Chapter Text
Zoe was at the airport waiting with her parents for their flight to board. She couldn't say she was excited to go to Korea to see family but she also wasn’t opposed to it. Maybe when she got back she would have something cool to talk about for the stupid papers every teacher seemed to assign asking about what everyone did during summer. Who knows she might make some friends if she was lucky but she didn’t get her hopes up. She curled up in her chair scribbling in a sketchbook to pass the time when finally the PA chimed overhead “now boarding flight 180 to Seoul at gate 5”. She took a deep breath and let out a sigh as she got up and threw her sketch book into her carry on glancing over to her parents making sure they had everything. “Are you excited to see oe-halmeoni?” her mother asked with a smile. Zoey shrugged and her parents started walking toward their gate.
After a long flight, a boring drive, and a short walk up the path they had arrived at her grandparents house. It was nice, big, and elegant in a way that said they had cash to blow. She remembered her mother saying something about six bedrooms, four bathrooms and all sorts of other things but she couldn’t care less. After brief exchanges with her grandparents she was excused to go explore as she was told “the adults need to talk”. Great, she had been dragged along to see family and the first thing they said was for her to find something to do away from them. She brought her bag to the room she was staying in and unpacked a few things but quickly found what she wanted. Her trusty skateboard was ready to go and she was itching to see if there was anywhere good nearby to shred.
Luckily a quick search on her phone told her there was a skate park 2 miles away. That was nothing for her, especially when she rode around LA for hours to find somewhere with enough space to practice her tricks without wiping out into the street. She was out the door and rolling down the street a few minutes later enjoying the scenery and clean air. She took a deep breath enjoying how fresh and cold it felt in her chest. The world felt calm around her as she heard birds chirping and only the occasional car passing by. It was so serene that she couldn't help but relax. If it weren't for the fact she had to push every few minutes she swore she would fall asleep standing on her board. Soon enough she spotted it. A small skate park with a few rails to grind, a ramp, and a bowl that looked like it was calling her name. The park wasn't very crowded either. There was a group of a couple guys but only one seemed to have a board or anything at all to ride and two girls were watching their stupidity.
The boy currently attempting to ride the skateboard was tall, kinda broad in the shoulders with pink hair and his shirt seemed to do anything but stay in place exposing toned abs underneath. He seemed to be attempting an olly when it went wrong and it just smacked into his shin and he hollered in pain as he grabbed his leg and pulled it to his chest hopping on one foot. Zoey cruised by and dropped into the bowl. She just went back and forth only doing nose stalls in between. That's when she noticed the girls had shifted their attention to her while the boys kept attempting tricks on their board. She smirked and decided that if the boys weren't shaping up she would give these girls a show. She popped out of the bowl and went over towards the ramp popping a 360 flip and landing perfectly. She then gilded over to a rail and popped up the board for a tail slide so effortlessly and then landed a little harder than expected but it still only made her wobble a little. At this point the boys had started to notice too as she continued to pop and land trick after trick like it was second nature.
Zoey loved the feeling inside her like electricity as she could feel the board beneath her like an extension of her body. There was nothing anyone could do to shake her confidence when she was in the zone and an audience just made it better. She could feel her heart speeding up in her chest and her skin start to sweat as the physical toll was starting to build. It wasn’t that she wasn’t used to doing this for hours on end but she wasn’t used to back to back tricks and making it a performance. She kept going and her heart started to pound inside her as she kept hitting the ramp and rails over and over. It wasn't until she felt the first trail of sweat run down her face that she glided back over to the bowl and dropped in to go back to casually skating. The the electricity she felt in her bones started to go away. That's when all 5 of them came over to her and she was a little surprised but she popped up out of the bowl and mall grabbed her board. “Um, what's up?” Zoey was a little nervous to talk to them but she had to try. A tall boy with black hair spoke first “where did you learn to do all that?". She gave a soft smile “uh, mostly trial and error. Skate culture in Cali can be a little agro and gate keepy”. They all looked at her for a moment a little confused “uh, Cali?”. It dawned on her that maybe they had never heard someone refer to California that way “oh um, I’m from California. I usually just say Cali because it's easier”.
A girl with purple hair moved up and kinda pushed the guy away “you're from California?” she sounded so excited over the admittance. Like somehow it made her magical or special. “Yeah, my parents dragged me here for the summer to see family”. She could see the other girl tall with long pink hair looking her over with an intense look in her eyes. The one with purple hair spoke up again “hey, so if you're only here for the summer that means you don't have any friends here right?”. It felt like more of a punch to the guts than it should have. This stranger wouldn’t have known but not only did she not have friends here but there wasn't any waiting for her back home either. “Yeah, no I um… only know family here and even that is minimal”. “Well, you seem pretty cool, would you wanna be friends even if its just for the summer?”. Zoey was very caught off guard at that because she thought they would just say cool tricks and then be on their way. That's when the second girl with long pink hair spoke up “we could show you around or whatever”. A boy with a baby face and blue hair spoke next “and maybe you could help us not look so hopeless on our board”. She chuckled a little ”well, my name's Zoey” “I'm Rumi and that's Mira” she gestured to the girl with pink hair “sup”. The boy with the black hair spoke next “I'm Jinu, and this is Abby and Baby." The other boys gave acknowledged nods.
“So were you gonna kick it here all day or do you wanna tag along with us to go get some boba?” Jinu said it with a smile that felt full of mischief. Zoey was a little hesitant because firstly she had just met these people.Secondly she didn’t know where anything was and she could see herself getting lost easily. She decided to take the chance “sure, sounds good. Let me just update my parents”. If she disappeared she would at least give them a place to start. After a quick text the boys started walking and Mira and Rumi fell to the back with Zoey. “So how old are you if you don't mind me asking?” Rumi punctuated it with a soft smile that seemed to make her eyes sparkle. She was trying to play it cool even though inside she was so excited to be hanging out with people that seemed to be her age. “I'm 17, my birthday was last month”. “Me and Rumi are 18” the way Mira spoke so cool and unreadable but made Zoey curious to know if it was a mask or if she was secretly a softy. “So how far is this boba place?” Zoey was still a little hesitant about traveling with these people but how do you make friends if you don't give strangers a chance? Rumi answered quickly “It's about a 10 minute walk, the skate park is like the end of all the fancy homes and into the shopping district downtown. It's like a pause to stop and breathe before the city”. Mira nodded before adding on “yeah, and because it's summer it's not supper busy”. They heard Jinu groan in response “well, at least you girls get to enjoy that, we're stuck in summer classes”. Rumi stuck her tongue out with a taunting smile.
Rumi and Mira started to point out a few of their favorite shops as they entered the shopping district. Lots of shops with slow but steady traffic when they finally made it to the boba shop and walked in. They all piled into line and Zoey looked at the menu. She decided on a taro tea smoothie with extra boba and extra sweet. They all ordered their drinks and took a seat at a booth inside. Abby sat on one side and Mira on the other. Being stuck in between two people made her feel a little squished but she could handle it. She sipped her drink and she caught Mira out of the corner of her eye looking at her drink. She decided to strike up conversation first “have you tried taro before?". Mira shook her head “is it good? It looks like it does”. She held the cup out for her “try some”. Mira seemed caught off guard but I guess someone you just met letting you try their drink would. She hesitated for a moment but she leaned in and took a small sip. Her face turned to something thoughtful like she was trying to decide if she liked it or not. “It's ok I guess”. Mira went back to her own drink and listened in on what Baby and Rumi were discussing.
Jinu’s phone started to ring and he stepped away to answer. Zoey took a moment to really look around the shop and noticed how faded the yellow walls were. It was as if whenever the shop changed they left the walls the same. You could see every kick, scratch and chunk taken out of the wall by people walking by, furniture digging in, and dirty hands against it. They had a few cute little posters of chibi milkshakes with smiles too wide. The fake wood floor looked worse for wear as it had gouges from chairs sliding. She was brought back to the conversation as Jinu returned and addressed the table “well ladies, we have to go, Abby's parents are freaking out and you know how that goes". Zoey gave a soft goodbye as the boys got up and left, leaving her with Rumi and Mira who seemed to be in their own little world. Instead of trying to join the conversation she just listened. The cool casual laughter from Mira as Rumi talked about an old story. The way Rumi looked so animated talking with her hands. Zoey got a warm feeling of relaxation to wash over her as she sipped the end of her drink.
Mira looked at her from the corner of her eye every so often, not even interrupting Rumi herself. She noticed how when she would look back at Rumi she seemed to soften just a little more every time till Rumi finally interrupted herself “wow, sorry I didn’t mean to ramble”. “No you're fine, I thought it was fun listening to you talk” Rumi's smile quirked up in the corner, probably relieved she hadn’t bored her to death. “So what's school like in America?” Mira asked before shifting to face her better “well, its mostly boring to be honest, I spend most of my time drawing when I’m not stuck in classes”. Mira gave a small nod “what kind of stuff do you draw?”. “Mm, mostly people but also a little bit of fashion when it strikes me. I’m not some amazing designer but when inspiration hits I like to sketch it out”. Rumi got excited “oh, that's so cool, Mira actually loves to sew and design her own clothes”. “Yeah but I don’t think its really something to brag about, it used to be like an essential skill to make your own clothes” Mira was humble even if nowadays it was impressive. Zoey wondered what kind of clothes she designed and how she put things together because she had seen people make patterns for cosplay and she knew it got crazy sometimes.
Zoey's phone chimed and she checked the notification. It was her dad, they were asking her to come back to spend time with her grandparents. Zoey grumbled and sighed “uh, my parents texted me to go back home. This was fun though, thanks”. Zoey got up to leave but Rumi spoke up “hey, let me give you my phone number so we can text and meet up again sometime”. Zoey was a little surprised. She thought her nerves about joining them made her awkward but here Rumi was trying to keep her around “oh for sure”. Zoey pulled out her phone and opened it to add a new contact before passing it to Rumi. After which she passed to Mira who also added her number. After it was passed back she shot them both a quick text to make sure they put their numbers in right and all was well. After that she walked out and pulled up her GPS home. At least the way back was all down hill so she would be able to coast.
Zipping home felt different than the ride to the park. Instead of the weight and dread of the summer she felt light and hopeful about it now. She hopped to herself that Rumi and Mira would invite her out to stuff and she didn’t want to seem desperate about it, but she was also just so excited that she swore she was gonna have to tone it down around them. She didn’t wanna be too much, too overwhelming in the way that drove everyone back home away. She hated that feeling and now the thought weighed heavy in her chest. She breathed just a little more shallow at the thought that they wouldn't like her over the top enthusiasm and excitement. That they would tell her to relax and get annoyed with her when she didn’t. She took a deep breath to calm herself because she could already feel the anxiety blooming in her chest. Her overthinking that left her shaky and spiraling. Now wasn’t the time for that though, she needed to focus on getting home.
She eventually reached the front door and propped her board up on the porch before walking inside. Her family was gathered in the living room talking and it was her grandmother to address her first “Zoey, my sweet girl did you have fun exploring?”. Zoey walked over and sat down “yeah, I even met some people my age. These two girls named Rumi and Mira an-” her grandmother cut her off “oh, you already met one of the neighbors? Rumi lives a few doors down with her mother and auntie. She helps me garden sometimes” Zoey was surprised. She figured they lived nearby but not that close and somehow this girl already knew her family without her knowing. It was a little weird but normal enough “Does Mira or Jinu live by?”. Her grandmother shook her head “I don’t think so, I don’t believe I even recognize the names”. Zoey's mom gave her a warm smile “see, look at how fast you're making friends. We haven't even been here a whole day yet”. Zoey shrugged as the conversation moved on to talk about the flight and what she was doing in her free time back home.
Soon enough they headed out for dinner as it was getting late and they wanted to go somewhere before everything good closed. Dinner at a mom and pop soup shop before heading home and getting ready for bed. Zoey changed into a loose t-shirt and some lounge pants then hit the lights and plopped into bed to scroll on her phone.A minute later a notification popped up
You have been added to a group: park friends
Rumi:
Hey, wanted to make a chat where all three of us could hang and chat
Mira:
Cool
Rumi:
Me and Mira are gonna catch a movie tomorrow and want to know if you wanna join us???
Zoey was already excited and wanted to respond immediately but she reminded herself that she needed to be chill and low key. Don’t scare them away before you even hang out. She took a breath and slowly let it out reminding herself to be calm.
Zoey:
Yeah, sounds like fun. I'm not free till like 1 though. Family stuff
While she may have been trying to seem chill Rumi responded fast
Rumi:
Cool, we’ll talk about where to meet up in the morning. Have a good night!
Zoey was so excited now. Her whole body was tingling with excitement. She hadn't had to text first or invite them out. She couldn't wait for tomorrow and wanted it to come sooner so she plugged in her phone and rolled over pulling the blankets over herself and snuggling in. The exhaustion of travel luckily settled over her because then she was out like a light.