Tapping her foot on the floor, Blake glanced at the time, tilted her head back, and sighed.

"Sun."

"I'm coming!" A second later, Sun hopped out of his room with only one shoe on. "Hold your horses!"

"If I had any horses, they'd be out to pasture by now," she replied before walking out the door.

"Sounds relaxing!" he called after her. After hopping several steps to get his other shoe on, he jogged to catch up.

"You take so long getting ready," she complained once he fell into step beside her.

"Looking this good takes time, ok?"

When he flashed a smile and delicately pushed several strands of hair into place, she rolled her eyes and quickened her pace.

"Maybe you should spend a little less effort on looking good and a little more on getting to class on time."

"Why? It's the last semester! By now, the professors expect me to be late."

Apparently, he considered the negative reputation to be a good thing. Blake, however, had different ideas - and a far different reputation to uphold.

"Not all of us are like you, Sun," was all she said as they approached campus and joined the other students headed to class.

"I know...I'll get ready earlier next time - promise."

The apologetic response made her smile and drop the subject. Even though Sun had a bad habit of being late, he would adjust so she didn't have to be late with him - as he should, considering it was his idea that they take this class together.

According to him, they 'had to' take at least one class together before graduation even though they had different majors and none of their coursework overlapped. It felt like another one of those 'everyone has to do (fill in the blank) during college' ideas, but Blake eventually came around to it. She finally agreed when she realized she'd never shared a class with someone she liked.

As fortune had it, they found a class that fit into their schedules, and Blake had space for one more elective. She'd planned to use it on an illuminating subject that would be useful to her future. Instead, she would be taking History of Unpopular Art, which was probably as zany as it sounded.

"I can't believe you talked me into this class..." she muttered for at least the tenth time since Sun convinced her to sign up.

"It'll be fun!"

"Uh huh…"

Regardless of the ridiculous topic, she smiled and followed him towards one of the buildings she rarely used. Due to the late class time (probably one of the biggest factors in Sun's decision), campus was already in full swing. The sun was high in the sky, lunch was just around the corner, and...apparently, this was when most students started their days. Even the feeling in the air was different from what Blake was used to, but...maybe that wasn't just because of the time.

While she passed a group of students standing outside one of the buildings, several of them watched her walk away. The same thing happened when brushing past a pair of girls, one of whom actually turned to follow her path. Then, when she and Sun walked by the main campus eatery, three boys sitting on the patio looked at her before leaning forward and speaking quietly amongst themselves.

Considering people normally didn't notice her presence, the attention was unsettling, especially when lacking an explanation. Briefly worried she accidentally wore pajamas out of the house or committed some humiliating fashion blunder, she snuck a peek at her clothing but found nothing out of place.

"Sun," she finally said when a boy riding a bike did a double-take while flying by, even going so far as to turn and look at her over his shoulder. "I don't have something on my face, do I?"

"Huh?" Confused, Sun gave her a quick look then shook his head. "No, why?"

"Just...a weird feeling…"

She couldn't put it into words without sounding paranoid or vain, but people were definitely paying more attention to her than normal. They didn't try talking to her, thankfully, but their glances suggested they knew who she was.

But how could all these people know who she was? She was only relatively well-known within her major, but the general student body shouldn't care about the sociology department's class rankings. Maybe they had her confused with someone else, which had never happened to her before but was within the realm of possibility.

Giving up on figuring out the reason, she tried to ignore the stares. Fortunately, she and Sun were close to their class. Soon, they left the sidewalks behind and walked into the long, short building holding an assortment of classes that didn't fit anywhere else.

With another glance at the clock in the entryway, Blake spurred her legs faster and trusted that Sun would keep pace with her. Now that they were inside the feeling of being observed had abated, especially as everyone else in the hall was equally late.

"It should be that one," Sun said while pointing to the open doorway on the right.

Relieved that they weren't as late as feared, Blake hurried into the classroom and felt her relief grow further. Apparently, they weren't the only ones running late. Only half of the seats were occupied at the moment, and the professor wasn't even there yet.

"See?" Sun immediately said. "All that stressing for nothing!" When Blake gave him an unamused look, he cringed and motioned towards the back of the room. "Can we sit in back?"

"Yeah, sure."

Usually, she sat near the front for ease of seeing the board and conversing with the professor, but visibility probably wasn't as important in this class as it was in her others. So, without complaint, she followed Sun to the back of the room.

"Hey, isn't that the girl?" someone whispered while she passed between the desks.

"I think so -"

The moment Blake glanced at the two girls, they looked away and pretended to be busy with their phones. When it became obvious they wouldn't make eye contact, Blake frowned and followed Sun to the seats he'd picked out.

'Isn't that the girl,' one of them said, implying that she heard about something involving Blake. But what could that be? The semester just started. So far, she'd only gone to a handful of classes, worked on her capstone, met with the dean, and went to that party with Sun -

"Sun…" she said as soon as a suspicion popped into her head. When she set her bag down and noticed someone else sneak a glance her way, she knew she had to ask. "You didn't tell anyone about the party, did you?"

"You mean about you and -"

"Yes," she interrupted before he said the name out loud.

"Nope! Well, just Neptune."

"And Neptune wouldn't have told anyone else, would he?"

Blake had her answer when the two girls sitting near the front of the class glanced at her over their shoulders. Quickly turning away, they whispered amongst themselves and snuck looks at her out of the corners of their eyes.

"Uh…"

Sighing at the non-response, she slouched in her seat and wished she could disappear. Or, at the very least, go back to being no one special.

"Great," she muttered.

"Wait, you don't think..." Sun began before cringing when the two girls glanced back another time. "Oh shit."

Of course he told Neptune - Blake should have expected that. And of course Neptune told anyone who would listen. The boy couldn't keep a secret to save his life and the lives of all his loved ones.

Now everyone at school thought she hooked up with Yang Xiao Long. Well, hopefully not everyone. But considering the avid fascination the entire student body had with Yang - which included everything from what she ordered for lunch to which seat she preferred on the patio - Blake could only imagine how they felt about a rumor like this.

The last thing she wanted was to be the topic of conversation, but this was her penance for letting Sun believe a stupid lie. Honestly, she thought he would forget or realize it wasn't true. Clearly, it wasn't true. How would someone like her - who never went out, spent most of her time in the library, and didn't have a single social bone in her body - end up with someone like Yang, the epitome of a social butterfly? The improbability of that scenario should raise serious red flags for everyone, not just Sun.

Apparently, this was what it felt like to be the subject of school-wide gossip. It...wasn't great. For all she knew, everyone was judging her now, probably wondering what made her, of all people, worthy of being with someone like Yang. How could a social nobody end up with the most popular girl on campus?

"God, I hate gossip…" she mumbled as the professor finally arrived and saved her from being the focal point of attention.

While he started his spiel and passed out several handouts, she opened her notebook and pretended everything was normal. The entire school didn't care who she was. They weren't talking about her behind her back. They weren't spreading some lie she made up just to make Sun happy.

That was the worst part. The attention was one thing - she could learn to ignore it with time - but why did she ever think it was a good idea to let Sun believe such a lie? Sure, it was outrageous, unlikely, and made zero sense, but he still believed it - and now everyone at school was talking about it.

Before overanalyzing the situation and its effect on her anonymity, she forced herself to focus on the professor while he went through the syllabus and course expectations. He spoke so fast and with so few pauses that she had to fill in every other word.

The verbal guessing game combined with the examples he flipped through on the screen, which she tried and failed to write notes on before they disappeared, passed the time quickly. While not a long class to begin with, it felt like no time at all before he waved them off and the students quickly dispersed.

"Doesn't seem bad, right?" Sun asked while they gathered their things and joined the rush of students leaving the room. "The syllabus looks easy."

"It shouldn't be hard," Blake agreed, although the response was a bit of an understatement.

Compared to her usual courses, History of Unpopular Art should be a walk in the park. The professor 'didn't believe in exams,' so there would be none. Most of their assignments involved looking at random pieces of artwork and hypothesizing reasons for their unpopularity - the crazier the hypothesis, the better.

And, since the professor also believed that collaboration was the key to success - surprisingly, something Blake agreed with - all of their work could and should be completed with a partner. Fortunately for her, she had a built-in partner with Sun, who was capable of some of the wackiest ideas she'd ever heard. It might not be 'her' type of class, but it shouldn't be difficult. It might even be kind of fun.

"You'll be my partner, right?" Sun asked as they walked into the hall.

"Of course."

Blake would have said more, but the two girls from earlier gave her another long, curious look while she walked by. With any thoughts about her new class pushed from her mind, she sighed and followed Sun outside.

"Wanna grab food?" he asked while heading towards their favorite eatery.

"Sure."

She wasn't particularly hungry, but she didn't have anywhere else to be at the moment. The rest of her classes finished earlier that morning, so her afternoon and evening were reserved for thinking about her capstone. She had to decide on a topic soon or risk falling behind schedule, and the last thing she wanted to do was fall behind before she even got started.

Hearing a chorus of laughter, she glanced over and saw a group of boys wearing matching shirts bearing the same fraternity symbol. They were laughing at one of their friends who, from the way he picked himself up from the ground and brushed blades of grass off his back, had just miserably failed something.

Before she turned away, one of them made eye contact with her. And, the moment he did, he tilted his head as if he recognized her. Sensing another point, stare, or some other gesture implying he suspected her to be the one everyone else was talking about, she quickly turned away and caught up with Sun.

How did so many people know what she looked like? Were they passing around a photo of her? Stalking her social media?

That was probably it. They figured out her name and then found her social media profiles. From those, they had access to photographs and limited personal information. They only needed a photograph. From there, word of mouth was more than enough.

"Great," she muttered while making a mental note to lock her accounts, not that it would make much difference now. She could prevent new people from looking at her profiles, but that wouldn't erase the memories of those who'd already searched for her. "Next time you see Neptune, please punch him for me."

"It's not that bad, right? I mean, Yang's not gonna be upset about it or anything, right?"

"How would I know?"

"Uh…" After thinking about her response for a few seconds, he cringed. "Oh. Was it like...a one-time thing then?"

"Of course it was," Blake said, hearing the exasperation in her tone. "You really think she'd date someone she randomly met at a party?" Realizing that the two of them hadn't even met, she shook her head. "This is stupid. I'm going to the library."

"But what about lunch?"

"Not hungry."

Leaving Sun at The Patio, she waved off his "Sorry!" before making a beeline for her favorite library. It shouldn't be too busy since the semester just started. If anyone was there, it would be the more studious students. Hopefully, they weren't up-to-date on recent rumors.

This situation confirmed all of her justifications for staying away from the social scene. It made no sense. All of these people - who didn't know her or Yang, most likely - inexplicably cared about what might or might not have happened between them. Not only did they care, but they had an avid fascination with determining whether or not Blake deserved Yang's attention.

It was ridiculous but hopefully short-lived. Over the next few days, it would become obvious that Blake and Yang didn't know each other. Once that happened, people would realize there was no merit to the rumor and move on. Others would forget. Classes would get into full swing, everyone would be busier, and the rumor would fade into obscurity.

Blake only had to survive the next few days of heightened attention before life returned to normal. At least, that's what she assumed would happen, but it wasn't as if she had any experience with this. For good reason. This situation was nothing more than a distraction from what she really needed to work on.

Determined to focus on her capstone, she picked up the pace and avoided eye contact with anyone along her path. She still felt the looks and heard the whispers trailing her to the philosophy building, but relief was within sight.

As she hurried up the steps to the building, however, she nearly groaned out loud when the door opened and a group of sorority girls walked out. She quickly ducked her head and moved to the side, hoping not to draw their attention, but the girl in front noticed her and stopped.

"You're...Blake, aren't you?" she asked, her tone curious and excited at the same time.

"You're Blake Belladonna?" another repeated.

For a split second, Blake considered lying. All she had to do was say 'no' and brush past, but what good would that do if they had a photo of her? Then they would know she was hiding, and who knew what assumptions they would make then.

"Yes…" she replied instead. "Who's asking?"

Instead of answering, the girl in front looked her up and down.

"Wow, she must've been really drunk."

"Or it was really dark in there," another added with a laugh.

Having no patience for their catty banter, Blake rolled her eyes and brushed through them.

"You don't think you actually have a chance with her, do you?" one of them called after her.

She knew she shouldn't turn around. She knew she should just walk away and forget the conversation. But their attitudes bothered her, and she wasn't the type to let someone else tell her what she was capable of.

"Considering I already made it further than any of you?" she quipped before flashing a fake smile. "Yeah, I do."

Their stunned silence deserved a real smile as she walked into the building and let the door fall shut behind her. If they came up with a response, she didn't hear it as she headed upstairs to the library.

That interaction made her discomfort a little more worthwhile. But, even though she just aced the first 'Belladonna vs. sorority' contest, she had no desire to continue the feud anytime soon. For one thing, they vastly outnumbered her. For another thing, she had no desire to get wrapped up in their drama. Maybe they had the time to devote to such trivial matters, but she didn't.

Instead, she ducked into the small library unknown to many and sighed in relief upon finding it mostly empty. After claiming a reading chair in the front corner of the room, she set her bag on the floor and got to work.

Hopefully, everyone forgot this silly rumor in a week or two, then her life would return to its normal, quiet existence. No whispers following her around campus, no strangers watching her every move, judging her outfit or who knew what else. With how the social scene operated around here, something more scandalous would happen sooner rather than later. Until then, she would keep her head down and ignore her unexpected 'popularity.' It was an unexpected way to begin her last semester, but at least she would get a good story out of it.

That didn't feel like much consolation when she'd expected her biggest 'problem' to be her capstone. Were her classmates having as much difficulty choosing a subject? She often wondered if they were, and today was no exception as she studied even more reports from previous years.

Moments like these convinced her that the fierce competition for the internship was actually a detriment to their learning. They could work together. They could help each other create more unique and interesting ideas. Instead, they worked as individuals and only cooperated if the end result benefited their personal goals.

That seemed to be the recent theme around here - using others for personal gain. She wasn't a fan, but there wasn't much she could do about it.

Just like there wasn't much she could do about her capstone when her mind refused to cooperate. If she couldn't decide on a topic, she couldn't write an outline. If she couldn't write an outline, she couldn't figure out what sources she needed. If she couldn't find sources…

Basically, she could do nothing at this point, which was maddening in its own way. If she couldn't work, she felt stuck. And she hated feeling stuck.

She should flip a coin. Let fate decide what subject she poured her time and effort into over the next few months.

Giving up for the time being, she stuck her computer in her bag and pulled out a book instead. She didn't read for pleasure very often anymore, but her mind needed a break. After this morning's unexpected excitement and the overarching stress of chasing this internship, she wanted nothing more than to lose herself in another world for a little while.

Something fantastical. Something imaginative. And, in the case of the book within her grasp, something dystopian. Diving into an alternate universe made her feel better about her own. For as difficult as everything felt right now, she still had it easy. At least, her life was easy compared to the misfortunes befalling the characters in this particular story.

The longer she read, the more relaxed she became. She should read more often if time allowed it. She certainly couldn't argue against the emotional benefits, and reading had always been a pleasant escape for her.

Deciding to finish a few more chapters before calling it a day, she had just flipped another page when the library door opened and someone walked inside. She hardly glanced up to see who it was but, the moment her eyes scanned the new arrival, she lifted the book to cover more of her face.

Please, please don't notice me, she begged the universe while staring at the page in front of her.

"Uh, hey?"

The universe didn't grant her wish, as that question was most assuredly directed to her. So she lowered the book and attempted a smile.

"Um, hi," she replied, trying to stay composed while her heart began to race. "Can I help you?"

She'd never been this close to Yang before. The closest they'd ever been was when passing each other around campus, but those instances lasted no longer than a few seconds, and she always did her best not to stare. Right now, with Yang standing right in front of her, directing a question to her, she had no choice but to meet and hold Yang's gaze.

With expressive lilac eyes, perfect blonde hair, and a friendly aura, Yang was even more attractive up close.

"You're Blake, right? Blake Belladonna?"

Again, Blake considered denying her identity. But, again, it seemed pointless to do so.

"Yes," she admitted, only to feel curious when Yang looked relieved.

"Oh, good. I've been trying to find you. Do you have a minute to talk?"

Here it comes, Blake thought as she nodded and Yang sat across from her. This was when Yang asked her to stop the rumors. Or was seriously annoyed that she made up such a juvenile lie to begin with. Not only made it up but let the entire school find out about it.

"Cool," Yang said with a fleeting smile. "I'm Yang, by the way. I don't know if you remember, or..."

"I know who you are," Blake replied, to which Yang flashed another quick smile.

"Ok good. I just wasn't sure if maybe, I don't know…" Letting that sentence trail off, Yang shifted in her seat and ran a hand through her gorgeous, wavy hair. "So, I don't really know how to say this, but...I've heard some people talking and, uh, well...they kinda say that like…" Pausing for a second, she took a deep breath and let it out in one big huff of air. "They're saying we kinda...hooked up...at the back-to-school bash a couple nights ago?"

"Oh, right -"

"I just wanted to say sorry," Yang rushed on. "I drank way too much - I normally don't drink that much - but I...I don't remember much of what happened after a certain time. I thought Ruby was keeping track of me, but...anyway. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for not remembering. If I had, I definitely would've reached out earlier, I promise."

"Oh."

'Taken aback' couldn't begin to describe how Blake felt right now. She'd expected the opposite of this. She'd expected Yang to see through the lie and demand a retraction or, at the very least, an apology. Instead...she thought it was true?

"That's really ok -" Blake began, but Yang shook her head.

"Not really. I mean, it's not very considerate, you know? I don't want to be the type of person who does that kind of stuff with someone then ignores them. Like, just use you for a night then never speak again? No thanks."

For the life of her, Blake had no idea how to respond to that. If anyone was guilty of using someone, it was her. She'd used Yang's name - or at least, Yang's likeness - to placate Sun.

In return, Yang refused to let a fake, one-night, drunken hook-up fade into obscurity. She was apologizing that it even looked like that.

"Don't worry. I don't think you're that type of person."

Blake hoped the response provided reassurance that she didn't think any less of Yang. In fact, her opinion of Yang had grown by leaps and bounds in a matter of minutes. Forget the snobby sorority girls and permanent air of superiority surrounding them. Forget the otherworldly beauty that was almost distracting to be around. Forget the celebrity and notion of being 'above' everyone else. Apparently, that was all a misconception.

"Thank god." Looking immeasurably relieved, Yang leaned back and smiled. "I spent all day thinking you were pissed at me. Who does that then disappears? I mean, I guess people do it all the time, but I didn't want that to be me. I kind of...expect better of myself, you know?"

Even though Blake nodded, it was hard to believe she wasn't dreaming right now. Surely, she was. Why else would Yang Xiao Long be having a conversation with her? Much less a conversation like this.

Now she couldn't even remember why she ever considered Yang 'unapproachable.' How was she unapproachable at all? Everything about her - from her radiant smile to her adorable nervous habits - painted a picture of a kind, friendly person. That, and her rambling was unbelievably cute.

"I'm not mad at all," Blake replied with a smile that grew when Yang smiled in return.

"You have no idea how much of a relief that is." After a second's pause, Yang chuckled and ran her hand through her hair - a gesture Blake interpreted as nerves or embarrassment. "Uh, but I was kinda wondering if you...you know...thought I was any good?"

Blake instantly blushed at the question.

"Oh -"

"I mean, I can't remember, so like...I wanted to make sure it was ok? I was pretty drunk, so I'm just worried that I...you know..."

The longer Yang rambled, the deeper Blake's blush grew and the more she wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole. Not only was Yang apologizing for not remembering a moment that never happened, but she was concerned about whether or not Blake had a good time?

"Amazing, of course," she replied, knowing it was the right answer when the sparkle returned to Yang's eyes.

"Yeah?" Yang's bright grin made Blake feel better but also worse for perpetuating a lie. "Whew. Good. Here I was all worried…"

When Yang again ran a hand through her hair and blew a breath through her lips, Blake couldn't help the little laugh that slipped out. The expression was more adorable than anything she'd expected from a budding supermodel. Then again, she never thought of supermodels as being nervous at all, especially around someone like her.

"Yeah, it was...a lot of fun."

Again, Blake felt a twinge of guilt, but it disappeared when Yang beamed.

"Damn, now I really wish I remembered," she replied with a chuckle before motioning with her hands. "But at least you had fun! That makes me feel better."

Surprisingly, Blake felt better about it too. Even if it wasn't true, at least Yang was happy about it. Considering the circumstances, this was the best result Blake could have hoped for from a rumor that got out of hand. Now, they could return to their lives with a good, albeit untrue, story.

"I'm glad," Blake replied, again feeling a blush on her cheeks when Yang smiled. That smile made it hard to concentrate, so she glanced to the side while finishing what she wanted to say. "And I understand that these things are...short-lived...so don't worry about me. I'm not expecting anything."

She raised her hands and hoped Yang understood what she was saying - that she would hold no ill-will if they never spoke again. If anything, she now held more respect for Yang than ever before and would have a soft spot for her for the foreseeable future.

"Oh." After glancing at her hands, Yang looked up and flashed a hesitant smile. "Uh, I know you're probably busy -" She motioned at the book in Blake's hands before continuing. "But I was wondering if maybe you'd like to...I dunno...get ice cream or something? Maybe walk around campus and catch up?"

The right answer was probably 'no' or a polite decline due to the circumstances, but...Blake wanted to figure out if this was the 'real' Yang or if this was some sort of fluke. Because if this was the 'real' Yang, she was incredibly sweet and down-to-earth.

Once they got to know each other a little better, Blake could explain the mixup.

"I'd love to."