Jessica and I walk to the food court and grab some coffee before sitting at an empty table in the corner. We are silently sipping our drinks before she breaks the ice.

            “So what’s wrong? Did something happen in Korea?” I set down my drink and I think about how I want to explain everything before I actually speak. Finally understanding the structure of how I should tell the story, I search for the words to explain it.

            “Yes but it’s not just Korea,” I spoke carefully. Jessica gave me a confused look so I decided to continue, “I met this guy in Korea. He was absolutely amazing in every way. He was sweet, adorable, y, smart, and funny. He was the whole package. I had really fell for him when I found out that he was cheating on me with his ex. I was crushed and I didn’t know what I should do. That’s when his friend, who is equally as amazing, confessed to me. I was still in love with Yoseob though. That’s when my mom called me, telling me to come home,” I paused and took a breath. This was a hard story to tell and my mind was about to explode. Jessica just stared at me with a sympathetic look on her face. “My dad was diagnosed with cancer. I had to come back to help take care of him, which meant that I had to leave Yoseob, even though we were just starting to fix things. I ended up leaving Yoseob and Korea and I came home. That’s when I found out that Max is dating Amber. I know it’s stupid to hold a grudge from high school but she still treats me like how she did in high school. And the worst part is that Max didn’t stick up for me when they were being rude. He didn’t want them to know that he was associated with me. I think I just lost my best friend.” I cried as the tears streamed down my face. My life isn’t turning out the way I thought it would. Jessica rested her hand on mine and smiled at me.

            “Awe Keui. It’ll all be ok. You may lose some best friends but you’re going to gain new ones. If you still need a best friend then I’ll be your best friend. It’ll be like old times! We can spend the night at each others houses and watch sappy Korean dramas. We can also do each others makeup and look through old yearbooks and talk about old memories. It’ll be great!’ She exclaimed. We giggled at the memories of eighth grade. We were inseparable back then. We were like sisters, everyone thought we were sisters. That was before boys came along. She would always say negative things about my boyfriends and she would always make me sad. I stopped hanging around her because I got tired of the person she was becoming. Now that I look back on it, I wonder how much she has really changed. She seems happier now. I wonder what has happened. She let go of my hand and stood up. “Let’s go shopping! I saw some cute dresses in a store. We can go to the club and forget all of our problems! Come on!” She grabbed my hand and dragged me to our favorite store in eighth grade. I smiled when I remembered all the time we spent in here.

            We walked in the store and headed straight to the dresses. We knew this store like the back of our hands. The dresses were in the back right corner and if you wanted the cheapest dresses, you searched in the back of the last rack. It was easy to find a cute dress for under twenty dollars. I searched through all the dresses and found the perfect one; a short white dress with a sweet heart neckline. I would pair it with a sparkly silver belt and sparkly silver platform pumps. I grabbed the dress and showed Jessica, who in return pulled out a black little number. We both smiled and laughed, knowing that we picked the right dresses. We checked out and went to a shoes store across the mall. As we were searching for shoes to match our dresses I heard a familiar herd of cattle enter the store. I turned around and found Max, Amber, and their posse walking towards us. I went back to searching for shoes and pretending that they weren’t being obnoxiously loud.

            “Hey, beggar! What are you doing in this store? You can’t afford anything in this store. You might want to check the garbage outside. They throw faulty shoes out there; just your price.” Bobby says as every one laughs. I hear Max laughing with them. It killed me inside but I didn’t want them to know that.

            “You should know that Bobby. The garbage is the place you call home isn’t it? You’re just a filthy street rat so why don’t you go eat some rotten apples? I’m surprised they even let you step foot into this mall. When was the last time you took a bath? I smell you from here,” Jessica said stepping right next to me. She had black wedges in one hand, and silver platform pumps in the other. As she hands me the pumps she looks back at Bobby. “It was great seeing you again Bobby. I can see that the beer is getting to you. Keep drinking Lacy’s memory away; I’m sure she finds that attractive.” Jessica pulls me to the register and we pay for our shoes, leaving the herd silent and stunned. As we walk away from the store Jessica starts laughing. “That was so great! Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to say that to him? Being in this town with him and having to hear his stupid comments always irritated me. I’m so glad I could finally speak my mind!” Jessica throws her arm around my shoulders as we walk out to the parking lot.

            “My car is over there so I guess I’ll meet you at the club at eighth thirty?” I look at Jessica. She still looks the same. Round brown eyes, curly brown hair that came down to her chest. Her nose it pointed but round at the tip. Her jaw slightly crooked from the time she got tripped in elementary school. Her smile is still white, bright, and dazzling. She has always been so pretty, I was always jealous. But now that I look at her, I’m not really that jealous. She is beautiful but she doesn’t have anything that makes her stand out. Her beauty is in her simplicity.

            “Sounds like a plan Stan!” She smiles at me before waving and getting in her car. I walk over to my car and lay my dress in the back. I climb and close the door. I sit there for a moment just thinking about everything. I haven’t really had time to comprehend everything that has happened. I sit there and think about Yoseob. I think about my dad. I think about Max. I feel like crying but I know that crying won’t solve anything. I put my key in the ignition and start my car. I rub my face as I hear a knock on my window. I look up and find Max standing there. I roll my eyes and crack my window. He sighs and looks at me.

            “What?” I snap.

            “Can you please at least roll down your window?” His voice is muffled by the window.

            “No I can’t. Now what do you want? If you just wanted to chat then I’m not interested.” I start to back up as Max’s eyes widen.

            “No no no no no!” He grabs at the door but his hands slip. I slam on the brakes and he runs into the front of my car. I snort as he gets up and dusts off his shirt. He walks to the window again. “So not cool man. I need a ride to your house. My parents are there.”

            “Why don’t you drive your own car?” I say rolling my eyes.

            “I didn’t drive here, or else I would just drive.” He says. He looks worn out and I feel a little pity in the very pit of my stomach, but I push it aside.

            “Then why don’t you ride with whoever brought you here? I’m not a public taxi.” I look forward because it hurts too much to look at him. We haven’t fought like this since he ditched me for the football team. I didn’t forgive him for a week, but that wasn’t this bad. He stuck up for me around the football team. He didn’t laugh when they made fun of me.

            “Look, can you please just give me a ride. Amber has plans so she can’t take me, or else I would have ridden in her car. I just need a ride to your house and that’s it. I don’t think it’s a big deal.” He says. I glance at him before unlocking my car. He runs around and hops in muttering a thanks. Before he could even put on his seat belt I take off down the road. He sighs and fastens his seat belt. I swerve through the streets as he holds on for dear life. “You don’t have to drive like you want to die! Why don’t you relax a little and drive like a sane person,” He yells as he holds on to the door.

            “Why don’t you just keep your mouth shut?! You have no right to comment on my driving abilities!” I pull into my drive way and slam on the breaks. I undo my seat belt and throw open the door, slamming it behind me. Grabbing out the dress I head towards the house.

            “You’re acting childish Keui! Why don’t you act your age?” He yells from the car. I turn around with red edging into my vision.

            “Okay DAD! I’ll stop acting childish when you decide to stop acting like a conceited !” I turn around and throw myself through the door. Our parents turn towards me with surprise written all over their faces.

            “Keui, sweetheart, what’s wrong?” My mother says, walking towards me with concern written all over her face. I suddenly felt the water on my face. I turned from her and ran up to my room. I locked my door and laid the dress and shoes down. I sat on my bed and looked out the window as the tears continued to stream down my face. Max walked through the door down stairs and our parents began interrogating him. I stopped listening and stared at the tree right outside my house. It has always been there, and I would watch it through out the seasons.

My favorite was the fall because I could watch the leaves turn orange and yellow right before they fell. After the tree lost all its leaves, I would wait for spring so I could watch it get all new leaves. I use to think that in winter, the tree was depressed. It had nothing to make it look beautiful. All the leaves were gone and it felt ugly and used. Then in the summer it was the happiest. The tree was still happy from getting leaves back. It knew that the leaves would go but it didn’t care at the time, because it was so happy to have the leaves. Now that I look at the tree I see that it is beginning to lose leaves. They are slowing starting to turn orange and yellow, and soon the tree will be depressed again. I think that’s the saddest part; the first crumble. The saddest part isn’t when everything fails; it’s the very first thing that goes wrong. That’s when you know everything is about to go wrong. That first crumble starts the avalanche.

            I look down past the tree and watch Max and his parents leave. I didn’t even hear them go. I stare at him through the car window. Right as they pull away he looks up and we make eye contact. I watch as they drive away. As he fades away. As I lose my best friend. I wipe my tears and go to wash my face. I dry off my face as I look into the mirror. My hair is ratty and my eyes are puffy. I decide to jump in the shower again before I start to get ready for the club. I get in turning on the water, and rinse off my face. I stand there for a little, drowning in my thoughts before I finish with my routine. I get out and dry off, putting on some shorts and a tank top. I blow dry my hair and then comb through it. I brake out my makeup and began the extensive process of concealer, foundation, and powder. I have to hide every blemish on my face before I move on to eye makeup. I agreed to meet Jessica at eighth thirty, and that’s only two and a half hours away. I hurried through my face paint and then moved on to my eyes. I apply the glittery silver and then the plain silver. Finally, I end it off with a white. I continue on by tracing my eyes in black before creating wings on the outsides of my face. After all that is finished I apply mascara and blush.

            When my makeup is done I decide to move onto my hair. I begin curling it using my wand. I make sure every piece is perfect. I then apply hairspray to the very bottoms to hold the curls. I scrunch the top to give a little more volume to my hair. I look in the mirror before I turn to go get dressed. I slip into my outfit and put on my shoes. Its eighth now and I look in the mirror before going down stairs.

            “I’m going to the club with Jessica, don’t wait up. I’ll see you guys in the morning,” I saw giving my mom a kiss on the cheek and wave to my dad.

            “Okay sweetheart. Please be careful! If there is anything you need then don’t hesitate to call. Don’t drink and drive, we can come pick you up!” My mom says nervously as I nod my head. I say goodbye one last time before I grab my keys and leave. I get there and see Jessica getting out of her car. I yell out her name and she walks over towards me.

            “Don’t worry Keui-ey poo-ey,” She says linking our arms. “Tonight is going to be the perfect thing for us.”

            “I hope so,” I mutter under my breath as we walk into the club. The room was black but the lights were flashing every where. If I stared at the lights for too long I get a head ache. We walk over to the bar and I order a mixed cocktail after flashing my I.D. to the bartender. Jessica runs off to the dance floor as I sit there drinking my drink. An hour later I’m ordering my sixth drink and I can’t really see straight. Some guy come and sits next to me. I look over and he’s pretty cute. He orders a beer and turns to look at me.

            “Hello. My name is Jackson.” He extends his hand out to me and I shake it giving my name to him. He leans closer and whispers in my ear, “For such a pretty lady, you sure do look quite sad.” I nod and lean back to sip my drink. He looks confused so I lean towards him.

            “Let’s just say that I’m using this night to get away from life.” He nods his head and leans in close to my ear, his breath heating my ear.

            “How about I help with that?” I look at his eyes and they’re black. His gaze captures mine and I can’t look away. He leans forward and presses his lips against mine. I didn’t feel anything but I was hoping that I might be able to forget about everything by kissing him so I kissed him back. I pressed my lips to his as he loops his arms around my waist and grabs my neck. I grip his shirt as if it would hold everything in place. I hold onto him because I can’t hold onto anything else, and maybe if I hold on for long enough, this stranger will keep me afloat. My thoughts travel to Yoseob and I push Jackson away. He looks bewildered and tries to pull me back to him.

I push him away yelling, “I can’t do this. I shouldn’t be doing this. I’m in love with someone else and he’s going to come back for me.” Of course, Jackson ignores this and grips my arms so hard that I lose feeling in them. He pulls me back and forces his lips on mine. Tears start flowing again and I can’t get away. After what felt like hours in this hell, I feel his grip leave and I see him on the floor.

“She said leave her alone!” I hear a man yell. I look up to see Max about to fight Jackson. I throw myself around him and pray that he relaxes. Max keeps his arms up but I know that he isn’t going to hit Jackson.

“Come on Max. Let’s go.” I say as I pull him out of the club. I see Jessica on the dance floor and wave bye. She looks confused but doesn’t come after me. We walk out into the crisp cool air. I look over at Max to see he is pissed.

“What were you thinking?! Why in the world would you go to a club without any males?! You know how you get when you drink and you still thought it would be ok for you to go to a club? God! You’re such an idiot.” Max was pacing back and forth yelling at me. My head hurt and I couldn’t think. He was making me feel useless and pathetic.

“Okay! I get it! I messed up! But you’re not my father! I didn’t ask for that guy to go all insane on me! I just wanted to have fun and forget about things for awhile. Can I not escape for a little without everything going wrong?!” I screamed back as I collapsed onto the ground. I was sobbing uncontrollably and I couldn’t breathe. I’m so tired. I just want to lay here and never get up. Max walks over and grabs my arm pulling me up but I push him away, the force making me stumble to the side and almost fall, but Max catches me.

“Come with me.” Max says, leading me to his car.

“Where are we going?” I say as I get in the passenger side. Max gets in on the other side and fastens my seatbelt before he fastens his. He doesn’t answer my question. He doesn’t say anything as he pulls out into the road. 

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Hey guys! It's been a long time since i posted so i hope you enjoy this chapter! It's pretty long compared to my other ones so i hope you guys dont mind. Please comment ans subscribe. It means the world! Love you guys <3