LGPE WAS A HUGE SUCCESS for the Meadowbrook High School Advanced Mixed Chorus, but what was next for them?

Three of their grand performances were already down, so there was one more to go before the school year will close. Other than their LGPE festival, this performance was bound to be extremely important. Not only would it be their last performance of the school year, but it would be their last performance in high school.

If anything, Dr. Terry wanted it to be their best.

"This is yet to be your most important performance this year. After this performance, you will not be in Advanced Mixed Chorus anymore. Soon enough, you'll be graduates," she explained with perseverance. "Some of you all will go to college. You might do show choir, women's choir, men's choir, and the list go on. Some of you may decide not to even do choir, and that's completely okay," she continued as she clasped her hands together. "Some of you might not even go to college. You might go to the military, attend trade school, or go straight to the workforce. It all depends on what you want for yourself — whatever makes you happy."

The class remained silent as they watched Dr. Terry step forward. "I want you to know that during this performance, I want you to try your very best. I want this to be a memorable experience. Not for me, but for you. Having that said, right after the performance is finished, I'd like to host a banquet to celebrate your achievements."

Several eyes in the room lit up as heads shot up from the ground. A banquet just for singing did sound cool.

"This banquet isn't only to celebrate this year, but it's to celebrate all your years of participating in this course. I plan on having all of my choir students from beginning to advanced participate in the event," Dr. Terry announced. "I want to make you all the priority because this is your last year here at Meadowbrook. The banquet will not cost you a dime since part of your choir dues will cover it, and the school will donate as much money as they can to make the event possible. Family members and friends are invited to come as well, but there may be additional costs for them. Any questions about that?"

"What will happen during the banquet?" Inez questioned as her hand flung into the air. "Will there be dinner or something like that?"

"Yes, since it'll be after the performance, dinner will be served," Dr. Terry answered with a curt nod. "And believe me, it won't be school food because I don't do school food when it comes to school events. Instead, it'll be catered by a company."

A series of relieved sighs escaped most of the choir member's mouths. School food wasn't the best at Meadowbrook, that was for sure. The idea of school food being at a school event that wasn't lunch sounded odd. Especially to Alexander, who hated Meadowbrook's food with burning passion.

Catered food was surely a large upgrade, considering how bad the school food is to begin with.

"I'll have more information on the banquet when the time comes. We still have about two months," Dr. Terry mused as she gestured to a few pieces of paper. "When class begun today, I gave you all your new music for this performance. For the next two or so months, we will work on Man in the Mirror from Joyful Noise and We're All in This Together from High School Musical."

Just the announcements of the choir singing the two iconic songs lightened up their spirits, especially We're All in This Together. High School Musical is a forever iconic Disney movie, one that is enjoyed by many. With all things considered, Alexander wasn't too big on Disney movies. He didn't like how unrealistic they were or the weird logic that came within them. But he had to admit — they could be relaxing to watch at times, even if they were highly unrealistic.

Speaking of unrealistic, instead of heading straight to warm-ups to actually begin class for the day, Dr. Terry decided to let her students have the remainder of the class period to do whatever they'd like. Out of all the other school days in choir, they've never gotten free time. But it was definitely worth it, especially since they got an all-superior rating on their last performance.

Frankly, it was a big accomplishment.

Instead of the remainder of class lost in their phones, most students decided to have a slightly off-key karaoke session, which consisted of singing multiple mainstream pop songs, like Ariana Grande's Bad Idea and Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson. The singing started off of a few people, but eventually, almost the entire choir ended up pitching in with glee.

Just as they were about to sing another song, the electronic school bells rang a couple of times, signalizing that the school day was over. After placing his new sheet music into his bulky backpack, Alexander joined Inez at the door, who was patiently waiting for him as she fumbled her fingers on one of the straps of her backpack, which was strapped against her shoulder.

"Hey," she chirped as a wide smile formed on her luscious lips. "How are you?"

"I'm doing great," Alexander nodded as he held the swinging door open for his girlfriend, letting it go after she was completely out of the room. "But I have an idea."

"I'm listening," the girl mused.

"Instead of going straight home, do you wanna head to the library for a little study date?" the Korean boy questioned, his gaze strong. "It closes at three-thirty, so we have plenty of time to relax."

"Yeah, sure. I do have some things to work on and I'm such a big procrastinator, so this sounds great. I just have to text my parents just so they don't go wondering where I am," Inez informed as she rummaged her cell phone from the pocket of her jeans. Within moments, her finger was tapping away her text message before she sent, the 'whoosh' sound of iMessage ringing in Alexander's ears afterwards. "Sent."

The Korean boy nodded before they climbed up a crowded flight of stairs. When they were finally at the top a few moments later, instead of heading towards the main exit, they made a U-turn to head towards the school media center, which only a few students went to at this hour. Alexander held the swinging door open for his girlfriend to enter beforehand before he entered himself. Some tables were filled with students, but the couple managed to find a table far into the broad room in a corner which is highly accessible to a great view of outdoors, far away from the circulation desk, where the school librarian, Ms. Dunn, dwelled.

The Walmart Great Value version of Kris Jenner.

"Hey, remember the time Ms. Dunn kicked us out of the library just because we were 'being too loud'?" Alexander cackled as he held up two fingers, wiggling them up and down to create air quotes.

"Oh yeah, I remember," Inez nodded her head in memory with a growing smile. She took a seat across from her boyfriend, who faced the large window behind them. "To be honest, she does look like she could be a Kris Jenner look-alike. A bad one, really."

"Yeah, Ms. Dunn does not rock the pixie cut like Kris does," the Korean boy grimaced. "But let's hope she doesn't kick us out of the library like she did last time."

"And if she does?"

"That proves that she's still dick-deprived," Alexander came to a conclusion. 

"Oh shit, that's giving me another bad mental image," the girl gagged as she did a thumbs-down with her finger. "Fuck you."

"I gladly will," the Korean boy teased without hesitation.

Inez narrowed her eyes at him before she lowered her head. All of a sudden, Alexander felt a pang or regret rush through his veins. He wasn't good with words sometimes, and he knew that. But sometimes, things slip out unintentionally. In no way did he want to make his girlfriend feel uncomfortable.

That was when he pressed his palms together before he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry if I made you a little uncomfortable with what I said. I didn't mean that at all." He continued as he ran a hand through his shaggy hair. "I didn't mean having sex right now or anything. I want to go at your pace, and I completely understand if—"

"No," Inez intervened softly. "I get what you mean. I was just caught off-guard by what you said. You don't need to apologize if no harm was done."

She extended both of her arms before she raised her head, wiggling her eyebrows to tell her boyfriend to do the same. Alexander took a hint as his hands met hers. He could feel the softness of her hands as he laced his fingers around hers.

"Are you sure? I probably weirded you out a little bit," the dark brunette-haired boy insisted.

"I'm sure, Alexander. This was just a misunderstanding," Inez hummed as she looked straight into his soft brown eyes. Eye contact. It's a powerful form of communication. It can mean many things, like passion, value, and the list goes on. But this eye contact — the one that Alexander and Inez shared means trust, a vital pillar every relationship needs.

"Good to hear," Alexander nodded before turning his head to face the rows of bookshelves, plenty of books stacked within them. He felt a spark light up in his brain. Neither of them was even studying, even if that was the original plan. "I like how we came here for a study date, but instead we're doing everything but that."

"Oh, right," Inez snapped her fingers in memory. "I guess we should get started on that."

"We can, but . . ." the Korean boy mused as he folded his hands together. "I want to get to know you a little bit more first. We've been dating for a few weeks now, and I feel like there are still some things I don't know about you."

Despite the countless hours the couple spent texting each other on the phone during day and night, there were still things that they didn't know about each other. Sure, they might have talked about anything and everything, regardless of how random or serious it could be, but that didn't mean everything was covered. There were still undiscovered pieces to the picture waiting to be found.

Inez, however, didn't quite realize that.

"Alex," she nagged. "I'm not an interesting person. There's nothing else to know about me because I'm boring."

"Oh, I like that nickname. Alex. Only a few people call me that, and you can too," he nodded his head curtly. "But come on, you're not boring, Nezzie."

"I'm pretty basic," Inez denied as she shook her head.

"No, you're not. You're extraordinary," Alexander admired with a gush. "I mean, you volunteer at the hospital to put smiles on children's faces, and in general, you're so good with kids. You're telling me that's not interesting?"

"Well . . . okay, you got me," the girl hesitated as she frowned. "I didn't think you'd find any of that interesting, though. It's not anything like skateboarding, being an Instagram model, or anything like that."

"Just because you don't skateboard, or post fake ass filtered pictures on Instagram doesn't mean that you're not interesting. You are. What you do is considerate. It's caring and impacts society in a positive way," the Korean boy assured her as he extended his hand to adjust a few strands of her soft, moisturized loose curls. "That's one of the many things I like about you."

Smiling with glee, Inez leaned in closer to plant a gentle kiss on the boy's lips, her tongue slipping through it. Before Alexander got the chance to savor the kiss by kissing back, a feminine, raucous voice that wasn't his girlfriend's pricked his ears.

"Ahem, there will be no kissing in my library, folks," the school librarian, Ms. Dunn, cleared her throat. Her eyebrows were furrowed at the couple before she narrowed her eyes at them, grabbing a library cart stocked with books before staggering away.

Resisting all temptation possible, the pair leisurely let go of the kiss as they watched the librarian walk away until she was completely out of sight. Alexander took this to his advantage, however.

"I told you, she's still dick deprived," he teased as a smirk crawled on his lips.

Inez rolled her eyes playfully. "I'm actually starting to believe you."

The Korean boy sent his girlfriend a wink before he folded his hands together. "So, you've told me something about you. I guess that it's my turn to tell you something about me?" 

"Uh-huh, I'm listening," the girl nodded her head, her voice soft.

"Okay," Alexander said as he looked down at the wooden table his hands were resting on. He took a deep breath before continuing. "We've been dating for some weeks now, so I think it's time that I tell you about my family."

Inez frowned. "It's about your mom, is it?"

"How did you know?"

"Remember the time we were in the dressing room before our winter performance in choir? You told me a little bit about her," the girl said briefly as she remembered the words on her boyfriend's Instagram bio. "Is she . . . who you were talking about on your Instagram bio?"

Wish you were here, followed by a mending heart emoji. If anything, Inez remembered the exact format of her boyfriend's social media bio. 

"Yes, that's who I'm referring to there," the Korean boy nodded his head. "But I think I should tell you what happened. I don't want to keep hiding it from you anymore."

"Look, if you're not ready to tell me about it, you don't have to, Alex," Inez assured as she planted her hands on top of his firmly. "There's no pressure."

"I know, but I want to set this aside. And I trust you," the boy mused, his voice low. "I don't tell this information to just about anyone."

"Okay," the curly-haired girl said as her voice trailed off.

With that, Alexander took a deep breath. "I only told you that my mom died, but there's more to that. She died when my little sister, Constance, was born." He looked down at the table. "It's been hard on us all, especially my dad. It just hurts to see him . . . hurt."

Inez's heart sank as she tried to catch her breath, which was already fading away. "I'm really sorry for your loss . . ."

"It's fine," the Korean boy frowned. "But it's not. My mom deserved to live a longer life. She was such a great person, always putting others before herself." He sighed, gently rubbing the side of his eye, which was now getting itchy. "When I was little, she'd always tell me how she always wanted to see me walk across the stage when we'll graduate in June. But she'll never get to see that because she's in the grave, buried deep into the ground."

Inez Archer was speechless. She had no clue what to say or when to say it. She forked her hands through her curls, which were frizzy at this point. "I'm . . . I'm really sorry to hear that. Your mom sounds like an amazing person." 

"I know, but why did it have to be her? Why did she have to die?" Alexander questioned impatiently. All he wanted was answers, answers that no one could give him.

"I don't know . . ." Inez mused quietly. "You know, I can help you get through this. It sounds like it hurts you a lot."

"I don't think there's anything anyone can do to help at this point," the Korean boy muttered, his voice hoarse. "My mom is already dead, and she can't be revived. There's nothing you or anyone else can do about that."

Then it was silent.

The girl raised one of her eyebrows as she squeezed her boyfriend's hands tight. "I know, but I want to help you somehow. I don't like seeing you . . . hurt like this."

Alexander Choi felt himself tremble inside. He was hurt, but he didn't want to start crying, especially in front of Inez. So, he bit his lip as heat seared through his body, his eyes glossy. "Inez, I appreciate you caring, but I don't think you understand."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm trying to be realistic here," the Korean boy answered, his voice breathy as he let go of the girl's hands. "My mom has been dead for years and this pain is going to keep following me no matter what. That's the harsh reality behind it, and it can't be fixed if it's already done too much damage."

Inez fell silent as she found herself clutching her fingers together. She couldn't find a way to face Alexander. After what he said, she couldn't.

He was right. She didn't understand.

But she was trying to, as difficult as it is.

"You know, I think I need some time alone right now," he said as his voice trembled, as if a bullet tore right through him as he gathered his belongings. "I'm sorry for wasting your time with my problems." 

a/n: okay, that was tense. i love a little bit of angst, i don't know about y'all 😬

but before y'all jump into conclusions, which you probably already have, i think with this chapter, it's important to understand both sides of the story here. Inez is obviously trying to understand, but Alexander just wants to be realistic. 

i feel for them both, but especially for Inez since i've been in situations like this. let's see how she handles it.