SINCE I WAS young, I had been a pampered girl, the princess of my family. My parents, though divorced, loved me and showered me with absolute care and concern no matter what I did. They supported me in a way that a best friend would, yet they were stern and wary of the guys I hung out with as parents should be. They were wrong about one thing, though. They would always warn me about other boys, how they would want to lure a poor, innocent girl, but not once did it run through their minds that perhaps my best friend was the one that would hurt me in the future.

Sitting at the back of the class watching Charlotte and Blake make sickly sweet eyes at each other was already enough to make me regurgitate last night's dinner. What I heard near the locker rooms was wrong, apparently. Blake was not looking for the picture, thank God. He was looking for a ring. I didn't know what type of ring, but the idea of rings made me sick. Anything that ever reminded me of Blake made me sick. When we were around six years old, I rolled out a small plastic ring from a gumball machine and gave it to Blake since he made a huge fuss about it. He probably lost it the very next day because he never mentioned it again. The memory still burned in the pits of my mind, causing my stomach to flip nauseatingly whenever I was reminded of it.

"What's got your mood down in a ditch, princess." Wesley poked me with the tip of his pen, and I glared at him. It only took a little convincing with the principal to get Wesley transferred to my last class. That way, I wouldn't be left alone to spectate Blake and Charlotte's exchange of love notes right before school ended.

"I'm just not overly fond of puking in class." I gestured to Blake and Charlotte before turning my attention back to Wesley.

"Really? Gosh, Ava. I can't believe you would let jerks like him dictate how you would feel for the day. It's not a bad day just because you have to face a bad person." Wesley laughed, his voice a little too loud, which caught the attention of the teacher in front.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Jerald?" The teacher raised an eyebrow in our direction, and Wesley smirked, winked, and saluted the teacher.

"No problem here, Mr. Lee."

The teacher didn't question Wesley back but only shot him a deadly glare before he returned to scribbling on the blackboard.

"Really, Ava. You need to start loosening up. Keeping tabs on them constantly isn't going to be healthy for your mental well-being." Wesley gestured toward me, and at that moment, the bell rang. I gathered my things, shoved them all into my bag, and trudged out of the class, leaving Wesley rather dumbfounded at my sudden departure.

"Avery!" I heard a voice from behind me once I neared the lockers. I spun around slightly and came face to face with Charlotte Brooke. I blinked twice to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.

Damn, she already poisoned my classroom life. Did she have to destroy my lockers too?

"What is it that you want, Brooke? I don't have time for thieves like you. Not today at least. So get out of my sight," I snapped, turning back to remove certain items from my bag.

"I don't know what is it that Blake and I did to offend you—"

I scoffed slightly, placing my textbooks in the locker.

"But I want you to stop bothering the both of us. I know what you did to Blake's room and his car. I know it was you, and if you don't want me to...to go to the teachers, you'll learn to keep your nose in your own business." Charlotte's face resembled a red tomato by the end of her speech.

I laughed. Hell, it was probably the first time in forever I had laughed so genuinely.

"Really? You don't know what is it you did? Why don't you figure it out, nerd? And while you do that, keep it in your mind that you have absolutely no right to threaten me. I can destroy you faster than you can run into Blake's arms. Hell, into any other guy's. Only God knows what a slut you truly are." I spit the words out like poison, sparing no mercy, and slammed the locker door shut, leaving her gaping at my words as I strutted out of the school's front doors. Not for a moment did I turn my head back.

***

"You left her there?" Summer laughed upon hearing my story, which caused a ripple effect because soon enough, Winnie started laughing along too.

"Damn girl! That will teach her. Do you think she is really that dumb to not figure out?" Winnie raised an eyebrow, holding out the different nail polish bottles and placing them beside her nails to see which matched her mood best.

"She could be really dumb. No one knows for sure." I shrugged, picking out a light lavender nail polish and applying it.

"I don't get what Blake saw in her. He downgraded major, Ave." Summer winked, picking out the black nail polish instead.

We were sleeping over at Winnie's house. They had gotten a huge four-level house, a major change from what they lived in. Before Nate, their older brother, went missing, they lived in a shaggy little poor excuse of a house and barely had enough money to tide by the days. Often Blake and I had to chip in to make sure the triplets could get something to eat during recess. Now, they sure were well-off.

"Hey, Winnie, you didn't get to tell us. Did you end up finding Nate?" I rested my chin on both my palms and waited patiently for her answer.

"Yeah. Turns out he is already married with a kid about three years old. I'm too young to be an aunt, damn." Winnie joked, snapping her fingers in an exaggerated manner.

"That's how you afforded the major life change?" Summer questioned, suddenly also interested in the topic. "Your brother got himself a rich wife?"

"Not really, no. They're both sort of rich now. Nate's old job paid well, and he doesn't even work now but has more than enough money to do practically anything. His wife owns a little gym downtown and trains the more well-off folk of California." Winnie shrugged, leaning back against her bed.

The door suddenly creaked open, and William's face popped into the room. "Winnie, Mom asks if you want to go and have some ca—oh, hi, Avery, Summer."

"Hey, Will." I smiled.

"Hey, William." Summer waved, her cheeks slightly tinted pink.

"So, cake?" William gestured out of the door, and we all got up and followed him down the stairs. When we reached the end of the second floor, though, I slipped away, while they weren't paying attention, and went toward the balcony area. I couldn't resist climbing up to check out the rooftop. It just seemed like a perfect personal spot away from the noise and commotion. And heaven knows that I needed a break from reality.

I heaved and panted, flipping my hair to the top of my head. I looked up and nearly dropped myself off the roof when I noticed that someone else was already there.

"Wes! You scared me. I didn't know you were here. Why aren't you downstairs eating cake?" I breathed out, pulling myself up to sit beside him on the roof.

"I don't even like cake, princess." Wes chuckled slightly, lying down against the rooftop and gazing at the stars.

"Right. I forgot." I sighed, lying down right next to him, looking at the sky as well.

"Can't blame you. It has been forever since our childhood days. I probably forgot what you hated the most as well." He shrugged, releasing a long breath as silence enveloped us. A few moments later, that peaceful silence was broken. "Have you ever felt like nobody ever understands you?" Wesley asked out of the blue, and I turned my head to face him, staring at him with a curious expression.

"All the time, Wes. Except I know that nobody does. No one really ever did understand me after our childhood days."

"Same. Although I know one person who always understands me. From back then till now." A small smile appeared on his face as he shifted his attention to me.

I felt something pull at my heartstrings as I wondered who could it be. "Who? From what I recall, you don't exactly have a large circle of friends."

Wesley laughed, a large rumble of pure joy as his shoulders quaked slightly.

"Ever the charmer, Avery. But there is this one girl. She's beautiful and ridiculous at the same time. Last time, all she ever did was look at others and strived to be that kind of person. She never did realize that she was already pretty much perfect just by being her. Now, she is finally being her true self. Not living to others' expectations as much as she thinks she is."

"And how do you know that?" I scrunched my nose, propping my head up with my hand and raising an eyebrow. "This person will always strive to meet someone's expectations. It is how society is shaped. The world simply demands it."

"Not you, princess. You defy everything. Just by being yourself. You keep thinking that you are being the villain other people see you as, and yet you're just another girl who misses her best friend. You're opening up and finally stepping out of the mold society forced you in."

"They needed a Queen Bee last time since Winnie wasn't around." I shrugged. "I just so happened to fit the bill. Blonde, smart, outgoing, pretty, rich, and head cheerleader. I've never stopped attempting to reach the expectations and dreams others had set up for me. It's been this way ever since you guys left California."

"It was almost the same for me," Wesley admitted, and I stare at him in surprise. "First glance and everyone thinks that I am the black sheep of the family. Decorated with tattoos and leather jackets for days. I was thought of as the troublemaker while Will and Winnie were perfect little angels. Though they couldn't be more wrong, I fell into their trap. I let society shape me as well as it did you."

"You broke out of that mold, though. You made it," I pointed out.

"So did you. And that's why you're the only one who will ever understand me."

For a second there, Wesley shone with all the radiance in the world. He was no longer consumed by the darkness of the night. Instead, his eyes shone with so much brightness, it challenged the moon's ethereal glow. His revelation hung in the stars, dancing along the shimmering atmosphere as the night droned on. I never felt as understood. I never felt more at peace.

Note on 6 October 2019: I upload according to my local time. As long as it is a new day, there can be an upload at any time. It isn't timed exactly at every 24 hours. To be specific, I follow SGT schedule (Singapore Standard Time).

By: @thefabfours