Lila Pham works at one of the busiest nail salons in the city; with business booming out of proportion and her fear of her friends and fellow classmates discovering her location of work is at bay, all seems to be going well.
Except for the fact tha...
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As I adjust my outfit through the body mirror, the reflection of my mother's figure appeared. She leans against the doorway of my bedroom, her slender arms crossed against her chest. Her brown eyes staring.
"Má không hiểu sao con phải cần đi, [I don't understand why you have to go.]" My mother's soft voice announces, a large sigh exits from her lips depressively.
I bite my lip, "tại vì trường biểu. [Because the school said so.]" I explain, my eyes not meeting my mother through the mirror. "Con xin lỗi. [I'm sorry.]"
I didn't tell my mother that I was heading out for the soccer game because Beckham invited me. The look in her eyes when I said I couldn't make it already broke my heart, and probably hearing that the only time we get to spend together is cut short because of my decision to hang with my friends than her—it would tear her apart. Instead, I went with a little white lie, and told that the school is forcing me to attend a soccer game. She knows, better than anyone, to listen to whatever the school declares me to go.
"Con có về sớm không? [Are you coming home early?]" My mother asks quietly, entering into the bedroom as she takes a seat at my makeup station. Thankfully I had already set in my fake contacts, my makeup and fake eyelashes or it would've been ten times as awkward to tell my mother to move.
"Con không biết. [I don't know.]" I reply, tearing my eyes from the mirror and greet my mother. The side of her face laying in her palm as she continues to stare at me with doe eyes.
I couldn't stand looking at her any longer and wander my eyes over to my clock, finding the time to be a quarter till seven. Knowing that a normal drive would require at least ten minutes from the school, I decided to leave now.
"Thôi má con phải đi. con coi thử con có về sớm được không. [Alright, mom, I have to go. I'll see if I can come home earlier.]" I declare, taking my purse off of my bed and swing it over my shoulders. I take the phone off of the charger, just to see a text message from Kenji earlier.
LOSER 🙄 6:27PM
Kenji: i don't know if you've already left your house but bring a jacket, or a blanket trust me Read at 6:46PM
Lila: why? hello? Kenji
I stared at my phone for a good two minutes; finding that he wasn't going to answer, I decided to head out without following Kenji's directives. If he wasn't going to answer why I needed to bring a jacket with me, or a blanket, I wasn't going to blindly follow orders.
Plus, it ruins the outfit.
I hurried along, slipping on my shoes at the door and rushing out to the driveway. My white Mercedes proudly waiting for the return of its owner, I pressed the button to unlock the door and hopped inside. The usual greeting blaze up in the car's monitor and I found the time to be a little less than ten minutes on the clock. Without waiting a good minute for the engine to start up and get familiar (as told by my mother), I decided to pull out.
