Melting Ice

Chapter 3

"Why didn't you tell me the dinner was with your family?" Lucion hissed over the table, kicking his best friend from underneath at the same time.

"Surprise? -ouch..." Yun grinned awkwardly, making it obvious that he had forgotten about the meeting the two were going to have later the a day back in the school's cafeteria. The two were about to continue their conversation when an older lady, Yun's mother gently knocked a spoon against a wine glass, alerting the mere six people in the dining room, though hall was a better word to describe it.

"Now now, it has been a while since our both families had met and it is my full apology that my daughter is unable to make it tonight." Yun's mother voice was laced with grace and elegance, though her tone was much more at ease, casual even, as she spoke to her best friend of many years. Turning to the boys, her smile was slightly cheeky, "Now, will you boys leave us alone?"

"A pleasure, mom." Yun replied almost immediately, "A pleasure." And he was returned with a glare from the former as he pulled Lucion away to the other corner of the room, far from the adults who were more at ease after the departure of the boys from the table and it was one of the fews times that Lucion had actually seen his parents behaving in such an unusual and unfailiar way.

"We'll head out for the buffet!" Yun shouted, continuingly dragging Lucion behind him out of the door and to the buffet section of the restaurant. Before Lucion could say anything, Yun had already started piling up his plates with every delicacy he could find. Staring at his best friend, Lucion nudged the former slightly to gain his attention, "I didn't know you had a sister."

"Oh. I didn't mention her before?" Yun's eyes were almost bulging out, continuing after Lucion shook his head, "I swore I had, or maybe I didn't. But oh well, she's a year younger than me and the reason why you never saw her when we were younger was probably because she sorta grew out with our grandparents."

He paused, "Don't ask me why I wasn't, my parents thought that I should be more independent because I'm a boy."

Lucion nodded understandably, his parents had the same attitude when he was younger, only they got more demanding as he grew year by year and it was soon different to him, the way life worked. It had only worked for the growth of his mask and now he was so used to it that he did not want to take it off, except when he was with Yun.

"Well I think they made the right choice." Lucion joked, trying to lift his own mood. Yun glared, sending a punch to the former's stomach as his other hand held onto his plateful of food.

The two boys then continued catching up with each other's life over a buffet dinner, and the night ended with the wonderful reunion of the two childhood best friends.

~~

"I'm bored..." A frown found its way onto Jesslia's face, as she stared out of her window at the starry sky. Unlike her usual appearance in school, the girl was dressed in comfortable tights and a loose shirt, her wavy hair was donned in a loose bun instead of her expected centre parting, and the large, huge nerd spectacles was gone from her face.

She was different, an opposite different person from school than she was at home. But she liked it that way, she was brought up to see the world differently, and not the way everyone viewed everyone else superficially. Her school was an exact same replica of how many of her parents' friends were, only always gushing at how fine she looked, praising her for the apparent good behaviour which she felt was only polite to act as such, trying to match make their sons, or nephews if they don't have a son, so that they could have relations to the one and only daughter of the Marins.

She was tired. Tired of all the superficiality at the world, the people and how it was accepted by everyone.

It was worse when every 'friend' she had only wanted to make use of her, of her family name in an attempt to make themselves seem like they are on a higher level of the social pyramid. It had hurt, to be honest, when she found that one of her closest friends was using her name to commit bad crimes, things that she would never had done. Though it was resolved in the end by her parents, she was still hurt. No one, no one had ever stepped foot into her heart since then, especially not when a tall, thick wall had been erected within her.

That was why she dressed like a nerd in school, why she acted like nothing mattered in school, she got used to everyone's attitude towards her anyway. After all, they only knew the Jesslia in school and nothing else. Who are they to even judge her, when all they know is the way she dressed, the way she never responded to anyone, the way she always topped the Arts cohort no matter what she did.

No one bothered to see the inner her anyway.

Mocking herself silently, Jesslia quickly looked away from the skies, her eyes landing on the pair of baby blue ice skates sitting by the corner of her apartment-like room.

"It's been a while..." a soft whisper came out, tempting her to visit the rink again, just not the school's rink this time, not after almost getting caught by someone the previous time. Maybe she should ask for a small rink at home for her next birthday, so she would not have to be afraid getting caught by others anymore.

Shaking her head to get rid of the idea, since it would be a waste to actually do so, she quickly got off her chair, grabbed the pair of skates, her small purse with her handphone and wallet on the way before exiting her room. She flagged a taxi down, asking to be brought to the nearest rink when she remembered that her parents and brother were meeting one of the family's closest friends, of which she have yet to meet, not their son anyway. Both Mr and Mrs Creas were very nice people and they were the few people who actually saw past the superficial side that everyone saw her with.

Smiling discreetly at the memory of her parents abandoning her to a corner to have a long and crazy chat with the Creas family every time they met, she briefly sent a text to her brother, as her smile widened and her eyes sparkled under the street lights.

Author's Note:

Weeee updateee~~ I didn't update last week due to some personal reasons D: forgive me pleasee.... but then again,

200 READS I LOVE YA GUYS <3 xDxDxD I do hope that everyone who reads this enjoys this book~~ :33 Well, the best is yet to be :) (I swear I got too brainwashed by my school)

Until next week then~~ Ciaooo~~