Broken Guitar Strings

Chapter 21

(CHANYEOL'S POV)

School sucked today. That's all I'm going to say. Allie avoided me and she avoided Lay. Her facial expressions stayed pretty similar all day and the only person that she talked to was IU. Also, Lay avoided me too. I feel a bit bad about smashing his guitar because I knew that it was probably his most prized possession. ...Oh well? Allie doesn't know that both of our guitars are ruined (thanks to me). Nice going, you idiot.

After dinner, my parents came home. On these types of days I feel happy because I can literally choose whatever I want to eat. I'm not the best cook out there, but hey, I'm decent at making food. There's also always the option of buying something or ordering take-out.

Anyway, I sat my mother down in the living room. My father was still in the office taking a call. I take her hands and say, "Mom." She replies, "Yes?"

"How much do you want Allie Thompson and I to get along?"

"A lot. Not only do I want you two to get along, I want you to bond. Get to know each other. She is a very accomplished young woman-"

"Mom did you arrange an engagement for us."

She falls silent and her face turns stern. "Now, Mr. Park Chanyeol. Let me explain."

"SO YOU DID."

"Listen to me. Give me a chance to explain." I nod, with no words spoken.

"Two months ago, I told you that there was new girl coming to town; a very important one at that. And I didn't know you would respond at all. I was very scared that you would repel her just like you did that one poor child who ran her own fashion line." Oh god, Miriam. Please don't remind me.

"Anyway, I didn't know how you were feeling at all about her. Until you told me that you were comPLETELY in love with her." Her voice fluctuated into a slightly deeper voice. She waves her hand and it spirals into the air. Oh boy. Has my mom been talking to Allie's mom? It seems like all of that acting and drama has been rubbing off on her.

"Okay, and?"

"Well, I knew that you liked her a lot, and that you were probably growing on her rapidly. Then, Mrs. Thompson called. We had actually seen each other only once or twice at very important conglomerate meetings before the Thompsons moved here to Chicago, but since Allie was new to Cedarwood at the time, her mother thought it would be good to reach out to another wealthy family. You know, make Allie feel more comfortable here. She does miss California a lot, you know."

"Okay." Please don't drag it out. I want to get to the point.

"Their family is very nice. I called her periodically (don't worry, it was reasonably timed) later on just to check on how they were doing. Of course, part of that is being polite. Somehow we started talking about how our businesses were doing and negotiations. It lead on to...well, connections. Part of the reason why they invited us to a Thanksgiving dinner was because of connections. Allie's parents wanted to see what you were like."

I shouldn't complain about how they're setting this relationship up. After all, I do love Allie, and it would be great to stay in touch with her after high school and into college. Maybe even after college.

But I know that she doesn't want me. The rest of her wants me but her heart...leads her to Lay.

"Mom, I'm not sure about this whole 'early engagement.' You're not fooling anyone with the taming name. Isn't it way too early to start thinking about this?"

"You always have to be prepared, dear. The earlier the better. Plus, isn't this what you want?" Yeah, but...

"Mom, there's another guy at Cedarwood."

She tilts her head back and lets out a papery (flowery?) laugh. "There are tons of guys at Cedarwood, Chanyeol."

"But there's another guy. Who's blocking my path to Allie."

She frowns. "I don't understand. You two are the only majorly wealthy heirs at this high school. If-"

"He's not rich, Mom. Not nearly as rich as us."

"Is there something wrong? There are tons of boys out there who have chased Allie around, hoping to win her heart. It happens to every heiress, and every heir in fact. But none of them are better than you." She kisses my forehead.

"That's what I've been thinking about. Allie takes a lot more interest in Lay than she does in me, and I don't know why. I am more powerful, more popular, and not to be narcissistic or anything, but more handsome. It's been on my mind a lot recently. Why? Why, why, why?"

"Is there something Lay has that you do not?"

"I...don't know. He's better at playing the guitar. And dancing."

"That shouldn't be what's moving her. Just that against all of your pros?"

"Well...he's got an innocent feeling to him. Whenever he's there you feel more...I don't know. You feel like you wanna be honest. And friendly. And sweet to everyone, regardless of who it is."

"Aha." She snaps her fingers. "Chanyeol, it's his character. I don't blame Allie for being drawn to him because frankly, there are not a lot of people like him out there these days. And when your family friends circle is comprised of all wealthy conglomerate families, it's even less likely that you'll find someone who's kindhearted and acts with good intention to benefit others, not just themselves."

I nod. That's so true. It's very easy for an heir to become...spoiled. It's because they have the money and the fame, and they think they can do anything-treat people the way they want and spend money however they want, even though they really can't do that. I was aware of this at a very young age, and it's been a lifelong goal for me: to not become one of those brats that I know too many of.

"To be honest, I'm not that worried about her. She will be fine, and we will carry through with engagement plans. But what I want you to do is to observe Lay. See how he does things, and learn from him. Adopt his unique qualities. I'm very interested in meeting this young fellow, but let's focus on shifting gears to you and Allie."

"So what's going to happen next about the engagement?"

"Well, today's a Wednesday, and Friday is officially your last day before winter break. We've been thinking this upcoming Sunday for a photoshoot. Is that okay?"

Talking to my mom actually made me feel a lot more confident and better overall. "Yeah, sure."