We Are Friends!

Prologue + Characters Basic Info

Ray woke up to the sound of his alarm. He didn't immediately get up from his bed -- he took his time, staring at the ceiling. The alarm kept blaring, but it wasn't enough to snap Ray out of his thought. He eventually stopped spacing out and got off his bed. He looked at his nightstand and saw a sticky note attached to the lamp -- it was attached there by his mother.

He took the note and read it;

I might be late tonight, but don't forget to take your meals. - Mom

Getting up from his bed, Ray crumpled the paper and threw it into the bin before picking up his glasses from the nightstand. He put it on, walked toward the window, and pulled the curtains, letting the morning sunlight into his room. He went downstairs afterwards and immediately headed for the kitchen to make himself a bowl of cereal.

"I'm working late tonight because a friend is sick, so if mom doesn't come home, make sure to lock every door, okay?" Lynn, Ray's older sister, reminded him while fixing her hair. Ray hummed in response before grabbing a bowl from the rack. He didn't think about it much since he was used to being alone a whole night -- his mother worked as a doctor, so she was rarely home at night, and Lynn worked part-time at a convenience store (7-Eleven), covering for her coworkers when they couldn't work.

After making himself a bowl of cereal, Ray went to the dining room and sat there to eat. He could hear the door opening and then closing as he continued to eat in silence. Once Ray finished his breakfast, He put the bowl in the sink and returned to his room, getting ready for school.

Meanwhile, Rose went to the bathroom to get ready for school as soon as she woke up. After being in the washroom for almost half an hour, she finally stepped out and started changing into her school uniform. After changing, she grabbed her school bag from her study table and went downstairs to join her parents for breakfast. Her parents were talking at the dining table, and when they saw Rose approaching, they urged her to sit down.

Once Rose was seated, she looked at her parents, "what is it?" she asked.

Her father looked at his wife before nodding, "today will be the last day you are going to that school," he stated.

Rose tilted her head, "what? Why?"

"We are moving out of this town," said Rose's mother, and Rose stared at her mother for a few seconds -- it looked as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she just nodded.

"Oh."

...>>><<<...

It had been fifteen minutes since the last subject finished, and almost all the students had left the classroom, except for Younghwan, Jungwoo, Ray, and Rose -- there were Joy and Yuna as well, but they went to the toilet. Rose contemplated for a few minutes whether she should tell them or not. In the end, she did tell them.

"You are lying," Younghwan was the first to voice his reaction after Rose dropped the news. Rose shook her head in response. "You are moving out? Why--" he stopped talking when he felt someone squeezing his shoulder gently. Younghwan looked at the person and sighed. It was Jungwoo, and he was pointing at Ray using his mouth. Younghwan looked in the direction he was pointing and saw Ray looking at Rose, deadpan.

"Why?" asked Ray.

Rose looked at him before sighing, "My father got transferred to another police station," she answered.

"But, can't you stay?" Joy, who had just entered the classroom, asked with a frown.

Rose turned her attention to her, "I wish I could, Joy... but my mom wanted us to be there together."

Ray got up from his seat, picked up his bag, and walked toward the door. "Well, if she has to move, we should respect her decision," he exclaimed, and they looked at him, shocked to hear what he said. They watched him walk out of the classroom.

"Where are you going?" Jungwoo asked.

"Home," Ray said before continuing to walk.

"Is that how you react when your crush is transferring?" Joy asked him. Ray held the doorframe and turned to look at her, flashing a smile before walking again.

...>>><<<...

Later that night, Ray, Lynn, and their mother, Mrs Zhang, gathered in the dining room, having their dinner. While Lynn and Mrs Zhang were enjoying the food Lynn cooked, Ray kept poking the piece of meat using his chopstick. When Mrs Zhang noticed what Ray was doing, she put her chopsticks down, "Sweetie, what's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

Ray looked at his mother before shaking his head. "Come on, tell me."

Lynn looked at her mother and then at Ray. She cleared her throat, "he is sad because Rose is moving out," she answered in Ray's place.

Mrs Zhang looked at Lynn, "is it true?" she asked, looking at Ray again. Ray didn't say anything, and Mrs Zhang waited for him to talk.

Ray put his chopstick down, got up, and walked toward the stairs, "I'll be in my room," he said. He walked up the stairs and ignored his mother, who was calling for him. Ray quickly entered his room. He walked toward the window, opened it, and walked through it to sit on the roof.

...>>><<<...

...CHARACTERS...

...Xiao Zhang / Rainier James Zhang...

...- 15 years old (Prologue - Chapter 1)...

...- Football (Soccer) player...

...Roseanne Park...

...- 15 years old (Prologue - Chapter 1)...

...- Cheerleader...

...Hwang Jinwoo...

...- 15 years old (Prologue - Chapter 1)...

...- Swimmer...

...Joy Lou...