Naeun barely ate, a vague feelings of first-day nausea still with her. She tried to change her train of thought. She closed her eyes. She thought of her new apartement, a fifth floor walkup in a filthy building on132nd street. Her nausea worsened. She breathed deeply, willing herself to focus on something, anything good in her life.

   Her little bruther. Tao. 14 going on 20. Tao never seemed to remember that he was the youngest: he always acted like her older brother. He’d grown tough and hardened from all moving around, from their Dad’s leaving, from the way their Mom trated them both. She could see it was getting to him and could see that he was starting to close himself off. His frequent school fight didnt surprise her. She feared it would only getting worse.

But when it came to naeun, tao absolutely loved her. He was the only constant in her life, the only one she could rely on. He seemed to retain his one soft spot left in the worls for her. She was determined to do her best to protect him.

“naeun?”

She jumped.

Standing over her, tray in one hand and violin case in other, was Luhan.

“mind if i join you?”

“yes—i mean no” she said, flustered.

Idiot, she thought. Stop acting so nervous.

   Luhan flashed that smile of his, then sat across from her. He sat erect with perfect posture and put his violin down carefully beside him. He gently laid out his food. There was something about him, something she couldn’t quite place. He was different than anyone she’d ever met. It was like he was from a different era. He definetly did not belong in this place.

“how was your first day?” he asked

“not what i expected”

“i know what you meam” he said.

“is that violin?” she nodded to his instrument. He keep it close, and kept one hand resting on it, as if afraid someone might steal it.

“its a viola, actually. Its just a little bigger, but its a much different sound. More mellow”

She’d never seen a viola, and hoped that he’d put on table and show her. But he didn’t make a move to and she didn’t want to pry. He was still resting his hand on it, and he seemed protective of it, like it was personal and private.

“do you practice alot?”

Luhan shrugged. “a few hours a day” he said casually.

“a few hours?! You must be great!”

He shrugged again. “i’m OK, i guess. There are alot of players much better than me. But i am hoping its my ticket out of this place”

“i always wanted to play the piano” naeun said.

“why dont you?”

She was going to say, i never had one, but stopped herself. Instead, she shrugged and look back down at her food.

“you dont need to own a piano” luhan said suddenly

She looked up, startled that he’d read her mind.

“there’s a rehearsal room in this school. For all the bad here, at least there’s some good. They’ll give you lesson for free. All you have to do is sign up”

Naeun eyes widened.

“really?”

“there’s sign up sheet outside the music room. Ask for Mrs. Hyeri. Tell her you’re my friend”

Friend. Naeun liked the sound of that word. She slowly felt a happiness welling up inside of her.

She smiled wide. Their eyes locked for a moment.

Staring back into his glowing, green eyes, she burned with a desire to ask him a million questions: Do you have a girlfriend? Why are you being so nice? Do you really like me?

But instead she bit her tongue and said nothing.

   Afraid that their time together would run out soon, she scanned her brain for something to ask him that would prolog their conversation. She tired to think of something that would assure her that she’d see him again. But she got nervous froze up.

She finally opened , and just as she did, the bell rang. the room erupted into noise and motion, and Luhan stood, grabbing his viola.

“I’m late,” he said, gathering his tray.

He looked over at her tray. “Can I take yours?”

She looked down, realizing she’d forgotten it, and shook her head.

“OK,” he said. He stood there, suddenly shy, not knowing what to say.

"Well…see you.”

“See you,” she answered lamely, her voice barely above a whisper.

***

   Her first school day over, Naeun exited the building into the sunny, March afternoon. Although a strong breeze was blowing, she didn’t feel cold anymore. Although all the kids around her were screaming as they streamed out, she was no longer bothered by the noise. She felt alive, and free. The rest of the day had gone by in a blur; she couldn’t even remember the name of a single new teacher.

She could not stop thinking about Luhan.

   She wondered if she had acted like an idiot in the cafeteria. She had stumbled over her words; she barely even asked him any questions. All she could think of to ask him was about that stupid viola. She should have asked where he lived, where he was from, where he was applying to college.

Most of all, if he had a girlfriend. Someone like him had to be dating someone.

Just at that moment, a pretty, well-dressed Hispanic girl brushed by naeun. Naeun looked her up and down as she passed, and wondered for a second if it was her.

   Naeun turned down 134th street, and for a second, forgot where she was going. She’d never walked home from school before, and for a moment, she blanked on where her new apartment was. She stood there on the corner, disoriented. A cloud covered the sun and a strong wind picked up, and she suddenly felt cold again.

“Hey, amiga!”

   Naeun turned, and realized she was standing in front of a filthy, corner bodega. Four seedy men sat in plastic chairs before it, seemingly oblivious to the cold, grinning at her as if she were their next meal.

“Come over here, baby!” yelled another.

She remembered.

132nd street. That’s it.

   She quickly turned and walked at a brisk pace down another side street. She checked over her shoulder a few times to see if those men were following her. Luckily, they weren’t.

   The cold wind stung her cheeks and woke her up, as the harsh reality of her new neighborhood started to sink in. She looked around at the abandoned cars, the graffitied walls, the barbed-wire, the bars on all the windows, and she suddenly felt very alone. And very afraid.

   It was only 3 more blocks to her apartment, but it felt like a lifetime away. She wished she had a friend at her side—even better, Luhan—and she wondered if she could manage this walk alone everyday. Once again, she felt angry at her Mom. How could she keep moving her, keep putting her in new places that she hated? When would it ever end?

Broken glass.

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hi guys! its been along time. i'm sorry i mean i am really trully sorry for not updating. i'm not gonna promise y'all anytime heheh because i'll update the stories if i have a free time. i'll completed this fic until chapter 9, i guess.

maybe some of you wondering where is Kai? i told you its gonna be a long stories ever hehe bcus kai will appear at chap 6 or 7. its not be sureprise if i tell you the stories tho... so keep waiting!

if there any question you want to ask me, click here