|A Reflection from the Mirror or Her Past Life?|

--Honey Lou's Point of View--

 As I was doing my makeup before school, a knock on the door caught me in for a surprise. "Catherine?" he called my name, I ignored him for the next 10 minutes so that I could finish what I ought to do.

He waited at the door of my bedroom, sitting on the ground as if he didn't have the choice to head downstairs and make himself comfortable.

"Let's go." was all I could say to him, given the fact that I did not want to argue with him again.

 His family's driver handled the car as we both sat quietly, enjoying the breeze from the wind.

I could tell that he stole a few glances at me using the side mirror while I was in the back seat.

'Let's not start this day with that same topic as yesterday.' it already felt painful enough to know the results that came out, what more if we waste our time talking about the inevitable?

The least we could do is spend our time wisely.

'Hopefully...' I get to do that without any hindrances.

 We both entered the campus without any word to each other, he didn't leave my side and escorted me to my classroom where he stayed before the bell rang.

"How was your weekend?" a classmate of mine asked, swinging her arm around my back.

"Same as usual." I tried my best to smile without letting them notice that anything was going on.

 And so, I had to act like nothing really was going on. 'What would change if everyone knew that I would die soon?' nothing.

They would all fake concerning words of comfort that would at some point make me break in front of them.

Not because I feel touched by the words that leave their mouths, but instead, I would know the meaning behind those words.

'No one truly cares...' even if they did, there is nothing favorable that they can do for me.

'Only I can do something for myself.'

Did it ever come across their mind that my situation would grow worse? Did it? Did it? Did it-

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 The next thing I knew is that I woke up in the school clinic, everything was white around me, with the curtains and beds. Jay wasn't around anymore. "You're awake." an unfamiliar voice spoke to me, she stood from her seat and approached me.

"You had a fainting experience yet again as one of your classmates told me." oblivious to the truth, that's what she is.

"Tell me, how do you feel right now? Any pain or discomfort from sleeping?" I checked the time and only then did I realize that I had been there for more than an hour.

"Am I allowed to leave soon?" she nodded and told me that she was only waiting for me to wake up in order to sign out from the clinic through the logbook.

'Of course, papers.' that's all she wants.

 I left the school clinic as soon as I signed the logbook. It was a rather long walk alone with the night sky starting to appear in front of my eyes. This is one of those nights when I'd choose to immediately go home and stay indoors. "I feel dizzy."

Once these words came from my mouth, I slowly felt someone's presence near me. Looked around to see a blonde-haired friend of mine who wrapped me in his arms.

"Stop this." I discouraged his behavior. "They do say that actions speak louder than words..." was his reply to me, however, I refused to believe him.

"Well, to me, consistency is a must. And so is transparency." I pushed his hands away from me, unlocking them from being wrapped all over me.

'I cannot bear the thought of settling for someone like him.' feelings have to be controlled.

I started to cough violently when I reached the gate.

The guards there weren't that attentive and paid no attention at all. Leaving me with this foolish first love of mine as my only hope to safely get home.

But do I really want to go back home safely? And with this guy?

Even I couldn't believe myself for thinking of that and considering it for even just a second.

"I'll take you home. That's not a question nor a suggestion." he asserted before taking my school bag and walking ahead of me, which he soon regretted when he realized that I appeared to be struggling to walk without any support.

"Sorry." he held me in his arms and put my hand around his shoulder, and I could not push him away again for I truly needed the assistance due to my health slowly failing.

'I feel like a burden. A heavy one.'

He gently took me upstairs where my bedroom was, and closed the door behind himself, letting me change into some comfortable clothes to wear.

I then remembered that he had said some hurtful things to me...

Things that broke me incredibly.

"Are you done?" a knock on the door had me jolting from my spot.

"Who is it?" there was no reply, however, I didn't bother looking back to check.

After all, looking at the reflection of the mirror was horrible enough for me...

For someone like me who can't even recognize the faces of other people, not even myself. How exactly did it come to this?

I recall being normal when I was young... Normal like all the other kids.

But then one day, things changed. With just a single person who made my life miserable, things never went back to the way they used to be before that one day in my childhood life.

Who was it? It was a stalker.

A stalker of my mother who became the reason why my face blindness got worse as the years went by. My case is similar to those whose eyesight becomes poorer due to certain reasons.

And I wonder why mine is as bad as it gets...

I was born with face blindness, and it seems like I will die with it.

There is no cure, nothing that can make it less scary and troublesome.

However, I did learn to cope with it by avoiding eye contact, looking for other recognizable features, and keeping it a secret for years now...

Until I had to tell everyone.

It was the only way they could understand and for me to enlighten them with all the other things they had to be aware of.

"Is it just me or is there really something going on between the two of you?" Dan's jealous voice sounded as if he was talking to a third person.

"Who is there with you?" I frantically asked him while brushing my hair still.

 "Let me ask you something." it was the voice of Yun Oh but I couldn't care less, nothing felt concerning to me at the moment, not even the stingy pain from my wrists.

"What?" they both had an interaction that would likely not end well.

'Not if I step in to interfere.' why would I do that?

"What right do you have to question us about what we have?"

I heard their conversation start from there.

"Last time you both saw each other, you left her crying with her knees on the grass, it was red to the point of bleeding." he scolded Dan and I did nothing upon hearing all of that although, I did love him. 'I love both of them...'

 That thought made me glance at them. With the turn of my head, they both appeared to have been getting physical already, and I still didn't consider stepping in to interfere.

I knew they looked back at me but none of us budged.

--Author's Point of View--

 A staring contest happened between the three of them. "You better give up now, this win is mine." the black-haired male was already gloating at his younger friend while the only female in the room was quietly piercing them with her eyes.

Just then, an unexpected visitor came into the room with a basket filled with pastries.

"My grandmother made these, so we're all eating every crumb by the end of the day!" Ji Eun happily entered Jihyun's kitchen causing them to lose at the same time.

"What?" she cluelessly held her hands up in defense upon realizing that Byungchan, Miles, and Jihyun stared at her dead in the eyes without a word. "Sorry for the intrusion." she quickly lowered her head even without knowing what she had done wrong.

 "I guess none of us are getting smashed in the face with this pie." Jihyun, being the youngest, had an immediate naughty idea after hearing Miles mention the loser's punishment.

The three of them instantly cheered up and stood from their seats.

"We're not holding it against you, little sis!"

Byungchan approached the platinum-haired female and placed his arm around her shoulder as Miles took charge of the basket of pastries in his hands. "But look on the bright side!"

Byungchan made her face Jihyun with the strawberry pie launching in the air from her hands.

"No! Wait-"

They all regretted that decision as soon as the pie was almost thrown at their friend.

"NICE SAVE!" Jihyun covered her mouth while Miles cleaned up the mess they had created.

"What was that..?" Ji Eun still hadn't processed everything yet.

"Thankfully, Byungchan-Oppa remembered that one thing!" Jihyun pushed the tall lad out of the way, embracing her friend tightly with her delicate hands from the sudden event.

"We almost gave her an allergic reaction!" Miles panicked.

"Oh, that makes sense." Jihyun blinked her eyes continuously.

"My apologies, we were playing a staring contest and the loser would be stuffing their face in the pie." a pie that the three of them miraculously burnt even with an experienced cook in the room. "Stick to your special brownies next time, Miles."

 Even after what the three planned behind Ji Eun's back, she chose to laugh it off and feel grateful for the fact that she didn't have to go through any medical emergency.

"You truly have changed for the better."

Miles opened the basket and took out all the pastries from within, passing it to Jihyun who let go off her older friend.

"Uhh, do you mind?" Byungchan tapped twice on the table to get the others' attention, however, only one of them noticed this.

"Oh, I'll get you a shirt. I'm pretty sure that Jihyun's dad has an extra spare fit for you." she motioned Jihyun and Miles to go on ahead of them inside the living room while she led him in the other room. "Here." she passed him a plain shirt.

 "You can start changing when I get out-" the female was in shock as she turned around to leave the room and let him change but he did just that before she could even exit.

"I'm used to seeing hot guys without a shirt on but this is..." she rolled her eyes.

"Your back was facing me so I assumed that you weren't going to turn so soon. That's why I tried to change quickly." he spoke, they both shook their heads simultaneously and left the room with silence in the air.

"These are all filled with strawberries."

Jihyun looked back from the sofa and saw the two enter, she lifted the plates of pastries that were filled with what Ji Eun was specifically allergic to.

"Is your grandmother killing you or something?" Byungchan lightly hit himself, hearing Miles' joke.