the boy on the bridge ✔️

6. confused boy

Chapter 6 — confused boy

"You look like shit," Kady Tan Ming Hui, one of the few people Josh actually considers as his friends, comments as she sits on the unoccupied stool beside him.

"Thank you, hearing that is just what I needed to make my day better," Josh rolls his eyes but smiles at the girl anyways and hugs her.

"Glad to be of service," she pats his back, "So, how was summer?"

Josh heaves out a sigh, shaking his head, "Don't ask me, please,"

She gives him a consoling smile, not asking any more questions regarding the topic. That is one of the things he likes most about her — she never pushes him to talk about things he doesn't want to be talk about. But that may be because she generally doesn't really care about things and has a quite laidback point of view on life.

Josh can't remember a single instance where he's seen her stressed.

Also, they texted over the summer and Josh did update her on his involuntary voluntary work at the hospital his father works at — so she knows how Josh's summer went.

Ming is aware how much Josh dislikes his father's ambition for him.

She pokes his shoulder lightly with her index finger, and in a hushed voice she says, "Doesn't mean I don't wanna talk about how my summer went,"

Josh lets out a little chuckle at that, "Yeah, I know. You went to China,"

She gives him a sour look, "You just ruined it,"

"I mean it wasn't really a secret now, was it?"

"You still could've have acted the least bit curious,"

He gives her a nod and then takes in a deep breath, faking enthusiasm, "What did you do for summer, bestie?"

"See, that's better," she sits up a straighter, her lips curved up, pleasingly, "You see I had the bestest summer ever. I went to China,"

Josh rounds his mouth, giving her a surprised look, and gestures at her to continue, although he already knows what she did. She posted quite frequently on her social medias, and also sent Josh an album worth of pictures.

It was the first time Ming got to visit the country her grandparents are from, which is something she has always wanted to do. Getting to finally visit the country where her ancestors are from, Ming is rightfully elated. She has always embraced her Asian origin and even preferred to be called Ming rather than her American name Kady.

Josh can literally see and feel the excitement oozing out of her as she recalls all her experience one by one. He is happy for his friend; he truly is. But he also can't help but wonder what it will really feel like being truly happy and excited about something.

Ming's retelling gets cut short however as their AP Chemistry teacher, Ms Grundy walks in, rendering the whole class silent.

"To be continued," Ming leans in to Josh and whispers to him.

"Kady," Ms Grundy calls her out right then as well causing the girl have a mini shock reaction, "Glad to see you've finally put an end to your summer vacation,"

Ming sneaks a cynical look at Josh and he can only shrug in reply. She missed the first day of school because of jet-lag as she only returned the day before.

Ming turns to their teacher with a readily concocted smile, "Happy to be back Ms Grundy,"

She gives Ming a disinterested look — that is the only look she gives anyone really, and then looks around the lab before setting her eyes on no one other than Josh, before looking down at her file, letting out an elongated sigh.