LuQi Dream High (ish) AU.
❀ we were strangers, kids with heads full of dreams and stars in our eyes. we stumbled through countless obstacles as we raced towards our goal. in the end, i saw that you were right there with me through it all. your prese...
A young lady stirred awake, stretching her stiff limbs as much as she could in the cramped space of the train. She readjusted the strings of her hoodie, and leaned her head back against the window, stifling another yawn with a small hand. She peered down at her phone.
6:07 PM 3 missed calls 2 text messages
Sent 3:26PM 妈妈: 琦琦, 在朋友家玩的开心吗?
Mama: Qiqi, are you having a nice time at your friend's house?
希望你能原谅我们。。。爱你 。
Hope you can forgive us... Love you.
She stared at the screen, scrutinizing that one particular character–爱–and feeling a pang of guilt run through her entire body for the umpteenth time that day. She bit her bottom lip (a nervous habit) and furrowed her eyebrows. Her parents thought she was staying overnight at her friend's house, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. In truth, this was her first time deceiving her parents in such a way...
The first time she had ever ran away from home.
Home...
She clutched her phone close to her chest and squeezed her eyes shut. She thought about what her parents would think or say, once they find out how she had lied to them, how she had gone against their wishes to follow her own heart. Thought about what-ifs...
What if my parents end up rejecting me? What if I didn't practice hard enough? What if this is my only chance to realize my dream and I fail?
She shook her head quickly from side to side, as if it would physically shake out all of the negative thoughts swirling around in her head. Like a half-mantra half-prayer, she reminded herself: This what I want. This is for my dream. I will do my best and I will succeed. And I will make my parents proud. This is what I want, this is for my dream, I will...
🔉LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOU HAVE REACHED THE END OF THE LINE. PLEASE TAKE ALL OF YOUR BELONGINGS WITH YOU. WELCOME TO HONG KONG. 各位客官, 您来到...
The sudden voice coming from the intercom startled the girl out of her trance.
She had arrived.
Taking a deep breath, she brushed her curly bangs out of her face, and stuffed some nearly finished chip bags into her backpack before hoisting it onto her shoulders. She tuned out the continuous drone of the voice announcing their arrival in alternating English, Cantonese, and Mandarin, and stood up, eyes fixed on the path ahead of her, maintaining a firm balance as the train finally slowed to a stop.
Excitement began to bubble within her as she stepped off the train and took in her unfamiliar surroundings. It may have been the end of the line, she thought, heart beating rapidly in her chest, but her journey was far from over. In fact, it had only just begun.
❀ ❀ ❀
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Somewhere on the rooftops of Sha Tin High, Hong Kong, a young man laid languidly on a bench. He was immersed in a world of his own, head propped up by a green bookbag and bobbing rhythmically. As the music faded to a stop, he opened his eyes slowly to pinkening skies and pulled a pair of white earbuds out of his ears. He lifted his phone up to glance at the screen.
6:07 PM 1 missed call 1 text message
Shit, he thought. He was supposed to meet a friend at 6 to go over math homework, which he had promised his parents he would finish as a prerequisite for taking him to the audition tomorrow.
He groaned and looked down at the neglected notebook in his lap, his textbook and pencil having fallen to the musty concrete floor at some point. He hadn't even finished the first set of math problems. Why did each question have to have so many sub-questions??
He sighed. Listening to music always helped focus his mind, but once again, his mind was more focused on the music than on the task at hand. How ironic.
He thought about the way his teachers always scolded him for not concentrating on his studies, saying he lacked motivation and that his head was always in the clouds if not in front of a mirror. These criticisms came ever more frequently during the course of the year, his last year of senior high.
But what was wrong with having his eyes focused on the sky, on reaching for the stars?
Even though his parents supported his every decision and he knew that they would continue to support him no matter how he did in his studies and no matter what he decided to do in life, he always wanted more than that.
Such an easy life, it just sounded... Boring.
Finally, just a few months ago, he had found a reason to try. And now? He had more ambition than ever.
Resolve steeled, he sent a quick message to his friend to postpone their study session—who finishes their homework on a Friday anyway?
Putting his earbuds back in his ears, he quickly stuffed his belongings into his bookbag, slammed open the door to the rooftop, and swiftly descended the staircase, racing through the deserted halls and leaving the school building in a rush.
His heart pounded in his chest as he got on his bicycle, eyes sparkling with determination. He felt a budding intensity within himself in a way that had been new but now familiar to him—the way a baby bird might feel as it opens its wings to fly for the first time. An excitement about a world blossoming with opportunities just waiting for him to seize.
He grinned and relished the wind flowing through his hair as he sped along the streets of his hometown. Bursting with enthusiasm, he gave a loud shout, ignoring the quizzical looks of passersby.
He was on the first leg of his journey toward achieving his dreams and he had never felt more awake in his life.
