Our Symphony

1 || cue

Hey guys! So for those of you who have read this before it got unpublished, I changed it up quite a bit, so you might want to re-read it :)

ONE || CUE

"You were soo awesome!" Ash exclaims and punches the air. "I mean, did you even see your fingers move? It was like that." At his last word, Ash moves his fingers as if he were playing the violin. They are fast and frenzied, moving up and down the imaginary fingerboard with absolutely no purpose.

I chuckle. "The way you're doing it, it looks as if I was playing every note wrong. I sure hope I did not actually look like that just now."

Ash drops his hands to his sides and gives me a sloppy grin. "Whatever. I don't play the violin, Kim. But you were amaaaazing out there." To emphasise his point, Ash makes a full circle in the air with both his hands. "I mean, everyone around me was like 'woah' and 'oooh' and 'that girl is a prodigy' and 'I want to be like her' and 'how is she not famous yet' and— "

"I think she gets the point, Ashy," my father laughs ruffles my brother's hair fondly. He then turns to face me with pride in his eyes. "My girl was just remarkable tonight," he says softly and tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear. Then, in Korean, "I'm so proud of you, Min-Soon."

The corners of my mouth lift even more and I throw my arms around my father, breathing in his scent as a warm sensation fills me. Every child loves to be praised by their parents, no matter how old she or he is. No kid wants their parents to look at them with disappointment clearly shown in their eyes, or disapproval etched on their faces. It is something that sticks with children as they grow older, even for those who might thoroughly detest their parents.

After my father and I pull away, my mother comes over and gives me a small peck on my cheek. "Congratulations, Kimberly."

I give my mother a small smile, then all four of us simultaneously face my sister, who is busy on her phone, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she types a message.

At first she pretends not to notice us– it is almost impossible not to notice the silence surrounding her. After a few moments my mother clears her throat, and my sister's head snaps up so abruptly I think she is going to crack it. Her look is full of pure irritation as she regards the four pairs of eyes staring at her.

"What? Kimberly was great, everyone knows that. It's nothing new," my sister states flatly and rolls her eyes. She crosses her arms and lifts her gaze to look at me, her voice full of venom as she continues, "I mean, Kimberly spends her whole life doing nothing but practicing, after all. She's expected to be good."

Her statement is followed by a tense silence. My sister glares at me and our parents defiantly, daring me to retaliate.

It happens after every concert that I perform in. Lin will spit words of poison at me, eager to start an argument, inviting one. Insulting my playing just to put me down. She was always jealous of me, of what I can do that she cannot.

My fists curl into balls and I take deep, calming breaths. One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi. Lin's words repeat over and over in my head. I bite my lip and struggle to keep my mouth shut. Four Mississippi, five Mississippi. It's not worth it. Arguing with Lin is not worth it, I tell myself.

Lin notices the battle waging in me and smirks with satisfaction. I know that another she already has another retort in mind, but I'm determined not to give her the chance to say it.

My smile returns back on my face. Not today. "Thanks, Lin."

She rolls her eyes and pointedly ignores my father's warning stare, then stomps away.