Unlucky: Luxury And a Lies

Chapter 2: Fake Friend Repellent Minji's POV: Searching For Compatibility

The next day following the wild party, I found Danielle in the hallways of our prestigious high school. Our eyes met, and we shared a soft smile before intertwining our hands, navigating the bustling halls. The constant hum of hushed whispers and shallow conversations had become a daily annoyance, like a never-ending drone in the background.

Danielle, on the other hand, was in her element, surrounded by a group of friends before I even had a chance to reach my locker. I bit the inside of my cheek in frustration as I grabbed my books. "Don't turn around; she'll know you're jealous," I silently scolded myself. But, of course, I did turn around, leaning against my locker and observing the scene. Her friends, all wearing Forever 21 outfits, seemed to care more about her social status than her true self. I couldn't help but feel a pang of frustration. I do anything for her, yet she seemed content with entertaining these nobodies.

Feeling disheartened, I finally walked away. As I made my way through the crowded hallways, I was suddenly nudged by Perez. He was my other childhood friend, the kind of friend I didn't need to check up on for months, and nothing would change. He was so chill.

"So, that party, huh?" Perez inquired, looking down at me. I raised my eyebrows, my exhaustion evident. Danielle shifted in her sleep, her actions ranging from cute to slightly inconvenient, like scratching me with her toenails or my occasional suffocation beneath her thick, long hair.

"I didn't even want to be there in the first place. It was Danielle who dragged me down there," I admitted quietly. Perez leaned in and whispered, "Did she disappoint?" Perez asked, curiosity in his voice. I shrugged in response, "I suppose not. She made it up to me," I said with a smirk, though what I was thinking was far different from what he might have imagined.

Perez looked intrigued for a moment, but I brushed off any further discussion. It wasn't what he was thinking, and I had no desire to delve into it any further. The sky outside began to darken as clouds gathered. The school bell rang, signaling the end of our brief conversation. Perez patted me on the back before jogging off to join his jock friends, and I nodded in acknowledgment.

With my AirPods in, I walked into class and settled in the back, where I could observe the entire room. The classroom was your typical upscale high school setting, with neat rows of desks and chairs, whiteboards, and large windows that allowed the sunlight to filter in.

I hunched over, absentmindedly pulling the threads of my fingerless leather gloves as I watched students flood into the room. Class began, and I leaned back, trying to disappear into the background.

-🎭🥸🤥

As Danielle and I sat in the school courtyard during lunch, the same girls from earlier approached. They were her friends, or so they pretended to be, and Danielle waved them over with an inviting smile. At first, they looked interested, but as their eyes fell on me, their expressions soured, and they slowly stalked off. I couldn't help but feel a pang of frustration, but I held it in and leaned in closer to Danielle.

I whispered, "Dani, you know how fake all this is, right?"

She nodded, her eyes mirroring my sentiments. "Yeah, Minji, it's all so shallow. I'm tired of it."

For a moment, Danielle's bright eyes dimmed, and she mused, "You know, it's funny. I have all these friends, but I feel so alone."

I understood her struggle all too well. I wanted to tell her to leave behind those so-called friends and just spend some quality time alone with me. After all, I knew that beneath Danielle's charismatic facade, there was often a deep sense of loneliness. Instead, I chose to be supportive and said, "You're not alone, Dani. It's just that we need to find a way out."

Our conversation was abruptly interrupted as more of Danielle's "friends" decided to arrive, and our genuine connection was once again drowned out in the sea of pretense.

As the school days passed, Danielle and I continued to seek refuge in our secret rooftop hideaway. It became a place where we could escape the superficial world that seemed to envelope us, a sanctuary for genuine conversations and true emotions. The risk of being caught on the roof added a thrill to our meetings, but it was a risk we were willing to take.

Our little sanctuary offered a tranquil ambiance, with the rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of birds providing a soothing soundtrack to our conversations. Each day, Danielle and I would settle down on the sloping surface, leaning against the rooftop's railing as we shared our thoughts and feelings.

Danielle, with her long, wavy hair that flowed like a dark waterfall down her back, exuded a captivating beauty that was all the more striking against the natural backdrop. She often had a contemplative look on her face, a testament to the depth of our conversations. I couldn't help but admire her as she sat cross-legged, lost in thought, her emerald eyes reflecting her inner struggles.

But I knew that beneath her radiant exterior, Danielle grappled with the emptiness of her seemingly perfect life. Her popularity and the facade she put on for her friends hid the loneliness that often weighed on her. It was a loneliness that I had come to understand all too well.

One day, as our classes had just started, I couldn't contain the question that had been gnawing at me. "Why can't you just leave your friends?" I asked, my voice tinged with a mix of concern and frustration. "You know, they're not as nice as you make them out to be. You can have fun without them." I say sourly

Danielle turned to look at me, her emerald eyes meeting mine. "You're right," she conceded. "There are moments when I enjoy their company and have fun, but i'm trapped. I can't imagine my life without this world, without them. It's become a part of who I am."

I felt a longing to embrace her, to kiss away her worries, but instead, I suggested, "How about we escape, together?" It was a question that hung in the air, an invitation to break free from the confines of our superficial lives and discover something real, she looked at me lips curling to a smile.