Mean Girls

ii. public humiliation

Chaeryeong enters the changing room like she owns the place, positioning herself in front of the mirror to arrange her hair. She stretches her brow to check her eye makeup but figures there isn't much point in fixing anything if she's just leaving school to go to Lia's house.

"What?" she snaps at two of the soccer players, who'd been staring at her since she walked in. It's been like this ever since news of her break up with Hwiyoung had started making the rounds. They are quick to turn away, going back to getting dressed.

She catches the new girl studying her reflection and surprises herself when she smiles instead of telling her off. The girl returns the smile and approaches the mirror, coming to a still at the sink next to Chaeryeong's where she starts applying a moisturizer to her face. Chaeryeong appreciates the methodical gestures, the way her fingers move upwards across her jawline and the way they draw circles on her temples and her forehead.

It's no secret that Lee Chaeryeong enjoys new, pretty little things.

"Chaeryeong, I told your sorry ass I'd be out in ten minutes," Yuna says, emerging from the shower area wrapped in a towel, wet hair dripping on her shoulders. "No need to be here tryin' to rush perfection."

The new girl chuckles next to her and Chaeryeong kind of likes the sound of that.

Well, that's a novelty.

She pushes the thought to the back of her head and watches Yuna from the mirror, "It's been a while since I saw you naked, Shin Yuna." She smirks, and feels oddly tickled when the new girl's eyes widen and lock with hers in the reflection for a split moment. "You gotta deliver."

"Yeah yeah yeah, you big perv," Yuna says, shooing her away with exaggerated hand movements. "Just go to the parking lot, Lia's already there."

Chaeryeong pouts. "You're no fun."

Yuna pays her no mind, so Chaeryeong shrugs and winks at the new girl before leaving the changing room with a flip of her hair.

For all the attention they get at school as the Clique, something Chaeryeong had begun to nurture as early as freshman year, they much prefer the times when they're together away from prying eyes. It's not that they can't handle attention - they thrive on it - but there's a comfort, an ease, that can't quite be reached when their every moment is being observed.

After they'd finished homework, they'd ordered pizza and now they're all in Lia's room, Chaeryeong sitting on the edge of the bed and the other two girls sitting on the floor in front of the TV. Lia and Yuna are fighting over what movie to watch even though Chaeryeong doubts they can even get halfway through it without her and Yuna's parents calling them to return home. It is a school night after all.

There's an unexpected moment of silence and Chaeryeong lifts her head to find Lia's eyes zeroing in on her, twinkling with a playfulness that makes Chaeryeong swallow audibly, and not just because she's eating.

"So..." Chaeryeong should have known that Lia would choose the moment she's happily munching on her pineapple pizza to focus on her and start with The Questioning™. "I heard this rumor in school that Hwiyoung cheated on you, is that true?" Lia asks, enunciating the words carefully as if she's treading dangerous waters. Chaeryeong appreciates the concern but she feels that Yuna's snort is more in tune with the reality of the situation.

"Lia, please," she says, tilting her head to the side as she gestures to herself. "Who would ever dare to cheat on this?"

Yuna lets out a loud laugh this time and Lia pinches her leg in annoyance.

"I was worried, okay?" she harrumphs, side-eyeing Yuna. "Yesterday you just told us you'd broken up with Hwiyoung and we didn't get to talk properly until now."