Life was good.
Despite her mother's hold over her, Karolina felt blessed.
Wanting to share the feeling with the rest of the world she uploads a quick selfie with that same hash-tag.
And then she spots her. Sitting there the goth reminds her of the old Nico for some reason. It comes as a surprise as the girl in question buried that part of herself a long time ago.
A time when they were still friends.
Not wanting to delve into all that Karolina continues on her way.
Life was painful.
The earth revolved around the sun. She was wearing black. It hurt.
Everything was as simple as that.
But Alex had to ruin it all by confessing the fact that he missed her.
It wasn't like she didn't either. She missed all of them too. But things were never going to be the way they were before.
Even thinking about back then made her feel guilty.
Walking down that memory lane always plagued her with thoughts of Amy and how she could have saved her; had she been more attentive, been there for her.
Would Amy still be alive if only Nico had been a better sister?
Brainwashed.
That's how the world saw her.
It stung a little but she was okay. because Karolina knew that that wasn't the case.
But soon Gert's snarky remarks come rushing back and she can't take it anymore.
Everything starts taking its toll.
Her mom's expectations, the world's perception of her and the fake smiles.
Tears are streaming down her face as she looks at the edited picture again. True or not, it hurts.
Someone then enters the bathroom and soon Karolina hears some sniffling noises. Knowing she can't hide in there forever, and just the slightest bit curious, she wipes her eyes and opens the door of the stall.
Of all the people in the world, the last person she had expected to be crying in the bathroom was Nico Minoru.
But there she is.
"Is everything okay?"
For a nano-second there she wanted to tell Karolina everything. That, no, nothing was okay…
Amy was dead. Her mom practically hated her. None of them hung out anymore.
But she doesn't.
Instead Nico responds back the only way she knows how to nowadays; by taking the help of lies.
"Yeah. So good."
Having lived in a civilized society for too long forces her to ask Karolina the same.
She in turn just flashes one of her counterfeit smiles with an 'Uhm-hmm' and a nod, as if that will prove that nothing was wrong.
"I think it's just allergies or something…
Is it just me or is there like an impossible amount of pollen in the air?"
"I think I read that somewhere. Not enough bees or some shit."
Nico replies back, carrying out the cock-and-bull story effortlessly.
Karolina 'Uhn-hmm's again with a, "Yeah, I think that's gotta be it."
She should have left things there but as Nico reapplies her make-up the image of the way she used to be, it haunts her. And before Karolina realizes what she is doing the girl she is thinking about comments-
"If you want a tutorial, check youtube."
That brings her out of it.
"Oh. I am sorry! I didn't mean to stare...
It's just that, you know, you don't need all that. Nico."
She continues on.
"You don't have to hide who you really are."
It's a very simple thing to say. Yet no one has ever told her that.
Up until now.
Nico is touched at the gesture. She really is. But then the hypocrisy of the sentence crashes in on her and it loses its meaning.
So, she responds back with-
"Some people hide behind make-up, others behind a smile. It's still hiding."
She supplements that with a fake grin, just for good measure.
"See?"
Karolina just nods slightly as Nico leaves, knowing everything she said was true.
