Timeless

Chapter Eight

Shuhua's chest felt lighter as she sat beside her family, happily enjoying lunch with them and catching up. After the strenuous relay races, the school decided a lunch break would be best to have their students full of energy and healed up for the next event. Whatever it may be.

"I've missed you a whole lot! Like this much!" Shuhua's younger sister gushed, making an exaggerated gesture with her hands that made Shuhua laugh.

Shuhua also really missed her family. While she didn't miss her old school, modern, relying on technology, and full of ignorant people who thought they were better than her, she did miss coming home to her sister showing her a new painting or her parents laughing together as they danced in the kitchen, the food behind them getting burnt beyond belief. Those were her favorite nights, ordering takeout and watching a movie together because her parents felt bad about nearly serving them charcoal. But she also missed the taste of home-cooked meals. Besides the mysterious ones that always appear in the kitchen for her breakfasts, most of her dishes are from the school's cafeteria. It was great and well-cooked, but it just didn't feel the same.

"I've missed you too, Mei," Shuhua admitted, her smile still bright and cheery.

Mei wasn't her full name, but rather the nickname that everyone called her little sister. Her full name was Meihua, but when her parents called for "Hua!" to get one of their attention quickly, they'd both come running. So, Meihua became Mei, and Shuhua became Shu.

"We also miss you," her father sighed, taking food off the large plate in front of them and placing it on his wife's dish. "The house feels a lot quieter when you're not there. I miss you coming into the garage to help me with whatever I'm fixing."

"Enough about missing me," Shuhua dismissed, waving her hand as she didn't want their precious time together to just be them spilling out their feelings. While they were a fairly open family, she didn't want the school to see her sobbing. "Has there been anything new with you guys? Mei, you recently started 5th grade, right?"

"I have!" Mei exclaimed, her smile illuminating the room. "There's this boy in my class! I really like him! Yesterday, he pulled my chair out for me during art class so I could sit right next to him! We painted flowers together, and he gave me his at the end of class! It was so cute!"

"Oh, you have an interest in other people now?" Shuhua asked with a smirk, only to get a look from her mother, who was most likely telling her to shut up. "That's great, Mei. Have you been doing well in your studies, too?"

"Yeah! But enough about that! Studies are boring!" Mei whined, stuffing her face with rice. "How about you? Are you interested in anyone?"

"Ooh, that is a good question," Shuhua's mother chimed in, a smile now on her face as well. "Are there any girls here that you find cute?"

Shuhua grinned with slightly rosy cheeks, appreciating that her parents were open about these things. Unlike most in Korea, her parents didn't care who she dated, as long as they weren't intending to hurt Shuhua and were great people in general. Above all else, they had to make Shuhua happy. They found out she was gay when they walked in on her kissing the girl she invited over for a "study" date. It's not like they could just make her pretend it never happened.

"Uh... I mean, I guess?" Shuhua confessed, knowing damn well there has been someone who has been catching her eyes a lot these days.

"Who is it?" her father asked, leaning in as he was now interested in the girl gossip. Shuhua loved that about her father. He wasn't afraid to show a bit of femininity and knew how to be there for his family.

"I'm not telling you guys! Why would I out myself so easily?" Shuhua rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair to signify she wasn't willing to share anymore.