The Popstar & Me

Chapter 28 - What Dr. Su Wants

Chapter 28

I show up to work bright and early Tuesday morning because I barely slept a wink all night. I would give anything to have a girlfriend to talk to. My friends from back home are half a world away, and they only check their emails every so often. The only texts I am getting are from Fang. I'm so confused about what happened in the back of that car. 

Before I start falling head over diamond-Dior-sneakers, I have to ask myself what a superstar like Fang Yao would want with an average high school student? Is he playing with my feelings? Should I brace myself for a messy break-up after an awkward one-night-stand? I wish I had some time to make sense of everything before Fang comes whirling back into my life in full force.

I'm still sorry about last night.

Can I make it up to you?

There's a party next Thursday. . .

Liyuan won't be there this time.

I hesitate before I respond to the text. As much as I would love to hang with Fang again, I doubt I have anything to wear to the type of parties that Fang gets invited to. I tuck the phone into my pocket and try not to think about it. Can't we stay in and watch some T.V.? Maybe make some popcorn and drink some lychee-based drinks? Fang doesn't text me again once the sun is high up in the sky despite the flurry of texts overnight. Did he regret inviting me out once he sobered up?

Fang doesn't come to the hospital that day or the day after that. Dr. Su calls me into his office first thing on Thursday morning. I didn't see the papers yesterday, and I imagine my friends, the middle-aged women from California, from the acupuncture class didn't either. Dr. Su did because he thinks I'm why Fang isn't coming by the hospital for his treatment anymore.

As soon as I crack the door open to his office, Dr. Su shows me a copy of the Shanghai Morning Post from earlier this week. I suck in a breath. There is a picture of me in the gossip column. Now I know why Fang didn't follow up his text. He saw the morning papers.

"I can explain!" I blurt out, but Dr. Su sighs and throws the paper in the trash. Dr. Su takes his tea tumbler out of his desk drawer and downs a gulp from it. I wait until he sets it down on his desk. I know precisely where he was going to put that tumbler down because the green leather blotter is already stained with many concentric watermarks. I stare at it as I wait for him to scold me for my unprofessional behavior.

He doesn't. Instead, he gets up and rummages through his coat closet. Dr. Su emerges with a clear plastic bag filled with dirty clothes. I don't get it. What is this?

"Here," Dr. Su says and lays the bag down by my feet. "Fang isn't coming back to the hospital now that the tabloids are all over his relationship with one of our staff members — and by staff member, I mean you."

"Am I being dismissed from this program?"

"No, no," Dr. Su laughs at that. "Why would I dismiss you? You only have a couple of weeks left. Maybe, just maybe, you'll spend some of it learning instead of dodging photographers —"

"I will! I promise. I'll never see Fang again. I want to finish this summer course."

"No, no, it's okay. You can see Fang again," Dr. Su chuckles again and rubs his forehead like I'm ridiculous. "The papers are saying there's a rumor that he's bringing you to a ballet next week. You should see him, and when you do, bring him his personal effects. Tell him if he wants to avoid the hospital, that's fine by me, but tell him to ask his brother to pick up his prescriptions like he used to. Poor boy, he doesn't trust anyone else not to leak his medical history to the press."