Wattys 2022 Bootcamp

Cherry On Top - @AziaElga

Logline

A Singaporean Junior College student working illegally at a hostess bar must fight her growing attraction to a cute patron—her crush from school—or risk getting discovered and kicked out of school.

Blurb

A forbidden relationship with the most popular girl in school is the last thing Chloe Lee expects when she begins bartending. Especially when she doesn't even realize she's gay herself.

Desperate for money for her mother's surgery, Singaporean student Chloe Lee illegally serves drinks at a local bar. When equally underage RJ Shin--the richest and most popular girl in school--shows up as a customer, they already have something in common.

Their fateful encounter sends both their lives out of control. Chloe's money-making plan is soon derailed by RJ's insistent involvement, a growing hostility at work, and an unfortunate entanglement with RJ's family's politics. Worst of all, Chloe is slowly discovering her sexuality as she falls for RJ. Hard. Suddenly, sacrificing everything for money is no longer an easy choice to make.

As secrets unveil and feelings surface, Chloe is forced to reevaluate her life goals and decide what she is willing to sacrifice for love--and what she must sacrifice for herself. If she holds on to more than she can take, she might end up losing everything she values.

Life is hard, but love is harder.

First 1,000 Words

Leading a double life sounds exciting, doesn't it? Like something out of a spy novel? But it's actually tiring. Really tiring, and this class isn't helping.

The words on the whiteboard turn into a blur as I stifle a yawn. An early morning class right after the week of Chinese New Year is the definition of torture, especially if it is an Econ class.

As Mr. Lim drones on about the 'demands and supplies of a free market', my mind drifts away. This class would be more interesting and useful if it were How to Get Rich Quick in Singapore. Now that would certainly have my full attention.

Stifling yet another yawn, I start doodling egg tarts, kueh lapis, and other tiny local pastries in the margins of my notebook. As usual, my eyes wander over to the girl sitting at the front of the classroom—and linger.

RJ.

She is studying the whiteboard with her back straight against the chair and her arms folded across her chest. Every so often, she gives Mr. Lim a short nod of understanding before flicking her light brown hair from her shoulders. From the way his face lights up, RJ's nods are probably the only ones Mr. Lim gets that are not from students dozing off.

Next to RJ, however, none of her friends are paying any attention at all. In fact, her boyfriend, Jon Kwek, is completely slumped on top of the table—wait, is he drooling? My nose wrinkles as I shift my eyes back to RJ. She is a lot more pleasing to look at.

I admire her ability to stay engaged in class all the time. She's also the top scorer in school and, from what I hear, a skilled tennis player for the school team. I wonder what her secret is. Coffee? Red bull? Getting the recommended eight hours of sleep a day? That may also explain why her skin is so smooth.

Being one of the richest girls at school probably helps too. A wave of her hand probably summons her a Red Bull-infused coffee from her maid.

Slowly, my doodle transforms into winged baby calves with pastries all over them.

"I see someone is swooning over Jon." Emma's voice snaps me out of my daydream.

"Har?" I whisper back frantically. "No, I'm not!"

Emma raises her eyebrows. "You've been doing nothing but staring at him," she says with a soft chuckle. "Don't worry lah, Chloe, even though he's RJ's boyfriend, you can still EC him, you know."

I wince. Eye-candy? Over that guy? Emma must be out of her mind. "I'm not EC-ing him lah. He's not even my type."

"I thought you said all rich people are your type?"

"I— Well, yeah, okay, whatever, I stand by that. Whoever said money doesn't buy happiness needs to take over my life. But that doesn't mean I EC him, okay?"

Another laugh escapes Emma's throat, but we immediately close our mouths when Mr. Lim rotates in our direction to explain the meaning of the demand curve. The moment he spins back to the board, Emma leans toward me again.

"Okay, so if not Jon, who were you staring at?" she asks. "Don't tell me Logan."

I almost let out a groan. Logan Bam is another person in RJ and Jon's 'rich kids' clique, and he is currently slouching next to the sleeping Jon and spinning his pen around his fingers. The pen flies out of his hand every other minute and he has to scramble around to pick it up.

"Not Logan, please. I'd rather date Adrian lah."

Emma nudges the boy next to her. "Eh, you hear that, Adrian? Chloe says she wants to date you leh."

Before I can even defend myself, Adrian pokes his head from behind Emma's head and deadpans, "Never."

If Mr. Lim had not turned around, I would have reached over and smacked the glasses off of that boy's head.

-     -     -

Right after the last class bell rings, I jolt out of my seat and begin stuffing my notes into my bag.

"Oh, you leaving for work?" Emma asks.

"Oh, yeah, sorry... I have a shift every day now."

Emma and Adrian exchange a concerned look.

"Every day? But what about your CCA?" Adrian asks, his brows furrowing above his round glasses.

"I... I told Ms. Goh about my mother, and she gave me the approval to skip out on extracurricular requirements this year," I explain. "I want to work as much as I can before A levels, you know?"

"But you never hang out with us anymore..." The disappointment in Emma's voice feels like a stab in my heart.

After all, the three of us used to hang out every day after school. We used to be inseparable, but we have not been able to do that for months now.

"I'm- I'm sorry, Emma..."

"It's okay lah." Emma forces the usual cheery expression back on her face. "It's not your fault anyway. Is your mom doing better, by the way?"

A bitter lump grows inside my throat, but I gulp it down. "Not too bad, actually. Her eyes don't hurt so much now. But I don't know..."

She gives my arm a supportive squeeze. "It's not getting worse, so that's a good sign, right?"

I give her an appreciative smile. "Yeah, it is."

"Oi, remember to bring back some leftover pastries ah," Adrian interjects.

Of course, Adrian has to ruin the sentimental moment between Emma and me. I roll my eyes and stick my tongue out. "Yeah lah, yeah lah, greedy pig."

"Eh, I heard BreadTalk throws out extra bread every night, okay? I just want to reduce food waste."

"Yeah, right, because you're such an eco-friendly person. Okay lah, I need to go now, or I'm gonna miss my bus. See you guys tomorrow!"

Swinging my bag over my shoulders, I give my friends a quick wave and scamper out of the classroom.

When I am safely away from prying eyes, my secret work routine activates.

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