It wasn't fair. That's what Ae-Young thought, sitting in front of the bathroom mirror, her mascara smeared all over her lashes, her eyes still watery. The cold ceramic of the sink pressed against her palms as she leaned forward, seeing her reflection distorted by tears.

It's not fair, and he broke up with me over text-

She sobbed, the sound echoing slightly in the empty bathroom stall. The scent of soap and teenage perfume hung in the air, mixing with the salt of her tears.

When a girl has problems, obviously the whole group of friends had to be there for her, comforting her, passing her tissues to blow her nose and dry her tears. The crumpled tissues already overflowed from the small trash can beside her feet.

Jacob, her now ex-boyfriend, had decided to text her saying he didn't want to be her boyfriend anymore during school hours. The buzz of her phone against the bathroom counter seemed to mock her now.

Jessie and Leah, her other friends, weren't physically there, but they both sent her encouragement from a group call in the "Girly Mouses" group that all those girls shared. Their voices came through the speaker, tinny but supportive, as she held the phone between her ear and shoulder.

"Girl, I know you feel bad, and obviously Jacob is an idiot, like all men. Don't pay attention to him," Leah's voice crackled through the phone.

"Exactly, baby. You're so beautiful, you don't have to go around crying over a stupid man who didn't know what he had," Jessie added, the sound of her mascara wand clicking against its tube audible even through the call.

Valentine, with her warm hand on Ae-Young's shoulder, also spoke. "Ae, listen to the girls. There are men like Jacob everywhere, and they can't make you feel less than you are."

Elissa: "Yeah, and we warned you that Jacob was a jerk who took advantage of you. How old was he when he met you? 19?"

It was true, it was all true. Ae-Young was only 17 when she met Jacob. And days after she turned 18, Jacob ghosted her. The memory of their first meeting at the community pool - his tanned skin, confident smile - now felt like a lie.

About two hours passed. Emily lent Ae-Young her makeup bag so she could touch up her smudged makeup. The familiar scent of Emily's vanilla lip gloss brought a momentary sense of comfort.

With their makeup fixed, the girls left the bathroom and each returned to their class, except for Ae-Young, who was allowed to stay outside for a moment to calm down. The hallway felt empty and echoey as she walked toward the library, her footsteps heavy.

She found a seat in the back corner of the library, where the old leather chair smelled of dust and polish. The soft murmur of other students and the occasional squeak of a chair provided background noise as she opened TikTok, mindlessly scrolling through videos.

Ae-Young was calmly scrolling through her TikTok until she felt watched. A prickle of awareness traveled up her spine, making her look up from her phone. Across the room, she saw Valentine's stepbrother staring at her.

What's this freak doing staring at me? Ae-Young thought, her heart beating faster with irritation and embarrassment.

They'd never met in person, but with the group of friends Elissa said he had (the football team) and how stupid Valentine said he was, it was enough of an excuse for her not to want to see him.

And Ae-Young wasn't in the mood to say hello or act friendly to a man right now, especially one who looked at her like a fool.

"What are you looking at me for? Focus on your own things," she snapped, louder than she intended in the quiet library.