Page 4 of Didn't See That Coming

He’s a swimmer. He recently competed in the national swim meet and came in second. He was bummed about not getting gold, but he is honestly more bummed about the dead sourdough starter. Oh my gosh, I can’t believe there are already six things on this list. I could go on for ages, but I’m going to stop here because it’s starting to feel kind of weird.

Given that I know so much about Sourdawg, it might seem weird that I don’t know his actual name, but I’ve never dared to ask, because what if he asked what my real name is? Then I’d have to dig myself deeper into my lie and tell him that my name is Bob or Tom or whatever, which feels even slimier. The closer we get, the guiltier I feel. It’s a good thing that Sourdawg lives in Singapore and I live all the way in Jakarta. We’ve got a whole sea separating us, so at least I can be confident that we’ll likely never bump into each other in real life.

My computer dings.

Sourdawg:Another round?

Dudebro10:Gah, I’d love to, but I should probably get to bed. And you should too, isn’t it super late over there?

Sourdawg:Okaaay, Uncle.

I bite my lip, smiling again as I imagine Sourdawg saying “Okay, Uncle” in that typical Singaporean way. Then that stab of guilt again.He should be calling you Auntie, not Uncle.I shake it off and type back.

Dudebro10:Sorry, it’s just my first day at school tomorrow.

Sourdawg:Got it. Go get your beauty sleep. Later!

Dudebro10:G’night!

The moment I log off, all the joy that usually comes with chatting with Sourdawg dissipates. First day of my stuffy, super-traditional, elite private school tomorrow. Ugh. I still can’t believe that Mami and Papi did this to me. But I shan’t despair, for I am the Fabulous and Marvelous Kiki Siregar. The other students at Xingfa School aren’t even going to know what hitthem.

CHAPTER 2

As much as I hate to admit it, when it comes to my new school, its uniform gives me a lot more to work with than Mingyang’s did. Mingyang High, my old school, is also a Chinese school, but it’s all about integrating as much of Indonesian culture as possible, so its uniform is an atrocity made of batik-inspired cloth—with a pattern that I think is supposed to be seashells but has ended up looking like amoebas—cut into a bizarrely shaped blouse and skorts. It was voted Worst Uniform in Jakarta five years in a row. One would think that winning this nebulous award would’ve encouraged the folks at Mingyang High to revisit the uniform, but nope.

Xingfa’s uniform, on the other hand, is the cute Japanese-style sailor uniform: white skirt and top with a large blue collar and a red sash. It makes me look like a manga character, and I fully approve of this. I admire my reflection after I’ve put it on with my regulation white socks. The skirt was the only thing I was meh about. According to Xingfa’s rule book, it should be four fingers’ width below the knee, which…uh, no. Theday the package containing my new uniform arrived, I quickly sent the skirt out to be shortened so that it fell an inch above my knees. That’s one thing Mingyang did right: our amoeba-covered skorts were at least allowed to be thigh-length. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a tiny bit worried, though. Mingyang is known for being one of the most liberal, progressive schools in Indonesia, a country filled with conservative, traditional schools. Xingfa, on the other hand, is known for its “discipline,” code word for super-strict traditional school. Which again raises the question of why Mami and Papi have chosen to transfer me to Xingfa.

I woke up half an hour early this morning so I could pull my hair into a messy braid and twine it around my head into a braided headband, and dare I say it: I look super cute. I pick up my phone, which is wearing a custom phone case I designed myself. It saysgamer goddessin a beautiful cursive font, surrounded by an explosion of flowers. Just because I can’t be publicly a girl in-game doesn’t mean I’m not proud of being a girl gamer in real life.

I strike a pose and take a selfie before sending it to my WhatsApp group chat. A second later, my phone buzzes with replies.

Sharlot:WHAT! Your uniform is SO cute! I hate you!

Cassie:I love it! And your hair! Aah! You’re going to slay them!

Over summer break, my cousin Sharlot visited us from Los Angeles. At first, it was a complete trainwreck. She and Ididn’t hit it off, and to make matters worse, she got roped into fake-dating George Clooney.

Well, George Clooney Tanuwijaya. Only male heir of the Tanu Group, one of the nation’s biggest corporations. Their fake dating was exposed in the most humiliating way possible, and it was awful. Sharlot was devastated, but then she climbed out of her cave of sadness and we became a lot closer than before. Plus, the fake dating actually evolved into real dating, and now Sharlot and George Clooney are one of those couples who seem to have everything together and will no doubt get married once they finish grad school. I introduced her to Cassie, my BFF, and they got along so well that the three of us formed a group chat called the Bad Betches, and since then, we chat on it almost every day.

Kiki:I miss you guys so much.

Cassie:I know! Lunchtime is going to be so weird without you.

Sharlot:Hey, at least you guys are still living in the same country! I’m all alone in Cali!

Kiki:Your boyfriend literally flew halfway around the world to be with you. You’re hardly all alone

Cassie:Srsly! #relationshipgoals

Sharlot:Yes, but I miss you guys! Female friendships > boyfriend

Kiki:Gasp! George would be heartbroken to see that

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