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06. no big deal, right?

⋆⁺。˚⋆˙‧₊ no big deal, right? ☾₊‧˙⋆˚。⁺⋆

PLEASE DONT BE A GHOST READER!!!
COMMENT AND VOTE! IT HELPS US WRITERS STAY MOTIVATED:) PLEASE JUST STOP BEING A GHOST READER!!

STOP BEING A GHOST READER!!
us writers work hard on these chapters. i know i ask this a lot, but i really don't like ghost readers because i work super hard on these chapters so when i see views going up but votes are not... its hard for my motivation!

SEASON 1 EPISODE 3: PART ONE

Kitty sat on the edge of the couch, the early morning light filtering through the window, casting a soft glow over the photograph in her hands. It was old, the edges slightly frayed, but she handled it as if it were the most precious thing in the world. Her mother's face smiled back at her-warm, gentle, familiar yet distant. She barely remembered her, but in moments like this, she tried to hold on to the fragments of memory she did have.

She sighed, setting the picture down beside her before reaching for the small hairpin on her nightstand. It was delicate, a simple design, but it matched the one her mother wore in the photograph almost perfectly. Carefully, she slid it into her hair, adjusting it in the mirror until it sat just right. Maybe, just maybe, wearing it would make her feel closer to the woman she had lost too soon.

At the kitchen counter, Paloma sat quietly, watching the scene unfold with a deep frown. Kitty wasn't the only one who had lost a mother too soon, but at least she had memories-however faint, however fleeting. Paloma had nothing. Her mother had died the day she was born. No bedtime stories, no loving lullabies, no warm hugs to remember. Just a name, just the knowledge that she had once existed.

Her fingers tapped against the counter absentmindedly, her mind wandering back to the things she never let herself think about for too long. Her father. Or the man who was supposed to be her father. He had left the moment her mother told him she was pregnant, disappearing from her life before she had even entered the world. He never wanted her. Never cared to know her. And then there was Frankie-her older sister. They shared a mother but not a father, and yet Frankie had been the lucky one. She got to have two parents. She got to grow up with love.

At least for a while.

Frankie's father-Paloma's stepfather, in every way but blood-had been a good man. Kind, loving, the kind of man who had wanted to be Paloma's father even though he didn't have to be. But cancer didn't care about good men. He had died when Paloma was ten, and with him went the last real parental love she had ever known.

She missed him. More than she ever admitted.

Paloma got so lost in her thoughts that she barely noticed when a hand waved in front of her face.

"Earth to Paloma?"

She blinked, snapping out of it, her head jerking up to see Min Ho standing in front of her, brows furrowed in concern. She blinked again, taking in the scene around her. There were people in the dorm-strangers, men carrying boxes, moving things around as if packing up a life.

"What's going on?" she asked, voice slightly hoarse from being silent for too long.

Kitty let out a frustrated sigh from across the room. "He hired movers. Thinking we were both going back to Portland."

Paloma nodded, barely processing the words. Her chest felt tight, her backpack suddenly too heavy on her shoulders. She needed to get out of here. The weight of everything-her thoughts, her past, the unfamiliar chaos of the room-was too much.

Then Dae walked in, eyes wide with surprise when he saw Kitty still standing there. "Kitty, you're still here!"

Paloma didn't wait to hear the rest of the conversation. She was already moving, slipping past him, her feet carrying her out of the dorm room before she could even think about it.

She didn't know where she was going. She just needed air.

She just needed quiet.

It was one of those days-the ones where the ghosts of the past pressed too close, and all she could do was run.

Min Ho watched her go. He got a worried feeling pit in his stomach.






Paloma found herself in the far corner of campus, where a small, forgotten gazebo sat hidden beneath a canopy of trees. The silence here felt like a balm to her weary soul. She'd been running from the noise and the chaos all day, barely able to focus on anything. Her phone buzzed again in her pocket, but she didn't check it. Not right now. Right now, she just needed the stillness, the breath of fresh air that came from escaping everything for just a few moments.

She sat down on the steps of the gazebo, her knees pulled tightly to her chest, arms wrapped around them. She closed her eyes and let the cool breeze wash over her face, the rustling leaves and distant sounds of campus fading into the background. For the first time today, she felt like she could exhale fully. Her thoughts started to slow, the pressure that had been building in her chest began to loosen.

For a moment, it was just her and the world.

But then the unmistakable sound of footsteps disrupted her fragile peace. She didn't need to look up to know who it was. The expensive cologne he wore, the sound of his shoes clicking against the pavement-all of it screamed Min Ho. He was like a presence you couldn't avoid, no matter how hard you tried.

"Seriously?" she groaned, leaning her head back against the wood of the gazebo and squeezing her eyes shut. She muttered under her breath, hoping he'd just go away. "Can't a girl get a second of peace?"

Min Ho's voice cut through her frustration like a knife. "Skipping class already? It's the first day. You've got to be kidding me."

Paloma's eyes snapped open, her lips curling into a scowl. "No, what I'm doing is taking a break from your annoying ass." She didn't bother to hide the irritation in her tone.

Min Ho paused, and Paloma could hear the amusement in his voice when he spoke next. "Ah, got it. Just your typical 'Paloma' attitude. Always a pleasure."

She rolled her eyes so hard she thought they might get stuck. "Ay, Vete a la mierda," she muttered in Spanish under her breath, her fingers curling into the fabric of her shirt.

Min Ho's brow furrowed, and she could practically feel his gaze on her. "What was that?" he asked, stepping closer, clearly too curious for his own good.

She didn't even bother looking at him. "Nada," she snapped, voice clipped.

Min Ho, of course, wasn't having any of it. He took another step toward her, his tone light but insistent. "Come on, what'd you say? You know I don't speak Spanish, right?"

"Good," she muttered, still avoiding his eyes. "I wouldn't want you to understand it anyway."

He chuckled, a low sound that made her skin prickle, though she refused to show him it affected her. "Okay, whatever," he said, clearly not backing off. "But if you're gonna skip, at least tell me why. It's like, literally the first day."

Paloma scoffed and shook her head, staring out at the empty campus grounds. "And? The first day means nothing. I don't even care about the classes. They're all just a distraction, anyway."

"Right. Because skipping class is totally the way to show how much you care," Min Ho teased, a bit of a smirk creeping onto his face. "You're so much more of a badass than everyone else. Must be real fun, huh?"

Paloma glared at him, biting her lip to stop herself from snapping again. "You think I care about being a badass? I'm not here to entertain you." She felt her chest tighten again, but she tried to ignore it. She didn't want to show him weakness. Not to him.

Min Ho, unfazed by her defensive tone, took a seat beside her on the step, too close for her comfort. "I'm just trying to help. You seem like you've got a lot on your mind."

Paloma stiffened, her heart thudding in her chest. "Oh, so now you care? You don't know a damn thing about me." She crossed her arms over her chest, her body language screaming that she wanted him to leave her alone.

Min Ho didn't move, though. He kept his gaze fixed on her, watching her closely. "You're right. I don't know anything about you. But I do know you're acting like something's bothering you. And I'm not leaving until you tell me what it is."

Paloma narrowed her eyes at him. "Why do you even care?" she spat, her voice sharp. "What's it to you?"

Min Ho sighed, his voice softer now, and for a second, it was like a different side of him was showing. "Because, you know, I don't want you to screw up just because you're pissed off. You might not like me, but I don't want to see you mess things up for yourself."

Paloma felt a bitter laugh bubble in her throat. "I don't need you to look out for me. I can handle my own messes."

"Yeah? Well, you're not doing a great job of it right now." He leaned back slightly, his arms stretched out across the steps as if he was making himself comfortable, though his eyes remained focused on her. "Look, I'm not saying you have to talk about it, but I'm here if you do. You might be pissed at me, but I'm not the enemy. You can at least try to trust me."

She stared at him for a long moment, her heart still racing, but this time not from anger. She wanted to shout at him, to tell him to stop acting like he knew her, to tell him to get lost and leave her alone, but something in her chest told her that wasn't the answer. Not this time.

Still, she wouldn't let him win so easily. Not when she didn't even know how to explain what was going on in her head.

"Just leave me alone, Min Ho," she said, standing abruptly, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I've got nothing to say to you."

He sighed, rubbing his face as if dealing with her was some sort of exhausting chore. "Fine. Walk away, but don't expect me to be nice when you really need someone to talk to."

Paloma didn't respond. Instead, she walked away quickly, her footsteps echoing against the empty campus.

She hated the way her heart pounded in her chest when he talked to her. She hated the way it made her feel-like maybe, just maybe, he might actually care.

But there was no way she could let him know that. Not now. Not ever.





Paloma dashed down the hallway of KISS, her steps quick and urgent as she tried to make up for lost time. Her heart raced as she spotted the door to her first class. She was late. Late again. The first day of school, and she was already starting off on the wrong foot. Great. She didn't care that much, but at KISS, tardiness was met with consequences, and she really didn't need any more of those today.

She reached the door just as the bell rang, signaling the start of class. The door was closed, but the seconds felt like hours. Paloma exhaled sharply, her annoyance bubbling to the surface, before pushing the door open.

Immediately, all eyes turned to her. The atmosphere in the classroom shifted-everything seemed to still for a moment, as if the world was waiting for her next move. She paused at the doorway, the awkwardness of her late entrance gnawing at her. She could already feel the disapproving stares. Paloma pulled her bag higher on her shoulder, the weight of it suddenly unbearable. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears.

The teacher, a woman in her late thirties with sharp features and an unamused expression, lowered her book with a slow deliberateness. She glanced at Paloma with a raised eyebrow, a clear indication that she was far from impressed.

"Miss Paloma, how nice of you to finally join us," the teacher said with a cold politeness that made Paloma cringe.

Paloma forced herself to smile, though it was thin and not entirely sincere. "Yeah, sorry. Got a little lost," she muttered, stepping further into the room.

The teacher's gaze hardened, and the classroom fell into a tense silence. "Late on the first day, Miss Paloma? That's a demerit," she said, her voice carrying a stern authority.

Paloma, already feeling the weight of the situation, tilted her head back slightly, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from rolling her eyes. She let out a heavy sigh. "Seriously?" she grumbled under her breath.

The teacher's lips curled into a thin smile, but there was no warmth behind it. "Would you like two?"

Paloma shot her a glare but quickly dropped it. "No, ma'am," she muttered through clenched teeth, walking briskly to her desk. The other students stared at her, some with curious glances, others with judgment in their eyes. She could already tell that KISS was a place where every mistake was noted, every wrong step counted.

She slid into the seat at the back of the room next to Dae, who immediately gave her a nervous, apologetic look. "You're really starting off on the wrong foot," he whispered under his breath.

"Tell me something I don't know," she whispered back, barely glancing at him. She threw her bag down and yanked out her textbooks. With a sharp, frustrated motion, she slammed her forehead onto the desk, the sound of her impact startling in the silent room.

The teacher, who was already busy writing something on the board, spun around at the noise. "Miss Paloma!" she barked, her voice sharp and commanding.

Paloma didn't move. She was beyond caring at this point. The annoyance of the morning, the tension of being at a new school, the weight of expectations pressing down on her-all of it combined into this one small act of defiance.

"What?" she asked, her voice coming out more annoyed than she intended, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Her head was still pressed into the desk, her cheeks flushed with the embarrassment of being caught in the act.

The teacher's gaze narrowed, the disapproval in her eyes palpable. "That is highly inappropriate classroom behavior. You are not a child anymore. Please act accordingly."

Paloma didn't raise her head, but she muttered under her breath. "Oh, sorry. Didn't realize head positioning was a punishable offense here." She wasn't sure if the teacher heard, but the few students who did stifled snickers.

The teacher's expression remained stony. "Detention," she said, her voice cutting through the air like a blade. "After school. Perhaps that will help you adjust to KISS's standards."

Paloma's body went still, her anger bubbling to the surface once again. Detention-on the first day of school? She could feel the heat rising to her face, but she refused to show how much it bothered her. Instead, she exhaled dramatically, her shoulders slumping in exaggerated defeat.

"Great. Love that for me," she muttered sarcastically, her words barely audible to anyone but herself.

Dae, who was sitting beside her, leaned over slightly, his voice quiet but concerned. "Paloma, what's wrong? You've been acting... off."

Paloma didn't answer him immediately. She pulled open her textbook with unnecessary force, the pages rustling loudly as if to punctuate her annoyance. She let her head fall back again, only this time, it wasn't a dramatic gesture-it was a way to try and block out everything. The class, the teacher, the stupid rules she was supposed to follow. She didn't care about any of it.

Dae glanced at her, his brow furrowed in concern. "Hey, I get that you're frustrated, but talking about it might-"

Paloma snapped her head up, her eyes blazing as she shot him a look that was both defensive and irritated. "Can you not? I'm really not in the mood for this right now," she snapped, her voice colder than she intended.

Dae recoiled slightly, his mouth closing. He could tell this wasn't the time to push. Paloma wasn't one for opening up, not to anyone, but today, she was especially closed off. There were too many things weighing on her-things she wasn't ready to talk about, things she barely understood herself.

"Fine," Dae muttered, turning back to his textbook and letting the conversation die there. Paloma didn't care to explain. She didn't want him to know what she was going through. She didn't want anyone to know.

She glanced back at the teacher, who was now giving a lecture on the syllabus, and for a moment, Paloma wished she could just disappear. Detention. On her first day. The one day she'd hoped to slip by unnoticed. Instead, it felt like the weight of the world was being placed on her shoulders.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the teacher's voice again, now directed at the entire class. "No more disruptions, Miss Paloma." The reprimand wasn't directed only at her head-on this time, but it still stung.

Paloma exhaled loudly. "Yeah, whatever," she muttered, sinking into her seat with a huff. She wasn't sure what she hated more-being caught, being punished, or the feeling that she had to be something she wasn't.

For the rest of the class, she kept her head down, refusing to engage, tuning out the lessons and focusing on the gnawing sense of frustration that had settled deep inside her. One detention. No big deal, right? Except it was. And she was already done with this place.

As the bell finally rang, signaling the end of class, Paloma stood up quickly, snatching her things from the desk. She didn't look at Dae or anyone else. She just walked out, her mind set on escaping to the only place that felt even remotely like hers-away from KISS, away from the rules, and away from everyone who didn't understand.






















ASH SPEAKS!!!!

i feel bad for paloma. i'm gonna be showing this side of her more in this season 1 because this is gonna be tough for her :(

little rant time: ghost readers are making me mad (like always) i will continue to rant about this. i just dont understand how readers can't at least just vote. dont even have to comment. its just so annoying to see the views go up and then the votes dont go up and no comments either.

PLEASE DONT BE A GHOST READER!!!
COMMENT AND VOTE! IT HELPS US WRITERS STAY MOTIVATED:) PLEASE JUST STOP BEING A GHOST READER!! ITS ANNOYING!! PLEASE COMMENT AND VOTE. ITS NOT THAT HARD!!! PLEASE! please stop being a ghost reader!!!! us writers work hard on these chapters

im so sorry for all the notifications but please stop being a ghost reader!!!! us writers work hard on these chapters. i know i ask this a lot, but i really don't like ghost readers because i work super hard on these chapters so when i see views going up bt votes not its hard for my motivation!

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