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Chapter 23. New Friends

HANNI POV

I tried sneaking into my house after Hyein dropped me off without any commotion, but sadly it was Saturday for my family. On Saturdays, my dad always grilled on our back porch for at least seven whole hours. I don't know why it always took so long considering he was only grilling seven steaks, but what I did know was that he overcooked them every time.

I walked into our house smelling like charcoal and meat. Considering we had a small house, I looked to my left to see my Mom in the kitchen preparing something else as she chatted with her family members in Vietnam. I looked to my right to see the living room, which was filled with a little smoke considering my dad was keeping the door open for some reason.

I sighed and set my stuff for the night down as I walked into the kitchen.

"Oh, Hanni is here," my mom said into the phone as she put it on mute. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and sighed knowing my family wasted a bunch of plastic water bottles. It's been three months since the ice machine and water filter in our fridge broke, and for some reason my mom thought this was the solution instead of getting the fridge fixed.

We weren't rich, and we weren't poor. It was just that my parents hated spending money when they could find a "cheaper" alternative. I never bothered to argue because it would always end up in an argument with her telling me that 'my generation was privileged,' and I was lucky to be able to indulge in things she never got to in Vietnam.

And I got it. I respected my parents, it was just sometimes I wish I had a voice in this household.

"Say hi to your granny," she muttered to me without saying hello as she unmuted the phone.

I bit my cheek, "Hi, granny. Love you, I miss you." I heard my grandma say something similar as my mother said something into the phone. She then hung up and gave me a look as she walked over to the stove to stir something in a pot.

"Did you get all your assignments done with Hyein and Danielle?" She said as I took a sip of my water.

I thought about it, wondering if I should say yes or no. Technically, not since we went to the club last night and I actually stayed the night at Minji's house. However, if I said no then the likelihood of being able to sleep over was pretty low. On the other hand, if I said yes, then it might help motivate my mother to let me go over often.

"Yes, we turned in a bunch of scholarships and studied for a math exam tomorrow." I leaned against the counter and away from my mom. She often got annoyed if I was on her way to the kitchen.

"Good," she said, "You look like a mess, you should probably shower."

I nodded, "I will." Before I was able to turn around and do so, she interrupted again.

"Hanni, think about community college, okay? With your grades this year, I'm not sure you'll be able to qualify for some fancy scholarship. Think about us for once and save money via community college." I gulped and attempted to not clench my fists.

"I've got it handled," I replied as I looked at the ground. Was being in the Top Ten not good enough for her?

"You know we can't afford expensive colleges in other country. If it's in Seoul, then consider something close by so you can commute."

"I applied to a bunch. I'm supposed to get my financial aid packets after my acceptance." I didn't even bother to tell her what colleges already accepted me. "They should be here in a few weeks, and then we'll go from there."

"Okay, honey, just thought you should think about it." She said with her back that it turned to me to end our conversation.

As I walked down the hallway, I heard her get on the phone again with our family. Since she was speaking in hangul and Vietnamese language, I already heard my name and a few bad adjectives being tossed around a few times. I tried to not slam the door as I walked into the bathroom to take the stupid shower.