apple pie ch.one
tw: zhongli makes reader a bit uncomfy
wc: ab 1.3k
"we should all go out tonight! like when we were younger in middle school," ayaka said, trying to get the groups attention.
"can't, got wrestling practice," beidou said, not bothering to look up from her phone.
"i can't either, my mom wants me to meet some guy she's been dating," you sighed, putting your homework in your bag.
your friend group wasn't necessarily large, only five people, but others may disagree. it consisted of ayaka, the class president, beidou, the athlete people loved, ningguang, the student council president, keqing, the council's secretary, and you, y/n.
"is he famous?" beidou asked, suddenly interested in the discussion.
you couldn't blame your friends for no longer having interest in discussions, or no longer having free time, you were all seniors, only a month from graduating. you all also had other friends too. it wouldn't be a lie if you said you'd prefer others than them at times.
"i don't know," you shrugged. "i never met him."
"you think he's gonna be an old man?" ningguang asked you.
"i think he was born in '87 since my mom got him something year of the rabbit related. or '75 but not even my mom is 40 yet."
"he's young then. you're about half his age, if he's 36, that is."
you weren't necessarily excited to meet him. ever since your father passed away at a young age, your mom got a new boyfriend every other week, acting as if she was going to marry them, only to break up since your mom lost interest.
you thought your mom was the reason why you didn't have a proper relationship, you don't know what love really is. sure, your mom got you stuff, never yelled or hit you, and wasn't constantly out the house, but she never knew how to show affection towards you.
"do you think this relationship will turn out well for your mom?" beidou put her legs up on the empty chair next to her, grabbing a piece of gum for herself.
"beidou!" keqing looked at beidou, not wanting you to be hurt by her words.
"it's fine," you sighed. "i hope so, but i don't think it will. she's a very picky woman, y'know?" you sarcastically said.
you wished your mom would have a proper relationship. a not creepy boyfriend. maybe you can get a father figure too while she's at it.
"i think.. i'll get a rich boyfriend. then, we can live together, far from here, wouldn't that be nice?" you daydreamed.
"finish school first," beidou snorted.
"why don't you move into the dorms?" ningguang questioned.
"you know my mom can't afford it. if she could, i would've gladly moved in the dorms," you grabbed your phone from your pocket, opening your bank account. "even my part-time job doesn't give me enough money to live on campus," you showed the balance on your phone, a mere 150 dollars.
"you just got hired," keqing said. "just save up, you'll have enough money soon."
"we're all going to be out of school by then."
you wore the most expensive thing you owned, or probably the only expensive thing you owned since you hardly spent much on yourself. it was a dress, but wasn't too fancy or revealing.
"(y/n)! are you ready yet?" your mom called from her bedroom, as you heard her complain about what purse would best suit her outfit.
her boyfriend was supposed to pick you two up to take you all to the dinner, and while there was about 5 minutes left, you were decided whether you really wanted to go or not.
you can easily pretend to be sick, right? a few random stuff thrown in the toilet looks like throw up, doesn't it?
"you be on your best behavior tonight, okay? i really love him, so you better not ruin this for me."
you love your mom, if love was the right word for it, but she said that everytime. and everytime she ended up ruining it herself. what were you gonna do?
you slipped on your flats, changing from your original plan of heels, considering school made your feet sore.
you stood outside, next to your mom who dragged you outside, saying it'd be better to be outside so he wouldn't have to wait.
"mom?"
"yes?"
"do you really love him?"
she took a moment to say something.
"of course i do."
as your mom's words lingered in the air, you couldn't help but feel a sense of skepticism. it wasn't the first time she had proclaimed her love for someone new, only for it to end in disappointment and heartache. but this time, something felt different.
maybe it was the way her eyes sparkled when she talked about him, or the genuine smile that graced her face whenever he came up in some conversation of yours.
you sighed, pushing aside your doubts for now. after all, you wanted nothing more than to see your mom happy, even if it meant going through the rollercoaster of emotions that came with her relationships.
folding your arms across your chest, you forced yourself to wear a supportive smile as you waited for her boyfriend's arrival.
just as you were about to suggest checking the time, a sleek black car pulled up in front of your house.
"he's here," you said, looking at your mom.
"you should sit in the front seat, i'm sure he'd love to meet you," she said as she sits in the back.
"fuck," you groaned, rubbing your temple in frustration. you didn't like meeting new people, and now you were expected to sit next to a new person?
you opened the door, sitting down, making sure you were close to the door as you put out your hand. "i'm (y/n), it's nice to meet you. my mother always talks about you."
"really? i'm honored," his voice was deep, yet carried some sweetness as he looked back at your mom. he shakes your hand firmly, his hand feeling a bit rough. "i'm zhongli. you may have heard of my company, liyue? we're an entertainment agency."
"oh, yeah, i've heard of it before," you put on your seatbelt, wondering what to say to keep the conversation going.
he had a fairly nice car, it looked newly polished, and had the new car smell. you would believe him if he told you this was a brand new car.
"your mother tells me you're top of your class?"
"yeah, barely. hopefully i'll graduate top of my class," you said, looking forward, even if you desperately wanted to look away, you didn't want to be that disrespectful.
"what do you plan to do after high school?"
"become a scien-"
"a doctor. she wants to be a doctor," your mother interrupted you, but you doubt that did anything considering you said most of the title already.
zhongli's smile seemed to widen, but it didn't reach his eyes. "ah, a studious young lady. that's commendable. and dreams… they have a way of evolving, don't they?"
you nodded, trying to shake off the discomfort that settled over you. the rest of the ride was spent in awkward silence, broken only by occasional attempts at forced small talk. each passing moment increased your desire to escape this situation.
finally, the car pulled up to the restaurant, and you were relieved to step out into the crisp night air. the restaurant's ambiance couldn't dispel the tension that lingered, and the evening unfolded as a series of strained conversations and awkward silences.
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