Her eyes never left him. “You will be back because there is no worse feeling than being alone.”
Her words pounded against his ears harder than the sound of the car door slamming shut.What does she want from me?Aiden bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood.Does she expect me to just join my brother? Be his right-hand man and bring the Hui family to glory?He scratched his hands raw.Isn’t it better if I’m out of her hair? I don’t understand. What have I done wrong? What could I have done?
“Are you comfortable enough back there?”
The driver’s voice forced the tightening walls of the car away, and the sensation of wheels smoothly gliding along the street returned to his body. Out of the window, he watched the house his stepmother presided over shrink. With every passing mile, he breathed easier. “Yes—I’m very comfortable. Thank you.”
“Mr. Hui gave me a very generous tip even before dropping you off. Tell him I really appreciate it,” the driver chuckled.
“That sounds like him.”
“Is he your dad?”
“No, my older brother.” At the mention of him, Aiden smiled. He dug into his pockets and pulled out his phone to reread the message his brother sent him.This apartment is perfect for you because it’s a good location from campus but it’s still a newer building. There are walkable stores nearby, so that you can get everything you need, including an Asian market. The apartment itself has a gym, and don’t worry about wi-fi, I took care of it.The list went on, and with every passing word, Aiden felt the worry emanating from his phone.
As well as sorrow.
You’re leaving me,his brother was saying.
I won’t leave you.Aiden leaned against the car window and watched familiar stores pass by. He discarded the poisonous words his stepmother had thrown at him and closed his eyes to memories of his brother rubbing his head, helping him with homework, and comforting him when he cried.I’m not joining Infinite, but I’ll find a way for you to stay in my life. There has to be a way…Sleep claimed him.
• • •
The apartment appeared before Aiden’s eyes under beaming sunlight. He entered the barely cleaned elevator that still smelled of alcohol from the night before. The elevator dinged, his key turned, and his feet stepped onto slightly scratched wooden flooring.
It was an unfamiliar sight. The large windows lining the living room. The small bedroom that could fit a desk and a bed. A tiny bathroom.
It was a wonderful sight.
“I have furniture for Aiden H-h…Aiden H?”
He chuckled, turning toward the strangers with wrapped furniture in tow. “Yeah, that’s me.”
“This is the bed. Can you let me know where you want it?”
Exactly how I want it.He thanked the movers when they left. His suitcases remained scattered in the living room. Aiden squeezed his way around to flop face first onto the new mattress. He grabbed his phone, texted his brother that he had settled in, and flipped onto his back to stare at the uninteresting ceiling. “Soon, I’ll have a different life,” he said out loud, bouncing against the bed.
At night, music traveled from the pool through his window, shaking the glass. He peeked out of his blinds and saw groups of people holding up beer bottles, laughing amongst each other.I guess not everyone goes home for the summer. Or maybe some people just like to come back early to hang out with their friends?He smiled, watching the shadows sway in tandem, words slurring over each other.Perhaps one night I will join them.
That night, however, he made himself noodle soup with tomatoes, eggs, and mushrooms. He poured soy sauce and vinegar without measuring, using the scent of the steam curling and the color of the broth to determine when to stop, and settled onto the couch with his comfortable meal. Then, he opened his laptop and began to scroll through the college’s website.
Most clubs posted pictures through the site, and they told the story Aiden sought for. The soap-making club only posted three and always with the same four people. Still, they smiled naturally, and their widened eyes of shock cued the candidness of their fun presences. Aiden saved the site.If I want to start somewhere small and not be intimidated.Another club’s page was a single link that took Aiden to its own dedicated website with pictures of different people on every page. They were always group photos, and even the candid shots were professionally cleaned by perfect lighting, the lack of blurs, and attentive faces.
“Diversity Business Council,” Aiden read out loud. He saved the link.It would be good to find a larger club. Easier to blend in, easier to leave.
The laptop emitted a glow on his face, and while the night grew darker and the noises of the party faded, his smile grew wider. He clicked into midnight. He couldn’t stop smiling.
His brother was right. In the end, the lessons he learned for survival could also be used to propel him forward in the normal world. “Do your research. Choose your pool. Craft yourself to their liking,” Aiden recited. “Everything’s going to work out.” His smile stretched wider. His cheeks started to burn. “Everything’s going to work out.”
Chapter Three
Bugs flew around Aiden’s ears, buzzing. “Aiden,” they called with weird human voices that jumbled familiar tones of condescension, concern, and sorrow into one. He swatted them away, but they flew back with reinforcements, forming a cloud around his head and obscuring his view. “Aiden,” his name echoed in the darkness. Their wings slapped against his face, their legs punched his limbs and stomach. Aiden gritted his teeth, placing his hands against his knees, but the buzzing grew so loud that the noise slammed his body to the ground.
The ground beneath him cracked open to a never-ending void.
Aiden jolted from his bed and flopped back down with a gasp. Still expecting to see monstrous beating wings, he blinked the haze from his mind and stared up at his apartment ceiling.
What?He continued lying in bed.Why did I even wake up?
