DON'T GO TO FANCY BALLS

"your way in over your head."

That's the statement she constantly reiterated to me. She was the only one who called me what I was. A fool to believe I can outrun power.

Still in his white dress shirt, no bra, just some flimsy panties intended for a steamy night that ended with me in a cell.

A disgusting cell with no windows, no bars, just a solid square of concrete, the only cut-out being at the door, which at the moment was closed.

Clearly, this wasn't legal. This cell wasn't conducive for any human being, let alone an animal. The floor was wet with water that had turned mouldy and had breaded some parasites.

Since I was left here, I have been standing on the only dry spot in this square space. Unaware of how long it had been. But my legs can attest to the period if only they could speak.

When did it all go wrong?

/Four months ago.../

"This time, you have to go."

"No."

I respond sternly. My attention was solely on my PC, reading a journal about Postpartum Depression.

"Come on, Lina; it will be fun. You will meet your friends and maybe-Score yourself a decent dude who has it together."

"I had no friends at that place. Remember. You are and always will be my only friend."

She takes some seconds to think about the past. She realized that, indeed, I had no friends at that place.

"OK OK. Yeah, you had no friends at that place. After all, you didn't dare to make one because you were a scholarship kid. But now you are a doctor. She is an excellent paediatrician with many accomplishments for her young age. You have this big thing now. You can size up to them directly. You are their equal now. "

I rolled my eyes, my attention split between reading and listening to the gibberish she was saying. Northridge was an international school. The best in Beijing, all the politicians, famous actors, and business people kids went there. I was never their equal, and even now, I still won't be. Most will be prominent individuals and CEOs, now owners of big companies.

Getting an opportunity to go there was a miracle. But that place was lonely, sad, and tiring. The three years I went to that school were testing my spirit.

Those guys were spoiled rotten and disrespected everyone, even the teachers there. One time this teacher was forced to apologize to one of the students. My heart still broke just by thinking back to that scene.

Some pupils couldn't be bothered to work towards anything because their future was already laid out in front of them. And the weakly brand battles between the top girls were tiring.

Whenever a new fancy expensive brand dropped. The school will be mayhem. Little cat fights will start over whose bag was more pretty. Even though we were all required to wear a uniform, the small places where these kids found a way to flaunt their wealth, they did.

Expensive watches and earrings, diamond headbands. I had seen it all in that place, and it got a bit ridiculous for me.

Going into that school, my motto was:

"Out of sight, out of mind."

Never hanged around in the cafeteria. During lunch, I'll be at the library helping Mrs. Rosy rearrange the books while occasionally taking a bite out of my candy bar or sandwich.

During class, my number one rule is never to ask questions. In an environment of people that could care less, your caring will bring attention to you. I opted to ask the teacher directly after class if I had questions.

My classroom seat was the front row seat on the corner of the other side of the class. Who remembers that seat or the person that sits there? No one, exactly.

If this was a Boys over flowers series, I would be the other scholarship kid who never got the screen time. My presence was just simply nonexistence. Simply not there, and I liked it.

Realizing my mind was wandering off from what I was reading, I aggressively shushed her rant.

"OK, I still don't want to go. Is that OK now? Can I continue reading this lovely paper?"

"No! Any answer than "Yes, I'm going" won't do. Come on, this will be the best. Don't you have anyone you had a crush on back in school? You will get to see them. Maybe score a dancing moment with them. Come on, please. You know I can cry and beg."

Hoping to use the "I don't have anything to wear" excuse. I agree. Indeed Ming was my long-time friend. She knew me all too well that she had everything planned already. Before I could say the "...but I don't have..." line, she was already listing the things she had arranged thus far.

"Don't worry, the dresses are all set. I have that thing against my manager, so he has agreed that I can land something from the racks provided we replace them as they are. And the car leaves it to my lovely boyfriend to deliver. I told him he should pull out something that screamed money."

Ming worked as a salesperson at one of these expensive brand shops. And she had been holding that embarrassing video of her manager for a while, thinking about what she wanted to do with it. I would have deleted it myself if I knew it would be my demise. Dan, her boyfriend, was in the car dealership business, and I'm sure he could pull out something for his princess. I had no doubt about that. It was sealed; I was going back to hell.

"And you're coming with me, OK!"

"You think id miss this! I threatened the manager for 2 dresses. What screams hot, a single, successful doctor, eh?

Dior, Chanel, Gucci, Prada, pick one come on."

I think it over for a second, realizing it won't make any difference. I don't know anything about fashion.

"You choose."

She does her happy dance and gets on her phone with her boyfriend.