There is a boy who catches her bus who has bluey-grey eyes as empty as the lake the kid goes swimming in.

She likes to seat the the back of the bus. Always beside the window. Being seated in the back always gives her lots of advantages, she thinks. She can always watch the passenger when she is bored watching the scenery outside that is always the same from time to time except in winter they are all white.

Since the beginning of the school year, when the bus stops at exactly three stops away from the school, she always turns her attention to the front, precisely the middle door of the bus.

Their eyes always meet when he comes in with his friends, mouth laughing at the small joke one of his friends throw. He always laugh a lot over the small things his friends say. But the laugh never quite reaches his eyes, she thinks.

At first, she thought he is always laughing, but when his friends are silent, he looks out of the window. The morning breeze making his hair bounces a little along the movement of the bus. The morning rays fall to the side of his face, empashizing the bony structure of his face and the bony fingers that propped up his chin. She wonders how he is still pale after all this time.

She sits two seats behind him and thinks that he is beautiful.

---

There is a boy who catches her bus who acts happy every morning from 7 am.

She fans herself with her handmade fan she made earlier from paper. The morning sun hasnt rise fully yet but the heat of summer morning already gets its way to her. She can feel her t-shirt sticks at her back and she cant wait for the swimming lesson she will have this afternoon.

The bus stops again like usual, exactly three stops before the school.

Their eyes meet again today. But this time, she tries to smile at him. He beams, before nodding his head in acknowledgement and paying back her smile with his.

His sits with his friend two seats in front of her. His friends are still as cheerful as they always be and try to joke with him. She thinks he will laugh a lot like he usually does, because there's no way he won't. But he just gives them small smiles, and return his attention back to his long sleeves and tug it to cover more of his arms with his fingers.

She sits two seats behind him and thinks that he is beautiful.

--

Astronomy have always been an attraction to her, she likes it. From the constellation her teacher tells them every lesson, and the story behind it itself. The stories are probably not true, and its probably just a story the founder made up. But she likes it that way, it gives her an idea of a beautiful another world, she might like it if she's there.

Someone taps her shoulder, awaking her from her daydream about the stars and the stories followed them. She turns around, and she is met by a boy who has a bluey-grey eyes that always gets on the bus on the third stop before school.

"Can I sit here?" he asks.

She hasnt answered yet, but the boy pulls out the chair beside her and slips on to the chair.

"It's a yes, then" she answers finally, eyes rolling.

He chuckles, and turns his face to face her, and it sends a faint tint of pink on her cheeks. She feels hotter and its definitely not because the summer heat.

"Thank you, I'm Sehun. You?" He smiles again, and reach his hand out to shake hands.

"I'm (the girls name). I think we have met a lot before"

--

"Sehun, you're not coming?" She hears his friend asks, when they finally have their swimming lesson that afternoon.

He shifts uncomfortably on the bench, she notices his hands unconciously tugging at his long sleeves. But she doesn't really think why.

"I think no, I'm not feeling really well. I'll go to tell Mr. Kim, I'll meet you guys at the bus stop, okay?" And then he runs out from the swimming pool.

"Ah, probably thats why he wears long-sleeves on summer day like this. I have been wondering since morning" one of his friends chirps, followed by nodding of the others. "Okay, let's go then. I cant bear this heat any longer" adds another. And they walk cheerfully to the pool, their laugh echoes inside the gym.

Mr. Kim already blowed his flute from 5 minutes ago and told them to do stretching before going into the pool, but her eyes still at the door where Sehun left earlier.

--

She closes the gym door before she walks down the hall to the exit door. The school is already quiet, well its 4p.m when she takes a glance at her watch. The other student already
left for home but she has to take additional swimming pratice for next competition, the only sound left comes from the field where the boys are still playing soccer.

She's one turn left from the exit door when she sees the light comes outside from the room beside the choir room. She contemplates whether to check the room or not but its quiet so she's kinda unsure if there's still a person inside the room, and she's kinda scared because she is alone. But her curiosity gets the better of her and she finds herself taking steps to the room.

The room's door is open slightly, still leaving enough space for people to look inside. It's the art club room, she figures. She peeks her head inside.

"Sehun?" She croaks out, voice surprised because she doesnt expect to see Sehun inside, body clad with the apron, long sleeves rolled until his elbow, hands holding the pallete and paint brush on the other, forehead wrinkled like he is in deep thought.

He turns his head the door, eyes widen seeing her there. She smiles at him, and walks inside. He hurriedly put his pallete and paint brush and wipes his hands on the apron he wears.

"Hey, you are not home yet?" He asks, turning her attention from the drawing pasted on the wall to him. Her eyes scanning Sehun up and down, and her stares stopped at Sehun arms. Sehun follows where her stares fall, and realizes she stares down at his arms. He quickly tries to tug at his sleeves but she snatches his arms faster.

"Sehun, are you okay? What happened?" She asks faintly, finger gently traces the obvious cuts and bruises on both of Sehun's arms. Dark purple, green, blue. Sehun jaws works and his throat thightens, but he doesnt say anything.

"Sehun?" she asks again, eyes still on his arms. He sighs, and snatches his harms away from her hold. And tugging his sleeves down to cover his arms. He quickly tidies his art supplies and puts in his bag, and goes out after mumbling a "I'm going first" before walking past her to the door.

---

There is a boy who catches her bus who has an bluey-grey eyes as empty as the lake the kids go swimming in, in winter.

Their stares always meet when he goes in the bus with his friends. He is always noticable among his friends, at least for her. Blonde locks among the others aurburn heads. And he is still wearing longsleeves even if the summer sun is still blazzing outside up in the sky.

The faint interaction between them is followed with a firm smile that day, always a firm smile since that day she figures out about what he hides underneath those longsleeves.

He sits with his friends and stares at his lap but when his friends say something funny, he doesn't laugh anymore.

She sits two seats behind him and she thinks he is beautiful.

--

"Morning" Sehun greets softly as he settles down on his seat beside her for their astronomy class.

She sits straight up, surprised because of Sehun's small greeting. He's been avoiding her for the past few days since that day in the Art Room, as much as swapping seats with their friend two seats in front of her.

She nods slightly, eyes not meeting his, before she turns back her attention to her book.

Astronomy class goes while the two of them still not talking with each other. Sehun shifts on his chair a few times, and she cant even concentrates on the teacher in front of the class while all she can hear is Sehun's breathing.

"What happened is" Sehun finally breaks the silence after Ms. Clara, the astronomy teacher, bids goodbye with her students.

"My parents are.." he chokes out, "They are both alcoholics"

--

They are back at the Art Room, the same time as when she found him the last time. The crystal salty liquid comes running down Sehun's face that is now planted on her shoulder, wetting her uniform but she couldn't care less.

"Why dont you report this to the police?"

Sehun takes a deep breath, "They are my parents." he answers, voice strained. "They are the only family I have in this town, I'm still afraid of being alone outside there"

"But you can't stay like this" she says again, fingers circling the bruises she sees on his nape.

"It's okay, they never use anything dangerous to the extent of killing me. And thankfully my body is strong enough so the bruises heal relatively quick and--"

"But they are your parents, Sehun. Your parents. They should've taken care of you, they shouldnt have beaten you like this. No one deserves to get beaten like this, even if you said you're strong"

Sehun goes silent, and she wonders if she has crossed some lines she shouldnt cross.

Sehun pulls back from her embrace, his back hand wiping his tears. He stands up to grab his bag on the high chair before walking to the door.

"Let's go home, it's nearly evening"

--

The month flies with her noticing a few new bruises and but Sehun doesnt talk about his parents anymore, and she doesnt ask.

They sometimes go back home together. Sehun finishes his painting while waiting for her to finish her swimming lesson. Sehun talks more with her, not making a big difference but he sometimes initiates. His usual hearty laugh hasnt come back, but she doesnt really think about it, maybe he needs time to realize that probably he's happier, but thats just theory that she makes for himself. She just hopes.

--

There is this day when Sehun walks inside the cafetaria with slight limp, and her blood curls when she notices him. Their eyes meet among the crowd in the cafetaria, and he flashes her an apologetic smile, but she doesnt return the smile.

She catches Sehun when he walks back to his home alone that afternoon, he just acknowledges her presence but doesnt say anything. She walks beside him until they are in front of his house.

Sehun stops his steps, and turns his head to her. "See you tomorrow"

"Sehun" she tries to hold back her tears, "Please stop. Stop. Run." she sobs faintly.

Sehun doesnt answer her, simply cupping her cheek with his hand and swiping the tears that comes running down her cheeks, and his other hand squeezes her hand. She figures whether it is a 'I'm okay' or a 'Save me, I dont know what to do".

--

"Sehun, do you know what is that constellation called?" she asks one night, when they are at the hill behind the school, laying down on the grass taking a full view of the nights sky after she asked Sehun to come with her watching constellations as a way to get Sehun out from his home for the night, so he can avoid his parents. But she didnt say the reason to him. The night-sky watching becomes their routine after the first time she asked him to join her. So she thinks he doesnt mind to put off going home and she is more than willing to accompany.

Sehun shakes his head. "No, you know I'm not that into constellation like you"

She traces out the constellations she mentioned earlier, hands guiding his finger, "This one is  Perseus, he was one of the hero in Greek mythology. He went to a journey for the head of the Gorgon Medusa to save his mother, Danaë, from marrying King Polydectes. He won, off course, which failed King Polydectes's plan to get rid of him"

She breathes in deeply, and continues her story, "On his way home, he came across Princess Andromeda, chained to a rock, sacrified by her parents so they can appease the monster Poseidon sent to them"

She can feels sehun hands tensed under her finger at the mention of parents, but she traces circles with her fingers on his back hand to calm him.

"Perseus saved Andromeda from the monster, and took her home with him. They later got married, and had many children"

"Perseus and Andromeda lie next to each other in the sky" her hand guiding his fingers to a group of stars beside what she told him earlier, "That's her"

"I wish I can be your 'Perseus'" she says, before turning her head to face him. She scoots closer and feels a warm arm slipping its way around her waist and pulls her flush against his chest, she smiles. "So we can always lie next to each other just like Perseus and Andromeda on the night sky.

They stay like that for a God knows how long, until Sehun decides that its their time go home, because it's already late.

They walk together, hand-in-hand like usually but Sehun grips feels thighter today. She can feel the pressure of his fingertips harder than usual.

They say goodbye to each other when thay are already in front of Sehun's house. "See you" she says, waving her hands as Sehun walks backwards to the door. Just a few steps before the door, he stops and then walks forward to her again.

And before she can ask anything, he closes the distance between them quickly and kisses her softly, lips moving easily against each other, he smiles into the kiss.

She pretends to not see the desperation behind it and just tugging his collar to move him closer, he simply just answers it with kissing her deeper.

---

Radiohead comes playing from the bus radio, along with the humming by the driver that follows. She sips on her chocolate, and wriggles in her seat, trying to conserve more heat as the winter starting to get colder. She turns her gaze to the window, watching the grass and trees already coated with a little snow. The snow must be getting thicker from now, she feels a little bit sad with it, winter nights can be so cold she cant bear being outside to watch the constellation.

She sips on the hot chocolate she brought from home to warm her up, another hand holding another cup for the bluey-grey boy who caught the same bus as her everyday to school.

But he doesnt board the bus that day.

---

A week later, she gets called to the principal office, because someone wants to meet him, Ms. Clara said. She pulls her coat thighter as she walks down the hall to the office, winter never been so cold in her opinion.

She is met by Sehun eyes but in a body of a woman when she enters the principal office. She smiles weakly at her after she introduces herself as Sehun's mother.

She hands her an envelope and before she can ask anything, the principle asks her to go back to the class. After she bows down and say goodbye, she goes out and closes the door. But she notices the crystal liquid on Sehun's mother cheek before she goes out from her sight.

---

She doesnt open the letter even after the school ends, and even after she's home.

She sits on the back of the bus like every morning and finally opens the letter.

'Now I assume I'm already on the sky laying as Andromeda while waiting for her (or in my case, his) Perseus to come and lay beside me.

And when its your time to go up in the sky, you will be laying beside me. And we will lay together just like Perseus and Andromeda.

I wish you could be another's andromeda hero.

Because to me, you are my beautiful Perseus.'

---

EPILOGUE

There was a boy who caught her bus who was found by his parents after he overdosed himself with sleeping pill, and alcohol.

He wrote a letter to his friends that usually with him boarding the bus and at school and told them that he loved them.

He wrote a letter to his parents saying sorry and wishing them happiness, because that was all he wished before he's gone.

And he wrote a letter to the sad girl who always sits two seats behind him on the bus, and told her that she is beautiful.

---