"being alone never felt right. sometimes it felt good, but it never felt right."

- Charles Bukowski, Women

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I tugged at the short, midnight blue cocktail dress Emily had lent me. Although we were about the same size, I was several inches taller than her, which meant the dress was a lot shorter than it was supposed to be. It fell just above mid-thigh, which was shorter than what I was usually comfortable with.

"You look fantastic!" Emily exclaimed, twirling me in a circle. I giggled softly, "You don't look too bad yourself!"

And it was true. She wore a modest pink lace cocktail dress that fell just above her knee, and she tied her hair up into a cute, messy up-do. Her makeup was kept to a minimum, as usual, with the exception of mascara and a light coat of pink gloss.

Aside from my dress, my hair that was usually put into a ponytail, was let loose tonight. With the help of Emily and her trusty iron-curler, she managed to curl my pin-straight hair. My look was finished with a striking red lip that contrasted against my pale skin.

"Are you excited?" I asked Emily as she slathered on another layer of her M.A.C lip gloss. She blinked, "I guess."

Sighing softly, she twisted the cap of the lip gloss tube shut.

"What else am I supposed to feel, Lexi?" Emily said out loud, staring at her reflection.

"Sometimes I wonder if I was born out of the love my parents had for each other or just simply so they could use me to make more money," she muttered bitterly, placing the make-up that was strewn across the vanity table into her make-up pouch.

"Don't think like that, Em. We're here to have fun tonight, regardless of whether Asher Dane will be in the vicinity or not," I declared. Emily sighed, but finally nodded and allowed a small smile to grace her features.

"Yeah, you're right," Emily smiled. I looked at the hand-carved wooden clock over the fireplace of Emily's dorm.

7.48 PM

"They're supposed to pick us up here, right?" I asked. Emily absentmindedly nodded, while she eyed the numerous pairs of heels that sat neatly side by side on her ceiling-to-floor shoe closet. When I first saw the closet, I almost choked. I didn't have one in my room, so that meant she probably had someone custom-build this into her dorm.

"Go for the white pumps, fourth shelf," I suggested, and Emily immediately grinned. She grabbed the pair of heels and set it carefully on the ground. I looked at the heels, noticing the classic gold Chanel embossment on the sole of it.

The boys were supposed to pick us up at eight, so I headed to the door where I placed my only pair of formal heels, a beautiful black pair of stiletto pumps. It wasn't very expensive, and I got it on sale at the thrift store back in my hometown, but I still admired how sexy they looked.

Right as I slipped my feet into my heels and buckled the straps, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," I hollered, in which I got a muffled reply from Emily. She was probably in the toilet, doing her last minute touch ups.

Gingerly, I walked towards the door, wincing at the way the heels pierced into my skin. I opened the door, coming face to face with Asher Dane himself. He wore a tailored black suit, with a white dress shirt and pale pink tie that matched Emily's dress. I raised my eyebrows and smiled slightly.

I glanced to his side where Logan stood awkwardly, a leggy brunette hanging off his arm. He was dressed to the nines in a smart grey suit. Yuko stood on the other side of Asher, in a navy blue suit. Beside him stood a slim, petite Asian girl with short, black hair. She looked younger than the boys, which surprised me. She was the only one who offered me a smile. I returned her smile, but it faltered when there was a certain blonde that wasn't around.

"Where's Robin?" I asked, in which I was met with a pitiful glance from Logan and the Asian girl. My heart dropped when I realised he was probably a no-show.

"He's busy," Asher answered in a clipped tone. "Where's Emily?"

"I'm here," Emily murmured, grabbing her clutch as she walked past the living room to stand next to me. When she made eye contact with the Asian girl, Emily immediately grinned.

"Reiko? Is that you?" Emily asked, eyes shining. Reiko grinned and nodded, and they shared a brief hug.

"Lexi, this is Reiko Hideyoshi. She doesn't attend Meilleur, but she visits often," Emily introduced, and Reiko curtsied me. Reiko...Hideyoshi? I glanced at Yuko who stood beside her expressionless.

"Are you...?" I drifted off, looking at Yuko and then at Reiko. She only grinned and nodded.

"'Fraid so," she answered, smirking mischievously. My mouth formed an 'O' shape, but I quickly shut my mouth when I saw Yuko frown slightly.

"Come on, we'll be late," Asher said, and stalked off without waiting for Emily.

"Where's your date?" Emily asked, frowning slightly. I shrugged, "Busy."

I tried to look as if I wasn't the least bothered by it, but inside I was seething. He practically just left me hanging without even a decent explanation. Busy. Just busy.

Emily looked at me, her eyebrows creased in concern. She pat my arm lightly.

"It's okay, I'm here! And I bet you'll be thrilled to talk to Reiko. She's one of the coolest girls ever," Emily said, trying to cheer me up. I offered a smile and nodded, swallowing thickly.

As we were about to enter the ballroom, Asher cleared his throat awkwardly and offered an arm to Emily. With flaming cheeks, she looped her delicate arm through his. With a deep breath, they walked through the doors and were met with astonished and disbelieving stares. Logan and his date walked in next, and I swore that drool was practically flowing out of the mouths of the boys.

Isn't that Flavia de Oliveira, the model? I heard one of them say. I glanced at Logan's date, feeling even more intimidated and awed.

As Yuko, Reiko and I entered, we were met with even more astonished stares. I really wanted to roll my eyes at how starstruck these people acted. They saw these boys practically every day!

That's Reiko Hideyoshi!

Reiko's back!

Ugh, I wish I was her. She gets to hang out with them!

I glanced at Reiko, who looked at unamused and bored as her brother, Yuko. I was always amazed at how they seemed so nonchalant to the stares they received. It made me wonder how long it takes to get used to so much attention.

Suddenly, I was painfully aware of the incredulous stares I myself was receiving. God, why can't they just assume I walked in the same time as them on accident? Oh right, that's because my best friend's date is Asher Dane!

As we walked to our table, I couldn't help but overhear the conspicuous mutterings of the students around me.

What is she doing with them? She's practically on a completely different social class as them!

Completely unacceptable.

Do you think if I started dressing in rags, they'll notice me too?

"Ignore them. Their stares and words do nothing but remind you that you are alive," a soft but steady voice startled me. I looked to my side and made eye contact with Yuko Hideyoshi. I haven't heard him speak much, and this was probably the first complete sentence he said to me since I've been here. His voice was gentle and soft, but held an edge to it. My lips formed a thin line, and I gave him a firm nod. I wasn't going to let what others say about me get to me. Surprise flitted across his eyes, and he quickly looked away.

"So you're supposed to be Robin's date, right?" Reiko asked, glancing at me with a mischievous smile on her face. Blushing slightly, I nodded. Despite the fact that she was younger than me, I still felt awfully intimidated by her and her beauty. It didn't help with the fact that she's Yuko's baby sister.

"That's surprising. He never dates," Reiko murmured thoughtfully. My eyes widened slightly and I quickly shook my head.

"No, no! We're not dating. Emily was asking them if they could take me to the dance and Robin...Robin volunteered," I muttered, staring at my hands. Reiko's mouth formed an 'O' as she nodded slowly.

"Sorry he couldn't make it," she said, smiling sympathetically. I laughed softly, "It's alright. I didn't expect much from it. Besides, he has companies to run."

Reiko nodded understandingly, but didn't look quite convinced, "Come on, let's go get seated."

As we made our way to our table, the glares and glowers from the girls in the room didn't go unnoticed. But instead of ducking my head in embarrassment, I decided to stand straighter and lift my chin up higher.

Their stares and words do nothing but remind you that you are alive.

The seven of us sat around the table the usher had assigned us to, the boys were having a quiet conversation amongst themselves while Reiko and Emily chatted animatedly about what Reiko had been up to when she was away. Turns out, Reiko Hideyoshi is a famous Japanese model and actress despite being just sixteen. Against her parents wishes, she dropped out of Meilleur and began to pursue her dreams. When I heard her story, I couldn't help but feel awed and amazed. She was so young, yet so determined for success. Yuko, who was sitting beside me rolled his eyes at his sister's reckless behaviour, but the glint of pride in his eyes gave him away.

Logan's date, Flavia, sat quietly beside him, inspecting her manicure. I wrung my hands tightly together, uncomfortably looking around. Some students were eating at their tables, chatting with their friends and laughing, while others were dancing on the dance floor.

And when I said dancing, I meant legit dancing, like waltz. For a while, I stared at some students that were dancing, mesmerised by their swift yet gracefully dance moves.

"One dance," I heard Flavia plead in her thick, Brazilian accent. I didn't miss the look Reiko gave Logan, in which he completely ignored to her dismay. Logan cast her a long glance, before standing up and offering Flavia a hand. Flavia smiled brightly, and took his hand, allowing him to lead her to the dance floor. Almost automatically, the students on the dance floor parted like the Red Sea to make way for them. The slow music switched to a fast, upbeat tango song, and I watched in surprise as Logan and Flavia danced expertly to the music. They twirled and swirled gracefully, allowing the music to take over and guide them. When they came to a stop, many students applauded them. Flavia shot them a sultry smile.

When a soft, piano ballad played through the speakers, many excited murmurs were heard across the ball room and many couples began to move to the dance floor. I saw Flavia plead Logan to dance once more, and with a sigh he nodded.

"May I have this dance?" I heard Asher ask Emily, staring at everything but her. The tips of his ears were pink. Emily blushed like a lobster and nodded meekly, and both of them headed to the dance floor. I watched as he slinked his arms around her waist, and because Emily was much shorter than Asher, she tip-toed to loop her arms around his neck. They were impossibly close to each other, and I watched with a small smile as they danced silently to the music. Reiko, who was sitting next to me, turned to Yuko and demanded, "Come on, dance with me!"

With a roll of his eyes, Yuko stood up and led her to the dance floor too. It was cute how they danced together. I stared at the empty table, suddenly feeling very alone. Standing up and adjusting my dress, I headed out of the ballroom and into the Ladies'.

As I combed through my curls with my fingers, the door to the bathroom slammed open, and Bianca Harding stormed towards me. She was dressed in a garish pink cocktail dress, her hair tied up into a cute bun.

"What did I tell you about stay away from them?" Bianca sneered, shoving my shoulder roughly. For a petite girl like her, she sure had a lot of strength. Stumbling back, I quickly caught myself.

"You just don't know how to listen, don't you? You little bitch," she swore, glaring daggers at me. Adia and Marissa were nowhere to be seen.  I glanced nervously at the door, trying to think of a way to escape but to no avail. After all, Bianca stood in the middle of the door and I.

I bit my lip, "I'm sorry." Bianca's eye twitched.

"Stop trying to act all innocent, Alexandra. We all know the reason why you are cozying up to them is because you're a filthy gold digger," Bianca screeched, raising a hand to slap me. I closed my eyes, waiting for the impact that never came. Slowly, I opened my eyes only to see a gorgeous brunette with striking grey eyes holding Bianca's arm tightly. She must've been in one of the bathroom stalls and heard everything.

"Stay out of this," Bianca seethed, trying to yank her arm out of the girl's grip.

"Give her a break, Bianca. And go fix yourself up, your makeup's smudging and you look like a prostitute," the girl said, disgustedly staring at Bianca. She let go of Bianca's arm. My eyes widened a fraction. Who was this girl? She certainly has a lot of balls to stand up to Bianca Harding, the Queen Bee of Meilleur Academy.

To my surprise, Bianca stormed out of the bathroom, but not before shooting me a murderous glare.

"Th-thank you," I murmured, glancing a the girl who offered me a warm smile.

"No problem, she was being a bitch, anyways."

"I'm Alexandra Knight," I introduced, shyly offering a hand to shake. She shook my hand firmly, "Yeah, I know. You're quite famous here. I'm Siobhan Lanigan."

Immediately, recognition filled my brain. My eyes widened.

"You're the Siobhan Lanigan?" I exclaimed loudly.

She laughed slightly, waving her hand, "So I'm assuming you've heard about me. All bad things, I hope."

And she was right. Indeed I've heard about this hotheaded Irish beauty, Siobhan Lanigan. I've heard about the pranks and how tough she was. She was well known for dating the school's resident bad boy, Jonah Graves, who I've seen smoking at the back of the school field once or twice before. She was basically as popular as Bianca, but she mostly kept to herself. I haven't seen her at the Academy until today, and before today I thought she was some sort of Meilleurean urban legend. It was difficult to imagine someone like her existed when I've never seen her before.

"So, you're here as Robin's date?" she asked casually.

"He's busy tonight. I came alone," I said. She frowned, "That boy never stops working."

"You're friends with him?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, yeah. The four of them and I go way back," she murmured casually, as if being Friend with the Royals was no big deal.

"Wow," I breathed.

"Well it was nice meeting you, Alexandra Knight. I've got to go back to the dance before my boyfriend starts hitting on other girls. I hope to see more of you," she drawled, adjusting her simple yet elegant black dress and walked out the toilet.

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