Nari sighed and looked out the window as she watched buildings and people fly by. It's been three days since she left the dorm and her heart had never ached more. Kyong and Hyo were very nice, but they weren't the same as the her boys. She hoped that school would cheer her up a little. Nari didn't miss much in her old life, but school had always given her a sense of purpose.

She felt her phone buzz in the pocket of her blazer and smiled as she unlocked the screen to see a text from Jimin: today's picture of the sky. It was bright blue and boundless where he was, and as Nari looked out the window it comforted her to see the same cloudless cobalt skyline. She snapped a photo for Jimin and exhaled deeply as she pressed send. Just like he said, this made the distance feel less daunting after all.

"Nari, we're here." Hyo stopped the car in front of a tall grey building with students entering from all sides. She smiled, "Have fun today. Call me if you need anything, okay?"

The girl nodded and grabbed her book bag as she got out of the car, "Thank you."

Nari took a long breath and took her first steps towards the building. Don't be so nervous, She told herself, It's just school. You've been to school a million times before. It'll be just like the last time you went.

However, the girl was just about to find out how wrong she would be.

She managed to go to her locker and put on her school shoes undetected, as well as finding her first period classroom, but as soon as she opened the door everything changed.

"Hi! You're Nari, right?"

Instantly, a group of a dozen girls surrounded her. Nari's face flushed and her eyes shot to the ground, unsure of where she should look, "Uh, yeah, that's me."

"I saw you in a magazine!" One of the girls rambled excitedly, "You live with BTS. What are they like? Are they really as nice as they are on TV?"

"Is it true that V-oppa talks in his sleep?" Another voice piped up.

Nari paused, "V-oppa?" She racked her brain trying to find a face to the name, "Oh, you mean Tae?"

"You call him Tae? That's so cute!" The girl squealed, "I should start calling him that too."

"Is Jin actually good at cooking?"

"Does Jungkook have a girlfriend?"

"Do you get to go to free concerts?"

"Can you get me their autographs?"

"What kind of clothes does Jimin like?"

"Have you heard any of the new album?"

Questions flew around the girl's ears to the point where she couldn't differentiate the voices anymore. There were just so many! She didn't know if she could answer all of them even if she tried. The girl felt her eyes filling up with tears. This was just too overwhelming for her introverted personality to take.

"Girls! Get to your seats!" The teacher clapped his hands loudly, saving Nari from a hurricane of questions. He pointed to an empty desk at the back of the room, "Your desk is over there. Everyone, this is our new transfer student: Kim Nari. I trust that you all will make her feel welcome here."

Nari bowed before heading to her seat, "Thank you very much." Her heart couldn't help but flutter as she heard her last name read aloud. For the first time in her life, she had a last name, a family that she belonged to. It almost made the constant barrage of questions worth it. Almost.

The girl took out her notebook and started copying the equations on the board as the teacher read attendance. She couldn't help but notice that the girl in front of her had a bright pink backpack, and took a double take when she saw a familiar smile on it. Small pins dotted the surface of the bag, including one that was just a blowup of Jin's grinning face.

It had never really occurred Nari until now that the boys were famous. She had gotten used to their busy schedule, expensive clothes, and the dance studio in the house, but other than that they never really talked much about their work. In fact, she didn't think that she'd heard any of their songs besides odds and ends of whatever they were working on. The boys had always felt so special to her that she didn't even think about how many other people they influence.

Whispers floated around the classroom and the girl could feel eyes on her at every angle. Words couldn't even begin to describe how uncomfortable she felt. Nari shuddered as she tried to shake the feeling, but it wasn't much use. The invisible dirt still lingered and every person here just buried her deeper.

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"What's your favorite thing about BTS?"

"Uh," Nari stuttered as she put down her chopsticks, "They're nice, I guess."

Classes had gone just fine, she enjoyed them a lot, but there was a break for lunch now, which meant it was time to be social. The same group of girls that surrounded Nari earlier had immediately snatched her up before she could even pull her bento out of her bag. Not exactly having another option, she let them corral her to their group of desks.

"You guess?" A girl with pigtails exclaimed, "You're living with the most famous kpop band in the whole world and all you can say is I guess?"

Nari winced and her gaze plummeted to the floor once more, "I don't know. They don't really talk a lot about their work. Sorry."

"It's okay," A different voice answered cheerfully, "Who's your favorite? Mine is Suga, he's so sweet."

The girl nodded, "He is sweet. I care about Suga a lot."

"That's everything I've ever wanted to hear," She sighed dreamily, "I can't believe that Nari from BTS is here in our class. This is a dream come true."

Murmurs of agreement came from the other girls and Nari felt tears forming once again. They don't care about me, The voice in her brain echoed, All they care about is getting to the boys. They're only nice to me because they want to meet BTS.

Nari could feel the invisible dirt beneath her skin once again. She'd never be able to be her own person. Her life was just an extension of the things that happened to her and the people that she knew. These girls didn't care what her favorite color was, how she liked her eggs, or even what made her happy: They just wanted her for her connections. That's all.

She stood up and managed a pained smile, "Excuse me, I have to use the bathroom."

Nari didn't wait for an answer and quickly strode out of the room. It didn't matter where she went as long as it was away from them. The girl let her subconscious guide her and found herself in front of a library. She took a deep breath and opened the door. When all else failed, books made everything okay again.

"Hello! Can I help you with something?"

The girl turned to see a young American-looking woman at the checkout desk smiling warmly at her.

"Do you need help with something?"

Nari vigorously shook her head, trying to hide the tears in her dark eyes, "N-No. I'm just looking."

She hastily picked up a book from the nearest shelf and flipped through the pages. Noticing something familiar, she closed the paperback and looked at the cover. It was The Catcher In The Rye.

"Hey, are you okay?" Nari felt a light tap on her shoulder and spun around to see the librarian again, "Honey, the book isn't that sad. I've read it before."

Nari broke into short sobs and buried her head in the pages, unsure of what to say. For the first time today, someone's voice sounded completely sincere.

"Alright," The woman placed a supportive hand on her shoulder, "Let's get you cleaned up, okay?"

She guided the crying girl into a small classroom inside the library, gently sitting her down at a round table. The kind woman handed her a box of tissues and sat in the chair across from her, "My name is Ms. Bradley, I'm the librarian here. What is your name and how can I help you?"

"Nari." The girl answered and wiped her eyes, "K-Kim Nari."

"It's nice to meet you, Nari. Now, why are you upset, honey?"

Nari managed to choke out words through her tears, "I'm just....homesick."

"I see. Moving can be hard," She sympathized, "I moved here from America a few years ago. I had a really tough time for a while. Do you want to call someone, maybe your parents? I won't snitch, I promise."

"Thank you."

The woman nodded, "Of course. I'll make some tea, okay?"

Nari took out her phone while managing a grateful nod to the librarian as she left the classroom. She took a deep breath and dialed the one person that she knew would understand.

"Hey lovely, is everything okay?"

"Suga, hi," The girl let out a sigh of relief, comforted by his familiar nickname for her, "Are you busy?" She could hear lots of noise in the background and no other voices that she recognized.

"Kind of," The boy responded, "The interview starts in half an hour but I'm in hair and makeup right now. How is school? Do you like it?"

Nari's voice wavered, "No. Not at all. They don't like me."

"Who? The kids?" Suga answered, "I'm sure you're overthinking it. You're so sweet and kind-"

"No, no, not like that." Nari interrupted, "They don't like me, they like you."

The phone went silent for a few moments, "I see. I'm sorry, Nari." He said softly, "That's something that they don't tell you about fame. One day you wake up and the whole world has put this idea of you that they've created on a pedestal." Suga took a deep breath, "As much as I hate to say it, this is just one of those things that you're going to have to get used to. It sucks, believe me I know, but just remember that there will always be people out there that love you for who you truly are."

"When are you coming back?"

"Not for a little while," He said, "I'm sorry, lovely. You'll have to tough this one out for a couple months." His voice gained an optimistic tone, "But hey, I'm sure you'll find friends: Real ones. No matter how many fake people there are in this world, there's always going to be real ones too."

Nari's cheeks flushed, "But Suga, I'm not very good at making friends."

"Yeah, same here," The boy laughed, "I was kind of a loner in school too. But try joining a club or something like that, it'll be easier to make friends when you have a common interest. I'm sure they have a school newspaper or literature club or something like that."

"Thank you, Shu-ger. Before you go, can I talk to Namjoon for a little?" Nari wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. Talking to Suga made her feel better, but she couldn't feel completely at ease until she heard Namjoon's voice.

"Sorry Nari, he's already at soundcheck," Suga answered softly, "I'll tell him to call you as soon as he can."

"Yoongi, we need you on set now." Rika's voice said in the background.

Nari tried not to show how disappointed she was, "Oh, okay. Looks like you need to go."

"Yeah, afraid so," The boy halfheartedly agreed, "I'll make sure that Joon calls you, okay? I love you!"

"Thanks, Suga. I love you too," She mumbled, "Good luck."

The girl hung up the phone and placed her head in her hands. Two months, She reminded herself, It's only two months. I'll see them soon, I'll see them soon, I'll see them soon.....

"Hey, I brought some tea," Ms. Bradley quietly stepped into the classroom with two cups in hand, "Are you feeling any better?"

Nari gratefully accepted the hot beverage, "A little bit."

"Do you think you're ready to go back to class when the bell rings?"

She took a shaky breath and nodded, "Yeah."

"Are you sure? You really don't look like it." Ms. Bradley's voice softened, "I don't mind if you want to stay here for a little. What's your next class?"

"Um, a study hall I think." Nari answered, feeling relieved. For once in her life, she was grateful that someone saw through her facade of bravery.

The woman smiled, "Perfect. We don't have to move at all." The discarded paperback book at the edge of the table caught her eye, "So, you like The Catcher In The Rye?"

"Uh huh." Nari nodded, "I'm reading it with my big brother."

"That's super cool! Does he go here too?"

The girl shook her head, managing a smile as she tried to picture Suga in a middle school uniform "No. He's a lot older than me, like in his 20s."

"He sounds very nice," Ms. Bradley encouraged her to keep talking, "Are you guys close?"

"Very close," Nari replied, "I care about Suga a lot." She froze, realizing that she had just blown her cover. Her heart sank as she prepared herself for the barrage of questions that was sure to follow now that the woman knew her identity.

However, to the girl's surprise, she didn't say a single thing about BTS. Ms. Bradley just smiled and continued, "I'm glad that you care about eachother. I have an older brother too, but he was always mean to me when I was your age. Do you have any other siblings as well?"

"Well, it's a little complicated," Nari admitted and breathed a sigh of relief. She grew more comfortable by the minute with this woman. It was nice to finally feel normal again.

"That's okay. Would drawing a diagram help?"

The girl nodded shyly, "Uh huh."

Ms. Bradley grabbed a whiteboard and a dry erase marker from a bin near the table and presented them to her, "Here. Tell me all about your family, okay?"

Nari picked up the marker and before she even knew it, she found herself spilling her heart out to the librarian, who listened with eager ears. The girl couldn't help but smile as she heard herself talk about the boys and all the things she loved about them. You know, She thought, Maybe this won't be so bad after all.

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new character!! ms. bradley is an angel i love her.

also you guys should totally read the catcher in the rye. it's one of my favorite books and i love it sm.