Fifty seven

Yibo's Pov.

"So how long is Cindy's suspension?" I remembered to ask, on the ride to work.

"Well, since summer break is just about here her suspension will continue a couple of months after school begins." Xichen answered.

"That's music to my ears." Zhan mumbled blandly. Him and Xichen continued the conversation while my thoughts drifted elsewhere. I was preparing myself for work. What'll happen when I walk through that front door? My hands were beginning to feel clammy.

"We're here." Zhan notified, pulling into the driveway of the cozy-looking diner. I took a large breath before stepping out of the car.

"You'll be fine." Zhan assured, resting a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him and smiled.

My hand landed on the handle of the door and waited there for a long second. I pushed it open, taking a step inside. The sound of the bell got Sandra's attention. Her eyes lit up when she realized it was me who came in.

"My, It's been so lonely here without ya!" Sandra greeted me in her heavy southern accent while taking my hands in hers. A bashful smile captured my appearance, my eyes drifting to the side.

"I'm happy to have ya back." She said releasing her grip and giving me a friendly smile.

"I'm happy to be back. And I'm very sorry for the extended break."

"Where ya been all this time?" She asked the one question I was hoping she wouldn't ask.

"Umm..." I started awkwardly. I didn't want to tell her about what happened, I am trying to leave it in the past. "Well... some things were going on in my personal life. I... don't want to talk about it." I explained hesitantly, playing with my fingers out of habit.

"Oh it's alright you don't gotta tell me nothing!" She ended the conversation with a dismissive wave. I was relieved, though I didn't show it. It seemed like she already had an idea of what was going on, though it could've just been me.

I settled down behind the counter after putting on my little apron. No one was coming in. With all of that free time, my mind was going over all of the ways I could ask to leave work early. I really didn't want to upset Sandra, but I didn't want to upset Yanli either. I mean, she already seems to dislike me as is.

I almost leaped back a foot when Sarah snapped me out of my thoughts as she leaned on the counter.

"Are you doing okay?" Sarah asked in a dull, yet a friendly sort of way. I nodded in response. Her question took me by surprise since it seems like she doesn't care about others much, let alone start a conversation. A sheepish smile crept onto my face when I realized she was stepping out of her shell.

"I'm just glad everything is settled." I sighed in relief. "You were a big help Sarah, and I've been meaning to thank you for that." I told her, my smile growing.

"I was just doing what I felt was right." She replied, wearing a dull half smile.

I turned my head when the door behind us

opened. Sandra stepped out and walked into the main room. I felt now was the perfect time to ask her.

"Sandra?" I called.

"Yeah?" She responded looking over, and

coming up to the counter.

"I know I've just returned after all of this time, and I don't want it to seem like I'm taking advantage, but... can I head home early?" I hesitantly squeezed out. "You don't have to include today in the paycheck." I informed her.

"Sure." She immediately agreed without much thought. "What's the occasion?" She questioned.

"My friend's sister is over and wants to go shopping." I frowned at the thought.

"shit," Sarah swore under her breath, turning away from the counter.

"What's wrong?" I asked, turning my gaze to her.

"Err... I was planning on cutting my day short. If I do that now the diner won't have any extra hands around." She sighed.

"This is what I'll do, when you two are ready to head out I'll close up for the day. I was planning on heading out to hang out with Michael and some friends for drinks." She told us, leaning over on the counter like Sarah had earlier. I was suddenly feeling a lot less guilty, Sarah looked relieved as well. I nodded in agreement.

Zhan came to pick me up after I texted him, telling him what time I was getting off work. The sun started to set but there was still enough daylight for us to get around

"Let's go." Yanli pressed before we'd even made our way through the front door.

"I don't even have my wallet." Zhan told her as he walked passed.

"Who's paying for the movie?" She asked,

tilting her head with an innocent look. Zhan turned to look at her with a "what the hell?" sort of look spread across his face.

"Are you guys going out for a movie?" Xichen asked as he stepped into view.

"Apparently so." Zhan shrugged, still wearing a confused look. That very moment a giggle escaped Yanli.

"Is it okay if I tag along?" Xichen asked.

Just as Zhan began to speak, Yanli interrupted him. "I won't be in town forever. We siblings should spend some time together."

"Yeah, says the one who ignored us throughout most of our school years." Zhan rolled his eyes.

"Guilty." She admitted with a grin.

We got our stuff and headed out to the car. Zhan was driving, Yanli called shotgun, and Xichen and I sat in the back. Jia came out of the door, telling everyone to stay safe and have fun, in a very cliché motherly sort of way. This was something I hadn't experienced in a while, not since my mother left. So it made me feel bubbly inside.

During the drive, Yanli wouldn't quit messing with the radio. She constantly changed between stations searching for one that she liked. She finally did, but only after about thirty minutes. Despite her and Zhan being so different they had a very similar taste in music. Both of them were singing like goofs, getting into the song, as Zhan often does. Xichen and I laughed the whole time. They enjoyed our reaction and kept going. Before I knew it we arrived in the parking lot of a large strip mall which was a series of connected buildings forming a crescent shape. There were supermarkets, cafes, bakeries, clothing stores, and a theater among many other things.

"So where are we heading first?" Xichen questioned looking at the impressive view from the car window.

"We're going to do what we initially came here to do, and that's to buy boo some new clothes." Zhan answered in a stern tone before exiting the car. All of us stepped out into the cool yet muggy air and headed toward the clothing store suggested by Yanli. The setting of the sun and all of the distant car noises made for a relaxing atmosphere.

I was having trouble keeping up with the group. I cursed myself for being short. Xichen and I are around the same height yet he had no problem staying at pace with everyone. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to bother them by slowing them down. Just then Zhan glanced back at my poor state. He offered a patient smile before breaking away from Yanli and Xichen to come over to my side. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and walked alongside me. This little sign of affection had me cherry red from head to toe. A shy smile broke out on my face as I looked up to meet Zhan's eyes.

"Hurry you guys." Yanli said, raising her voice as she waved us over. My eyes lit up as we walked through the glass doors of the clothing store. There were shelves as far as the eye could see filled with shirts, jackets, pants, you name it. This was shocking to me but for everyone else, it was like an average day in the park..My gaze drifted off to every end of the room as I walked through the store astonished. Before I knew it Yanli was already picking out clothes for me to wear.

"How about this?" She asked, lifting a gray t-shirt with words reading "who's boss" across the front, along with a pair of washed-out blue jeans.

"I think I might actually like it." I said reaching for the clothes only to have them yanked away.

"You can try them on in the dressing room after we're done shopping." Yanli said.

"H-how many things do you plan on getting?" I asked curiously.

"Just a few more things." She answered. That was a total lie. Every time we passed something that she thought I might like she'd toss it into the cart.

"Am I going to try all of this stuff on?" I questioned nervously. She just smiled, confirming my worries. We're going to be here all night.

Zhan picked out a couple of things he thought might look good on me as well. I liked them. Xichen tossed in a shirt that he found funny. I didn't decline, even though I had a little laugh. They were all kind enough to spend their money on me, so I couldn't tell them what to buy and what not to, heck I didn't even want to! The last time I went shopping like this was when I was still just a boy. My parents took me shopping whenever they'd go together. I faintly remember my small self running through the isles, occasionally playing hide and seek with my mom Looking back on it now that was probably a dumb idea. I was lucky I didn't get lost.

There were so many pieces that caught my eye as we browsed through the huge selection, but the cart was already packed so I didn't dare ask for anything. I didn't stare too long either because if I did Yanli would automatically pluck the clothing item from the shelf and drop it into the cart, even if I wasn't particularly interested in said item. I would just pout at her. One thing really stood out though, something I couldn't ignore. A sky blue t-shirt with a white cartoony penguin design on the front hung on a rack just in the distance. I jogged off for a bit leaving the others slightly confused. I got up real close and admired the shirt for a moment before pulling it off the shelf and carrying it over.

"Can I get this? Even if it's the only thing I get, I want it!" I asked, hopping in place like a little kid. Zhan let out a breathy laugh and smiled.

"I'll get you the shirt dude." He said ruffling my hair, making its brown color more apparent in the light. Yanli looked a little confused, probably wondering why I liked the shirt as much as I did.

"He's not going to try all of this stuff on, is he?" Zhan questioned her.

"Of course he is." She rolled her eyes and turned the cart around, heading towards the dressing rooms. Zhan clenched his fist and sighed, just barely able to contain himself. I couldn't blame him. The cart was practically spilling over.

After several minutes of me modeling clothes for Yanli, Zhan finally had it.

"Can we leave now? Look, I'll just buy him the whole damn cart." He grumbled.

"You're no fun." She pouted and childishly stomped her foot as a joke.

Yanli had me try on a few more pieces before we finally checked out. My eyes almost burst out of the socket when I saw the price. Over three thousand dollars on clothes?! I guess money isn't an issue for them. Zhan didn't think it was a lot. but rather a lot of clothes. There were so many bags and Zhan was going to carry them all, but of course, I stepped in and carried as much as I could hold. About ninety percent of them did belong to me after all. Zhan bought an undershirt, Xichen bought a pair of brown panda PJs and Yanli bought the other eight percent.

On our way to the car, Zhan's phone went off. His hands were full so he wasn't able to answer it. Yanli plucked the phone from his jean pocket and answered it. He just scowled at her.

"Hello?" Yanli answered in a cheery tone. We all stood in place, listening to Yanli's end of the conversation.

"Oh. hi mom."

"Not yet."

"Uh, sure. I'll tell him."

"Alright, love you, bye!" She hung up. We waited expectantly as Yanli slipped the phone back into Zhan's pocket.

"Well?" Zhan pressed, tilting his head curiously.

"Mom told me to ask you if you could pick up some groceries. She's running low and hasn't had time to get out to the store." She explained.

"Alright, there are a few things I have to buy anyway." Zhan grunted as he lifted the heavy bags of clothes into his car.

The store we were going to was part of the

strip mall so it was within walking distance. On the way to the front door, a man walked up to Yanli and started flirting with her, and he was good at it too. He looked as if he was in his late college years, he had short brown hair and a pair of eyes that rivaled the sun's rays. Yanli was just as much of a flirt as he was, only she was messing around, toying with him. I think the man knew this but continued working his charm until he finally got her to write her number on his arm. Zhan looked just as grumpy and impatient as ever. He eventually got so fed up that he entered the store without her. Xichen and I followed behind.

"I'll meet you guys at the exit." Xichen notified us before disappearing behind the many shelves of neatly placed items.

"What did you need to buy?" I asked Zhan, studying his towering appearance.

"Just some deodorant, some snacks and a drink." He shrugged.

Moments later Yanli came strutting in, handing a slip of paper to Zhan. It was a list of things Jia requested I guess.

There was a drink dispenser near the entrance. That was the first thing off of his list. A grin grew on my face when Zhan bought two bottles of lemonade and handed one to me. It was like our thing now. The drink was so cold streams of water drained off the sides of the bottle.

"Where's mine?" Yanli asked, in a very offended manner. I could tell she was joking though.

The very moment I saw what Yanli was placing in the cart I started to get the feeling she was a compulsive shopper. I looked between her, Zhan, and the cart, my expression holding nothing but shock. She was scraping boxes of candy and snacks off the shelves like a freaking backhoe.

"What do you plan on doing with all of this? Are you taking a trip to the center of the earth? Because with the amount of weight you'll be putting on you'll be sinking through more than just the damn floorboards of the house." Zhan said in a serious tone. I broke out laughing, choking on my lemonade.

Her eyes narrowed. "Oh ha ha. Very funny." She said sarcastically, snatching the box of oreos out of Zhan's hand and stuffing them into the cart.

"Well, someone's laughing." Zhan gestured to me, a satisfied smirk overtaking his lips. As much as I tried containing myself I was reduced to tears.

"Here, hold this. I've gotta go to the bathroom." Zhan told us, handing his drink to Yanli. I watched as he jogged of into the distance, disappearing from view

"Just me and you now little boy." She said, emphasizing the "y". I smiled at her. We began picking up the groceries Jia asked for, tossing out small talk every once in a while.

"What got you into video games? You seem very... passionate about them." I questioned her, hoping to quell the silence.

"Well." She sighed, turning to me. "High school acquaintances I suppose." She answered very vaguely.

"Also, what do you mean by passionate? And how do you even know I play video games?" She asked while raising a brow. While waiting for my answer she drank from Zhan's bottle.

"Well..." I paused. "I sorta heard you playing from outside your door." I admitted. Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed.

"Oh god." She panicked. "You heard that?" She asked, desperate for an answer. I nodded with a sheepish smile.

"Those bastards." She muttered, holding her forehead. She looked back and forth, probably looking for either Zhan or Xichen. Neither were in sight. She groaned, frustrated.

"I had my walls lined with soundproof walling, and all of these years no one mentioned a thing about it not working. She bit her lip. I could tell she was embarrassed so I changed the subject a little.

"What's your favorite game?" I asked, tilting my head curiously.

"Ah... I don't know, I like shooters, so maybe... the Modern Warfare titles?" I knew next to nothing about those games, but I just nodded my head.

The small talk continued, that was until Yanli said something that caught me off guard.

"So... You and Zhan, huh?" She said nonchalantly, leaning against a nearby fridge. That sentence caused me major panic. Like I could feel myself shaking in my shoes. It felt as if a bullet had shot right through me. She couldn't be talking about us... as a couple, could she? I mean no one knows other than Zhan and myself.

"Me and Zhan? W-what about us?" I tried

playing it off, hoping I was just misunderstanding her. Let's just say it wasn't very convincing.

"Don't try to act clueless... You know exactly what I'm talking about." She shook her head in disapproval.

"I-I.." I tried to muster up something to say but my brain was thrown in the washer, and I wasn't able to think straight.

"Don't think I didn't notice. How did you score a man like him? He's very hard to approach, let alone get close to. During my later high school years, I watched him act like a huge grump toward everyone who came up to him. Only a few got close enough for him to keep them around. Even then, he was still a jerk to them. And it seems nothing changed, he's still that grumpy cactus I've known him to be. But when he's with you it's like he's a whole different man. He's kind and caring towards you. That's something he's never really shown, so it was easy to pick up on." She explained. I played with my fingers nervously, my heart still racing. The expression on her face was unreadable, I didn't know whether she thought it was acceptable or not.