Too High for Me

One Bite, One Lecture

By the time I get home, exhaustion clings to me like a second skin. The weight of the day: school, Brielle, everything, settles deep in my bones. More than anything, I just want to eat and crash.

I barely step inside when my mom’s voice fills through the air.

"Alessia, did you eat properly at school?"

Oh boy. Here we go.

I adjust my bag, already bracing myself. "Yeah, I ate."

Her eyes narrow slightly. "What did you eat?"

"Uh…" I fumbled for an answer. "Rice. And… a side dish."

Mom crosses her arms, unimpressed. "What side dish?"

Okay, now this feels like a police interrogation. "You know, the usual… meat, veggies, healthy stuff."

She hums, clearly not convinced, but doesn’t push further. Instead, she turns to the stove, preparing dinner. I let out a quiet sigh of relief and head to my room to drop my things.

A few minutes later, the scent of dumplings drifts through the air, making my stomach growl. I peek into the kitchen. Mom’s busy, not looking.

Perfect.

Quickly, I pick a dumpling off the plate and pop it into my mouth. Victory.

Or so I thought.

"Alessia."

I freeze mid-chew. Slowly, I turn.

Mom is staring at me, hands on her hips. "There were sixteen dumplings."

I swallow hard. "Okay…?"

She narrows her eyes. "Now there are fifteen."

Crap. She counted them?!

"I—I don’t know what you’re talking about," I say, feigning innocence.

Mom crosses her arms. "Open your mouth."

"What? No! That’s weird!"

She steps closer, inspecting me like a detective investigating on a suspect. I try to hold my ground, but she just sighs. "Alessia, just admit it."

I groan, defeated. "Fine! I took one. But in my defense, I was starving!"

Mom shakes her head, muttering something about me always sneaking food. Then, to my surprise, she just chuckles.

"Next time, just wait for dinner."

I huff. "Next time, don’t count the dumplings."

Dinner is peaceful. Well, as peaceful as it can be when my parents are in full-on “How was your first day?” mode.

"So," Dad starts, scooping rice onto his plate. "How was school?"

I swallow my food and shrug. "It was… fine. You know, same old first-day stuff. New teachers, class introductions, the usual."

Mom nods, taking a sip of her soup. "And your classmates? Any interesting people?"

I hum, thinking for a moment. "Well, um… Alina’s in my class, which is nice. I still have a friend."

Dad raises a brow. "Anyone else?"

And that’s when it happens.

"Xavier."

The name leaves my mouth before I even realize it.

Wait— why did I say that?

I froze. My parents both pause, exchanging a glance, and I can already feel the teasing incoming.