Enock’s home was typical of any other LA home on it’s exterior,  but inside, the floors creaked and half the door’s were ripped off of the bedrooms. “Mama gets sick of all the fighting so she took off some of our doors.” Enock laughed at the memory. Kids and teenagers weaved between Kyong, Elliot and Enock as Enock ruffled the hair of one of his five siblings. Kyong examined the young boy's braids with his eyes - he had seen so many different hairstyles since he was in LA, but braids had seemed the most common for people with hair so curly, it couldn't be tamed with anything but. “Who does the braids?” He asked Enock with intrigue. 

“We used to go to a guy but when Pa left, we couldn’t afford much of anything like that anymore, so mostly my Ma or aunts. Sometimes we have a braid train and all do each others, but the boys mess them up. They are called cornrows by the way.” Enock shrugged.

“How come you didn’t have this many questions about my heritage?” Elliot teased, knocking Kyong with his shoulder.

“Because black is superior.” Enock teased.

“Nothing is better than Italian.” Elliot pushed past them and into Enock’s room, slumping on the bed, swiping up a remote controller with one hand as he lay sideways, looking at the tv. 

“What are we playing?” Kyong sat on the floor in front of him. 

“I managed to get a copy of Vanquish. It’s a pirate copy but I got it from a good source so it shouldn't be too bad in quality.”

“Vanquish, agh!” Kyong almost jumped out of his skin with excitement. “I’m a pro at that game!”

“How did you get a copy of it? It’s new…” Elliot and Enock both eyed him suspiciously.

“Oh, of course you're a prince…” I keep forgetting. Enock rolled his eyes.

“Plus it came out in Korea first, and also, I’m a prince.” Kyong shrugged. 

Kyong’s fingers tapped away furiously as he killed off both Enock and Elliot without much effort. Both of their eyes were wide when he looked back at them, putting the controller down next to him. For the second time since being in LA, in this dingy, rickety home in the ghetto, Kyong felt at home. The first was on the basketball court. As home as he could feel, so far from it. “Thank you guys for being by my side.”

“Dude, don’t make it sound gay,” Elliot screwd up his face, “But that’s okay.” He nudled Kyong with his leg. 

Enock smiled at him, “We couldn’t leave the little lost Korean prince all alone in the mess of losers and nomads that is Los Angeles high.” 

Kyong’s phone buzzed. He picked it up to inspect the screen, Louella. “Can I call you?”

Elliot looked over his shoulder, “Who’s Louella? A girlfriend back home?” 

Kyong scoffed. “She’s my best friend.” 

“Guys and girls can’t just be friends.” Elliot retorted.

“Sure they can,” Enock chimed in, flashing Kyong his brilliant white-toothed grin. “Is she some kind of royalty too?”

“Kind of. She’s the daughter of an heir. Not a royal heir but an heir of money.”

“Wait, so she’s super rich?”

“Yeah. Her father got lucky in real estate.” Kyong was unbothered by what he was saying. 1) because it was no big deal to him and 2) because Lou was now texting him a question mark. Answer her and risk his two classmates proving to her that he was not trying hard in school, or answer and maybe he could put her on speaker and they could actually become friends.

He hit the dial button and put it on the speaker. “Do you want to talk to her?” He asked, not really caring about the answer as he put the phone on the ground next to him.

“Talk to a real life heiress?” Elliot mocked. His tone was shot when she answered the phone. “Kyong, who’s that?” her voice was wary. There were distant voices in the background like she was shopping.

“Elliot.” He picked up the game controller and attempted to restart the game but it froze. “Agh. This bootleg is trash.”

“What are you playing?” She murmured into the phone. He could imagine her right now. He had been with her when she sounded like this… shopping, picking up pieces of clothing to inspect them while pretending to listen to someone talk through the other end of the phone.

“Vanquish.” he murmured back. Elliot and Enock were gawking at something in the background, loud whispering to each other. Kyong was too invested in trying to get the game working to focus on what they were saying. When the game took too long he threw the controller onto the ground roughly and picked up the phone instead. 

“Hey!” Enock picked up the remote and hugged it to himself protectively.

“Are you shopping?” Kyong pursed his lips, bored. 

“Yeah. Mika is meant to meet me but she hasn’t shown up yet. Where are you?”

“I’m at Enock’s house in the ‘hood’ as they call it.” He air quoted and Elliot laughed at his nonchalant attitude to the word. 

“What?” She seemed to stop short. He could hear her heels stop clicking and he already knew her reaction. For once he agreed with her. “The hood? Are you safe? What are you doing in those parts of LA, Kyong?”

“I’m fine. This is where Enock lives.”

“Take me off speaker phone.”

Kyong rolled his eyes, ignoring the pleading of his friends to leave it on, and did as she said. “Am I off?”

“Yes.”

“What are you doing? You promised you would stay on the straight and narrow so that you could get back home as soon as possible. I’m really struggling here without you to balance out… the girls.” 

“Is school driving you crazy?”

“A bit, yeah.” She admitted sheepishly.

“These guys are good, Lou. They are not as refined as we are in Korea, but for America, they are good, trust me.”

“I don’t know…” 

“They are on the basketball team.”

“You and your basketball.” He could hear her roll her eyes, even through the phone.

He looked back at his friends who were occupied with something on Elliot’s phone, “They are the only ones that don’t give me a hard time…” 

She sighed, “Fine. I will take your word for it.” he paused, “You can put me back on speaker.”

“Yes ma'am.” He did as she asked.

“God. They are changing you…” She smirked. 

“Hey Louella,” Elliot said, voice coated in mischief. Kyong looked back at him. What was he up to? Enock snached his phone and showed Kyong Louella’s Instagram account, “Why didn’t you tell us she was so effing hot?” 

Louella squealed, “I’m hanging up!”

“Bye Loue.” Kyong said into the phone before turning to his friends, “Stalking Louelle now, guys?”

“She has green eyes!” Elliot exclaimed, “They’re contacts right?”

“No. She has the eyes of the dragon like me.”

“But you are wearing contacts…” Elliot shook his head. No need to pretend with us, bro.”

“I am not.” Kyong rubbed a finger on his eyeball, “See?”

“Yuck!” Enock shoved him away. 

“And the blonde hair? Obviously dyed…”

“No. Just genetics.”

“My God.” Elliot breathed. “Is she coming to visit?”

Kyong stiffened. “Not likely.” 

“Jealous?” Elliot was quick to snarl wickedly at him.

“No. She’s just my best friend. I don’t want her to end up with someone like you…”

“Burn!” Enock hit Elliot on the back, hard, falling back with laughter.

“You want her to end up with someone like you?” Elliot was quick to snap back.

“I’d rather her end up with someone like me than you,” Kyong smirked, playing off his sudden feelings of late, as someone much less serious.