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Chapter written by Blitz
Ella’s Point of View
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When I woke up, the first thing I saw was the new pair of bright red Converse sneakers I bought yesterday. I smiled and got out of bed.

I put on some random, comfortable clothes from my closet (which ended up being some black harem pants, a red tank top and an over-sized white t-shirt), put my new shoes on and ran down to eat breakfast. On the stairs, I bumped into Calvin, who was still in his pyjamas.

“Calvin, you butthead! Get out of my way,” I scolded him.

“Hey! It was you who bumped into me. Nobody told you to run,” he talked back.

“But if you weren’t so fat, I could have run around you.” This was in itself a joke, as my brother was as skinny as a greyhound.

“What are you in such a hurry for anyway? You’re even dressed already,” he ignored my insult.

“Just because I don’t need half an hour to choose my clothes, unlike SOMEONE else here. By the way, I’m hungry, so get out of my way so I can eat my breakfast.”

“You’re always hungry. And still calling me fat,” Calvin grumbled, but walked past me to his room. I ran down to the kitchen.

 

“Why is it again that we aren’t allowed to your birthday party tomorrow?” Selina asked for the nth time.

It was now Thursday, and as the house went through a total makeover with decorations, we – Selina, Hebe and I – had decided to find Show. The bright red sneakers that I had been wearing since I bought them didn’t quite get recognition as formal dinner party shoes.

“My parents obviously think it’s too formal, and as they have seen us three together, they, uhm, don’t think we can handle it. They’re acting like my whole life depends on how posh this party is,” I rolled my eyes. “It’s not even held on my real birthday.”

“Yeah, but we seriously have to celebrate the real one on Tuesday,” Hebe smiled.

“Totally! 20 is a round number, right?” Selina asked.

“Yes it is…”

“Maybe my parents want to show those old-money families that you can be rich without having been it all your life,” I concluded. Hebe nodded.

 

We stopped outside the restaurant where Show lived and sometimes worked. He didn’t live IN the restaurant, but above it in a flat with two other guys. I guessed one of them was the chef he had talked about a few days ago, and that I had gotten assigned for the dinner party; but I had never met any of the two, so I only knew them from Show’s descriptions.

I didn’t want to go in, as we weren’t going to eat there, but the delicious smell of food soon reached my nostrils.

“Let’s call him,” Hebe suggested, and I took out my phone.

“Show?” I asked when he picked up.

“Yeah?” he asked back.

“We’re waiting for you in front of the restaurant.”

“Oh! Wait a minute…” We heard him shout in another direction: “Chun! Xiao Jing! I’m going shopping with Ella Chen and her friends, okay?!”

“Okay,” I heard a deeper voice shout back.

“Who’s that, sir?” a lighter voice asked in the background.

“You know, the little sister of one of our regulars, the one who always complains about her…” Show yelled back, and then returned to talk to us.

“I’ll be there in a minute! Just wait.” Then he hung up.

 

Half a minute later, he came out.

“Ok! I’m ready,” he smiled, and we started walking towards the inner city.

“So, my brother is a regular here?” I asked him.

“Yes, him and his friends. They talk a lot, but it’s usually Xiao Jing serving them, as I’m out working… Shining shoes…” He stared out in the air with a silly smile, so Hebe whacked his head.

“Oh look! Puppies!” Selina suddenly cheered, and jumped up and down in excitement while pointing at a store. It was a pet store, and three puppies were sitting in the window.

Before she could run to it, Hebe and I grabbed her arms and dragged her along.

“I want to buy these shoes before dinner time, Selina,” I said.

“But this reminds me that I have to buy the new Sick Puppies-album,” Hebe said to herself.

Hebe got her album, I got my shoes and therefore Show was happy. The only gloomy person was Selina, but we let her look at the puppies on our way home, so she forgave us.

Show got even happier when I allowed him (after he had tried to persuade me for half an hour, non-stop) to polish and “consecrate” my new stilettos before the party the next day.

Which came sooner than I wanted.

Well, the party itself wasn’t bad, of course not. Good food, cake, gifts only for me, mom and dad happy.

The problem; Calvin, his stupid friend Jerry and no Hebe and Selina. It was a bit boring.

Not that Jerry was evil-stupid. He was more… Selina-stupid. Like dumb. Very kind-hearted, but dumb. And Calvin’s friend. Drawback.

After hearing from Show what Calvin said about me to everyone who wanted to listen, I had been more-than-normally-annoying toward him. Therefore, he was also more-than-normally-malicious toward me, because he could bring a friend to MY birthday and I couldn’t.

 

The dinner consisted of many courses. It was a blend of both Western and Chinese dishes, but they were all very advanced. I was more used to eating simple dishes, so one of the accompaniment-dishes for the main course fit my taste much better. It was some kind of noodle dish that not many of the fine people around me ate of. He he. More for me.

 

The dessert was what I’d been waiting for; a whole buffet table with cakes and ice cream. Italian ice cream. My absolute favourite.

But before that, it was time for gifts.

I sent my brother an evil glance before starting to open them. The guests stood around me while I unpacked the presents.
I got a lot of clothes, money and gift tokens, but also other stuff like books, movies and make-up. From my parents, I got a MacBook, which I had wanted for a long time.

Finally cake time.

I had spoken a lot to my relatives, but I actually didn’t know half of the people here. I sat on the same table as Calvin, Jerry and two of my female cousins. They were twins.

“Ey, Yumi, pass me the cream! I can’t eat berry pie without cream!”

“Do you think I’m your waiter, Miko? You’re only five minutes older than me! But here you go…”

Miko passed Yumi the cream right when I finished another piece of chocolate cake. Time for Italian ice cream…

 

Just when I had fetched myself an over-filled bowl of ice cream and was just about to start eating it, Jerry suddenly stood up. He made all the other guests go silent, and I patiently laid my spoon back on the table with a sigh.

“Dear Ella,” he started. Calvin smiled in a very cunning way that gave me a bad feeling about this.

“Having known you for such a long time already, there has always been a distance between us. But watching you from a distance has made me see your natural, outgoing and goodhearted personality.”

Something started crumpling in my stomach. I got a really, really bad feeling about this…

“Lately, I’ve realized that every time I look at you, I can not take my eyes away.”

Oh god…

“And on this round birthday of yours… 20 is a round number, right?” He suddenly turned to Calvin, who quickly nodded.

“Anyway, on your 20th birthday, I believe it’s the right time for me to declare… that I love you. Ella Chen, will you marry me?”
I felt a strange urge to laugh and cry at the same time. Everyone in the room was staring at me.

Jerry – Jerry! – was proposing to me? What the heck?

Since when did this happen?

And he wanted me to answer right now?

What should I do?

“Uhm… This is so sudden, I… I… I think I have to go to the toilet,” I quickly made up an excuse, grabbed my bowl of ice cream and ran to the kitchen, which was coincidentally in the complete opposite direction of the restroom.

 

“Phew! I got away. But what now?” I was panicking while speaking to myself, and nearly got knocked down by a waiter who passed through the door. Therefore, I went further into the kitchen, but tried not to be seen.

I sneaked to the far corner where only one guy was washing up some pots.

With a relieved sigh, I sat down behind a counter just to realize that I had forgotten a spoon.

“Typical!” I said out loud. Too loud.

“Excuse me?” The guy who was washing the pots turned around to look at me. He seemed at bit annoyed.

“Do you have a spoon?” I asked.

He looked puzzled at me, but then took a spoon out of a drawer in the counter I used for hiding.

“Thanks,” I quickly said, and started to eat my ice cream. I had to cool down so I could figure out what to do…

“Excuse me, but who are you? What are you doing here? We chefs are going home now, you know.”

“Oh, sorry I didn’t introduce myself! I’m Ella Chen,” I said, and bowed my head as a greeting. He lifted his eyebrows. He was actually pretty tall, or else it was just because I was sitting down here. He looked young, and also a bit familiar…

“Ella Chen? The daughter of this household? But isn’t this your party?” he asked. He also looked surprised, and started to look closer at me like he didn’t believe it.

“What’s wrong?” I had to ask.

“Nothing, you just don’t look like I… Anyway, if it’s your party, then why’re you here?” he asked again.

“Uhm, well, something happened, and I need a break before going back.” I anxiously looked around the counter to see if someone was coming after me.

“What happened?”

“Yeah, my stupid brother’s stupid friend kinda proposed to me. I mean, he isn’t stupid like my brother, he’s just not that bright. And definitely not my type of guy,” I quickly explained. “But who are you really? Did you say your name?”

“No, sorry, I’m Wu Chun. I think you know my roomy, Show.”

I nearly dropped my jaw in surprise. So this was the Chun Show had been talking about, the one he had made me assign for this party.

“Oh, yes. Actually, he helped me buy these shoes…” I pointed at my black stilettos.

“Not surprising. But back to topic, are you planning to stay here all night? I’m leaving soon,” he said.

I looked down in the bowl. Only very little ice cream was left.

“Can I… can I go back with you?”

 

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LOL bad subtitle xD
Well, here you get the 3rd chapter ^^,
Jerry proposed! :O And Ella fled to the kitchen. What will happen next? Will Chun allow her to stay at the restaurant?
Gril will write the next chapter :D
So stay tuned ^^
And please please please comment <3
- Blitz