"Mom, dad! I'm going karaoke with my friends!" you called out, already sprinting to the door, not wanting to get an ear-full just for going out with friends. Although, to your surprise, your mom's reply is something out of ordinary in your ears.
"Okay, be careful." the woman called out, her back face away from you as she organize the shelves. Your father chuckled at the sight of your bewildered face, as he read the news from the newspaper. You're completely sure that you've traveled from another dimension just from hearing that response.
Where's the "no boyfriend", or "no still haven't some of your chores", or "You're grounded from almost dying at the concert, therefore you're not allowed," ????
"Um, I'll come back late...?" you hesitantly inquired, observing her for any disapproval reaction, though you found none.
"Alright, but be back 'till 8 then." your head immediately turns to your dad, who's snickering from his seat finding your reaction amusing. pointing a finger at your mom, silently asking if this is real or not, his only response is a shrug on his shoulder with a beam on his features.
"uh, okay...? bye," you peak for the last time at your mother before jogging your way to the front gate. That was weird, very very weird, your gaze caught your hands and analyze them. You're probably dreaming or you really did accidentally travel to another universe without you knowing about it. You pinch the back of your hand just to make sure, before biting back a yelp from pain.
okay, so you're not dreaming. That's settled then, you went to another universe, anything can be possible since your friend has a magic red panda DNA that she got from her ancestors, who knows what another unbelievable thing can happen, right?
you open the front gate before closing it, making sure that the sound is loud enough for your parents to hear. You sneak by a nearby window, listening carefully, brow frowning in concentration. "She's gone now, love." you heard your dad inform. "you did well, you should've seen her face." he chuckles, and silent footsteps are heard.
What exactly do you mean when you say "she's gone now"? "You did well"? What are these alien beings up to? You can't help but feel paranoid since you've seen too many films and television shows that have made you think like this. Maybe Miriam is correct about you and Priya watching and reading too much.
"I hope it's not too late to try again; I've been too hard on her over the past years," your mother said, and your expression softened at her reaction; at the very least, she's trying, even though her accusations and words still sting. "She looks a little spooked about it," the lady added.
"Oh, she's spooked alright. her eyes are about to pop out at any moment," your father laughs once again, amused by the scenario. you leaned to the wall, a ghost smile on your face, "let her warm up to it, give her time."
"All right," says the woman. With that, you're out the gate, a bright grin on your face, pleased that your mother has finally gotten your point of view, greeting Abby on your way down the street since your house is closer to her, exchanging handshakes before waving a hand to your friend's mother.
"Girl, you're not going to believe what just happened at home," you said as you walked down the street together. A few weeks and months have gone by since the "pandapocalypse," as some refer to it, and a lot has happened since then, yet your Mother still allowed you to visit with Mei and your friends, much to your surprise.
You met up with the rest of your friends, either giving them a hug or a fist bump. Tyler has been part of the group since then, he did give you guys an apology (it doesn't sound like an apology though) after all the horrible things he did and said to you guys and officially became part of the group by giving him a match colored bracelet like the rest.
Of course, the youngster grumbled as he put it on, plainly pleased that he has genuine friends (apart from [c.name]), but he didn't want to show it. You two became close since you both liked the same 4-Town member, and he even showed you some part of his Aaron Z collection, from posters to rings. You're not allowed in his room, but it was a sight to witness when the five of you sneaked in after his mum wanted him to grab something outside.
The five of you arrive in front of the temple, seeing Mei taking pictures in her panda form with one of them on her shoulders while the others cling to her soft fur. "Mei!" Miriam called out, as the rest of you waved at her.
"Guys!" she shouted as she dashed up to her friends, giving them a knowing glance before exclaiming, "Bring it in!" as you bumped your butts together like you always did, with a wink this time. As your major handshake, the six of you wag your fingers to each other.
"ready to get your karaoke on?" The twin-braid inquired pointing a finger at her, while the other four smiled excitedly in the background.
"totally," Mei mimicked her actions with a grin, before shifting into her original form but this time with her ears and tail, posing as she did so. "Bye, mom! Bye, dad!" The girl shouted, waving at her parents, with one foot up.
Mrs.Lee turned her head to say goodbye to her daughter but met with an unexpected sight that brought horror to her face, "Hold on, you're not going out like that, are you?" she questioned, gesturing her ears and tail.
"Okay folks, looks like this is going to take longer than it should," Tyler began, making sure only the five of you could hear him, eliciting a few giggles from you and Abby, while Priya simply rolled her eyes at him, crossing her arms, as Miriam looked back to the Mother-Daugther pair to see if they were listening, before returning with a grin, "but be prepared 'cause my voice is just as high as Robaire's." he put an invisible mic to his lips and pointing a finger to the sky, mimicking Robaire's pose the day 4-Town sang on the destroyed stage.
"Like we'd let you get the spotlight!" Miriam voiced, nudging you a bit causing you to chuckle, and went along with their small play.
"It's a completion then," you agree, turning your head side to side as if prepared for a fight with a grin, the twin braids gently fondling your shoulder with a sly smirk, making it appear like she's betting on you to win the battle.
"oh, it's on! I'll sing to the top of my lungs!" Abby joined, balling her fist and shouting as she speak, the four of you laugh with her since she's literally vibrating with excitement.
"oh, um, you're welcome to join us." Mrs. Lee informed, a gentle smile plastered on her face with her arm around Mei's shoulder.
Knowing what she meant, the five of you gasp at the prospect of eating the best food you've ever tasted; the first time you tasted some of it was when Abby forgot her food at home and all of you put a quarter of your meals aside for her to eat; and the dumplings that Mei's father cooked have such a divine flavor that the five of you apologize to Mei for finishing all of the dumplings and sharing meals together. But that's another tale to tell.
You cling to Priya as the two of you made eye contact, already excited about dinner, "We're so there." the Indian-Canadian verifies, sliding her palm through the air while linking an arm with yours.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world!" you expressed, lightly waving your hand while Miriam, Abby, and Tyler had the same reaction as you.
"don't load up on junk!" Ming cautioned, getting a nod from you, indicating that you'll make sure they don't overindulge in junk food.
The six of you talk about random things laughing and smiling on your way to karaoke.
♡♥︎♡
"See you, girls, later, you too Tyler!" you said as you walked backward, winking and firing finger guns at your friends. They all said their goodbyes and proceeded to their respective classes. You turn back to the entrance, laughing a little, and greet several of your classmates you recognize; today is a nice start, as your first class is [favorite. subject].
Strolling to your desk, your interest perks up at the sight of a candy, sitting alone on your desk. The wrapper is shiny, an attention catcher, the color is darkish-magenta, as the name of the candy shows in the middle: Fres.
It made you look around to see if anyone left the candy, "did someone leave this behind?" You announced, holding it up.
"Yeah, your secret admirer!" A girl in front teased, giggling in a friendly way. Rolling your eyes as the other kids started making fake kissing noises.
"Haha, very funny." Sarcasm trailed along with your voice, ripping the wrapper in a swift motion before putting the sugar coat in your mouth. You saw a glimpse of letters at the back of the wrapper, colored notes were written on it in a font.
"Hey, beautiful!" Said the message behind the wrapper causing you to smile at it, already liking the flavor it gave and the creative notes on it making you keep the plastic, and want to make a collection of it if you encounter another one.
shaking your head to snap yourself out of your imagination, wanting to contain yourself from liking a person you don't even know. "Seriously, who left this?" you questioned furthermore, words unclear from the candy in your mouth.
"I saw someone leave our class earlier this day, I don't remember their name. They must've been the one who left it." mumbled the girl next to you, her head buried in her arms with closed eyes, feeling sleepy this morning, yawning as she talk.
You found yourself thinking about the candy again during lunch. Who was this mystery person mentioned by your classmate? Is it possible that they are the ones who left it? Perhaps it's a one-time occurrence that you shouldn't dwell on.
"uh [name]?" a voice interrupts your thoughts, and your attention is drawn to the speaker: [c.name] before you notice the six of them curiously gazing at you with their brows raised. "You good?" The boy is only here to drop off some notes that he borrowed from the Blasian, but seeing you get bothered by something made him worried.
"I'm great," you said as your gaze wandered from one person to the next. Priya only hummed, not believing a word you said, while Tyler and Abby exchanged a glance before suspiciously watching you. "Why are you staring at me like that?" you said, mirroring their stare, and the three of you exchanged glances not blinking making a staring competition occur between the three of you, as the redhead explained the situation.
"you've been staring at your food, it's weird since it's [fav. food]," she said, before laughing with the Korean and Miriam when Tyler blinked when you blow on his eyes.
"c'mon now, what's in that head of yours?" inquired Priya, leading the others to discreetly watch you, wondering about it since it's unusual for you to not pay attention to your treasured meal, including [c.name]
"Okay, someone leaves a candy at my desk and I wanna know who," you complained, stuffing your meal in your mouth while giving them the wrapper that made you flustered for a while now.
Your words made a certain someone, have a tint of pinkish color on their cheeks as they read the back of the wrapper out loud, pretending that they know nothing about it, " 'hey, beautiful'? well, who wouldn't get flustered by this?" they asked, keeping a longing gaze at your form.
that was a great start, and there is more to come.
♡♥︎♡
huehuehue hi, sorry for not updating for so long, April is a busy month for me. I'll be making multiple endings, so I hope you can wait for it.
and no, it's not Abby, Priya, or Mei. Sorry if they're the ones you want to end up with, I don't know what scenario is the best fit for them.
hope you like the chapter, have a great night/day