Walls

College Plans

One year later:

Yo's POV

"Ming! I got in!" I screamed my excitement to the skies. I've worked hard over the last year to make sure that my grades are the top of my class and I've put a lot of time and energy into improving my image. After my disastrous first attempt at confessing my feelings, I never wanted to feel like such a loser again. Now I've gained admittance to the same university as Pha. I knew he liked girls, but I just wanted to be able to see him.

Gone were the big, black glasses that engulfed my face. I wore contacts now. Gone was the acne that had been plaguing me for the last three years. I'd gone to a dermatologist to learn how to take better care of my skin. Gone were the braces — replaced by straight, white teeth. I also spent time with Ming everyday working out in an effort to build some muscle and feel more confident about my body. Even with all the changes, I knew I still wasn't good looking. But I wasn't as ugly as I used to be and I just had to be satisfied with that.

"Are you even surprised?" Ming asked me, putting his arm around my shoulders and looking at the acceptance letter on my computer screen, "You knew you were going to get in. If you hadn't already been accepted because of your outstanding grades and winning personality, your dad would just buy the school and you'd have no problems."

"Don't be stupid, Ming. My dad would never buy a school just because I didn't get accepted," I said, rolling my eyes at him. Actually he probably would have tried. My mom died when I was little and I was my dad's whole world. Whatever I wanted, he would buy, trade, or kill to get for me and I knew it. I had to be very careful not to casually talk about things that I wanted or I'd have to live with the guilt when he went bankrupt fulfilling my every whim. If I even expressed an interest in something, my dad would buy it for me without a second thought.

Once, when I was about 10 years old, I told my dad that I thought playing the piano sounded cool. It was an offhand comment from a child, but my dad immediately went out and bought a grand piano, installed it in our new "music room" (which I think had been used for parties and dances when my mother was still alive), and hired an accomplished pianist to teach me to play. I took lessons for 7 years, and was told that I had progressed so well that I could go to the Music Faculty at my chosen university, but I opted for Science. So now, playing piano was just a hobby and the grand piano in our music room was mostly quiet.

"Yo!" Ming shouted at me. Right in my ear.

"Ming!" I shouted back, getting revenge by deafening him too.

"Geez, I just wanted to ask how long it's been," Ming responded with a lower tone. He was plugging his ear with his finger, and like me, he was probably wondering about permanent hearing loss.

"How long it's been since what?" I asked with exasperation. "How long since I had my last hearing test? I'll be making an appointment for tomorrow, thank you very much."

"How long since you've seen P'Pha," Ming burst out laughing at his own joke, like he's the funniest guy in the world. I'm actually pretty sure he thinks he qualifies.

"Shut up, Ming!" Ever since I was stupid enough to tell Ming about my hopeless crush on Pha, he's been constantly teasing me. But since he's my best friend, he's been supporting me and comforting me as well. "It's been just over a year."

"Just think, Yo," Ming continued with a smirk on his face, "in another month you'll be going to the same university with the man you love."

"Just think, Ming," I teased in response, "in another month you'll be going to the same university with a whole new selection of girls for you to date."

"You're right!" Ming said as though this was a revelation, "I should make sure to spend an extra hour at the gym for the next couple of weeks, just to make sure I'm in top form."

"I'm sure all those innocent, young eyes will thank you for thinking about their viewing pleasure," I said, not even bothering to disguise my sarcasm. Ming started laughing again.

Unfortunately for me, after Ming brought up my hopeless, one-sided love, I wasn't really in the mood for laughing.

"Yo," Ming calmed down enough to respond to me seriously, "no matter how P'Pha feels, you're worthwhile without him."

Even though he's sometimes annoying, loud, and impossible, Ming is my best friend and he always makes me feel better.