In The Shadows

4

CHAY

 I got ready for school the next day while my body was still vibrating from having Kim over yesterday. I had finished writing the song about my brother. However, now I have a new task of developing a love song, which I have no idea how to do. But since Kim has faith in me, I know I can do it. When I was satisfied with my appearance, I picked up my phone.

C: Good morning, Pii Kim. I'm headed to school. I just wanted to say hello and wish you a great day. Although I'm not excited to go to school, I have to make up for the day I missed yesterday.

I knew he probably wouldn't reply, but I wanted to message him anyway. I put my phone in my pocket and headed out the door. My school wasn't too far, so I would be there in no time. When I reached my gate, I felt my phone vibrate. I took it out and was surprised to see that Kim had replied. I wasn't prepared for a reply, but I felt happy either way.

K: why did you miss yesterday?

I was caught off guard when he asked me that question. Should I tell him I wasn't feeling well? That wouldn't make sense, though, because he saw me yesterday, and I was perfectly fine. I'll just be honest with him. As I typed my response, my hands shook a bit.

C: I didn't feel like going.

K: Mmmm, Okay

Was all he replied. It wasn't a message to continue our chat, but I wanted to keep messing with him.

C: What is Pii up to today?

I asked, but again, I was sure he wouldn't reply. He is a busy person. If he didn't answer, I understood. I am just glad that he even messaged me in the first place. I felt it vibrate, and I was shocked once again.

K: I have class later on in the day; until then, just some work.

He says, and our conversation continues as I walk to school. The whole time, I couldn't stop smiling. "Chay!" I look over to see Wuju standing outside of his bakery, waving me to go over. I ran across the street to see what he wanted. "Headed to school, my Chay? You look cheerful this morning. Did something good happen?"He says in a thick accent. I think he is a Korean mix with Thai. I know he spent most of his life in Korea until his parents passed away or something, and he came here to re-vamp the bakery. His accent is always thick in the morning. That's how I knew he had just woken up. He hugged me. "Yes, I missed yesterday. I didn't feel like going," I say to him. "One day won't hurt with your grades, but don't miss too many." He says, and I nod.

"I have to leave now, Pii, or I'll be late," I told him. "Aww, okay. Come by after school and have a chat with me later. I want to catch up on how you've been doing," he replied. I nodded, but then I remembered that Kim and I had been tutoring every day, and I wasn't sure if today would be another. We had agreed to meet once a week, but I had been seeing him for the past few days. "Maybe. I think I have tutoring. I'll have to check with my mentor. I'll let you know after school," I said to Pii. "Tutoring? You were at the top of your class the last time we talked. What are you tutoring for?" he asked. "Music. I really want to make it to the Uni I want to go to, so I am just taking extra percussion," I replied. "That won't be too hard. You got this in the bag," he said. "Yeah, I have to go now," I said, and he nodded and gently pushed me in the direction of the school.

During my lunch hour at school, I decided to start on the homework Kim had given me the previous night. The task was to write a love song, which was challenging for me as I had never written one before. I pulled out my guitar, still mesmerized at how pretty it was. I didn't want to disappoint Kim, so I thought of a simple question to begin with, just like he had suggested in the practice room. His example was, 'What is my brother's name?' and I realized it was a straightforward question. So I asked myself, "Why am I writing this love song?" The answer was simple. I wanted to express to Kim how he makes me feel. He makes my heart more like a bird in the sky.