The thrilling soccer match had concluded, and Papoli University, the home team, emerged victorious, all thanks to a surreal goal scored by their team captain, Holo, in the final minute. The entire crowd was jubilant, celebrating the hard-fought victory even in the rain. The core team, who had battled relentlessly for this triumph, joined in the celebration with the ecstatic crowd.
Aria, Cherry, Sasha, and Harry were elated with the result. After reveling in the victory with the rest of the crowd for some time, Aria and Cherry headed to Cherry's home, while Harry and Sasha made their way back to their respective homes. The two best friends found themselves in Cherry's well-appointed room, which was predominantly adorned in pink and white. The room featured a study desk with a personal computer, a wardrobe with a mirrored door, and a single bed donned with a pink mattress. Additionally, Cherry had adorned her walls with posters of her favorite K-Pop bands.
As they sat on Cherry's bed, Aria inquired, "Do we need to bring anything besides our ID Cards for tomorrow's induction?"
"No, I confirmed it with a senior I know," replied Cherry. "But she mentioned we should dress well for the party after the induction."
"Party!" exclaimed Aria.
"Yes, all the seniors are throwing a welcome party for us," informed Cherry. "Who knows, maybe I'll find my prince charming there," she added with excitement, drifting into a daydream.
Aria chuckled and said, "Of course, you will. By the way, I wanted to show you something."
Cherry snapped out of her daydream and asked, "What?"
Aria pulled her backpack closer, which was resting on Cherry's bed, and unzipped it. She pulled out a bundle of sheets rolled together and held by a rubber band. Removing the rubber band, she unraveled what appeared to be some flyers. She handed one to Cherry and asked, "So, what do you think?"
The flyer displayed the image of the Nebula waterfall and some pictures of the trek leading to it. In addition to sentences mentioning trekking and hiking, there was a date at the center, 27 August 2016, which was close to a month away from the current date.
Looking at the flyer, Cherry said excitedly, "It's cool, dude." She placed the flyer on the bed, grabbed her purse from the bedside table, unzipped it, and pulled out a 500 Merurian Dollar bill (acronym: MD, the currency of the Meru country). She extended it to Aria, saying, "Here. Consider me onboarded," with a smile.
Aria was surprised for a moment, but then she smiled back, took the money from Cherry, and said, "Alright."
They continued chatting for a while and snacked in between. When it was 7 PM and the sun had already set, Aria looked out the window and saw that the rain had stopped. She said, "Maybe I should head home. Dad must be back by now."
"Okay. Let's meet tomorrow at the City Square then. We can go together from there," suggested Cherry.
As expected, Aria agreed to Cherry's suggestion. Knowing that Aria would have to cook after reaching home, Cherry packed some dinner for Aria and Aria's father. She then escorted Aria outside her house. Aria bid her best friend goodbye and left for her home on her scooter, a 15-minute ride away.
Once she arrived home and approached the door, she noticed that it was already unlocked. Furthermore, the sound of the TV emanated from inside. Feeling a mixture of fear and curiosity, she reached into her backpack and retrieved her pepper spray, then cautiously opened the door.
Aria stepped inside, treading carefully towards the living room to investigate why the TV was left on. There, she found the culprit sleeping on the sofa with the TV playing. It was Jim Waverly, her father. Unlike Aria, Jim was still struggling to move on from Rose's passing. He had grown a beard, and his hair was unkempt. Fortunately, his clothes were clean, thanks to Aria.
On the table in front of the sofa, there were some beer cans. Seeing her father in this state, Aria let out a sigh of disappointment. She placed the pepper spray back in her backpack and went to lock the door, providing a sense of security.
After ensuring that nothing else was amiss, she approached Jim and gently kissed him on the cheek. She then headed towards the kitchen. "How was work today?" asked Jim, still half-asleep.
"Today was a day off. I stayed at Cherry's house," replied Aria as she retrieved the tiffin box in which Cherry had packed dinner and placed it on the dining table. "I've brought dinner, by the way."
"Keep it in the fridge. I'll eat it later," said Jim with a drowsy voice as he woke up and sat on the sofa. He glanced at the TV's brightness with squinted eyes, and picked up the TV remote from the table, causing an empty beer can to fall and making a metallic noise. He switched off the TV, letting out a sigh of relief as he fully opened his eyes.
Meanwhile, Aria approached him with a plate of rice, vegetables, and some egg dish. She extended the plate to him and said, "I told you to stop drinking," holding her own plate of food in her other hand.
Jim took the plate of food from Aria's hand and replied very casually, "Sorry, Cupcake."
She took a seat on the sofa chair and said, "A can or two is fine, but whenever I see you, you're always wasted."
"Sorry, Cupcake. It won't happen again," replied Jim as he switched on the TV again and changed to a comedy program.
Meanwhile, Aria began eating her food, not paying much attention to the program playing on the TV. She was so accustomed to that same response from her father that she had stopped replying to it.
Moments passed in complete silence. Aria was lost in her thoughts, tears welling up in her eyes as she reminisced about her mother. Jim mechanically ate his food, his gaze fixed on the TV, though it was evident his mind was elsewhere.
Suddenly, Jim turned off the TV and let out a heavy sigh. He placed his half-finished plate of food on the table and said, "I know I'm failing as a father."
Hearing those words, Khushi couldn't continue eating. The grief that had been bottled up within her eyes now spilled down her cheeks. She tried hard to stop the tears, but they flowed uncontrollably.
In an instant, her father took the plate from her hand and set it on the table. He stood up, went to her, and knelt down to reach her level. He embraced her, patting her back gently. Aria could no longer hold back her emotions. She hugged her father tightly and let out her pain. "I miss her so much," she said through her tears.
"I miss her too, Cupcake," Jim whispered, comforting her.
They consoled each other for a while. When Aria finally stopped crying, her father held her shoulders, looked at her, and said, "I'm going to drop you off at college tomorrow. Okay?" He managed a smile.
"Alright," she said, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, and chuckled. "But don't be late, or I'll go alone."
That night, they shared dinner together while watching a comedy show. Afterward, Aria went to her room with a smile on her face, while her father stayed in the living room.
The next morning, Aria was fast asleep when her phone suddenly rang. She answered the call, and it was Cherry on the other end. "ARE YOU SERIOUSLY SLEEPING RIGHT NOW?" Cherry exclaimed.