NATARI_YANOSHI:
kon'nichiwa girl watup
I stared at my phone until I finally figured out what "kon'nichiwa" meant, then I replied.
LIA:
Hey, Gnat. You excited for school coming up in a month?
I knew she wouldn't be, but I gotta take my mind off this stressful shark stuff and create some small talk.
NATARI_YANOSHI:
no
LIA:
Why not? You get to see all your friends!
NATARI_YANOSHI:
true but then theres more pressure from ママ to be perfect at grades and get into beta club and valedictorian
That weird little symbol is Japanese for "mom". I know this because Natali is Japanese and texted me a message in Hiragana that was meant for her cousin, Emma. I sighed.
LIA:
Natali, you can't keep letting your mother control your life. It's gotten bad enough already.
NATARI_YANOSHI:
whatever lia. i do not need this. from now i am going to be the best daughter i can be and the best at everything i am doing
LIA:
No contractions in your messages anymore? What, is that unallowed?
NATARI_YANOSHI:
yup
LIA:
Your life amazes me, Natali Yanoshi.
NATARI_YANOSHI:
Actually, it is 矢野氏名足 now.
I got real confused at the symbols there.
LIA:
Come again? And I thought you were Japanese..that looks a lot like Chinese to me..
NATARI_YANOSHI:
thats because it is. traditional japanese names are written in chinese but some arent..i think its called kanji
LIA:
Whatever. See you tomorrow.
I slid my phone under my pillow and lay back on my bed like a spider.
................................................................
BEEEEEEEP BEEEEEEP BEEEEEEPPPPP!!!!!
Went my annoying alarm clock. I slapped it silly before calling out to my dad. "Dad! Why's my alarm clock set? It's SUMMER!" No response.
I sat up. "Dad?" I looked around my room, and there sat a sticky note on my laptop lid on my desk. It read:
Dear Lia,
I had to dash to work early this morning. One of my clients called. I'm producing a movie and we're filming in Seattle. Your alarm clock is set for 6:32 AM--but, you probably already noticed that!--so that you can get up at a reasonable hour this morning. Love you,
Dad
I glanced at the letters, swiftly curved ever so delicately. The ink wasn't fresh. He must've written it last night.
Wait--HE WROTE IT LAST NIGHT. He could've TOLD ME that he was leaving super early the next morning but noooo! He had to be so INSENSITIVE and write a NOTE about it?!?! You know what? I need some breakfast. I can't be angry on an empty stomach.
I decided to call Natali. "Hey! Why are you up so early?" she asked. "My dad set an ALARM clock last night after I went to bed. He wanted to me to 'get up at a reasonable hour this morning'." There was a short pause. "I don't see how six-thirty two A.M. is reasonable at all.."
"Exactly!" I spitted back. "Why did he write you a note anyway, we he could've just told you?" "Because he's not home. He had to fly to Seattle for work late last night or something. He's filming there," she breathed into the phone, not knowing I could hear it. "That's dumb. Was he home last night?"
I hesitated. "Well, he WAS home, just like eleven o'clock..maybe he thought I was asleep," "See, Lia? You're being ridiculous about this. Are you sure you aren't hangry or something? Have you eaten breakfast yet?" I laughed. "Chill, Gnat. I'm okay; I just filled a bowl of cereal."
We talked for a few more minutes about school coming up and other things like homework and who we hoped our homeroom teachers'd be. Of course, we hoped to get the same one, but there's always possibilities for diversity. I mailed my dad over the course of a few days, he said he was doing fine.
Apparently he LOVES his job a lot and said Seattle was a HUGE opportunity for him. He's a Hollywood agent, so he's always going somewhere. My mom's a fashion designer, so she lives FULL TIME in Los Angeles. She comes to visit on the weekends, but it's still not the same as it was when I was in the seventh grade.
Too bad you don't have "the power to turn back time". (Do you know that Bon Jovi reference?) Anyways, I won't keep you long. You probably have things to do on this pretty Monday summer morning. I on the other hand, have nothing to do with my dad away. So I'll go sit on the porch and enjoy the sunrise...
TO BE CONTINUED! :D
Last Chapter: http://www.kidzsearch.com/questions/15080/shark-bait-ch10?show=15080#q15080
