Myungsoo closed his locker, then turned and walked away without another word.

Minyoung tapped her foot. "Oh, come on, Yeonnie. We have to hurry. I want to say hi to Nichkhun before it starts."

Myungsoo was almost at the exit. Why was she doing this? Why now?

She took a step in the other direction and pulled my hand. "Come on. Let's go."

I couldn't do it. Suddenly I didn't want to go to the game. 

"Myungsoo!" I yelled, just before the door clacked shut behind him. He paused on the other side of the threshold.

"Sorry," I said to Minyoung. "Can we do it another day?" I gave her hand a squeeze and plunked on my lock. Avoiding her eyes, I ran for the door and didn't look back.

When I caught up to Myungsoo, he kept his face straight ahead. "Let's go," he said, and started walking.

I followed him through the parking lot without a word.

Not a Glad you decided to come or Thanks for choosing me. Nothing.

Which made me wonder... did I make the wrong choice? 

My sister was my sister. We'd always looked out for each other, and the more I thought about it, maybe she really needed me today. Maybe all her other friends were busy too and she really didn't want to go to the game alone.

By the speed of Myungsoo's march, he clearly had no idea I was still wavering. I felt like I should apologize for almost jilting him, but really, if I need to apologize to anyone, shouldn't it be Minyoung? It was pretty nice that she wanted to include me when she knows I'm not exactly popular.

But the more I battled it over in my mind, the clearer it became. Minyoung didn't need me. She'd probably already forgotten she'd ever invited me.

I was lost in my thoughts as Myungsoo and I plodded over the backfield and cut through someone's yard to reach Main Street. Even though I'd grown up here, I hadn't realized how close downtown really was. I'd always thought I needed rides to get anywhere besides school.

Myungsoo had a long stride and I could barely keep up. His black T-shirt and jeans would likely still fit him handsomely. We made an odd pair, me being a foot shorter and not nearly as "fat". My face warmed at the thought of us as a pair, especially now, off alone together. Practically a date, even if he hadn't call it once.

He rounded a corner off of Main Street and headed for an unmarked door. I'd never noticed or been in the building, so a rush of nervousness hit me. Where is he taking me?

Myungsoo pushed the thick wooden door open, and the colors inside hit me like a palpable sunrise, calming my anxiety. I stepped into what appeared to be another world.

The strong coffee aroma overtook me as the door closed behind us. The bright yellows and oranges and reds on the walls were unlike colors I'd seen in any kind of business establishment. Artwork, large and small, covered every well, crammed next to one another like cars on a busy street during rush hour.

There were tables here and there, brown and distressed, not at all matching the atmosphere of the walls. Two old men played checkers at a corner table, but we were otherwise alone. Myungsoo led me to the counter and one of the old men stopped his checkers game to meet us on the other side.

"You got money?" Myungsoo asked me. I blinked a couple of times and then fumbled in my pockets for my last few won. We both shifted to get our money and our arms touched. It gave me goose bumps. Myungsoo cleared his throat, ordered us two lardge dark-roast coffees with cream and sugar, and put our money in a pile to pay for them. The old man puttered behind the counter, working on our order.

While we waited in silence, I wondered who Myungsoo had brought here before. It didn't seem like he had many friends, and I couldn't really picture him on a date. Did he actually like me, and he was too shy to say it, or was this just a friendship thing? It was hard to tell with him.

Finally the old man put two tall mugs on the counter, and without another word, toddled back to his game. Myungsoo took one mug, left mine on the counter and headed on a table near the front window. I waited for a second, to see if he'd turn back for me. Finally, I followed, trying not to spill the hot drink on myself.

Okay, definitely not a date.

We sat and looked at our coffees. Said nothing. Looked out the window at a small walkway and the side of another brick building. Shadows moved across the brick wall as people walked along the main streat at the end of the alley. Real exciting stuff. I wondered what Minyoung was doing now. Was she still at football practice? Was she clapping and shouting to Nichkhun from the sidelines? I waited until Myungsoo started to drink and followed suit.

I cringed at the burn of the liquid on my tongue and put it down with a scowl.

Myungsoo snickered. "Sip," he said. "Coffee is for sipping."

I was sixteen, not four. And I knew how to drink a hot drink, thank you very much. But I guess I was distracted and nervous. We sat and stared out the window some more.

"I'm not gay, you know," Myungsoo said, breaking the silence.

My eyes popped open. He must have seen me in the hall this morning when the jocks were picking on him. Still, I was so surprised that he bought it up that I got tongue-tied. How could he be so casual about it? "I-I know," I said finally.

More silence. I took another drink to fill the space, this time just a sip.

"I like to comfe here." He glanced around. "You see that?"

He pointed to a large painting across the room. I  nodded. "That's Michelangelo's painting of Daniel the prophet. It's not real, but it's a good reproduction. At least Heeso says so."

I stared across at the painting, displayed in and old wooden frame. "Who's Heeso?"

Myungsoo motioned toward the checkers game, to the guy who had made our coffee. "He knows all the art. Which one do you like?"

I studied the walls, recognizing several pieces, but my eye skimmed over those. I wanted to find something different. Something unusual. At least I settled on a frame behind Myungsoo.

"The one with the sailboat is cool."

Myungsoo turned and studied it for a minute. Nodded.

"Looks scary," he said, turning back.

It did. That's why I liked it. The tiny wooden boat was weathered, with its sail torn almost in two. It didn't look like it could survive the swelling wave headed for it. But somehow I knew it could. It just had to stay strong. I always liked rooting for the undergod, the ugly duckling. I guess it felt like a kinship with them.

"Yeah," I answered.

When I brought up the drama set, Myungsoo gave me the same vague response about figuring something out together. I like the sound of "together," but at the same time, "Jiyeon's like my sister" kept ringing in my head.

I changed the subject and told him about my family to remind him we weren't related.

"Remember the girl who was at my locker?" I asked. "She's my sister, Minyoung."

He nodded in a show of recognition. I braced my hands on the edge of my chair. When other students found out that Minyoung and I were siblings, a myriad of things followed: wanting to be introduced, needing to know every single last detail about her, grasping for some explanation of how I'd come from the same gene pool.

"You don't look much alike," he said, eyeing the checkers game again, clearly bored with this topic.

I couldn't quite think of a response. "Duh," would have worked. I guess, but somehow Myungsoo seemed genuine in his response. I wasn't sure if I'd ever really met anyone so genuine in my life. I kept quiet and waited for him to share something about himself. But apparently he need some prodding.

"So what about your family?"

Myungsoo looked out the window and nibbled at his lip. Had I asked something wrong? Maybe his parents had split up. Maybe one of them died. Or maybe I was way off and he just didn't like to talk about his boring home life.

But then he gestured to the checkers game and said, "Heeso, he's my uncle," so fast I barely caught it.

I glanced over at the old man and smiled. Heeso was focused on his game and didn't look up. I turned my smile back to myungsoo. "Do you live with him?"

Myungsoo tilted his head a little and pulled his eyebrows together like my question didn't make sense. "Um. No," he said slowly, but there was an edge to his voice.

I squinted. "So that's why you like to come here?" I asked.

His hands fumbled over one another on the table, and the motion made me nevrous. "That's... one reason," he said. There was clearly more to the story. But it felt like an invisible barried had gone up between us. This subject was off-limits.

We sat for a little more than an hour before I decided to head out. Mom would be home anytime after five, and it seemed easier to be there, like normal, than to answer a bunch of questions.

Myungsoo didn't offer to walk me home. He told me to take my cup to the counter before I left. "Heeso's old," he added. Then Myungsoo reached over to squeeze my hand as I stood to deliver my mug.

It was only a single light touch, and he didn't try to hold it or anything. But my heart skipped all the way to the counter.

When I turned back towards the door, I looked over at Myungsoo, expecting a smile or a nod or... something. But he just stared out the window, lost in thought.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hello guys!

I'm back with chapter six. It took so long for me to update. Three months or more right? /facepalm.

I'm not good in English since it is not my first language so I just wanted to apologize before you rage or start flipping every table OuO

And.. YOU. MY SECRET READER, you don't have to subscribe. Last but not least, please comment. c:

Critism is allowed. Thank you~ ^^