Chapter 2: Second Impression

When Mom returned home, she looked clearly vexed. She stormed upstairs and into my room to ask why I had left without notifying her. I had expected the boys to slander me behind my back, but it turned out that they didn't spill a word about our foul encounter. Mom criticized me for being disrespectful and ill-mannered. As usual, I disregarded all her words and locked myself in the room.

I didn't talk to the brothers again, not after a week or two. The sun was finally out, and the whole town was resurrected. People began driving frequently to downtown for weekend food markets, karaoke, and movies. My classmates went back to camping, scuba-diving, and horse-riding with their families; and children across the streets were always in the park playing on the swings and merry-go-round, building sand castles from the sandpits when they weren't following their families to the beach or dining in some seaside restaurants.

Dad had been trying to persuade me to go fishing or hunting with him, but Mom wanted me to go shopping and picnicking. I declined all their invitations. They were all desperate to see me out because I was starting to look pallid missing all the vitamin D. Mom was rather disappointed to know that I didn't manage to start a new friendship with the Andersons. She was counting on somebody to pull me out of the abyss. She eventually got so fed up with my reclusiveness she decided to kick me out of the house one day, forcing me to go to the market to seek my own entertainment.

I took the shuttle to downtown. If I walked, it was probably going to take twenty minutes and I wasn't in the mood of doing any exercise. Over the past six months, I had lost ten pounds, not that I was plump to begin with; and now every time I looked into the mirror, I saw a scrawny, pasty mess. Most of my clothes looked loose and oversized. I hated it, but I couldn't bring myself to savor anything – everything tasted bland and nauseating. Even my favorite snacks and desserts couldn't save my appetite. I used to jog and roller-skate from time to time, but now any form of activities exhausted me. I just felt like staying in bed or lying on the window nook all day.

The town was small, so even on holidays, the streets were never crowded. They were having a food market in the Main Street, and there were stalls selling a variety of cuisine. I strolled in the market, not exactly having any appetite though some burgers and hotdogs looked appealing. On each side of the Main Street, there were some restaurants, open-door cafes, convenience stores, and antique shops. I knew a few bars and nightclubs in the alleyways, but I couldn't get in because of my age. The only mall in the town was pitiably small, with just a supermarket, a few diners, and boutiques.

I entered a convenience store and went to the back of it to look for some snacks. I grabbed a chocolate bar from the shelf, and when I dug into my pocket, I suddenly realized that I had left home in a hurry after Mom's nagging and forgotten my wallet. I usually kept a few coins in my pocket but I had spent those on the shuttle. I peeked at the shopkeeper, who was seemingly absorbed in whatever he was reading on his phone. I stared back at the chocolate bar, my heart thumping.

When Luna and Ellie were still here, we used to sneak into different convenience stores and lift a couple of things. Rather than doing it out of poverty, we were addicted to that inexplicable pleasure from the adrenaline rush overflowing our bodies when we were defying and testing the law. My heart always beat frantically when I was at it. Sometimes, I would sweat, and when my hand shakily snatched an item from the shelf and put it into my bag or pocket, I always thought my heart was ready to pound out of my chest. Walking out of the store with the loot was the best part ever. The anxiety, the tension – the butterflies swirling in my stomach that came with it made me feel like I was jumping off the cliff or taking my first step on the rope in slacklining. The sensation following the triumph was always relieving and... surprisingly arousing. Luna had she said that it felt just as wondrous as sex. Ellie had to agree that it felt better than being confessed to and kissed by her first crush. We never got caught, because we would always pay for a few items and hid the others, keeping the shopkeepers from suspicion.

I hid the chocolate bar in my pocket and strode down the aisle, heading toward the exit. Just when I was about to step out of the door, the shopkeeper looked up from his phone. He was a large, bald man in his fifties with some beard, wearing a shirt far too tight for his size to show off his muscles.

"Hey, girl –' His voice was coarse and harsh, his eyes menacing when he stood up from his seat. I staggered back a little, already shuddering.

"Oh, Quinn, there you are," interrupted Ace, who suddenly appeared from another aisle. He had grabbed two cans of coke from the fridge and was walking toward us. "I've been looking all over for you. You suddenly disappeared from the food market."

The shopkeeper stared at me and then at Ace, who was smiling cordially. The man's gaze soon softened when Ace stepped up to the cash register and took out his wallet.

"Sorry, my friend's acting a bit weird lately because of stress," apologized Ace, putting a bill on the desk. "Please keep the changes, Sir."

"You should look after your friend here," said the shopkeeper, eyeing me dubiously. "She looks a bit disorientated." He took the money and kept staring at the two of us.

"Sure, it won't happen again," said Ace. He came over to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Come on, let's go."

We walked out of the store and for a small distance before Ace stopped abruptly and took his arm off me. I was still too stupefied to utter anything.

"Are you alright?" he asked, studying my face warily. All this time, I was staring blankly ahead, unable to bring myself to believe that I had nearly got caught red-handed. The man must have grown suspicious after I had lingered in the store for a long time and was leaving with my hands tucked inside my pockets. Or was it the sweat on my forehead that gave my petty crime away?

"Quinn?" Ace's voice was so tender I wouldn't believe it was the same spiteful person who had been mocking me some time ago.

I finally blinked and turned to gaze at his face. He had trimmed his bangs, and even though they were still long, they didn't cover his right eye. He blinked back with his cerulean blue eyes, limpid and captivating.

"Yes, I'm fine," I answered. "Were you stalking me?"

"What?" He frowned.

I immediately felt bad judging him this way. He had just saved me from a potential arrest. Before I could apologize, he said with a crafty grin, "And if I say 'yes'?"

"Huh?"

"I saw you in the food market wandering like a lost child. You stopped in front of each stall and didn't buy anything, so I got curious and followed you into the store."

I blushed and lowered my head, realizing that he had witnessed everything I did back in the store.

"You shouldn't do that," whispered Ace. "Or should I say – you're doing it wrong."

"Are you telling on me?" I asked and started walking down the lane.

"No," replied Ace, walking right beside me. "But you should've paid for a few items at least. If you linger in there for a long time and walk out with bare hands like that, it makes them suspicious."

I stopped again and looked at him wide-eyed. "And how do you know that?"

Ace paused for a moment and smirked. "Princess forgot her wallet today?"

My face couldn't be redder. His taunting eyes convinced me that he was savoring every moment of my embarrassment. He had seen right through me and his words – they were undressing me right in the public. As I stood "naked" in front of him, he leaned closer and whispered into my left ear.

"You know what, you should count me in next time. You're so fidgety."

"Stop calling me Princess," I warned and turned away, trying to conceal my burning cheeks. My heart was hammering against my chest again, even more vigorously this time when Ace's warm breath landed on my ear and it tickled. He smelled of fresh mint.

"But it suits you," said Ace with a snicker. "You need better hobbies, Quinn."

"Shut up," I said with a frustrated groan.

"Still mad at me? I was only joking the other day," said Ace casually as we ambled toward the Main Street.

"I'm not mad," I lied.

"Then let me treat you lunch," said Ace. "See anything you like?"

I was about to reject his offer when my stomach started to growl.

"A chocolate bar won't do," he added.

"I'll pay you back later," I finally said.

"You don't have to. Take it as my apology. I was rather rude last time." He handed me a can of coke and we walked right into the market. When I couldn't make up my mind on what to have, he simply asked me to sit on a bench on the sidewalk and wait. He spun around and disappeared into the crowd. Some time later, he returned holding a beef burger, a carnitas taco, a chicken Caesar wrap, and a plate of Chinese shrimp dumplings. He laid them all on the bench.

"Are you out of your mind?" I asked, stunned at the amount of food he had bought. "How're we supposed to finish these?"

"Well, thought you were being indecisive," said Ace with a shrug, flopping down next to me. "Just pick something, and I'll finish the rest."

Speechless, I found myself uncontrollably scanning the freshly cooked food. I could no longer stifle my hunger and was close to drooling when I hesitantly took the burger, feeling its warmth in my palm. I ripped the burger into two equal halves carefully, wrapped one half in a tissue, and passed it to Ace.

"You know what," I suggested, "we should just share everything. And then I'll know which one I like best."

"Great idea," echoed Ace, taking his portion of burger from me.

"Sorry, I was a bit moody the other day," I apologized while we were eating. We sat next to each other with a small distance between us. He was glancing ahead at the stream of people flowing into and out of the market and the sweating stall owners struggling to keep up with the pace of the customers' orders. I stared down at my lap. I was horrible when it came to apologizing. Mom always said I was too stubborn and prideful – wouldn't bring myself to concede any defeat. Ace didn't seem to care though. He looked as though my foul temper that day had never bothered him. "Mom forced me to wake up at nine."

"I sympathize with you," he said with a nod, munching the burger without looking at me. "At least, Asher and I got up later than you. Can't imagine how you sat there listening to their talk for a fricking hour."

I laughed, and he peeked sideways at me.

"You just laughed," he said, amused.

"What's wrong with it?" I stopped laughing but kept my smile.

"I don't know how to put it," he said. "You always look so –'

"Sour, I know," I finished for him. I got this all the time. Mom always complained about my sulky face, and the only time I remembered ever smiling or laughing wholeheartedly was when I hanged out with Luna and Ellie.

"Does that look creepy to you?"

"No," said Ace. He finished the last bite of his burger and grabbed the wrap, repeating what I had just done to the burger. "It seems that you despise this town."

"I do," I said, taking half of the wrap from him. "But like you said, I shouldn't have ruined Asher's expectations. He seems rather enthusiastic about this place."

"He's enthusiastic about everything," said Ace. "He's naturally inquisitive, a talker, and very much an optimist, unlike me."

"I don't see a problem in you," I said. "Sometimes, I don't feel like talking to anyone either. Everything's so stupid."

"Exactly."

I smiled, genuinely pleased to find someone who could affiliate with me. He looked like he wanted to drop everything he was doing and simply vanish from this world sometimes, or crawl into a pit and turn himself invisible. I pictured myself lying in a casket being strapped and suspended from the surface until it hit the soil and slowly got buried.

"Where's Asher?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, he's working on some assignments at home," said Ace. "I forgot to say that he's also a hard worker."

"So you're giving up your assignments?"

"They don't care," said Ace, pointing a finger in the air. "I've never seen a teacher mark any summer homework in my life. They're not even graded."

I laughed.

"Only my goody brother is silly enough to take it seriously."

He told me that they were fractural twins, which explained why they didn't look exactly alike. He took after their father more, and Asher was more of a replica of their mother. They had fundamentally different attitudes and personalities, but despite their differences, they were mostly inseparable. They had always studied in the same school, in the same class, sat next to each other, and joined the same school teams or clubs. They didn't share the same hobbies but would usually tag along with each other. When Asher sat in the library doing revision or writing essays, Ace would be there reading comics or playing games with his phone. When Ace was in the study working on his models, Asher would be in one corner sketching. When one brother was in the sportsground playing basketball, the other one would be playing baseball on the other side. And when they could never settle for one particular movie, they would simply watch both horror and sci-fiction.

"It must've felt nice to have somebody so close to you," I said dreamily. We were down to one taco and two dumplings. I couldn't eat anymore, so I begged Ace to finish the rest.

"Maybe," said Ace. There was a hint of indifference in his tone, but his eyes reflected something else whenever he mentioned his brother – something profound and unfathomable.

I would never understand that kind of connection, because for as long as I could remember, I had always been alone. And my only two friends had slipped away from me before I could do anything about it.

"How long have you been doing that?" asked Ace suddenly, sliding his hand fluidly into the pocket of my mint green cardigan. He pulled out the chocolate bar and juggled it, raising one of his brows as he sneered at me.

"I don't know," I said, counting inwardly. "Maybe two to three years?"

"Never got caught before?"

"I wouldn't be here right now, would I?" I quipped, attempting to retrieve the snack, but he held it further from me with a snicker. I grunted.

"You need more practices," said Ace, putting the bar back into my pocket.

"You sound like you're experienced."

"Quite, actually," boasted Ace, giving me wink. "At least, I don't panic."

"And I'm guessing that Asher isn't part of it."

"No, he isn't." Ace turned to me and leaned forward. His thick lashes looked awfully long and silken, somewhat archly curved in close proximity; and his skin – smooth and spotless, was almost translucent in the light. Never had I seen such a meticulous artifact. Who would have thought that beneath this angelic, mesmerizing façade lay a hopelessly conceited and abhorrent attitude. His unwavering stare made me turn away in discomfort, and he looked satisfied to see me bite my bottom lip nervously. He eventually whispered, "So let this be a secret between us."

I smiled, bracing myself for more surprises Ace had yet to show me. Everything about him intrigued me. Being with him was like looking at my own reflection.

He stood up from the bench, took all the wrappers and the paper plate, and threw them into the closest trash can. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his skinny jeans, looking more slender and suave than usual. He turned around and said without an expression, "I'll walk you home?"

I stood up and didn't say anything. He took my silence as a sign of approval, and we started leaving the Main Street.

We walked slowly. Sometimes, we chatted; the other times, we simply basked in the comforting silence. We both weren't very articulate, not like Asher, who always seemed to be able to please the adults and peers in social situations. Ace loved to keep his utterances simple, short, and right to the point. He had tried to imitate Asher, doing as his parents told him to, being punctual to every class, never getting a detention or beating someone to a pulp, but never succeeded.

"I appreciate him, but that's just not me," said Ace. "Not my thing. I don't want to be a wolf in sheep's clothing – I mean, first, you'll need to scrape that skin off some sheep and wear it."

"So you're the troublemaker in the family," I concluded.

"They think I am," said Ace with a shrug. "But I hardly even do anything wrong."

"You just never get caught," I countered.

"Mean." He nudged me with a pout.

We both laughed and finally reached our neighborhood after loitering for almost half an hour. Ace walked me up to my house, but stopped at the front gate.

"Well, see you around, Quinn."

"Sure."

I nodded and went straight to the porch. Before I turned the knob, I spun back and yelled, "Hey, Ace –"

I tossed the chocolate bar at him. He withdrew his right hand instantly from his jean pocket and jumped, catching it mid-air. He glimpsed the bar in his palm and then stared back at me in amusement. I smirked and entered the house. When I looked out of my bedroom window later, he was gone.