I walked up to the cash register and watched as the cashier scanned my items.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Pretty soon you’d have to go home and bake the cake for mum.

“Cash or card?”

I looked up surprised, but then I realised I had just gone on a trail of thought.

“Cash please…”

I opened my purse and pulled out my money. Only had about $15 left. Great, that was a good $20 blown…

“There you go ma’am, have a nice day!”

“Thanks…”

I grabbed my bags and started my walk home. I decided to go sit on one of the benches and just have a minute. I sat down by myself and just stared at the clouds. They were starting to go pink, the sun was about to set. I got up and started to make my way home, if the sun was about to set and it was dark when I got home mum would hate me even more…

“Kristen! Wait up!”

I turned around in shock, who was calling my name here?

It was Zelo and his mum. I lifted one arm slightly to wave, but it was weighed down by the heavy grocery bag.

“Hey Zelo!”

Zelo and his mum walked up to me, and his mum started to talk to me.

“Hello, Kristen was it?”

I nodded shyly.

“Where are you off to darl?”

“Oh, I’m just off to walk home and make a cake for mum…”

I couldn’t help but have a sad tone while I said that.

“Don’t you like baking?”

Zelo seemed really surprised.

“Oh, no… I like cooking, I’m just not very good…”

“Ah… maybe you should come over and I could teach you sometime?”

“That sounds fun, but I don’t know if mum would let me…”

An awkward silence fell, and I got all shy and looked at my feet.

“Did you say you were walking home?”

Zelo was so cute, why was he remembering little things like that?

I nodded, and his mum seemed really surprised.

“How far a walk?”

“Ah, about 20 minutes, maybe 25 with the bags…”

Zelo’s mouth dropped.

“That’s a long way to walk!”

I nodded shyly.

“It’ll be dark when you get home, and you only have a thin cardigan!”

I didn’t know what to do, so I just nodded shyly.

“Would you like us to drop you off?”

“Uh…”

I panicked, what was I supposed to say? I didn’t want to make them go out of their way for me, but I also didn’t want to walk home cold…

“It’s no problem Kristen… your house wouldn’t be too far out of the way anyway…”

Zelo and his mum seemed pretty eager to drop me home.

“Uh… ok… if it’s really no problem…”

“Nah! It’s not! Come on, our car is over here!”

Zelo patted my shoulder a little while he pointed to his car. We walked over to his car, and his mum unlocked the car. Zelo took some of my bags and put them in the front seat for me. I thanked him, and then went over to help his mum unload the rest of her groceries. When they were all in the boot of her car, Zelo took the trolley and walked off to find the trolley bay. I hopped into the front seat with his mum, and she started a quick conversation.

“So Kristen, where am I dropping you off?”

I told her the street a few blocks away, so that I could be dropped off and only walk for 5 minutes to my house. I didn’t want mum to start asking questions.

“Ah, ok, I know where that is…”

She placed her keys in the ignition, and started the car.

“So, have you known Jonghong long?”

“I’ve seen him around school a lot, but we’ve really only started talking today…”

I was very quiet and shy, and my voice trailed off at the end of my sentence.

She just smiled as Zelo jumped into the back seat.

“So what you guys talking about?”

His mum turned around with a teasing smile.

“You!”

He played cheekily with his mum, probably out of habit. I had never seen him act like this at school.

“Good things? Nothing embarrassing?”

His mum had a wild grin, it was cute to see their relationship.

“Nope! All horrible and nasty baby stories!”

“Noooooo! Not the baby stories!”

They both broke out into a fit of laughter, and I giggled along too. Zelo saw me giggling, and then he went all shy and rubbed his neck.

His mum the radio, and we listened in silence for a bit. I was staring at Zelo in the mirror, and he was looking out the window tapping his fingers on his legs. He was really cute… I couldn’t stare at him enough…

“So, is this the street?”

I looked out the window, this was far enough.

“Yes, thank you…”

She pulled over and Zelo jumped out to open the door for me.

“Thank you Zelo…”

I went all shy and my voice was barley even able to be heard, I really wish I wasn’t so shy…

“You’re welcome Kristen!”

I grabbed all my bags and and walked up to the footpath. I turned around to say good bye, but his mum had the widow rolled down and talked first.

“If you ever need a lift again, just ask, ok hon?”

“Yes, thank you very much!”

I waved my arm a little as they drove off.

Zelo was so lucky that he had such a nice mum. I wish me and my mum could be like that, but we can’t… she is very aggressive and she has had a drinking problem since the divorce this year. I really just wish she could stop and teach me how to look after myself properly… but she doesn’t…

 

<><><> Zelo’s P.O.V. <><><>

 

We were driving Kristen home, she was in the front seat. I wonder what she was thinking… hopefully not about how me and mum acted before… I love my mum a lot and act silly with her, but I didn’t want Kristen thinking we were some weird people…

I tapped my fingers on my leg and looked out the window to stop myself from pouting.

“So, is this the street?”

She looked out the window, she looked nice in the sunset.

“Yes, thank you…”

Mum pulled over, and I jumped out to open the door for her. It wasn’t that I was deliberately trying to be nice, it was just a habit. Dad always said it was polite to open the door for women, so I did for mum every time we went on a drive. Unless dad or my brother was there, they did it otherwise.

When I opened the door, Kristen looked confused, she didn’t seem to understand why I was opening the door.

“Thank you Zelo…”

Her voice was so soft, I barley even heard it. I decided to be cheery and welcome her brightly.

“You’re welcome Kristen!”

I jumped into the front seat, and mum rolled down her window.

“If you ever need a lift again, just ask, ok hon?”

She nodded and smiled nicely.

“Yes, thank you…”

She lifted her arm to wave goodbye, but she couldn’t lift her arm the whole way up because of her bags. I smiled and stared at her until we turned the corner. I turned around and put the seatbelt on, and I saw mum smiling creepily.

“Why are you smiling creepy mum?”

“What? Oh, no… not creepy!”

“Mum… Why were you smiling?”

“She is very sweet… you should invite her over sometime after school.”

I thought about that, but that was making me feel nervous.

“What would we even do?”

“I dunno… I could make another cake or something, you guys could eat that…”

“Hey Kristen! Do you want to come and eat a slice of cake with me at my house after school?”

I said that mockingly, trying to show mum that was a silly idea.

“Why don’t you ask her if she wants to come study with you after school then? I’m sure you’d both get a heap done…”

“More like nothing done, I wouldn’t be able to think for studying with her around…”

Mum smiled again.

“Ohh… I see…”

I sat there and thought about what she was meaning behind her sarcasm.

“Ya! Not like that mum!”

“Then like what?”

“You know… like trying to be a good host… making sure she isn’t thirsty and stuff…”

Mum nodded, still paying me out for my original comment.

I rolled my eyes and waited for the rest of the trip to be over.

We pulled into our driveway, and I ran around to open the door for mum right as she pulled the keys from the ignition.

“You better not tell hyung!”

Mum smiled as if she was thinking up some evil plot.

“If you unload all the groceries!”

“Ok!”

I ran to the boot and unloaded the first lot of bags. I really hope mum doesn’t tell hyung…

Haha, I’m having fun writing this! Aren’t Kristen and Zelo cute?