

"Well, there's the door," replied Zoey, imitating Baby's face.

Mistery burst out laughing at how childish they both were. He grabbed Baby by the neck and carried him to the door. "Good night, American."

"Good night, Faceless."

The door closed behind them and Zoey sighed wearily. 'It's been too long since I've had such a long social interaction in person, it's exhausting. I guess I'll have to get used to having friends.' The girl rummaged through a cloth bag she had left at the entrance and took out a packet of cigarettes; she had barely one left. She took it out of the box and put her lighter in her trouser pocket. She grabbed the ashtray Baby had seen earlier and took it out onto the balcony.

Zoey closed the balcony door and stared at the city lights. Her flat was on the seventh floor of ten, so the views were stunning to Zoey's eyes. She took the lighter out of her pocket and lit the cigarette. The first drag was a little aggressive, desperate, but she took her time exhaling the smoke. She liked to feel the smoke in her lungs and throat when she tried a cigarette.

The girl sat down on a chair outside, not very comfortable, but comfortable enough for Zoey to relax. She took out her mobile phone as she tapped the ash off and took another drag. Her gaze remained fixed, searching for a call, a message. But nothing. Maybe he hadn't woken up yet; it was seven in the morning in Los Angeles.

Zoey turned off her phone and looked back at the city, at the contrast between the lights and the dark blue sky. She noticed the academy where she was supposed to start studying in a week. A few blocks away from her building was a fairly large park. Tomorrow she would go for a walk and get to know the area.

Before Zoey realised it, she had finished her cigarette. She went to look for another one, but the packet was empty. "Shit," she said aloud, "Never mind, when I go to change my money, I'll stop by a shop and buy a couple of packets to last me the week." When she had finished speaking, she went back out onto the balcony. She needed the fresh air on her face; it calmed her down a little. She sat down on the chair and closed her eyes.

After a few minutes outside, she decided to go back inside, as it was starting to get a little cold. "I should go to sleep, otherwise I'll be tired tomorrow. Good logic, Zoey," she said to herself aloud.

Chapter Text

Mira was in her room, lying on her bed. Her parents had punished her, again. They said she had to focus on her studies now, not her feelings or distractions. They had taken away her mobile phone and forbidden her to leave her room without permission. Mira felt like Rapunzel, locked up. She could do many things, such as reading, writing, drawing, playing the bass... But if her parents found out she was doing that instead of studying, they would take away her hobbies too.

After lazing around in bed for a while, she decided she would start studying; after all, she had nothing else to do. She took out her laptop and a sheet of paper and began to take notes. For example, she wrote about the parts of the human brain and the function of each one, and about the behaviour of society. The girl would like to study a degree related to psychology, it was a field that really appealed to her.

While taking notes, she listened to music. At that moment, she was listening to 'Sleep talking' on repeat. It was a song that relaxed her and at the same time helped her concentrate. She wouldn't say it was her favourite song, but she did like it a lot. Just as she was opening the drawer to take out another sheet of paper, she heard a noise at the window.

She turned her head and saw a pigeon with a little black hat on its head. It was holding a small note in its beak, as black as its plumage. The girl opened the window and noticed that it was already nighttime. When had that happened? The bird flew in and left the piece of black paper on her desk. Mira unfolded it, but there was nothing written on it, not at first glance. That's when she took a pen with an ultraviolet light out of her pencil case, turned off the light and read what was written.

"Oh, let down your long hair, Rapunzel."

Mira knew exactly who it was. She looked out the window and there she was, that girl with the purple braid. She was watching the window and as soon as she noticed Mira looking out, she smiled at her. The bird flew out of the window, flying straight to Rumi's head.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm grounded," she whispered.

"That's why I've come to rescue you from your misery," Rumi shouted.

"Lower your voice. If my parents find out you've come..."

"What are they going to do? Punish me too?" Rumi said, laughing a little.

"I'm serious. I should be studying."

"Come to the park next door, you'll be home in less than half an hour. You have the word of Rumi Nim. They won't notice, and besides, they can't punish you again."

"What time is it?" asked Mira, still leaning out of the window.

"11:53," replied Rumi, showing her phone.

Mira thought about it for a moment. It was late, and her parents were probably already asleep. The window was less than two metres from the ground, so she could climb down without any problem. As long as she was back before half past midnight, she couldn't see any problem with it. "I'll go down now, give me a moment," said Mira, closing the window and returning to her room. She uncovered her bed and placed her pillow on it to simulate a lump, just in case. She didn't have many feminine clothes, only loose T-shirts and tracksuit bottoms. So she put on the first thing she found in the wardrobe.

She turned off the lights and left the window ajar; there was hardly any draught, so it wouldn't close. She let herself fall from the edge of her window, measuring 1.74 cm, touched the ground immediately. Rumi found it strange to see Mira wearing a loose-fitting T-shirt instead of a top or crop top.

"Have you run out of clothes again?" asked Rumi. Mira nodded, her gaze fixed on the floor. Rumi then understood what had happened; it wasn't the first time. "If you want, I'll come back tomorrow and bring you some of my clothes. I have several T-shirts I don't wear."

"Don't worry, I'm going to end up leaving you with nothing to wear. Besides, as soon as my parents find them, you know what they'll do," said Mira, leaving a silence in the air.

"But it's not fair. You have the right to wear whatever clothes you want. You're going to be eighteen. I think you're old enough to know who you are," said Rumi as they started walking towards the park.

"You know how they are. I can't do much until I leave home. How did you manage to get out without your aunt saying anything?" said Mira, trying to change the subject.

"She wasn't home. Who knows where she went. What happened to your brother? I haven't seen his car at the door," said Rumi, passing the floor to Mira. She didn't really feel like talking about Celine and what had just happened.

"He's left home, that's why my parents are being like this with me again. He can't take my side in arguments anymore."

"But he'll show up at your house from time to time, at least to see you."

"I hope so. I'll ask him if he can buy me some more clothes. Until school starts, my life is going to be a nightmare. I get depressed just thinking about it."

"That's why we're going for a walk, to clear our heads," said Rumi. "Well, I should be saving money for next year. Medical univeristy is very expensive. Especially because I'll have to buy all the tools we'll use in class."

"My parents have the money for university, what I need is money to become independent and have surgery. Why do operations and treatments have to be so expensive?" said Mira. "And even if I have surgery, people will still look at me like a weirdo."

"Don't say that, nobody looks at you like a weirdo" said Rumi.

"I bet you that on the first day of class there will be people staring or talking badly about me," said Mira. "If it weren't for the fact that I'm tall and strong, I'm sure they would pick on me."

"They're not going to talk badly about you, and if anyone does, I'll smash their face in with my strong arms and my powerful 1.58 cm height. I can shout at them and I'm sure they'll go deaf. They'll call me Heavy Rumi. Get it? Heavy Metal," said Rumi, in case the joke wasn't clear.

That made Mira burst out laughing and her face relax a little. That was enough to bring a proud smile to Rumi's face, as if she had achieved her goal.

"With the voice you have when you shout, they'll wet themselves with fear," said Mira, still laughing. "Wait, I have an idea to make money."

"Scaring people until they wet their pants? I don't know how we're going to make money from that," said Rumi, laughing as they both entered the park.

"You're silly," said Mira, taking a deep breath. "We can form a band, think about it. I'll play bass and you sing, and don't tell me you can't sing. You sing like a dream. And you have an amazing vocal range, both for high and low notes. You just need to practise and perfect it."

"It's not a bad idea, but we're going to need more people. A drummer, a keyboardist, an electric guitarist, someone to do the backing vocals... And we're going to be really busy with classes, I don't know if we'll have time. Besides, where would we practise? No way at my house, and I don't think they'd let us at yours either. They wouldn't even let you have a band."

"Let's take it one step at a time. When classes start, we can put up posters around the school; I'm sure there will be people interested. We won't be that busy, we can make study schedules and organise it with rehearsals. Besides, I'm sure the music teacher will let us use the classroom during break time for auditions. My parents don't have to know, I can say it's a music project and we can rehearse in the garage or in the park," said Mira, insisting on the idea. "Rumiiiii, you know you want to."

"But I don't know anything technical about singing, I barely know the notes. And besides, what are we going to play? We don't have time to compose anything, and even if we did, we don't know how."

"Don't you like homework and organising things so much? Train your voice at home, I'm sure there are tutorials on YouTube or TikTok. Take advantage of the fact that you have a mobile phone. You can spend the rest of the week of holidays learning things about the voice and entertaining yourself while I'm locked up." Mira remained silent for a while, waiting for a response from Rumi, who was on her mobile phone. "Earth calling Rumi, are you there?"

Rumi looked up from her phone and stared at the other girl as if she didn't know what she was talking about. "Sorry, I was talking to Jinu. He says it's a good idea and that he could play electric guitar and sing backup vocals, but he has to retake some classes he failed last year and has to study. Too bad, it would have been fun."

Mira looked at the girl next to her with a somewhat angry but also sad look.

"So, is there a band?" Mira asked in a more subdued voice. She didn't like her talking to Jinu in front of her; something inside her hurt.

"Okay, but what should we call it?" said Rumi, turning off her mobile phone and smiling at Mira.

As soon as Mira's gaze met Rumi's smile, the pain she felt in her chest disappeared. It was impossible for Mira to feel bad when she had that smile in her life.

"I've been thinking that since we're going to be recruiting people, we could call ourselves 'Recruiters' and put an X somewhere. It would be awesome," suggested Mira.

"What if we use another word instead of recruit? Like collect or hunt. It sounds less military, think about it, 'Hunters'. It sounds better to me," said Rumi.

"Not bad, if we put the X in it, it would be something like 'Hunterix'. I'm not convinced, it sounds weird."

"Take the E out," suggested Rumi.

"'Huntrix'. Wow, you have a gift for names, Rumi. How about if instead of the i we put a bent stick, like a slash ( / )?"

"Why would we do that?" asked Rumi.

"One: because it looks good and gives it more style. Two: to confuse people. I like the idea."

"Me too, it's more original and recognisable. 'Huntr/x'," said Rumi as she typed it into her mobile phone to see how it looked.

"It looks crazy," said Mira as she looked at the mobile phone, her gaze drifting to the time. "SHIT, IT'S TWELVE FIFTY-FIVE. I'M SO LATE," said Mira, jumping up from the bench where they were sitting.

"I'll walk with you," said Rumi, getting up.

"No, go straight home, it's closer for you. I can manage, see you when classes start," said Mira quickly as she picked up her pace to get there sooner.

And before Rumi could say anything, Mira had already left the park at full speed. As she walked, Mira focused intently on her thoughts. 'I'm going to end up hurting myself more if I keep meeting up with her. She has a boyfriend. And it's clear that she prefers him to you. But, if you've seen how she smiles at you, I don't think that smile is just a friend's smile. I can't stop seeing her, I'd be ruining one of the few friendships I have left. But I don't want it to be a friendship. Be content with that, Mira. Better to have her in your life as just a friend than to lose her. She decided that just being your friend was better.'

Before Mira knew it, she had reached the back of her house, in front of her bedroom window. She started climbing and when she reached the window, she opened it. She entered her room, being very careful not to make any noise. When she turned around, she saw someone standing at her bedroom door.

Her father.

"Where were you, young man?" said her father, moving closer to Mira.

That damn word again. She couldn't stand that her parents still treated her like this. They had known she was a girl for two years and still denied it. No matter how feminine she looked or how long her hair was, they still saw her as a man. And she hated that, always having to keep quiet, not being able to correct them. This time, she decided not to keep quiet.

"Miss," Mira corrected him in a low voice.

"What did you say?" her father raised his voice.

"Miss," she repeated louder.

"That's it!" her father began, almost shouting. "This is all your mother's fault. She shouldn't have let her son dress in women's clothes and grow his hair long. I've already taken off your clothes, now I need to cut that horrible long hair. That way you'll look more like a man, which is what you need to mature and realise that you are a boy and should act and look like one." Then her father grabbed Mira by the arm, pushing her against the wall to immobilise her, and took out a pair of scissors he had kept in his pocket.

"No, please, no. Anything but my hair, I beg you. I'll obey your orders, but please don't touch my hair," she said as her father began to cut the bottom. He didn't cut much, as he stopped when he heard Mira.

"Anything?" Mira quickly nodded, and her father let go of her. "All right, take off your shirt." Mira hesitated a little and was about to protest. But she simply obeyed, took off her shirt, and did not look at her body. She couldn't; it hurt her physically to see that her body was male. "Now," her father continued, "the mirror room."

Her father knew she hated that place, a very small room filled with mirrors. She hadn't been in there for a long time; her brother saw how cruel it was and fought with her parents so they wouldn't put her in there. Her parents knew all of Mira's weaknesses, and they always used them against her. They knew how deeply Mira hated her body.

As soon as Mira entered the room, her father locked the door, leaving Mira locked in there all night. Before leaving, her father said one last thing to her from the other side of the door.

"You're going to stay there until you understand that you are a man, and having a man's body is proof of that." With that, Mira heard her father's footsteps receding.

The girl tried not to open her eyes and to keep them closed until it was all over. But inevitably, she opened her eyes and saw her reflection. In the mirror, she saw an unfamiliar man. The only things she recognised were her glasses and the colour of her hair; the only thing that really made her look feminine was her hair. And now it was shorter. Mira saw her face, covered in tears, in one of the mirrors. At first, it was sadness, but the sadness turned to anger, and the anger turned to hatred.

She hated it.

She hated her hair.

She hated her father.

She hated her body.

She hated her life.

And she cried until her eyes closed from exhaustion. And she slept in a room that reflected everything she hated.

Mira woke up in the middle of the night because of a nightmare and remembered where she was. Why did she have to be like this? Everything would have been much easier if she had been born a girl or if she had been born a boy who was really a boy, just like her brother. But she was born somewhere in between. She knew she was a girl, but no one treated her as such. Was she still a girl? "Not a real one," she repeated to herself. "Then why does it excite you when someone calls you Mira or refers to you with she/her pronouns?"

Mira tried hard to be as feminine as possible, in an attempt to validate herself.

That's why she admired Rumi, who always wore hoodies and baggy clothes. Yet she still looked like a girl. If Mira wore those clothes, she would feel too masculine to have the right to be a woman, to be herself.

The moments when Mira felt "too masculine" were completely false. Everyone who didn't know her treated her as a woman, no matter what clothes she wore. But she had a blindfold that prevented her from seeing her beauty.

She was like a butterfly; from her point of view, she couldn't see how beautiful her wings were. She could only see a weird, different person.

Chapter Text

Baby rang the doorbell at eleven in the morning, just as he had told Zoey the day before. Mystery and Romance were by his side, eagerly awaiting Zoey's response.

She was in the kitchen, finishing putting the cutlery away in a drawer under the mixer. That's when the doorbell rang, a loud sound, as if someone were murdering the doorbell. Zoey looked at the clock in the living room, which she had set a few hours earlier.

"There's no way it's eleven already! I didn't even go to sleep," Zoey said aloud, facing the clock. Another ringing burst her eardrums.

"I'm coming," she said to absolutely no one, since they couldn't hear her. "Who is it?" she asked into the intercom, knowing perfectly well who it was.

"Us," said Baby's voice.

"I need names. My mom told me not to open the door to strangers," she said, still not opening the door, playing with them a little.

"Zoey, let's not start," said Baby on the other end of the intercom.

"How do you know my name?" she asked, and before anyone could answer, she spoke again. "Speaking of names, you still haven't told me yours. I guess you won't be coming into my humble abode."

There was a sigh of exhaustion, followed by Baby's voice. "Baby, Mystery, and Romance."

"Okay, now tell me the password," Zoey replied with a laugh. She could imagine the vein in Baby's neck swelling until it exploded with anger.

"If Zoey doesn't open the door, I'm going to knock her out and drag her body back to the United States," Baby said angrily.

Zoey made a sound, like on TV shows when you get a question right. "Correct," she said in a commentator's voice, opening the door below.

It took the boys a few seconds to reach the seventh floor, and as soon as they came out, they found Zoey standing there with her mouth open.

"Did you just see a ghost or something?" said Mystery as he carried a whiteboard into the apartment without permission.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING BRINGING THAT INTO MY HOUSE!?" said Zoey, closing the door and looking at the boys. They were placing the whiteboard on an easel that Romance had brought. They placed it in front of the sofa.

"It's for your pre-class class. They called me to explain everything to you, and you're going to need visual evidence," said Romance as he took square photos out of a folder.

"While Roma sets this up, let's finish unpacking your things," said Baby.

"Actually... everything is already in its place," she said, looking at the floor.

"You didn't" said Baby, waiting for Zoey to look at her. "You haven't slept all night," she said, more stating than asking.

"Look on the bright side, this way I'll be more sleepy tonight and I'll adjust to the time zone," she said, looking at Baby. He looked back at her, not very convinced. "I just couldn't sleep. I was too anxious to see the city as soon as possible. Besides, I thought that if I took things out of the boxes and put them away, I would get sleepy."

"Well, when we're done explaining a few things to you, we can go for a walk," said Mystery. "Anywhere in particular you want to see?"

"I saw that there's a park not far from here. We could start there," said Zoey, a little shy at Mystery's kindness.

"Perfect, there's a big pond right there. From what I can see..." said Mystery, looking Zoey up and down. She was still in her pajamas. "You like turtles. There are a couple of them in the pond."

Zoey was about to scream with excitement when Romance spoke.

"Okay, I've got everything ready. Whenever you're ready, sit down on the sofa and we'll start the lesson," said the boy, waiting for the rest.

Zoey was the only one who sat down on the sofa. The boys, on the other hand, stood up to help with the explanations.

"Let's begin," said Romance, clearing his throat. "First of all, you need to know who the people are that we'll be in class with." There were several photos on the board, 11 to be exact. Each one had a different face, except for two that seemed to be repeated. "Let's start with the ones you already know. Baby, 15 years old, birthday on September 21st. He was moved up several grades because of his intelligence. His parents started a business and are quite wealthy. Therefore, the boy can have everything he wants, but he doesn't abuse it much. In class, he's in his own world, taking notes only if he's interested, and even so, he gets straight A's."

"Your birthday is coming up soon. I didn't know that," said Zoey.

"I didn't expect you to remember either," replied Baby.

"Next," continued Romance, "Mystery, 18 years old, birthday on April 4th. He lives with his parents and five siblings. Although, if I'm not mistaken, the twins have already gone to college. So he lives with his three younger siblings and all their dogs. They have fourteen dogs," said Romance in a tone that was both offended and surprised.

"14 DOGS!? Just, wow," said Zoey, very surprised.

"Let's just say that my whole family are dog people, including me," said Mystery, a little embarrassed.

"I'll continue. Almost everyone in the class likes him except for Rumi, a girl. This is because they both take notes and pay close attention in class, are organized, and study hard. But people always ask Mystery for his notes because they say they're prettier. He usually gets high marks, except in computer science; he's terrible at technology in general," Romance finished.

"I should be offended, but he's right. I don't even know how to send an email," said Mystery.

"I'm going to sound selfish, but now it's my turn to talk about myself. Romance, 17 years old, birthday on February 24. I live with my parents, only child. My cousin is Abby, I'll tell you about him later. Nobody in class likes me because I'm a gossip, I deserve it. Of course, then everyone talks to me to get information. I have a podcast about school gossip that has over two hundred listeners a day. I don't focus much on my studies, I approve. But I don't need to, since I make money with the podcast. And little else. If you're interested in someone in class, I can tell you about them," Romance finished.

"Why are you called Romance?" Zoey asked.

"Because I know everyone's romances, darling," Romance replied. "Now, who do you want to start with?" he said, placing the photos of the people on the table in front of Zoey. The girl thought for a moment before pointing to a girl with glasses and long pink hair.

"This one."

"It's a little strange because his name used to be..." Before Romance could finish his sentence, Mystery interrupted him.

"We don't care what her name used to be. Her name is Mira, and she's a really nice girl."

"Thanks for interrupting, Mystery," Romance said sarcastically. "A couple of years ago, he said he was now a girl, grew his hair long, and now dresses femininely. I find it strange that he says he's a girl when he still has a deeper voice than a real girl. Plus, he's super tall. I wish I could be like him so I could join the basketball team or something."

"Romance, I'd better introduce Mira myself. I think you're being a little disrespectful," said Mystery. "Mira is 17 years old and her birthday is January 13. She lives with her parents and has an older brother who should be in college by now. She gets good grades, although she's a bit dry. If she likes you, she's very nice to you, and if you get into trouble, she'll defend you. Personally, I don't know her, so I can't tell you much more about her. A lot of people look at her strangely or disrespect her," he said, looking at Romance. "So I don't think she'll open up to you much at first. If you want to be her friend, you have to talk to her."

"I don't disrespect her, I just find it weird that he" —Mystery and Zoey gave him dirty looks—"she is like that, that she has that body. But I don't have a problem with whatever she is or how she feels. In front of her, I call her Mira and all the stuff," said Romance, trying to justify himself. "And you left out a very important detail. She and Rumi were dating, but Rumi left her for Jinu. Anyway, they're still good friends."

"Lesbo drama, and who is this Rumi?" Zoey asked curiously. Romance immediately pointed to a girl with purple hair and a big braid.

"Rumi, 17 years old, birthday July 26. She lives with her aunt. Her father abandoned her when she was very young and her mother died when she was 12, basically like Alexander Hamilton. You're American, if you don't know him, I'll be very disappointed," said Romance.

"Of course I know him, 'How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore'" Zoey began to sing.

"Okay, I'll continue. She gets amazing grades and is the most attentive person in class. She hasn't missed a single assignment. She wants to study medicine and has to work really hard. She's currently dating Jinu, but I think it's a fake relationship. In three months, they haven't even held hands, let alone kissed."

"Don't believe him, Zoey. He likes to make stuff up in his head. Rumi broke up with Mira, telling her that she really only saw her as a friend. That's the whole story," said Mystery.

"You're boring. Where's the drama, the secrets?" said Romance dramatically.

"Save the drama for the stage" said Baby. "Are you going to keep explaining, or should I talk?"

"Zoey, choose who you want to explain it to you," Romance continued.

"The guy who's ruining my lesbian soap opera, that Jinu guy," Zoey said in an angry tone.

"Jinu, 19 years old, birthday October 28. He repeated two grades and is the oldest in the class. Last year he failed three subjects and this year he has to retake them, so he won't have much free time. If he doesn't pass, they'll send him to a super strict study center. He lives with his parents, but he spends a lot of time away from home. He doesn't like being there. He's the most handsome guy in the academy, all the girls are after him, and rightly so. I'm straight, but I have to admit he's hot," said Romance, showing Zoey a photo.

"Meh, it's not that big of a deal. I've seen better guys, for example, Kit Connor. That man is my husband, but he doesn't know it yet," she said as she looked at the photo.

"If you don't think he's hot, look at my cousin. Abby, 18 years old, birthday November 30. He has a little sister who is 4 years old, she's adorable. He doesn't care about school, he fails, but his parents don't say anything to him. The only things that matter to him in life are getting girls and his gym routine. He's addicted to exercise. If you talk to him, the first thing he'll do is show you his abs and try to flirt with you. And that's about it. I'm not kidding when I say that his whole personality is based on the gym. He's Jinu's best friend, which is why they're together all the time," Romance finished.

"Wow, your head is really full of secrets. Mystery was right," said Zoey. "Why are there two photos that are almost identical?" she said, pointing to the photos of two girls with loose brown hair.

"Those are Dess and Jess, twins. They're new this year, so I'm sorry I don't have any information about them," said Romance.

"And finally, we have Alex and Norman, two boys who are unbearable. Don't hang out with them for your own sake. They mess with people because they hate their lives, but no one takes them seriously. If they say something to you, ignore them. It's not worth wasting your time on them."

"That's it? There are only twelve of us?" said Zoey, a little surprised.

"How many were there in your class last year?" asked Romance.

"Forty-two," said Zoey, looking as if she had been through a war.

The three boys fell silent, imagining how horrible it must be to be with 42 people in a small room.

"Well... We don't know who our teachers are going to be yet, but we can tell you about Principal Gwi-ma. He's very strict, forty-five years old, no children. He's never even been married. Try not to go to his office, because if you do, you're dead," said Mystery, swallowing, as if he were really scared.

"How fun. A principal who commands respect. Last year, no one took mine seriously. They were always playing jokes on him, and the students didn't care about his punishments. Besides, I'm not going to get into trouble, I promise. Shall we go for a walk?" asked Zoey, grabbing her keys and walking towards the door.

"You're wearing your pajamas," said Baby.

———————–——————————

Once Zoey had changed her clothes, they all took the elevator down and walked to the park. There was a bit of silence on the way, but nothing Zoey couldn't fix with a few anecdotes and jokes. Once they reached the park gate, Romance said goodbye because his mother had called him and he had to go home. Mystery decided to accompany him and then return to the park. Zoey and Baby were left alone.

"So, is there anywhere nearby where we can buy cigarettes and exchange money?" asked Zoey.

"There's a bank across the street for money, and for the other thing, I think they sell it in that store," he said, pointing to a small store that sold magazines next to the bank.

"Perfect, come with me," said Zoey, grabbing his arm. Baby let himself be dragged along.

They both stood in front of an ATM. Zoey inserted her card and entered her PIN. She had saved a lot of money for the trip, about $10,000. When she exchanged it for won, she was amazed to see that she had almost fourteen million won.

"Baby, is that a lot?" she asked, pointing to the window.

"If you don't spend it on nonsense, it could last you the whole year. Considering you don't have to pay for many of the things in the apartment," said Baby. "Anyway, if you need more money, I can give it to you, it wouldn't be a problem."

"I don't think it will be necessary, but thank you anyways. Now I'm going to get my package," she said as she headed to the store next door.

Baby decided to wait for her outside; he didn't like the atmosphere of the place. A few minutes later, Zoey came out with a package in her hand and another in her pocket. The girl opened the box and took out a cigarette.

"What are you doing?" asked Baby.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to try the brand, it's new to me."

"We're on the street, you can't smoke."

"True," said the girl as she put the cigarette back in the cardboard box. "Anyway, we're going to a pond. I don't feel the need to smoke there."

"Why?" asked Baby.

"Long story. There was a pond near where I used to live. When things got noisy at home, I used to go for a walk while smoking. One day, I came across the pond and decided to sit down for a while and watch it. That moment was almost magical. It was the first time in a long time that I could be in a place without feeling the need to smoke. The idea didn't even cross my mind. I focused on the sound of the water, the ripples left by the fish as they swam, the small steps of the turtles. And from then on, I really like them, because they have no worries and go at their own pace, without anxiety or stress. I wish I could be like that," said Zoey as she walked toward the park.

"I'm like a turtle, in that I don't rush and I don't worry. And it's not as great as it sounds. Yes, you can go at your own pace, but in the end, you never catch up with the others and you end up falling behind. But a lot of people think you'll be fine, that at some point you'll walk faster and catch up with them. But that's not true. I'm not going to change my pace to fit in. Maybe they're the ones who should slow down a little. But no one bothers to look back and wait for me," said Baby without looking at Zoey.

The girl was looking at him, a little saddened by what she was hearing. She had no words to comfort him. When the boy finished speaking, Zoey hugged him and said through tears:

"I'll look for you and wait for you. Please don't ever change your pace or the way you are."

Baby let her hug him as a small tear fell from his eye, which he quickly wiped away.

"Well, Mystery is waiting for us. We should go to the pond now," said Baby, regretting what he had said.

"Okay, but do me a favor. Don't tell Mystery or anyone else that I smoke. I know it's not very accepted here, and I don't want to make a bad impression," said Zoey.

"Deal," replied Baby. They were both at the park entrance, the girl looking around, noticing a girl in a hoodie and a large sweatshirt sitting on a bench. It looked like she had spent the whole night there.

"Wait, isn't that girl...?" Before she could finish speaking, Mystery appeared at her side.

"I thought the earth had swallowed you up. I couldn't see you anywhere."

"We were on the bank next door. Zoey had to get some money. Or at least exchange dollars for won," replied Baby as he led the two to the pond. Zoey kept thinking about the girl she had seen earlier. It wasn't really important, and she didn't know why she was making such a big deal out of it. Anyway, once they reached the pond, all of Zoey's thoughts focused on the turtles.

"They're so cute! Do they have names?" Zoey asked as she watched the two turtles floating on the water.

"Not that I know of. Now that you mention it, they should have names. Do the honors," Mystery replied.

"Clover and Yoel," Zoey said, almost without thinking.

"That was quick," Baby commented.

"They just look like they should be called that. The one on the left is Clover and the one on the right is Yoel. Don't tell me they're not," she said as she sat down on a bench facing the water.

Neither of them complained about the names, they just sat down on the bench next to Zoey.

The girl remembered those moments of tranquility and peace that the pond near her house had given her at one time. She closed her eyes and her ears focused on the sound of the water, blocking out the noise of the people around her. Blocking out any noise that might interfere with her bubble of relaxation, without anxiety, without stress, with nothing else to do but listen to the water and feel the sun on her face.

Baby looked at Zoey, understanding what the pond could mean to her. He also decided to take a break on the bench, letting the silence between them flow. However, he didn't notice the sound of the water, or any sound in general. He put his headphones on and activated the sound isolation option. Baby noticed the movement of the leaves on the trees, only a couple of them falling to the ground. In any case, it was a movement that relaxed the boy.

Mystery, seeing that everyone was focused on something, decided it would also be a good idea for him to take a break. Zoey focused on her hearing, Baby on his sight, and Mystery on his sense of smell. The smell in the air was sweet; you could smell the flowers nearby. He could also smell the wet grass, as if it had rained, probably from the sprinklers. Then the aroma of street food entered his nose, hotteok. A sweet dish that reminded him of when he and his brothers used to go to their grandmother's house when they were little.

After several minutes like this, Mystery had to break the silence.

"I'm going to have to go home to have lunch, I don't want my parents to wait too long for lunch. They insist that we can't start eating until the whole family is there. If you need anything, send me a message. Have a good day," said the boy as he got up from the bench.

Baby and Zoey said goodbye too.

"I think I should go eat too," said Zoey as she stretched.

"I can walk you home, it's on my way," said Baby as he put his headphones back around his neck and got up.

"Sure, come if you want. What time do you eat?" Zoey asked as they left the park. She looked back at the spot where she had seen the girl, now empty.

"Whenever I want. I can help you make lunch if you want. I'm taking a cooking class," Baby said.

"You don't have to, but you can join me while I eat and we talk about everything that's happened over the years. We haven't spoken in a while. Did you hear that they're releasing Pokémon Legends Z-A?" said Zoey, knowing full well the special interest of Baby.

"Oh my gosh, yes. I don't understand why people hate Mega Dragonite so much. I mean, it's a dragon that helps people, so of course it's going to have a cute design. They're not going to give it fangs and make it breathe fire like Mega-Charizard. It makes me so angry. Have you seen the Eevee expansion in the TCGP? I know you really like Eevee, and as soon as I saw it, I thought of you," Baby continued the conversation.

———————–——————————

"SHIT," Zoey said as she entered her apartment.

"What's wrong now?" Baby asked.

"I haven't gone shopping and my fridge is empty."

"I'm amazed at you," said Baby with a sigh. "Come to my place for lunch and then I'll take you shopping. I can see you're just going to buy ready-made food and energy drinks."

"I wasn't going to do that," she said, even though that was exactly what she had planned to do.

"I'm going to call my parents to tell them you're coming over for lunch," he said as he took out his cell phone and called his mother.

As soon as they finished eating, Zoey helped clear the table. Then they both went to Baby's room.

Zoey was very surprised at how big it was. It even had its own TV for playing Nintendo or Xbox. It was obvious that his family had money.

"Mario Kart?" asked Baby as she unplugged the Nintendo Switch controllers and handed the red one to Zoey.

"You know I'm going to beat you. I have all the three-star circuits. I'd be careful if I were you," she said as she adjusted the controller settings.

"We'll see about that," said Baby as she chose the map, specifically the Yoshi's Egg one.

"You're a cheater," complained Zoey.

"Don't get mad, there's a reason they call me 'The King of Drifting.'"

"No one calls you that. I want a rematch."

"Didn't you have to go buy food so you could survive in your apartment for at least a week?" said Baby.

"My basic needs can wait, Mario Kart can't," said Zoey, activating her competitive mode.

They spent most of the afternoon playing, until Baby's parents kicked them out of the house. They were very busy and the kids wouldn't stop making noise. When they left, they went grocery shopping while continuing to talk about Pokémon and Sonic.

———————–——————————

~Bonus~

It was the first day of summer camp, where 14-year-old Zoey and 12-year-old Baby were in the same group. Zoey approached Baby and asked him:

"Which do you prefer, Pokémon Sun or Moon?"

"Moon," replied Baby.

"Now you're my friend."

"Why? Do you prefer Moon too?" asked Baby.

"No, but I need friends who like Pokémon," replied Zoey.

From then on, they were inseparable for the rest of camp, becoming like Mallow and Lana. At the end of camp, they exchanged phone numbers. At first, they talked a lot, but over time they talked less.

Chapter Text

Rumi entered her house after spending the whole day out shopping for supplies for the Academy. Notebooks, pencils, pens, books...

She was on her way to her room to put down her bag when she noticed the light was on. At first, she thought she might have forgotten to turn it off.

But then she realized there was someone in her room.

Celine.

At that moment, Rumi's breath caught in her throat and her shoulders slumped. She froze in front of her room. The door was ajar, revealing the interior.

The woman was sitting on the young woman's bed, reading a book. Rumi knew very well what she had written in it, her diary.

The diary where she wrote what she couldn't say in person, talked about her "marks," about Mira, about the pressure she felt to be perfect in her studies, about Jinu, about her mother. She even talked about Celine.

"Do you want to explain this to me?" Rumi heard, coming out of her thought loop.

Celine continued reading, waiting for Rumi's response. She was unable to speak.

"So, have I raised you so badly? So badly that you had to hurt yourself to get my attention?" Celine paused. "I don't want to hear about it, if you do it again..." Celine grabbed Rumi by the wrist. "You know exactly what's coming. Your mother would be disappointed in how cowardly her daughter has become. You know that, right?"

"Yes, Celine..." Rumi said, feeling small and helpless in front of her.

"Good, now." Celine continued, "Get out of my house. You need to think about this. I don't want you back until you realize that you need to focus on your studies and that you don't have time for feelings, especially not for girls. If anyone finds out you have those... tendencies, you could tarnish your family's name. Do you really want to do this to us?"

Rumi shook her head, looking at the floor, and walked out of the house. She whistled to call Susie, a pigeon that landed on her head along with a pen and paper.

She took out her phone and sent a message.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Rumi (11:37 p.m.): Mir, do you want to go for a walk? To the park or something.

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Mira wasn't getting any messages. She must have been grounded again. So Rumi decided to do it the traditional way. She went to her room window, wrote a note with a joke Rumi used to make about how long her hair was. She left the paper on the bird's beak and sent it flying to the window.

As soon as Rumi heard the noise from the window, she turned around and found the girl there.

———————–——————————

Rumi watched as Mira almost ran home, leaving her in the park.

She sat on a bench for a long time. There was no one else in the park, so there was almost no noise. This allowed her to sink into her thoughts and begin to rethink her actions.

Did Celine really treat her so badly? That was her way of protecting and educating her, there was nothing wrong with that, was there? Did she really want to study medicine? She had always liked the idea of photography, but could she make a living from it? Celine had told her that her mother would have wanted her to study medicine, and Rumi obeyed her immediately, without even considering what she herself wanted.

Since she was twelve, she knew she wasn't a priority, that the only thing that mattered about Rumi was what others thought of her. But when she was with Mira, she felt important. She felt like someone, not a punching bag where Celine could vent her frustrations. She wasn't carrying a heavy backpack full of pressure; she felt free.

And she had to ruin it, as always.

She started dating Jinu, a relationship that benefited both of them. Rumi would help Jinu study, while Jinu would help the girl cover up. And, as fake as the relationship was, they both formed a strong bond. Maybe not as a couple, but if anything happened, they knew they had each other.

The situation at home for both of them wasn't the best; they felt they couldn't talk about their problems with anyone, no one would understand them. And then they found each other, both having very similar problems. What started as a deep conversation while they were both drunk ended with the two of them telling each other everything.

The girl kept thinking about the band; it was true that she had a good voice. Her mother was a singer, maybe she had inherited it. She decided that tomorrow, when Celine left for work, she would go home and start practicing.

A couple of hours passed, and Rumi still had nowhere to spend the night. She ended up sleeping sitting on a park bench, hoping that when she woke up, everything would be back to normal. What's normal? This happened every week, but this time it was too much.

———————–——————————

Rumi woke up a little confused, not knowing where she was. Once her eyes stopped blurring and adjusted to the light, she remembered what had happened last night. She immediately looked at her phone and saw that she had three new messages from Jinu.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Rumi (11:43 p.m.): I had to leave my house. Will your parents let me stay at your place tonight?

Jinu (12:37 a.m.): Sorry for the late reply.

They probably won't let me, but we can go for a walk and you can tell me about it.

Rumi (12:37 a.m.): No need, I'm with Mira :)

Jinu (12:37 p.m.): How are things going with Juliet, Romeo? 7v7

Rumi (12:38 p.m.): She's been grounded too :( We're thinking of starting a band to make some money. Are you in?

Jinu (12:38 p.m.): I have to study :(

Rumi (12:38 p.m.): What a shame.

Jinu (12:38 p.m.): Why are you talking to me? Take advantage of the fact that you're meeting your future wife.

Rumi (12:38 p.m.): Shut up.

Jinu (12:39 p.m.): Tell me what happened tomorrow, I'm going to sleep.

Rumi (1:19 a.m.): Good night.

[~3 new messages~]

Jinu (10:25 a.m.): My parents are going out in the morning. I'll let you know when they leave.

Jinu (12:07 a.m.): They're gone now. Come over and we'll talk about last night.

Jinu (12:10 a.m.): I want you to tell me how it went with Mira too.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was quarter past twelve, she could go to Jinu's house and tell him what had happened. That was always a relief.

When Rumi looked up from her phone, her gaze met that of a girl with black hair. Rumi immediately looked away and realized she was with Baby and Mystery. Was she new in town?

She had never seen her before. She should talk to her; she seemed nice. But not dressed like that. She looked like a bum. She had been one that very night, but well, circumstances. She would ask Mystery for her number in class or something later.

She took advantage of the fact that the girl had stopped looking at her to get up and leave the park, heading for Jinu's house. It wasn't very far, just a few blocks away, so she got there relatively quickly.

When she reached the door, she called out to Jinu.

"I'm at the door, open up," said Rumi.

"You've been here a thousand times and you don't know where the doorbell is? Wow."

"Open up."

Jinu hung up and the door opened, Rumi closing it behind her as she entered.

The moment Rumi's eyes met Jinu's, she broke down and tears began to stream from her eyes.

The boy hugged her and held her so she wouldn't fall apart like she had so many times before. Rumi just cried in his arms while Jinu tried to comfort her.

"Everything will be okay, let it all out. It's okay to cry, you're being very brave."

After a few minutes, Rumi pulled away and took a deep breath to calm herself. Her eyes were red and she sobbed from time to time; she needed to cry. She knew that with Jinu she could be as weak as she really was and didn't have to pretend anything.

They both walked silently to the boy's room while a rather large cat, so large it looked like a tiger cub, followed them. Once there, Jinu took off his sweater, leaving him in short sleeves. It was a deal they had; whenever they talked, there was no need to wear extra layers, both physical and emotional. They had to be themselves.

Jinu noticed that Rumi wasn't taking off her hoodie.

"Would you like to stay in short sleeves? It's a little hot," Jinu suggested, without pressuring her.

Rumi took off her hoodie, still lost in her thoughts. In what Celine had said.

"Well, where do you want to start?" Jinu asked, sitting down next to her.

"She looked through my diary," Rumi said, still not looking up from the floor, stroking the cat lying next to her. "I'm such an idiot, I don't even know why I have a diary."

"You're not an idiot. Lots of people keep diaries. It helps you vent and not swallow all your shit. Do you want to tell me what was in the diary?" said Jinu, listening attentively to Rumi.

"Nothing you don't already know. Things about Mira, about the times I feel pressured with my studies, about my marks... I also wrote that I didn't feel comfortable with Celine, the times she punished me and how she did it." Rumi paused to take a breath. "She told me that I only hurt myself to get her attention and that if I do it again and she finds out, she'll use 'physical discipline' again."

Jinu remained silent, waiting for Rumi to continue.

"She also told me that my mother would be disappointed in me..." she said as she began to cry again. "And that no one could know about my 'tendencies' because it would tarnish the family name."

"What do you mean by tendencies?" Jinu asked as he moved closer to Rumi, so that if she broke down again, he could hold her.

"That I like girls, only girls," Rumi said, wiping away the few tears that had fallen.

"Rumi, look at me," said Jinu, lifting her face. "There's nothing wrong with that. Besides, I'm sure your mother would be proud of how strong you're being and everything you've achieved. She wouldn't want you to be under so much pressure; she would love you unconditionally and support you in everything. You're not tarnishing anyone's name; you're just being yourself."

Rumi looked at Jinu. He always knew what to say at the right moment. He listened carefully to every word and understood perfectly what she meant. It felt good to talk to someone and know that they were listening to you.

"I know there's nothing wrong about being a lesbian, but it still hurts that there are people who think that and even more so that they use it against you," Rumi replied. "Because deep down, they're right. Many people are going to change the way they see me just because of that. It took me more than four years to accept myself. I still remember all the times I bled to escape my body. I thought I didn't deserve it, not if I liked girls."

After a pause, she continued.

"And now that I've accepted myself, are people going to treat me differently? It seems unfair to me."

"Unfortunately, that's how people are, and we're going to have to hide, but not from everyone. There are a lot of people out there who support us and are like us, we don't have to hide. Just be careful with the people around us, know who to trust and who not to trust, don't hide it like a secret. Simply, if we don't feel safe, we can omit information that isn't entirely necessary," Jinu replied.

"And how are you doing with your parents?" Rumi said.

"I still don't feel safe coming out to them. They're not going to take it well, and I'd rather tell them when we're not living under the same roof, to avoid problems. Do you understand?" said Jinu, a little nervously.

"You don't have to justify why you're not going to do it. Not feeling safe or ready is reason enough," replied Rumi sweetly. "And how are things with your Romeo?"

"We're going through a rough patch. He's confused and says he needs time to figure things out. He's been flirting with girls his whole life, but now he doesn't know if he did it because he was really attracted to them or just because it was what everyone else expected of him. Besides, I'm the first guy he's ever liked. He had never even considered the idea before."

"Honestly, I didn't expect that from Abby. I think he might be bisexual, but I don't know him, so I'd better not comment," said Rumi, trying to correct herself.

"I told him that if he had any doubts, he could talk to me about them. And he told me that he has doubts about everything right now, except for one thing," said Jinu, smiling, leaving an air of suspense.

"What thing?"

"He says the only thing he's sure of right now is that he loves me. Could he be any cuter? I love him so much," said Jinu, panicking a little.

"Aw, my favorite gay has fallen in love. I love muh luh muh," said Rumi, smiling, genuinely happy for Jinu.

"And how are you doing with your Juliet?" asked the boy.

"I couldn't say. I still like her a lot, but I fucked up so bad. I think she still likes me too, but it's best if we're not together right now. I don't want to be a burden to her. She's going through a difficult time at home right now, and I don't want to cause her any more problems."

"Explain the situation to her, tell her why you left her. If you're not ready to go public yet, tell her that. I'm sure she'll understand you better than anyone else."

"I don't want her to keep hiding. She's been hiding her whole life, and now that she's finally herself, I'm not going to force her to hide again. Maybe when I come out openly and she's no longer living with her parents, we can talk about it," said Rumi.

"But it might be too late. And you know it's hurting you not to have her the way you'd like to. I mean it, talk to her, it'll be good for both of you."

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you, Jinu," said Rumi, hugging him.

"Thank you for talking to me," said Jinu, hugging her back.

"See you in class next week," said Rumi as she walked toward the exit.

"If you feel like meeting up for ice cream or a walk, let me know," said Jinu, accompanying her to the door.

"I'll keep that in mind, but I already have plans. I'll let you know."

"Annyeong (goodbye in Korean)," said Jinu.

"God bwayo (see you soon)," replied Rumi, walking out the door.

———————–——————————

Rumi walked through the door of her house. Celine was on the sofa in the living room. Rumi could see her perfectly well, but she decided to ignore her and went upstairs to her room and closed the door.

Celine knew she had come home, but she didn't care. She didn't even look up from the book she was reading. She didn't care who she had been with or where, the important thing was that she had come back to her. As always. Celine knew perfectly well how dependent Rumi was and how she needed someone to take care of her, no matter if it was good or bad.

The girl with the braid sat on her bed, thinking about a little bit of everything. But mostly she was thinking about Mira, hoping that her parents hadn't realized she had run away. And if they had realized, that they wouldn't punish Mira too much.

After a few minutes of doing nothing, she took out her headphones and her laptop. She went to YouTube and searched for: Basic things you need to know to learn how to sing.

She skimmed through several videos until she stopped at one with a thumbnail interesting enough to click on. Rumi took out a small notebook and a black pen to take notes.

After that video, another one appeared, and another, and another, and another.

The purple-haired girl spent the whole day watching videos and taking notes. She didn't take a break, not even to eat, drink, or go to the bathroom.

And so the rest of the week passed, until classes started. To keep herself distracted and to prove to Mira that she was useful to the band, or useful in general.

She didn't want her to leave her side.

Chapter Text

The air felt thick, as if it were poisoned. A house suffocating, with barely any space to breathe properly.

Zoey was lying in her bed. She hadn't moved for days, as if she had turned into a stone statue without feelings. But she did feel, she felt too much.

She listened, listening to the screams traveling through that rotten air to her room.

She smelled, smelling the scent of tobacco and alcohol seeping into her room under the door.

She saw, blurry, as if she were unconscious. But she was, too, conscious of everything.

Even so, she couldn't do anything. What could a 13-year-old girl do in that situation? She couldn't even tell anyone what was happening to her. The only thing she could do was leave her room.

And by doing that, she wasn't solving anything either; she was just running away. From her home, from the world in general.

The girl got up, leaving behind her unmade bed with its crumpled sheets. She changed out of her short-sleeved pajama top and into a large, loose-fitting sweatshirt.

She opened the door and walked straight out of the house. Her parents were in the living room, arguing for the fifth time this week, and it was only Wednesday. Zoey hated the holidays because she had to stay home all day putting up with the shouting, the breaking glass, and the crying.

She didn't like being in class either. At home, she had some good, fun days, but not at school.

She locked herself in her room again, too exhausted to go out. She shouldn't run away from her problems; she should just put up with them and swallow everything that happened to her. It wasn't that important. Neither her issues nor herself were significant; that's what she learned at school.

Then there was a loud noise.

At first, it was a loud bang, as if someone had fallen. Or as if someone had pushed another person.

A few seconds later, it turned into a vibration accompanied by a small beeping sound, which grew louder and louder. With each passing second, it became more unbearable.

Zoey woke up, feeling somehow scared, her eyes still blurry, but she could hear the beeping. The girl blinked a couple of times and remembered where she was, new apartment, she had forgotten.

She looked for her phone to stop that beep, which had turned into a Steven Universe song that she had as her ringtone, and wished she hadn't seen it.

Her father was calling.

What was he doing calling at 3 a.m.?

Time zone, right. It was noon in Los Angeles.

Zoey hesitated over whether to answer or not.

"Buns, sorry for not answering. I was super busy. How's my girl?" A hoarse, almost voiceless voice could be heard. In the background, there were quite a few people talking and some music playing.

"Hi, Dad. Don't worry, I'm fine," said Zoey, who missed her father's voice a little.

"I don't have much time. Why did you call me?"

"I called you a week ago because I had just arrived in Korea, so you'd know."

"You've already gone to Korea? You didn't even say goodbye to me."

"I tried to meet up with you, but you said you were too busy. I couldn't delay my flight any longer."

"Well, have you started classes yet?"

"I'm starting today at 8."

"Wait, what time is it?"

"It's a little past three for me, I don't know about you."

"Go to sleep, come on, you need to rest. Let me know how classes are going. Bye, Buns."

And before Zoey could say goodbye, he had already hung up. Typical of him. The girl took advantage of being awake to go to the kitchen for a glass of water.

The girl had trouble falling back asleep. She had just realized that tomorrow would be her first day, and she had to make a good impression. In the end, she fell asleep with several thoughts running through her head.

———————–——————————

Zoey was wearing a loose-fitting pastel green T-shirt, baggy beige pants, and Converse in the same green as her shirt. She wore simple makeup, slightly darker green eyeliner with a few touches of gold glitter.

She carried a military green backpack with some pins of turtles and TV shows that Zoey likes. Inside, she had a notebook, a pencil case, and a bottle of water.

She had gotten up very early to shower and get ready. She was usually late to almost everything, but not this time. This time she had plenty of time, with half an hour to spare before classes started.

She spent her free time playing the drums a little. She hadn't played since she moved, and it was a good way to kill time. She started improvising a little and then let herself go. She did what felt right, as if she was solving a puzzle with pieces of different sizes that surprisingly fit together well.

And just as she was getting into the groove, someone rang the doorbell.

Baby was downstairs waiting for her so they could go to the Academy together. The girl grabbed her messenger bag and took the elevator down.

"I think that's your record time, you're faster than usual," said Baby when she saw Zoey.

"See, I'm getting better," Zoey said, nudging Baby as they started walking.

The Academy was two blocks away, so Zoey and Baby barely had time to talk, exchanging only a few words.

"They're going to seat us in groups of three. Sit with Mistery and me. You can introduce yourself during break or between classes."

Zoey nodded, without much else to say.

They both entered the classroom, where several students were already waiting, including Mistery.

"Hi, Zoey. Nervous?" asked the boy.

"No... well, maybe a little... too much, I'm going to have a heart attack."

"Don't worry, I'm sure people will like you. Sit with..." said Mystery before a voice interrupted him.

"You can sit with me if you want," said Rumi, at the back of the class.

Zoey smiled. "Sure," she said as she approached the table next to her.

The two boys looked at each other, puzzled.

"Jeon-eun Rumi-yeyo. Il-eum-i mwoyeyo?" Rumi said, extending her hand to the girl in greeting.

Zoey looked confused and said in an embarrassed tone, "I don't speak Korean..."

"My name is Rumi. What's your name?" As she spoke, her tone of voice became sweeter.

"Zoey. I'm new here," she said, shaking her hand as if she didn't know who she was.

"Yeah, I know. I figured it out. I've never seen you around here before. If you need help with anything, let me know. It's not easy to adapt, especially if you don't know the language," said Rumi as she took out a notebook and opened it on the desk.

"Thanks, I appreciate it," said Zoey, sitting down, still a little embarrassed and somewhat shy.

She began to take her things out of the bag she was carrying. Meanwhile, she looked around the classroom, noticing the door. A tall girl with pink hair and glasses entered the classroom, wearing long pants and a loose-fitting T-shirt, with a light blue backpack on her back. She walked heavily, her tired eyes directed toward the desk next to Zoey.

She put her things down without asking if the seat was taken, as if she already knew it was hers. She left her backpack hanging on the chair and sat down, staring into space, lost in thought.

"Hi, Mimi," said Rumi, smiling at her. Mira smiled back without saying anything. "Did you get a haircut?"

Mira's expression immediately changed, filled with anger at her new look. That week had been unbearable.

"It suits you, you look really cute," said Zoey, who had noticed Mira's expression. She said it quite normally, as if she had known her before. The girl with black hair was standing between Rumi and Mira, and they were both surprised. Mira blushed a little and looked her in the eyes.

"And who are you?" she said in a dry, almost defiant tone.

"Zoey Ollie, nice to meet you," said the girl, smiling at her.

"Kang Mira," she said, getting up to talk to Rumi. "Why is she sitting with us? We hardly know her," she whispered so Zoey wouldn't hear.

"She seems nice. Would you rather sit with Romance?" whispered Rumi.

"I don't trust her."

"Mira, you never trust anyone."

"Whatever, I'm not going to talk to her much," they continued whispering.

"Poor thing, give her a chance. She doesn't even speak Korean."

"Where is she from? What is she doing in Korea if she doesn't speak Korean?"

"Ask her," said Rumi as she got up to greet Jinu, who had just arrived in class.

"So, Ollie..." Mira began.

"Actually, my name is Zoey. Ollie is my last name," Zoey corrected her.

"Well, Zoey, where are you from? Rumi told me you don't speak Korean."

"From the United States, from a town in Los Angeles."

"If you need anything, ask Rumi. I don't want you bothering me," said Mira as she took out her notebook and looked at Jinu.

"Okay," said Zoey without much objection, still smiling.

That's when a short man with a small mustache entered the classroom and stood in front of the students, waiting for everyone to take their seats.

"Hello, everyone! I'm Bobby, your tutor for this year and music teacher. We're going to spend the first day introducing ourselves, although I guess you all know each other already. Let's see... you, the girl in the back, introduce yourself," said the teacher in a cheerful and enthusiastic tone.

"My name is Zoey Ollie, and I've come from America to study," said the girl with a smile.

"It's obvious," said a boy who was with the twins.

"What do you mean?" asked Zoey.

"You don't have a Korean body, you're kind of too fat to be Korean. No offense, you're not bad, but you can tell," replied the boy indifferently.

"Alex, you're not funny. You're better off keeping quiet," said Mystery.

"Guys, don't fight. But he's right, Alex, no need to comment. Nice to meet you, Zoey," said Bobby.

And so the introductions continued, but Zoey was lost in her own thoughts. 'Is that Alex guy really right? I've always been told that I'm very skinny, but I guess compared to the other girls, I might be a little fat... Look at Rumi or any of the other girls in the class, they all have very similar bodies, thinner. I like my body, I think it's fine, isn't it? But in Korea, there's a stricter standard of beauty, I'll have to adapt to fit in.'

That's when a voice next to her pulled her out of her thoughts.

"My name is Mira, I've been coming to this academy since I was little."

"Tranny!" shouted the same boy, laughing to himself.

"Shut the fuck up, Alex," Zoey jumped in to defend Mira.

"What's wrong with you, man? You're pathetic, asshole," said Rumi, giving the boy the middle finger.

"I didn't know you had two girlfriends to defend you now. Have the balls to defend yourself," said Alex, addressing Mira. She remained silent, ignoring the boy while writing something on a piece of paper.

"Alex, if you make another comment like that during the presentations, I'm going to have to send you to the principal's office," Bobby said, his tone becoming more threatening.

"Okay, okay, I didn't know it was wrong to tell the truth," the boy said, stopping playing with his pencils.

The presentations continued, and Zoey heard a voice whispering.

"I swear I'll kill him," Rumi whispered to herself.

"I'm with you, I have several methods of torture," said Zoey, speaking in the same tone.

"Just ignore him, he's not worth it," said Mira, without looking up from her notebook.

"But what he said to you isn't right, he was very disrespectful," said Zoey.

"He always is, don't bother getting angry, I'm used to his irritating voice," replied Mira.

"But..." Zoey tried to protest.

"Mira's right, don't pay any attention to him," said Rumi.

"Since I see that quite a few people are talking, let's go for a walk around the outside of the Academy so you can get to know each other better," said Bobby, opening the door. "Be quiet when you go out, I don't want us to get in trouble."

All the students lined up and went out to one of the courts. Zoey took the opportunity to join Mystery and Baby again.

"Are they nice?" asked Mystery.

"Yes, at least Rumi is. I think Mira has taken a dislike to me for sitting with them without them knowing me, but I think they'll end up accepting me as part of the group, eventually. I hope," explained Zoey. "How about Romance? I saw him sitting with you guys."

"Well, he's actually nice," said Mystery.

"He never shuts up," said Baby.

"Just like me," said Zoey, somewhat playfully.

"Yeah, but I don't need two Zoeys in my life," replied Baby.

"Ollie, do you want to get to know each other better? You seem nice," said Abby as she approached her, Jinu behind him.

"It's Zoey, but okay. I'll be right there, wait," replied Zoey. She looked around and spotted Mira talking to the twins and Rumi, who was approaching Mystery.

"I'll steal him away for a moment, I want to talk to him," said Rumi, grabbing Mystery by the arm and walking away.

Zoey then went to join the other two boys who were waiting for her.

"Hi, Ollie. We're Abby and Jinu. Since we're going to be in the same class for the whole year, I think it would be best if we got along. Don't you think?" said Abby.

"Yes, and if we want to get along, you're going to have to learn my name. Ollie is my last name, my first name is Zoey."

"Well, Zoey, tell us more about yourself," said Jinu as the three sat on the bench and talked for a while.

———————–—————————

"Tell me everything you know about Zoey," said Rumi.

"Why don't you ask her? That's literally why we came out here, to get to know each other," said Mystery.

"Because right now she's talking to Jinu and Abby, and I wouldn't know what to ask her. I'm just curious to know more about her."

"Well, wait until she's done. I don't know much about her."

"But I saw you in the park a week ago, so you must know something."

"Literally, all I know is that she has a scholarship to study here and that she likes turtles. I don't have any more information. I'm telling you, go talk to her," said Mystery.

"Okay, I'll go now," said Rumi, walking away.

———————–—————————

Mira, on the other hand, was talking to the twins.

"The fact that your names rhyme is intentional, right?" asked Mira.

"Yes, our parents thought they were very funny," said Dess.

"So funny that they died laughing," added Jess.

They both started laughing, Mira not knowing what to do or where to look.

"Sorry, sorry. Sometimes we get a little carried away," said Jess as her sister continued laughing. "I hope we didn't scare you, girl."

"No way, I actually like you guys. And that's hard to come by," said Mira.

"The hard part is that you like my sister. She's a weirdo," said Jess.

"Hey, don't make me look bad," said Dess, blushing a little. "At least I don't like guys who are clearly gay."

"Abby isn't gay, she was trying to hit on the American girl a little while ago. And don't tell me he's not hot," Jess began.

Mira and Dess looked at each other, not quite convinced by what Jess had just said.

"But that doesn't count, you both like girls."

"I like guys too, and it's no big deal," Dess said to her sister.

"The thing is, you're already drooling over Ollie," Jess said.

"That's not true, I just think she's cute. I haven't even talked to her," Dess said, her ears turning a faint shade of red.

"Do you want me to talk to her? She sits next to me in class, I'm sure I can convince her to talk to you. You can tell she's desperate for friends," said Mira.

"No need, I don't want to get into anything serious right now. I'll talk to her at some point, but just as friends," said Dess.

"Yeah, right. I'll be right back, give me a moment," said Mira as she walked away.

"That girl is going to get you a date," said Jess, nudging her sister.

"Why do you have to open your mouth? How embarrassing," said Dess.

———————–—————————

"Jinu, do you mind if I steal Zoey for a moment?" asked Rumi.

"Go ahead."

"So, Zoey. How are you doing in Korea? Are you adjusting well?" Rumi asked as they both walked away from the group of boys.

"I'm doing fine. The whole atmosphere is still a little strange to me, but everything's okay," Zoey replied, smiling.

"I'm glad. By the way, don't listen to Alex, he's just an asshole who doesn't know what he's talking about," Rumi began.

"You have to ignore what people think of you, that's the only way you'll survive the course," said Mira, appearing behind Zoey.

"I'm used to people talking badly about me, and I don't care what they think of me," Zoey said, still smiling. She cared, she cared too much about what people thought of her. Zoey molded herself to people's thoughts with the intention of making everyone like her.

"Well, then you won't have any problems," said Mira, as cold as ever. "By the way, do you like girls? I'm asking for Dess, one of the twins."

"Uh, yeah, I'm pansexual, but I'm not really interested. I haven't even talked to her. I need to get to know a person before I can feel anything for them, you know?" explained Zoey.

"But a girl could have a chance with you if she focused on getting to know you, right?" insisted Mira.

"I guess."

Rumi was caught in the middle of the conversation. Mira liked Zoey; she had already imagined a scenario in her head. Why else would she be so insistent with her? Her friend was just a cheap excuse to find out if she had a chance. She had probably already forgotten about Rumi, and she had every right to, but something inside her burned a little. Anyway, if it made Mira happy, it would be best if Zoey and Mira ended up together. Rumi knew that when Mira liked someone, she had a hard time approaching and opening up to that person. At least, that's how it was with her.

Mira was about to walk away when Rumi's voice made her turn around.

"Stay a little longer so we can get to know each other a little better. Aren't you curious about a new American girl?" Rumi said, trying to get them to interact in an attempt to help Zoey.

"Only because you asked me to," Mira said, walking back toward the girls.

"Would you prefer us to call you Ollie or Zoey?" Rumi asked. "We don't want to call you by a name you don't like, right, Mira?"

The girl nodded.

"Well, normally everyone calls me Zoey, although I must admit I like Ollie too. You can call me whatever you want, but I prefer Zoey."

"Okay, Zoey. Do you have any hobbies or pastimes?" Rumi asked in a gentle tone, as if she were talking to a child without making her feel silly.

"Of course she does, she's not going to stare at the ceiling all day," said Mira.

"Don't you think. When I'm bored, that's what I do," said Zoey, leaving the room in a slightly awkward silence before she started laughing. "Joking aside, I like drawing, watching TV series, playing the drums, playing video games, and going for walks. Oh, and finding out things about turtles."

"Wait," said Mira. "You play the drums?"

"Aha."

"But, like, good or like, 'I have one but I don't know how to play it so I just hit everything at the same time'?" asked Mira.

"Like, 'I've never taken lessons but I've been watching YouTube tutorials for three years and I know how it works even though I'm not a pro.'"

"I think she'll work for us," said Rumi.

"Yes, but we could still hold auditions just in case," replied Mira.

"Wait, I'm lost. What are we talking about?" Zoey interjected.

"We were thinking of starting a rock band to make some money, so we're going to hold auditions. You could join us," Rumi offered.

"We still have to get everything ready, but I think we could start next week. I'm sure Bobby will let us use the music room. He seems nice," said Mira.

"That sounds amazing. Let me know when I can join," said Zoey enthusiastically. "What hobbies do you guys have?"

"I play bass and study, I don't do much else," Mira replied.

"I usually meet up with Jinu to study or hang out," Rumi replied.

"Who's Jinu?" Zoey asked genuinely.

"Her boyfriend," Mira replied.

"No, I know that. I mean in person, I don't remember who he is."

"Oh, you were talking to him and Abby earlier. The one with black hair," said Mira.

"Wait, how do you know we're dating?" asked Rumi, somewhat confused.

"Well... let's just say I met up with Romance one day and he told me everything about everyone."

"How much do you know about us?" asked Mira.

"I just remember there was some drama between you two and not much else," said Zoey, smiling.

The girls' reaction was somewhat tense, trying not to make eye contact with each other, their eyes fixed on the floor. Zoey could feel the awkwardness of the moment in her bones.

"He also told me that Mystery has fourteen dogs," she said, trying to change the subject.

"WHAT?" they both shouted at once.

"Surprising, I know. He's a boy raised by wolves, like Mowgli from The Jungle Book," she said, laughing a little. Both girls stared at her. "Haven't you seen The Jungle Book? It's like, a Disney classic."

"I'm not really into movies, I'm more into listening to music and reading," said Mira.

"I didn't even have a TV at home," replied Rumi.

"Oh. My. God. We already have a plan for our first date, a walk through the animated classics," said Zoey excitedly.

"I'm not going to meet up with you, I barely know you," said Mira in a slightly rude tone.

"Okay, you need time, I understand."

"And space, don't get so close to me, you're overwhelming me."

"Mira, I understand you don't want to hang out with her, but try to say it a little more nicely, please," said Rumi.

"She has to earn my kindness, at least at first," said Mira as she walked away.

Mira walked off toward the twins, and Rumi stayed with Zoey.

"Great, now she doesn't like me. It's okay, I'll do my best to earn her trust and kindness," said Zoey, starting with a somewhat sad tone, but quickly changing to a cheerful one.

"She doesn't dislike you, she's just like that. You'll see, in a week she'll be the one talking to you. You don't have to earn anything," Rumi said, smiling at her in a friendly tone. "I can meet up, and if I go, Mira will definitely show up, believe me. Besides, I want you to get to know us for who we are, not for what that gossip said about us."

"So, are we meeting up?" Rumi nodded and Zoey's face lit up. It was her first day and she already had a potential friend. "In the park next door at 5 p.m., okay?"

"Perfect, I'll let Mira know. Do you want to keep talking here in the meantime?"

"I'd love to. Is your hair natural? Is it a wig, dyed, or were you born with it? Doesn't it hurt to have your braid so tight? Your hair is going to fall out," said Zoey, speaking quickly.

"Yes, I was born with it, it's not tight, and I'm not going to go bald. My hair is healthy," replied Rumi.

"What's your favorite color? If you had to choose one piece of cutlery to eat with for the rest of your life, what would it be? Do you think sea otters or river otters are better? Who's your favorite teenage mutant ninja turtle? What's your favorite yogurt flavor?" Zoey continued talking, as if she had just learned to speak.

"Wow, hold on. Gold or orange. Fork? Probably, yes, fork. I didn't know there was more than one type of otter, but I don't like going to the beach, so river, I guess. Jinu once taught me about ninja turtles and I like the purple, I don't know its name. I really like the taste of coconut and vanilla," she sighed when she finished talking. "How can you talk so fast?"

"I wasn't talking fast, that's how I normally talk," Zoey replied. "And his name is Donatello."

"Wow. It's going to be hard for me to keep up with you then."

"I'm not like this all the time, you know. I'm just excited, you know, first day meeting people, sorry about that. Ask me questions so I'll shut up for a while," Zoey said somewhat hastily.

"Don't apologize, it's normal to be excited. Talk as much as you want," Rumi said, giving her a friendly smile, like a shop assistant who has just given a child a candy and the child is excited.

Before Zoey could respond, she felt a bump on the back of her neck.

"Have you gotten yourself a girlfriend yet, Ameri-pig?" Alex said as he put his arm around her shoulders.

"Hahaha, that's a good nickname. I was thinking something like 'Burguer Queen,'" Norman laughed behind them.

"I prefer Burger Queen, it's my favorite food," said Zoey, still smiling.

"Norman, we have the perfect target this year. I don't think she knows how to defend herself. All she does is fake a smile. We can do whatever we want to her," Alex whispered in Norman's ear.

"Alex, go fuck yourself, leave her alone," Rumi said in a somewhat angry tone.

"Or else what?" Alex said, pulling Zoey a little closer to her.

"Rumi, let it go, it's fine," Zoey said, smiling at Rumi.

"Listen to what your little friend said, go away, we want to talk to her, alone," said Alex.

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to leave you alone with her," said Rumi, approaching the boy. That's when Norman grabbed Rumi by the arm. Both Zoey and Rumi were small compared to the other boys. Rumi tried to stand up to them, while Zoey knew it was useless. "Let go of me. You know you're going to get sent to the principal's office, and we all know what Gwi-ma is like."

"We don't care, my mom is the head of studies this year. They won't do anything to us," said Alex as he turned away, still with his arm around Zoey. "So, since when do you like burgers? You must have started eating them very early to be like this now."

"Well... Since I was little, my parents took me to McDonald's and I really liked them," said Zoey, smiling as she looked at the ground. Her smile was fading more and more, but she didn't like to show that side of herself to people. She just answered questions until they got tired of asking, no matter how silly or ironic they were.

They both continued walking in the opposite direction from where Rumi was.

Someone's voice made Alex turn around immediately.

"What the hell are you doing with her?"

Zoey turned her head and found herself face-to-face with Mira.

"Don't worry, I'm just getting to know Ollie a little better. Right?" said Alex confidently.

Zoey nodded, still smiling and looking at the ground, unable to look at the girl in front of her.

"Let her go, she's clearly uncomfortable," Mira said.

"What if I don't let her go?" Alex said, mocking her.

Mira stepped closer and came face to face with Alex, who had to lift his head to make eye contact. That's when he swallowed hard. Mira whispered something in his ear that made Alex let go of Zoey and walk away.

"Thank you," said Zoey, a little embarrassed.

"How could you go with him?" asked Mira in an aggressive tone, almost as if she was angry.

"He wasn't going to do anything to me, he was... trying to be nice to me. In his own way."

"Zoey, he was hitting on you," said Rumi, who had just arrived.

"I don't think so, I was the one who wanted to go with him," Zoey replied with a smile.

"Did you really want to go with him?" Rumi asked, softening her voice.

"Yes, he wanted to talk to me," Zoey said, still smiling.

"He wanted to make fun of you, and you said, 'Go ahead, today is the day to mess with Zoey.' Now they're going to be after you all year," said Mira.

"Mira's right. Don't stray too far from us, okay?" said Rumi.

"But I'm fine. He was being nice to me," said Zoey, defending Alex.

"Are you stupid? He was making fun of you. Rumi told me about the nicknames and everything. They're teasing you. Do I have to write it on my forehead for you to understand, or what?" said Mira, snorting.

"I know, but I'd rather think he was being nice to me. He asked me about my favorite food is, and he remembered what it is," said Zoey as she started walking.

"What exactly did he ask you?" said Rumi, following the girl.

"It doesn't matter. If he wants to mess with me, let him. He's not going to do anything to me that they haven't already done. At least I can be someone's outlet. You'll see, he'll get tired of me soon. I know what I'm talking about," said Zoey. "We should go back to class. I heard Bobby calling us earlier."

"Zoey..." said Rumi.

"Yes?" said the girl, turning around with a cheerful smile on her face and an enthusiastic tone.

"Don't listen to what he said, okay?" said Rumi, trying to form a half-smile on her face.

"I know, I don't care what he says about me, I already told you," Zoey lied to try to lighten the mood.

"Okay, let me know if anything happens. I'm going to go talk to Jinu. MiMi, please walk her to class, or at least take her to Mystery and Baby. Apparently, they know each other and are friends," said Rumi, winking at Mira and walking over to where Jinu and Abby were.

Mira's heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, her soul left her body. Her ears turned pink and a small smile appeared on her face.

"Looks like someone's in love," said Zoey as she watched Mira's face with her eyes half-closed, studying her expression.

"When did I say you could talk to me? Please don't bother me. I'm doing this because Rumi asked me to," said Mira, without looking up.

"You're really in love," said Zoey, grabbing Mira's arm.

"I didn't give you permission to stick to me like a flea."

"You're not going to die from a little contact."

"And you're not going to fall because you're not holding on. I'm not a cane."

"Yeah, but I like having my arm here," said Zoey, still not letting go of Mira.

"You don't deserve my time," sighed Mira. In any case, Mira didn't move away, nor did she move closer. She simply let Zoey walk beside her while she clung to her arm.

Zoey let go of Mira's arm. She had seen Baby and was already bothering Mira too much. Surely she was a little tired of her and needed some space. However, when Zoey walked away, a voice made her stop.

"Where are you going?" Mira asked.

"With Baby. You've had enough physical contact with this stranger for today," Zoey said, giving her another one of her smiles.

"I can take a little more. I can walk you to class if you want. I don't care," Mira said in an indifferent tone.

"Oh, okay. You don't dislike me after all," said Zoey, grabbing Mira's arm again.

"I still don't trust you, stranger," replied Mira as she started walking.

"Well, at least you don't hate me."

So they both walked to class. They did nothing for the next few hours; some teachers introduced themselves and little else. They let the students go home early; there was no point in keeping them if they weren't going to do anything productive.

Zoey arrived home tired, even though she hadn't really done anything. It was lunchtime, and Zoey opened the refrigerator to see what she could cook. However, once she looked inside, she realized that she didn't really feel like eating anything. Maybe in a few hours she would get hungry.

Instead of grabbing something to eat, she took a cigarette out of her pocket and went out onto the balcony, where she sat, looking at the Academy and remembering everything that had happened. Her gaze drifted to the park where she had been. She decided to take a nap before starting to get ready; she was really tired.

Chapter Text

"She tells us to meet up, and she's late?" Mira began to complain as she sat on a park bench. "I don't even know why I came, I don't know her."

"That's why you came, because deep down you're interested in meeting her," said Rumi.

"No, I just felt sorry about what happened this morning. When is she coming?"

"She said around five in the park," said Rumi as she checked her phone for the third time in a minute. "What if something happened to her? It's almost half past five."

"Don't you think you're worrying a little too much? Maybe she's just lost," said Mira in an indifferent tone. She turned and saw that Rumi was really worried, her leg moving restlessly, anxiously. Mira placed her hand gently on Rumi's thigh in an attempt to calm her down and let her know she was there. "Hey, if it makes you feel better, you can call Mystery. Weren't they friends? I'm sure he has her number and can talk to her."

Rumi placed her hand on top of Mira's, making a small grabbing gesture. Mira thought that the girl with purple hair intended to push her hand away, perhaps because it made her uncomfortable. However, Rumi let both hands, now together, rest on her leg. She gave Mira a somewhat embarrassed smile.

"You're right, I'm sure Mystery knows something," she said as she took her phone out of her sweatshirt pocket with her free hand. She searched her contact list for Mystery Academy and called him.

They both started talking, but the only thing Mira could focus on was the warmth radiating from Rumi's palm onto her hand. Rumi's leg had stopped moving when it touched Mira's. The more she thought about it, the more Mira's face turned pink.

"Mystery, hi, how's it going?" Rumi said when the boy answered the call.

"What do you want?"

"Listen, we were supposed to meet Zoey at five. It's been half an hour and she still hasn't shown up. And since you're such a good friend of hers, we were wondering if..."

"I'll call her now, then I'll send you a message when she answers," Mystery finished the sentence.

"Thanks, I owe you one," Rumi replied.

"Several, actually," said Mystery before hanging up.

"Rude, he didn't even say goodbye to me. He says he'll call her and text us when he hears from her," said Rumi as she put her phone back in her pocket.

Rumi's eyes met Mira's, still a little flushed from the contact.

"Are you okay?" Rumi asked when she saw the other girl.

"Y-Yes, don't worry. Let me know when Mystery gets back to you, and stuff," Mira said a little nervously, trying to avoid Rumi's gaze.

The girl clearly noticed and looked for signs that something might be wrong, if she was doing something that might make Mira uncomfortable. And for a moment, she became aware again of the pressure she was putting on Mira's hand. She hadn't moved her hand the whole time. Not even during the call. Shit.

"Sorry, I didn't realize. I thought I had let go when I called Mystery, I'm so sorry," Rumi said hurriedly as she quickly moved her hand away from where it was.

"It's okay, it didn't bother me though," Mira said as she awkwardly put both hands in her pants pockets.

There was an awkward silence between the two for a long minute.

"Mystery says Zoey is on her way, she won't be long," Rumi said, breaking the silence.

"Good," was the only word Mira could say before they both fell silent again.

———————–——————————

"Hi, Faceless, wassup?" Zoey said as she took Mystery's call.

"What are you doing?" the boy asked.

"Playing Switch, Slime Rancher, to be more specific. I've been wanting to try it out for weeks and I finally have time. Do you want to meet up or something?" Zoey replied.

"I don't feel like meeting up, but it turns out there are two girls in the park waiting for you to show up. They've been waiting for a good half hour for an American girl to show up."

"NO WAY, I FORGOT," said Zoey, putting the call on speaker and checking her calendar app. "OF COURSE, IF I DIDN'T WRITE IT DOWN, YOU IDIOT."

"Relax, you can tell them something came up and you'll meet up tomorrow," suggested Mistery.

"Tell them I'm on my way, I'll be there in five minutes," said the girl as she put on her shoes and grabbed a bag from her room where she kept her keys.

"Thanks for taking my advice, bye."

"Byeeee," said Zoey as she walked out the door and hung up on Mystery.

How could she have forgotten something like that? A couple of hours ago, she was thrilled to be meeting up with the first friends she had made. Why had she been so easily distracted by the switch? Even Zoey didn't know. It just happened. There wasn't much she could do now. Maybe she could make it up to the girls somehow, although she still didn't know how.

———————–——————————

"Hello," said Zoey as she sat down on the bench where the girls were sitting, trying to catch her breath.

"Hello," replied Rumi. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, it's just that," Zoey took another breath, "I'm not very used to running."

"A little more and you'll arrive tomorrow. Why did it take you so long?" Mira said in a somewhat challenging tone.

"I had to do that thing and..." Zoey stopped talking when she saw that the other two girls weren't believing anything she was saying. "Does that sound convincing?"

Mira and Rumi shook their heads the moment the words came out of Zoey's mouth.

"I forgot we had plans..." Zoey said, embarrassed to say it out loud.

"But you were jumping up and down with excitement about meeting us earlier!" Mira complained.

"I know, okay? I forgot to write it down in my planner, which is what helps me remember and organize things. Sorry."

"Don't apologize. We just didn't know if something had happened to you, and Mira was worried," Rumi replied.

"I wasn't worried, I was angry. And I'm still angry," Mira replied, crossing her arms.

"Weren't you worried about me?" she asked in an offended tone.

"No, not at all. She was the one who was nervous," she said, pointing at Rumi.

"Don't exaggerate, I was a little worried that you might have gotten lost or something," Rumi tried to justify herself.

"Aw, you were worried about me, how cute" Zoey said with a smile. Before the girls could say anything, she spoke again. "So, what are we going to do? I don't know the area very well, so you're going to be my guides."

"Well, we could go get some coffee," Rumi suggested.

"She doesn't give me that vibe, to be honest," said Mira, not letting Zoey respond to the suggestion. Mira had excellent intuition and knew how to notice small details that could say a lot about people.

"Wow," said Zoey.

"Am I right or not?" asked Mira in an arrogant tone, as if she already knew the answer.

"Actually, yes. I'm not really a coffee person. I mean, I like it, but I don't drink it very often, only when I'm studying. Anyway, if you want to go for coffee, we can go, I don't have a problem with that," Zoey replied.

"If you don't want to go, it's no fun, we can think of somewhere else," said Rumi.

"N-no, no, if you want to go, then I want to go too. You really don't have to bother with that for me."

"Boba?" asked Mira.

"Sounds good, I went with Jinu the other day and saw that they have a new cherry flavor. As soon as I saw it, I said, 'I'm sure Mira would like it.' What do you think, Zoey?" said Rumi.

Zoey could feel the two girls' eyes fixed on her, waiting for an answer.

"I..." she said, a little perplexed. She wasn't used to being included so much or to anyone asking her opinion. "I think it sounds good, yes."

"Perfect! Let's go then, it's not far from here," said Rumi as she led the way.

Mira and Zoey followed her. Mira in her usual silence and Zoey whistling a tune as she tried to find a good topic of conversation.

'Think, Zoey, think. It has to be a topic that might interest them, but without seeming annoying. Something superficial so you don't talk too much, or take an interest in things about them. That's a good option, asking questions and letting them answer. But what can I ask them without sounding weird? Why is it so hard? You're risking your first friends liking you, I have to make a good impression."

"So, how did you meet Mystery?" Rumi asked, pulling Zoey out of her thoughts.

"Baby introduced me to him. He picked me up at the airport and helped me move."

"That's totally something Mystery would do," Rumi replied, laughing a little at the end.

"How do you know he's my friend?" Zoey asked, quite curious, not remembering mentioning it at any point.

"I talked to him a little and I've seen you together several times, so I assumed," Rumi said.

"Wait a minute..." Zoey stared at Rumi, as if trying to remember something. "You're the girl from the park! The one who looked like a homeless person a week ago. Do you remember? I looked back and you were gone, like you were a magician."

"You were that girl? I had no idea," said Rumi, trying not to sound like a stalker.

"What do you mean, you looked like a homeless person?" asked Mira.

"You were sitting on a bench, wearing a hoodie and your hair was messy," Zoey began to describe.

"Rumi, did you sleep in the park?" Mira asked, with a hint of concern on her face, camouflaged by a mask of anger.

"What? No! Why are you looking at me like that? I was waiting for Jinu to reply so I could go to his house and review all the school material," Rumi lied.

"We'll talk about that later," said the girl with glasses.

Mira was very good at reading people, when they lied, when they told the truth, when they hid things. She didn't know why Rumi slept in the park, much less why she was lying to her so blatantly. But one thing was clear: something was wrong, and Rumi didn't want to tell her. Maybe she didn't trust her anymore, maybe she was afraid. Or maybe now that she was telling her new boyfriend everything, she no longer needed to know about her private affairs. She wasn't even useful as a support for Rumi anymore.

There was a long and uncomfortable silence for all three of them.

"Did you know that there are species of turtles with teeth stronger than humans?" Zoey said to break the silence.

"Really?" said Rumi, quite surprised.

"Nope, I just made that up," replied Zoey, and before she could say anything, she heard laughter.

Mira had one hand covering her mouth while a sound similar to laughter lingered in the air. Her eyes were closed and her cheeks were pink.

That made Zoey smile proudly.

"Rumi, she doesn't dislike me anymore. She's laughing because of me," Zoey said, still smiling.

"I'm sure she already loves you now," Rumi replied, and they both started laughing.

Mira gave them a defiant look as she stopped laughing.

"I'm going to bury you alive and let moles eat your skin," said Mira.

"You're not going to do that," said Rumi, still giggling.

"I'd love to."

———————–——————————

The three girls entered a cozy shop with plants hanging from the walls in pots and pastel colors that matched the furniture. There were a couple of occupied tables, a group of girls, and some parents with their son. To the left was a sofa with a table and a couple of chairs in front of it. Rumi sat on the sofa, and Zoey sat on a wooden chair painted pastel pink.

From that table, they could see the street and the people passing by. Most were in a hurry, and very few stopped to waste time or listen to a musician on the sidewalk across the street.

"Zoey, what flavor do you want your bubble tea?" asked Mira, who had not yet sat down at the table.

"Oh, I'm not very hungry. And I don't have any money with me, you guys order," replied Zoey.

"Really? You literally just said you wanted to come, and now you're not going to order anything? If it's because of the money, it's okay, it's on me," said Mira, trying to keep her tone of voice from sounding more aggressive than normal.

"No, no, it's not about the money. It's just that I ate a lot earlier and I'm not very hungry," said Zoey, knowing that wasn't true.

"What did you eat that you can't even have a drink?" asked Rumi, half joking, half serious.

"Rice. Why are you interrogating me? I feel harassed."

"We've walked a long way, one drink won't kill you," said Mira. "Are you going to tell me what flavor you want or what?"

"Mira, don't pressure her," said Rumi. "Are you sure you don't want anything? It would be nice to talk while the three of us have a drink. I feel a little bad that you have an empty table," said Rumi, speaking directly to Zoey.

Zoey took a breath before answering. "Do they have strawberry?"

"I'm pretty sure they do," replied Mira, her lips curving slightly at having convinced Zoey.

"And if they don't, we can report them for poor service," Rumi added.

Zoey laughed. And Rumi wished she could think of another joke or pun to hear that laugh again. And if she was lucky, maybe she could hear Mira's too. The girl walked away toward the counter to order their drinks.

"Wait, she hasn't asked you what you want," Zoey said, realizing aloud.

"She doesn't need to, it's not the first time we've come here together. And I always order the same thing," Rumi said with a proud smile, remembering the times she brought Mira there to talk.

"What flavor did you order?" Zoey said with a look of pure curiosity.

"You'll see, I don't think it'll be long before she comes back."

Mira appeared behind Zoey at that very moment, carrying a tray with three glasses on it. One was pink, another was a darker pink, almost maroon, and one was orange. They all looked delicious, but Zoey couldn't think about that.

"A strawberry one for Zoey and the usual for Rumi," said Mira, like a waitress, placing the three glasses on the table. Once she had left the glasses on the table, she returned to the counter to return the tray. She came back and sat down on the sofa next to Rumi.

"What did you order, MiMi?" Rumi asked as she took a sip from Mira's glass.

"What you recommended."

"Cherry," Rumi said. "It's good. Can I try yours, Zoey?" Rumi looked at the girl.

Zoey had her eyes fixed on the floor, her hands under the table, playing with her fingers to calm her nerves. She seemed to be in a different dimension.

When she heard her name, Zoey looked up and stared at Rumi with wide eyes. Something in her expression showed concern.

"Are you okay?" Rumi asked when she saw her face.

"Yes, I was just thinking. What did you want?" Zoey replied in a serious tone, still in her own world.

"Can I try some? It looks good, don't you think?" Rumi said, softening her tone and pointing to the glass.

"Yes, of course," Zoey replied.

"You can try mine if you want," Rumi said, trying to keep the conversation going and get Zoey to put any negative thoughts she might be having at that moment behind her.

"Same," Mira replied, trying to add something to the conversation.

"I'm fine," she said as she handed her glass to the girls. "You can finish it if you want."

"But it's yours, we can't drink it all. Are you sure you don't want it?" said Rumi, not intending to sound angry or upset.

"I already told you, I ate a lot earlier. I don't feel like it," said Zoey, looking down at the floor.

"You don't have to drink if you don't want to, okay? We're not trying to force you to do anything, if that's the reason. We understand. Just don't do this because of that jerk. Do you hear me?" said Mira, trying to sound less blunt than usual and show that she cared in her own way.

"God," Zoey said as she started to laugh a little, leaving the two girls perplexed. "I just told you I don't feel like a drink, you're making a big deal out of nothing. You can't care that much about me to be acting like this on the first day we've met. You're being dramatic."

"She's right about that," remarked Rumi.

"I guess," replied Mira. "I'm just angry at that asshole, that's all."

"Who isn't angry at Alex? Just looking at him makes you see red," said Rumi.

And there they were: Mira and Zoey's laughter, very slight, but it was there. Both laughs combined sounded like music to Rumi's ears. Her cheeks turned pink and she joined in the laughter.

"You're absolutely right," Zoey replied. "And I only met him today."

"Well, then. Shall we share the boba?" Rumi asked.

"No, Mira gets it, she paid for it," said Zoey, and before she could finish speaking, Rumi made a gasp of indignation.

"That's not fair."

"HAAAA, I'll take it, loser," said Mira, laughing at the girl with one brown eye and one yellowish-gold eye.

"You're cruel."

"If you let me finish, that's better," said Zoey, grabbing the pink cup before Mira could drink anything. "What will you give me in exchange for letting you drink?"

Rumi was caught off guard by the question. A little direct, wasn't it?

"What do you want in exchange? I can give you my soul if you want."

"What flavor is your bubble tea?" she said bluntly, curiosity killing her.

"Mango," Mira replied instead of Rumi.

"Hey, I wanted to have a more mysterious aura, you ruined the moment for me."

"Not sorry" Mira replied.

"Strawberries are better than mangoes," Zoey said in a disappointed tone.

"Did you just say what I think you just said?" Rumi said in an annoyed tone, obviously joking.

"Zoey, you just declared war on Rumi," said Mira, watching the scene unfold.

"I'm not saying I don't like it, it's not bad. I'm just not a fan," Zoey justified.

"What do you mean, it's not bad? It's the fruit of the gods, anything with mango in it is a delicacy," argued Rumi.

"Even shampoo-?" Mira interjected.

"I'm not talking to you right now, MiMi. I'm defending the best fruit in the world," Rumi cut her off before Mira could continue. "If mango isn't the best, what is, in your opinion?"

"Easy, grapes," Zoey said, Rumi took a breath in an offended manner as Zoey finished speaking.

"Grapes? Out of more than fifty fruits, grapes? Seriously?"

"Yup, especially green ones. I like them," said Zoey.

"Wow, just wow. You're weird," said Rumi.

"Yeah, it happens. At least my favorite fruit isn't pears, imagine that."

"Yep, you're right, it could be worse," Rumi replied, sounding calmer.

"Excuse me?" Mira said, now sounding offended.

"Don't tell me your favorite fruit is pears, MiMi," Zoey said.

"Don't call me that," Mira said curtly.

"But Rumi always calls you that," Zoey replied.

"Exactly, Rumi. Only she can call me that," Mira said with a very serious face.

"Okay, understood. I'll find my own way to call you..."

"No."

"Understood," Zoey said, fearing she had touched a raw nerve.

"And no, my favorite fruit isn't pear, but the hate for it is unjustified. It's not that bad," Mira said in a more neutral tone to try to lighten the mood.

"Then what is it?" Zoey asked.

"Guess—" Before Mira could speak, a voice interrupted.

"Melon," said Rumi with a playful smile on her face.

"I'm going to—" said Mira, before Rumi cut her off again.

"Now we're in peace"

"I guess," said Mira, snorting.

"Zoey, what's your favorite subject?" asked Rumi.

"Art or biology, I also like history," replied the black-haired girl.

"That's great, I'm going to study biomedicine. Do you know what you're going to do yet?" Rumi continued the conversation.

"I'm thinking of taking a course in education and going into teaching. I'd like to be an elementary school teacher. I really like children," Zoey replied with a smile. "What are you going to study, Mira?"

"Psychology."

"Cool," Zoey replied. "And why do you want to study those majors?"

"It's a long story," Rumi replied.

———————–——————————

After a couple of hours and conversations that led to others, Mira had to leave because her parents thought she was at the library, and the library was closing at that time. It was barely seven o'clock, but you could already see the moon becoming more and more visible.

Zoey and Rumi decided to stay a little longer and continue chatting, as Rumi's curiosity about Zoey was mutual. They both wanted to know everything about each other. Zoey felt the same way about Mira, but with her it would take more time; she could wait.

"Zoey," Rumi said in a more serious tone than they had been using for the rest of the conversation, "Thank you... for being so kind to her. Not many people are. Don't judge her for how she treats you. She's been surrounded by hatred and abuse her whole life, and when someone grows up being insulted, they end up insulting others, you know?"

Rumi was being very careful with her words, as if she was walking through a minefield.

"What I mean is..." Rumi sighed, trying to put her thoughts into words. "Mira has an armor that she's been forging since she was very young, trying to protect herself from people. It's okay to be cautious, but it's gotten to the point where that armor has become part of her skin, and that's not healthy. She's afraid of being hurt, that's why she acts that way. It's nothing personal, the fact that she's rude to you, she's like that with everyone. Someday she'll treat you better, it's just a matter of time and connection. I was surprised by how she behaved at the meetup, she even bought you boba. I'm glad she's letting you get closer to her. Thank you."

Rumi finished speaking and found Zoey giving her a discreet, somewhat shy smile.

"If you hurt her or make her feel bad, I'm going to call Jinu and Abby to torture you," Rumi blurted out.

"I'm not going to hurt her, I just want to be her friend. I'm honored to be able to talk to her, and to you too. You're giving me the opportunity to be part of something..."

At that moment, Zoey's eyes began to well up. She was so happy with the welcome the girls were giving her, how they made her feel included. Important, in such a short time.

"Zoey? Are you okay? I didn't mean to..." said Rumi, grabbing Zoey's hand, which was resting on the table.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. It's just that..." Zoey raised her hand, leaving Rumi's behind to wipe away her tears. "I've never had many friends. I only remember having two real ones. Baby and a girl who lived in London. Lynda was like Mira, she was also trans and her environment was very hostile towards the issue. It didn't end well, she decided to... to end her life. I miss her and, in a way, I see Mira as a reflection of Lynda. I don't want anything bad to happen to her or to you. Not when I don't know you both very well yet," Zoey finished.

Rumi stared at Zoey, moved by her friend's story. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose Mira. And even less so in such a horrible way. She wasn't going to let that happen.

Before either of them could say anything, Rumi stood up and hugged Zoey.

"Thank you for telling me. It must not have been an easy moment for you," Rumi said, still holding her.

Zoey went blank. She didn't know what to say or what to do. The only thing she knew was that she couldn't break down in front of Rumi, and she didn't. The moment Zoey felt she might start crying again, she pulled away from the hug.

"I think it's a little late. Besides, I'm very tired. Last night, I didn't sleep at all because I was nervous about the first day and stuff. Today has been a very long day, but I had a great time with you guys. See you tomorrow in class, good night," Zoey said hurriedly as she left the store, not giving Rumi time to respond.

"Good night," Rumi said to no one, as the store was empty.

Each went home. Rumi talked to Jinu and told him everything that had happened and how nice Zoey was. That Mira had been nice to her and that it looked like the group could work.

Zoey arrived home at a very fast pace, anxious and tired. She walked through the door and the first thing she did was look for her cardboard box with cigarettes inside; she didn't even bother to go out onto the balcony. She lay down on the sofa and lit up, calm slowly returning to her body.

After lying there for a few minutes doing nothing, Zoey decided to go to bed. She hadn't lied; she had hardly slept since her father's call, at least not well. So, without eating dinner or changing her clothes, she lay down on her bed and slept hugging a large stuffed turtle.

Chapter Text

Mira was standing in the doorway of her house, watching as the sun began to rise over the houses on the horizon. It bathed the rest of the city in a bright golden light and turned the sky pink, which gradually changed to blue with each passing second.

It was ten past six in the morning. Her parents had left for work a few minutes earlier, and Mira had just woken up when she heard the door close. She was home alone.

Good.

She looked back at her phone and checked the first conversation that appeared on the screen.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Yesterday

Mira (4:36 p.m.): Can you bring me some clothes tomorrow morning?

Minho (5:12 p.m.): Again?

Mira (7:02 p.m.): It's not my fault.

Minho (7:02 p.m.): What time?

Mira (7:04 p.m.): When they leave for work.

Minho (7:05 p.m.): 6?

Mira (7:32 p.m.): 👍

Today

Mira (5:53 p.m.): Come now.

Minho (5:58 p.m.): On my way.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Mira was about to send him a message, or even call him, to ask how much longer he would be. But before she could do either, a big red car pulled up across the street.

A boy quite a bit taller than Mira got out of the driver's seat and went straight to the back seats, where he took out a couple of bags.

“Hey, Sis,” said Mira's brother as he entered the house.

“Are you in a hurry?” asked Mira, still standing where she was.

"No, I have classes this afternoon. Do you want to talk?" he said as he left the bags on the living room table, waiting for Mira to come in.

“If it doesn't bother you” Mira said in an embarrassed tone, entering the house and closing the door behind her.

“It's never a bother. Tell me whatever you want, I'm all ears,” she said, smiling at her little sister.

“First, I'm going to get changed, and we can talk while I put on my makeup, okay? I don't want to be late, and I need to get ready,” she said as she picked up the bags from the table.

“No problem, take your time.”

Mira smiled back at him, a small but sincere smile, as she headed to her room.

She took a few short-sleeved T-shirts, a couple of tops, and shorts out of the bags. It was starting to get too cold to wear shorts, but Mira was still grateful that her brother had bought her clothes. She would think about where to hide them later.

One top caught her eye, but not for herself, but for a girl who liked turtles. It was a sky blue top with a green turtle design in the middle. It was definitely made for Zoey.

She would give it to her someday, but not today, obviously. They had only met a week ago, and she wasn't going to be so direct; she didn't even know her that well yet.

In the end, Mira decided to wear a top that left one of her shoulders bare. It was white and quite simple. But anything was better than the clothes she had had to wear during the first week of school. She put on a pair of long black jeans, not too tight but not too loose either, perfect.

She left her room and went to the living room, where her brother was on the sofa.

“What do you think? I feel like it's a little simple, but it works,” said Mira, in a neutral tone that ultimately betrayed her concern about not looking feminine enough.

“You look beautiful, Mira,” replied her brother.

Instantly, a smile spread across her face. She had missed her brother so much. Although there were times when he didn't understand Mira, he tried. He already did much more than their parents, and that was enough for him.

“What do you want to tell me? Are you back with your girlfriend?” her brother said, instantly realizing it was a bad way to bring up the subject.

It was clear that Mira still found it difficult to even think about the subject.

“No, she's still with that idiot. Come to Mom's room, I have to get her makeup, we can talk while I do that,” said Mira as she started up the stairs to her parents' bedroom.

“And are you still talking to her? Like before, I mean,” asked her brother as he climbed the stairs.

“Yes, she's still just as sweet to me, even though we're not dating, and that's fine with me,” Mira replied as she entered the room.

“You're a pushover, you know that? You shouldn't settle for that, you can do better than that guy,” her brother said as he leaned against the door, watching his sister take out little bottles of things he didn't even know existed.

“I already told you, she likes guys. Only guys. Besides, I'm fine with this totally platonic relationship,” Mira replied, looking for eyebrow gel and highlighter.

"You don't even believe that yourself. What you need is a distraction, someone else," her brother suggested as he stepped aside to let Mira pass into the bathroom.

“I'm not going to do that, I don't want to be with anyone right now,” Mira replied as she turned on the bathroom light with her elbow, her hands busy with various beauty products.

“Okay. How are things at home doing?” Minho asked, getting straight to the point. He knew it wasn't great, but it couldn't get any worse, could it?

“Why did you have to leave?” Mira said, without answering the question.

“We've already talked about it. I started law school and moved in with Stella,” her brother replied.

Mira snorted.

“I'm not going to last another month living here with no one to back me up, just so you know,” said the girl as she gathered the strands of hair hanging in front of her ears with a ribbon and splashed water on her face.

“I can talk to my fiancée to see if you can come live with us, but that would mean changing schools, and I don't think you want to leave the love of your life behind,” her brother replied.

“You're being annoying today. Wait, fiancée?” Mira said, looking away from the mirror and staring at her brother with her face still wet.

Her brother nodded with a big smile on his face.

“You kept that quiet,” said Mira, turning back to dry her face.

“Don't tell our parents,” said Minho.

“You're not going to invite them? You've got some nerve. I thought you were a coward,” replied Mira as she applied her foundation.

“We don't have anything finalized yet. She proposed it to me last week. When we know where we're going to do it, the date and everything, I'll let you know.”

“Wait, she was the one who proposed it? I really like Stella,” said Mira with a laugh as she began to apply concealer.

“Let's change the subject. How are classes going?” Minho said, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.

“Good. It turns out there are some new people, two twins and an American girl, to be exact,” Mira began. "Rumi thought it would be a good idea for the American girl to sit with us. Her name's Zoey, by the way. Alex started teasing her, calling her something about a hamburger, and now I have to be her bodyguard. But the other day, we went for boba and it wasn't so bad. Anyway, I still don't trust her," Mira began applying the contour.

“In a week, you're going to call me saying you like that girl, and I'm going to remind you of this conversation,” said her brother.

“What are you talking about? There's no chance I'll like her, I barely know her. Besides, we're very different, we don't fit together,” said Mira, dismissing her brother's comment. She didn't really care; she knew she liked Rumi, only Rumi.

“Tell me more about her then,” said her brother, trying to get as much information as possible.

“She likes turtles, plays the drums, and is late everywhere,” she said as she finished applying highlighter to her nose. “I haven't told you this either, but we're going to start a band.”

“I think I can help you with that,” said Minho, Mira interrupting him.

By that time, Mira was starting to apply her eyeliner, and before her brother could continue, Mira told him to be quiet so she could concentrate on making it symmetrical. And, surprisingly, it turned out pretty well, better than usual for sure.

“Already?” Mira nodded. "I have a synthesizer, in case you're interested in adding some flair to the songs. It's relatively easy to use, I could teach you. And while you're at it, introduce me to that Zoe girl."

“Zoey,” Mira corrected, subtly applying blush to her cheeks.

“Remember what I told you, you're going to end up inviting her to my wedding,” her brother said with a smile.

“How do I look?” she said after applying setting powder and turning around so her brother could see her.

“Perfect for your girlfriend, or girlfriends, if we count Rumi,” her brother replied.

“Shut up. Bring me my boots, they're at the entrance,” Mira said, almost kicking her brother out of the bathroom.

Her brother left the bathroom and Mira had time to look in the mirror. She immediately smiled. She was herself again, Mira. Not a stranger. Mira. And it felt so good to see someone she liked in the mirror. Finally, she could look at herself without remorse, with no other thought than how good the top looked on her or how well the makeup had turned out. She looked feminine enough for herself, she felt euphoric. She even put her hair up in a high ponytail, revealing her neck and the brown roots emerging from her pink hair.

Minho arrived with the sneakers and saw Mira looking at herself in the mirror.

“Are you okay?” he asked, unable to decipher her expression.

“I've never felt better,” she replied with a smile on her face. Her brother returned the smile, radiating a familiar warmth. “Have you had breakfast? I need you to make me your toast to start the day off right.”

“I'll make it now. Anything else, my queen?” said her brother, bowing.

“Why do you call me that? Don't do it again.”

“Because you keep giving me orders, I feel like your servant or your slave. Would you prefer me to call you mistress?” he said as he regained his composure and laughed.

“Go to the kitchen, I'll be right there,” said Mira as she returned to her parents' room.

Minho went downstairs and headed for the kitchen. The boy began to cut bread and plug in the toaster.

Mira reorganized all the makeup in its place, being careful not to mix anything up. If her mother found out she was wearing makeup, she knew she would be punished, even more so if she used her mother's. She left everything as if nothing had happened. Mira spy mode, activated.

“Breakfast is ready, come downstairs or you'll be late,” her brother shouted from the kitchen.

Mira hurried down the stairs, so fast that she almost fell when there were two steps left. Luckily, she managed to keep her balance, but her brother laughed anyway.

“You know what, put it in a lunch box and I'll eat it in class. I'm going to get my books ready,” Mira said as she went into her room and started putting books in her backpack. Once everything was ready, she went back to the kitchen and found three containers.

“Three?” Mira asked, somewhat confused.

“Yes, I'm sure Rumi misses my breakfasts, and the new girl will like to try it,” her brother said as he handed her the containers.

Mira was about to argue, but decided it wasn't worth it. She put the breakfasts in her backpack and headed for the door.

“One last thing,” said her brother, who was still in the kitchen. “You can keep the clothes in my room. I don't think they'll look there. Just try not to let them see you wearing the clothes for too long.”

“Don't worry, now that they've started work, they'll hardly be home,” replied Mira. “Thanks.”

“That's what siblings are for.”

———————–——————————

Rumi was in class, doodling in a small notebook in which she wrote various things: ideas for projects, books she had yet to read, a plan to tell your ex-girlfriend that you still love her and that your boyfriend is gay and it's all just a cover, drawings of turtles that Zoey had drawn on one of the last pages... Basic stuff.

There was almost no one in class, just Mystery, Alex, and her. The three of them usually arrived earlier than the others. Alex because his mother worked there, and the other two because they liked to have some quiet time to themselves before the class filled with shouting.

That's when a shade of pink very familiar to Rumi entered the classroom, and wow, Rumi looked like a dog staring at a steak. It had been a long time since she had seen Mira like this, able to be herself. Even her aura had changed to a more confident and cheerful one.

“Hey,” she said as she put her backpack on the table and sat down in her seat, as if she hadn't just made Rumi melt from the heat she had begun to feel.

“Hi.”

“Really, Rumi? Just a hi? You can do much better than that. Say something to her, compliment her, but don't overdo it, you're straight. Very straight... You're very lesbian, Rumi. I know, but how could you not be? Have you seen that hottie? She's gorgeous. Are you going to say something to her or are you just going to stand there staring?”

“You're... today you... You look really pretty. I mean, your new clothes look great on you, and your makeup? You should be a makeup artist, you're better at it than anyone I know and it suits you really well. I also like your hair, the ponytail is beautiful,” said Rumi, starting to panic a little.

“Thanks, my brother came home today,” said Mira, smiling a little and opening her backpack. “He made something for you...”

Before Mira could continue, screams were heard from the hallway, getting closer and closer to the door. Just then, a very familiar head entered the classroom.

"BABY, YOU TOLD ME WE WERE LATE. LOOK, THERE'S ALMOST NO ONE HERE," Zoey said angrily to Baby, who had not yet reached the door.

“If I hadn't rushed you, you would have stayed in bed,” Baby replied, catching up with the girl.

“But I could have slept a little longer, I'm sleepy,” Zoey complained.

“You're going to sleep in class anyway,” said Baby as she sat down next to Mystery. Zoey sighed and raised her head, seeing the two girls at the back of the class staring at her.

“Hey, giiirllss,” she said as she approached. “Sorry about that, Baby gets on my nerves sometimes. Wow.”

“What's wrong? Is something wrong?” asked Mira.

“You look hot in that top, and that ponytail with the glasses, my God. If I had a dick, right now it would be like a baseball bat,” she said with all the naturalness in the world as she sat down between the two girls. Both of them were speechless.

“Zoey!” Mira shouted, her face red as a tomato.

“You can't say that!” said Rumi, also turning red.

“I'm being honest, don't tell me it's not true, Rumi,” said Zoey, without changing her tone in the slightest.

Rumi felt Mira's gaze fixed on her, waiting for an answer.

“You may be right, but it's still not proper,” Rumi said quietly. “What were you going to teach me, Mira?” Rumi asked, desperate to change the subject.

Mira cleared her throat and began to speak. “My brother has made breakfast for you.”

“Toast!?” asked Rumi excitedly, her eyes sparkling.

“Yes,” said Mira as she took out three containers.

“Why are there three?” asked Zoey.

“One is for you, duh,” said Mira, showing great indifference.

Zoey felt a knot form in her stomach. She had barely eaten anything last week and, honestly, she was hungry. Still, she felt like she didn't fit in yet; she still had many days of not eating ahead of her before she would. But it would be rude to refuse a gift, especially from Mira. She had grown accustomed to the blizzard that enveloped the room when Mira appeared. This gift had to be an important step, for sure.

She debated for a moment whether she should eat it or not and, in the end, decided to try it. If she liked it and wanted more, she would finish it. If not, she would make up an excuse, such as that she had already had breakfast or something similar.

The three girls took a bite almost at the same time.

Mira remembered those mornings when she was younger, those days when her brother had to take care of her because their parents were away. Building Legos and puzzles, while that smell enveloped the living room.

That same smell was what Rumi remembered every time she woke up in Mira's bed, when she would sneak over to her house to sleep and they would spend the early hours of the morning having deep conversations. Those moments were magical, and God, how she missed that feeling. She misses the best year of her life.

Zoey couldn't feel any nostalgic feelings like the other two girls, but she didn't feel out of place, on the contrary. She was happy that Mira was including her in this toast breakfast that meant so much to them. She would have loved to pause that moment.

"Look at the Burger Queen. She's already eating, first thing in the morning. I bet you anything that's her second breakfast," Alex shouted from her seat.

Zoey felt her stomach shrink, as if that bite had been a feast that had completely filled her up. She immediately put the toast back in the container and swallowed the piece of bread with some difficulty as she looked at the floor.

Mira took a deep breath, trying not to say anything out of line, but in the end she ended up exploding. She was fed up with Alex's childishness.

“Asshole, what's the problem? It's also the second time we've had breakfast. Why are you only saying it to her?” Mira said, trying not to get too heated.

"Easy, you guys aren't fat. If she wants to be in Korea, she should adapt," Alex said in a tone so normal it was scary.

Mira started yelling and insulting him, defending Zoey to the death.

Zoey sat in her chair, head down. She heard all the shouting as if she were underwater, “she should adapt” playing on a loop in her head. She was trying, she was really trying. She was going to sleep on an empty stomach and wake up to have a cigarette for breakfast. She was absolutely trying.

Rumi, who was next to her, took her hand and began to speak to her in a soft, sweet, and very careful tone, as if Zoey were made of glass at that moment. She didn't like feeling that way. "Don't listen to him, okay? You're perfect just the way you are, even if you have a different body. No two bodies are the same, and they're all equally beautiful. It's important to me that you know that, okay?"

Zoey nodded, still holding back her tears. It made her very angry, because she had tried so hard. Before the argument between Mira, Alex, and Mystery could become more violent (yes, Mystery had joined in, saying things to defend Zoey and things that Baby whispered in his ear. He didn't want to get into trouble), Zoey raised her voice so that only she could be heard.

“Stop it, Alex is right, I already had breakfast. I just wanted to try it and save it for lunch. Stop insulting you guys over something so dumb.” The words were followed by a long silence until more people, including an advanced math teacher, entered the classroom and sat down in their seats.

The three girls remained silent in their seats, Zoey without looking up, and Rumi and Mira looking at each other with some concern for Zoey. Mira decided to write a note, which she slid over to Zoey's desk. Zoey read it immediately.

“Sorry for yelling, I should have focused on you. How are you?”

The handwriting was pretty, in a very subtle cursive. Zoey replied, “Fine :)” and returned the note, still without looking up.

Mira read it and, to be honest, she was still just as worried as before.

It took a long time for math class to finally end. The girls could now talk to each other, and Mira was the first to speak.

“I thought we could go talk to Bobby during break and ask if he can lend us the music room for auditions. What do you think?”

“Yes, that way we can take a walk and chat,” replied Rumi, waiting for Zoey's response.

“Hey, I was going to spend the break with Baby. They've released a new Pokémon trailer and I'd like to discuss it with him, if you don't mind,” replied Zoey.

“Of course we don't mind. Say hi to him for me,” replied Rumi with a smile, trying to calm Zoey down, who sounded a little nervous.

“Anyway, I'll try to make time and join you guys,” Zoey tried to excuse herself.

“It's okay if you don't have time,” Mira replied as she put away her class notes and took out a blank sheet of paper.

“It doesn't matter, I want to hang out with you guys too,” Zoey replied before the teacher for the next class walked in, forcing the girls to fall back into a deep silence.

Normally, Zoey would talk and the teachers would reprimand her, but not this time. Zoey was quieter than usual.

———————–——————————

Recess arrived and, as Mira and Rumi had said, they said goodbye to Zoey and headed to the music room to look for Bobby.

Zoey waited until the girls couldn't see her to go to the back of the Academy, an area where no one was. It looked like a desert, and it was the perfect place for Zoey to breathe for a while, to take a break.

She sat in a corner, her arms wrapped around her knees, and lit a cigarette she had kept in her pocket along with a lighter. She had the hood of her sweatshirt up, and a small tear began to roll down her cheek.

Thinking too much again.

Before sitting down, she threw away the food Mira had given her that morning, and felt bad. But she would have felt worse if she had eaten it. She put the lunch box away to return it to Mira later and decided to sit there for a while, not moving except to take a few puffs.

Then she heard a voice.

“You know it's forbidden to smoke, right, Zoey?” said Bobby, who was standing next to her.

Zoey, as a reflex, tried to put out the cigarette with the palm of her hand, which only served to cause a small burn in the area. She ended up throwing the cigarette on the ground and stepping on it, this time managing to put it out.

“It's okay, are you all right?” Bobby said as he sat down next to her and checked the red area.

“Yes. Mira and Rumi went to look for you in the music room. Why aren't you there?” asked Zoey, changing the subject and praying that she wouldn't be sent to detention.

“Today I'm on playground duty, you know, making sure no one does anything that's not allowed,” replied Bobby. “Any excuses?”

“Please don't punish me. I can do anything, extra work, picking up trash... But please don't take me to Gwi-ma,” said Zoey, closing her eyes as if she had already accepted her fate.

"What? I'm not going to do that. I'm just going to kindly ask you not to smoke again, at least inside the school. If any other teacher had seen you, you would have been expelled already."

“Really? And why not you?” asked Zoey, now a little embarrassed.

"I don't think that's the right way to do things. And I think you'll understand and listen to me when I tell you something is forbidden. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt that you won't do it again. If you do it again, I'll have to intervene more directly,“ Bobby replied calmly. ”What are you doing here alone?"

“Just thinking.”

“What are you thinking about?” Bobby asked, not wanting to pressure her.

“Lots of things. Maybe I let Alex's comments affect me too much,” she said with a sigh.

“Do you want me to talk to him?” Bobby asked.

“No, it could make things worse, and he doesn't say much anyway. I'll wait until he gets tired of me,” Zoey replied quickly.

"If that's what you want. If at any point he crosses a line or I see that his behavior is excessive, I'll talk to him. And if there's anything you want to tell me, you can ask for me in the staff room and we'll talk,“ Bobby said as he got up and held out his hand to Zoey. ”Shall we go? I'm sure Mira and Rumi are looking forward to spending the remaining minutes with you."

Zoey took the little man's hand and followed up with a hug. “Thanks for understanding, Bobby. I needed to talk to someone, even if just a little.”

Bobby returned the hug without hesitation. “That's what I'm here for. I am your tutor, after all.”

They stood there for a long time in silence, embracing. Zoey felt in Bobby the father she would have liked to have, and Bobby felt in Zoey himself when he was her age, wishing so much that someone had given him that hug.

“Ready to go with your girls?” Bobby said, still holding her in his arms. He wanted to let Zoey decide that. “You said they wanted to talk to me. I can go with you if you want.”

Zoey pulled away from the embrace and noticed Bobby staring at her. She tried to avoid eye contact at all costs.

“I'm going to go with Baby. They're in the music room. Tell them you ran into me while I was talking to Baby and I sent you there. Please don't mention any of this.”

“I'll walk you to Baby and then go find them, okay?”

Zoey nodded as she began to walk toward the area where the rest of the students were, enjoying the few minutes of freedom they had left before returning to class. Bobby was behind her, watching all the people who were looking at her and whispering things about her. Zoey didn't seem to care; she was relaxed, taking the murmurs in stride.

But inside, Zoey was asking questions at the speed of light and wished she hadn't put out her cigarette halfway through so she could finish it now. Only that smoke could stop her from thinking, and now that cigarette was lying on the ground in the courtyard.

So she started biting one fingernail, then another. And before she could hurt herself, she reached Baby and Mystery. She couldn't let them see her like this. When their eyes met, Zoey returned to her usual smile and started chatting with Baby about various things that Bobby didn't understand, but he was glad to see the change in Zoey; she seemed happy now.

———————–——————————

“A little bird told me you were looking for me, is that right?” said Bobby, appearing behind the girls with a big smile on his face.

“Yes, sir,” said Rumi, bowing. “We wanted to ask you something.”

“Call me Bobby, please. Tell me what you want to know.”

“We've been thinking about starting a band to earn money, and we could perform at Academy events if the principal agrees,” said Mira directly. “And we thought we could borrow the music room for auditions. We need more members because it's just Rumi and me at the moment.”

“That's fine with me. Have you thought about adding Zoey to the band? I'm sure she'd be thrilled to feel included,” Bobby suggested.

"She's already on the list, which is why we want to hold auditions. We have to see how she plays the drums to know if she's in or not. Probably yes. Is this Friday after school okay with you?" said Rumi.

“Sure, I won't be able to attend because I have a very busy schedule and I have a meeting with the parents to evaluate the start of the school year. Leave the classroom door closed when you leave and make sure you put everything back in its place,” replied Bobby.

Just then, the bell signaling the end of recess rang, and people began to enter the hallway. Rumi and Mira thanked Bobby at the same time and both went to Rumi's locker to get their economics book, which was the class they had now.

What they didn't know was that someone had been listening to their conversation about the auditions.

“Alex is going to like hearing this. In fact, I already have a plan. All we have to do is wait. Poor American girl,” Norman whispered as he came out of his hiding place and went to find the other boy.

———————–——————————

Zoey was already in class when the two girls entered. She was talking to Baby.

“I'm 100% sure Mira would have a Milotic and a Delphox,” said Zoey.

“Mystery would have Greninja and Greavard,” replied Baby.

“Real,” said Zoey, laughing at the comparisons, unaware of the two girls behind them. "I'm not sure about Rumi, maybe a shiny Floragato. Espeon."

“Arcanine,” added Baby.

“Who's that?” asked Rumi, causing Zoey to jump a little in surprise, not expecting the girls to be there.

“A Pokémon,” replied Zoey, hiding the fact that she had just had a mini heart attack

"Yeah, it's like a giant tiger dog, right? My brother has a figurine and has been trying to get me into the world of Pokémon," said Mira.

“Your brother is my best friend now,” said Zoey, her eyes lighting up.

“I haven't heard that,” replied Baby as she took out her water bottle and started drinking.

"What class do we have now? Tell me biology, please," said Zoey, crossing her fingers as she walked to the back of the classroom.

“Economics,” replied Mira, smiling at Zoey's disappointed reaction.

“Whyyy?” said Zoey, banging her head against the table. “What have I done to deserve this cruel punishment from the gods?”

“Moving here, enrolling in this academy, coming to this class,” Mira began listing as if reading a list of sins.

“Shut up, you're making me regret every decision I've ever made in my life,” Zoey said, still not lifting her head from the table.

Just then, a teacher with long brown hair entered the classroom, carrying only a laptop.

“Zoey, you're the luckiest person in the world. Have you thought about gambling?” Rumi said as she looked at the woman who had entered, whom she didn't know at all.

“Sometimes my dad took me to play darts at places where there were slot machines, and my dad told me that... Wait, why am I lucky now?” said Zoey, lifting her head suddenly and looking at the teacher. The woman began to speak.

“Class, quiet please. Your economics teacher couldn't come today for personal reasons. He didn't leave any homework, which means you have a free period. You can change seats, but don't make too much noise, I have to work.” With that, the teacher sat down at the large table at the front of the class and took out her laptop.

“FREE CLASS, YAY!” Zoey shouted. The teacher responded with a “Shhh.”

“What are we going to do?” Mira asked.

“I've been waiting for this moment my whole life,” Zoey said as she began rummaging through her backpack, pulling out book after book until she reached the bottom.

“You should get a locker, you're going to break your back carrying so many books in your backpack,” said Rumi, seeing that Zoey had five books with more than 300 pages of course material. That must weigh at least ten kilos.

“Yeah, maybe that would be a good idea,” she replied as she continued rummaging.

“I don't have one, we can share if you want. I don't think there are many free spaces left anyway," said Mira, without getting a response from Zoey.

“Contemplate this masterpiece...” said Zoey, suspending the scene, pulling out a deck of cards. Her eyes shining like pearls, “I present to you one of the best board games ever, Uno.”

“It also exists in Korea, just so you know,” replied Mira, Zoey leaving her excitement behind.

“How was I supposed to know? As far as I know, this game was only played in America and Italy,” she said as she began to shuffle the cards.

“Italy, why not. Uno is an international game, everyone has Uno,” said Mira.

“Even in Yugoslavia?” asked Zoey.

“Yugoslavia no longer exists, now it would be Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia... But yes, it's also in that area,” replied Rumi.

“Even better, that way I don't have to explain the rules to you. Rumi, you start because you're the youngest,” said Zoey as she began to deal the cards between the two girls.

“No way am I younger than you,” replied Rumi.

“My birthday is April 25,” replied Zoey.

She expected Rumi to be surprised that she was older than her, but what took her by surprise was the way Mira also gasped at the new information.

“I don't look that young, don't mess with me,” she said as she placed the pile of cards in the center, turning over the first card.

“I could have sworn you were two grades below me,” Mira replied.

“Well, it doesn't matter that you're older, I'm taller,” said Rumi as she pulled out a green four.

The three of them played for a few minutes, and halfway through the game, Zoey pulled out a plus four and placed it on the table with all the pride in the world. However, Mira only noticed what looked like a small burn on her hand.

“How did you get that, Zoey?” Mira asked, pointing to the red circle.

Zoey blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“I was cooking, and some oil splashed on me, but it's not too bad. I'm switching to blue.”

“Be more careful next time,” said Rumi, stealing the four cards.

Something's wrong. It smells more like a lie than anything else. But I'm not allowed to analyze her. I barely know her. I'm not allowed to read her and draw conclusions. Besides, I don't know why she would lie about something so simple. Don't think about it too much, Mira. You have no reason to suspect her, just your intuition, which is very good, by the way. Anyway, maybe she is telling the truth."

“MiMi, it's your turn,” Rumi said.

“We're on blue, right?” Both girls nodded and the game continued.

The girls played a couple of games and then more people from the class joined in.

———————–——————————

“Rumi, how many times do I have to tell you that you can't stack plus fours and plus twos!? They go separately, they're different cards. You can only stack a plus two if you get a plus two, and you can only stack a plus four if you get a plus four. It's not that hard.”

“Baby, we already agreed to play by those rules. I don't agree either, but Zoey owns the deck and that's how she decided,” said Jinu.

“Well, using that logic, she's in our country. Just saying,” said Abby.

“Shut the fuck up,” said Mira with a defiant look.

“Can I use this one?” said Mystery, showing his card to Baby.

“Rumi, what color were you changing to?” asked Baby, looking at the plus four in the center of the table.

“Red.”

“Go ahead, you can play it,” replied Baby.

“I think I'm starting to get the hang of it,” said Mystery as he threw a red block.

“MYSTERY, I SWEAR I'M GOING TO CUT YOUR FRINGE, I HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN ABLE TO THROW ANY CARDS YET,” said Zoey, who was getting nervous because she couldn't do anything.

“UNO,” Abby shouted, throwing down a red two.

“You're a cheater! We literally just started the game,” Mira said.

“You're jealous because you've never won one,” Abby replied.

“Abby, all your cards are on the floor,” said Jinu, who was next to her.

“Those are from the previous round. I won this one fair and square,” Abby complained.

“Whatever you say, Abby. Let's pretend he didn't play. Jinu, it's your turn,” Rumi said.

———————–——————————

~Bonus~

While the boys were playing Uno

“So, are you going to tell me why our economics teacher didn't come or not?” said Romance, who was sitting at a table across from the teacher.

“I've told you more than three times, it's private business. Even I don't know,” said the girl, still not looking up from her laptop.

“I've heard rumors that you've had plastic surgery,” Romance blurted out, completely capturing the teacher's attention.

“Who told you that?”

“Let's just say a student in a third-year class,” Romance began, a smile spreading across his face.

"Which student? From which class?" the teacher continued to ask. Her hands were starting to sweat from nerves.

“We can come to an agreement. I don't like to rat people out for free,” Romance continued to negotiate.