Sora took a deep breath before pushing the school’s door the next Monday. It was a new day after a week which had been really troublesome for her. As soon as she stepped in she met Myungsoo who came to her with a bright smile.

“Hey!” he greeted her.

“Hey.” She just answered.

“Is your shoulder doing better?”

“Yes.

“How was your weekend?” he asked again.

She shook her head as only answer and hurried on.

“Ok. And since you’re so curious about mine too my weekend was boring.”

“Glad to know that but I have to go to dance class now so…”

“Let me you.”

He grabbed her bag without asking.

“NO! Listen. I appreciate that you are so nice to me but I don’t need complications now. Do you get it?”

“Which complications are there when I’m just helping you carry your bag?”

His smile was no fading at all. Sora gave up and let him her to her practice room.

Kris was sitting at the back of the car which was driving him at school every morning with his earphones in ears. He got off when the car parked and started walking his way on the parking. After he had remembered everything that had happened Friday night with Sora, he felt so guilty that all he hoped was to meet her again to be given a chance to apologize.

He entered the school and knowing that she had dance class at the first hour he decided to meet her there before she enters the classroom. He was on his way when he saw her through the crowd. She wasn’t alone. A guy was standing there with her in the corridor carrying what he knew to be her bag. His face fell as he thought she wasn’t able to wear her bag because of him added to the fact that she allowed a guy to wear her bag when she was known to be rude to any kind of man. He stopped in the middle of the corridor when he recognized the guy. The same guy from Friday night; the guy who punched him.

“Unless you want to come to class with me this is where you leave me.” Sora told Myungsoo once she arrived to practice room as she was taking her bag back. She was actually relieved to get rid of him. Not that she didn’t like him.

“See you at lunch time? What are you doing then?”

He was asking her about her schedule but she wasn’t paying attention to him anymore. Through the crowd she saw Kris, standing in the middle of the corridor looking at her. Her heart unexpectedly stopped beating for a few seconds. She didn’t move and him either. They stared at each other motionless for nearly a minute. It seemed like they didn’t see anything around them except for each other. Myungsoo who was still talking to her noticed that she was distracted and his eyes followed her gaze to rest on Kris. As if the situation wasn’t awkward enough beside Kris a brown-haired girl appeared. At that right moment the bell rang. Sora had no choice but to go to class. She couldn’t afford to be late again. She threw a last glance towards Kris hoping that their eyes would meet again but his attention had already gotten to the girl beside him. She entered the classroom without saying goodbye or thank you to Myungsoo.

“Oppa!” Seo Ah appeared beside Kris who didn’t notice her at once but she pulled on his shirt so he had to turn towards her.

“Who are you calling oppa right now?”

“Who else here is my brother?” she retorted with her unfading smile.

Kris turned to the opposite direction, where Sora was standing ten seconds earlier but she had already left.

“I already told you to stop calling me like that. Are you dumb?”

“Who are you looking at?” she asked as her gaze followed his.

“Nobody now since she left when you appeared!”

“Oooh! So she is a girl! Who is it? Tell me tell me tell me.”

She is so freaking annoying.

“You don’t know her and you don’t know anybody in this school either.”

“That’s not the problem. I’ve heard that you are popular. I’ll end up knowing everybody here through you.”

“WOW Wait a minute! What?” He stood in front of her trying to threaten her with his outstanding height “You’re not telling anybody that I’m your br… -he cut himself in his words- Just act like you don’t know me. In fact, you don’t even know me. Why do you suddenly think that we are going to spend time together?”

Her smile disappeared but not because she was hurt or anything, she became serious.

“I’m not the one who you have to hate. I didn’t do anything to you. At least, not directly.”

“You should have done something. You knew all this time and you didn’t say anything.”

“What I should have done? Come to your house a day and announce Hey! I’m your father other child! That’s what I should have done?”

“I would have preferred that than to let my mom hear about it like she did.”

She sighed.

“I never meant to hurt your mom.”

“I know this isn’t your fault but I need someone to hate and since he left for a business trip I just can’t help hate you for him.”

“And you resemble him so much that it’s annoying.”

“It’s okay if you hate me.” She came back to her smile-face. “Brothers and sisters always act like they hate each other.”

“Wait…”

“WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE?”

A male teacher appeared next to them. They turned to him to realize that everybody had gotten to class instead of the two of them.

“Mr. Kim…” Kris was about to stutter and apology but Seo Ah cut him.

“I’m a new student here and I didn’t find my way so he stopped to help me. Good Morning I’m Yoon Seo Ah.” Then she bowed and showed her most innocent smile.

“I got it. Let me take you to the secretary office then. And you –pointing finger to Kris- run to class now.”

“I’ve already left.” He said climbing the stairs to go.

In the practice room, the students were stretching to start practicing. Sora stooped down to stretch her legs. She blankly stared at her own reflection on the mirror. She was more affected than she wanted to after seeing Kris with that girl earlier. The time she had taken the last weekend to think and decide that she had to distance herself from him just fell down like it didn’t count.

She was jealous. She was clever enough to realize that but she would never admit or put it into words. But she was wondering why she was. It wasn’t like she had a particular relationship with him. He had so many girls at his feet.

“I’m just a girl like any other, he said it himself last time.”

She was busy wondering about her relationship with Kris when the secretary entered the room. She said some words to Miss K and anybody paid attention until they heard “New student”. All the girls turned towards the door. Following the secretary steps was no other than the girl from this morning. She was standing in front of the other girls with a shy smile. Murmurs started floating around as the girls were wondering who she was and where she was coming from for the secretary to personally present her to the teacher. Sora remembered her first day. She almost got humiliated. After the secretary left the murmurs stopped.

“Well welcome. We were about to start the class.” Miss K announced to the new student with… a… smile.

Miss K had just smiled. From all the rumors she had heard since she had been working in this place is that Miss K NEVER smiles. The only person she smiles to, is Mr. Jeong but this is all because they usually have in his office –she was the only one to know that because she caught sounds coming from there one day when she was cleaning- but she never smiles to a student. All the students stayed speechless at that sight.

“Everyone, let me introduce you to Yoon Seo Ah. Take care of her, from today she will join our dance class.” Seo Ah joined the students and a group of girls automatically started talking to her.

The dance class passed out with everyone turning around Seo Ah and trying to make her at ease as if she was Jesus. Sora caught some words of her conversation with the girls who were crowding around her. That’s how she discovered that she was coming from another country.

“Another rich kid.” Sora thought as she took her bag and get out of the room.

Hong Soyeon the girl who had made fun of her on her first day at school was standing there in the corridor with her group of friends. As Sora passed in front of them, they started making fun.

Kris had decided to cancel his lunch this day to climb on the roof with the hope to see Sora so he went out of class earlier to meet her in front of the dance room. But when he reached the room he heard those “es” throwing insults at her.

“How did she manage to integrate this school?”

“One week ago she was cleaning the school and now she is a student?”

“It’s too strange. I’ve heard stories about girls who offer ual services to become famous.”

Sora clenched her fists to contain her anger but their words were playing on a repeat mode in her head. She wanted to stop, turn back to them and ask them to repeat all their crap in front of her face if they would dare. Kris was about to intervene and make them close their mouth but when he looked at her, she looked like she was trying to contain herself.

 “When you’re so angry that you want to punch everything around you, just breathe and count to 3.”

She remembered one thing her mom had taught her.

So she breathed in and out while counting to three and raised up her head. She pretended to smile, glanced badly at the girls who got afraid and turned back to the front. Then she went on. She ignored that someone had followed her steps.

The fake courage Sora had shown earlier all fell down when she arrived on the roof. She threw her bag on the ground and squatted down crying. She cried of humiliation.

Kris was hidden behind the door leading to the roof, hearing her cry. He wanted to go on and do something but hesitated. The little he knew her, he was able to say that she wanted to seem strong. She had shown it earlier with the girls insulting her so he decided to just stay still because it would be shameful for her to be seen crying.

“So this is how you are supposed to live when you have nothing? Being insulted and endure because you can’t do anything?” she said to herself.

“Go burn to hell you all rich kids with carefree lives!”

For days she felt like crying but she was holding back her tears. She stayed in that position for minutes and took time to cry as her heart wanted her to cry at that moment. Then she stood up and wiped her tears. She walked to her bag and picked it up.

“Sorry that I had to throw you away but I was angry.”

Kris had noticed that habit she had to talk to things instead of talking to humans beings. He couldn’t help laughing.

Sora was sitting on the only bench that was on the roof and took her sandwich from her bag.

“You are still eating those inedible sandwiches?”

She looked up to see that it was no other than Kris standing there with his hands in his pockets. She didn’t expect him to come especially with that new girl around.

They stared at each other silently for a long moment…