WHO REALLY CARES ━━━ vernon chwe

THREE | all the shine

THREE : ALL THE SHINE ━━━━ i'm not trying to come hard, i'm trying to come me

As Ruthie Choi turned around in front of the dusty mirror that was hung on her wall, she sighed, tugging at the end of her skirt as she frowned. The uniform was one size too small, and it looked that way too━Ruthie's small curves were being accentuated by the tight jacket, and the tie that complimented the dark blue and red seemed to choke her. She decided to ditch her glasses last minute and stick in some contacts, brushing her hair out as the tangles slowly disappeared, leaving her with her dark brown, slightly wavy hair.

Grabbing her nearly empty backpack and a few more school items, she grabbed the schedule her father had picked up for her Sunday night and headed downstairs, taking note of the clear skies and fluffy clouds teasing the firmanent of Manhattan.

The past few days have been a quick blur for the teenager━it seemed like it was only yesterday when the two arrived at the empty house, having been here for three days already. Friday and Saturday was mostly comprised of the female and her father moving in the small amount of possesions the two had, making the house at least a bit more inviting with small houseplants and sweet family pictures of the two lining the walls. 

(Which was Baxter's choice, not Ruthie's.)

Baxter had spent about three hours last night putting in new lightbulbs, bringing a warm glow to most of the house, and spent another two fixing the water pipe as he couldn't get any cold water to come out of the faucet. Ruthie was in the living room trying to set up the television when the faucet came undone and sprayed her father with hot water, to which her father screamed and almost cried seconds after.

Then, Sunday was spent preparing Ruthie for school: her father had told her she had a week before she started at her new school, but he had went to the school's lavish office to ask for Ruthie's uniform, to which teachers were flooding the halls, chatting with each other as Baxter looked around, obviously confused. It turned out that he had misunderstood, and he was supposed to have came on Wednesday to finish registering Ruthie and getting her things. 

That's why she had a uniform a size too small now━her father was late to collecting it, and she was left with the scraps. The lady at the desk had told him that they would get Ruthie her size soon, but for now, Ruthie was stuck in something that squeezed the life out of her.

"Good morning," Baxter's tired face greeted Ruthie's eyes, and she didn't reply, sliding into the seat as her father put a plate of waffles and eggs in front of her. Her favorite striped glass sat at the corner of the plate with orange juice in it, and Baxter smiled as Ruthie looked at it lovingly.

"I made it for you━I remember how it was your favorite when you were little." His voice was fond, and Ruthie couldn't bring herself to eat it, stomach grumbling in protest as she sighed. Ruthie was nervous about her first day at an upscale private school━she was still unsure of the scholarship she had recieved, thinking it was a lucky fluke. 

The mixed feelings of nervousness and uncertainty twisted her stomach, and fluffy eggs suddently didn't seem appetizing to the female Choi.

"I'm not hungry." Ruthie mumbled, not wanting to tell her father how nervous she actually was: Baxter just nodded, face falling a bit as he took the plate from her. "At least drink your orange juice, Ruth. Take a granola bar too, for lunch."

Nodding, she stood up, searching through the empty cabinets until she found the small stash of snacks her father had bought yesterday evening. She took a bag of chips and granola, stuffing it into the lunch bag she had bought with her own money. Ruthie still wasn't used to her mother not packing lunch for her, and it showed.

Ruthie had no idea on how she'd make it without her mother, and she didn't know if she ever would.

"Well, we've got to get going. I don't remember how to get there just yet, and I don't want you to be late because of me," Baxter laughs nervously, and Ruthie notices the way his eyes flicker over to the picture of Ruthie's once whole and happy family on the countertop. It makes her heart harden a little bit more, but she just nods, grabbing the rest of her things as she pushes her frames farther upon her nose.

"Let's go, then." Baxter sighs, grabbing the car keys as the two leave the small house, warm sun dancing across their skin as the clouds part to reveal the bright blue sky. Ruthie's whole body feels warm as the fall breeze tousles her wavy hair. Her palms are sweaty, and she's sure that it's because the reality is finally hitting her. She's starting at a private school with no idea of how private school even functions, and she's going to be the odd one out. She's going to be the new girl everyone can't stop talking about for the next few days. All attention would be on Ruthie.

Ruthie used to like the spotlight when she was younger━she thrived in it. Now, she'd prefer to stay in the shadows.

They were all she ever knew.