n’s POV


    The senior year, winter holiday, 7 years ago…


    This year was myst year at Whitehill Academy as a senior in the 12th grade. Isn’t that great?! I smiled widely at myself in the bathroom mirror.


    “Ouch!” My cheek got nicked by the razor. “Oh, no, no. Damn.” I quickly dabbed at my bleeding cheek with a tissue.


    “rk! Get the hell out of there! It’s almost 7 p. m.!” My mom banged on the bathroom door.


    “Yeah, Mom! I’ll be out in a second! Just a little ident!”


    “Hurry up and put your clothes on! We’re going to bete!”


    “Yes, Mom!”


    Following her orders, I rushed to finish shaving, asionally pressing the cut on my cheek. When I was done, I stepped out of the bathroom, dried off, and put on my shirt and ck suit, not forgetting my favorite red bow tie.


    “Katching! You look cool!” I shot finger guns at myself in the mirror. Doesn’t it look great? My curly red hair matched perfectly with the red bow tie I was wearing.


    “rk! It’s already 7! Get down here now!”


    “Yes, Mom!”


    My mom yelled at me again from downstairs. I wasn’t sure why she was so excited about taking me out for Christmas dinner. Ever since Dad passed away, we usually just celebrated Christmas at home, just the two of us, without any kind of party. It was strange that she was taking me out this time.


    I hurried downstairs and found my mom by the front door. She red at me, her jaw clenched.


    “You’re taking forever like some kind of old bitch!” she snapped.


    “Wow.” I was used to my mom scolding me, but I wasn’t used to seeing her in a red dress with a low neckline, her hair done up with a few strands of long curls falling over her face. She was even wearing red high heels!


    “Mom, you look amazing,” Iplimented her as she put on her coat.


    “Save your ttery. We need to leave now,” she huffed.


    “Where are we actually going?” I asked, confused, as I followed her to the car.


    “Oh, for God’s sake. I’ve told you several times that we’re going out for dinner at a fancy restaurant.”


    “Wow, Mom. Did you win the lottery or something?” In all my life, my mom has never taken me to a fancy restaurant.


    “Yeah, let’s just say that.” She chuckled, patting my shoulder hard.


    ***


    “Listen, don’t talk too much. Answer if asked, but otherwise, keep your mouth shut.” My mom whispered in my ear as we walked into the restaurant.


    “Who exactly are we meeting?” I frowned, starting to feel ufortable with my mom keeping this a secret.


    “Oh, for God’s sake, stop talking, please.” My mom groaned. Just then, we arrived at a table where a waiter had led us.


    My eyes widened in horror. My mouth dropped open, and I hupped instantly. Amy?! The blonde-haired girl’s eyes also widened when she saw me.


    Beside the annoying blonde girl, an older man smiled at us. He even kissed my mom on the cheek and briefly wrapped his arm around her waist. What was going on?! My head was suddenly filled with imaginary chaos, as if a bookshelf full of my school books had exploded into mes.


    “rk?”From N?velDrama.Org.


    “Oh, yeah? Hick.”


    God, I couldn’t stop huping. We ate delicious steak, but I had trouble savoring it because of technical issues with my knife and fork that kept falling to the floor. Plus, the meat was tough to cut.


    “You and Amy go to the same school, right? Have you met before?” Mr. Schmidt asked me.


    “Yeah, we’ve been study partners in a chemistry study group since the first year. Hick.”


    Oh, God, this was really making me ufortable. We were now in Q&A mode, but I was still huping, and it was annoying! I drank a lot of water from my ss to try to get rid of the hups.


    “rk got caught up in a giarism case with one of my roommates on a final project, but I convinced the teacher to forgive them.”


    What?! Did I hear that right?


    Hearing Amy’s words, I somehow choked. Water went up my nose, and I started coughing, spraying water out of my mouth.


    “Ugh, gross,” Amy hissed, wrinkling her nose.


    “rk, are you okay, honey?” My mom grabbed a napkin and wiped the water from my chin and suit. She also attentively patted my back.


    “Yeah, Mom.”


    I wiped my nose and mouth. I coughed a few more times, but eventually I managed to get control of myself. Now that I was in a safe condition, Mr. Schmidt smiled again.


    “Are you okay, son?” Mr. Schmidt asked me.


    “Yes, sir. Thank you.”


    “Dad, wasn’t I so nice to him? Ever since then, I’ve always helped rk with his chemistry studies.” Amy cut in and tried to get her dad’s attention.


    “That’s good, Amy. It’s a noble thing to do. Everyone can make mistakes, but they just need forgiveness and a second chance.” The man patted Amy’s hand.


    “I’m so relieved and happy that you two are already getting along. This will make things much easier.” The manughed heartily.


    I sat up straight. It seemed like they were about to make an important announcement.


    “We met during your school’s early enrollment. Her high heels broke, and she fell in front of me while crossing the principal’s office lobby… One thing led to another, and we fell in love.”


    Oh, my God! Is this really happening?


    “We’re getting married!” My mom announced it joyfully with augh.


    “Oh, honey, you ruined the surprise.” The man alsoughed.


    “It’s okay, dear. They probably figured it out by now anyway.”


    In my whole life, I’d never seen my mom so happy. Her cheeks were flushed, her smile was wide, and she was giggling. She was fucking giggling!


    My mouth hung open. My eyes then shifted to Amy. Uh oh, she didn’t look happy. Her eyes narrowed, and her lips pursed. But it all happened in a split second because, after that, Amy cooed.


    “Aww, that’s such good news. I’m so happy for you, Dad, Mom.”


    Amy hugged her father. She also squeezed my mom’s hand and looked at her warmly. I rubbed my eyes for a moment, thinking I might have seen it wrong.


    “rk, say something. It’s rude not toment on good news like this,” my mom prompted me.


    “Oh, oh, yeah. Congrattions! I’m happy to hear that.” I stammered for a moment, but I finally managed to congratte them.


    “When will you get married?” Amy asked her father.


    “The first week of spring, right before you two go back to school,” Mr. Schmidt said shyly.


    “Oh, that’s not fair! You’re going on your honeymoon while we’re away.” They allughed at Amy’s joke, while I could only watch them, holding back the panic in my heart.


    Oh my God! Amy and I are going to be step-siblings this spring?!


    “Hick!”