POV: Moon
Perfection is a mask and most people think wearing one is difficult.
But they're wrong.
The difficult part is actually remembering where the mask ends and where you begin.
I've been wearing mine for so long that sometimes even I forget when I began.
At Eliya Academy, I'm Moon Metharom—the scholarship student everyone admires. The girl who solves equations before the teacher finishes writing them. The girl with flawless grades, flawless manners, and a boyfriend who might as well be royalty.
The girl who belongs there.
At least, that's the version everyone sees.
But yhe real version?
She only appears when I'm alone.
Usually only in front of a mirror.
Because mirrors never care about your reputation. They don't care how convincing your smile is or how many people admire you.
They only show what's truly there.
And every time I look into one, I'm reminded of a simple truth.
I'm nothing more then a liar.
---
The sky is painted orange and gold when Sun drives me home. Or rather, the place he thinks is my home.
His Bercedes slides through Bangkok traffic effortlessly, as if the city itself moves aside for him and honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it did. Afterall everything about Sun carries the quiet confidence of someone who has never had to worry about money.
His one hand rests lazily on the steering wheel.
While the other is intertwined with mine.
His fingers are so warm and comforting.
And far more dangerous than they should be.
He's talking about the Cultural Fest again.
Apparently, according to him Eliya Academy's future depends entirely on decorations, sponsorships, and whether the stage lights are bright enough.
"You listening, goddess?"
I blink and look over.
"Hm?"
His grin widens immediately.
"Aha. Caught you."
"I was listening."
"You absolutely weren't."
I roll my eyes.
"Maybe because you've been talking about the Cultural Fest for twenty minutes."
"Twenty-seven."
"That's somehow worse."
Sun bursts out laughing.
Not the polite laugh he gives teachers.
Not the charming laugh he uses at events.
A real laugh.
The kind that fills the car and makes everything feel lighter.
For a moment, I let myself enjoy it.
No lies.
No secrets.
No guilt.
Just us.
Then reality catches up.
It always does.
"You okay?"
I glance over.
Sun's watching me now.
Concern flickers across his face.
Real concern.
The kind that isn't forced or performed.
The kind that makes my chest tighten.
I immediately put on my usual smile.
The one I've perfected through years of practice.
"It's Perfect."
His eyebrow rises.
"You're thinking."
"I know, dangerous habit."
"Terrifying, actually."
A laugh escapes me.
Small but genuine.
Sun squeezes my hand.
"Whatever it is, don't stress too much or you will have wrinkles in no time goddess."
Such simple words.
Such effortless kindness.
And somehow that's what hurts the most.
Because Sun doesn't know.
He doesn't know every designer bag he's ever bought me ended up being sold online.
He doesn't know that half the money he gives me becomes hospital bills.
He doesn't know expensive dinners with him often mean my family eats comfortably for the next week.
He doesn't know because I've never told him. Because every lie needed another lie to protect it.
And because he trusts me.
God.
Why does he trusts me so much.
"We're going to destroy the competition at the festival," he says confidently.
I smile.
"Of course we are."
"With you helping? We can't lose."
The compliment should make me happy.
Instead, my stomach twists.
Because if Sun ever found out who I really was...
Would he still look at me the same way?
Would he still smile like that?
I honestly don't know.
And that uncertainty terrifies me.
---
The car turns into Thonglor.
Beautiful houses line the streets with tall gates, perfect gardens, perfect families or at least that's how they look from the outside.
Sun slows near a stunning modern bungalow.
It's the kind of house people save on Linterest boards.
The house I once casually pointed at and claimed was mine. Ofcourse another lie.
And Sun believed me.
Just like that.
No questions. No doubts. No suspicion.
Why would he suspect anything?
Afterall I'm Moon Metharom, The perfect girlfriend.
"Home sweet home."
Sun parks by the gate.
I force another smile.
"Yep."
He leans over and presses a kiss against my cheek.
My heart stumbles.
Not because I dislike it.
Because I don't.
That's the problem.
For a second, I let myself enjoy the warmth.
Then I pull away.
"You should get going."
"Hm?"
"You were meeting Jay after, remember?"
Recognition flashes across his face. It's funny though.
"Oh. Right."
I remind him of his plans.
He unknowingly helps me protect mine.
Funny how that works.
"You'll text me later?" he asks.
"Always."
His smile immediately returns.
Completely unaware.
"Good."
A few moments later, the Bercedes disappears down the street.
And the second it's gone, my smile vanishes too.
I let out a breath I didn't even realize I'd been holding.
My shoulders sag.
The performance is over.
At least for now.
I walk right past the bungalow.
Past the expensive gate.
Past the life that doesn't belong to me.
Two streets later, the illusion completely falls apart.
The roads become rougher.
The buildings get older.
Streetlights flicker uncertainly overhead.
Paint peels from cracked walls.
The smell of grilled fish mixes with exhaust fumes.
This is home.
My real home.
Apartment 3B waits on the third floor.
The stairs creak beneath my feet as I climb.
The hallway light flickers like it's considering giving up.
I unlock the door.
"Mae, I'm home."
The familiar smell of tom yum greets me immediately.
My mother looks up from the kitchen.
Tired eyes.
Gentle smile.
Strong hands.
A woman carrying more burdens than she should.
"You're late."
"Bangkok traffic."
A lie.
A small one.
Still a lie.
"Phi[1] Moon!"
Beam looks up from the floor.
His phone screen has somehow gained even more cracks.
I grin despite myself.
Some things are real.
Beam is real.
Ma is real.
This apartment is real.
Maybe that's why I love them so much.
They're the only parts of my life that don't require pretending.
Dinner simmers quietly on the stove.
Unpaid bills are scattered across the table.
A pharmacy receipt sticks out from beneath them.
Reality.
Unfiltered and impossible to ignore.
I drop my bag and check my phone.
A message from Sun.
Just a heart.
Nothing else.
I stare at it longer than I should.
Then send one heart back.
The easiest lie I've ever told.
Another notification appears.
Math Club Group Chat
I don't open it.
Not today.
Not after what happened in the cafeteria.
The memory replays anyway.
Sun shoving Tee's tray.
Tee shoving him back.
The cafeteria erupting into chaos.
Students screaming.
Teachers rushing over.
And those two idiots glaring at each other like neither knew how to walk away.
Honestly.
Both of them are impossible.
Why would Sun be so obsessed with someone he hates?
I sink into the couch.
Suddenly my uniform feels heavier.
Too expensive.
Too polished.
Too fake.
I paid for it with money Sun gave me.
Money he thought was going somewhere else.
I told him it was for art supplies.
He never questioned it.
Never once.
His trust should make everything easier.
Instead, it makes everything worse.
My eyes drift toward an old photo taped to the wall.
Me.
Ma.
Beam.
Chatuchak Market.
Sticky mango rice.
Huge smiles.
Real smiles.
The picture was taken before Eliya Academy.
Before Sun.
Before lies became part of my daily routine.
Back when survival was harder financially but somehow easier emotionally.
My phone vibrates again.
A bank notification.
Another transfer from Sun.
For your new shoes :heart:
I freeze.
The amount is enough.
Enough for Beam's textbooks.
Enough for Ma's next hospital appointment.
Enough for groceries.
Enough to solve several problems at once.
My eyes sting.
Not because I'm happy.
Not because I'm sad.
Maybe because I'm both.
Outside, Bangkok continues moving.
Motorbikes race through the streets.
Vendors call out to customers.
People laugh.
People argue.
Life keeps going.
Inside Apartment 3B, I stare at the number on my screen and feel something ugly settle inside my chest.
Because I already know where that money is going.
And it isn't shoes.
It was never going to be shoes.
Later, while helping Ma prepare dinner, Beam launches into a dramatic story about school.
He's so animated that even Ma starts laughing.
Soon I'm laughing too.
For a few precious minutes, I'm not Eliya Academy's perfect scholarship student.
I'm not Sun's perfect girlfriend.
I'm not a fraud.
I'm just Moon.
A daughter.
A sister.
A normal girl sharing dinner with her family.
But moments like that never last forever.
Eventually, reality returns.
And when it does, the mask returns with it.
Because the truth is simple.
I'm playing a dangerous game.
Every lie makes the next one easier to tell.
Every secret drags me deeper.
And Sun—
Sun is the one person capable of destroying everything without even realizing it.
Which is exactly why I can't afford to lose him.
Not now.
Maybe not ever.
___
[1] Phi is a Thai honorific used for someone older than you, such as an older sibling, senior, friend, or colleague. It conveys both respect and familiarity and is commonly placed before a person's name.