Don't Cry Over Phở

Chapter 9: Car Rides

Since I only got 5 hours of sleep last night, I knew my brain couldn't really comprehend math right now so after lunch ended, I headed to math, feeling groggy already.

Turns out that counting every time Mr. Peters messed up a calculus problem and blatantly staring at Alex Harper makes time fly by fairly quickly!

The bell rang and I yawned, cracking my back and feeling satisfied. "See ya Allison!" Alex smiled at me as he walked by my desk. Shocked that he acknowledged me, I waved goodbye at him shyly.

Damn Allison, you couldn't have said something back instead of just awkwardly staring at him?!

I sighed, remembering I had that wretched tutoring club to go to. I already felt so swamped by the never ending list of responsibilities I had. Thankfully my parents and I came to a compromise of me only attending the tutoring club a few days a week since I was already going to work at the restaurant every weekday.

Entering the familiar classroom of the tutoring club, I signed in and gave Zoey a quick smile of acknowledgment. She smiled and waved excitedly at me, before turning back to the kids she was working with.

Barely finishing placing my stuff down at the table I sat at, the seat across from me screeched as a familiar little girl I recognized all too well plopped into it.

I cocked an eyebrow. "Well hi to you too Amanda."

Amanda looked back at me expectantly. "I only came to you because you promised me Fruit loops." She folded her hands and leaned across the table.

I laughed. "Okay okay calm down. I brought Fruit loops, but I'll only give one to you for each problem you do on your homework."

She nodded slowly before gazing closer at me. "Why do you look like a zombie today?" she said, peering at my eye bags.

I scowled, "Do you want the Fruit loops or not?"

"Okay okay!"

Amanda was surprisingly cooperative now that I had tasty Fruit loops to bribe her. Kids are so easy to bribe these days. I could ask them to a rob a bank for me as long as I offered them Gushers or something which I totally wouldn't ask for of course.

While Amanda was working, I felt my gaze drift towards a familiar tall Asian boy with floppy dark hair seated a few tables away. Luca Chen, of all people seemed to be the most popular with kids out of this whole club.

He was actually smiling for once as he was surrounded by a swarm of kids. My gaze lowered to his toned tanned arms resting on the table. Well someone worked out for sure. Goddammit why was I checking out Luca?!

As if sensing my gaze, his brown eyes met mine for a second as he looked up. Panicking about almost being caught checking him out, I turned back quickly. Oh god oh god I hope he didn't see me.

Distracting myself, I looked over Amanda's work, helping her adjust a few of her answers. She demanded the rest of my Fruit loops after she finished, which I grudgingly gave her.

I scoffed watching her munch on them happily. Kids these days.

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When tutoring club finally ended, I wanted to yell Hallelujah and cry tears of joy, but remembering I had to work at the restaurant brought my mood down again.

I knew it was technically my punishment, but I wasn't even being paid!! Is this basically not child exploitation here?!

Leaving the club, I saw my mom's van waiting outside. Wow she was earlier than she usually was when it came to picking me up from school. Shrugging it off, I opened the van door and climbed inside.

"Hi Liên," my mom greeted. Her loud classical Vietnamese music was blaring from the radio as usual.

"Hi Mẹ."

I waited for her to close the van door, but she didn't. Instead she tapped her fingers on the steering wheel to the music, not doing anything.

I raised an eyebrow at her unusualness. "Mẹ are you going to drive or?" Before she answered me, she was interrupted.

"Hi sorry I'm late," said a deep voice which belonged to none other than Luca Chen who was climbing into the van!!

My eyes widened. "Luca what are you doing?"

His eyes narrowed at the sight of me. "I'm carpooling with you."

"WHAT?" I exclaimed, whipping my head around to look at my mom, expecting her to tell this crazy boy he was mistaken. To my horror, she smiled and waved Luca in.

"Yes I told him that I can drive both you guys to the restaurant. You never told me you guys were in the same tutoring club," she said, giving me a stern look.

"That's because it wasn't relevant information," I said bluntly, crossing my arms and refusing to look at them both.

Rolling his eyes, Luca tried to move pass my seat as he climbed in. Since the space in front of me was so small and there were so many random bags on the floor, he couldn't squeeze through without squashing my knees.

Trying to give him more space, I leaned back in my seat as much as possible, but still his legs roughly knocked my knees back. His close proximity was also making me nervous as much I hated to admit.

"Can you move your ass out of my face?" I huffed.

"Can you move your face out of my ass?" he shot back.

After a bit more struggling, he finally sat in the seat that was left of me. My mom chuckled as she glanced at both of us in the rear view mirror. "You guys argue like children."

Sighing, I looked out of the window as my mom began to drive. Just ignore that infuriating boy next to you and you should be fine. Thankfully enough, Luca must have had the same thought because he ignored me as well.

The drive was filled with my mom's off-key singing and loud Vietnamese songs. I cringed a little, wondering what Luca thought.

"So do you like working at the restaurant Luca?" my mom asked.

His face looked thoughtful before he replied, "Yea I do."

My mom smiled at his answer. "Of course you do. We make the best phở. You got a girlfriend?"

Springing forward in my seat, I exclaimed, "Mẹ!!"

"What?! He a handsome boy!!" she protested. I groaned internally. Luca looked bashful as the tip of his ears turned red. He laughed awkwardly, "Thank you Ms. Nguyen, but I don't."

Too embarrassed at my mom's forwardness, I buried my face into my hands. "Just ignore her please."

My mom glared at me through the rear view mirror. "Maybe if Allison actually put effort into being less grouchy she could snag a handsome boy like you Luca."

Feeling my face heat up from embarrassment and anger, I protested, "WHAT?"

Luca laughed and I glared at him. I was only ever grumpy around Luca anyways and did I really care about what he thought of me? Absolutely and totally not.

Sneaking a glance at him, he appeared to be peaceful as his face and body were relaxed in the seat. His eyes were closed with his long eyelashes touching his skin and his lips were slightly curved up in the faintest of smiles.

Quickly turning my gaze away, I continued staring out of the window, just wanting this drive to be over already. Me ever liking someone like Luca Chen? To hell with that idea.