New Girl

You were busy wiping the café table when you noticed someone starring at you. You looked up to see who it was, "Oh, it's you." You began wiping again, "What are you doing? Are you going to order something?" You asked, not looking at him. He took a seat behind the table you were wiping.

"Do you mind?" You looked at him.

"Hello?" You wiggled your hands in front of him since he just sat there, looking at you.

"Turn around." He ordered.

"What do you mean? Why should I turn around?" You raised an eyebrow.

Without talking twice, he stood up and grabbed your shoulders, spinning you around so he could see your back.

"Ya! What are you doing? I'm still working, I'm not a costumer!" You whined as you turned to face him. "What is it Lay? Why are you acting so strange?" You frowned.

"Are you hiding something from me?"

"Hiding something? What do you mean?"

"I don't know, is there something you want to talk to me?"

"No, and why?"

"Like I said, I don't know. Perhaps do want to tell me about your school?"

Your hands turned cold. Oh no, did he see me? What should I do? You panicked in your head.

"Umm... N-No, w-why? E-everything's fine." You looked somewhere else, avoiding his gaze.

"Uh huh, now tell me, do you know anyone else in this neighborhood who has a pigtail other than you?" Lay leaned forward.

Oh no, he did see me. Your heart sank.

"If you're not going to order, than I suggest you should leave. I'm busy." You walked away and went to the counter.

From the corner of your eye you could see Lay eyeing you and then he left the café without saying anything.

You went home and saw that there was no one home. "Oh? Hasn't he came back yet?" You took of your shoes and sank on your small blanket. Yup, you didn't have a bed. Your house was small, there was no TV, no kitchen and no living room. You have a small refrigerator in your bedroom, your father's bedroom was across yours and there was only one bathroom.

You opened your small wooden wardrobe, took your t-shirt and shorts and went to the bathroom. You took a nice long and warm shower and collapsed on top of your blanket. "Tomorrow...." You grumbled.

"Oh right! The list!" You jolted awake and took the list from your bag.

You looked at the form and sighed.

Father: Seo Kwon Jo

You slightly trembled as you wrote this,

Mother: None

Siblings: None

Talent: None

Father's job: None

Mother's job: None

Future dream: A job

A tear fell from your eye as you put down your pen. You put down the form too and sat down on your blanket.

"Mom.... Can you hear me? I got into Grey High School.... It's great right?" You said as you looked at her photo. You couldn't help as tears flew down your cheeks. "I am having a hard time here..... Can you help me? I really hope you can." You cried, "Things are still hard with me and dad...."

But you forced a smile, "But there is this boy, his name is Zhang Yixing. I know him as Lay."

"He's been helping me lately. He made me smile and laugh like I used too. Remember on the merry-go-round? The three of us were laughing and after that we went to the park and we played hide and seek." You grinned as tears kept falling, "He made me feel as special as I felt on that day...."

"I wish you could bless him too, thanks to him, I felt better in an instant." You smiled as you brushed your mother's picture.

"Honneeeyyy!" Your father's drunken voice was heard.

Another woman? I hope he won't get too drunk today. You thought as you peeked from a small crack of your door.

His hand was on her waist as his other hand held a bottle of alcohol, "Honey, can I get that pay now?" The woman in his embrace said with her high tone, teasing him.

"Payment?" Your father grinned, "How much money do you want?"

Money? It can't be.... Your eyes widened.

You saw your father opening the drawer, reaching out for the payment you received earlier from Lay. Unconsciously, you opened your door, running to him, snatching the money from him.

"What are you doing you ?!" He pushed you until you fell helplessly to the ground.

"Here you go," He grinned as he locked eyes with the woman, "Is this enough?" He wiggled them in front of her.

"Dad! You can't take that! It belongs to a friend!" You got up and tried yanking the money from him as tears fell from your eye.

"What do you think you're doing?! Let go!"

"Dad, please don't. Don't take that money away!" You cried, holding the money tightly.

"Shut up! Any money in this house belongs to me you wrench!" He kicked you down until you fell with your head first.

"Thanks for the money, honey." The woman kissed his cheeks, "But since the situation is not good, I think I should leave." The woman grinned, "Until tomorrow..." Her fingertips brushed his face as she left.

"Wait, wait! Ahjumma, ahjumma!" You cried as you managed to get up and ran towards her, but your father stopped you.

"Where do you think you're going?! Oh?! Because of you she left and you're going to pay for that you sneaky little !" He kicked you as you whined, "L-Lay..." Those words came out from you without you noticing.

And your father beat you up without mercy even though you kept crying.

Help me!

Lay,

Help me.....

Those were the last words you thought of before you passed out.

"Ewww, who is she?" A girl made disgusted faces as she faced you, whispering to her friend next to her.

"Yuck, why is she even in this school? I feel bad for the Grey Group to have such a thing in this school." The other one said, pointing at you as you walked in the middle of the corridor.

You were in your t-shirt and plain green army pants. Your hair was as usual, braided into a two pigtails and you wore your incredibly huge glasses.

Your lips bursts, you wore a jacket to cover your bruises from last night, but the tired look from your face could explain everything.

As you walked in the middle of the corridor, on your way to the school office, every one was looking at you, exchanging disgusted faces, whispering to one another. You gave a shrug and kept on walking.

That was until a girl with some tacky jewelries showed up in front of you with two other girls beside her. She eyed you from head to toe and shook her head, "Yuck." That was the first thing she said.

"So Ra! Help me! I don't think I could survive seeing such a creature in this school!" She made a puking face as she pretended to faint as the other one grabbed her.

"So do I." So Ra said, glaring at you.

"You, what the hell are you doing here? Do you know that presence of yours here could make people sick? Apologize to her!" So Ra exclaimed, pointing at her pretentious best friend. So immature. You said in your head.

"Apologize?" You scoffed, "Why should I?"

"What did you say?" So Ra glared at you, making all of the people there surrounding the four of you, all on her side.

"I said, why should I apologize?"

"Look here, look here." She scoffed, "Since when does this school accept garbage around here? How could you afford this school? Just look at you! C'est dégueulasse!*" She said arrogantly as she folded her arms on her chest.

Playing French now are we? You mocked in your head. Everyone around you started whispering, "What is she saying?" Someone whispered.

"I'd rather take the other way around to the school office." You sighed and turned your back.

"How dare you turn your back on me! Can't understand my French? I thought transfer students were supposed to be smart asses." She scoffed, making others exchange oohs and aahs.

You looked up and saw him.

You saw Lay looking towards your direction. He moved a little, gesturing that he was going to dismiss this immature fight of yours. But you don't want to lose. Not like you always did in your previous school.

Not in front of him.

Not in front of Lay.

You turned around, looking at So Ra, you noticed that Lay stopped his steps too.

You smiled innocently, "Ordures? Comment suis-je les ordures? Je n'ai rien fait de ce précieux petit ami du vôtre. je n'ai même pas toucher elle. Elle a fait semblant de m'évanouir, et si vous êtes suffisamment intelligent pour vous remarquerez que, vous n'avez pas de commentaire au sujet de mon français." You blurted out something in French. You left all the students around you with their mouths open. From the corner of your eye, you could see Lay grinning at you.

"What the hell did she just say?" Someone whispered loud enough for you to hear.

"Park So Ra, do you want me to translate it for you?" You glared at her as she looked completely dumfounded.

"I said, garbage? How am I the garbage? I did nothing to that precious little friend of yours. I didn't even touch her. she pretended to faint, and if you're smart enough to notice that, you wouldn't have to comment about my French." You said it out loud. The students there looked at you in amazement as Lay couldn't help grinning at you.

So Ra opened to talk back but Lay cuts her off by dragging you out of the corridor, "Follow me." He said, smiling.

"Ya! Where are we going? Where are you taking me?" You whined as Lay dragged you outside, holding your arms tightly with his.

So Ra was left there glaring at you as she clenched her fists. "That transfer student, daebak." A boy said, leaving the corridor.

"Hey guys!" A boy with bun-like cheeks screamed to his friends who were sitting in the classroom.

"What is it Xiumin?" Another asked.

"You wouldn't believe what the transfer student did to So Ra." Xiumin said as he sat on the table.

"What happened? I heard some noise in the corridor but I'd rather read this basket magazine with Tao." The blonde boy who met you yesterday said.

"Yeah what is it? Spill it out." Tao said.

Xiumin was about to open his mouth but a cute boy's appearance cut him off, "What are you guys talking about so seriously?" He asked, smiling.

"You're just in time. Luhan, do you know the transfer student who is a little bit old fashioned?" Xiumin asked.

"She's not a little bit old fashioned, she is old fashioned." The blonde one commented.

"Shh Kris, I want to hear the news." Tao pointed at him, concentrating at Xiumin, "Go on."

Kris pouts as Xiumin continued, "She completely burned So Ra today."

"Really? Park So Ra? The undefeatable witch?" The brown haired one's eyes widened.

"It's true, Chen! She spoke fluent French which made So Ra completely dumfounded. And So Ra is the best French speaker here."

"Really? Whoa I should've seen that!" Tao whined,

"Stupid magazine." He hits the cover once as it wrinkled.

"Ya! Look where you're hitting! That's mine!" Kris snatched his magazine away from Tao as he rubbed it gently.

"She sure is interesting." Luhan chuckled, "Anyway, where's Lay?"

"Lay dragged her out of the corridor." Xiumin said.

"Why?" Chen asked.

"I don't know, maybe they know each other...." Xiumin smirked, "Or they're in a super secret relationship." Xiumin laughed as Tao and Chen followed.

"She's pretty cute you know? It's funny how her braided pigtails could swing around as she was dragged outside." Xiumin chuckled.

"Braided? Pigtails?" Luhan said to himself. Then he remembered a girl walking across the street yesterday with her pigtails swinging left and right.

Could it be her? Luhan thought. And Lay's there too....

It's about time something interesting came up to this school.

You were sitting on the school yard bench, side by side with Lay. You tried avoiding Lay's gaze as you looked down. From the corner of your eye, you could see Lay grinning at you.

"Eun Gi." Lay called you but you didn't bother looking at him, "Seo Eun Gi." He called again but you didn't move a single bit. "Seo Eun Gi, if you don't want me to post your embarrassing photo in the internet, you better look at me." Lay's tone was cold.

Oh no, he's angry. You sighed and looked at him.

"Now that's better." Lay smiled.

"Hold up your hand." Lay said.

"Hand? Why?" You held your hand, Lay smirked and high-fived you.

"Good job there." Lay laughed, "You completely destroyed that witch! And you're a transfer student, I wonder how she'll feel now."

"Witch?"

"Yes, me and my friends hate her so much. She has a thing for my friend that everyone in this school already knows but she wouldn't admit, but it's too obvious by the way she clings to him that much." Lay explained.

"So, don't think that because you destroyed that witch I'm going to forgive you." Lay looked at you in the eyes.

"Forgive? What did I do?" You looked completely dumbfounded.

Lay sighed, "First, you didn't tell me that you're a transfer student. Second, you dare to come to this school with that. Third, you didn't trust to tell me about you transferring here. And fourth, why didn't you tell me that you're transferring here?"

You grinned, "I wanted it to be a surprise?" You smiled innocently.

"Aye you." Lay wiggled your pigtails, "I know you long enough to tell whether you're lying or not."

"How is it long enough? It has only been three months since we met." You stood up for yourself.

"This brat." Lay chuckled, "Oh? What happened to your lips?" His gentle fingertips brushed your lips as you blushed, "I-I, it's nothing." You smiled.

"It's okay if you wouldn't tell me, but why aren't you wearing your uniform?"

"Ah that?" You rubbed the back of your neck, "I didn't have the time to buy it yet!" You faked a laugh as you lied.

"Ya, I know your whole life status okay? I know that you don't have the money to pay for it. It's written all over your face you know that?" Lay said as he knocked your forehead gently.

"Ah, how is it that you know everything about me?" You leaned closer. "Don't tell me.... Can you read other people's mind?"

"Aish this brat!" Lay knocked you even harder. "For someone who loves to read science books, you're pretty dumb you know that?"

"It's not that," You rubbed your forehead, "Yesterday at my part time job, I looked at the TV with the discovery channel on and saw the topic about mind reading. I wanted to explore about it more but I had to go home or my father would be angry."

"You sure are something else." Lay grinned as he stood up. "Come on." He smiled and reached out his hand to you.

You looked at it, "Where are we going?"

"Don't you have a form to submit?" Lay grabbed your hand as the two of you walked side by side inside the school.

"What's that?" You heard a girl talking to her friend.

"Do you think they know each other?" Her friend replied.

"I think they do, if not, how could someone like Zhang Yixing want to play with her?" She scoffed, "How could he even bare to walk side by side with her like that? Did she bribe him or something?"

You were shocked by Lay's movement. He stopped his tracks and turned to the girl who talked about you. The girls' looks became intense as they froze there. "L-Lay oppa! G-Good morning." They stammered.

"Yes, yes enough with the crap talk." Lay glared at them. He took your hand and raised it for them to see, "Look at this? Don't you mess with her. She's my best friend and no, she didn't bribe me. Don't act like you're all that. She's worth a billion times more that the two of you." Lay said as he turned his back on them.

"Ah right," He turned to look at them again, a smiled plastered on his face as he said, "And I don't think she's even worth for sale. Not because she's not worth it, but because she's too precious for me to hand her to you." Lay smirked and dragged you away from them, holding your hand tight.

She's too precious for me to hand her to you. Those words echoed around your head as you smiled like an idiot on the way to the school office.

"Why are you smiling?" Lay looked at you, "I saved you and this is how you repay me? I'm your knight in shining armor but why aren't you showing your token of gratitude?" He teased.

You grinned, "Because I didn't ask for you to be my knight in shining armor." There was a short pause, "Because I'm already wearing a shining armor."

Lay opened his mouth to protest, but someone called him. "Don't act so though okay? Just ignore what the others would say to you. I'll always be your knight in shining armor. Take it as a double protection for this mighty princess." Lay laughed.

"Don't go anywhere, just go straight to your class after submitting your form. I'll meet you at lunch." Lay smiled as he went to his friend.

"Bye." You smiled to yourself.

*C'est dégueulasse means how disgusting, in French