Chapter 4

When I see the post she was talking about, I hand back her phone and run to my laptop to see if there is any more availability. When I'm done, I notice that I took the last spot, and I sigh a sigh of relief for making it. "You know," she begins, "If you just periodically check the school forum, this wouldn't be an issue, right?"

And I look up to see Sara staring at me as she's leaning against the door frame. I look back down to confirm that everything is completed before telling her, "The forum, for the most part, usually only contains school gossip that is irrelevant to my life." "You're so much more different from before. I remember back then we'd stay up for hours scavenging the internet and school forums for gossip."

"Yeah, I say wistfully.

Then we lapse into a bout of silence as we reminisce on those times. She comes to before me because I hear her ask, "When are you going to tell me about your time abroad? I can tell from your responses and drastic personality and appearance change that it wasn't all hearts and roses." "Never. Somethings are better left unsaid, and in the past," I tell her firmly, then quickly change the subject, "Let's head to the cafeteria," she sighs, then shakes her head before leading the way.

...

When we arrive, I see a face that I quite frankly didn't want to see. So I act like I didn't see them and keep on walking, but I make it all but two steps before I hear, "Oh my gosh. Jessica, is that you?" And the saying about meeting enemies on small roads isn't a lie. I heave a sigh before putting on a puzzled look as I turn around. "Umm... Do I know you?" I question. She seems unsure of herself for a minute before asking, "You are Jessica Qin, right?" "Yeah, that is my name last time I checked" quietly heaving a sigh of relief, she puts on a smile of familiarity then says, "You remember me, right?"

"Should I?" I shoot back.

Then continue to say, "I mean, you aren't my mother, father, cousin, nor sibling since I'm an only child," and while saying this, I look down as I list them on my fingers. When done, I look back up, I see her face flushed red with embarrassment, and I smirk internally.

"You really don't know me?" she powers on, but at this point, I just quietly stare at her to indicate I have no recollection of her. She then proceeds to say, " I met you with brother James at the party..." she trails off. My brow twitches slightly, but she still catches it as she smiles triumphantly. I feign a look of realization before exclaiming, "Ahh, you're the orphan girl my parents adopted right before I went abroad. Alyssa, wasn't it? Anyways how do you like living luxuriously now?"

Her triumphant look drops, which causes Sara to snort, then turn her head sideways to hide her laughter and compose herself. She stares at me heatedly before she turns and walks away. "You didn't have to be that blunt," Sara says, all while smiling.

"Stop kidding me. You loved it. And I mean, was I wrong? She went from rags to riches, got the prince and everything. A real Cinderella tale, I tell you", I say all this while chuckling as well.

...

"Just you wait, Jessica. I'll make you pay for humiliating me like that." Then her phone rings and when she sees it, James. She quickly arranges her face and clears her throat before saying coquettishly, "Hey, babe."