3x – Going Back

Stephanie laid in her bed one night and snuggled close to a teddy bear Micky had bought her a few weeks ago. It had almost been 2 months since she left her family to become a pop star and it had begun to take its toll on her heart. A lump started forming in her throat as she thought about her family back home. Stephanie glanced at the clock sitting on the shelf above her head. The red LED flashed 2:13AM.

Quietly, she got up and walked over to the computer that was in her dorm room. She pulled the chair back and sat down in it, placing the teddy bear on her lap. She squinted as the bright screen came on but soon adjusted as she started clicking away, signing into her email. The mouse clicked as she manuvered her way into a new composition and then Stephanie’s fingers flew as she wrote her mother about everything that had been happening.

She told her mother about the practices, her new “sisters”, all her friends, the day at noraebang, and finally…she told her mother about her boyfriend. Stephanie smiled,tears forming in her eyes, as she thought of what her mom would say to her in person if she knew Stephanie was dating someone. Even though it was annoying and sometimes harsh, Stephanie missed it. She knew everything her mother did was out of love. Stephanie ended the email with a line of XOXO’s and sent it.

Feeling a little bit better, Stephanie turned off the screen and stretched as she walked back to the bed. She climbed in and rolled over, hugging the teddy bear again. Before she knew it, she was asleep.