Floating On Air

VIII. Asian Families

VIII. Asian Families 

"So..." Austin started. "Are we going to get out of the car or are we just gonna stay in here?" 

"No!" I exclaimed and put on the child lock, as Allison reached to open the door. "I don't even live here." 

"Then, why'd you park here?" 

I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel and puffed my cheeks out. "How do I say this?" I replied. "My family can be a bit... overwhelming, at times - especially my parents." 

The four of them stared at me blankly. I couldn't choose between Nicholas and Allison, so I'd brought the two of them along with me, despite what my mum had demanded from me. Allison shrugged. "I don't mind. We're just as overwhelming." 

"No," I disagreed. "They're more overwhelming." 

While my friends had spent twenty minutes fighting over who should sit in the passenger seat, there was no denying that my parents took overwhelming to an entirely different level. 

Cameron had argued that he didn't trust himself to go anywhere without his guitar and skateboard, and refused to place his items in the boot. He'd stated that, "I have more shit to carry. I'm taking shotgun." Allison firmly believed in the phrase, "Sisters before misters," and complained that she'd rather not sit in the back with, and I quote, 'three fat boys'. 

This had led to another disagreement, which went offtrack to the original question, as Nicholas protested that he had more muscle than fat. Of course, we knew it was true but the two of us liked to pretend to believe the contrary. "I'm taller than the other two. Do you know how awkward it is to share a backseat with them?" he'd questioned. 

The only one who didn't make a huge deal out of it was Austin, who stood by the sidelines and laughed as the three of them fought for the front seat. Once noting this, I'd pressed my palm against the steering wheel, beep-ing the car, which effectively stopped them from ripping each other's throats out. 

"Austin's in the front," I'd confirmed, to which the others groaned and he smirked, triumphantly. Then, Cameron and I realised that staying quiet was his way of getting the privilege to sit at the front. But thankfully, my music blasted out loud enough to stop anyone from arguing again. 

"Pfft," Nicholas scoffed. "No one can be more overwhelming than Hayley. No offense, Aus, but you have a really bad taste in girls." 

"Hey!" 

"It's true," I interjected, patting his shoulder sympathetically. "The other day, she asked me if I was from North Korea. Does she not know about North Korea? Are you sure there isn't a twelvie stuck inside your girlfriend's body?" 

"She's not my girlfriend!" 

"She was," Cameron added his two cents to the conversation. 

"She's not anymore, at least." 

"You know," Allison said. "The other day, she asked if I would rather kiss George Clooney or Leonardo di Caprio. I mean, how in the world am I supposed to choose between them?!" 

We stared at her blankly. "Yeah, you just ruined it," Cameron stated. 

I pulled out of the parking lot and drove the few blocks to my house, growing tenser as the time between now and bringing my friends to meet my family decreased. A familiar figure walked down the road ahead and I squinted my eyes, hoping his face would look clearer. Quickly pulling over into our driveway, I shut the engine and leapt out of the car.