On the Way

story by Zoey Shih

illustrations by Tina Fang

“Come on Zoe, we gotta go. It’s 7:25 now, we’ve got only five minutes left for the meet.” My new roommate Ariel shouts through the doorway. “What? Can’t hear you!” I rush out of the bathroom, still holding my towel. “Never mind. Let’s go!” Ariel sighs, dragging me into the hallway. It is our first day at camp, which means we’re gonna meet a bunch of “strangers” who are supposed to be our “family” for the next two weeks. I peek at my watch—it is already 7:30! It’s the first day and we’re gonna ruin it. What’s worse, my hair is drenched, which makes me look as if I’d wandered in the stormy rain for three days. 

And now, we’ve just broken the very first rule: “Never be late.”

  As we dash into the lobby, twenty pairs of eyes stare at us, including the teachers. “You must be Zoe and Ariel.” A teacher in yellow T-shirt and blue jeans says disapprovingly. “Go join your team over there.” He points at some kids in the corner near the television. Ariel and I hurry up to join our team in awkward silence. 

It’s awful when you introduce yourself to a bunch of people in the morning, especially when your hair is still wet, but I’ve got no choice. After only a few minutes, it’s my team’s (the white team) turn to introduce ourselves. I’m so nervous that I mumble something like “Hellu everyune, my name is Hoe,” so Ariel ends up introducing me to everyone. I’m so embarrassed (mostly because of my hair) that I want to dig a hole and hide in it for a million years. While I am walking back to my seat, I notice a pair of eyes staring at me. I look up, and see a boy my age in  black shirt and jeans sitting across from me. He’s got a big bright smile on his face, which captivates my heart right away. When he finds me looking at him too, his smile grows even bigger. When he waves at me, I notice his red wristband. I wave back, meanwhile doing my best to hide my blushing cheeks. Then it’s his turn to go to the front. His voice is very soothing but so full of confidence. Then I learn he has a beautiful name that perfectly suits him—Jacob. 

  When we get down to business, I find myself in one of the worst teams in history ever. While the other teams are busy drawing their posters together, our team (if you could call it a team) just sits back and does nothing. As a team, we are supposed to prepare our coming presentation tomorrow, but none of our teammates seems to care about it. They just keep playing with their phones. I glance across the lobby, and find Jacob with his teammates. They’re building a model out of boxes to illustrate their topic. Jacob was born to be a leader. He’s got great talent in giving clear instructions and herding the sheep in his group in the right direction. I glimpse one last time at his teammates again, feeling totally jealous of them, and that’s when our eyes meet.

   It’s amazing that he can always see through me, like now. 

  He seems to notice the tiredness in my eyes, so he gives me a comforting big smile. Then he whispers something to his teammate and walks out of the lobby. Without any hesitation, I get to my feet and follow him. I feel privileged because it’s like there is a secret between only the two of us. Leaning against the wall outside the hotel under the chilly moonlight, I pour out all my frustration to him like a child. I tell him that I’m so tired of being the leader. I tell him that I have no idea how to organize my team. I tell him that I have stage fright—my brain stops working as soon as I spot the huge audience. And I’m worried about the coming speech tomorrow. My confidence is fading away every day and I could do nothing about it. He stares into my eyes while I am talking. The warmth in his eyes melts away all my worries and disappointment, leaving something firm and bright called “hope.” 

   While we take the elevator back to our rooms, Jacob takes off his red wristband with the Rockets on it and hands it to me. “Just be yourself on the stage. Don’t think too much. This band keeps me calm whenever I’m nervous.” he smiles, as bright as usual. “Sure it’ll do you the same!” he laughs as we walk out of the elevator.   

  On the way back to my room, I can still feel the butterflies in my stomach. As I step into the room, Ariel is checking her email on the bed. “ Where did you go?” she asks, putting down her phone. “Just strolling around.” I lie, still holding the wristband. “Have you taken the bath?” I ask, walking toward the closet and taking out the towel. I do not mean to keep my friendship with Jacob from Ariel, but I have no idea how to share my crush with her. My feelings are too fresh, too delicate to be put into words.

  Nobody seems to notice the wristband in the morning. I keep touching it during my speech, trying to absorb as much courage as I can from it. The speech turns out surprisingly good. After the morning lessons, we hop on the bus to the science museum. When I want to make it up to Ariel and ask her whether we can sit together, she has already taken the seat beside Michael, which really surprises me. Well, something is going on in her life as well. So I take the seat beside Jane, and that’s when it happens.

  We chat about some funny people and things, like how fast John talks when he’s nervous. Somehow Jane mentions that she saw a picture of Jacob and his potential girlfriend in his computer when they were preparing their presentation.

  I am stunned speechless.

  Tons of questions spin around in my head while we are walking around in the museum. Following everybody’s step, I can’t help but keep staring at Jacob. Go and ask him, a voice repeats in my mind. But what if he’s really got a girlfriend? Another voice protests. “Zoe?” someone shouts. “ Are you coming?” another voice chimes in. It is Jacob and Zack. “We’re going to take a look around the science museum, are you coming?” “Yeah, of course,” I answer quickly and race up to join them. We walk around the museum and accidentally find a cool room with much exhibition space. Zack goes to the bathroom when we are taking pictures of all kinds of weird rocks on the moon. 

  At that moment, Jacob and I lean against the barrier, staring at the glowing stars on the wall. Finally, I get up my nerve. “Jacob?” I ask, wishing to some degree he didn’t hear me. “Yeah what?” he does, though. “Do you ... Nah, nothing.” I act like a wimp. Part of me is afraid of hearing the answer, because I just want to stay in the way we used to be.

   When we walk through the dark hallway, I feel a hand holding mine. It is big and warm. Somehow the so-called potential girlfriend never seems to matter anymore. It’s just here and now.

    “So why not reach for it?” A loud and clear voice in me tells me to step forward.

B F or BF?

story by Sandra Yue

illustrations by Joyce Pan, Sharon Lin, and Sandra Yue

Every girl dreams of meeting her Prince Charming. When he comes, he’ll hold her hand and promise to love her forever.

  I also dreamed someone would light up my world. And that’s what Eric did.   We were in the same class during junior high school. We started the conversation because he had met one of my sisters before. She impressed him not only with her ample knowledge but also with her positive attitude. I felt jealous because I wished I could impress Eric like my sister did.

   Since we shared much in common, soon we became friends, though he is a boy and I am a girl. We helped each other with studies. I teased him when he complained about his poor basketball skills, and he joked with me every time when I forgot to bring my assignments.

  He played an important part in my junior high school life. I felt at ease with him. I could be who I really was without pretending to be the good girl everyone thought I was. With me, he often shared the dream that he had never told his other friends. For instance, he hoped he could study in MIT someday. To encourage him, I smiled and patted him on the shoulder saying, “I trust you, I know you can make it!” He looked surprised but returned a smile to me with gratitude.

  I felt my heart beating so fast. Though I was a bit embarrassed, it felt sweeter than candy.

   However, Eric had a lot of admirers for he was tall and cute. Besides, he was the best student in school. Many times when we two were sharing our jokes, some girls would stand at the window and waved at him. Though I acted like nothing had happened and teased him about his popularity, I felt bitter in my heart. As time went by, I even felt angry with him. I refused to talk to him though he came back and tried to make up with me. He looked confused and seemed hurt.

  I felt I wasn’t myself. I would often approach him for no reason. When he was beside me, I felt satisfied. It was not until we became eighth graders that I slowly realized that I liked him more than a friend.

  At the end of the semester, we were closer than before. We spent almost all the time at school with each other. We shared lunch together; he gave me funny nicknames, and we even used each other’s thermos without caring if the other classmates spotted us.

  Then summer vacation came, and so did his birthday. He had told me that he wanted to receive a birthday gift from me, and I promised him that I would.

  Since then, I couldn’t stop thinking what I should give him because it was the first time for me to prepare a gift for someone who meant more than a friend to me.

  At the beginning of the next semester, I went to school with excitement and anxiety. The present that I prepared for him was a cute dolphin key chain with a big smile on its face. I hoped it would make him happy whenever he saw it.

  On the first day of the new semester, when I stepped into the classroom and saw he was on his seat reading as usual, I realized how much I had missed him and how glad I could see him again.

  The whole day I tried to find time to give my gift, but he was always chatting with the others. Finally, at the end of the day, I pulled him aside before he was to go home and quickly gave him the gift. He looked so pleased that I blushed and ran away as fast as I could. But I was sure I heard him laugh happily and say “thank you” behind me. His smooth voice wafted in the air, filling with joy.

  That night, everything that had happened kept replaying again and again in my mind. I was too thrilled to sleep.

  The following day when I showed up in the classroom, he left his seat and came to me, whispering in my ear, “ Thank you for the gift. I have a surprise for you on your birthday too.” I could feel him breathe next to me, so I didn’t turn back. I could smell his sweetness even after he went back to his seat.

  I just couldn’t stop smiling.

  Though we kept a distance from each other in front of our classmates, someone still figured out what was going on between us. For them, making fun of us became their favorite pastime.

  At first, we didn’t mind, but one day after P.E. class, one of our classmates asked me, “ Hey, will you two still be together like this in twenty years?” I glanced at Eric without replying.

  Then a few days later, when I went to cram school, a naughty boy in our class greeted me, “Hi, Eric’s valentine.” He emphasized the word “valentine” and gave an evil grin. Everyone in the room heard his words, and all of them started giggling.

  When I tried to get help from Eric, he just turned away as if he didn’t see me. He must have felt uncomfortable. Then I saw the girl behind him pat him on the back. Their laughter sounded like a sharp needle, slowly stabbing into my heart.

  From that day on, an invisible line gradually tore us apart.

  I kept smiling every day, as usual. So did he, though I couldn’t tell if he felt pain inside. We didn’t talk unless necessary. I avoided every chance of being alone with him, and he had never talked to me first since then.

  But deep inside, I still believed in that birthday promise. I told myself everything would be fine, and I waited.

  Then, my birthday came.

  I practiced how to smile and how to thank him for the gift in front of the mirror for about a thousand times. I knew when it happened, fireworks would burst in the sky and we would be okay again.

  When I walked into the classroom, everyone was surprised to hear my cheerful “good morning.” Though some of them asked me what was going on, I kept the answer to myself.

  I spent the whole day waiting.

  When the day came to an end, I finally realized the cruel truth. I also understood how silly I had been.

  Something inside me broke, like those colorful bubbles that disappeared in the air. However, I laughed much more than any other day in school. Everyone thought that something good had happened to me. What they didn’t know was that if I didn’t keep smiling, I would totally break down.

  When I was ready to go home, one of my friends, Jonathan, came to me. He said, “Though you were smiling all the time, I know something wasn’t right.” He went on, “If you feel really bad, I can be your shoulder. You don’t have to look tough.” Upon hearing the words, tears flooded my face. He stayed with me until I felt alright. On the way home, we didn’t have any conversation, but the silence was soothing.

  After we graduated, I seldom saw Eric. Yet when we met in cram school once, we looked straight into each other's eyes without saying anything. He just smiled gently, and so did I. Then I walked by him as if that short and silent greeting hadn’t taken place at all. 

  I will never regret loving him, but I’m moving on.

The Next Prince Charming

story by Janice Chen

illustrations by Fei Lin

I am sixteen.  

  I go to a girls’ senior high school, and that explains why I don’t see boys most of the time. Not even men, because there are only two ordinary-looking male teachers no one is interested in. Poor us, don’t you think? 

  So it’s perfectly normal that, my classmates and I drool over handsome boys we see whether in real life or on TV. If they are gorgeous enough, they will have our hearts. This is the true colors of girls like us. 

  Oh! I forgot to tell you I am also a swimmer on the school team. In the beginning, I was drawn to the swim team by my passion for the sport, but after a while I found unexpected gains, that is, I have many opportunities to see sexy boys in swimming trunks because I inevitably come across them in competitions or train with them.

   During this past winter vacation, we had training in National Taiwan Normal University. On the first day, my classmate, Fifi, didn’t swim with us because she felt unwell after the warm-up exercise. Therefore, she just sat on the chair by the swimming pool taking a break. Suddenly I saw her eyes fixed somewhere! Wow! I turned to the object of Fifi’s attention: there were many boys swimming. Those boys had not only beautiful faces but also sturdy muscles. You could understand how excited we were. At that moment, all of my teammates’ eyes were glued to these really glamorous male human beings. 

  After finishing the training of the first day, Fifi started telling us about a boy she had spotted in the swimming pool on our way home. She said, “He has such a beautiful body! Every time he swims, his muscles are beckoning me to look at him. I can’t even control my eyes. Moreover, he has an elegant face just like that of any idol we dream of. If I get to know him, then I will be the luckiest girl in the world.” After listening to her words, we became so interested in the boy that we couldn’t wait to see him. 

  The next day, we ran into the swimming pool as fast as we could. Fortunately, he had already arrived at the swimming pool and started his training. We squinted our eyes for a better look: he swam in the third course, wearing a swim cap with the words─The Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University. Wow, it is a famous school, so he must be quite intelligent, I thought. I observed him so closely that I must have looked really strange. Hmmm ... I have to say he is so ATTRACTIVE. Now I could understand why Fifi was going crazy for him. I turned to Fifi, who was just next to me. Not surprisingly, Fifi could not see anything else except that boy. Fifi pretended she was still sick so she could stay by the pool to admire him. While she was happily feasting her eyes on the lovely boy, we had to do the tiring training. “It is not fair!” I murmured to myself. When we finished the training of the second day, we were all in a bad mood. We said angrily to Fifi, “Don’t forget what you should do now. The most important thing for you is to finish the training. Don’t fall head over heels in love and ruin your life.” Fifi just remained silent, and no one said a word on the way home. At one point I couldn’t help wondering, “Am I being too serious? Did I upset Fifi?’’ But the next second I changed my mind—I, Fifi’s best friend, blamed her for her own good. “What is the point of falling for a boy you hardly know?”

   On the third day, we took the MRT home just like yesterday. We chatted as if nothing had happened. Suddenly, Fifi stopped talking; she kept staring at someone. We turned our eyes where Fifi was looking. Now, I understood why Fifi couldn’t talk. The boy that she liked was standing there with another boy; I thought it was his teammate. They were chatting happily when we looked at them in confusion. To our surprise, Fifi walked forward and tried to get closer the boy. “Hey! Where are you going?” I said. Fifi just gave me a smile and said, “I am going to say hello to him.” Then she kept approaching the boy. The closer she got to the boy, the more nervous I felt for her. 

  But the next moment, Fifi and I saw something really shocking! Her face turned pale. Believe it or not, the two boys were so intimate with each other. In the end, their lips were stuck together. They got carried away by their passion and made out in public as if they were all alone. They hugged each other so tightly that we couldn’t bear to watch them anymore. I felt so worried about Fifi that I asked her carefully, “Are you all right?’’ Instead of saying anything, she replied with a blank stare.

  After the short crush, Fifi still loves watching cute guys, but something has changed. We never hear Fifi say she is eager to know someone. I think before her wound completely heals, she doesn’t want to take any risk for the time being.