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"A CREAMED LATTE FOR TAN-VEE?"
"It's 'Tun-vi' actually, but thanks!"
I grab my cup and turn away from the barista before he can see my scowl. My name isn't that hard to pronounce, yet Americans find a way to make it sound weird.
Bells chime as I open the door of the cafe to leave. I immediately feel the absence of cool air from the air-con as I step out of the cafe and fall into steps towards Noah's house.
Noah, Eric's friend and fellow band member, lived a few streets away. I would usually catch a bus but today I need the time to contemplate my words to Eric.
"I need to break up with him," I whisper softly to myself.
Eric Liu hasn't been anything less than a blessing to me. Six months ago, when I was new to Liberty, I had been practically invisible. The students didn't find me much interesting other than my notes. I was . . . lonely. But Eric noticed me. He sat next to me in History and asked me to hang out after school. "We Asians stick together" was what he had said.
Since then, Eric and I have become inseparable. Silent giggles in History, sharing food in lunch breaks, cute dates after school. We were having the time of our lives together.
I love Eric, he is my best friend, the one person with whom I can share my ugliest secret but he still will love me just the same. Which is why I have to do it.
Chill evening wind flows through the street, blowing dust and autumn leaves. I sip on my coffee, sighing as the warm liquid slides down my lips. I still haven't gotten used to the Boston cold, and sometimes find myself shivering at any time.
As I am walking, I run my eyes through the shops around—bakeries and meat shops and nurseries and bookstores. With a gentle smile, I take in the children grinning with cupcakes in their hands, women carrying groceries while laughing with their friends, couples holding each other's hands and sharing soft kisses on the sidewalk.
