Outing

The week went by fairly quickly. Shawn ate lunch with Nevel the whole of that week and got to know the boy a little bit better. It was cool to hear that the boy loved to play video games. Shawn could hear sadness in his voice when he spoke about games, like it was his way of escaping reality and his loneliness.

On Friday night, Shawn received a reminder from Alli, saying that they were going to the Café tomorrow and he should wait for them downstairs at 12 in the afternoon. He acknowledged the message, laying on the bed thinking about how much his life has changed.

He had already made a new friend just this week and nowadays, he would try to complete his homework. Tomorrow, he was even going out with his group of friends for lunch. Maybe it was for the better. He was getting sick of being chased by his teachers or being called a loner.

"Hey Mum, tomorrow, I'll be going out with some friends for lunch." Shawn told his mother who was sitting outside in the living room. The older lady was staggered by her son's words.

Trying to stay calm on the outside, she said, "Do you need money for tomorrow?"

"It's fine, I still have the allowance from this month."

"Oh, it may not be enough," Going to her bedroom, she took out another two 100 RMB notes and gave it to Shawn, "Here take this and go enjoy yourself."

"Thanks." Shawn turned to close his door again and took a look at his wardrobe. The 14, turning 15-year-old boy had not bought a shirt or pants for himself in two years. Ever since he came to Shanghai, Shawn rarely went shopping and all of the stuff in the wardrobe was bought by his mother. Although that was the case, Shawn never really cared about that. What was fashion anyways to a 14-year-old?

Picking out the newest clothes and long pants he could find, Shawn left it in the side of the wardrobe for easy access tomorrow. He played a few games and then went to bed earlier than usual.

At 11.40 in the morning, Shawn took a shower and got ready for the outing. He headed downstairs five minutes before the agreed timing and right on time, came the silver seven-seater car he had sat in just last week.

"Hey Shawn," Alli waved from inside.

Since there were six people including the driver, Shawn decided it was best if he sat at the front as he was the biggest out of all of them. This would allow everyone to get comfortable seating space.

Buckling up his safety belt, he turned around and said, "Hello."

"Wow, I cannot believe you actually agreed to coming out with us." Cynthia said happily.

"I decided that I should spend some time with you all." Shawn did not beat around the bush about it. "Considering how I have known everyone for three years and yet, I have not gone out with anyone before."

"That's sweet of you."

With Shawn in the car, the driver drove to pick up Misako, followed by Kenny. They then drove off onto the highway, heading to a café in Puxi.

"So, what do you do in your free time, Shawn?" Cynthia who was a huge talker started the conversation ball rolling.

"Nowadays, I mostly play games, but I used to watch a lot of anime." Shawn went along with it.

"Oh? What anime?" Although she was Chinese, Cynthia Liu was born in Japan and had lived there for 11 years of her life. Anime was a huge part of her childhood growing up, even though she didn't watch much of it recently.

"My favourite at the moment would be One Piece."

"I like One Piece too. It is pretty long-winded though." Misako intercepted the conversation. Misako Kobe was Japanese and had also lived there for 11 years of her life before coming to Shanghai.

"I just skip the fillers whenever I see it." Shawn agreed with her.

"Do you explore Shanghai much?" Alli asked the next question.

"No. I was hopping you guys could expand my horizons." Living in Shanghai for almost three years, Shawn has only really explored the city centre, Lu Jia Zui. He was lazy to take the train with his family to go for walks around different parts of the city and would just choose to go back home and rest by himself. It was crazy how this hermit of a boy was still able to talk with others and sustain a conversation.

"Well, you are in for a treat! We are going to our favourite Cafés in downtown. The Café is called Le Festin and the lunch menu is so good." Alli introduced their destination to Shawn.

"Its Italian cuisine?"

"Close, its French. You can take a look at the menu later when we get there."

After a 30-minute drive, the car stopped outside a row of old shophouses and there was one shophouse in particular that was furnished and painted a clean white. On the top was a plaque that wrote 'Le Festin'. In the café, there already a crowd of people eating.

Alli went up to the waiter to ask for seats and luckily for them, they had gotten a table just the right size for them. This was the first time Shawn had ever been to a café in Shanghai and for first impressions, the vibe in the room was on point. With nice jazz music playing in the background and the smell of freshly baked bread, Shawn's appetite opened up.

"Here's the menu," the waiter spoke in Chinese as she gave them a few sets of the menu. Shawn got a look at it and decided to go for their Eggs Benedict on Toast. The price was in the middle high ranges, something his parents wouldn't eat normally. However, going to an international school that was rated as the second most expensive school in the city, the students that studied here were mostly from affluent families. To help his parent save some money, Shawn chose the most reasonably priced food for himself.