I walked into Wu's house, and his first words cut through the air. "You stole from her, didn't you?" He sat on the sofa, eyes fixed on the news. I chuckled, trying to brush it off, and joined him. "I got you a new apron, Wu." I rummaged through my bags, attempting to change the subject.
Wu turned, his gaze suspicious. "Bought or stolen?" His tone implied he already knew the answer. I felt a twinge of offense and rolled my eyes. "Bought, of course. How else would I get this fancy store bag?" I waved the bag, laughing softly.
Wu's eyes narrowed. "Are you telling the truth, Betty? Do not lie to me." I stretched out my pinky finger for a pinky promise, and he smiled, reading the apron's inscription: "World's best mom." "I love it, thank you, Betty. Though I wish you had not used stolen money."
I wondered how he knew. "Yeah, yeah, I hear you, Wu," I said, gathering my bags and heading to my room. For once, I had not lied; that apron was the only thing I had actually bought.
I settled onto my bed, scrolling through TikTok. A video of six girls from my school caught my attention, I knew they were from my school because the background looked like a scenery in my school. They were dancing to a popular TikTok sound until a skating group of boys swooped past them and one of them falls on her butt. Two of the girls who managed to stay on their feet started to yell after the boys, using not so friendly languages. I chuckled softly and saw that it was only twenty three likes, I clicked on the like button and added to their popularity then continued scrolling until hunger struck.
I lazily left my bed and exited my room, heading for the kitchen in search for food, finding only bread and coffee beans. "Wuuuuu, there's no food!" I caught sight of him leaving the sofa and making his way to the kitchen. Upon arrival, he explained that he had forgotten to grocery shopping. "Just order food tonight, I will try to get groceries tomorrow."
I offered to look after the shop while Wu goes grocery shopping the next day, but Wu insisted I go to school the next day. He had always emphasized on education, hoping that a proper education would help me leave my bad habits behind. But those habits had helped us survive. Wu's coffee shop struggled, and my "skills" had kept us afloat.
The shop was not doing well, and the rent took more than half of Wu's yearly earnings. He struggled to pay each year. Of course, we survived thanks to me and my "wonderful abilities," even though Wu had never admitted it. He did not seem to think they were all that wonderful.
Wu ran the shop alone, saying he did not need any help whenever I suggested hiring a part-timer. But I knew it was because he could not afford to pay anyone. The coffee shop was old, and Wu insisted on making coffee the old-school way. It was not exactly aesthetically pleasing, and we rarely got new customers.
The only regulars were people who had known Wu for years. Their loyalty helped keep the shop open. I occasionally helped Wu around the shop, but I had never seen that overweight woman before. She acted like she had been coming forever, but I doubted she would be back due to the unfortunate incident that took place earlier that day.
I had ordered food, returned to my room, and continued scrolling through TikTok. I tried to wait for the food to arrive, but I became too sleepy and comfortable, eventually dozing off.
"School, Betty." Those words jerked me awake, or maybe it was the actual jerking that did the trick. Wu was towering over me, shaking me awake. I groaned loudly, not wanting to leave my bed and make the ridiculous journey to college.
Wu did not give up, and I got tired of the shaking. I sat up, pushing him away. "I'm up, I'm up, geez." He stepped away, muttered "school," and left the room.
My stomach grumbled, reminding me I had not eaten the previous day. I yawned, got out of bed, took a bath, fixed my hair into a ponytail, and wore a crop top and flared jeans with sneakers. I headed to the kitchen to find something to eat before I fainted.
"How will you manage by yourself without me?" I asked as I sat down, and Wu dished a plate of toast and eggs in front of me. I was talking about the shop, knowing full well I only helped out once in a blue moon.
Wu replied, "Stop talking like you help me every day. Just focus on your education." I didn't respond, too busy stuffing my face. I did feel a slight eye-roll coming, though it never did.
As I prepared to leave for school, I noticed eggs in the kitchen and asked Wu where they came from. He reminded me I'd ordered them the previous day, but I was sure I had chosen takeout sushi. I didn't remember going on a supermarket site to order groceries. I shrugged the thought away and bade Wu goodbye as I made my way to school.
College was not far, and my scholarship made it manageable. On the train, I swiped a few pockets and even snatched a watch, putting it on once I arrived at campus.
As I strolled across campus, the scenery was pretty much the same as it had always been. The buildings were still standing, the grass was still green, and the students were still scattered everywhere.
I walked past the library, which was always packed with students studying or pretending to study.
The student union was buzzing with activity, as usual. There were people laughing, chatting, and sipping coffee. It was the usual college scene.
I continued on my way, passing by the science buildings, which were always sleek and modern. I could hear the sound of lectures and lab experiments coming from inside.
The campus was pretty big, but it felt small at the same time. Everyone knew everyone, and it was hard to go anywhere without running into someone you knew.
As I walked, I noticed the little things that made our campus unique. There was the big oak tree in the middle of the quad, the weird statue outside the art building, and the quirky coffee shop that served the best lattes.
It was all so familiar, and yet, it still felt kind of surreal. Like I was just passing through, and none of it really mattered.