I stare at myself in the mirror.
For some reason, I decided to wear a slightly nicer sweater instead of the usual sweatshirt. Is it because Xu Zi Quan's picking me up this morning? No, that's just stupid. There's no law against looking good. I tie my hair into a ponytail. Done. Time to make sure I have everything for school.
I check my bag for all the right binders and notebooks. I compare it to the school schedule on my phone. Everything matches. My laptop's snug inside the laptop pocket. Done.
I glance at my watch. 6:40. I still have ten minutes until Xu Zi Quan's parents come. The parents decided that Xu's family would do Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We'd just do Tuesday and Thursday. We get the better end of the stick, but oh, well. Must be my mom's negotiation skills at work.
Speaking of my parents, my dad grilled me on Xu Zi Quan, with my mom doing so in a nicer, more conversational manner. As long as I don't get too close, I should be fine according to them. I don't get "close" to anyone other than my family, so I don't think that'll be a problem.
I was honest to Dad. Mostly. Told him how we met in the library and the group project bubble tea shop meet up. Both my parents expressed their concern on how we couldn't do it all in a teams call. I assured them. I was no less concerned. Dad gave me a mini-lecture on the importance of leadership skills and told me to "keep it up".
Well... Maybe not too much about that moment outside of the bubble tea shop. They would surely go berserk, finding some kind of red flag in that. It was just a conversation. A unique sort, but still nothing extremely noteworthy. If I told them every time something weird happens, they'd regret asking in the first place. School is no picnic. And not everything needs to be reported.
"Jie!" My brother calls me from downstairs. Min Kai. God. This child. Since I'm carpooling, he can wake up later. Our schools are in slightly different directions, so it takes a long time to drop everyone. Now that I'm out of the equation, Min Kai can leave the house at 7:20. He doesn't have to wake up so early. But he wakes up anyway. Maniac.
Now I have five minutes. My backpack hanging on my right shoulder, I jog downstairs, meeting my brother by the front door.
Min Kai's sitting innocently on the floor, crouched over his kindle. Ever since he was seven--so for three years now--, he's loved books. That's one of our only similarities. Otherwise, he isn't so great in school, but he's good at people. Not understanding them, but being around him.
He has friends everywhere. I have no friends. He's one of the popular kids. I'm one of the kids under the radar... But he's insecure. I don't understand why. This is hard for me to admit, but Min Kai is pretty cool. I just wish he could realize that. However, his moods are a literal roller coaster. Happy one moment and angry the next. Nobody in the family really understands him.
"What were you calling me for?"
He tilts his head cutely, "You're late. Your boyfriend left twenty minutes ago."
"No way!" I pull the door open. I can't just be late when I said I would be on time.
I'm assaulted by the cold. The air bites. It's a bit under forty degrees Fahrenheit. I checked last night.
Xu Zi Quan's car drives into our driveway. It's a bit dark out and the windows are tinted, so I can't see him from here. Min Kai's a jerk. Forget I ever said he was cool.
I look back at Min Kai. "I hate you."
"So he is your boyfriend?" Min Kai rests his head on his palm, curious. "You seem really worried about where your "boyfriend" might've gone."
Now I know why Min Kai wakes up so early. It's to gather gossip. Why is my brother so mean? "Mind your own business. Why aren't your socks on? Mom's gonna yell at you for that."
Before listening to his reply, I close the front door. The little devil. I walk to the car, pull the car door open, and slide in, closing the door behind me. This time, I'm attacked by the heat. Well, it's pretty comfortable, but it's a sharp comparison to the chills outside.
"Good morning, Min Hui," a soft female voice says. Xu Zi Quan's mother is in the front seat. Her vibe's incredibly different from her husband's. Calm. That must be where Xu Zi Quan got it from.
"Good morning," I repeat back, because that's what my mom taught me to say. Along with other useless niceties. Xu Zi Quan's in the back seat too. His laptop is open with his long fingers hovering over the keyboard. His eyes are on me.
"Hi," I greet a bit quieter to Xu Zi Quan.
"Hi." He's still looking at me. I don't know what to think or feel. It's like he's trying to figure something out. Unfortunately, I don't have the answers to the upcoming test written on my face.
He breaks eye contact. This is weird.
I should do some chemistry practice problems. Yes, that's the priority. Not whatever this is. The car returns to the main road. I grab my laptop, turning it on. Online practice questions.
"So, your hotspot?" I allude to our previous conversation.
"I'll connect you to it real quick." Xu Zi Quan leans in, grabbing the laptop and resting it on the middle seat between us. He solemnly types the password.
When Xu Zi Quan's finished, he sits straight again. "There you go."
I smile briefly before focusing on my laptop, "Thanks."
This isn't so bad after all.
* * *
A speed bump breaks my focus.
We've arrived at school, pulling into the drop off area. That was a nice quiet drive. No offense to Mr. Xu, but I like his wife way better. She can stay quiet for longer than twenty minutes.
"This is yall's stop. Have a nice day," Mrs. Xu slows the car to a stop. Even when she was wishing us to have a nice day, it sounded genuine. It felt less like being polite, but actually what she wanted to say.
Xu Zi Quan's already packed and ready to go. I stuff my laptop into my bag. Done. I'm also ready to go. "Let's go?"
"That's the plan." We both exit the car. His mom waves. We wave back before she drives off.
"So this is it." He's rocking on his heels again. Must be nervous.
I adjust my backpack. "Yeah, so see you around?"
"Of course. We'll meet again at the library and after school." Oh yes, the library. Xu Zi Quan is getting more and more involved in my life. He's gonna be everywhere. Should I be worried?