I decided to take a shortcut home but as I passed the alley, a hand pulled me in. I was knocked to the ground and a shadow hovered over me. I began to scream but the same hand covered my mouth. “Shut up or I’ll kill you!” I shut my mouth instantly. I didn’t want to die yet. In the moon’s reflection I got a good look of my attacker. It was a boy who looked a little bit older than me. His face and clothes were dirty but he had really good features so I could tell he was extremely good-looking. But this was not a time to think about such things. He held a table knife at my throat and said, “Give me all your money or I’ll kill you.”
I panicked but I knew what to do. I used the move I wanted to use on my stepmom every time she pinned me down and hit me. I kicked him hard, right into his family jewels. He gasped and fell to the floor, dropping the knife. I picked up my groceries and ran.

I guess you can call me the dumbest person alive. I was afraid I had kicked the boy too hard and permanently injured him. Besides, since my life is hell already, I didn’t want him to go through it too. So I turned back. When I came back to the alley, the boy was still lying on the floor. He was softly. I lifted him up gently. “Are you okay?” I asked. He shook his head. “I’m sorry,” I said to him. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the money Mr. Choi gave me. “If you need money, then here it is. All I have is ten dollars.” I placed the money in his hand and walked away. He looked at me with this weird expression that I couldn’t read. I picked up my groceries and this time I left without turning back. I could tell the boy was watching me as I was walking away…

L.Joe stared at the girl who had just walked away. He thought she must be the nicest or dumbest person in this world. He began to stand up but had to use the wall for balance. That girl had kicked him a little too hard. L.Joe had just ran away from home again. He had ran away so many times that the alley was his second home. When he ran away he always stole money from his parents. They were the richest people in all of Hawaii but they were also the most messed up. His dad would have a lot of women with him and would betray a friend if it would bring him money. His mom on the other hand, was an exact duplicate of his dad. She always had these young men around her and spent money like crazy. His parents were divorced and lived on opposite ends of Hawaii.
‘ and bastard,’ thought L.Joe. When he ran away this time, he didn’t have the chance to steal any money from his dad. So he had no choice but to rob somebody. When he saw the young girl walking out of the store, she seemed to be the perfect target. But things didn’t turn out as planned. L.Joe kept wondering why the girl gave him the money even though he could have killed her. L.Joe knew he couldn’t take the money because she was the first person in his messed up life that was nice to him because she wanted to be and not because she wanted something from him. He wanted to give the money back. When he gained some of his strength back, he began to chase after her…

When I came home, I was greeted by the usual words.‘Ugly wretch, wicked girl, freeloader, etc.’ Luckily, I made it through dinner fine. When dinner ended, my parents went to sleep leaving me with the dishes. I cleaned the table and washed the dishes. I also took out the trash. Suddenly, I felt someone grabbed me from behind. My attacker turned me around to face him. It was the same boy I met in the alley. I began to panic. “I gave you all my money already! What more do you want from me?” He raised a finger to his lips and tried to shush me. I felt one of my attacks coming on. I started to hyperventilate and couldn’t breathe. I was beginning to black out. L.Joe looked at the girl who looked like she was going to die. “Oh my God! Are you okay?” This time, it was the girl’s turn to shake her head. Then she collapsed in his arms.L.Joe didn’t know what to do but he had to save her life. He began to give to mouth resuscitation. “Come on,” he whispered to her. “Breathe. Don’t die on me.” After a while she began coughing and opened her eyes.

I opened my eyes and saw a blurry object heading towards me. Then I felt something soft pressing against my lips and I felt a gust of air. I realized the boy was giving me air. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I blushed and gently pushed him away. “Thank you for saving me. I’m okay now.” The boy turned slightly red. “Uhh… You’re welcome. You kinda scare me there.” “Sorry about that. Well, what is it that you want from me?” “Here.” He handed me back the same ten dollars I had given him. I looked up at him. “No, it’s okay. Keep it. I think you need it or you wouldn’t have tried to rob me.” He shook his head. “No. I just wanted to borrow it only. I don’t take charity. Well, goodbye.” Just as he walked away, I heard his stomach rumble. I bit my tongue so I wouldn’t laugh.
Since he didn’t take charity, I said, "Um... Hey, I just made some food and I don’t know if it’s good or not. I need a guinea pig because I don’t want to serve it to my parents and besides, you did save my life."L.Joe looked at her. ‘Why is she being so nice to me?’ he thought. He knew she was just saying that because she heard him say he doesn’t want charity. Ji Won’s stomach was growling like crazy. He hasn’t eaten for 2 days already and the mention of food was killing him. “Uh, okay. I guess I’ll be your guinea pig since I have nothing to do.” He studied her face as she smiled at him. ‘She’s pretty,’ he thought as he smiled back.

I let the boy wait outside as I got some of the leftover mee-yuk-gook for him. He finished it in less than a minute. Then he leaned back and sighed. Out of nowhere, he let out a burp. I had to giggle. He looked at me and smiled. “Sorry about that.” “It’s okay.” I hesitated before I asked him the next question. “Umm… So what’s your name?” He glanced at me and then stared at the ground. I could tell he was debating whether to tell me his real name or not. I didn’t want him to feel obligated to tell me his name. “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” L.Joe looked at her surprised. “No! It isn’t that!” he yelled. She stared back in surprise. Then he lowered his voice. “I’m sorry. Please don’t misunderstand.” She nodded her head slowly and L.Joe could tell that she was confused. L.Joe felt that he could trust her and he wanted her to be his friend. “My name is Eun Ji Won and you are?”

“Park Chorong, but call me Chorong. It’s easier to remember.” Then she gave him the sweetest smile. L.Joe felt his heart beat a little faster when she smiled at him. He blushed and looks away. “So uh, how old are you?” “13,” she replied. “And you L.Joe ssi?” He smiled when she called him that. “I’m 15,” he said turning back to look at her. “15?” I asked in disbelief. L.Joe nodded. “Where are your parents oppa? You’re too young to be living in the streets.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I can take care of myself.” I gave him a doubting look because he was trying to pull that tough guy act on me. “It’s okay though,” he told me. “I have a family. It’s just that things are bad at home so I’m just getting away from it for a while.” ‘So he ran away,’ I figured out. I could tell that L.Joe was a good person. “Do you have a place to stay tonight?” He shook his head. “How about staying in my room then,” I offered.

Chorong offered L.Joe places to stayed? *0* What reaction will L.Joe make?Will he say yes or he will say no?heheh... xDD Well,Let's read the next chapter... ^_^ Have fun people...