Hyemi and her friends felt the pressures of finals evaporate as they collected in a cafe on campus after the last day of classes. Even though the girl had her last test a few days ago, she helped aid her friends when they needed moral support. Staying up and doing questionable recreational activities to help them focus on studying. Hyemi herself wasn’t too keen on taking substances, but if her friends wanted to, she was more than fine with supervising.

“I can’t even think of spring break. My boyfriend wants me to go with him and his family to Florida. I’d die then sit in a moving vehicle with them for nine hours,” Stephanie said. She sat in the booth, a gray hoodie and over sized sweat pants matched with the messiest of buns in full effect. She finished her last final, which took place at 6 pm.

Alyssa cuddled into Hyemi’s shoulder before speaking. “I don’t know what the prof’s ing issue is. I mean, I guess it’s better than six in the morning. But now I can’t tell if I’m too tired to eat or too hungry to sleep.”

“Tomorrow’s Saturday. My mom still hasn’t told what time she’s picking me up, so beware.” Hyemi said to warn her roommate.

The girl had been trying to have an actual conversation with her mother for the past week to complete her spring break plans. She wanted to go to the city and stay with her mother in their somewhat disgusting yet homey single bedroom apartment they spent her middle and high school years. The woman was busy with something she was too busy to even explain it to her daughter.

After a few bits of sharing what their next move was since exam season was over and they had an entire week off. The cafe lights dimmed, warning its patrons it was closing time. Pulling themselves together, one by one Hyemi’s group said goodbyes until it was the girl and her roommate gathering themselves to leave.

“Where are you going, huh? I bet your daddy is flying you over to see him, right?” Stephanie said with a playful shove as they walked out of the shop’s threshold and into the dimmed spring evening.

“Why are you this way? No, I’m not.” Hyemi whined. The older girl loved to for talking to a guy from the website, even going to far as to refer to him as Hyemi’s daddy. Which was not okay?

“Fine, whatever,” the other girl started with a laugh. “Be careful. Don’t forget the little people. When you get access to his millions, buy me a new car. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to screenshot which model I want so you won’t get confused.” Stephanie finished, causing Hyemi to groan even more and drag her feet as they walked through campus. The older was full on goofy as she continued to mock her roommate, torturing her the way back to their dorm.

Soon as they entered their room, Hyemi received a message from Seunghyun. They had spoken little leading up to finals since she didn’t have time. But the past few days she’s been free, he’s had plenty of time to talk. Before she could finish reading his text, another flashed at the top of her screen from her mother. Stephanie had gotten bored with teasing the girl and rolled onto her own bed and scrolled through something on her laptop. As Hyemi navigated to read her mother’s message, her heart dropped. The girl felt her breath catch in and eyes water. She dropped to sit on her own bed and reread again and again through the message, so overwhelmed that she couldn’t understand the reality of what it said. 

“Hey, are you okay?”

Her roommate’s words brought her back to earth. Hyemi lifted the back of her hand to her forehead, again reading the message.

“.... me.”

Stephanie sat up, taking a long look at the girl’s face.

“My parents are getting back together.” Hyemi said, letting out a laugh. “They, my mom, oh no, I-” and she laughed, not knowing what else to do. “I don’t understand what the -”

“Didn’t your dad leave your mom?” Stephanie said, remembering one of the several deep conversations that were inevitable when having a roommate you liked talking to and being friends. From what the older girl could recall, Hyemi’s parents split when she was in middle school. Her father wanted to go back to Korea since her mom knew the opportunities in New York were more promising than going back to their small underdeveloped home town. From that a massive fight blossomed, leaving her father to walk out on them.

“Yeah, he’s such a . He got involved in shady too. My mom is the one who always told me it too! She always said he was so awful, so stubborn so worthless,” Hyemi flopped on her back and let her eyes roam the ceiling. “But she’s been super busy, too busy to talk. Now she sends me this text saying she’s going to Korea to visit him. What the ,  me.”

“Well, that doesn’t mean they’re getting back together, does it?” Stephanie said as she stood up and walked over to join Hyemi in staring at the ceiling. The two girls relaxed side by side watching the light in their room dwindle, having forgotten to turn on the overhead on when they came.

“I mean, maybe not.”

“But weird, yeah?”

“Yeah. I-” Hyemi realized this means she can’t go to New York.

“Now I have nowhere to go for spring break.”

Stephanie let out a soft ‘oh’.

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