C H A P T E R   1 ~ AGE THIRTEEN 

"who's that?" your mom asked as you entered the car. you looked at tao. he was smiling and waving at you. you rolled your eyes and ran your fingers through your hair, "tao. he's a newbie." you replied. your mom smiled, "he looks like he likes you. tao. that's a nice name. i think he's cute." your mom babbled on. you sighed, "mom, i'm not dating him. i have no interest in that...guy." you almost called him a loser, but he wins every tournament. she laughed, "you're so funny tae-hee." she replied.

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     "my mom told me she thought you were cute. that doesn't mean i don't like you." you told tao. he smiled and 'blushed' again, "i like your mom, tae-hee." he replied.

you scoffed, "only because she called you cute. it doesn't mean she has a crush on you."

tao chuckled, "okay, enough talking. zhitao, come up here and show us the proper way to do a spinning-back kick." your master said.

you crossed your arms across your chest. usually master han would pick you to demonstrate, but now there's tao and his 'prodidgy' wushu moves.

you tried to hide your scowl, and watched him. it was swift. smooth. somehow.

everyone clapped, and you slowly clapped along.

"wow. i want to be able to do stuff like him." a girl with giant ponytails commented. you rolled your eyes, "he's not that good." you lied.

okay yeah, so he was a master, so what?

tao looked at you and smiled, but you glared at him.

"he likes you." the girl added.

"i know that. he doesn't have a chance. i don't date wushu guys." i replied.

tao walked over to you two, "did you like that?" he asked.

"yes!" the pony-tail girl answered.

you fake smiled, "definitely. i loved it huang zhitao." he bit his lower lip and walked away.

"see! you scared him! no wonder no guy likes you here. or at school." the girl said and walked away.

you weren't the nicest girl at the wushu academy. and yes, guys were easily intimidated by you, but that doesn't mean no guy likes you! tao does!

you stomped over to the empty area where the sticks were.

"i wanna break him like these...sticks." you said trying to break one.

tao walked over, "what are you doing?" he asked.

you smiled at him (again fake) and laughed, "i was trying to see what material it was made from..." you lied.

tao laughed, "you're so funny tae-hee. this is actually made out of bamboo, so i would be careful. i wouldn't want you to get a sliver and ruin those beautiful hands of yours." he said.

you blushed (what the....) and really smiled, "oh. um...thanks!"

he grabbed a stick, "here i'll show you what i'm going to perform at the talent show."

he began to twirl the stick around like a wand. but around his body. he was so...graceful and smooth. it seemed impossible to do those moves. he flipped over and looked over at you with that dead stare.

truthfully, you were absolutely speechless, "umm...urrr. you'll definitely win." you finally spitted out.

tao smiled and bowed, "thank you for your words of encouragement. but i doubt it." he replied.

he was always saying these kind of things.

why?

you shook your head, "don't say that-" "tae-hee. you don't have to act nice to me. i can handle the truth." tao interrupted. your face turned red. was he mad? "no, tao-" "tae-hee. there's no way you could like me. i mean you're like a beautiful goddess, and i'm...tao. the wushu prodidgy. there's no way." he sulked away and you watched him.

why was he being like this?

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   "tao!" you shouted.
it was about winter time, and you were bundled up in a warm scarf, gloves, a huge jacket, and a hat.

tao turned and stopped walking as he saw you.

it's been about four months since you two had last talked.

you ran over to him, slipping on the ice, and falling head first into his chest.

he smelled really good for a thirteen year old. he didn't wear those stinky axe colognes that normal boys wore. he smelled like soap, laundry detergent, and a little of man cologne.

tao helped you back up with a smile, "you okay tae-hee?" he asked.

you nodded, your cheeks probably red from looking at him the coldness, and smiled at him.

he had really grown up in four months. "um, i have a question..." you said.

tao grinned, "what is it?"

people looked at you two.

he was like the most popular being in the school, and you were...crap.

"oh...um...ying wanted to know if you had any feelings for her..." you trailed off.

tao's face dropped and he looked away, "oh. well, i don't. but she's really nice and cute, but i don't really like her. like that..." he said and his fingers linked together.

you looked at his hands.

they were red, shaking, and bare. no gloves!

you grabbed his hands with your gloves and stared at them.

they were so red, "hey! why don't you have gloves? do you know that this won't help you with wushu?! you'll damaged them!" you shouted.

he tried jerking his hands away, but you kept them in your warm gloves.

"here."

you took off your gloves and gave them to him, "sorry that they're pink; your hands are more valuble than mine." you said.

tao quickly gave them back to you, "no. your hands are a women's beauty. please, don't." he replied.

you scowled, "tao. take them." you demanded.

he scowled back, "you first."

you shoved them into his pockets, "use them."

you said and quickly walked off.

tao quickly ran after you and slipped holding onto your elbow making you fall with him.

you two rolled down the snow covered hill and landed side by side.

the cold snow made you even more cold, and you froze.

tao was laughing and you looked at him, "what were you thinking?" you asked.

he gave you the right side of the glove, "here. one with you and one with me. then we know if we are both warm." he replied and gave you the glove.

you slipped it on without hesitation and stood up.

you brushed the snow off of tao.

he looked at you, "do you like me?" he asked.

you bit your lower lip, "no. of course not."

there's no way.

he smiled, "'kay. i'll still like you even when i die. but when you start to like me, i'll start to love you." he said and then ran off. you watched him run, and crossed your arms across your chest.

"but what does that mean?"

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   in the following month, you had transferred to korea.

telling tao was pretty hard considering the fact he babbled on about sending you emails each day, sending pictures of him so you wouldn't forget him, and so forth.

he was really mad about you moving.

then, he did the most outrageous thing. he kissed you.

"so you would remember me as your first kiss." he explained.

on the plane ride, you really couldn't forget it.

it was hard trying to forget him though.

after all that trouble he had trying to get to know you.

he did anything. from being loud and crazy, to annoying and stalker-ish.

he was crazy!

"tae-hee."

your mom shook you awake from your day-dream.

"oh yeah mom?" you asked in korean.

it was hard trying to adjust to speaking in another language.

she smiled, "we're almost there. put on your seat-belt."

you nodded and stared out of the window again.

why couldn't you forget him?

he was just a friend.