Rena's P.O.V

"SCHOLARSHIP?!" I gasped.

The teachers in front of me nodded proudly. I had been called to the main office to discuss "serious matters" revolving my future. "Yes, scholarship," one of the teachers, Mrs. Keils, confirmed. "Harvard is willing to take you in with a scholarship."

I literally felt my eyes bulging out of my face. "SERIOUSLY?! HARVARD?!" My mouth nearly dropped open.

"Of course, seriously, when have we ever been NOT serious?" Mrs. Keils clarified, chuckling a bit as she exaggerated the "NOT". "You know, Rena, we're all very proud of you. You've worked hard, and hard work always pays off."

The teachers smiled. I felt as if my heart was about to burst open - in a good way. I couldn't wait to get home and tell my parents. I could almost imagine the look on their faces. Shocked, surprised, bewildered, proud, happy... there was just so many expressions they could have made.

When we were dismissed from school, I instantly tore down the street - maximum speed, to catch the first subway. Normally, on a regular school day, I took the second subway, since the first was always so crowded, but today, I was in a hurry. I swiped my metro card and ran up the steps to the platform. Within seconds, the first subways arrived. I got on. I hate New York Subways. Always so crowded - mostly at this time of day. But right now, it was all worth it. All of it.

After an hour or so, my stop arrived, and I squirmed out of the suffocating thing (the subway). I ran down the subway station steps and soon I was tearing down the street. When my house was in sight, I grabbed out the keys from my pocket an flung open the door. As usual, nobody was inside - but I was used to this. All alone, until 2 hours later. I was feeling impatient, and I had nothing to do, including homework - which I finished in class. I waited. And waited. And waited.

The clock was ticker louder than usual and it made me feel the urge to move around. 2 hours had already passed - it was nearly 3 hours since I got home, and still my parents weren't here yet. "GAH! CAN'T YOU HURRY HOME?! SHEESH! GOOD NEWS IS WAITING FOR YOU!" I complained a bit to myself.

Then it came, the phone call.

RING! RING! RING!

Startled, I hurried to answer it. It probably my parents - who had already heard of the good news from my teachers or something, and they wanted to surprise me.

"Hello?" I called out. No answer. I checked the phone to see the number. It was my parents - well, my mom. "Yobeoseyo?" No answer - again. "YOBEOSEYO?! YOH-BOH-SEY-YOOOOH?!" Then the line went dead. Was she, my own mom, prank calling her own duaghter?

I slumped back on the couch. But a few minutes later the phone rang again.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hello, is this the Yang residence?" A mature voice called from the other end.

"Yes... this is Yang Rena speaking. You are..?"

"Hello. This is the Manhattan hosptial."

W-WAH? I felt something coming up, and I began getting chills.

"Um... did something happen?" I was talking to a grown-up, and I tried to keep my cool.

"I see, you are unaware of it." The voice replied. Then there was a small pause, but long enough for me to hear some whispers saying, She's so young. How should we break it to her? I feel so bad for her. Then the speaker cleared her voice. "Your parents you see..."

"MY PARENTS?! DID SOMETHING HAPPEN TO THEM?!" I was about to lose it.

There was a gulp coming from the other end. "They passed away. There was a car accident by 42nd street, you see. A drunk was driving in his car, and well... your parents... Um, the drunk driver crashed straight into your parents' car... and..."

Her words were turning into gibberish, and I couldn't hear anymore. No, I didn't want to hear anything anymore. What mattered was the parents I loved so much, was gone. I bursted into tears.

"MISS. MISS!" I heard the voice from the other end yell out. I cover the little wholes in the phone that let out sound. No more, please.

A few minutes later, ambulances were parked all around my house. The people of the Manhattan Hospital rushed into my house without a single warning. I felt faint. I heard voices screaming my name... who were they? I out.

When I awaoke, there I was, lied down on the white hospital bed with a towel on my forehead.

I sprang up as soon as I regained complete cautiousness. "MOM! DAD! WHERE ARE THEY?"

Hearing my scream, a doctor rushed in the room. "Calm down and relax," he said.

Me? Relax? If your parents got killed HOW THE HELL WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO RELAX?!

"Where are they, WHERE ARE MY PARENTS?"

Reluctantly, thedoctor answered. "They're up there, and in here."

He pointed at the sky and then at my heart. I was getting old for these dumb tricks.

"They're dead," I stated, straightfowardly.

He slowly nodded. "A drunk driver-"

"I KNOW. I KNOW THAT ALREADY!" I felt tears coming. But I was strong. These things... I was used to them. Coming home in an empty house. People coming and going. Good things going downhill instantly. My hopes crushed. I was already used to them. But this time it was different. Why..? Why did this have to happen? I tried, so hard, but just for nothing? Just to have my hopes crushed like this?!  I felt so furious, sad, and betrayed. I always believed things would change someday. I'm so stupid.

I held back the tears. I didn't cry.

Doctor's P.O.V

I felt so bad for the child. She was so young. She could've had a happy life.

I tried telling her the truth using other terms. Pointing at the sky and to her heart. She got angry.

I tried telling her the events of the death. I bagan talking and using my sweetest possible tone. She raged.

Then she got silent. Was she going to cry?

I looked at her with eyes of pity.

She, Rena Yang, was a strong one. Surprisingly, she held it back. The tears, she didn't cry. The agony and the stress. She held it all back.

Rena's P.O.V

2 Days Later

2 days have passed since that dreadful day. Dressed in all black, I was at my parents' funeral. The only other people was my Aunt Kim and Uncle James. No one else, including other family members attended. Which led me to think of only one conclusion - those fugly blockheads didn't give a damn. (Or they was JUST busy. Sarcasm. Sarcasm.)

I looked down at the gray stone. Somewhere, beneath the ground I'm standing on, are the bodies of my parents. That drunk driver... I hate you, go die, DIE. Hate and sadness were the only feelings I felt. Until I remebered my scholarship. The thing I wanted to tell them about so much.

Realizing that, tears began to form. But no, I wasn't going to let them roll down my cheecks. Because, if I did, all I would represent  is a weak girl. I didn't want others to look at me like that, with eyes of pity.

But, somehow, unlike what happened at the hospital, the tears fell. I could feel the droplets rolling down my face. I gulped, realizing they were practically rivers by now.

Uncle James put his hand on my shoulder. "Rena, I'm your uncle. I know you very well. I obviously  know how much you've been holding back these past 6 years of your life." He took a deep breath. "You never told anyone, but I know. So, right now, I want you to gather up all those feelings, and say it all out."

I turned to him, and he smiled. It was a smile. At a time like this, came a smile. It wasn't fake, nor did it symbolize happiness, but it was from the bottom of the heart. So, I accepted it.

"For the past 6 years years of my life, ever since my stupid brother left for Korea to chase his dreams, I felt so lonely." I began, talking to the stone, as if my parents could recieve my words. "The brother I loved so much was no longer there to support me when I needed it, and you guys were always at work. Soon, I came home everyday just to meet an empty house. Whenever I had great news to share with you guys, you were always busy, and told me to tell you it later. Even up to today, I wasn't able to tell you at least 1/10 of all the things I wanted to say. So, in order to get you guys to look at me, to give me all the attention I wanted, I tried my best at everything. I studied so much for all the tests, so much that now, I'm so smart. I ran, excercised, and played various sports, so often, that I'm so athletic." I could start feeling the tears coming again, but little did I care. "I ran for student president, club captin, and became the top student of my grade, all so you would look at me and not those stupid documents you guys study every night! But you didn't even realize what I was doing! Today, mom, dad, I recieved a scholarship. Harvard is willing to accept me. I could already picture your flabbergasted faces when I was running home." I was crying by now, but I didn't stop. "Hey, mom, dad, do you know why I was so excited? More than getting accepted into Harvard, I thought that you guys would hug me, praise me, and look at me. I wanted you to be proud of me, and give me all the attention I ever dreamed of. But now your gone, and it's all too late. But right now, I'm so stupid to think that you guys will come rising from the ground and tell me, I love you."

With that, I finished my speech, and dropped on my knees. I began weeping nonstop. I'm a wimp. The things I wanted to tell you so much, I was only to say when your gone. Saranghae, mom, dad. Saranghae.