~~~

Mist filled Nena's head as she revisited her most potent memories. 'We all have our roles to play in order to fit in...to be part of society...to be accepted by everyone.'

A young Nena stood in front of her middle school class class, sparkling eyes, smiling. "Wow, she's so cute!" a young boy in the front row exclaimed. "We're so lucky to have gotten a pretty new student!" others in the class added excitedly. A chorus of "Let's be friends, Nena!" and "Nice to meet you, Nena!" swirled around the mist as she traveled through it. "Sure!" she answered back, a sea of delighted faces giving praise and adoration. 

'But not everyone will accept you.' A girl with a single decorative bow crossed her arms and scowled at the new student, "How dare you steal my spotlight, what's cute about you?!" she cursed at Nena. "I didn't mean to..." Nena replied, lowering her eyes. "By the way, you have nice hair...let me cut it for you! Now, hold her! Hahahaha!" the girl sicked her clique on Nena suddenly. "No!" Nena screamed, as her hair was cut several times by a concealed pair of scissors.

After the cuts were executed, the girl stepped back cackling maniacally, "There! That looks good on you! Say goodbye to your beautiful long hair!" She motioned to the scattered pile of hair that littered the floor around her. Nena's eyes welled up with tears. 'I began to ask myself why they couldn't accept me... I tried to be nice, why did they do this to me? I finally came to my senses...' Her face fell dark.

'I got rid of my kindness in order to protect myself. In order to be accepted by society, I should be on top of society.' A flash of rapid activity and snipping, a vignette of the girl who tormented her in tears and being ridiculed, this time it was Nena behind the blades. 'I pretend to be nice, manipulating others for my own benefit... I cheat, I lie, all so that they will accept me...so that I can survive this cruel world.'

'I couldn't afford loose ends, so I took care of everything by intimidation. I threatened everyone that if they ever told the truth, I'd cut their hair next... They told the teacher that my bully had cut her own hair...and I was where I had worked my way up to.'

~~~

Nena settled out of the mist and back into her older body. 'Today was the the very first time I felt inferiority since I established my dominance over those fools... Because of her... You're going to pay for this, Maya...'

---

Roy chuckled as he watched over the footage of the match on his camcorder. 'Nena will be pissed if she ever finds out that I recorded their baseball match...hehehe... Also, Maya...she's really something.' He leaned in close to the screen before being stunned by what he saw. Maya's hit was frozen on his screen after he wound it back. 'She really didn't hit the ball! Very interesting...' He smirked deviously.

---

The next day, Maya seemed unusually exuberant. "What's with you today?" Loi asked, slightly concerned. "You seem so...excited." Maya gave her signature warm smile. "I'm excited because I'm going to school and school is fun." Loi looked at her and laughed.  "School is fun? Good for you..." he chided, sarcastically. Kenta and Jaja joined them, sighing collectively. "We wish would could be so positive about it..." Loi rolled his eyes. "You just hate studying..."

"It's the same thing..." Kenta complained. "School is the reason we need to study. Therefore, school is studying and we hate school..." Jaja added. Maya interjected to settle the irritation. "I understand if you guys don't like school and studying IS a pain the ass...but there's more to it than that." She looked up. "I want to experience everything and enjoy it to its fullest. Even if it's annoying or painful, I'll try my best at it."

"Pain makes me feel like I'm alive...even though I'm a ghost." Maya looked back at her friends and grinned. "We're so sorry, Maya...We love school..." Kenta sniffed, between rueful tears. "Shame on us! School rocks! Bwaaaaaaaah!" Jaja wailed, wiping her stinging eyes. "Hehe, let's enjoy school life together, okay?" Maya offered. "Sure!" they replied. Loi wasn't convinced, but he'd be along with them either way.

---

"She's here!" a female classmate yelled. 'This is it...you're going to get it now, Maya...' Nena grinned. SHIIIIIIIIIK - The classroom door opened and the booby trapped pail smashed onto the head of who entered...but it wasn't Maya, it was another male classmate. "What is he doing here?!" Nena screamed at her entourage, enraged. "Uhm...sorry...I guess this is the wrong classroom..." The girl bowed. "You! You're so useless! Get her this time!" Nena cursed.

---

Maya ventured out to the school flower garden in the courtyard. She crouched down and looked at the painted colors of the flowers as they grew. "Hello beautiful flowers..." she sang. A dark figure hovered above her with a metal bucket, one that missed earlier. "Hehehe...Oops! My hand slipped..." the mischievous girl said, loosening her fingers and dropping the bucket, now filled with water. 

As the bucket hurtled down, it was blown away by a strong crosswind, missing Maya completely and losing the water before landing on someone else entirely (again). "Hm?" Maya felt the wind and looked over her shoulder to see a boy with a bucket on his head. "I can't see! I want to see Maya!" he yelled. 

This person was the leader of the "Forever Alone Boys" and he was with the rest of the group. "Leader! Who did this to you?" the others questioned, trying to determine what to do. 'The Forever Alone Boys! I had better go now before they find me here...I sense trouble.' Maya worried. Her assailant was flabbergasted. 'What a lucky girl! She must be guarded by angels or something... I don't know what I'm going to do...'

---

Kenta and Jaja were swaggering up to the school gates. "For the first time in our lives, we're early to school..." Kenta proclaimed, holding his chin confidently. "We  should be proud! From now on, we're good students!" Jaja said, smiling and placing a hand on his shoulder. They strode up to entrance and stared blankly after catching sight of a sign that had been posted alongside the school gates. 'Christmas Break! Happy Holidays!' They were absolutely astounded - the one day they were actually on time, and school wasn't even in session - Kenta and Jaja turned to stone.

---

Back at Loi and Maya's everyone was sharing in a hearty round of laughter...everyone except Kenta and Jaja, whose misadventures were the topic. Bridget and and Maya were clutching their sides and doubling over. Kenta's frustration was mixed with embrassment. "Yeah right, go ahead and laugh all you want!" he barked. "Geez, why didn't any of you inform us that it was already Christmas break...?" Jaja sighed.

"You weren't informed because you were both sleeping in class where our teacher discussed the break." Loi pointed out. His black turtleneck top made him look like he was an instructor himself. "You can't really blame us...no one wants to listen to the teacher's boring discussions..." Kenta mumbled. "It is only logical, if the teacher is boring, it's better to just go to sleep..." Jaja mewled, with a cat-like expression and closed eyes.

"Logical my ass! You two are just hopeless!" Loi castigated the pair, boiling. Bridget chimed in, defusing the impending detonation. "By the way guys, any plans for Christmas?" Maya joined in gleefully, throwing both of her arms up. "Yay! Christmas!" Kenta paused, arms at his sides. "We do...but..." he hesitated and looked at Loi. "I'm sorry, I don't have any plans for Christmas" Loi huffed, with his eyes dulled.

Kenta and Jaja both wore a sad expression. Bridget jumped in again. "I know that you're broke, but don't forget that I'm rich...I can help you, Loi!" she suggested, beaming. Loi hung his head. "No, it's not because I'm broke...just because I really can't celebrate Christmas, thanks anyway..." Maya looked over at him  with pain in her face. "Are you okay, Loi?" 

He brushed her off. "I'm okay. Now, if you'd excuse me..." he sighed, walking away. "Did I say something wrong?" Bridget asked with anxiety in her tone. "It's really not that, honest." Kenta reassured. Loi's mind descended into murky waters, behind which there was a smug grin - his father's face. This face was grinning at a beaten and bruised Loi of the past. Scuffed clothes and swelling cheeks, he vacuous, absent eyes.

Loi walked toward the room, but before he could reach the threshold, he was held back. Maya wrapped her arms firmly around him, sheltering his hurt. "What are you doing? Let me go!" he argued. "No! I know that you're not okay! You need this!" she yelled, authority in her voice. "Trust me!" His friends smiled and joined in. "Maya is right, group hug!" Loi struggled. "Stop it, guys!" he griped.

---

Christmas, the city Square. Loi looked around and couldn't see a single person he knew. 'Geez, why do I have to wait if we can get her together in the first place?' He stuck his hands in the pockets of his blue hooded sweatshirt and sulked, staring up at the grand evergreen decked out with garland and ornaments. 'Sparkling hypocrisy...absolutely nothing about this holiday is magical, it's all another lie.' A voice broke through his negative musings. "Hey Loi! There you are!"

Maya waved with warm smile. She was clad in cold weather gear, a fluffy brown ushanka and brown leather flannel lined half-trench coat with a violet maxi dress underneath. Gold bangles and straps highlighted the elevated fashion statement. Loi gasped and his face erupted into a raging blush. "Wow..." Maya leaned in close with cat-like eyes. "...did you say "wow" just now?" Loi stepped back. "What? No way!"

Maya stepped closer again. "I'll just pretend that I didn't hear you say that when you saw me...is that it?" She tilted her head playfully and looked at him directly. Loi's face was steaming, turning a shade of reddish-pink. "Shut up!" he forced out. He took a deep breath and gathered himself. "By the way, where are the others?" Maya paused. "Eh? I thought they were going with you?" Loi held up a hand. "I'll check my phone, hold on." 

He stared at a text message from Kenta - "Enjoy your time with Maya, We have other plans for Christmas, Sorry Loi... We love you, Haha...from your true friends...p.s. It's not a set-up..." he read to himself under his breath. 'It's obviously a set up! I want to kill them!' A swirling image of Kenta, Jaja and Bridget laughing and chanting "Ship! Ship! Ship!" appeared over his head and he swatted it away. This was getting complicated, but Maya felt like there was something lucky happening as Loi stood there reading.