Beth woke up in a room that had just been lit up with the brightness coming from outside of the window. She instinctively rolled to the side to grab her phone under the duvet. Just then, a new message arrived. It was from Bianca.

"I am really sorry about what happened with you at the Wednesday party. Some of my friends are very picky about the backgrounds of people they allow in their circles, and that's not your fault. I am leaving for Lisette tomorrow but am free for today. Would you like to have a chat at the West Park cafe with me this afternoon? You can ask me any questions about my Lisette life."

Beth got onto her keyboards and was ready to type a response, only stopping by the middle. It was a hesitant situation for her. On one hand, it's an opportunity for her to talk to this person that she admired for so long. On the other hand, will Bianca reject her again, or not bother talking with her after the afternoon conversation is over?

"I don't know...you see, I was ridiculed so much by your friends. It's kinda humiliating for me."

"Some of them are my friend's connections."

Bianca's words popped up in a second paragraph.

"Everyone has their flaws. Honestly, I find some of these people unpleasant as well. They can speak very blunt things. Their behavior has nothing to do with you. Just let me know if you want to come this afternoon."

"You sure about this? What about if we bump into some of those people who didn't like me at the cafe? What would they think?"

"Yes, and you are overthinking. They don't have extra time to focus on us. They've got other things to do as well."

"Okay, well then." Beth sighed out of relief. "I think I will go meet you. When should we be at the cafe then?"

"4 P.M.?"

"That would be good!"

✨

The autumn afternoon at Laurel was bright and rich with colors. The falling leaves were turning orange and red, creating a natural pavement with the azure sky. As promised, Beth arrived around the West Park in the direction she remembered when she went out with Simone. Her sweater with embroidered ivy vines with a chocolate-colored skirt was a perfect earthy coordinate worn among nature.

The cafe was situated across West Park; the tall, red drawbridge could be clearly seen from the front window view. Bianca, as punctual as she was, had been waiting across the street from the cafe. It was not hard for Beth to recognize her, yet she did look different from when she was in a professional setting. Much different. The silver hair did not hang down loosely; it was fully braided. Her outfit was casual as well--a white crocheted lace dress, a pair of dark tall boots, and yellow sunglasses.

Bianca waved to Beth as she walked across the street.

Usually, the cafe would be crowded, according to Simone. However, not a lot of people were at the cafe this time, probably because dinner time was near. The cafe had natural brick walls decorated with posters from indie movies and comics. On one of the walls hang photos dedicated to famous artists that endorsed the cafe, and many stickers that wrote love messages to the cafe by former visitors. The tables near the walls had wooden swings as seats, which especially attracted children. On one of the shelves lay many old instrumental albums that were collected by the designer of the cafe. Jazz and guitar music circulated in the cafe as people engaged in chatter.

"What would you like to have?" Bianca asked.

"Umm..." Beth stared at the menu. "Maybe this mango and passion fruit mirror cake?"

"Ah cool! I would like a layered crepe cake then."

"Ummm..."

Bianca could see that Beth was hesitating.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Beth was pulled out from her hesitation. "It's just...you look different today. Much different than what I have seen you wear. No. You are different today."

"Oh, several people had said that to me, that I usually looked very professional, until they spot me outside" Bianca chuckled. "Have you encountered your teachers outside of school, just to find out that they are also 'sloppy' people with their own quirks? It's like that. Clothes don't have personalities, and I am always the same person under the clothes."

"Yea!" Beth smiled. The romanticized version of Bianca was gradually fading away in her mind. The mysterious person who had always been her inspiration was simply an older girl just sitting in front of her now. "People tend to see others as what they are. They forget to see them as what they could be."

"Absolutely. No worries about what people talked about you on Wednesday. They were just projecting their prejudices on you. I'm inviting you here since I see potential in you."

"Wait, What? Like, how can you see that?" Beth was surprised. "Didn't we only briefly meet two times? Plus, not a lot of people said those things to me before..."

"In fact, it's indeed a hunch feeling. However, there's no evidence that those feelings don't count." Bianca pushed her side hair behind her ears. "Nora and Owen talked about you a couple of times this semester to me. You and I are both sensitive, passionate people. True Laurel sisters, I should say."

"Before I came to do my volunteering work, I thought I might stop by and meet you already. And there you were, eagerly introducing yourself to me and telling me that you admired what I did. What you did was just like me three years ago." Bianca continued. "By the way, a lot of people loved what you did for the fashion runway."

"When you were at Laurel, have you always been the artsy, thoughtful teenager passionate about creating beautiful, sentimental artworks, like what you have on your portfolio?" Beth's curiosity about Bianca grew more fondly.

"Well...I was a presidential scholarship student at Laurel Prep. Laurel might have been stricter in terms of student quality a couple of years earlier. It was the cradle of the brightest students in the country."

Bianca looked into Beth.

"When I first entered Laurel Prep, everything was all new. At the time, there had been complicated situations and accusations going on in my family which involved my parents. Sometimes, I would hear things breaking loudly amid an argument. Those things went on for years. It was very hard to talk to my parents about these things since they had already been going through so much. They had always sheltered me from these things despite being in the middle of them. When I was young, drawing and daydreaming were everything that I had loved. However, those things couldn't be continued anymore. To relieve the stress from my family, I was determined to go to a top high school and get a high-end job someday. They had endured and done so much for me. What did I have to complain about?

At Laurel, I took every course I can with a focus on the STEM ones, hoping to have the foundation to get into pre-med or engineering in college someday. On top of that, club activities and leadership opportunities were very essential for my college application. In the meantime, character design and writing were something I only did when I was free. Every day was very packed. Maintaining top marks to get my scholarship settled, helping with my family during a time of conflict, and being active in my extracurriculars. Everything had to be done well.

Being in such a new environment, I was scared and wanted to belong. Then, a friend came to me. Her name was Amber. We shared similar dreams and hopes for the future that we did everything together. In the end, we both became top students. Unfortunately, jealousy broke our friendship. There could only be one person on the ultimate throne, right?

Amber left, and so did I face the darkest moments of my high school. With all the pressure, stress, and expectations, I fell. Losing sleep, crying in the middle of the night, leaving myself with braises and bruises...Everything suddenly became so overwhelming for me like a battle. After all that molding from communities and our society, I didn't know what was left for myself."