December 2036
"What if they don't like me?" Alex asked her mom nervously as they drove to Chan's house.
"They'll all like you." Seungmin said.
"Yes, honey. I'm sure they'll love you. Just be nice." Jessica said.
"What if I fall and embarrass myself?" Alex asked.
"Then I'll laugh at you." Seungmin said.
Alex huffed.
Jessica sighed. "It'll be fine."
"Where are we going after skating?" Alex asked, sitting forward in her seat.
"To my dad's house." Seungmin said.
"You already know this, Alex. We're staying overnight there." Jessica said impatiently.
"Yeah, but -" Alex started.
"You've run out of things to worry about. You've worried about all the things." Seungmin said.
"I could worry more!" Alex sassed.
"Listen, it's going to be fine. And none of the kids will laugh if you fall. Besides, there's a bunch of little kids, and they fall all the time." Seungmin said.
Alex sat back in her seat with a worried expression. Her stomach started turning, and she felt sick from nerves.
Finally, they got to the lake. Alex got out of the car nervously.
They got their stuff and walked down the snowy path to the small lake.
Alex looked around at all the unfamiliar faces and gulped.
"I don't wanna go." She said in an almost teary voice, stopping in her tracks.
Seungmin sighed. "We'll stick together, okay? And I'll hold onto you so you don't fall."
"I don't want to skate." Alex said, her stomach tightening.
"Alex, you don't have to skate, but you at least have to go down and meet these people. You can't put it off forever." Jessica said sternly.
Alex followed them as they kept walking down to the lake.
There was suddenly a small voice behind them.
"Hi."
Alex turned around, ready to run away.
Eden stood there, carrying a big bag of paper cups.
"Oh." Seungmin turned around. "Eden!" He smiled. "We didn't see you."
"I just came from the car. Mom wanted me to get the cups. We brought hot chocolate!" Eden smiled.
Seungmin nodded. "This is Jessica and Alex."
"Hi. I'm Eden." She whispered shyly.
"Oh, it's so great to meet you. We've heard lots about you." Jessica said.
Eden giggled.
Alex's heart raced. Eden was way prettier than her. At least, that's what she thought. She must actually be a snob and just pretend to be nice in front of adults.
"Hi." Eden said to her again.
"Hi." Alex whispered.
"Do you want to come and give out hot chocolate with me and my dad?" Eden asked.
Alex panicked. She felt cornered, as if she had to say yes now, or she'd be an outcast forever.
"Ok." She whispered.
YOU ARE READING
Our Family
General Fiction*Sequel* What would it be like to be the patriarch of a family of eight boys? Christopher knows all too well. His parents were out of the picture at a young age, and since then, he's been in charge of the family. He's raised his brothers as if they...
