Everybody knows Jake West is always a second choice for Annabelle Chantarat, but when Year 11 starts and new girl Alice Hang enters the picture, Jake gets an epiphany, and suddenly, he's not second best anymore.
Honestly, Jake doesn't think much abo...
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Growing up as the only Korean kid in her year was not a walk in the park for Alice. With her fair skin, dark hair and equally dark iris, she might look like Chinese, but she certainly doesn't speak their language, nor does she share the same hard core after school regimen of math tuitions on top of an advanced Kumon that the super tight STEM Club gang do, and she can't really hang out with the small numbers of Vietnamese and Filipinos too even though they look like they sprout from the same grass because those kids tend to speak in their mother tongue when the bell rings, and frankly, revolving around them makes her feel even more like an outsider. But of course, all of that is nothing compared to the horrible shit show that happened at Stephanie's party.
It was bad enough to be the inside joke of the night, but she had to make it worse by falling for the rando's pick up line. Even if that rando is anything but random —and more like specifically fine— Alice knew she shouldn't have let him linger on her lips, let alone kiss him back.
Running away without so much of exchanging names was, admittedly, a bigger loss for her, but she was so nervous that she could only think of hiding. Besides, what does it matter what she did? It's been thirty seven days since, and he isn't looking for her –not that she's counting or anything.
"Alice, are you listening to me?"
"Huh?"
"Take off the headset would you, you're gonna get tinnitus if you keep using it everywhere. We're at home for God's sake."
Alice sighs. She takes off her headset before her mother, Doctor Elizabeth Hang, launches into another tirade of hearing damages. "Arasseo, Eomma, what is it?"
"Don't forget to go to the shops before it's dark. We're out of eggs, and check if we still have rice too. I have to get to the hospital, they need me for a consult. Appa have to stay back, he's running late. So have dinner first, don't wait up for him. If you want to eat at the food court, you can, just don't get burgers again."
"But-"
Doctor Elizabeth snaps her finger. "Alice, no junkfood, do you hear me?"
"I hear you." She drags her words while Doctor Elizabeth quickly rushes to the garage with a coffee tumblr in hand, leaving the messy kitchen counter sans their bibimbap lunch and the piled-up dirty dishes in the sink. With a short roar of a sedan Mazda, the house is back to its normal state; quiet, and abandoned, exactly like her.
It's funny how Alice is still not used to being alone. At five months old she was already in child care because her parents schedule as Resident Medical Officers in the hospital were not as accommodating, and like first generation immigrants everywhere, meeting extended families are never a part of her weekends. But after all this time, she still can't be at peace with the void that soon follows as soon as she's on her own.
