There she laid on the bed, completely helpless and defenceless, hooked up to an IV and an oxygen mask around her face. The doctor said the drug had compromised her breathing so Suji had to be administered some oxygen. There were no long –term or seemingly fatal effects of the drug and we were grateful for that.

“Suji.” Omma croaked her voice barely above a whisper as she made her way to the side of the bed. She took Suji’s limo hand in hers and massaged it with her fingers. Seeing my mother cry in front of me was very heart-breaking as she was a very strong person. She had to be strong to for us whenever possible but then, she seemed just as fragile as my sister sleeping on the hospital bed.

“Please Lord.” She began, whispering words of a prayer, asking Him for Suji’s recovery and all I did was watch. I watched her prayed as she cried over her first born. I watched and thought. I thought about how selfish Suji was, putting our family through this pain after all that we’d already been through. What was her reason for this? We were a good family to her. Our father supported us as best as he could with the earnings he made from his farm but that was about to change due to the burning of that same farm. He would have to find another means of earning a living and so would mom. And Suji and I should be trying to work to the best of our abilities at our new high school but everything came crashing down, tumbling over and crushing all over hearts again. And for once again Suji had claimed the spot light. She’d had always had it, wanted and gotten it.

The distant ticking of my wristwatch reminded me that I had less than 10 minutes to make it to school.

“Omma, I have to go.” I placed my hand on her shoulder. She lifted her gaze form the unconscious person on the bed to look at me with red, teary eyes and a slight pain seared through my heart. No one would ever want to see a person who she loved so much in such immense distress. “Don’t worry too much. Have you no faith?” and that only seemed to make the tears trickled faster down her puffy cheeks. “I’m sorry.” A hug would somehow alleviate the pain in a situation. “But I have to go to school now.” She nodded. She understood. She always understood.

***

I couldn’t concentrate in of any of my classes. The teacher talked too fast and the lessons were too confusing and my pencil point broke each time I tried to write something and my head hurt more than usual and my hands shook but not from nervousness and the bathroom was great place for me to release all my pains and frustrations through my eyes after I’d ran out of a pop quiz. I shouldn’t have pent up of these emotions and I’d broken my promise. I’d cried.

“Lord, please forgive me.” I’m sinner. Sinners burn in hell.

After I’d washed my face numerous times in order to get rid of any evidence of crying, I ventured into the hall way and walked with my head down. The other students hustled and jostled and bumped shoulders with me. But that was fine. That was fine with me. I just wanted to make it to the music room and graze my tips over the grand piano I’d seen a few weeks ago.

I looked ahead to see the door only a few heartbeats away. I was already imaging how the cold metal knob would feel in my warm palm as I turned it and to enjoy the harmonies of musical notes.

“Chanhi!” The door seemed farther than before and I must have been getting mental once I hear my name being called. “Chanhi.” The door got closer. Good. I was doing a good job of penetrating this crowd.

“Chanhi!” I felt myself being spun around to face a person who I’d grown to hate and despise.

“Chanhi!.” She beamed which made my stomach churn. “I was calling you from the other end of the hall.” She laugh and her laughter died down and made me aware that she’d noticed my scowl. “How have you been?”

“I think you’ve caused me enough trouble.” I said, anger evident in my voice and I turned away,

“Chanhi!” She hollered. “I told you it was only acting for a gig. I t was practice. I’m truly sorry if I very hurt you in any way.”

“Sunny…leave me alone.” No one could be trusted.

I turned the knob and it was colder that I’d imagined and I stepped in another place of solace for me.

I made my way over with long strides, took a seat and removed the covers.

The white keys seemed to sparkle as I laid the pads of fingers on them. The notes seemed to travel throughout the room, bounce off the walls and into my ears with each of a note. Soon later I found myself indulging in an unknown song. Unknown because it was done out of sheer randomness after each stoking of the keys became it a musical harmony.

“I have to write this down.” I played the notes in the order I‘d just done before and began to write them down.

“C sharp then-

“That was sensational.” A voice said, disrupting my concentration and solace.

I whipped my head to the right to see him and any form of anger I’d mustered dissipated immediately.

“Yoseob?”

“Absolutely sensational.” His voice cheery and high just likes the edges of his lips when he smiled.  I smiled at his compliment.

“Why don’t you take piano lessons?” He asked whilst he traipsed over to sit beside me and he appeared to bounce up and down with every step he took.

“I never thought I was a good piano player. I only played because I like to hear the sounds when I strike a key.” I replied and laughed at my own silly answer.

“You have a beautiful laugh.”  I ceased laughing when he said that. Suji made it her duty to say that I laughed like a duck. So I was rather shocked by his comment. How does a duck even laugh? Do ducks laugh?

“T-thnaks.” I focused my gaze on the keys before me and the space became awkward. He chortled and scooted closer to me which caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up and sent my heart racing a mile an hour. Why did he have that effect on me? I tensed up at every comment and compliment he sent my way, and when I saw him smile it made me want to smile as well because he was that contagious and he had such an inviting personality.

“Why do you do that?”

“What?”

“I don’t know really, but you always choose to shut down whenever I compliment you as if I’ve insulted you.” He explained.

“I’m s-sorry. I wasn’t aware of that really.” I said. “It’s just that there are lot of issues on my mind and I can’t seem to handle all the emotions.” It was hard and I was flabbergasted.

“Well if there’s anything, anything, you think you can’t handle and you want to talk to someone about it, there’s me.” I looked at him incredulously when he said that. He laughed at my expression. “I’m your friend remember.” Friend, yeah I remembered.

Then he scooted closer if it was even possible for him to get closer than he was to me. He leaned over, hovering above me; those black beady eyes peered into mine. And life couldn’t get more awkward than that?

“Min Chanhi, may I kiss you?” Oh ! And how does a girl respond to that?

“Yoseob, I-

“The door flew open and the handle banged on the wall, frightening me in the process and as I result I fell off the seat, hitting my head pretty darn hard of the floor.

“Oh Yoseob man I’m back, seriously those girls were-

He stopped once he saw Yoseob helping me up. His voice was formed in a little ‘o’ and his eyes were wide. His face just screamed ‘surprise’. I’ve never seen him around before.

“Hey man… what’s going on here?” Oh! How does a girl react to that?

A/n: Is it boring?