Chapter 7

Tenth Knot made a post. It's a fanfic about the basketball game. In that fanfic, Jae-sang basically kisses me to stop people from figuring out that he's actually on a date with Xufeng.

The readers are going wiiiiild.

Also, she left a veeeery long note reminding people that they shouldn't attack anyone that kisses the boys, because if they start doing that all the time, the boys will never kiss anyone else, and then they'll have no chance of ever actually kissing them.

She also wrote a long list of everything and everyone Jae Sang has kissed.

I kinda laugh at it again. She added more stuff than what she mentioned in her message.

She's really funny. I get why people like her stuff.

My phone rings not long after I'm done reading it.

"Did you see it? Did you see it?" Dorothy asks, without even greeting me.

"The Tenth Knot post?" I say innocently. I know that's what she's talking about, but I'm a troll.

"Yeeeees!" she answers, not impressed.

I laugh. "Yeah, I read it."

"How do you like it?"

I roll my eyes, staring at my ceiling. I'm still hiding in my room. I've got to say, I'm enjoying this. Now I have a reason to stay hidden in my room and not do anything. It's not because I'm useless and I have no idea what I'm going to do with myself. It's because I have angry fans out to get me.

But if things settled down... well that means I won't have an excuse anymore.

I shake my head, trying to ignore my inevitable future. "The story is ridiculous, but hopefully this will get people off my back."

"The story is beautiful, you just have questionable taste," my cousin snaps back.

"Jae-sang and Xufeng basically eye-fuck each other during the whole thing," I reply, thinking back to the story. I mean, I get why people enjoy the story, it's just sexual tension and horny people thrive on that. And if there's one thing you'll find easily on the internet, it's horny people.

"Lovingly. They eye-fuck each other lovingly," Dot corrects me, annoyed.

I wonder for a second if she'll stop calling me once this whole thing does blow over. I'll be okay if she does. I won't make a scene. It's been fun though. I'm okay alone, I don't need anyone, but it's also nice... to not always be alone with my thoughts.

"Honestly, things are looking fairly calm on the Internets."

"The Internets," I laugh. "How old are you? Ninety?"

"Everything looks good on the Internets!" she repeats ceremoniously.

"So? Am I okay? Will people stop sending me death threats?"

"People are busier with the pictures that dropped last night and this morning of Ibrahim's sister's wedding. Luan came with his girlfriend. People are freaaaaking out. And all the guys had dates and now everyone is speculating. You've become old news."

"Already?"

"Fandoms are easily distracted."

"Well, I guess that's a good thing."

"Yes, that means you can get out of the house. We're going to the St Lawrence Market, you should come!"

"We?"

"With my two friends, Marisol and Charlotte," Dot explains, "They're also Nine Knots fans."

I chuckle. "Of course they are."

"Being a fan is hard okay, you need a support group."

"Sure, sure, sure, sure," I trail, still chuckling.

"Party pooper. Anyway, we're meeting up at noon. We're there to spend a ridiculous amount of money on food, so make sure to not eat anything before you come," she tells me like I'm actually going out right now.

"Wait, I never agreed to anything."

"Text me when you leave your place."

"Dot."

"See you at noon," she just says and hangs up.

I stare at my phone, shaking my head a little, but I smile too.

I should go out. I should stop hiding in my room.

I'm all alone in our apartment. My parents are at work. Miller is at school. I'm just the useless slob not doing anything. I should go out. My mom will be happy if I do.

I know she's worried. I think everyone is after the rat incident.

I get out of my bed and change out of my pyjamas. When I do, I realized that I really need to wash it. I've been living in it for too long.

God, I'm gross. Gross and useless.

I need to take a shower and wash my hair. But if I wash my hair, they'll get super frizzy. My Haitian grandmother blessed me with tan skin and frizzy hair. I love my hair, but sometimes, it's a lot.

I debate for a second between frizzy hair or gross hair. I pick frizzy.

Finally, it's about eleven thirty when I leave the apartment, clean and changed.

            And no one is waiting for me outside.

            I feel slightly hopeful.

            When I'm on the tram, I let my Spotify play on shuffle and a Nine Knots song starts. It's Sea Breeze. I never heard it before, I just liked the title and thought about humoring my cousin, that's why I added it.

            It's actually... good. Most Nine Knots songs I know are about like bad break ups or a couple not working out, or unrequited love. This one is not about that. It's not a love song. The lyrics are nostalgic, the chorus going It's like I want to go hooooome, but not really. Part of me still lingers ooooon, in the seas breeze.

            It's catchy. I find myself replaying it again once it's over.

            Finally, I get out of the tram and walk to the St Lawrence Market.

            My cousin is waiting for me by the entry with another girl. My cousin is pastel skirts and cute knits, while her friend is black hoodie and ripped jeans. That's more my style.

            "Naree!" my cousin greets me enthusiastically as soon as she sees me.

"Can I kiss you?" her friend automatically asks me.

I kinda freeze. "What?"

"No, no," she shakes her hands, "I just mean, you kissed him, if I kiss you that's like an indirect kiss."

My cousin rolls her eyes at her friend, waving her hand, "Don't listen to Marisol, she needs to chiiiiiill," Dot tells me.

"She kissed him Dot, kiiiiissed him," Marisol presses, grabbing my cousin's sleeve and pulling at it like a kid wanting their mother's attention.

"He kissed me," I corrected.

"Even worst!" she pouts and then her eyes light up while looking at something behind me. "Charlotte!"

I turn to see the other friend we're meeting I'm assuming. A tall girl with silver hair wearing biker shorts and a loose sweater walks our way.

"How did he smell?" she says, stopping in front of me.

"What's with the smelling question?" I whine, looking at my cousin.

"She said detergent guys, she's useless," my cousin ignores me, answering in my stead.

"He's never shown his cologne. No one knows," Charlotte whines.

"I don't think he smelled like any kind of perfume. At least, nothing noticeable," I say, trying to calm them down.

"You should have smelled him," Marisol says.

"You're all very very weird," I point out.

"Yeah we are," my cousin says with a grin. "Alright, let's go, I want stuffed grape leaves and garlic stuffed olives. And I want all the stuffed vinegary food I can get my hands on."

"I want pork bibimbap from Quik Sushi," Marisol says.

"Fish and chips, fish and chips aaaall the way," Charlotte adds. 

I frown a little. "You guys come here often?"

"Once a week," Dot answers as we walk inside the market place.

"I never come here," I reply. I mean, I might have come here once or twice with my mom, but it was never to buy stuff just for myself to eat here. It was to get ingredients for a specific recipe.

The three girls stop walking and look at me gapping. "What?" Marisol and Charlotte say. 

"You live in Toronto but you never come here to eat?" Charlotte asks.

"I order stuff from other restaurants usually," I just reply. I don't really go out to eat anywhere.

I don't have anyone to go out with. I don't mind eating alone at a restaurant or a café, but I just don't see the point, if I can do it at home anyway.

"She's a lone home cat guys, be understanding," Dot tries to defend me.

"And yet she managed to kiss Jae-sang and talk with Tenth Knot," Marisol whines, while we turn left and the girls stop at a fruit stand.

"Life is unjust," Charlotte adds, nodding her head.

"Sorry," I reply, grinning sheepishly.

"Oh, don't apologize, there's nothing to apologize for," Marisol chuckles. "Anyway, I don't want to kiss Jae-sang. I mean, I do, but I'd also prefer kissing Ibrahim."

The girl keep joking around like that as we walk around the two floors of the market. I hadn't realized there was a basement. The girls get more and more food from each stand. We get a variety of food, and I'm honestly a little perplex about how all of this is going to fit together when we eat it.

Finally, the haul is over and we head outside. 

"I'm pretty sure they're still in Toronto," Charlotte suddenly says, when we're all sitting at one of the tables outside.

"And you guys aren't chasing after them?" I ask, eating the fig leaf my cousin is offering me.

Marisol snorts. "Chasing after them? What are we? Sasaeng?"

I cover my mouth, "Huh?" A what?

"Oh, it's a Korean term for obsessive stalkers with no lives that disrespect idols," my cousin explains, seeing my confusion.

"We're not going to start chasing the boys in town just because they're here," Charlotte adds.

"Yeah, we're not freaks," Marisol says, eating fries.

"And we actually respect them," Charlotte nods.

"They should be allowed to have normal lives," my cousin agrees.

"I want all of them to date and have families and be happy, and like all live together on an island or something so they can be left the hell alone, and always hang out together happy and for their kids to be best friends," Marisol says, with dreamy eyes, her hands clasped together.

"That's cute," I say, and can't help smiling at her.

"I really wish their girlfriends will get along, so they can hang out aaaaall the time," Marisol says, her eyes on her fried fish.

"Imagine how cute Scotty will be when he's an uncle to all the boys' kids," Charlotte swoons.

The girls keep chatting about Nine Knots, while I sit there and listen to them.

I smile and nod along, and find myself wanting to ask questions.

Why are they talking about orange crocs all the time and why do they joke about steamed crabs?

I feel like I'm the odd girl.

And suddenly, it's like I kinda want to be in on the jokes.

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Hello helloooo! Sorry, still no comment thread this time. Once Eve has time to make them I'll add them to the chapters, and I'll also post them on instragram so you guys can know they're there now. XD

How did you like this chapter? How do you like Dot's friends? :D

Thank you so sooooo much for coming back to this story and commenting by the way. I've been so excited to share these characters and this story with you guys, and it REALLY means the world to me when you leave comments and share my enthusiasm.

I LOVE YOU GUYS! See you tomorrow! <3