The last sentence strikes me like a bolt of lightning and my body freezes. All the gratitude I felt towards Mrs. Shin dissipates. Opening and closing my mouth a few times, I finally force myself to say, "I- I don't know what you mean. We're- We're just classmates lah."

"I already said not to lie to me." Mrs. Shin's tone is now a cold frost that sends shivers down my spine. "But you're right, you're classmates so you do see each other in class a lot. To make this easier, I already contacted the principal, and Ruijun is going to go to a different class from next week onwards."

"Different class? But- But the school year already started, how is that possible?"

Mrs. Shin scoffs. "It's just changing classes, there's nothing impossible about that. What's impossible is getting that child to listen to me." She focuses her eyes on me. "But it'll be easier with your help. Don't find her in school, and don't find her outside of school. Don't see her ever again. I hope you understand that this is for her good, and yours too."

The whole world crashes down on me. What is happening? Why is this happening? A moment ago, Mrs. Shin was being so helpful and kind, but now she's demanding the worst.

"Why- Why are you doing this?" I ask incredulously.

"I'm like you, Chloe. Everything I do is for the family, and I'll do whatever it takes for them. Our family has a certain reputation to keep, and Ruijun needs to keep it up. She needs to take her mind off"—Mrs. Shin gestures her hand at me—"whatever is going on here, and marry a man from a good family."

Anger rises in me and I retort, "But she doesn't want to marry a man!"

Her eyebrows twitch in annoyance. "I don't care. She can have secret relationships with whomever she wants, I don't care. But it has to be on the side, in private, in secret, never shown to the world. Just like all the other things I know she does: the drinking and the smoking and the clubbing. But in public, she needs to maintain the Shin family name. She needs to become the woman I raised and trained her to be." Mrs. Shin tilts her head and studies me. "Unless you don't mind being her...extracurricular activity your whole life, of course."

Her words slap me in the face. I grit my teeth and spat, "I. Am. Her. Girlfriend."

"And that's the problem."

My entire body is shaking by now. "But we are, okay? And you don't get to tell us what to do."

"I'm not telling you what to do." Mrs. Shin narrows her eyes. "I thought we were on the same page, Chloe. I thought you understood my concerns."

"We will never be on the same page lah! How is doing this good for RJ? She won't be happy!"

Mrs. Shin snorts. "You children. Happiness is overrated. Stability is what you should strive for instead." She scans me again, this time with a scornful expression as if she is reevaluating her first impression of me. "And do you really think she'll be happy with you?"

That renders me speechless.

"You're making her work so much to help you that she hasn't been sleeping well," she continues. "You even made her visit you at your previous workplace. Where was it again?" The scorn in her eyes intensifies. "That dingy bar in the red-light district?"

"I—" My mouth turns dry. Wait, how does she know that?

Mrs. Shin takes a check from her handbag and slides it across the table. "If you need money from her, I feel for your situation. So take this, and then cut off all contact with her. This should be more than enough to cover your mother's medical bills."

As I stare at the check, the fire inside my heart grows. Over this year, I've seen so many forms of money: salary from my bosses, tips from the customers, help from RJ and my friends. But this is the only kind that has ever filled me with so much anger.

I stand up so fast that my head spins. Staggering, I grab the check and tear it into as many pieces as I can create.

Mrs. Shin frowns. I am scared stiff by her glare, but I force myself to maintain eye contact.

"I do not need money from RJ or you," I snap. "I am with RJ because I love her, and she is with me because of the same reason. You can't control any of us, so leave us alone lah!"

An amused look takes over Mrs. Shin's face. "You think she loves you?"

My fists clench. "She does. I'm sure of it."

"Young love is temporary, my child. Don't get so passionate," she says with a soft chuckle. "And this will be your loss eventually." Pushing herself up, she walks next to me. She is taller than me, such that her mouth is right at my ear when she says, "She is leaving the country after JC, and she will forget all about you then."

"I'm following her," I state adamantly.

She smirks. "Good luck, then." With that, she struts away, her high heels clicking behind me.

I am left alone at the table, tears in my eyes. I finally understand how RJ has felt this whole time. Her mother is manipulative and cruel, and a frightening control freak. No wonder RJ wants to leave her, her family, and the country.

And for the first time, I truly support that. I am going to help her with that goal as best as I can.

As I wipe my tears away, I notice a blonde girl near me. Once again, familiarity hits me, and I spin around to face her.

"Mango?" I exclaim. "Wait, I mean... Amanda, right? That's your real name, right? Amanda Tay?"

Mango, or Amanda, is standing a bit away from the cafe. When I say her name, she trudges towards me, tugging on her long blonde hair. Her hair is as well-kept as ever, and she still has all of her usual makeup on, except this time, the Tropic Falls mask is not on her face. "Hey Chloe. How have you been ah?"

"I'm, uh... I'm good?" Mixed emotions run through my heart. I don't know how to feel. She was a friend who hurt me—very badly—but she was also a girl in need of money, fired and pushed out of the bar scene forever. I sigh and ask, "What- What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm working in this bakery now lor." Amanda points at the small bakery that's right by the coffee shop.

"Oh." I walk by it every week and never look into the store. "What a coincidence, I'm also working at a bakery, but the one upstairs." A small laugh escapes my throat. "Isn't it funny we ended up in the same profession after everything?"

Amanda shrugs. "No lah, it's different. I'm just a cashier, while you're an actual baker and everything."

An awkward silence falls between us. Amanda's eyes shift from me to her feet. "Listen, Chloe, I'm- I'm sorry, okay?"

I lower my head as well. The incident happened a while ago, but one question lingers in my mind. "Why... Why did you do it?"

There is a pause before she answers softly, "You have everything lah, Chloe, everything I ever wanted. You have more customers than me, people stay longer for you, people tip you more. You even go to a JC, and then you will go to university after that... It's so fucking unfair lah. Your future is going to be so much brighter than mine ever will be, but not only that, you are getting all the customers and all the tips. And then RJ books you so much she sets a record in the bar in just a week..." Closing her eyes, she raises her voice. "I'm jealous lah, okay? I want what you have, and if I can't get it..."

That is still no reason to have done what she did. "But we are all in the same boat, Amanda..."

"I know. I'm sorry lah, I guess I was angry lor. I was angry at... life, and I took it out on you. I'm a changed person now, trust me."

I chew on the inside of my mouth. "Yeah, okay... It's all in the past anyway. Forget about it lah."

"So why are you not at Tropic Falls ah? Did you quit?"

"Yeah."

"Good lah. Tropic Falls pays so well, but I guess you don't need it anymore. You have RJ as your girlfriend now, and Mrs. Shin even gave you a check—"

My head snaps back up. "How do you know?"

Amanda blinks. "Huh? Oh, I was watching lah." She rolls her eyes. "It's not like we have any customers here or anything."

Something about the quickness in her answer makes me ask, "Wait... are- are you the one who told Mrs. Shin about me?"

She freezes from the accusation, but she immediately recovers and snaps, "Oi, it's- it's not my fault hor. I was behind on my rent and that guy was paying me for information sia! I didn't know he was a private detective."

A private detective. Mrs. Shin hired a private detective to stalk her own daughter. I feel as though the mall is spinning around me.

Amanda shuffles on her feet as she continues, "I didn't mean to spill everything lah! I didn't know it'd lead to all of this..." She waves in the general direction that Mrs. Shin left. "But it's harmless lah, right? No one got hurt."

"Oh my god!" I yell. "You didn't fucking change at all, Mango! Why are you like this? Why are you constantly ruining my life? What is wrong with you lah?"

Amanda opens her mouth to say something again, but I sprint away from her before I can hear anything. Tears wash my face as I bolt out of the mall.

I don't know how long I run, but all I know is that I want to get away from everyone and everything. Mrs. Shin is cruel, Mango is vile, and the world is both cruel and vile. I run till I am out of breath and out of tears. I want to slump onto the ground. I want to bury my head in my hands and cry. Instead, I take out my phone and call RJ.

"Chloe?" RJ picks up the phone almost immediately. "What's up?"

Hearing her concerned voice, I burst into tears again.