My Firsts With You

Chapter 12

(Special Chapter Part 2)

CLAIRE'S POV

*Sigh* Rachel's out with Martin, Jessica's having a date with someone she didn't want to tell me, Kenneth is also on a date, and Jeremy is somewhere doing something. All my friends are out, but I am sitting on a couch doing nothing. My parents are at work, and my siblings are out with their friends. No one even bothered to ask if I was free. No, I think this is better. I'm not that girl who goes out every weekend. I'd rather stay at home.

"But what will I do here?" I asked myself and sighed again. "Should I watch a movie or something?" I asked no one and grabbed the TV remote. I switched the TV on and went to the video streaming app. Now what? I decided to watch some cooking videos to learn something about cooking. I can cook, but I still have a lot to learn. Jessica is our best cook.

Should I narrate my story? I'm not an exciting person, so you might find this boring. My friends identify me as the calmest in our group. I didn't expect them to describe me as a chill person, but maybe it was because I don't show much with my facial expressions. I still smile and laugh, okay? But since I'm the class president, they might've seen me wear a poker face even if one teacher scolds me or if I have many things to do. That's what you see outside, but I'm actually dying inside. Being the class president is a tough job, and I don't know how Rachel managed to do it in 9th grade.

Rachel became the class president in 9th grade, and she was serious about it. She didn't hesitate to scold us when she was annoyed, and I learned from her how to keep a poker face despite being scolded or being busy. Anyway, I apologize if I bored you with my thoughts of being a president or a chill person. As I have said, I'm not an exciting person.

After watching a few more cooking videos, I got bored and turned off the TV. "I want to hang out with someone too," I pouted and looked through my contacts. I saw Andy's name and decided to call her. We're not that close, but we talk from time to time. "Andy speaking," she answered the call, and I smiled. "Hey, Andy! It's Claire," I greeted her. "Sorry, I didn't look at the caller ID. By the way, what's up?" she asked, and I heard voices of people speaking in Korean. Is she watching a Korean drama? "No, that's fine. I just wanted to ask if you'd like to hang out? My friends are in their worlds, so I have nothing to do," I rambled, and there was a few seconds of silence.

"Andy?" I called to make sure that she was still on call. "Oh, sorry. That was random. Why me?" she asked, and I felt relieved that she didn't secretly end the call. "You were the first person in my contacts that I thought about calling, and I know we're not close, but we're not awkward either," I explained, and I heard her click a button. I'm assuming she paused what she was watching. "Where do you want to hang out?" she asked, and I widened my eyes in joy. "We should go to the mall!" I exclaimed, and I heard her laugh. "Okay, president. I thought you were calm," she teased, and we laughed. We talked about where we should meet and finished our conversation.

I ran upstairs to my bedroom and went straight to the bathroom to shower. After that, I left the bathroom and opened my closet to choose an outfit. If you were expecting a walk-in closet, I don't have that. Only Rachel has a walk-in closet among us three, and we're not as rich as her to have one. I chose a simple outfit consisting of jeans and a sleeveless top. I finished my look with white sneakers and simple makeup.

I left the house and locked it. I called our family driver and waited for him since he was at the company. When he arrived, I entered and told him where I was going. On our way to the mall, I received a text from Andy saying that she was on her way, and I replied telling her the same. I appreciate Andy for letting me hang out with her today. I would've died from boredom if it wasn't for her. I know I told you that I'd rather stay at home, but that was not today. I wanted to be outside today.

After a few turns, we finally arrived at the mall, and I thanked our driver for taking me here. I entered the mall and went to the indoor fountain where I was supposed to meet Andy. "Claire!" someone called, and I turned around to see Andy waving at me. "Hey!" I greeted her happily, and we did a cheek-to-cheek air kiss like elegant women. We looked at each other and laughed at what we'd done. "That was old-fashioned," Andy laughed. "Why did we do that?" I asked, and we continued laughing.

"Where do you wanna go now?" Andy asked as we stood by the indoor fountain. There weren't many people today, which is good for me. "I want to buy new clothes," I said and waited for her response. "Ooh, rich girl things. Let's go!" she exclaimed, and we went from one shop to another until our hands were full of shopping bags.

"That was exhausting," Andy commented while panting a bit. That was indeed tiring. We bought numerous things, such as clothes, bags, makeup, accessories, and even shoes. "I think I lost control and almost bought everything," I said, and she chuckled. We sat down at a nearby bench and rested there. "Isn't that Kenneth and Sabrina?" I followed where she was looking and saw Kenneth and Sabrina at a teddy bear shop. So he's on a date with Sabrina again? I thought it was a different girl today.

"Let's talk to them," I said and stood up. "What?" Andy was surprised but followed me on the way to the teddy bear shop. "Hey, Kenneth! I didn't know you were coming here," I greeted him, and he looked shocked to see me hanging out with someone who was not Rachel or Jessica. "Hey, Claire! And?" he greeted me and asked Andy. "Andy. I'm your classmate if you don't know," she answered, and they shook hands. I looked at Sabrina, who was looking annoyed. "Sabrina, you didn't tell me you were going out with Kenneth," I told her, and she rolled her eyes at me.

"Why should I tell you?" Sabrina snapped and sweetly smiled when she realized her tone. Oh, so she was acting pure and innocent in front of Kenneth? "Because we're cousins, and I was just wondering because you weren't at the family trip last time," I explained, and she glared at me. That was a kind way to treat your cousin. "You two are cousins?!" Andy and Kenneth yelled at the same time. I hushed them both as the people in the store were now looking at us. "You don't have to yell, and yes, we're cousins," I answered them, and they were still shocked.

"It's not a big deal. We're not that close, anyway," Sabrina said in an annoying tone. Since when did she talk like that? Like a pure and innocent girl? Oh, come on, that is so old-fashioned. "Hey, Kenneth. Should we go now? I think I won't buy a teddy bear," Sabrina tried to leave with Kenneth, but I stopped them. "Kenneth won't leave unless he buys you a teddy bear. Isn't that right, Kenneth?" I asked him. "Yes. Don't be in a rush. You can choose for as long as you want," Kenneth sweetly said, and I can feel how annoyed Sabrina is right now. "We should probably go. We're sorry for disturbing you on your date," I said teasingly. "No, it's-"

"Apology accepted. Bye," Sabrina cut Kenneth off with a fake smile. I smiled back at her, and we left the shop. I love annoying that girl. "Girl, that was intense. Are you two in a fight?" Andy asked as we walked to an ice cream shop. "Nah, I love teasing her. We teased her a lot because she acts like a sweet girl in front of other people when she's the most annoying person," I explained, and Andy laughed.

We ordered our ice cream and sat down. After 15 minutes of waiting, our ice cream arrived, and we happily ate it. We ordered a large cup of strawberry ice cream for us to share, and we talked about many things as we ate our ice cream. I'm glad that I have made a new friend. I bet Rachel and Jessica will be happy to hear about this. Also, I am anticipating how long Sabrina and Kenneth will last despite Sabrina's two-faced attitude.

END OF CHAPTER 12