-7-

Now I lay me down to sleep,

I pray the Lord my sins to keep.

Of all the absolute absurd, fucked up and downright salacious questions that stampede endlessly inside my twisted void of a mind, there was one question, in particular, I was dying to ask.

Kang Seungyoon, how does my cum taste?

It now springs to mind whenever I see his crusty lips entwine with hers.

Irene's.

The woman I broke.

Even as I bore witness to their disgusting 'afterschool grope fest' far off in the isolated shadows, the inane question managed to syringe its way into my vast web of thoughts.

Tell me, Kang...

Just how does it taste...?

The moppy-headed pretty boy had his girlfriend propped intimately against her locker, trailing a path of butterfly kisses along her jawline and past her chin to whisper soft sweet nothings in her ear. That dopey shit-eating grin was slapped on his stupid face, which proved stimulating enough for Irene to flash one of her immaculate smiles in reciprocation.

Then I smile.

I smile because I know.

I know the unethical amount of loaded bullshit heavily straining that 'smile' of hers.

A smile that is no longer genuine.

She knows it too.

Deceit glistened in those stunning jade orbs.

Seungyoon wasn't any the wiser.

He wore her lies like a snug sweater.

I honestly felt sorry for the fucker.

It was almost heartbreaking how oblivious he was to the fact that my juices were stained all over those rose-petal lips he loved to kiss so much.

But oh yeah.

I don't have a heart to break.

Kiss my ass, Kang.

Time soon forced Horangi high's most beloved couple to cease their hallway romance and reluctantly separate themselves from each other. After a final set of sickening kisses, Seungyoon trudged around on the heel of his foot and headed for the school's main exit.

He wasn't missed.

Like heat-seeking missiles, my eyes keenly locked onto the shamrock-eyed beauty. She remained immobile against her locker door, staring on after her departed boyfriend in a dazed trance.

I watched.

She then twirled to face the metal compartment with a wooden sigh, anxiously fiddling with the bulky combination lock bolted to its handle.

And I watched.

A pulsing tension stiffened my spine upon seeing her slender fingers elegantly raking through her silky waterfall of brown curls. Hypnotic shock-waves nearly paralyzed me in a coma of pleasure as I ogled her petite little figure bending down for her school bag, unloading and reloading its contents into her locker.

God...look at her.

Even with the simplest of tasks, I was reminded of her wickedness.

Her aggression.

Just how can she go on pretending to be so fucking perfect?

How?

Why is it that no matter how many cracks I split into its refined surface, her mirror of facade always seems to hold its shape?

I already know what she is.

Who she's become.

What I've made her.

It's no secret.

I've caressed—

—Tasted...

...Breathed every repressed part of that monster keeps neatly wrapped beneath the spotless reputation she so proudly flaunts.

I've unraveled each delicate layer of innocence she had cocooned herself in throughout her youth.

I fucking broke her, Goddamnit.

So who the hell is she really trying to fool?

I know, Bae.

Underneath it all...

...You're just like me.

You know it.

No longer possessing the ability to keep still, I slid off the thick plaster banister I was perched on and sauntered over to an unsuspecting Irene, who was way too immersed in her locker activities to notice my presence.

I gave no warning.

A startled gasp emitted through her crimson lips as I meshed myself plush against her curvaceous backside. Fervid excitement pumped through my bloodstream just hearing her resistance.

It gets me so high.

"I hope he knows where these lips have been before he kisses you goodbye..." I whispered breathily from over her shoulder, my left hand spidering up her neck to imprison her bottom lip between my thumb and index finger.

Dominance was mine to hold for about a split second before Irene's inner hellcat unleashed.

I instantly jerked away from the feisty brunette after feeling a healthy set of teeth razoring sharply into my thumb. Before I was even given the chance to curse in pain, Irene quickly swiveled around to confront me head-on.

"Do you have any sense in that deluded head of yours?!" She sniped hushingly, frantically scanning our surroundings for any spectators that might have gathered due to my bold actions. "Someone could have seen us!"

"Good...I've always wanted an audience..." I deviously chuckled, taking a single step forward only to be roughly shoved two steps back.

"What do you want, Seulgi?" My chocolate-haired obsession demanded through an aggravated grunt, quietly resuming her locker browsing with her uniform-clad backside facing me once again.

And once again, I was coaxed to touch her.

"That should be pretty obvious by now..." I purred, inclining towards the suctioning gravitational pull of her body. "And don't make me beg for it either..."

This time, Irene chose to give into the electrifying union of our bodies puzzling together in perfect sync, groaning sexily soft in the process.

Our heated exchange barely lasted a minute before Irene fought me off by jabbing me firmly in my ribcage.

Frustrating little tease.

"Violent much?" I winced at the piercing pain shooting up my side.

Disregarding my comment, she loudly slammed her locker door shut then spun around to reface me.

"I don't have time to deal with you today," Irene sighed dully, slinging her lightweight backpack up over her shoulder. "I'm busy."

You see, I heard the words coming from her mouth yet those riveting green eyes betrayed the sincerity they supposedly carried.

She's holding back.

And...

...And she really shouldn't do that.

Really.

You know what happens when you hold back, Bae.

"Haven't you used that line already?" I asked her smugly, mindlessly toying at the freshly washed uniform tie hanging from her neck. "I know you're a lot more clever than to use the same shitty excuse twice in a row."

"It's not an excuse," She huffed defensively while swatting away my playful hands and readjusting the strap of her pack.

"Why are you so busy then, huh? Off to change Kang's diaper?"

Her eyes narrowed thinly.

"Unlike you, my mind isn't always on one thing. I actually have a life to live."

"Aww...was that supposed to hurt?" I mocked.

Disgust deformed her expression.

"Fuck you..." My muse muttered lowly then attempted to burrow past me in an angry rage but I easily dragged her back by the arm.

"Calm down, princess," I laughed, both amused and captivated by her pouting cuteness. "Just tell me, okay?"

"Fine, if you must freaking know," Irene spat through an extremely annoyed grunt, yanking her arm out of my grasp and drilling a thin finger into my chest. "Despite what a lying jerk you turned out to be, there are many people at this school who actually mean it when they say they need my help."

My brows furrowed confusingly.

"The fuck are you talking abo—" I started to question but cut myself short when I noticed her gaze focusing on the background behind me.

Irene suddenly bum-rushed past me without any further acknowledgment and bee-lined her way over to a golden-haired girl with a slender frame and a cute face to match.

Just who the hell is she supposed to be? I thought irritably to myself as I glowered at the enthusiastic manner the green-eyed cheerleader chatted with the random chick, giving her a radiant smile that couldn't be described as anything but breathtaking.

Since they were a good distance away, I couldn't quite make out their conversation but I got the gist of their intentions when I caught Irene's hand diving inside her messenger bag to retrieve a textbook.

My blood boiled red hot.

So.

She made study plans, huh?

And she thinks I'm just going stand here and watch like a back burner bitch?

Does she know me at all?

The two didn't even make it halfway down the hall before I rocketed myself in between them, wrapping my arms platonically around Irene's newly frigid body.

I caked on the most innocent of faces.

"Irene...where are you going?" I whined ingenuously to the older girl, nuzzling my cheek into her starch uniform blazer. "You promised you'd tutor me today..."

Satisfaction swelled my insides as confusion shrouded Irene's sculpted facial features.

"W-What?" The frazzled brunette stammered, completely derailed by my abrupt shift in personality.

I slowly untangled myself from her and dropped my gaze pathetically down below my feet, fidgeting restlessly with the tattered straps of my backpack.

"You don't remember, do you...?" I asked dolefully, injecting just the right amount of disappointment in my voice to hit a certain blonde onlooker's heartstrings. "You said we could have a study session today...just you and me...and I was really looking forward to it..."

My eyes gradually drifted upward to find a vexed face Irene staring right back.

Pissed.

I inwardly smirked.

Dick move.

I know.

But it's what she gets for making plans without me.

You just can't simply fuck the living shit out of someone then days later expect them to be fine with you trotting about your marry way like nothing ever happened.

This was me being considerate.

If I really wanted to punish her, I would have done so by frenching her right in front of her numbnut boyfriend, who'd still be fifty cents short in buying a clue.

You know better than that, Irene.

You can't shake me.

"Sorry," Irene apologized coldly though moderately polite since we had an audience of one quietly standing by. "But I've already made other plans for today. We will just have to reschedule."

She tried leering herself away from me by tugging on the sleeve of her companion but just as I had hoped, the blonde bimbo lapped up my innocent act like banana pudding.

"God, she's adorable," The aquamarine-eyed girl gushed at me as if I were a newborn puppy. She then glanced to Irene, the latter staring back in horror. "We have to let her join us, I'll feel like shit if we don't."

Manipulation.

I'm its definition.

"N-No, we already made arrangements," Irene greatly protested. "You've asked me to help you with your studies weeks in advance. We can't just change it so suddenly; it isn't fair to you."

The gullible blonde waved away her friend's concerns with a frank shrug of her shoulders.

"Come on, Rene, you know I don't give a damn," She laughed heartily, reaching inside her breast pocket to pull out a stick of gum. "As long as you help me understand this calculus bullshit, I couldn't care less who study's with us."

Her aqua contacts transfixed on me, a toothy grin appearing at the corners of her glossy lips.

"Yo," She greeted, offering her hand out to me. "I'm Wendy."

I don't give a fuck what your name is.

"Seulgi," I introduced with a contorted smile, forcing myself to politely return her friendly gesture.

"So what do you say?" The girl appropriately named Wendy asked perkily while noisily chomping away at the gum-wad in her mouth like a cud-chewing cow. "Wanna tag along?"

I grinned from ear to ear.

"Thank you so much, you're so gracious to invite me," I rejoiced happily, bowing to her in gratitude, my stomach churning sourly at the same time.

It made me completely ill having to be this civil to someone so dimwitted and naive.

But my pride was a sacrifice worth making if it meant seeing Irene Bae fret attractively in anxiety.

Because fuck.

It turns me on.

"Cool, now that that's out of the way, let's blow this shit hole," Wendy chortled to the both of us, Irene was struck in dumbfounded silence by the entire situation.

Eventually, she gave her consent with a curt nod and a phony smile then bulldozed ahead to the front entrance.

Wendy and I followed closely after her.

I strongly sensed that Irene wanted to flat-out expose me for my lying, two-faced trickery but doing so would require her to reveal a negative part of herself to someone who wasn't me.

Can't have that, can we?

Of course not.

Her wickedness is mine.

And mine alone.

I'll share with no one.

"We're going to your place, right?" I heard the blonde airhead ask, somehow managing to wedge herself in between Irene and me so that she was in the middle.

"Y-Yes, that's right," Irene hesitantly confirmed, keeping her olive eyes trained dead ahead, knowing damn well that if she even so much as blinked at me, I'd entrap her in a potent gaze she can't run from.

Was my timing spot on or what?

Not only did I expertly weasel myself in the princess's 'plans' for the third time in a row—

—But I also get escorted right to her place by the dame herself.

However, with Irene being geared in 'straight laced church girl' mode, she pretty much evaded me the entire walk.

She and her blonde drone kept themselves entertained by yapping nonstop about silly fuckery I had absolutely no interest in.

And I didn't care.

I was pretty busy myself.

Yes.

Busy.

Busy remembering.

Every street we crossed, each tree we passed, every building we strutted by, and each pebble we clumsily tripped over—

—I remembered, depositing every crisp detail in my memory bank.

Try and run from me now.

You'll never escape me.

Voyaging at least four blocks past a local park and through a muddy bike trail, a luxurious gated off-bricked house with a well-crafted roof and front-facing balcony soon came into view.

I wouldn't quite call it a mansion.

But it certainly could pose for one.

The quintessential of a perfect home.

Typical.

Irene briefly rummaged inside the front flap of her messenger pack then retrieved a color-coded chain of keys. She stuck the smallest yellow-tipped key in the iron gate's slot.

"My parents' work late, so we have the house to ourselves," Irene explained casually as she unlatched the gate's bolt, leading the way up her spacious driveway and onto an intricate set of glass windowed doors.

Inserting a blue-tipped key, this time, Irene stepped to the side and allowed Wendy and me inside first.

Her house—scratch that.

Her palace was as extravagant on the inside as it was on the outside.

Lavishly painted walls coated by various works of art stretched throughout the poshly furnished living room as well as the dining hall. It all lied upon a sparkling marble floor that I swear I could see my fucking reflection out of.

Wendy didn't seem too impressed which led me to believe she's been here before. My jealousy to this irritating fact was postponed for I was way too enthralled to care.

Growing up in a drafty two-bedroom flat with ragged furniture and leaky piping practically my whole life; the opulent nature of this place had me in complete awe.

What really caught my eye was the shrine-esque, glass trophy cabinet showcased dead center in the main room.

Several pictures of a gem-eyed Irene time-lining from her toddler days up to her current age-aligned across each shelf along with numerous skyscraper like first place trophies, achievement certificates and a shit ton of blue ribbons.

Couldn't blame the Bae's for taking such pride in their only daughter.

Hell.

I'd encase her in a glass cabinet if it wasn't considered inhumane.

"Nice place," I complimented sincerely to a deadpanned Irene, to which she ignored and waltzed ahead to lead us to a grand spiraling staircase.

After journeying down an elongated hallway for what seemed like miles, we finally made it to her bedroom.

Her compelling strawberry essence basically bitch slapped me the moment I stepped foot in the doorway.

The room pretty much looked like it was torn straight out of an interior design catalog with its cream walls and brand-spanking new cherry wood dresser sets. Her queen size bed was dressed in freshly white sheets with a yellow flower patterning sprinkled over every square inch.

Noticeably by the window, a little trophy case of her own was displayed, bustling with cheerleading trophies and even more ribbons.

Everything was essentially in its place.

Neatly neat.

Perfectly perfect.

I'll paint these walls in lust.

"I'll go get us something to snack on," Irene announced almost immediately after we stepped inside her bedroom.

"Dude, I'm right behind you," Her overzealous crony proclaimed exuberantly in response. "I'm starving my ass off."

As they walked back out into the hall, I stepped further into the room.

Alone.

My fingers danced dexterously along the glossy furniture, loving the feel of its polished paneling.

I stopped just short of her nightstand, my mouth twisting distastefully as I caught sight of a certain object.

Accompanied by an expensive looking digital alarm clock and desk lamp, a silver picture frame rested in the center of the black tabletop.

The image projected a bright-faced Irene and Seungyoon snuggled up cozily together on a park bench, enjoying a shared ice cream cone with linked arms and silly smiles.

I turned it on its face.

Much better.

I weaved myself over to one of her tallest drawer sets, pausing slightly to compulsively circle my fingers around the plastic crystal shaped knobs before pulling it fully open.

Vast pairs of designer laced undergarments laid out before me.

Her treasure-trove.

Spellbound, I stuck my hand inside and felt around for a bit, squeezing and twisting through random cup sizes of bras.

Excitement jolted in my chest.

I've realized that I have yet to fully explore the body of Irene Bae.

The urge to fuck her will never trump my lust to be fucked but still, I was curious.

Just how perfect is she...

With nothing on at all...?

I clenched my thighs together in anticipation.

I want to know.

Hooking onto the elastic of a lacy black pair of panties with my finger, I directed myself towards her bed, step after step till I was standing right at the foot.

Harnessing zero self-control, I tawdrily splayed myself out across her bedspread, my honey curls falling in my eyes as the intense scent from her pillows engulfed me upon impact.

I let out a throaty moan.

Addiction.

Obsession.

These weren't just words.

They are my living.

Their cruelty delineates my character.

Or...

Was it her...?

Irene?

Did she define me?

I thought it to be so.

Her scent...

I consumed her in one breath.

Her everything.

My everything.

Obsession bound us.

I'm taken to that moment...

Of when Irene impulsively decided she no longer wanted to be perfect.

Another hungry whimper pressed through my agape mouth remembering the way that girl had taken me...

...The way she made me feel as dirty as I am.

I nearly drowned in her intoxicating aroma as sleek fingers crazily plunged into me with ardent desperation and desire.

Lust.

So feverish we were to reach climax...

Was it possible to be fucked in such a way where you can't even form basic speech?

Words were stolen straight from my mouth by my emerald crested obsession and even bringing me to a knee-buckling orgasm, she wasn't satisfied.

Yes...

Yes.

That's the Irene I made.

Horangi's princess on the skin of her knees, making me quiver for her ruthless tongue.

Like a toy.

Another hoarse moan sounded from me, my hand clutching her panties tighter from build-up; its lace chafing against my palm.

Obsessed.

"Kang Seulgi, don't you ever walk away from me again..."

Trapped.

"You're going to stand here...like a good little slut...and take it."

Her voice...

"Take it, Seulgi..."

Those eyes...

"Fucking take it, you whore..."

Her.

"Irene..." I whisper softly as if it were a secret.

Secrets needn't be spoken.

A shocked gasp lurched me out of whatever trance I was bewitched under.

My eyes, which I hadn't realized I closed, flashed open in an instant.

That's when I discovered how lewdly sprawled about I was over Irene's cushioned mattress, one hand resting across my uniform-clad breasts while the other pressed her frilly black panties to my nose.

Scandalous.

But a scandalous sight for the right eyes.

Irene hovered tremulously in the doorway; jaw unhinged enough to see her whitened teeth, cheeks inflaming a violent shade of red. A party tray of snacks was grasped in her shaky hands.

We at stared each other.

She didn't move and neither did I.

As always, the tense atmosphere grew thick with lust.

She was lust.

I smelled it all over her.

She's thriving with it.

I wanted to drink every last drop till there was nothing left.

But.

We weren't alone.

"Fucking hell, Irene, why do you have so many damn stairs?!" The complaining voice of Wendy echoed from out in the hall, indicating that she was not too far behind.

Irene wasted no time in fixing her posture, her previously sexually charged gaze now hardening into a vicious glare.

I couldn't have been any more turned on.

She quickly placed aside the tray on a nearby dresser then rushed over to me, ripping her panties right out of my grip.

"Would you please act like a decent human being for once?" She snapped through a threatening hiss.

"Do decent humans even exist?" I challenged her, shifting my body weight in toward her standing form so that I could slide my hands slowly up her skirt.

She smacked them away just as Wendy reappeared in the room, holding a crinkled bag of potato chips.

I grimaced.

Why are all her friends such cock blocks?

"Alright, let's get this crap over with," The annoying blonde sighed miserably, stuffing her face with another hand full of grease.

I wanted to lodge the entire bag down her throat.

Irene nodded.

"Yes, let's begin."

The pristine carpeting was soon littered with pencils, pens, textbooks and notebook paper. Our discarded uniform blazers were tossed in a pile along with our school bags and shoes.

I sat lazily on top of Irene's bed, pretending to browse through a history book while Irene and Wendy sat below on the spotless flooring with Irene monitoring Wendy's progress every now and then over her shoulder.

Yup.

They studied.

I didn't.

Why?

Because studying is dumb.

At least it was for me.

I never got the deal.

School wasn't an obstacle for me as it was for most.

It was more of a nuisance.

I have a sort of knack for learning.

A 'talent'.

One I never asked for.

I was able to read up on a certain subject or topic and recite facts naturally on the spot like the American national anthem.

Countless of teachers on numerous occasions have preached and whined about if I only applied myself, I'd go far in life to fulfill all my aspirations.

Why would I do that when I didn't give a flying fuck?

I never had a reason to.

But...

There was something about that glimmer of joy shooting across the olive eyes of Irene Bae whenever Wendy asked for assistance that made me want to care.

It was so...

So...

Damn.

So different.

I've seen her this way before, of course.

She looks like that anytime she's shelling out a good deed.

Aiding the people.

She didn't just do it because it was right; she did it because she wanted to.

It's what set her apart from anyone else.

Her smile.

Not the fake one she gives her boyfriend or the one she sews on merely for appearances.

No.

When she's just being Irene.

That smile.

God, I hate that smile.

I hate the way it tingles on my skin.

The warmth it creates...

It's a different feeling.

Different from anything else I've felt for her.

That...

That isn't the smile I neither want nor crave from her.

...So why does my heart beat the way it does when I see it?

That smile...

Fuck.

What the hell am I doing?

Kang Seulgi.

Get a fucking grip.

I had to remind myself before I carelessly slipped into dangerous territory.

My eyes then fell to her supple crimson lips, her blouse hugging her curves so deliciously.

There it is.

The hunger.

What I want.

What I really need.

Discreet and ever so sly, I took the very tips of my socked foot and lazily drew it along her backside.

She flinched.

The action didn't catch any attention from Wendy so I did it again.

This triggered Irene to nervously glance over her shoulder at me, locking our gazes together.

There was fear and a touch of lust I love so much.

Also confliction.

Can't forget the confliction.

It's sexiest on her.

Refusing to give me any satisfaction, Irene scooted herself away from me and tried to refocus on Wendy.

I wouldn't let her.

"Irene," I called to her sweetly. "Can you help me?"

Her eyes narrowed skeptically.

"...With what?"

I pointed blindly to a random paragraph of text in my history book.

"There is something here I don't understand."

She looked at me crossly but being the person she is, she was compelled to crawl to her feet and rise to my level.

Her bed creaked loudly in strain from my next movements.

I adjusted my position directly in front of her so that her body blocked mine and also the unwanted view of a studying Wendy.

"What is it?" She asked impatiently.

I wagged my finger at her.

She took the bait and leaned in.

I spread my legs wide apart, my sodden panties visible from underneath my skirt.

Her pupils expanded the size of softballs.

Immediately, she grabbed my legs and crossed them shut, throwing a look over at Wendy, who was still laying on her belly, reading.

"What are you doing?!" She whispered harshly for my ears only.My hands grappled onto her blouse collar and forcibly pulled her in close so that my moist lips could glide along the outer shell of her ear.

"I'm so fucking horny right now, Irene..." I breathed to her heavily. "...It's taking everything in me not to pull you down and fuck you hard into your own mattress..."

Her hands gripped tightly to the edge of her bed as I ran my tongue hotly against her cheek, loving the way she shuttered against me.

"G-Get off me..." She weakly commanded, without putting up much of a struggle for me.

"Why? Don't you want to help me, baby...?" I slurred tauntingly, rising slightly to grab ahold of her waist.

Based on her body language, I knew she was just as turned on as I was but she pushed me back anyway and fixed herself.

We both looked down at Wendy in sync, the blonde seeming super focused on her work and hadn't seen to notice much of anything.

Good.

Stay dumb.

I attempted to lure Irene back into me but she broke free from my grasp.

"H-Hey, how about we take a little break?" The flustered girl suggested as she stumbled back over to the safe zone with Wendy.

"Finally, Christ!" Wendy exclaimed, stretching out her muscles in a cat-like fashion. "My head feels like it's about to explode."

"You seem to be understanding the material better, though," Irene encouraged supportively, eager to freeze me out.

"That's only because you're such a kick ass tutor," The blue-eyed drone complimented while reaching for the snack tray. "I, however, am just kick ass."

Irene giggled lightly.

"You're so silly."

"Hey, it's my charm."

The two of them broke out into yet another useless conversation while I sat there staring blankly.

Bothered.

So very bothered.

Blondie was really starting to piss me off.

I was the one who highjacked her personal study session to be with Irene in the first place—but—

—Why the fuck is she still here?

Cock blocking ass bitch.

The moisture between my legs was unbearable; I wasn't sure how long I could pretend to be sane.

I need a break as well.

"Where is your bathroom?" I asked Irene calmly, lifting from my place on the bed.

"Down the hall, to the right," She replied simply, giving me a virulent look before turning her attention back to Wendy.

I rushed from the room and booked it down the hall. When I found the bathroom, I ran inside and locked the door.

My ragged breathing was the only sound accompanying the air vents in the quite spacious bathroom.

I squinted at my disheveled reflection, surprised at how quickly the marks on my neck were already fading to barely noticeable scars.

I stared harder.

Deep.

My eyes were crazed.

Hungry.

She always makes me like this.

Aroused beyond proper thoughts.

Shit.

I twisted the silver faucet handles on the sink and splashed warm water on my face.

Get yourself together, Seulgi, just wait it out.

You can wait it out.

You can.

But the more I told myself this, the more impatient I grew.

Shit!

I felt so uncontrolled.

It's her fault.

I'm trapped.

Inhaling deeply and repeating for twelve cycles, I fixed my tussled hair and exited the bathroom.

My feet took me slowly back on the path to her room, the hallway lit only by the natural light peeking from downstairs.

As I approached closer to the door, I heard voices, muffled but audible, speaking which heightened my eavesdropping senses.

"Rene, can I ask you something?" I heard Wendy say casually.

"Sure, anything."

"How long have we been friends?"

"For about four years now," Irene replied bubbly.

There was a slight pause.

"So you wouldn't bullshit me right?"

"Of course not."

An even longer pause was taken.

"Then why have you been?"

I could feel Irene's hesitation.

"I-I don't know what you mean..."

Wendy chuckled.

"You really think I'm that dense, don't you?"

I pressed myself closer to the door but enough whereas not to draw attention. To my luck, the door happened to be cracked just a smidge enough for me to peek in at the two sitting on the floor.

Irene looked frazzled and out of place while Wendy remained tranquil yet serious.

"W-What are you talking about, Wen?" The blushing cheerleader nervously asked while running a lone hand obsessively through her current of brown locks, a dead giveaway that she was lying.

Wendy knew it too.

"Would you rather I just be blunt?" The blonde asked with the latter giving silence as her answer.

So she continued.

"That Seulgi girl," Wendy began, clearing her throat thoroughly. "You're fucking her, aren't you?"

I'd be a liar if I denied my surprise.

Though I wasn't being that discreet after all, it still threw me off at how well she hid it.

Well, at least now I know she's not a complete moron because only a moron could miss what Irene and I had.

Aka Kang Seungyoon, moron of the year.

Irene was as equally as taken aback as I was.

"Oh my God! Wendy! How can you say such things?!" My muse blatantly rebutted which queued a curt snort from Wendy in response.

"Look," The no-nonsense blonde spoke firmly, eyeing down Irene knowingly. "I may not be an Einstein in math but I've been in enough personal situations to know what sexual tension feels like and you and that girl explode with it."

"Y-You're being ridiculous..." Irene stammered lowly, not realizing that the more she denied it, the guiltier she looked.

"No, you're the one who is ridiculous trying to hide it from me."

The green-eyed girl dismissed her friend's allegations and began fiddling wildly with the pile of scattered papers and notes. "I-I think we had enough of a break here, what do you think? Let's just jump right back into these equations. Where were we again? Oh yeah, you had a problem wit—"

Wendy put a stop to Irene's frantic babbling by placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Rene...it's okay..." Wendy said softly out of concern, her thumb now rubbing gentle circles around the brunette's shoulder blade. "I didn't ask to pass judgment on you...I just want you to be honest with me."

Irene's already anxiety-ridden aura took a drastic turn for the worse as she crumbled into the touch of her companion.

"...Has everything been okay with you and Seungyoon?" Wendy asked when Irene stayed silent.

The broken girl suddenly straightened.

"Yes, of course. He's wonderful," She claimed in defensive. "I couldn't ask for a better boyfriend."

That statement just served as the perfect segway for the grand question of them all.

"Then why are you cheating on him?"

Irene curled herself into a ball, hugging her knees to her chest.

"I-I don't know...I don't know what's wrong with me, Wendy..." She stammered unstably.

Helplessly.

"I feel like I'm going crazy..."

"Are you gay...?"

The brunette's head snapped up in an instant.

"No."

"Bi-curious...?"

"I-It's not that either..."

Bullshit, Irene.

Bullshit.

She's always running.

"Rene..." The blonde spoke, compassion filling her tone. "It's totally cool if you are...I mean...I don't really care if you're into girls—"

"I'm not, Wendy," Irene firmly reiterated. "I'm not gay."

Wendy didn't seem convinced.

"Sorry, but I find that a little hard to believe," She scoffed, tossing her lemon curls over her shoulder and staring at Irene dully. "You're telling me that you're banging this chick but you're still one hundred percent straight?"

Even Irene realized how idiotic that sounded when said aloud.

"I get why you're so scared, but don't fucking lie about it," Wendy continued to emphasize with the darker-haired girl sighing in reaction. "The Irene I know never lies....especially to herself..."

"T-That's the thing, Wen," Irene stuttered shakily. "I'm not me anymore..."

Everything went still.

Silent.

The pressure brought along with it killed me.

Hell, this is nerve-racking.

I held my breath and waited for her to speak again.

When she finally did, I exhaled.

"...Seulgi...she does things to me that I-I can't explain...." She whispered hushingly, jade eyes honing in on a specific area on her carpet. "She makes me think of things that I shouldn't even know about until I'm at least in my thirties..."

Wendy whistled lowly.

"That crazy, huh?"

Irene nodded.

"She has this sick, twisted infatuation with me....and I...I..."

"You...?" Wendy urged for her to finish.

"I...I guess I can't think straight when I'm with her...when I touch her...I want to keep touching her...and whatever else happens because of that or the consequences that follow after doesn't matter. As long as I'm touching her...even when it's wrong, it feels right...it has to be right...because I can't stop."

Silence was allowed to rule for another few minutes before Wendy spoke up again.

"...Is it serious?"

"Define serious."

"Do you like her?" The aquamarine-eyed girl clarified.

"No. Definitely not," Irene outright rejected the thought in great haste. "What we have together is strictly lust. Nothing else."

"So you don't have any feelings for her?"

"Oh, I have 'feelings' for her, but it's anything but romantic," Irene's green eyes paved off even further in the distance, her hands balling into tight fists. "She may seem sweet to you but trust me, it's all another act. She's a manipulative little bitch."

Check.

Check.

And check.

These weren't lies.

No one knows that better than me.

"I can't stand her," The ranting girl continued determinedly. "She makes me sick to my stomach. I've never met anyone as infuriating and frustrating as she is and I—"

"And you're so hot for her," Wendy concluded.

"I admit that..." Irene confessed, though beyond repulsed by her close friend's accusation. "But that doesn't take away the fact that I hate her."

"There is a thin line between love and hate."

"Trust me, there is no love between us."

I second that.

It's not her heart I want.

"You love Seungyoon, right?"

Irene nodded repeatedly.

"With all my heart."

Wendy's nostrils flared.

"So just why in the hell are you cheating on him with someone you claim to hate so much?"

She didn't leave room for a response.

"I saw the way she looked at you, Irene and I saw the way you looked back. You can't tell me there is nothing there."

Helplessness once again embedded itself in the expression of the sulking brunette.

"I don't know what to do, Wen...this is all just such a mess..."

"Any mess can be cleaned," Wendy stated. "You just have to put forth the effort to clean it."

I knew what was being implied.

I knew.

So I decided to re-enter before it was spoken out loud.

The awkwardness was excruciating.

They both tried their damn hardest to stay nonchalant and cooled as if they weren't totally just talking about me seconds ago.

It was Wendy who decided to break the ice.

"Did you fall in?" She asked me jokingly.

I smiled.

"I took a dump."

She laughed again then slumped up to her feet.

"Well, I think I had enough studying today," Wendy yawned while picking up her bag and packing away her study materials. "Think I'm gonna head home and eat my body weight in junk."

"Are you sure you have to go?" Irene asked solemnly, the pleading in her voice very apparent.

Wendy threw her a quick 'shit just got weird, I can't really deal' kinda look to which Irene responded with a desperate 'please don't leave me alone with her' frown.

It made me wonder how I would be reading their actions had I not tuned into their earlier conversation.

"We'll see each other tomorrow, kay? Thanks for your help!" She bent to give her a quick friendly hug then raised up to face me.

"Great meeting you, Seulgi."

"Likewise," I said with a sarcastic smile.

Not.

"I'll walk you out," Irene grumbled trying to get up but Wendy stopped her.

"No, it's okay, I can let myself out," She gave us a final wave then whisked herself out the door.

Suffocating tension weighed down on us like a truck of bricks.

It was agonizing.

This beautifully ruined girl before me—the core root of my toxic obsession—drove me mad enough as it is and adding silence to the equation only made me even crazier.

So I chose to take the first leap.

"I'm sorry."

Though I had not originally intended on speaking those particular set of words, the longer its robust message marinated in the already tense air, the more I was certain it was the right thing to say.

Irene's head twisted sharply in my direction, blinking up at me rapidly like a deer caught in headlights.

"W-What?"

"I'm sorry," I repeated, breathing steadily through short bursts from my nose. "I'm sorry that I'm not sorry."

A blended canvas of emotions painted her expression the very moment my contradictory apology rolled off my tongue.

I continued.

She listened.

"I'm not sorry that you feel so trapped or that you hate my fucking guts," I proclaimed truthfully, my eyes not once vacating from hers. "I'm so sorry that I just don't give a flying fuck how much it breaks your heart that you're cheating on your boyfriend. I don't care and I never will. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorr—"

The rest went unfinished.

Next thing I know, I'm being aggressively thrown backward onto the queen-sized bed with a breathless Irene welding her succulent body against me, the once awkward mess she was previously rendered to only seconds ago was now just a faded memory. Her wild green eyes bore fervently into mine in such a way that I felt as if I'd be reduced to a lifeless nothing if I dared look away.

So I didn't.

"You want to know what I'm sorry for...?" The hershey-haired minx growled huskily in my ear, the weight of her hips pressing me hard into her comforter. "I'm sorry for not shutting that whore mouth of yours up sooner."

Snip.

Snap.

We collide.

Our lips crashed together in a feral passion, Irene's desperate hands tearing erratically at my blouse buttons in an attempt to rip the course fabric right off my body.

I moaned hotly into her mouth.

She moaned right back at me.

There was no real pattern to our movements.

We relied purely on sin to guide us.

I'm yours, Irene.

Destroy me.

Her pelvis ground rhythmically against my thigh while her teeth nipped a familiar path down along my neck, inducing me to constrict myself tightly around her.

Closer.

I wanted to melt into her.

I wanted to be all over her.

Irene, I'm a wreck for you.

Impatience consumed the both of us the longer we groped at one another. I nearly lost it when I felt naughty fingers itching a hazardous pathway underneath my skirt and up to the outline of my drenched panties, womanhood throbbing longingly.

"Irene...fuck... " I moaned her name as if I knew no other word. "God...Irene..."

She loved it.

"That's right, baby...say my fucking name..." The sexy vixen groaned lustily in satisfaction, streaming her scorching tongue from my neck to my lips and then back to the shell of my ear. "Scream it to me..."

I couldn't contain it.

Latching onto her wrist, her name forced its way from my mouth in a strangled scream.

But for some odd reason, it made her stop.

And when she stopped, she stopped.

Cold.

I wanted to rip each strand of hair right from my scalp.

We weren't even past second base.

Hell, we barely did anything at all and she's stopping?

Fuck!

"Why the fuck did you stop?" I grouched to her crankily, nudging her lightly with my elbow. "Damnit, Irene we haven't even—"

That's when she pulled away from me completely, propping herself upright on the bed so that she was sitting on the back of her legs, her vacant emerald gaze eyeing me strangely.

What's wrong with her?

"Um, hello?" I waved my hand in front of her eyes, annoyed by the lack of response she gave. "What's your deal?"

She said nothing.

Just stared.

I could have murdered her with my bare hands.

"Irene, you are seriously not fucking doing this to me right now, I don't have time to babysit your stupid ass doubt—"

"Who is Kyungri?" She cut me off abruptly.

It was my turn to freeze.

"...What?"

"Kyungri," The name clicked off her tongue bitterly. "Who is that?"

"Why are you asking that...?" I asked her in an almost whisper, my body tensing as if I had just been submerged in a lake of ice.

Irene blinked only once.

"Because that's the name you just screamed."