Yuna Inspired: Our Virtual Family

001

"Good morning!" Hana greeted her friend, Hailey, as she put her bag down on top of her desk. "Did you do your homework?"

Hailey frowned. "I couldn't. I swear, I wanted to, but my dad thought I was lying to avoid meeting his gold digger."

"Well, it's true. You don't like homework. That sounds reasonable to me." She took out a book from her bag. "By the way, how is she?"

"A total bi—"

"Morning!" shouted an annoying friend of theirs. It was a happy Logan who ran across the room to pinch Hana's cheeks. "What you two talking about?" He sat down on the opposite desk.

Hana massaged her cheeks. "Why'd you pinch me so hard. My mouth's gonna swell."

He scowled at her. "So? It's not as if you're gonna use it on anyone. Ever."

He and Hailey laughed, but Hailey stopped when she saw Hana raised a brow at them.

"Apologize," demanded Hana to Logan. "Now." She put her hands on her hips and leaned on one of her legs. "I am gonna use these lips on someone, and you'll never get to know who."

He stood up and was a head taller than her. "As if." After his challenge, he sat back down.

Hana attempted to grab him by the collar, but their other friends, Seth and Jake, came to his rescue.

Logan high-fived Seth and Jake. "Right on time, bros!"

Seth was also Hailey's boyfriend, and he went to sit on top of her desk after greeting everyone. He saw Hana's unamused expression and knew immediately it was caused by Logan. "What did he do this time to you?"

"He pinched me."

"Oh, stop whining," said Logan, almost rolling his eyes.

Hana was about to grab him again, but the bell rang for class to start, and Logan ran to his seat.

Hana blew a raspberry as she sat down. She uttered under her breath. "I'll get you, Logan. I will."

*

It was lunchtime, and the group—Logan, Seth, Jake, and Hailey—had gotten together at their usual hang-out spot near the fountain.

"Where's Hana?" Logan asked Hailey. "She's skipping out on her job, huh? She promised she'll make me lunch for the rest of the school year."

Hailey handed him a plastic bag with a sandwich inside. "Here, yours."

He took the bag, unwrapped it, and took a big bite of the sandwich. "She always makes a good one."

"She went to see the nurse," said Hailey. She sat down beside her boyfriend. "I overheard that her mouth swelled so big, she can't possibly eat anything anymore."

The boys stopped eating. Jake and Seth looked at Logan, pinning guilt on him for what he did earlier that morning, and Logan gulped.

Hailey continued. "She'll be starving for days...and then she'll succumb to death!"

"Death?" asked Seth.

"That's what I heard." Hailey wriggled her nose. "I took her to get her mouth checked, but when the nurse told her to stay, I knew it wasn't a good thing." She side-eyed Logan, and Seth and Jake gave Logan another look.

Logan, tired of all the accusatory expressions, got up and pat his clothes. "Fine. I'll go check on her." He stuttered, "I'll—she'll be fine." He left his friends with haste.

And with worry.

*

Nurse Cooper looked away from the file cabinet to the door. "Hi, Logan." She pointed to one of the beds where it had a sleeping Hana with her back facing the door. "She's asleep. The pain got to her, so she's sleeping through it." She rolled a chair over to her and patted the cushion for him to sit. "What happened?"