45 She doesn't care anymore.

Mia entered the classroom.

"Hello, Mia." Hana also entered following her.

Mia turned back and found her smiling.

"Oh, Hey Hana…"

"What happened, Mia? You look tired…"

"Yeah...I am a bit tired today…I've got a little headache since I woke up…"

"Ohh…Did you take any medicines or something?"

"No need. It's alright." Mia smiled weakly.

Hana sat down on her seat, while Mia went towards hers.

On the way, she felt a different vibe from the people who were looking at her.

'Now what?....Huh….' She sighed inside.

And she sat down on her seat.

As her head was aching so much, she kept her hands on the table and rested her head on it, closing her eyes.

"Mia?"

"…"

"Hey, Mia?"

Mia looked up with heavy eyes. So Hee was looking at her, from her seat.

"What happened?" Mia asked with a tired voice.

"Are you not feeling well?" So Hee asked worriedly.

"I am okay. Don't worry."

"Actually, I wanted to talk with you about something."

"Yeah. Go ahead." Mia got up and sat straight.

"Umm…Actually….The…"

"Oh, So Hee. Please just say it. I've heard enough so I don't think, it would be that shocking..." Mia said as she rubbed her forehead.

"There is a rumor going around, about you, Gyuri, and Ray." So Hee stopped talking to see Mia's reaction. But Mia was as calm as before. She was not surprised or angry or anything.

"Okay. So? What is it?" Mia asked with a calm tone.

So Hee was surprised by this reaction.

"Everybody is talking that…um.."

"Oh, come on. Just speak up!" Mia was getting frustrated.

"They are saying that the rumor about you having a big crush on Ray was true after all.

And as Ray and Gyuri are hanging out together, you got jealous and you fought with her "physically" in the Girl's room yesterday. That's why she's got scratches on her hands and all.

And yesterday, some students saw you, having a quarrel with Ray at the main gate of school also. Sooo….."

'So this is the reason, he got mad at me yesterday….Well played, Gyuri!'

Mia was thinking, her face as plain as ever. Her eyes were ice-cold and there was not at all a hint of any emotion on her face.

So Hee's whole body shivered as she was looking at Mia's empty face.

She didn't say anything for a couple of minutes, as she didn't understand what to say next.

After a while, "Umm…Mia?" So Hee talked hesitantly.

Mia just looked at her.

"Don't…Don't you wanna say something…about it?"

Mia just smiled, but that smile was really painful.

"What can I say?

It's like every day a new rumor is spread about me. And now I am just sick of this.

I just don't care anymore. I don't care what people talk about me.

I don't care what they think about me.

I've wasted a lot of my time and my energy proving to these people, who I am or who I am not….

But not any more….I am just tired of all this…."

"Mia…." So Hee looked at her worriedly as she heard her words.

"I just don't know why she is acting that way with me. I don't know what I did wrong.

I am also not certain if I "did" something wrong.

And you know what; I don't wanna find this out anymore.

It's just so…so frustrating…." Mia said and again rested her head on the table.

So Hee, who was looking at her worriedly, put her hand on her head and gently patted it.

Mia didn't move but stayed like that with her eyes closed.

"You don't have to prove anything, Mia. At least, not to us.

I've known already, that this wasn't true at all. I know how you are Mia.

And I believe you. Not only me but April and Ye Rin too."

Mia looked above, her eyes were moistened.

So Hee smiled at her warmly. At that time, April and Ye Rin also came there.

"We have already talked about this…" April said.

"And we don't think, you can do such thing…." Ye Rin said.

"Yes, Mia. We all trust you. So you don't need other's approval or something." So Hee said.

Mia smiled at them. "Thank you, guys…"

~

At the lunch break, So Hee, April, Ye Rin and Hana, all came to Mia's table to have lunch.

Throughout the lunch, So Hee and April tried to cheer up Mia. But she was silently sitting there with not much response. Hana was also worried to see Mia like that.

After lunch, Mia excused herself and went to the rooftop of the school.

Breathing in and out deeply for a couple of times, Mia stood there silently, staring at the Cherry blossom tree, which was at the entrance of the school.

'The leaves are turned yellow….soon they'll fall off and will be laying on that cold, hard ground….alone….'

Her eyes saddened.

A cold winter breeze running through her hair made her shiver.

She rubbed her palms to each other and then put it on her cheeks.

'But…This little warmth of my hands feels so nice in this cold and dry winter…

Just like the warmth of faith of my friends on me.

Which is making me stand in these hard times also…'

"Hey, Mia!"

Mia turned back and saw So Hee, April, and Ye Rin in the door.

"Hey, you guys…" Mia gave them a warm smile.

"Hey, girl…Don't you ever smile like that to any guy…" So Hee said as three of them came towards her.

"That smile is killer, you know. That will make any guy fall for you, so hard that he'll never think of anyone else again!" So Hee said teasingly.

Mia didn't say anything. 'Yeah…I could see that….Hmph..' She thought.

"What are you doing up here?" April asked.

"She comes here, every time she feels down or if she wants to cry." Ye Rin answered.

Mia looked at her confusedly. 'How does she know everything?'

"Wait…Are you here to cry?" So Hee came forward, right in front of Mia's face, and stared for a couple of seconds.

"Um…I don't think she cried…" She said as she narrowed her eyes.

"No. I didn't. Why would I cry? I've cried enough over the stupid people for last months…"

"That's right." Ye Rin said.

Mia again looked at her.

"Mia.." April said.

"Hm?" Mia turned to her.

"Can we ask you something?"

"Why are you talking so formally?…Just ask whatever you want."

"In the morning, you said that you don't know why SHE is acting that way…

So here, the girl you are talking about is...Gyuri?"

Mia looked at April and then at So Hee and Ye Rin. All three of them were looking at her worriedly.

Mia took a deep breath and said, "Yes! It's Gyuri!"

"I told you!" Ye Rin said.

"That girl…" So Hee said as she punched her right fist on her left palm.

"But…Why is she doing all this?

I mean, do you really know nothing about it?" April asked Mia.

Mia just shook her head sideways and lowered her head.

"MIA!!"

Hearing Ye Rin's shout out of nowhere, everyone really got startled.

"Ye Rin!!!" April said putting a hand on her fast-beating heart. "Why did you shout like that?"

"I saw it in a movie, that if you wanna cheer up someone, you should shout their name and—"

"And watch them die by a heart attack!" So Hee said sarcastically.

"Well, that's not what happened in the movie…" Ye Rin said as she started tapping her finger on her cheeks, trying to recall the movie.

"Why? Was the main character deaf or something?" So Hee passed another sarcastic comment.

"Umm…I don't…think so…..I think she was absolutely fine." Ye Rin answered as if acting like she still wasn't getting the sarcasm.

While April was looking at both of them one by one when one would say something.

"I have 13 more ideas to cheer up people if you want. It's from the movie—"

"13 WAYS TO GIVE PEOPLE A HEART ATTACK?" So Hee smirked.

"Pfftttt...Hahahahaha….." Mia burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha…..You guys are.....Hahaha….so funny!!!" Mia said.

Looking at Mia laughing like that, all three girls exchanged looks and smiled at each other.

"Oww, Mia. It feels so good to see you laugh like that." April said.

"Yes, girl. Keep laughing like this." Ye Rin said.

So Hee also nodded to it.

Wiping her laughter tears, Mia calmed herself down.

"Thanks, guys…Thank you so much for this. I feel a lot better now."

"That's what friends are for!" So Hee smiled wide.

"I don't remember the last time, I laughed like this," Mia said.

"Well, I do." Ye Rin's words made all the three girls look at her.

"You are really strange."

Out of nowhere, a familiar voice came, and all girls looked in the direction.

"Hana?" April said looking at her with puzzled expressions.

"Um...When did you get here?" Mia asked.

"I've been standing here from the beginning.

Didn't you notice me?"

"Um...No. We didn't." So Hee said.

"Well, I - " Before Ye Rin could say anything, Mia said.

"Yeah, we know Ye Rin, that you already knew this.."

And then all of them started laughing.

Before going downstairs, Mia again looked at the cherry blossom tree.

'This winter won't be as cold as it seemed....'