Chapter 2

Lydia came into our lives in the fall, three years ago.

She was the daughter of one of Charles's mother's friends. She'd returned from overseas to study here for a while and was staying at his house.

She was beautiful, with naturally curly hair and a soft, almost sing-song way of speaking.

On her very first day, Charles brought her along when he came to pick me up from school.

The moment Lydia saw me, she smiled.

"Oh my God... So you're Tanya, his little sister? You're adorable! You're dressed in pink from head to toe. Seriously, you're in college and still this girly? How old are you, Tanya? Doesn't anyone at school give you a hard time about it?"

My face went bright red.

I loved pink. My clothes, water bottles, hair clips, jewelry, phone case—even my manicures—were all pink.

I'd been teased about it before, but no one had ever mocked me so openly.

"Ha-ha! Sorry, I'm just blunt. Don't be mad, okay, little princess?"

Lydia winked at me.

"That's enough. Give it a rest," Charles said impatiently.

I turned toward him. He was frowning at Lydia, clearly displeased.

Lydia raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, look! The little princess's knight in shining armor is here. What, I'm not allowed to tease her?"

"What's wrong with you? Worry about yourself."

Charles's expression hardened.

At the time, I thought he would always take my side.

I was wrong.

When we got home, his mother asked Lydia not to make fun of me again. She even suggested Charles take the two of us out that weekend so we could get to know each other better.

After that, Lydia started showing up around us all the time.

Gradually, things between Charles and me began to change.

I first noticed it when the jasmine-and-guava milk pudding drink he used to bring me whenever he visited campus was replaced with an iced Americano.

"I hate coffee. You know that, don't you?"

I stared at the cup in my hand.

"Come on. You only liked that pink guava drink because it was pink. Milk tea isn't healthy, anyway. You should cut back."

Charles patted my head.

Lydia was holding an iced Americano, too. She turned to me with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, little guava. I like coffee, so I asked Charles to bring me this."

"Besides, milk tea is so sweet. It gets sickening after a while. Do all girls your age like that stuff?"

I set the coffee down.

"Do you always give people nicknames?"

She blinked, then put on a surprised, wounded expression.

"Ha-ha... Why make it sound so serious? I was just joking. You're way too sensitive."

"Whether I'm sensitive or you're doing it on purpose is something you know perfectly well."

"That's enough, Tanya."

Charles cut in, looking as if he had a headache.

"Lydia just got back from overseas. Sometimes she doesn't think before she speaks. Don't take it personally."

I stared at him, my anger rising.

"Then maybe she should learn to think before she speaks."

Charles sighed.

"You're making a big deal out of nothing."

I turned away before he could see how much that hurt.

From then on, Lydia seemed to take every opportunity to make fun of me.

Sometimes it was my pink tissues, sometimes the way I liked to clean my chopsticks before eating. Even carrying my luggage during school breaks became another excuse for her to call me a spoiled princess.

Charles occasionally told her to stop, but whenever she laughed and claimed she was only joking, he'd end up agreeing with her.

"Tanya can be a little spoiled," he'd say. "Are all girls these days like that?"

Every time, I felt a little more foolish for expecting him to defend me.

Finally, one summer, I couldn't take it anymore.

I'd gone to the beach with my parents and gotten a lot tanner.

It had happened before, so I hadn't thought much about it.

One day, I went to a friend's birthday party at a karaoke lounge, wearing a pink shirt over a white camisole.

Lydia raised her voice the moment she saw me.

"Oh my God! Tanya, you're this tan and you're still wearing pink? Don't you look ridiculous?"

Then she burst out laughing.

"No, seriously—I'm dying! How can you still call yourself a princess? Have you ever seen a princess that dark? You look more like a little black puppy!"

Several guys who'd teased me since childhood joined in.

I looked at Charles.

He was standing beside Lydia, the corner of his mouth lifted.

He wasn't even trying to hide his amusement.

Something inside me finally snapped.

I picked up my drink and threw it straight into Lydia's face.