Doofus ( Tyler X Reader )

Eight

I hear a knock on my door and open it to Mei holding up the flyer. I sigh and follow her towards the door.

"Okay, we're heading off to mathletes. See you later!" Mei says as we walk past the table of food.

Mom stops us. "Wait, what about dinner? I made all your favorites." She motions to the table with a mix of mine and Mei's favorite foods. We nearly drool all over the floor.

Mei shakes out of it. "Thanks but Miriam's dad is ordering pizza. Save us the leftovers?"

"Y/n, you're going too?" Mom asks skeptically.

"Uh... yeah! I wanted to use it as tutoring, y'know, get my grades up and such?" I shrug and grin nervously.

"Oh, o-okay, what if I come with you?" Mom asks as Mei drags me towards the door.

"Wha!?" Mei stops and turns to Mom.

"What are you doing? Linear equations? Geometry? I have a double-jointed elbow! Look! I can make a perfect circle!" Mom says quickly, swinging her arm in a perfect circle.

"Wow! Yeah, but it'll be super boring." Mei waves her hands.

"Yeah, wouldn't you rather hang with Dad?" I suggest.

"Oh." Dad says from the kitchen table, face stuffed with food.

"Let's get my flash cards." Mom drags us out the house. "I was mathletes champion in grade 8, you know. They called me the 'Uncommon Denominator.'"

"Cool! Oh, uh, Jade Palace is on tonight. Can't miss that right?" Mei attempts and continues to ramble on ways to stop mom as we walk through the temple.

"Now, who's the weak link? Priya and Abby seem bright enough, but... Miriam... I mean she's a nice girl, but maybe she's slowing you down."

"Mom, you really don't have to come, seriously!" I say.

"Don't be silly. We're already on the way."

Quickly, Mei slides in front of Mom and holds her hands out. "But I don't want you to!" She shouts, her voice bouncing off the shrine walls. She quickly covers her mouth and slowly meets Mom's eye as we stand in shock. She quickly tries to explain herself but we begin to hear rattling and loud voices outside.

The temple doors burst open and in come four women, all dressed uniquely. They swarm Mei and pinch her cheeks until they're red. I stand off to the side, never really around for family gatherings. I always make sure to leave the house as much as possible when family is here. It makes me anxious and the woman with the red lips intimidates me but also fills me with a familiarity that I can't place and it drives me mad.

"Aunties? What are you ding here?" Mei asks.

"The ritual, silly!"

"She's lost weight!"

"No, no, she gained weight."

"She looks like her mother!"

"She looks like her father."

"Ladies."

The four women stop bickering and make way for a fifth woman. She's older and has bright red lips as well as a scar nearing her eye. She walks up to Mei and Mom quickly dusts herself off.

"Mother." Mom greets.

The woman grabs Mei's face and squishes it around. "Hey grandma." Mei stutters.

"Poor dear. It must be so difficult keeping that unruly beast at bay." Grandma stands and takes her sunglasses off revealing more of her scar that splits her eyebrow and her blue eyelids. "Your family is here now, Mei-Mei. And we will take care of everything."