To The Moon

CHAPTER I: "A New Friendship"

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ PROLOGUE: "Is it annoying if I keep asking if I'm annoying?" Kohei asked me "Of course not..." I said back to him. I had no idea that this one conversation in history class would end up being the start of our blooming friendship, and lasting bond.

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"Hey Emery do you have a moment?" I heard a voice ask I turned around to see Kohei-Lee, the foregin exchange student. "Oh of course" I said with a smile "What's up Kohei?"  He was looking around, fidgeting with a pencil in his hand and he took a deep breath. "I was just wondering, do you like music or something? Like would you be willing to help me out with my songwriting for our assignment?" he asked me I looked at him with a raised eyebrow "Uh yeah sure why not?" He smiled and said "Okay uh g-great! Here's my phone number" he gave me a sticky note with his number and a smiley face on it and left quickly after giving a small wave.
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"l wonder how long it will take for him to text or call" I muttered to myself as I walked from the schoolyard and began heading back towards my dorm.  A few hours later while I was doing some homework on my computer, it was science homework that I had forgotten about from three weeks ago and I just now was starting it and I planned to stay focused but that all changed when I received a phone call from Kohei.
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Which I happily accepted. I could risk a little bit of time away from science homework especially to talk to a very handsome foreign student who I barely know but have a crush on. So many thoughts ran through my mind but I kept my cool. "Hey!" I said with a smile "Hi" Kohei replied "So, you asked if I could help with your music...how can I help you?"  He hesitated for a second before answering.
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"Well I uh wanted to know what type of stuff you liked and I thought maybe we could write songs together? I mean the writing contest is coming up"  he sounded nervous. I felt my lips turn upward into a wide grin "Of course I'd love to!" I exclaimed "Thank god!" He paused again "I've never done this type of thing before, writing isn't something that I do nor think I am good at" He admitted "Why don't we meet up tomorrow then, after school?" I suggested with a blush on my face. He hummed a response but didn't say anything else before I hung up. I wanted to ask him a question. "Hey Kohei?" I asked "Yes?" He answered back.
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I could tell he was tired. Hopefully not of me. "Why did you ask me to help you with your writing?" I asked and he paused. "Well I saw your work in the newspaper, it's beautiful" he said. And I blushed. Happy that he thought that of me. We hung up the phone twenty minutes later but before we did he told me "Emery....You have a way with words, it leaves me so speechless" Me? A way with words? All my life I had never been a social person but that all changed when Kohei came around
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Later that night as I was getting ready for bed there was a knock on my door. Thinking it was one of my drunk friends I rolled my eyes before opening the door. I was surprised to see Kohei standing in front of me. "Hello, sorry I should have called first" He apologized. I laughed lightly before opening the door fully and letting him inside. "I came because I couldn't wait to come in and write with you" he said as he opened his bookbag I smiled and noticed something written on his bag in Korean "What does that mean?"
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I asked, pointing to the symbols "Oh it means To The Moon"  he explained "Huh?" I furrowed my brows in confusion "It means that I will do good things...or I will go on to do good things" he paused "My mom wrote it on there before I got on my plane from Busan to New York" He explained then he continued "I am not from here....I live here illegally"  He mumbled softly "Really?" I gasped "You aren't from New York?" "No...and if the police or our school find out...I could be deported back to Korea, that is why I keep a low profile"  He said in a quiet voice. I nodded "I guess I understand....why didn't your mother tell anyone? You could easily slip away if you had enough money" I commented. He let out an awkward laugh before replying
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"She doesn't want to get in trouble or risk being put in jail or in the worst case having my brother and I being deported back to Korea to live with family"  I frowned sadly "I'm sorry Kohei I-" I began but he cut me off "Don't be sorry it's not your fault I just hope that I do not mess this up or accidentally reveal myself"
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He said. "How so?" I asked him, I sat down next to him "I hope I do not accidentally reveal that I am from Korea" He said as he turned to me "Emery I am begging you, please do not tell anyone that I illegally live here" He said. "I promise with my life" I said he extended his pinky and I linked mine onto his. He smiled "So I got my notepad and pencils" he said as he grabbed them.
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I couldn't help but to notice how cute he looked. He had long dark brown hair that was tied loosely in a ponytail, Dark brown eyes that were almond shaped and an oversized hoodie with ripped jeans. "Okay so how should we start the song?" He asked and I was still admiring his beauty.
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"Huh?" I asked out of my daze. "Oh I just was asking how we should start our writing" he asked while looking at me "Uh" I paused and he sighed. "You know, if you do not want to help me with my writing you can just say that, I understand that you have your own things to worry about or your own problems" He said quietly. "No I really do want to help you and I want to get to know you better" I said as I smiled. He looked at me "But why? All my life I have felt that I am an outcast I always was made fun of and I have never ever had a true friend only my two friends from Korea that I left behind" he said with a sad expression
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"That could change" I said and pulled him into a hug but he didn't wrap his arms back around me "No, you don't understand I have not been truthful to you" he said and he pulled out a Polaroid photo from his bag. "This is a picture of my friends and family" he said then he pointed "This is Ito and this is Guizhang" then he pointed to himself "That of course is me" he said but with a shuddering sob be pointed to a girl next to him
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"That's Nozomi....my girlfriend...well Ex-Girlfriend" he said as he held his hand down "What happened?" I asked him "After she found out that me and my brother were going to live in New York illegally her family said they wanted nothing to do with me" he threw the photo on the ground but I picked it up "Who are these two people?" I asked as I pointed to an older woman with her arms around a boy "oh that's my brother and my mother" he said while smiling
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I noticed a man's face that was crossed out as well with the words "I hate you" written next to it he noticed me looking at the crossed out face "That's my father...he left my mother when my brother and I were about two he left her for her sister and she was devastated ever since then I have held a grudge on him...for fiftieth years my brother and I haven't received no phone calls no Christmas cards or anything" he said with a sigh "but I don't need him" he continued "That's terrible" I said to him but he remained silent I flipped the photo over and read the writing on the back which read

"Kang-Jeong with his loved ones on his birthday"
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Kohei then looked at me and I came to a
realization "Your real name isn't Kohei...is it?" I asked and he shook his head saying "No"
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                        ((END OF CHAPTER I ))