How To Find A Boy-Fry In Toronto (Mini-Prequel to HTBTBTW)

The Pianist and The Violinist

JASMINE hopped into the car, ready to spend the next few hours by herself, away from everything. Her mother started the car as she shuffled in the back seat, laying the violin case beside her.

She stared at the case as her mother backed out of the driveway. Was she crazy if she wanted to be a musician? Not that she had a choice about her life anyways. Her mother had her future carved in stone.

She was going to become a neurologist. Nothing else.

Unlike her father who had left and started his own family, she was not about to disappoint her mother. No.

They drove to the front of the entrance. As she grabbed her violin and stepped out of the car, she softly said, "Bye mum, see you later."

Her mother gave her a small smile, one that a normal person might not notice, but she did. That was enough for her. Her mother drove off and left her staring wide-eyed at the large doors.

She entered the centre and made her way to the auditorium. It was empty, just like she expected it to be. It was the one place where she truly belonged.

It felt like home.

She took her place on the stage and began to play. She played one of the songs that she knew by heart. She didn't have to look at any sheet music, instead she played with her eyes closed. Her heart felt like singing at that moment.

She had been playing the violin even before she could speak fluent english. She and her mother moved to Canada when she was five. She wanted nothing more than to be a million miles away from Hong Kong, away from the very apartment where her dad packed his bags and left them for his mistress.

Once in a while, they'd go back to visit her mother's friends. Though every piece of beauty in the country was destroyed by that one memory. Her only escape was the melody that she found in her instruments, eight of them actually.

She absolutely loved the piano, but the violin just spoke to her in a way that nothing else ever could.

She played until her arms felt like jelly. She took a seat in one of the chairs and stared at the stage. She was a known child prodigy, she was scouted by numerous companies in North America, she should be happy.

That's what everyone thought.

Since she was a child, her mother made it so that she could be a musical genius, but she was never allowed to pursue a career in music. Logic? She never understood the logic behind Asian parents.

She was only allowed to keep playing if she studied endlessly. Before, she was never allowed to go out. Now that she didn't want to go out at all, her mother encouraged socializing. Apparently it was to build a better communicator out of her.

She took out her phone and stared at it for a while. This summer was a particularly boring summer. Usually, when her mum was at work, she'd go over to Lara's place. There was never a boring day at her house. Everyone was always doing something funny.

Unlike herself, Lara had a big family. She had sisters and two parents. Their house always seemed to be alive with laughter. It was always quiet at her own home. Her mother was usually close to her, but sometimes she'd be distant. Those times would last from a day to weeks.

Those were the worst times.

You'd think she'd be jealous of her best friend, but instead she was happy. Lara had everything from nice parents, awesome sisters, many friends, a nice house... She was glad that Lara had a good life because she was a part of it.

She felt like a part of her family when she came over. Without knowing it, Lara had shared her life with Jasmine.

Now that she was away for the summer, Jasmine still had Kiera and Carol, but it was different.