A/N: I realised it's supposed to be 2007 in the previous original post, and not 2006. Sorry!
[Year 2007, September 1st]
Being a future college freshman was a feeling that has always made Meilin Lee, now 18 years old, nervous, and at the same time, excited. It's been 5 years since her adventures and shenanigans around Toronto that centred on her life being a dorky 13 year-old girl who experienced her ability to shapeshift whenever she experiences strong emotions or at will, hustled it with her friends, and eventually coming to terms with her mother who now supports her in whatever things she envision.
Mei, at 18, has experienced some physical changes through the years. Although her height as a panda remains constant at 9 feet tall, her human form has developed as she grew up. Firstly, her height now stands at 5'5, and now has curves, plus her breasts have also developed, having been wearing a bra since 14, although she's chiefly an anti-bra person when at home without any visitors. Next, she decided to make her hair grow much longer, extending till above her waistline, and enjoys bunning her hair. Although, she still doesn't like the idea of wearing heels, even when she's needed to.
Along with her physical change also came changes and addition in interests. Although she still plays the flute and is, for all intents and purposes, a 4*Townie, her interest in the group has slightly diminished, though she still appreciates their music, just not fanning over them as much as she used to last 2002. She now cooks and loves to bake, skills which she acquired from both Wu and Ming, who surprisingly bakes good carrot cheesecakes. Additionally, she has also learned how to play the piano and acoustic guitar, in which she keeps those instruments at home in her room.
Given that she has recently completed high school and is now moving on to college, she has that bit of separation anxiety as she and her friends would be parting ways into different schools as they prepare for their future, following their interests (or at least what one of them thought).
The besties, Abby, Miriam, Priya, and Tyler, along with Mei, have a conference call online.
*Ringing*
Priya then answers first.
"Heeeyyy yooo what's up?" greeted Priya in her usual monotonous voice.
"Hi girlfriend, so far so good! What about you, are you sure you wanna pursue IT?" greeted back Mei as she interviewed Priya about her college choice, to which she followed up with "and how's Montreal?"
"Yeah, I've always been in love with computers and stuff, who knows the next thing you're gonna know about me is that I've hacked into some random website?" chuckled Priya in a slightly monotonous tone. Then, she laughingly followed up with "Separation anxiety is real, friend. My Francais skills are put to the test here in Montreal. C'est l'fun, I guess?"
"Hahaha just don't use too much English up there, okay?" laughed Mei, knowing it's Quebec and French is the sole official language in the province, pursuant to Bill 101.
Then, Abby soon answered the call, followed by Miriam, then Tyler joined last.
"Bonjour, mon soleil! Quoi de neuf? Le Nouveau-Brunswick est tellement… ENNUYANT!" (Good morning, my sunshine! What's up? New Brunswick is so…. BORING!), screamed Abby on the line, causing the entire group to laugh.
"Oh, so you're a Francophone now, Park?!" chuckled Tyler.
"Well, I'm currently in Moncton, with my father's side relatives who recently came in from Daegu in Korea. Dude, it's BORING here, I think I'm gonna black out!" screamed Abby in her usual chaotic and rowdy tone, then the group laughed again, and Miriam then said,
"Well, I guess I'm back to the farm here in Sault Ste. Marie, but my parents are planning on sending me to Germany to study!"
"Gosh, you're too far. How sad." cooed Priya, then Miriam chuckled,
"Eheh, but at least I'm still speaking English without any stress unlike you there in Francophone territory!"
They all laughed.
"Okay guys!" Mei called, then cleared her throat. "So, where are you guys going to study? And what are your programs?"
"I'm up here in McGill U, Montreal. Info Tech. Nerdy, right?" Priya replied.
"Some university in Stuttgart, Germany! Chemical Engineering." added Miriam.
"Cool one! I'm taking up Nursing, University of Toronto." replied Abby.
"Great, we're schoolmates yet again, Abby!" giggled Mei. "Nursing is the way too, habibti!" she added.
Abby stared at her screen in shock then she bursted,
"Woah that's so…. COOL!" Then, Abby added, "I hope you're good with blood and vomit, though."
"I'm fine with blood, just a bit on the 'no' for vomit." Mei chuckled. "I remember Mom and Dad being both so wasted they threw up all over the temple courtyard, and even in the house, Dad continued hurling around the bathroom and we needed cleaning services to handle the mess!".
The group laughed at Mei's hilarious anecdote, then they turned to Tyler in which Mei asked him what he'd be taking.
"Uhm…." Tyler stammered.
"It's okay, Tyler, take your time." Mei reassured.
"I'm heading off…. To RMC!" Tyler exclaimed.
"Huh? RMC? You mean the place where they bald your hair and are forced to live under some sort of strict routine?!" Abby screeched, then Tyler went,
"Yep, you heard that right. Royal Military College of Canada! Dad was an alumnus there in 1979. Army artillery officer until 1989, shortly before I was born." he replied.
"No wonder your dad has a well-built body, and acts kinda militaristic!" Miriam added.
"Yeah, but he's still a sweet kind of guy, except during that one time when…. Heh, you know." Tyler playfully smirked, pointing at Mei, referring to the time she pounced on him during his 13th birthday in 2002.
"Up to now, I'm still very sorry about that!" Mei replied with same in her face, to which Tyler reassured her with
"Well, at least we're good now after a few clarifications back in the day!"
"Yes, sir!" Mei laughed. Then the girls, in unison, in a militaristic tone, said the same.
"You dorks!" chuckled Tyler.
"By any means, what's your branch of service of choice, then?" asked Priya, who seemed interested in what Tyler is about to enter.
"The Air Force, bruv. Sic itur ad astra! Woosh!" replied Tyler, motioning a fighter jet zooming through the sky with his palm facing down and upwards, though they can only hear him. "I've always wanted to be a pilot, but not exactly through joining the military, but it's the cheapest possible option!"
"Goodluck, my man, er-, my dude!" Mei replied, having slipped with her words then immediately corrected it. The other girls picked up on it and laughed at her as they've been shipping her with Tyler since 2004.
"But we're JUST friends, girls!" Mei retorted but was blushing, then she felt panda ears protruding and her tail began to sprout, with the poofs audible on the mic.
"Aww, she's gonna panda again with that blushing!" laughed Abby in her chaotic tone once more.
"GUYS PLEASE… Just shut the hell up?!" Mei screamed but still blushing, then she poofed.
Mei panda'd.
"Furry mode! That's the spirit!" laughed Priya, then Tyler hushed everyone with,
"I'm not being shipped with a dork, NOT TODAY!" as he was also blushing himself.
Meanwhile, Ming and Jin noticed purple smoke coming out of Mei's room, then Ming sensed that her daughter was experiencing emotions again.
"Meimei, sweetie, are you okay?! What's the panda all about again?" Ming called from the living room, then she marched into Mei's door, opening it to see a panda Mei behind it.
"Oh, hey, mom!" Mei yelped then hid her blushing face. Ming quickly picked that up.
"Mhmm, is that about a boy again?!" Ming fussed, then chuckled.
"No, it's just…." Mei stammered, then she was cut off by Ming who noticed the besties on the computer whilst they were audio conferencing.
"The besties again, I see? Were they shipping you with someone? You got attracted to a guy? Someone wrote you a letter?" Ming interrogated.
"Seriously mom, it's nothing!" Mei laughed, in which the besties overheard them and they all greeted "Hi, Mrs. Lee!" in unison.
"Oh hey, guys! Just checking on my Meimei here. Hope you're all enjoying it!" Ming smiled, then turned to Mei and,
"If your poofing is about a boy, just tell me." Ming whispered and winked, to which Mei replied,
"You'll never guess!"
Ming laughed then returned to the living room with Jin.
"That was close, you nearly had your ass kicked for blushing!" giggled Abby.
"Dude, please…. Perhaps we can all just discuss peacefully without mentioning ANY DUDE?!" Mei said, gritting through her teeth and laughed.
They then continued on with their discussion and said their goodbyes after an hour of laughs and lighthearted conversations. Abby was the first to leave, then Priya, then Tyler, and then Miriam.
Mei calmed herself down after the call, who was still in her panda form. She then thought of her friends being there for her, supporting her and all, and then, poof!
Mei is back to her human self again.
She then went to lay on her bed, read her high school yearbook, then continued reading a novel Priya had given her as a graduation gift, and glanced out the window. A pair of CAF-Air Command CH-146 Griffons flew nearby, within sight, and she whispered to herself,
"Tyler Nguyen-Baker, I love you!"
Ears popped out again then her tail followed, and she proceeded to continue reading her novel to distract herself. Then, her panda ears and tail disappeared.
To be continued
