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[color=#ff69b4]“Daddy, it’s just not fair!”[/color][color=#d9d2e9] Came the all-too-expected whine of one Park Mi-Kyong.[/color]

[color=#d9d2e9]Ever since the announcement that Liberty High was closing down (and for unknown reasons, at that), everyone had to adapt rather quickly. It was an easier transition for some because their entire reputation wasn’t riding on the fact that their senior year -- A.K.A. the only year that mattered -- be spent at the school they’ve been going to for the past three years. It was riding on the fact that it made no sense to downgrade from Kobe Beef to the McDonalds Dollar Menu.[/color]

[color=#d9d2e9]And for one Miki Park, Queen Liberty herself, this was the absolute worst. [b]The! Absolute! Worst![/b] Nothing topped this. A terrorist attack could happen and Miki’s self-absorbed mind would wonder if that meant she had to stay at Rosefell, or if she could fly down to Palm Beach and join her favorite cousin and that Chrissie girl at their wonderful King’s Academy.[/color]

[color=#d9d2e9]But nope. She was forced to. It was, unfortunately for a lot, the last option. Her parents tried to find other schools. Private schools in Columbus and neighboring cities, but no other school that wasn’t Rosefell High was in the place of accepting new students on such short notice.[/color]

[color=#ff69b4]“I know it was the only school, but how can I accept it, daddy? I mean, my senior year is my [i]last[/i] chance to make an impression on these insignificant bugs. And now I have to crawl amongst them like I’m their--”[/color][color=#d9d2e9] she found herself physically choking at the thought of being called a student at Rosefell.[/color][color=#ff69b4] “--Like I’m their equal!”[/color][color=#d9d2e9] And here came the gag reflex.[/color]

[color=#d9d2e9]Miki was in the grandiose kitchen that had black marble countertops and the best kitchenware money could buy. She was already dressed. Anyone that knew her, especially the kitchen staff who were wrapping up the spread of breakfast Miki was too stressed to eat, would know that on Mondays, Miki wore something shiny and her flats were beige. And that’s exactly what she wore: a [url=https://i.imgur.com/2u0jZOE.jpg]gold satin blouse[/url] that shimmered in light tied in the front to show off what she believed to be her second-best feature, [url=https://i.imgur.com/jAV5eEF.png]a black skirt[/url] that was both loose and tight at the same time, and those [url=https://i.imgur.com/6qnV3b4.jpg]flats[/url] that were her trademark footwear.[/color]

[color=#ff69b4]“Fine, fine! But just come home soon! I love you too daddy!”[/color]

[color=#d9d2e9]A pouting Miki pocketed her phone inside her diamond-encrusted clutch that had her initials MKP across the front center of it, each embedded with about a single million’s worth of exotic gemstones per letter.[/color]

[b][color=#ff69b4]“WINSTONNNN!”[/color][/b][color=#d9d2e9] Miki called out, her voice going to registers that many had to cover their ears to avoid bleeding from them.[/color]

[color=#d9d2e9]About a few moments later, a [url=https://i.imgur.com/0S8YtUX.jpg]man[/url] with salt and pepper hair, dreamy blue eyes that you could get lost in, and a stature that, if Miki were into guys, she might take him to her room. “You called for me, Miss Park?” Winston spoke in a rather dreamy, if not thick, British accent. He wore a deep blue suit without the tie and a lighter blue handkerchief in his front jacket pocket. He had a goatee that seemed to only accentuate the DILF energy he was giving off.[/color]

[color=#ff69b4]“Is the car ready?”[/color][color=#d9d2e9] Miki inquired, gripping her clutch.[/color]

[color=#d9d2e9]“It is, miss. And Amalie took it upon herself to put your bag into the backseat like your father requested.”[/color]

[color=#d9d2e9]This is why she loved being the only child of Philip Lambert. The perks of being their priority was one thing, but the staff not having to divide their responsibilities made her feel fortunate and it only emboldened her opinion of herself -- which was pretty high to begin with, so one could imagine just how important she felt.[/color]

[color=#ff69b4]“Perfect. Then let's go!”[/color][color=#d9d2e9] She said, passing him by as her flats clicked on the tiled floor.[/color]
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[color=#d9d2e9]As the rumbling of the Lincoln Navigator sped down the highway, Miki both felt it and didn’t feel it every time she was driven in the SUV -- which was often. Miki knew how to drive, but she just chose not to, especially when someone like Winston had no problem driving her around anywhere she wanted to go. He was like her bodyguard but got paid too much for him to be reduced to just that; he was also her friend.[/color]

[color=#d9d2e9]They each caught each other’s glance in the mirror that hung between the driver and passenger seat. She didn’t say anything, she simply let her eyes fall back down to her phone. She had been in such a rush and the entire week was hectic for her family. Honestly, if she had to be brutally honest about it all, the past month or so was pretty stressful but that was for another day.[/color]

[color=#d9d2e9]Miki wanted to go over that email she and so many of her wonderful [i]friends[/i] at Liberty received. She remembered reading it with Winston two weeks ago and then again in a video call with her father, but the details sort of just faded out. Now, as horrible as it might be, Miki was now absorbing the contents of the Email. [/color]

[color=#d9d2e9]As she read it, she made some inaudible sounds that no doubt were heard by Winston, but he didn’t say anything. Miki did have this habit of speaking gibberish when she was trying to concentrate. [/color]

[color=#d9d2e9]By the end of it, Miki’s main takeaways could be divided into two parts. The first, of course, was her genuine astonishment in how well-written the letter was. She had very low opinions about Rosefell as a whole, so she didn’t know what to make of it, but whoever wrote the letter, she would probably not give them any sort of validation. Still, the fact it wasn’t written with a crayon or had horrible grammar and syntax made her smile.[/color]

[color=#d9d2e9]And the second part was where she found herself lingering. [/color][color=#ff69b4]“I wonder who this Ellie Roberts girl is.”[/color][color=#d9d2e9] Sadly, when it came to anyone from Rosefell, unless they were under Melissa Elliot’s inferior leadership or one of the hunks on the football team, Miki wouldn’t know anything about who they were.[/color]

[color=#d9d2e9]“Ellie who?” Winston asked, glancing at Miki through the mirror.[/color]

[color=#ff69b4]“Some girl at Rosefell. She is to be my guide. And I almost feel bad for not knowing who she is.”[/color]

[color=#d9d2e9]The guilty expression on her face forced a chuckle from Winston. “Don’t fret too much about it, Miki. I am sure it will be perfectly splendid!”[/color]

[color=#ff69b4]“Thank you, Winston! You always know how to make me feel better.”[/color][color=#d9d2e9] She smiled at him and adjusted herself in the seat.[/color]

[color=#d9d2e9]The remainder of the ride to Rosefell was spent in silence, the only sounds heard within the navigator were the occasional cough from both driver and passenger and Miki’s fingers tapping away on her phone. She had been texting a few people: some of her friends who found spots in other schools, but mostly her darling cousin Stella, who was still  enjoying her last weeks of summer before starting at Meadow in the fall after taking a gap year in France. She was, of course, delighted that her cousin got into her dream school, but she was jealous because Stella got to graduate at the school, with her friends and her high school boyfriend, Carter.[/color]

[color=#d9d2e9]She left Stella on read as she sent a text to one of her few friends at Rosefell.[/color]

[b][color=#22cc99]To: Cheerful Poor Asian[/color][/b]

[color=#ff69b4]Need you now boy. Almost there at school. Be there if you can! Like out front. Ciao![/color]

[color=#d9d2e9]Sean was a great guy in all honesty. Truly one of the sincerest souls she knew both at Liberty and Rosefell. She would go to bat for him and might even do it without needing something in return. [i]Maybe.[/i] But that was not the reason she texted him. She did, in fact, need something from him. She needed information about this Ellie Roberts girl and there was very little to go off of from the email and her own research.[/color]

[color=#d9d2e9]At the very least, if she was to usurp the queen of thorns, she needed to know who was who and if they could help her make this one and only year spent at this trash of a school worthwhile.

And, honestly, Miki just allowed herself to relax as she saw Rosefell in view, but the traffic was unbearably bad. She knew it would be a while before she would be allowed to leave the comfort of her company with Winston.[/color]

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