The time seemed to stop in the auditorium. I thought  was just cleaning the large venue for an hour, but in reality, I spent the whole afternoon mopping the floor, picking up trash and brushing dusts away. So when we went out to head home, the blood colored sky greeted us. The sun was still up there, looking at the earthlings, like how she did everyday for millions of years already. Yet the moon has also shown himself.

I stopped walking and just stared at the sky. It gave me goosebumps to know that I am witnessing the two celestial beings meeting each other. It reminded me of the bedtime story they used to tell us when we were kids, where the moon is chasing the sun after she has ran away- mad at her husband for not keeping his promise which caused their children's death.

"She told you what?" I regained my senses when you asked me that question. I turned my gaze from the space towards you. Your eyebrows are drawn and a crease on your forehead is seen. Later I would learn that you had repeated that question to me for five times, thinking that I was still walking with you. When you realized I wasn't, you ran back to the school, and found me there, standing in the middle of the grass lawn, head up high, and lost in my own thoughts.

"Who?" I said, sounding like an owl.

Then I remembered that before I looked up, we were talking about my day and I was narrating to you how Mrs. Mournet told me to clean the auditorium, without even giving me a warm smile to congratulate me.

I gave you a nervous smile, knowing that the words I said made your temper up. "It was nothing. Really." I stammered. "Maybe tomorrow during the awarding event, she would. And its not like I won the Olympics. It's just a literary contest, and its not so important, and she probably has many things in her table much more important than this."

You sighed, still not convinced. You started walking again so I decided to pull my last card. I ran so that I can catch up to you. When I was a few steps ahead, I turned around so that I can face you. You stopped. I could not read what emotion you had of that day, and I couldn't remember it also. All I had remembered is that we looked exactly the same as we did a year ago, when you first arrived at the school.

Start of class in Althea Public High, Grade 7. Class A, the pilot section, contained the same students Class A of Grade 6 had last year, except for two students. That was you and me. We were outcasts back then. Although they did not bully us, it is clear in the way they ignore us to make a point that we are unwanted.

Our teacher assigned the whole class to decorate the room. Everyone nodded their head in prim obedience. Everyone stood up and reached for the construction papers, scissors and glues. But the moment the teacher went out of the room, whatever they were doing was stopped. The class president then called the two of us and told us to finish the decoration. We scanned the room. We haven't even started decorating, but they have already made the decision as they all walked out the room, leaving us to do the dirty work.

It was dark when we finished the task supposed to be done by the class. I stormed out of the room and headed outside. I didn't mind the thought of walking alone at night. I continued walking briskly, angry at everything. I was mad of the way they treated me like I was invisible. I was mad of the way they smile at me sweetly when they needed something from me. I was mad of teachers because they never noticed. I was mad because I had to be transferred to this school. I was mad because I had to leave the house I loved the most and start anew.

A Sharpie was left in the ground, and since I can barely see anything, I tripped in it. It was the final thread to be tugged, and all the emotions-the frustrations, disappointments, longings- finally came at loose. A single tear escaped my right eye, then to my left, until they began to stream like water in a river.

"Lee Eun-mi!" The first conversation we had, and it was my name uttered first. I didn't know you were following me.

I stood up immediately, afraid that you would witness the glimpse of me crumbling. But you already did. You put both of your hands at the sides of my shoulders to balance me. You squeezed a little as you looked at me straight in the eyes.

"I'm going to tell my parents."  I announced.

The way you spoke was calm, in contrast to mine which was hysteric. We were like that. Hot and cold. Ice and fire. Spice and sweet. "If you are going to tell your parents, and if your parents are going to the principal, and if the principal is going to let the teacher know, and if the teacher will lecture his students, which are our classmates, they are just going to hate you more. The way they are treating you right now will be a dime compared to how they will treat you if you do tell your parents."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Endure. We need endure everything because that is how life is. Remember how they tell us that the world is a survival for the fittest? You need to endure in order to survive."

I did not looked convinced by the words you said. Tears continued to leak from my eyes. You sighed and flashed me your smile, not bright but warm.

"Besides, you have me."

I did the same thing you did to me. I put both my hands on your shoulders. Made an eye contact. Flashed a smile, not bright, just warm. Pinched a little. Your gaze was expectant, not knowing what I will be saying, but with contempt.

"Besides, I have you." I reminded you. "It would not hurt that much that nobody shook my hand and told me I was the school's pride, because you already congratulated me. I'd rather hear you utter those words than hear the school say it. After all, you are my friend. My one and only friend."