Lahnthean Aria

Alessa Dia was Kiran's girl crush. The stereotypical campus female hottie, Alessa had a head-turner beauty, a blemish-free skin, and a walk that made even the ugliest of building hallways look like a catwalk. She wore her soft, bouncy, hazel waves in a ponytail and always looked fresh with a sunscreen, skin tint, light brow pomade, and lip tint. Unlike the typical campus hottie though, she wore average casual clothes to school: a pair of denim pants matched with plain or printed shirts and sweaters. She walked with flats and sneakers instead of flashy pumps. The way she moved just made anything she put on seem hip and trendy. And she didn't seem to let all the attention get to her head. She was friendly to everyone and anyone, even the utility personnel. She didn't entertain suitors, nor did she fawn over popular men on campus. She was perfect…too perfect, as those who hate her would say. Kiran sighed as she watched Alessa walk to the lobby with a bright smile on her lips. Her looks were the complete opposite of Alessa's: long, pitch black, frizzy hair that looked messy even in a ponytail; a well-padded figure probably due to her heavy reliance on cheap, unhealthy snacks to cope with her limited food budget; an oily, acne-peppered face accented with deep grey shades under her eyes brought by reading web novels and comics that she traded for a much-needed sleep; and baggy, worn out shirts, jeans and sneakers that made her reliance on a government scholarship obvious. She fixed the pair of glasses framing her deep brown eyes - a habit she did when she was uneasy. Even the glasses she wore was a cheap one she bought without a prescription. She knew her eyesight was bad so she bought a pair of glasses in a street stall that seemed to make her eyesight better. "Kiran! Sorry I'm late," Alessa said as she approached her. Kiran was flattered at being directly addressed by the most admired girl in campus. "Oh no, you're right on time. I just arrived earlier because I had some stuff to do." She arrived at their meeting spot 10 minutes before their agreed schedule because she wanted to make a good impression on Alessa. This was the first time she was going to work with her on a school project and she heard Alessa was always 5 minutes early in activity-related meet ups. "I see. Here is the result of my research so far," Alessa said, handing her a folder filled with printouts. "We can meet later to discuss how we can organize everything." "Right, here's mine," Kiran shyly said, handing her own set of printouts. She should have bought a folder too. "These look great! Want to meet up for lunch?" "Sure! Sounds good." "Awesome. I'll see you then. I'll go to my first morning class now. See you later!" Kiran smiled and waved goodbye at her, giddy that the most popular girl in campus behaved so kindly towards her. "Annoying." Kiran sighed, recognizing the voice that came from behind her. She turned to the young woman frowning at Alessa's direction. "Me or Alessa?" "Alessa, of course! She's such a goody to-shoes," Remy, Kiran's long-time friend in campus replied. "Which is bad because?" "It's not normal! No one is that kind, Kiran. I'm telling you, something's fishy about her." "You're just bitter the guy you like still fawns over her, even after being turned down." "She turned him down so he would grovel at her feet!" "Remy, stop. You're starting to look like a stereotypical mean girl." Unlike Kiran, Remy wore short skirts and dresses matched with colorful heels and wedges. She also went to school with an elaborate makeup on; her hair either ironed flat or neatly curled. "You're starting to look like a defenseless, easy-to-manipulate fan girl," Remy retorted. "Really? I thought I was pulling off the wallflower look." Remy rolled her eyes. "I told you, you have the makings of a lead character. You just have to own it and be confident! You're way better than that two-faced, goody two-shoes. Just let me give you a total makeover." "No, thank you. Being your guinea pig for your hair and makeup homework is enough for me." Remy, taking cosmetology, always used her to test hair, makeup, and even nail art techniques since they shared a room in their boarding house. Remy shook her head. "One of these days, I'll get you drunk and you'll wake up all dolled up the next day." "Thank you for the warning. Want to treat me to a breakfast for that makeup homework last week?" "That's why I'm here. Let's go to the cafeteria." Neither did Kiran know, somewhere in another world, the wheels of fate was turning and the uneventful start of the day would be the calm before a disaster.