When a 14-day dating challenge erupts between skeptical Blossom and her secretly smitten best friend Hunter in the waning days of 1999, their easy friendship is plunged into a maelstrom of teenage angst, unrequited affection, and the terrifying poss...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
~ ~ ~ 1999
Today was a new sunny day in Westmount Virginia, Blossom awoke like any other, went to school, chatted with friends and originally planned to go out with Hunter right after but Ethan, hesitantly, asked Blossom if she wanted to go shopping with him. It was a task Ethan had been set on completing, whether or not Blossom went, but the invitation felt like an olive branch. They had kinda connected the previous morning and Blossom wanted to keep that going strong. She gratefully accepted, then messaged Hunter asking if they could push their date to this evening.
He sent back a "Absolutely! How's 7 work?" Blossom sent him a text back that that time worked then closed her phone. Now she had plenty of time to hang with her younger brother.
"Got room for one more?" Elena's voice chimed in, having overheard the conversation. She sounded as if she wasn't sure she'd be invited considering the fight she too had with Blossom. But the siblings seemed to need the collective shopping therapy to fully mend their bonds. So the three of them excitedly headed home and piled into their mother's vacant minivan, heading toward the town's small mall, a familiar haunt of their childhood.
Ethan proudly unveiled his meticulously saved earnings from his late shifts at Kitties Diner and boasting that he worked hard for his money. Elena wasn't far behind, though her summer job savings weren't as high as Ethan claimed his were. Blossom, too, possessed a stash of cash, keeping hers close to her chest and not really liking to spend money on things unless they were necessary. The mall became their playground, a maze of storefronts they knew by heart. They exchanged hellos with familiar faces, Ethan buying random trinkets, each more unnecessary than the last.
A photo booth beckoned, its retro charm impossible to resist. They squashed inside, giggling and making faces for the four scheduled pictures. The resulting images were a far cry from glamorous, but they were endearing in their awkwardness. Ethan stared at himself in the picture he had printed out. A small frown formed on his face. He was adopted, a fact that was glaringly obvious by his more Korean features when standing next to his siblings. "Do you think I look more like my mom or my dad?" He asked the two girls, voicing a question he had never dared to say aloud.
Elena's response was immediate and steadfast, "You look like an Ahlgrim, Ethan, and that's all that matters." Blossom nodded her agreement, recognizing the earnest truth in her sister's sentiments. Ethan, clearly touched by the sentiment, responded with a playful shove to Elena's shoulder before they continued their shopping spree. Their trip ended at the food court, a vibrant canvas of sugary drinks, buttery pretzels, and juicy hotdogs.
It was Ethan who first spotted Hunter, standing uncomfortably outside a clothing store, his ex-girlfriend Aisha at his side. Ethan's inherent heroic tendencies kicked in, and he started to trek there. Elena tried to stop Ethan to no avail and no help from her sister. Blossom, too, was curious about what Aisha was doing around her best friend.
