EVERYTHING MATTERS

In the enveloping stillness of the night, as the world slumbered peacefully, a subtle tension floated in the air. Although dawn was on the horizon, the stars were still twinkling timidly, dimly illuminating the sleepy streets of the little neighborhood. At this early hour, when most people are still dozing, a telephone rang relentlessly, breaking the stillness of the room. Each vibration sounded like an irritating reminder of reality, disturbing Ailly’s sleep. Lying in bed, she tried desperately to ignore the electronic din, but each vibration seemed to intensify, finally driving her from the comfort of her sleep. She sat up, silently cursing the device that persisted in dragging her from her rest.

In the darkness of her room, only the subdued glow of her nightlight offered a faint illumination. She took a deep breath, trying to banish the residue of a disturbed night lingering in her restless mind. Then she reached for her phone, which lay nearby, ending its vibration. The screen lit up, dazzling her eyes, unaccustomed to light. She slowly opened them again, letting her pupils adjust to the brightness.

The time was displayed: 5 hours 7 minutes in the morning. She’d only slept two hours. Great.

Ailly checked her notifications, huffing in exasperation as she discovered a message from the landlord reminding her to set the electricity. Seriously, who sends that kind of message at three in the morning? Granted, she was behind on her payments, but Monsieur Ducans, the landlord, should know that she was always the first to pay her rent and electricity bills in this apartment. She simply filed away the message, deciding to sort it out first thing in the morning to avoid him drumming on her door about such details, a habit he seemed to particularly enjoy, as witnessed by her neighbor who was a recurrent victim.

Another notice caught her eye: it was Jennie, her best friend. Ailly rolled her eyes, wondering what Jennie could want at this early hour of the morning. She realized that it was her messages that had been making her phone vibrate for a while. She huffed softly, then opened the conversation anyway. Skimming quickly through the messages, Ailly turned off her phone, annoyed, then tried to go back to sleep by closing her eyes.

Her phone vibrated again. Ailly groaned, realizing she had forgotten to put it on silent mode. She gazed at the ceiling of her small apartment, well, if you could call it an apartment. With its few square meters, it consisted of a small bed, a bedside table nearby, a small kitchen, a table and a chair, and a small wardrobe, all in one room. As for the bathroom and toilet, she had to share them with the other tenants of the building.

Fortunately, they were not many, otherwise it would have been a hassle to access them every morning. Moreover, there were several bathrooms available, so it worked out on that side. Whatever she could say about the landlord and the facilities, Unity House was the only affordable social housing for her, and it was conveniently located for her to get to the Academy, thanks to the bus stops just a few meters away from her place.

Of course, the neighborhood of Melrose was perched on a hill, which limited vehicle access. For a city like Willowbrook, this neighborhood was known for its elegant residences and perfectly manicured gardens, creating a peaceful atmosphere despite the constant buzz. Although less bustling than Market Square, the true bustling heart of downtown, Melrose still had enough to attract city dwellers, and for good reason: the panoramic view of the entire city was simply breathtaking.

Ailly reluctantly picked up her phone, her gaze falling on the displayed time: 5:30 AM. She sighed and read Jennie’s new message. This time, she decided to reply.

I remind you that usually people sleep in on Saturdays. What’s up?

Ailly wasn’t angry when sending this message; she was simply annoyed and hoped to have at least a brief moment to recharge. She knew well that Jennie was bored and an early riser, so she understood her best friend. She was just the one Jennie could count on for conversations at ungodly hours without fearing reprimand.

Hey, Are you coming to the party tonight. You promised

Ailly had completely forgotten about this party, and she didn’t even remember agreeing to go with Jennie. Her phone vibrated again, displaying one last message.

Remember?

She sighed in annoyance. Jennie’s message was followed by a little smiling emoji, a sarcastic and ironic touch that irritated Ailly. She replied quickly:

Yeah, I remember...I’m in. I just hope we’ll leave together this time. Otherwise, it’ll be the last time I accompany you to spy on Jun.

Ailly felt a certain pride in sending this message, even though she had already addressed it to Jennie many times. However, she couldn’t help but wonder why her friend insisted on dragging her along time and again to these parties where Jun was omnipresent.

That idiot Ivan August Miller, but everyone called him Jun, a name that had nothing to do with his real name.

Ailly remembered the day Jennie had explained to her why he was called that, even though she hadn’t asked. Jennie had said that the name meant “talented” or “intelligent” in Chinese and Korean. Ailly had found this a rather... absurd explanation, wondering if Jun proclaimed himself to be intelligent and talented, especially if he wasn’t. But the second explanation made her burst out laughing. Jun in Japanese meant “pure” and “innocent”. Ailly had almost joked to Jennie that in Thai, Jun meant “asshole”, which it didn’t. However, the fanciful nature of these explanations had been obvious to her.

She wondered if these words were really the origin of Jun’s nickname. Seriously, everyone just called him “Jun”, with no real explanation. To Ailly, it was obvious that Jennie was making up stories to embellish Jun in her eyes.

No need, since after two years of attending the Academy with him, Ailly had developed a certain understanding of his personality.

From their very first year, if not before, Jun had exerted an undeniable fascination on her best friend. He perfectly embodied the stereotype of the arrogant character often found in novels, one designed to wreak havoc on the protagonist’s life, and by extension, that of her best friend.

Ailly sincerely wondered what it was that attracted Jennie to him. Perhaps it was his rebellious bad boy looks? He sported a seductive “European” appearance, with his black hair neatly styled and a few wisps carelessly falling over his forehead. His ears were adorned with piercings, and his gaze, oh dear, Ailly hated to meet his gaze inadvertently, for it always displayed a malice and a certain snarkiness. Every time she met his gaze, she felt he knew something about her, something she herself didn’t know. A smirk always seemed to float across his lips, almost giving the impression that he was perpetually mocking everyone. Not to mention his unbridled arrogance.

Admittedly, Jun hardly fit Ailly’s standards, which in no way gave her the right to disparage him in this way.

Nevertheless, it was undeniable that the latter was a particularly unpleasant individual, and it was high time Jennie realized this. As well as ignoring her completely, he was behaving like the worst kind of bastard. He did whatever he wanted at the academy, liked to hang out with all sorts of girls only to throw them away like mere toys. If that didn’t fit the definition of a bastard, Ailly didn’t know what did. Sometimes she wondered if her best friend was blind. “Innocent” and “Pure”, that’s right, yeah, he wasn’t exactly paying homage to the meaning of his name - nickname.

However, there was one aspect that undeniably brought Jennie and Jun together: their social status. Jennie and Jun were both part of the elite, privileged heirs like most students at the academy. Ailly wondered if this similarity was the reason why Jennie was so attracted to Jun. Perhaps they shared the same values, the same principles. However, Ailly remained convinced that Jennie didn’t think that way.

What was certain was that her best friend had a certain fascination with Jun. Ailly remembered their second year, when Jennie had suggested going for bike rides. At first, Ailly wasn’t very excited, but since Jennie couldn’t go out without company, and since she had explained that she needed to do some exercise to lose weight, Ailly had eventually agreed. That day, Jennie had come to Melrose with two bicycles, brought by her chauffeur. Jennie lived in the Golden Hill neighborhood, not far from Melrose, about fifteen minutes by car. It was Willowbrook’s heritage jewel, the historical epicenter of the city, and therefore quite close to Melrose.

In the end, Ailly found that going for bike rides wasn’t so ordinary. But with Jennie, the conversation always revolved around Jun. They had crossed Market Square, explored Willow Gardens with its old willows, and even passed through Dawn Park, the urban park in the heart of Willowbrook. Ailly wondered where Jennie was leading them, especially for someone who didn’t often walk alone. Jennie seemed to know the route by heart, eventually leading them to Emerald Heights, the upscale residential neighborhood of the city.

That’s where Ailly realized where Jennie was taking her : to “spy” on Jun, who according to Jennie, left his house on Saturdays at 2:30 PM for his jog. Ailly was more surprised by the fact that Jennie could know exactly when Jun went jogging than by the fact that he did it on a Saturday afternoon. After this spying adventure, Ailly had refused to go biking with her best friend anymore, not wanting to see Jun leave his house to wait for her, then leave. She wondered why Jennie didn’t wait for Mondays at the academy to “spy” on Jun better, but it was a lost cause. Her best friend was irretrievable, lost in Jun’s mocking smiles. All this to say that Jennie was obsessed when it came to this guy.

Jennie simply replied to Ailly with a sweet You know I adore you, right?. Ailly knew Jennie well enough to understand that she avoided engaging in a discussion about Jun, knowing full well that Ailly would once again remind her of all the reasons why she should forget him, which was the case. After reading this response, Ailly finally decided to put her phone on silent mode and go back to sleep peacefully. In reality, this sleep was not as peaceful as she had hoped, as she only slept for two hours before having to get up to go to work at the photo studio.

Like every Saturday morning from 9 AM to 12 PM, Ailly worked at a charming photo studio called U’studio. It wasn’t a large studio, just a nice place where families came to take pictures of their children. The studio was thriving, and Ailly loved working there, even though it didn’t pay her bills. Her passion for photography prompted her to devote some of her time to it. She worked alongside Min, the owner’s daughter, who was two years younger than her. They only worked together on Saturdays, as on other days, Min’s mother took over. Ailly got along well with this Korean family who had found their place in this big city, and she adored them as well. U’studio was especially accessible to Ailly, located in Market Square along Pine Street, a place frequented by people from the neighborhood. She sometimes walked there, even though the place itself wasn’t far. On foot from Melrose, it took her about 30 minutes, while by bus it was a 10 to 15-minute ride.

“See you next time, Min. I’m off,” said Ailly, accompanying her words with a wave of her hand, while Min simply smiled at her, thanking her for the extra help she had provided during the day. Her workday was over, and although it had been exhausting, with many clients coming in to take pictures of their babies, she found it both cute and tiring.

Today, she had worked a full day, leaving the studio at 4 PM. Due to the start of classes for the little ones, parents rushed into the studio with their child to take pictures. There were quite a few people, which explained why Min couldn’t handle it alone. So, Ailly decided to stay and help her. At the end of the day, Ailly’s hands were a bit sweaty from holding the camera for 7 straight hours, but she didn’t complain, she loved doing it.

The Market Square neighborhood still had a certain liveliness even at this time of day. Ailly walked slowly along Pine Street, an earphone in her ears, enjoying the environment. She watched the people in motion, entering and leaving shops, chatting among themselves. Saturday night was more lively than a Friday in the neighborhood.

Ailly always thought that a Saturday night was meant to stay at home, not to hang out anywhere. She sighed softly, finding a bit ironic what she was thinking, knowing that she herself wouldn’t stay at home. She would spend her evening searching for her best friend at a party she was “forced” to go to, because she knew that going to a party with Jennie boiled down to that.

Speaking of the devil, Jennie sent her a message, telling her that she was near the stop waiting for her. Ailly sighed softly before replying with an “Okay.” She was just a few meters from the stop. Ailly then noticed a black car parked a few meters from where she was. She sighed; it didn’t take a genius to know who it belonged to. This car was too familiar to her, and there was someone leaning against it, holding his phone. Ailly approached slowly, too slowly even, reflecting her reluctance to go to this party with Jennie. When the person turned towards her, she smiled at him.

“Ailly, you’re finally here,” she said.

Ailly looked at her. Jennie was wearing a black dress that was a bit too short for her taste. She had tied her long hair into a high ponytail, and she had lightly applied makeup, highlighting her beautiful brown eyes. She smiled at her.

“Miss Lynn, aren’t you afraid of getting cold like this,” Ailly remarked.

“Oh, not at all! And besides, it’s a party, it’s going to be hot. Let’s go, get in. Plus, we’re late, everyone is already there,” she pointed out. Jennie opened the door to let Ailly in, who simply rolled her eyes towards the sky.

“You didn’t tell me the party was at 6 PM, we still have time, why rush?” Ailly said, apparently showing her lack of enthusiasm to arrive at this party before everyone else. “Ah, hello Jacques,” she added, addressing Jennie’s chauffeur, who smiled in response.

Jennie, as usual, was always accompanied by her chauffeur wherever she went.

Jennie’s family situation didn’t allow her to move around without him. As the daughter of a renowned businessman in the textile industry and a famous actress and model, Jennie didn’t have the option to travel alone. Ailly had almost gotten used to this routine, especially when she was with Jennie. So Jacques was used to her.

“Oh, stop complaining Ailly, we’re going to have fun,” said Jennie enthusiastically. Ailly restrained the urge to roll her eyes upon hearing her, feeling that she was not going to have fun at all.

“Alright, off to Harborview, Jacques,” said Jennie to her driver. Without further ado, Jacques started the car to leave Market Square. Ailly closed her eyes for a moment; Jennie hadn’t told her that the party was at Harborview, she had just told her that one of the students from the Academy was inviting everyone. Everyone, except Ailly because she wasn’t even aware of this invitation. She would have hoped not to hear about this party, it would have spared her from already thinking about how she was going to get back to Melrose from Harborview, knowing that this neighborhood wasn’t just around the corner. Harborview was almost on the outskirts of downtown, where luxurious villas were located, offering spectacular views of the ocean. It was clear to her that the evening was going to be long for her, anyway.