GdP

“I fire one final message of warning to Caz.
'Ok, look, Caz Song, if you don't reply within the next ten minutes I swear I'm going to personally write a 200.000 words enemies-to-lovers fanfic about you and a cactus and post it on-line and it WILL go viral'.”
― Ann Liang, This Time It's Real

“For the first time since this morning I feel myself relax slightly. I love coming up here, not only because it's quiet and most often empty, but because it's beautiful. The rooftop is designed like a garden with bright mandarin trees and slender bamboos and this gnarl looking plant I can't name and fresh jasmine flowers, Ma's favorite, glimmering everywhere like glitter cluster of star, simming the air with their scents. There are even fairy light strung up around the railings and over the wooden swing set in one corner, though I've never stayed late enough to watch them glow. The view's gorgeous too. From here you can see the entire stretch of the school campus and Beijing rising behind it, all that shining glass and steel reflecting the clouds and the sky. This is my trick to surviving new schools, find a space like this, a place where no one can disturb me, and claim it as my own.”
― Ann Liang, This Time It's Real

“So you were the one who sent Julius to punch me?"
The whole room screeched to a stop. The world freezes on its axis.
Now it's my turn to stare. "Julius punched you?"
"Julis punched him?" someone else whispers in the background. "But I thought he and Sadie hated each other".
"But they kissed each other" someone said. "At that party, remember?"
"Wait, Julius and Sadie kissed each other?" someone asked. "Why am I so behind on the gossip. How did I miss this?"
"Yeah, then... see how she sent him a buch of emails--
"Technical Abigail sent it".
"Abigail sent it? Sadie's best friend Abigail?"
"Sorry. I was walking past their door room and kind of overheard a bit of their conversation. I left just as Julius showed up to her room though, so I'm guessing he likes her".
"Whose room?"
"Abigail's room".
"Wait, Julius likes Abigail?"
"No. Julius likes Sadie, they just share the same room".
"Him and Sadie?"
"No! Oh my god, this is why you're so behind on gossip".”
― Ann Liang, I Hope This Doesn't Find You

“There is Zoey too. And even though I miss them both intensely with all my heart in different ways, missing Zoey is almost worse.
Because there are hundreds of books and poems and movies out there to describe exactly what I'm feeling, or lyrically beautiful songs for me to cry to and sing along with in the car.
There is no guide on how to survive this kind of fallout, no prescribe remedy to soothe this particular kind of pain. Romantic breakups are romanticized constantly, talked about everywhere by everyone, but platonic breakups are swept to the side, suffered in secret, as if they're somehow less important.”
― Ann Liang, This Time It's Real