Mikan was stoic and silent.

She couldn't believe it.

The so-called person whom she had loved with all her heart was kissing that good-for-nothing bitch Luna Koizumi. Mikan stood still in pure shock as she watched her only love wrap his arms around someone else than her. To think that Natsume wanted to spend the rest of forever with her! He couldn't even stay loyal to her for more than a week! How could he!

Mikan spun around in her heals and sped to her classroom, only to find her classmates staring at her in pure disgust.

"Hotaru? Ruka? Permy? Everyone? What happened?" Mikan asked her face clearly masked by shock as she went to her best friend Hotaru to ask her what was wrong.

But before she could take one step near Hotaru…

BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA!

Mikan fell to the ground, thudding her back to the ground hard. But this was not the other comical times when Mikan tried to hug Hotaru. Those times Hotaru used a light version on Mikan as a practical joke to silently amuse herself. Hotaru had never used her heaviest version. Until now.

Hotaru's violet eyes twitched in pure hatred as she stepped next to Mikan as she kicked Mikan in the stomach. "Get up, you worthless trash. Don't burden me with the responsibility of me having to take care of you every step of the way, loser."

Mikan's eyes watered as she stood up and slightly bent over from the seething pain from being struck in the stomach so hard.

"H-hotaru? W-what h-happened? W-why a-are y-you angry a-at m-me?" Mikan sobbed.

"Don't what me! You have been such a giddy girl thinking that we will always take care of you! You always want your own way no matter what! Do you know that because of you, we had to sacrifice our health and happiness. The moment I met you, I knew you were one ball of trouble. And ever since I asked you to be my friend, I knew that my carefree world would be gone. Have you known that because of you, I lost my smile? I have been forming it for the last 4 years just to make you happy, you conceited jerk!" Hotaru shrieked at the top of her lungs.

Mikan widened my eyes. And then Mikan saw something she didn't expect to see nor hear.

Ruka's once gentle blue ocean eyes were now the color of an ocean storm. His pet Usagi cringed in distate toward Mikan as well.

"I agree with Imai-san. Somehow I even felt ever since I met you, I felt even darker. Why do you have to exist, Sakura-san?" he roughly whispered.

That did it. Tears spilled from her eyes. She sobbed. But that was not enough to signal a stop to their complaints.

I braced myself for more. The next one was from Permy, the gentle green-eyed, green-haired girl who loved Mikan as a sister like Hotaru.

SLAP! There was a red, swollen bruise as big as Permy's palm was throbbing on my right cheek. "YOU MANIPULATOR! I BECAME YOUR SO-CALLED SISTER, AND WHAT DID YOU DO? YOU JUST TOOK AWAY MY NATSUME-SAMA AND RUKA-SAMA! THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR HURTING MY HEART! I AM SO GLAD THEY HATE YOU, YOU WORTHLESS WITCH!"

SLAP! Permy had banged her fist against Mikan's other unbruised, leaving it as swollen as the other one. But the torture didn't stop there. The two twins stepped up.

"Why don't you leave?" whispered Nonoko, anger building up in her voice.

"Just get out of our lives, okay?" simpered Anna, anger sliding and slurring in her voice.

"WE HATE YOU, MIKAN! GO AWAY! YOU ARE AS GOOD AS DEAD NOW!" they yelled in unison, venom doubled the time.

Mikan broke down sobbing, not understanding what she had done in order to be a distaste. She was surprised when Koko and Kitsu nodded in disgust. Only Yuu was kind to her and helped her up from her curled up form on the floor.

"Mikan-chan? Are you allright? Don't worry. I am sure they didn't mean it." Yuu soothed.

"Hey! Traitor! Don't go taking her side. She is a worthless brat, and you know it! Why don't you openly admit she is nothing but a burden on you? Huh?" taunted Hotaru.

Yuu shivered at this unfeeling words towards Mikan. How can she have the guts to say this to Mikan? Especially when Mikan was the one to worry over Hotaru so much?

He straightened up, partly bending over to support Mikan who was bending over from her injuries. "Because I have nothing to say mean about her. Unlike all of you who have the guts to say such vile words against her, I felt her presence like a light. I do not even know what made you think this way. If even, Mikan was the one who had cried over all of you. When anything happened to any of us, she would refuse to sleep. Whenever you needed favors from her, she gladly helped. Whenever she had the opportunity to share, she did so with a smile on her face. You all, she loved you so much as her dear friends and yet you have the hearts of stone to hurt her, emotionally and physically." Yuu coldly snapped.

Mikan widen her eyes, but then relaxed in relief knowing she has one good friend. Hotaru was about to snap back at Yuu for betraying their side to take Mikan's, when the intercom speaker saved Mikan.

And surprisingly, it was her uncle, Kazumi Yukihira.

"Excuse me, I need Mikan Yukihira of class 2-B to report to my office. I repeat – I need the student by the name of Mikan Yukihira of class 2-B to report to my office as soon as possible. Thank you very much"

A stoic of static ended the message that blasted over the school. Everyone stood in stone silence for a minute before Yuu broke it and said, "Mikan-chan? You look badly injured. Shall I escort you there? I don't mind cutting into my free period in helping you."

Mikan sadly nodded her head. She took a deep breath, and with courage evident in her eyes, heart, and soul, she took a step after step with Yuu's kind help.

Mikan knew one thing: She was not guilty. Whatever Hotaru, Ruka, Sumire, Anna, Nonoko, Koko, and Kitsu had spat into her face wasn't true.

Because if at that moment, if everyone would've broken at her trance and bounced at her saying they were sorry, Mikan would've forgiven them.

But it looks like ego had filled up the hearts of her ex-friends. She broke open from her train of thoughts and stared blinkingly at the HSP's door.

She sucked in a breath. What does uncle need me for at this time of the day?

Yuu noticed Mikan's uneasiness and shaking and asked, "Are you okay? Can you do this?"

Mikan closed her eyes of despair. She held it shut for 10 seconds. The eyes she had shut were cowardly, soft, and delicate. But the new eyes she opened were courageous, determined, and bold.

She realized. What is the worst can happen to her?

Noone (except Yuu) considers her a friend.

So what does she have to be afraid of?

Nothing.

Mikan breathed in and out before reaching her hand for the handle and opening it.