| Fan Fiction |
by Arabel
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I found a store that specialized in making baseball caps... I went in to browse. I went up the guy working at the machine sewing something on to a hat.
"You can make custom ones?" I asked watching the machine zoom in quick movements.
"Yes. Costs a pretty penny though young lady." He said glancing at me.
"How long does it take?"
"Depends on how complicated it is."
"How much and how long would two letter be?"
"Estimation would be thirty-forty minutes. 80-90 dollars. Depends on the style of the letters, some are harder than others." He was almost done.
"What are the different styles?" I watched as he looked at his finished work and put it on the counter for the other guy to bag it and wait for the person to pick it up.
"Look here." He told me to come look at his computer screen. I scanned through them and decided to have the graffiti style and gave the guy a hundred bucks to have it done with 'YB' on it. I also asked if I could have some string. I gave him another ten dollars for it. He told me to wait 30 minutes somewhere before I came back.
I left and went to a electronics store next door. I bought a new radio. It held five CDs... It was also a very pretty shade of blue. It would look great in my room. My room color pallets were white, black, neutrals, and soft blues.[being a daughter of an interior designer gets to you]
I came back and her was done. I took the hat and the extra piece of long string. I borrowed a needle he didn't need and started sewing on the interior of the pretty, black hat using white string. I chose to sew in Korean letters because it was easier. It wasn't very easy.
When I was done, I had sewn 'Happy Birthday -Sae Ri-'. He better appreciate the gift or I'll hate him forever. I actually worked on this gift a bit! That's an honor if you asked me. I borrowed one of the mall carts to carry the radio and CD and the hat as well.
I bought a few funny shirts. Stopped by Victoria Secret for more underwear, Sae Ho stole three of them to play slingshot with his friends. I also bought a few pajamas too. Their material is so soft and comfortable!
I saw an off white rug that looked really soft. I ended up buying it. I hadn't shopped in months. I've been too lazy.
I had 20 minutes to get back. I turned the cart around and went back to the food court. I was first so I bought ice cream at marble slab. The next to arrive was Sae Ho. He had a cart too. He bought a new TV. A few basketball shorts, a few new DVDs, and a transformers action figure...
"Mom here yet?" He asked plopping down next to me. We spoke English to each other.
"Of course, that's why there's this one visible cart here and more invisible ones. How little do you think she -- did she buy the whole decor store?!" I exclaimed standing up to see umma coming pushing a cart towards us and 4 more carts being pushed by the workers and security guards. All of them overfilled.
"Hey kids!" Umma huffed coming to us. "Think I got enough?" She asked stealing a bite of my ice cream.
"Are you decorating the whole house?!" Sae Ho said, also taking some of my ice cream.
"No! Silly! Just the guest rooms! I want them to feel at home!" She stood up again. "Let's go! We have lots of work ahead of us!" She directed every one behind us to follow.
We had to push the whole last row seats down and one of the seat in the middle row to fit everything in there. Umma left a hefty tip to each of them.
When we got home, we had to put our stuff in our rooms quickly and then help umma carry the bags. Appa was in one of the rooms trying to put the bunk beds together but he was always bad at handy work. We threw him out and told him to cook some food. He gladly obliged.
Sae Ho took care of the bunk bed in the bigger bedroom while I put together the other one--and supervised umma take apart the bed already in there. I finished and helped umma put the mattresses on the beds. I put rugs in random places. Posters that she thought they might liked on the walls. Put up dark blue curtains. Made the beds and stacked hangers in the closet. Placed a long mirror on the wall next to the closet.
We placed Sae Ho's old TV in here. The finishing piece was a laundry hamper on the other side of the closet. Everything was black, white and green.
We went to see how Sae Ho was doing. He had the beds done, and the mattresses were on them. He was still trying to put the bed sheets on them. I pulled him off the bed before he tore it.
"Go help appa." I said turned the bed cover and started putting it on. Then I climbed to the top bunk to do that one too.
In a few minutes appa and Sae Ho walked in with brownies and milk. Snacks! I stopped rolling out the rug and grabbed a chunk and glass and downed it quickly and went for the next piece. My dinner was marble slab ice cream! It was Eleven when I had to stop to sleep. I had school tomorrow. Umma had to finish it up on her own. I woke up fifteen minutes later than usual and had to hurry. I ran out behind Sae Ho so he could drive us to school like usual.
I'm sixteen and in the same grade as my older brother. He failed fifth grade and seventh grade. He's supposed to be in second year of college--not senior year of high school. He's the typical school jock in the movies. Bullies the weak, stupid. Buff. Dates the cheerleaders. Plays every sport at school and excels. Mainly because dancing isn't one of the sports. Has no rhythm at all. I'm the female version of him--except smarter, better looking, does not bully, can dance, and my muscles aren't as formed. Nor am I as tall as him. I'm only 5'4". Normal. About every guy in my family tops 6' so I'm a mega shorty compared to them. Young Bae oppa tops me by 4-5".
"SHERI!" My best friend called out when she saw me. She seemed to be waiting on the benches outside the school for me.
"What?" I said headed towards her.
"Did you finish the Calculus problems?"
"In class." I said grabbing my homework from my bag knowing where she was meaning to get. "What don't you get?" I sighed sitting with her.
"After multiplying this, then subtracting that from this, do I move that number there?"
"No. You move it there, then you divide it by that. It's the same for numbers 4-9. You got 1-3 down perfectly. 10-15 has a similar mistake. You weren't supposed to subtract it, you were supposed to add them. 16-20 are only asking you for the equation, but the whole thing being worked out might prove it I guess. That's all." I said letting her glance at my paper. I don't approve of cheating, I teach them.
The rest of the day went on dully from there.
I arrived home with Sae Ho like usual to our house all decorated in festive junk. Dad was cooking. Mom was freaking out. We looked at each other and sighed. We went upstairs to change.
I saw a white dress on my bed waiting for me. I changed into and wore skinny jeans under it. I wore my white ballet flats. This is as dressed up as I will get.