The Other Me Part 1 January 31, 2009

“…taken?”

 

“huh?” replied Riew while removing her headphones.

 

“is this seat taken? do you mind if I sit here?”

 

Riew turned around to see who it was that wanted to come sit in the back corner table she had claimed for herself since the
beginning of the year. no one had ever ventured over to try and sit with her, one because no one particularily wanted to and two because she always sat with her back to the rest of the world as if it would shut them out. at first she didn’t recognize who the guy was but then after a few seconds she realized it was the new guy who had just transfered into the school and was in her morning math class.

 

“um, no.. its not taken but…”

 

“ok good, thanks” said Win as he threw his books down on the table and took a seat across from her. Riew looked at him a bit confused, but didn’t say anything because he too seemed to want to separate himself from the rest of the world. Win pulled out his headphones looked over at her, gave her a smile and put his headphones on and went to work on his assignments.

 

Riew continued to stare at him, trying to figure him out when he looked up at her. embarrassed she quickly put her headphones back on and went back to reading her book, but it was too late.

 

“you’re Riew right?”

 

Riew looked up to find Win staring at her. once again she took out her headphones and replied “yea, we have math class together right? sorry I didn’t catch your name.”

 

“Win, it’s Win or I guess you can just call me the new guy like everyone else seems to be doing.” he said with a faint smile as he fiddled with his headphones.

 

Riew looked around and she could tell people were staring at them. “you know if you want to fit in around here, it’s probably better that you don’t sit here. not that i mind, but you know being new and having no friends that kind of sucks.”

 

“yea i know, but i’m just kind of tired of the whole trying to fit in thing. moving around kind of gets you use to that. but whats wrong with sitting here?”

 

“um… simply? me.”

 

“you? what is that suppose to mean?”

 

Riew didn’t say a word and just looked at Win with a weak smile. she closed up her booked and stood up “i have to get to class now, if you stick around long enough you’ll know what I mean. but it was nice meeting you. bye!”

 

with that Win watched her walk away and he realized that people were turning their heads as if they hadn’t been watching. what was the big deal he thought, but decided to forget about it and went back to doing his homework during his free period.

1/30/09

The Other Me Part 2 January 30, 2009

it was the 2nd day of classes for the 3rd quarter of the year and Riew was already exhausted. she felt like she hadn’t had a break in months, but there was no slowing down now. she had to concentrate and focus since her classes were getting harder and harder as the year progressed. she settled into her seat in the last seat in the middle of the class. as usual a few of the seats around her were empty and people would stare and whisper when they saw her. she had become accustom to it and had learned to ignore it by focusing on her studies.

 

“hey Riew” the voice once again gave her a scare. she looked up and saw Win putting his books down on the desk next to her. “i guess we have at least two classes together now.”

 

“yea I guess so” she replied. “how’s it going?”

 

“not bad, not bad… it’s a little early for me but otherwise its cool.” Riew heard the words Win was saying but she was also looking around the room and she could see the other girls in the class whispering even louder, all were looking at Win. she looked at him as he settled in to his seat. she could see why they were all looking, Win definitely was cute. he was tall and slim, his black hair slightly buzzed on the side and spikey in the front, his glasses were slightly nerdy but definitely looked good on him. and that smile of his…

 

“Riew? Riew, did you hear me?”

 

“oh um… sorry what?” she replied as she was thinking ‘oh my god what just happen? i hope it wasn’t that obvious that i was checking him out’… “what was it that you wanted?”

 

“i just was wondering if you wanted to get together after class to work on that math assignment. i was working on it yesterday but i had some problems with one of them. sid you do it yet?”

 

“oh um… sure. i guess that’s not a problem. i did most of it already just have to finish it up a bit.”

 

“ok great.” he replied as he turned back to face the front of the class. the teacher was about ready to start the class and was waiting for everyone to settle down

…

“homework will be posted on the website tonight, it will be dude next week in class.” the teachers voice began to trail off as the students were packing their things getting ready to leave.

 

“ready?” Win asked.

 

“do you mind if I stop by the bathroom first?” “oh sure no problem, i’ll wait outside.” “ok, be back in a bit.”

 

Riew was in the stall of the bathroom when she heard two voices talking as they came into the bathroom.

 

“i don’t know what that new guy wants with Riew.” said one girl.

 

“seriously, i can’t believe her, miss popular… i bet she thinks shes so cool and hot and that the new guy just went straight for her” said the girl’s friend. “i wonder whats going to happen when he finds out about her, how she really is.”

 

the first girl looked in the mirror and fixed her hair and had a big smile on her face “oh i hope he figures it out soon, hes too cute to be wasting his time with her. i’ll definitely be ready to be his study buddy.”

 

she heard the two girls giggling, Riew leaned against the door of the stall and let out a sigh as she prepared herself to step out. she never thought that her school life would turn out like this, she thought coming to a smaller school might be better for her. she could have a more secluded life where people wouldn’t care too much about her, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. everyone was interested in her, but none were willing to admit it rather they all turned against her and made their decision about her based on the things they heard instead of giving her a chance. finally Riew grabbed her purse and jacket off the hook of the door and walked out, instantly the laughter stopped as the girls caught sight of her in the mirror. Riew quietly washed her hands and looked in the mirror before heading out catching their eyes as they watched her and she smiled slightly before leaving.

 

when she walked out of the bathroom she looked around for Win and saw him staring at her off in the corner. there was someone talking to him, but his back was to her and she could see Win’s mouth moving but his eyes were on her not on the guy talking to him. the guy must have noticed and quickly looked back and saw Riew, at which point Riew could only guess that he said his goodbye and took leave of Win before Riew reached the two of them.

 

“ready?” she asked when she was a few steps from him. she could see that he was thinking about something as if he wanted to ask but didn’t dare.

 

“um, yea lets go.”

 

“if you don’t want to anymore, i understand. everyone always backs off once they know, that guy he probably already told…”

 

“he didn’t tell me anything really” he interrupted her “he just said that i should be careful of you. that if i wanted to have any friends around here i should keep my distance.” he looked at Riew and could see her expression change, that she had a saddness to her that he hadn’t noticed earlier. “Riew, i know we just met but i’m not really one to be beat around the bush. sorry for being so blunt.”

 

“no no, thats ok. its kind of nice actually, no one around here has ever really been honest to me. it’s really just a bunch of whispering here and there, they pretend like they don’t want me to hear and i pretend like i don’t.”

 

“what is it all about?”

 

“do you really want to know?”

 

“yea, kind of. i mean if your some kind of psycho manic i’d like to know now that way i can at least protect myself, who knows what effects math may have on you.” he said with a smile

 

“well when you put it like that, math does have a scary effect on me” she said with a laugh. “but if you want to know what all that is about” she said with a nod towards a crowd of people looking at them “i’m sure you’ll find out eventually, but i don’t really feel like talking about it right now.”

 

“then what do you feel like talking about?”

 

“what do i feel like talking about? umm…. math? what can i say, i’m a nerd.” she said with a laugh as she began walking towards her usual table. Win was still curious but decided to drop the subject, Riew seemed like a nice enough of a girl and what harm could possibly come from her anyways? the reason Win had decided to go sit at her table in the first place was because she seemed like a girl who was focused on school than having a social life which was what Win needed at the moment, someone to help him focus.

1/31/09

The Other Me Part 3 January 29, 2009

“oh wow, i can’t believe it’s almost 6 already.” Riew said as she silenced her phone after it had rung.

 

“really? you weren’t kidding when you said you were a nerd. i don’t think i ever sat for so long doing math and not wanted to rip my hair out.” Win said as he closed his book.  they had finally finished the assignment due next week and Win finally felt confident that he was actually understanding the subject. Win watched Riew put away her stuff and he began to feel a bit nervous, it was a strange feeling he had never felt before.

 

“um, Riew… do you want to go grab something to eat? my treat…” Riew stop putting her books away and looked at Win. Win stumbled for words as he tried to continue, “i mean, like um, just as a thank you… yea just as a thank you for putting up with me and basically tutoring me.”

 

“it’s not a problem, i don’t mind at all. it gives me a chance to review the material too. but i really can’t i have to be somewhere at 7″

 

“oh” he said. Riew saw Win’s face crinkle up a bit as he lowered his head to hid his embarrassment. she couldn’t believe what she was thinking. should she invite him? but what would he think? would he turn out like all the others? no, he couldn’t there’s no way she thought. they had spent the whole day together going over math, talking casually about this and that in between, she hadn’t felt this at ease with anyone in a long time. she made up her mind, it was better that he find out from her than from anyone else anyways. and oh that smile of his…

 

Riew stood up and scribbled something on a piece of paper and tore it out of her notebook and folded it up. “Win, i really have to go now. but if you really want to thank me then here if your free tomorrow night.” she handed the piece of paper to him and took a few steps away before turning around to say “call me if you get lost k or if you can’t make then its alright i understand. see you!” and she ran off in the direction of the parking lot.

 

‘what just happened here?’ he thought to himself. Win unfolded the piece of paper to see what she had written zodiac, 9pm 912-2501

 

‘zodiac? why zodiac? of all places…’ Win thought. was his impression of Riew wrong? was she not the nerdy school girl he thought she was? why would she be inviting him to a club of all places? and why zodiac? all these thoughts where racing through his mind. the place was over an hour away, he didn’t think there was any way she would have known. she after all was just another small town girl, why would she care about what happen in the big city? but then again she was the one to invite him there. should he go? he did want to see her again, there was nothing glamourous about her but she was awfully cute.

—

Win sat on the couch of his living room staring at the clock above his tv. it was almost 7:45 pm friday night. he sat there tapping his fingers on the armrest of his couch. he was still debating on whether or not he wanted to go. it had been a few years since he had gone to zodiac, he heard the place had changed but he still couldn’t bring himself to go there. his memories of the place where ones he wanted to forget, but Riew he wanted to see her.

 

Win got up and walked over to the hallway table and was about the grab his keys before he stopped. instead he grabbed on to the table and put leaned over his head now resting on the mirror hanging on the wall. “what’s wrong with me??” he said out loud. he had never been so nervous so unsure of himself before.

 

“Win, dude are you ok?” Win looked up and saw his roomate walking into the kitchen. “yea man, im cool. just going to head out” he replied. “alright cool man, just take it easy k you look out of it.”

 

Win looked at himself in the mirror, he had been dressed for the past 2 hours ready to go out. why was he so nervous? what was it about Riew that made him feel this way? Win grabbed his keys and headed out the door before he changed his mind again.

—

it was 8:50 pm when Win pulled up into the parking lot of zodiac. the place looked different from the 18+ club he and his friends use to hang out at. there was a large crowd outside waiting to get into the place, so Win decided to go out and take a look to see if he could find Riew in the crowd. he walked to the front of the line but didn’t see her so he decided to give her a call but there was no answer. he began to worry, was she not going to show up? then he told himself to calm down it was just one call she didn’t answer maybe she was driving. he decided to walk back to the front to see what was going on and why there was so many people. he saw a poster hanging on the side of the building.

 

mini concert and autograph signing for the debut of Harmony’s debut album

 

Harmony? Riew was into rock music? she definitely didn’t seem like the type, but then again he didn’t really know much about the band. he had spend most of his time in the country side that he had only heard their songs on the radio. when he finally moved back to the city he heard more and more about them but didn’t pay much attention to it. they were suppose to be the next up and coming band with hit songs before their album even released. but now all he could think was this the kind of scene Riew was into? this wasn’t what he needed right now, not when he wanted to get his life back together. he looked at his watch it was already 9:15, he decided to give her another call, still no answer.

1/31/09

The Other Me Part 4 January 29, 2009

Win walked back to his car wondering what he should do. was he crazy? should he leave? should he stay? he leaned against his car when his phone rang, he received a text message. when he checked it, it was from Riew.

 

sorry i didnt answer! go ahead and go on in, i put your name on the vip list glad you came. hurry up and go in and get a good spot k? ill find you the show starts at 10 see you then. ~ riew

 

vip? 10pm? good spot? what was this… Win began to question his thoughts about Riew, maybe she wasn’t the quiet nice girl he thought she was. maybe this is why all the other students avoided her and tried to warn him. was she always late like this? was she just using him? but how could she put him on the vip list?

 

“screw it” he said out loud, “what could one night do? i haven’t been out much as it is and what harm is one concert? i’ll just leave if its lame.”

 

Win walked to the front of the line and found the vip enterance and gave the guard his name. the guard looked him up and down and asked for his hand and proceeded to put a yellow band around his wrist. “there’s vip standing room in the front or you can sit in the back, free drinks just show them your band, enjoy the show” the guard said as he opened the door and ushered him in.

 

Win walked to the front of the club and looked around and looked at all the changes that were made to the place he once frequented. it was no longer a club but rather it was gutted out and turned into a place more suitable for concerts and such than anything else. it was 9:40 and the place was beginning to fill up, still no sign of Riew but he stood in the vip area in what he thought was a good spot.

 

“Win, Win is that you?” he heard a girl’s voice calling out his name, he thought it was Riew and at that moment he couldn’t decide if he was still annoyed with her or happy that she was finally here. but when he turned around he saw a group of his classmates and felt a little disappointed.

 

“hey guys, didn’t know you guys were coming here.” he said.

 

“yea yea, we wouldnt miss this. we had to see if the hype was for real.” said one of the guys as the others looked at each other and laughed.

 

“hype what hype?” Win was confused when he heard one of the girls say to another “he still doesn’t know” as they giggled. “hey how’d you get vip?” one of the other guys asked.

 

“um, Riew actually. i’m suppose to meet her here but she hasn’t showed up yet. i dont know really she invited me here.” he said. Win was trying to read the thoughts in his classmates minds. he saw the expression on their faces change as he spoke. what was it about Riew that made everyone go quiet at the mention of her name?

 

“oh, well then… i guess we should get going. who needs to be vip anyways” one of the girls said with a hint of jealousy and they made their way through the club which was now completely filled. he watched them walk away as the lights began to dim, his eyes darted around the vip area in hopes to find Riew… ‘where was she?’ he thought. he looked at his phone it was 10 pm on the dot when the sound of the drums rumbled through the club. Win turn towards the stage to see a lone light shining on the drummer.

 

a second spot light turned on to reveal the lead singer mai mee won tee tur ja hen kwam deeeeeee…. Win continued to look around but still he didn’t see Riew he was beginning to get upset. he drove all the way out here and here she was making him wait for over an hour now. he turned back to the stage, at least the band seem decent definitely different. ja ek naan suk kaa nai gwa tur ja roo wah chun pen kon nai fun kong tur…

 

at that moment the last two lights turned on to reveal the final 2 members of the band, the guitarist and the bassist. he was surprised to see that the band consisted of 3 guys and 1 girl as the bassist. she had a hoodie on which was pulled up over her head covering most of what could be seen of her face with her head down. her long curly hair was swaying back and forth as she rocked her head to the music she was playing. he couldn’t even see her face but there was something about her that captivated Win. he stood there staring at her when someone bumped into him. “Riew?” he looked around after all this time he was still hoping that she would show up but it wasn’t her just some guy that seemed a little drunk. he looked around and still no sight of her, he turned his attention back to the stage. what was it about her? he thought…

 

midway through the beginning of the song she stepped up to a microphone of her own but her head was still down, the hoodie still securely covering her face. mue rai taam dai mai wah mue rai tur ja roo suk teeeeee… the lead singer took a step back from his microphone and the bassist lifted her head and with one hand pulled back her hoodie to reveal her face, and the crowd cheered, chun nun rooo roo wah tur kue krai taa kor suk nit kor suk noi kor waylaa hai chun tum jai tung tua mai…

 

Win couldn’t believe his eyes or ears, her voice was strong but beautiful which wasn’t much of a surprise. what surprised him more than anything was how familar she was, was his eyes playing tricks on him?

1/31/09

The Other Me Part 5 January 28, 2009

Riew’s mind was racing as she performed, it always gave her such a rush and being on stage in front of a couple hundred people was a pretty amazing feeling. their opening number was one of their slower ballads so it gave her a chance to scan the audience, there was only one person she was looking for. Lek, the lead, came over to her microphone when she was close to finishing her solo line and he put his arm around her as they began to sing together <Lek>kong ja mee suk wonnnn <Riew> chue tur wah ja mee suk wonnnn <Together> ja mee won kong rao tee rao ja yoo duay gun ja ruk gun muen tee kuey fun aow waiii… 

 

Win could only watch in amazement as he realized that he wasn’t seeing things. that the girl he had spend the day with before, who had her hair pulled back in a tight bun dressed in a tee and jeans wearing flipflops was the same girl who was on stage. the girl that was rocking her bass in a pair of high heel knee length boots and a knee length jean skirt and an unzipped hoodie that showed off her 3 or 4 layers of tank tops and necklaces. the make up she wore turn the cute girl next door into the beautiful girl you could only dream of. was this really the girl who had just tutored him in one of the hardest math classes that was offered at school? he couldn’t stop staring, as the crowd around him grooved to the music he stood still amazed at what he was seeing.

 

as the song was coming to an end Riew finally spotted Win, he was standing in the back of the vip section his eyes on her. she looked at him and smiled and gave a little wave. Win was finally able to get over his shock when he saw her wave at him. when Riew saw that gorgeous smile of his she felt at ease, looked over at her bandmates and thought about how great it felt to be living a dream.

 

as the song ended the crowd began to cheer and the bandmates looked at one another and gave each other a nod. Riew and Kong, the guitarist, took to the front of the stage and began a battle of sorts and the crowd cheered wildly as the two came together at the center of the stage and the Thom, the drummer, began his set leading into one of their most popular songs. Lek took to his microphone and the band played their half hour set of songs to an intense crowd that was feeling every note they played every word they sung.

 

at the final song the stage lights went black and the crowd cheered. a dim light came on at the center of the stage and all that could be seen was the shadow of the band members. The voice of the MC from the DJ booth took over the entire place as he announced the band.

 

“Let’s hear it for Harmonnyyyyyyy….” and the crowd cheered as the four friends stepped out into the bright spotlight at the front of the stage.  “Lead Vocalist… Lek, on drums… Thom, guitarist… Kong, and our lovely bassist….”

 

**crash**

 

Riew didn’t know what hit her, all she could feel was the splatter of something cold on her face. she looked down and all she could see was a shattered bottle with its remaining liquid spreading itself out along the stage. she took a step back into the darkness as the guys surrounded her. she couldnt understand a word they were saying, but the next thing she knew was that she was sitting in their dressing room. she wiped her head with her hand and she felt the stickiness of the liquid smear across her face “am i bleeding?” she thought but when she looked at her hand there was no blood, nothing but the stench of alcohol.

 

Riew grabbed the wet towel that Lek had put on her dresser table and wiped her face. she looked in the mirror and it took a few seconds before she could focus.  she saw the guys standing in the back of the room arguing, she couldn’t hear anything but she knew what they were saying. ever since they were little the guys were always very protective of her, even when she had proven that she could stand on her own. she knew that Thom probably wanted to go out and start a fight with someone even though he had no idea who threw the bottle. she knew that Kong would demand to know if she was having problems with anyone and that Lek would pretend like he wasn’t angry at anyone just to make things ok. she stared at her friends through the mirror for what seemed like an eternity before they realized that she was looking at them. as Lek was about to walk over to her there was a knock on the door.

 

the guys huddled at the door talking to the security guard and the dj who had been mc’ing the event. she could tell they had an idea of who threw the bottle by the look of Kong’s face when he turned to look at her. she didn’t need to hear it, she was sure she knew who had done it too.

 

Riew grabbed her purse and headed for the back door. she could hear Lek tell Thom to leave her alone as she closed the door behind her and the night’s cold air hit her face.

4/19/09

The Other Me Part 6 January 27, 2009

Riew removed her earphones to hear her phone singing haak trong nun mee krai suk kon… she hit the volume button and she was surrounded by silence. another message, who was it from this time? Lek? Thom? Kong? they had been messaging her ever since she walked out asking where she was, if she was alright. she flipped open her phone and was surprised to see that the message was from Win.

 

mind if i join you?

 

before she could even comprehend what she was reading she heard the sound of someone stepping on the stones behind her. she turned to look and there was Win standing with his hand in the pocket of his jacket.

 

“hey”

 

“hey” she replied “um.. i don’t mind. if you want too you can.” she turned back around to face the water as Win walked over to the wall she was sitting on. he sat down next to her keeping his distance, Win wasn’t sure what he was doing here. he hardly knew Riew, but he knew that he wanted to be here with her. he knew that he wanted to try and understand what exactly was going on so that he could in someway help her deal with it. the two sat in silence for awhile watching the waves hit the shore of the beach that was not too far below them before Win spoke.

 

“the guys… they are worried about you. they said you didn’t have a car so i figured you couldn’t have gone far so i just started walking and then i saw…”

 

“the guys? you mean you talked to them?” Riew asked “but they don’t know you… why would they talk to you about me?”

 

Win let out a little laugh “yea you got yourself some good bodyguards. they didnt believe me at first when i said that i knew you and then i explained to them that you invited me and then they asked what my name was…”

 

“oh man, now i am never going to hear the end of it”

 

“yea, i realized that after they started laughing… im sorry i should have realized thats how guys are.”

 

Riew turned back to face the water “it’s alright, they were bugging me about you anyways they wanted to know who you were. but what a bunch of lazy bums they’ve been messaging me all night and all they had to do was walk down the street.”

 

neither of them said anything until they heard the blasting of a car horn over some really loud music and the sound of people screaming and yelling. they turned to look and saw a convertible racing down the street.

 

“what a bunch of drunks” Riew said as she turned away and she caught Win looking at her.

 

“you know, that person… they… they were drunk too right?” Win didn’t know how to tell her that he had overheard the group of students from their school laughing about how they threw the bottle at her on stage.

 

“you know who it is?” she asked.

 

“well i overheard something, and i told the guard but they couldn’t really do anything about it. but i think they went to tell you guys right?”

 

“yea, but no one told me anything.”

 

“so you don’t know..”

 

“i know… i have an idea and i can tell by the look on your face that i’m right. i never should have went back to school, i never should have went back for this semester..”

 

“Riew they were drunk, they don’t know anything…”

 

“Kong warn me, he said it would only get worse and he was right. my stubborness, if i wasn’t so stubborn, if i didn’t just want to go to school and do something else that i loved. this never would have happened, they never would have ruined toni…”

 

Win saw Riew’s eyes flooding with tears and her voice was shaking, he didn’t know what to say there was only one thing he could think of doing and before he knew it had grabbed a hold of her and pulled her close. her face was buried in his shoulder as she cried and it wasn’t long before he felt her arms wrap around him.

 

As he brushed Riew’s hair away from her face, Win looked down at her and he couldn’t remember the last time he had really cared about someone like this. “this is crazy” he thought to himself “i hardly even know her.” but having her close to him, there was something right about it that he couldn’t explain.

 

there were so many thoughts running through Riew’s mind as she was crying when she sudden realized how tightly she had been holding on to Win. embarrassed, she quickly let go and moved away and wiping away her tears she said “sorry, Win… i’m sorry i don’t know what came over me…”

 

“it’s ok, your going through a lot right now and…” should he say something about how he was feeling? would it be too much? what the heck why not just go for it “i… i don’t really mind being here for you. ever since the first time i saw you, i just had this really weird feeling that i can’t really explain. i guess what i’m trying to say is i think i like you… no i mean yea i mean i like you.”

 

Riew couldn’t believe what she was hearing and she didn’t know what to say all she could do was look at him.

 

“oh gawd, what did i just say?” he thought to himself “damn it, it was too much. i shouldn’t have said anything. i should have kept my mouth shut. what do i do now?” he looked over at Riew and she was just staring at him with her red puffy eyes. her eye makeup had smudged from the tears but she still looked beautiful.

 

“i… i mean um… sorry. nows probably not the right time to be telling you this. you have so many other things to think about the last thing you need is someone blabbering away about his feelings. i should be here listening to you not the other way around…”

 

“Win”

 

he looked up to find her looking at him and she had a slight smile on her face “yea?” he replied.

 

at this point in the night Riew didn’t really care about anything anymore, so she put her hand on Win’s and leaned in close to him and said thank you before she gave him a kiss on the cheek and whispered “i think i like you too..” as she leaned back to see that smile she had fallen in love with come across Win’s face.

 

the two sat hand in hand, each with an earphone in their ear listening to Riew’s mp3 player. music had always made Riew feel better and now she was sharing that with someone who didn’t seem to need words to understand her. she had been afraid about how he would react when he found out about her other life, but now she realized that to him it didn’t matter.

—

Riew felt her phone vibrating before hearing her ringer go off. it was another message from Thom…

 

its late stop playing footsies tell him to take you home already and get some rest

 

“and here we go..” she said with a laugh.

 

“what? everything ok?” Win asked as he removed the ear piece.

 

Riew let out a big sigh and looked back behind her as she saw her friends standing near the road waving to her before walking back to their car. she looked at Win and replied “yea… everythings fine. it’s late do you mind giving me a ride home? the guys are leaving me.” she gave a nod back and Win turn and saw the three guys walking away. “i’d love to.”

4/20/09

childhood dreams part 1 May 4, 2008

Rin lowered her head as she walked down the street. she pushed up her sunglasses and combed her fingers through her hair and let it fall down in front of her face.

 

Wee pulled down his cap and adjusting his sweatshirt. he walked slowly as he pulled out his phone which took over his attention.

 

for either it wasn’t an attempt to hide from the sun or the rest of the crowd, but rather an attempt to hide from each other. as their paths crossed Rin sharply turned to join the crowd waiting for a bus, Wee walked off towards a magazine stand still emersed in his phone. both dying of curiosity but also not daring enough to turn and look.

 

could it be? after 10 years that their paths would cross in such a way?…

— 

“don’t do it! don’t come over! i’ll get you if you do!” yelled Rin as she watched Wee climb over the wall that separated their homes. both were only childs, both only had each other to play with. Wee was the only one Rin dared to try and get the best of, while Rin was the only one Wee was willing to protect.

 

“you can’t do anything to me! im older than you, im bigger than you” Wee replied as he continued to find his way over the wall.

 

“just you wait” and with that Rin disappeared around the side of the house. “where are you going?” Wee asked getting no reply.

 

He made it over the wall, satisfied with his accomplishment he brushed the dirt off his hands. but as he did that he felt the splash of cold water on his back and the sound of laughter. he turned around to see 6 year old Rin laughing with all her heart holding a bucket dripping with water. between the laugher Rin managed to say “i said i would get you!!”

 

Wee looked at her and Rin stopped laughing she could tell the 7 year old wasn’t amused. after a moment he started to go after her. Rin let out a small scream and began to run. the two chased each other throughout the yard and around the house. Rin turned around and laughed everytime she saw Wee falling behind not knowing that he would slow down whenever he came close. they ended up falling down to the grass with their face to the sun laughing the day away…

—

Rin lowered her sunglasses, she pushed back her hair and held it back with one hand. she turned around as if she was looking around aimlessly, but then she saw what she had been looking for. Wee quickly pulled his hood over his head and turned his back to her. he put back the magazine he had been holding to hide the fact that he had been watching her. she stood there waiting for him to turn around, he stood with his back to her not wanting to turn around to find her gone.

 

their childhood flashed before them as the rest of world seem to speed past them. time stood still for them and for them alone. but then in the same instance they remembered, they remembered why they went their separate ways never to see each other again until this very moment. and in that instance they parted ways once again, Rin continued her walk staring into the setting sun as Wee walked into the darkness with his head lowered to the ground.

childhood dreams part 2 May 4, 2008

three days had passed but Rin still could not forget about seeing Wee. Rin felt tired and worn out, she had not been able to sleep ever since. everytime she closed her eyes memories of her childhood would return and she wondered if the Wee she saw was still the same Wee she knew from before.

 —

“i don’t need you to walk me home, i can get home myself.”

 

“Rin its dangerous, your going home really late. i’ll stay and wait for you”

 

“No, i’ll be fine.” now 14 years old, Rin felt like she had something to prove. what drove her need to be more independent was the fact that Wee was beginning to show his rebellious side befriending those others looked down on. Rin could tell that Wee was upset, but she knew this was something she had to do. Wee was about to say something but before he could utter another word Rin turned and walked away.

 

Rin continued to look at the clock on the library wall, the sound of thunder was the only thing that silenced the ticking of the secondhand. it was almost 9pm and it was dark out but Rin only had a little more to go. She needed to finish the project before tomorrow morning. determined she went back to work and before she knew it, it was past 10 and the storm seemed to be coming closer.

 

Rin gathered her stuff and walked home. the rain started to fall, she held her bag over her head and started to walk with a fast pace but as the rain grew harder she began to run a little faster. Rin was relieved when she only had a couple of blocks to go and stopped in a phonebooth to take a breather. once she caught her breath she stepped out only to find out that she wasn’t alone.

 

“hey pretty girl, whatcha doing out so late?” it was a boy from her school, someone who looked so familar but she was too tired to remember where he was from.

 

“i’m going home, excuse me” Rin replied as she tried to walk passed another boy. the two let her through but a third stepped out from behind the booth and got in her way. the rain began to fall even harder.

 

“so soon? it’s still early, why don’t you stay out with us?” the third boy said with a smirk on his face. Rin looked him in the eyes without a reply and stepped to side to try and get passed him but he grabbed her arm. as he tried to pull her close she swung her bag and hit him over the head.

 

he yelled out in pain as Rin began to run, but the other boys caught up with her. she picked up a stick from the side of the road and held her ground. “leave me alone or i’ll hurt all of you!” she yelled. the boys laughed and moved closer ignoring her threat. she swung as hard as she could and hit one of the boys on his arm and he grabbed it in pain. the other boy grabbed the end of the stick and pulled it closer. they were now face to face, the boy with a develish look, Rin with fear in her eyes. He moved his face closer but before he could do anything she kicked him as hard as she could and he let go. she stepped back but before she could get away one of the boys grabbed her leg and she fell to the ground.

 

“I TOLD YOU NEVER TO MESS WITH HER” a familar voice screamed out. the boys looked up to see who the voice had come from.  Rin lifted her head from the ground to see a familar pair of shoes and when she looked up she could tell that it was Wee. He had been waiting in the rain for her at the end of their block, when she saw Wee she realized where she knew these boys from. they were the ones he had begun to hang out with, the ones that made him a different person.

 

Wee looked down at Rin and she could see the anger in his eyes. he walked passed her and grabbed the stick and stood over the boys. the boys scrambled to get up and ran off into the night.

 

Rin sat up in the middle of road and stared at Wee as he gathered up her stuff, they could both see that her project was ruined. even through the rain Wee could see the tears running down her cheeks. he picked her up and carried her the rest of the way home.

 

her dad put her to bed as her mom prepared her medicine. they thanked Wee for bringing her home, but he didn’t hear a word of it. all he could do was look at Rin as she laid there in her bed still shaking from the cold. still holding on to Rin’s project he turned to walk out of the room, her dad stopped him and told him to stay at their house tonight. although never talked about, everyone was fully aware that Wee’s parents would hardly ever be home.

—

Rin moved some boxes in her closet and pulled out a little box, it was old and dusty but well taken care of. she opened it to find her school project completed with the ink of the A she had received fading with time. she smiled as she remembered how she had woken up the next morning to find that Wee had fallen asleep on the ground of the spare bedroom. lying next to him was her ruined project, as she walked over to him she noticed something on the table. it was a duplicate of her project completed to perfection just as it had been when she left the library.

childhood dreams part 3 May 4, 2008

If anyone had paid any attention to Wee, they would have thought he was watching the world pass by him. but his mind wasnt on the people carrying on with their lives, nor was his eyes watching any one carrying on their business. both his mind and his eyes were focused on one thing, on the rain drops falling down the glass. he had been sitting there all morning, his hot chocolate in hand now turning cold.

—

Wee leaned against the wall and kicked a rock and watched it disappear into the night. he looked at his watch it was almost 10 and still no sign of Rin. as the rain started to fall, Wee began to get angry at himself for letting his stubborness get the better of him. she said she didnt need him. she walked away from him. but he let her go, he left her alone.

 

some time had passed and he heard the yelling. he could tell it was Rin, he could tell she was in trouble. he ran as hard and as fast as he could and then he saw it. two boys laying on the floor and Rin face to face with another. his anger grew and he ran even faster, by the time he got to her, Rin had fallen to the floor. he saw who the boys were, they were his other group of friends. the ones no one could accept. he had warn them before never to touch Rin, but they didn’t listen. for him, tonight was the end of that other life, the life others had grown to hate him for.

 

Wee couldn’t bring himself to look at Rin, but he could feel her staring at him. he gathered up her stuff and finally turned around to look at her. he saw the tears through the rain and they looked at each other in silence. he went over and bent down to wipe away the rain from her face and the tears from her eyes, but she pulled away. Wee pulled back his hand, never before had Rin moved away from him so deliberately. he knew that he had messed up and that he hurt her.

 

“i’m sorry” he said but Rin just stared at him.

 

“no more, i’ll change, i’m sorry.” Rin continued to look into his eyes without saying a word. she could see it in his eyes that this time he meant it. Wee attempted to move her hair out of her face and Rin didnt move away. He picked her up and she leaned her head against him and he carried her home.

 

her mother was upset with him, he knew it was his fault and that she had no reason to forgive him or believe in him anymore. but her father was more understanding. he knew that Wee felt lost without his parents now that they had gone their separate ways.

 

it wasn’t the first time that Rin’s father had allowed Wee to spend the night, but it was the first time Wee accepted. rather than sleep, Wee carefully looked over Rin’s project and stayed up all night reconstructing it. the sun was coming up when Wee finally finished and fell asleep on the floor never before had he put so much effort into anything related to school.

 

Wee finally woke up and it took him a few moments to realize where he was. as he was sitting up he noticed there was a piece of paper next to him.

 

“thank you. eat your food and get some rest or else it will be to easy for me to catch you. ^_^”

—

Wee smiled as he remembered how he found a cup of hot chocolate and some toast sitting in the same place he had put Rin’s project. he took one last sip of his hot chocolate before he got up to leave. he gathered up his stuff and made his way back to the front of the coffee shop. he hadn’t slept for 3 days and needed another cup.

 

Wee fiddled with his mp3 player while he waited in line, oblivious that the line had moved forward he felt a tap on his shoulder and it was then that he realized someone had been talking to him.

 

“mister, its your turn.” Wee looked up and saw the cashier waiting to take his order and he turned around to apologize to the person behind him. but rather than being able to say sorry Wee was speechless. standing there before him was Rin, she herself just as shocked as he.

 

“sir, can i help you? what would you like to drink?” confused Wee turned his back on Rin and stuttered “um… no… its ok… i change my mind.” and quickly turned away and ran out the door.

Childhood Dreams Part 4 May 4, 2008

“WEE!! Weeee wait for me!!” Rin yelled out as she ran after him.

 

Wee didn’t turn back, he didn’t want to face Rin. but old habits die hard, even after so many years Wee still found himself slowing down at the sound of Rin chasing after him so that she could catch up. now at the corner of the street, Wee made his way through the crowd to wait at the edge of the curb for the light to turn.

 

“Weeee” Rin’s voice was much closer now, but there was nowhere for Wee to turn so he did his best to hide in the crowd.

 

“do you hate my this much, that you have to run away from me?” Rin’s voice was now right behind him, her words brought tears to his eyes. the light changed and the crowd made its ways across the street. now it was only Wee and Rin standing alone on the corner.

 

“if you hate me this much, if you can’t even look at me. ill go. ill leave you alone.” she said.

 

there was silence. Wee continued to stand there with his back to her as his eyes continued to fill with tears.

 

“i’m sorry i bothered you. i’m sorry about everything. you must think that i betrayed you and your right. i did and i’m sorry.” Wee stood there and listened as his last memories of Rin flashed before him.

—

screaming in horror, Wee saw Rin’s mother running out of the house. Rin struggling to follow her mother confused at what all the commotion was about. all Wee could do was stand there and watch as the two screamed and cried, as they fell to the ground in pain.

 

the body of Rin’s father was laying at Wee’s feet. blood had covered the ground where Rin and her mother now sat holding on to one another hoping that this was all a bad dream. as her mom let go of Rin to go to her husband, Wee moved over and knelt down besides Rin.

 

he put his arm around her and pulled her close. Rin grasped his hand and felt something cold something wet. she looked at her own hand to see blood. she sat up and looked at Wee and he was covered in dirt sweat and blood.

 

“what happen?? are you ok?? are you hurt??” she asked. Wee took her hand and nodded his head no.

 

“YOU!! you did this you killed him!!” Rin’s mother screamed

 

“MOM!! what are you talking about??” Rin questioned her mother and then she heard something drop. she turned to look at Wee and then at the ground beside him. a gun had fallen out of his other hand.

 

“Wee… what is this? what did you do?” Rin’s voice now shaking as she began to understand her mother’s words. Wee stood up “i’m sor…”

 

“YOUR SORRY???” Rin was now standing face to face with Wee. Wee was silent. Rin grabbed his arms and began to shake him “tell me you had nothing to do with this. TELL ME!! tell me you didn’t kill my father!!”

 

Wee put his head down and turned away from Rin. there was only one way Rin could take his response, that her mother was right.

 

“look at me!! LOOK AT ME YOU COWARD!! how could you?”

 

Wee turned to face Rin. he knew he deserved every word she had to say to him. he had promised her that he had changed. he had promised her that he would no longer hurt her, that he would not do anything to harm her family. he promised he would be a changed man, one good enough to take care of her for the rest of her life. he had let her down again. he knew that no matter what he told them about what happen would matter. even if they believed his story, it didn’t change the fact that Rin’s father was gone.

 

“i didn’t… i’m sorry… Rin i’m sorry.” he reached out to grab hold of her hand but she moved away just as she had done that one rainy night. he could see the anger in her eyes, something he had never seen directed to him before. and before he knew it he felt the sting of her hand sliding across his face.

 

“Get out!! get out of my sight!! get out!! i never want to see you again” and with those words Wee knew how much he had wronged her and even though she had misunderstood everything, he felt there was nothing he could do that would ever make things right again. and for once last time he uttered “i’m sorry” and walked away as the sound of their crying was being drowned out by the sound of sirens.

— 

“i can understand why you don’t want to see me, why you don’t want to talk to me. but i just wanted you to know that i know what you did, i know everything about what happen that day. i was wrong and i’m sorry. i know its not enough to change what i said to you, but i mean it from my heart.” she reached out to grab his hand and Wee could feel her breathe against his neck. “i’m sorry” and with that Rin let go and walked way.

 

“i don’t hate you. i could never hate you.” Rin stopped and turned around to see Wee standing before her. she could see the tears he had wiped away.