I knew that she definitely had a high school degree. But she couldn't have a college degree considering she was here with me.
...That meant that she had scraped up enough money while she was a teenager to not have to worry about expenses AND chase her dreams. All before 20.
...No wonder she kept saying she could have made it big in my past life. She really had all the right resources. She just... didn't have an anchor to keep her ambition in check.
After all, her parents... my maternal grandparents. They were... well, 'negligent' would be kind. Toxically abusive would be more fitting.
Never got along with them.
And at the time Auntie Yue needed my mom, my younger brother had just been born.
In her early 20s, my beautiful and ambitious Auntie Yue was running around the entertainment industry trying to make it big when it was still very much anti-Asian and pro-sex favors to make it big.
Yeah.
She never talked about that time of her life. But I could always tell Auntie Yue was broken in some way in my past life.
But not here. Never here.
Mm, let's refocus.
Right, so Auntie Yue was settled. I'd still keep tabs, but considering how much she doted on me and loved me, she wouldn't be doing anything that would risk losing me or being separated from me.
Hm. I'd have to figure out how to handle the parts where she had to go film and act.
Well, I was already confirmed a prodigy by Ms. Blumgren. I'm sure we could work out an independent study thing or something.
School was a wash anyway. Nothing mattered until high school, and that was in the bag SO long ago.
I was ready for it. AP Exams, IB exams... I was going to rack up SO much college credit...
But anyway. School was pretty much just a forced cutscene for me every day.
I showed up, pretended to have fun with some of the other kids, let them follow me around while I did things like little ducklings, and then headed home not learning anything new.
Mm... Maybe today would be different.
===
Like usual, Auntie Yue dropped me off at Brookhaven Elementary.
I headed to my classroom, joined by a gaggle of kids in my grade jabbering about various things while I smiled and pretended to listen.
The usual routine.
But there was something different today.
As I sat down in my usual seat in class, Ms. Blumgren walked to the front of the room with a new kid. Someone I'd never seen before.
"Class. Settle down for a bit." Ms. Blumgren smiled and said, "We have a new friend joining us today. Say hello to April."
The moment I heard that name, I snapped my pencil in my hand and stared at the new student.
April. Blonde hair, blue eyes. A face chubby from babyfat. Hair kept by a white ribbon in a loose ponytail.
She was different. But I'd recognize her anywhere.
...Maybe?
I kept staring at her. Then I flitted my eyes to the nametag on her yellow t-shirt.
'April' was written there.
But also 'Rose.'
April Rose.
The name of this transfer student.
The name of this cute young girl.
And the name of the girl I sat next to every day in high school who suddenly killed herself one day due to bullying.
April Rose.
The girl who I called a friend, who I wished I could have called more than a friend, and whose name I still remembered even twenty years after she had become nothing more than a gravestone and a ghost in my memories.
And here she was.
Here.
A child.
In a place I didn't remember her being.
...No.
...She was always here.
A sudden recontextualization.
Interactions that suddenly made sense.
An ease that I always had in talking with her. A comfort that she always had with me. And a hesitance that she always seemed to have when talking about the past.
"Fu-dge."
A kid nearby giggled, probably realizing I almost slipped.
But I ignored him.
Instead, I watched as Ms. Blumgren walked April over to sit in the empty desk beside me.
She blushed and gave me a shy wave. "H-Hello." She nervously tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and said, "I-I'm April. Nice... to meet you."
'Oh! Hi! I'm April! ...Have we met? It's nice to meet you though!'
Another voice, another time.
I set aside the faint tinge of sorrow and nostalgia. Instead, I put on a bright smile and held out my hand. "I'm Alex Li. Nice to meet you, April. We'll be best friends. I promise."
April blinked. Then she let out a soft smile and shyly shook my hand. "Okay, Alex. Let's... be good friends?"
Ms. Blumgren smiled and said, "Alex will help catch you up on things. He's a smart one. Right class?"
"Yeah!"
"Alex is the best!"
"No fair! I want Alex to do my homework too!"
The classroom burst into activity as my peers started acting up.
But I kept staring into April's eyes.
She stared back, blushing. "W-What is it?"
I shook my head. "Nothing. Just... you're very kind, April."
Right.
That was why.
She was always too kind. Too soft to make it through being bullied.
And too good a person to have anyone around who truly knew her.
Well, not this time. Not this life.
I smiled. "Let's get along."
"Y-Yes?" April blinked, confused at how I was acting.
I just kept smiling and let go of her hand. "Come on. Class always starts with a word of the day..."
I gently brought her attention back to class and walked her through the day's activities.
===
"Bye, Alex!" April let out a bright smile and waved as she was led away by her mother.
I smiled back at her and waved. "Take care, April."
A few other classmates waved me goodbye while I waited for Auntie Yue to arrive.
I didn't have to wait long.
Barely a minute after April walked off, Auntie Yue walked up behind me and said, "Did you finally make a proper friend, Little Fatty?"
I stood there for a bit, watching April get into her mother's car. Then I looked at Auntie Yue and said,
"Auntie. Do you believe in fate?"
Auntie Yue blinked and said, "Hm? What brought this on, Little Fatty?"
I shifted my gaze back towards the car driving away in the distance and said, "Mm... I was just thinking. I don't believe in fate. Or the red string of destiny. But I do believe in consequences. And today, I'm choosing to make sure that girl stays happy."
Auntie Yue blinked again. Then she tilted her head and said, "...Weird. It doesn't sound like a crush or something..." She reached out and poked my cheek. "...Have you been watching old kungfu movies behind my back?"
I laughed. "Maybe."
Auntie Yue took my hand and said, "Well, we can talk more about it on the ride back." After that, she led me to her black convertible, seatbelting me into the passenger side.
When I was settled in, I said, "How was your day, Big Sis?"
Auntie Yue started the car and said, "Calling me Big Sis again, huh? Don't think I forgot how you acted with the cute little white girl."
I rolled my eyes. "It's not like that. I just... have a feeling about her."
"Right. A feeling." Auntie Yue teased and started driving off. "But the day was alright. Just recorded and sent out more acting tapes. Heard back from a few places." She hesitated and said, "I might have to fly out soon though. You'll have to-"
"Great. I can go with Big Sis to explore then."
Auntie Yue blinked. "What?"
I looked at her and put on my best hopeful kid expression. "Can't I?"
Auntie Yue hesitated, shifting her gaze back to the road. "...It's not like you CAN'T come with me for filming. But-"
"Mommy and Daddy are out on a trip anyway, right? I'm stuck with Big Sis either way."