delivery girl

Ch.18

Duke Pyeon was used to be rejected by companies because of his appearance. He's numb to it at this point. He knows that all he needs is one chance, just one, to make it big. To prove himself to everyone that didn't even give him a second glance.

Nobody wants to hear his voice, so he wrote down his emotions. He writes lyrics on the bus, just like Eminem did.

He was used to people whispering rude things about him on the street, and sitting alone on the bus. It hurt to be lonely sometimes.

He just has to put it down on paper. Eminem was really poor too. 'Just wait a little longer, grandma.' He thought when he heard the old woman groan in her sleep.

At school, things weren't much better. He was kicked around and bullied by others in the music department, especially Vin Jin. He was also surrounded by girls who made it clear that his body type wasn't welcomed. They were always cooing over boys like Zack, Jay, Vasco, Jace, Eli and Daniel. Conventionally attractive people.

He heard other students talk about the school's music festival and didn't bat an eye. He has better, more important things to worry about.

Even with all the struggles, there were a few things that kept him going. His grandmother, her cooking, and his only friend.

(Y/N) (L/N).

In some ways, you could compare the way he befriended her to the way you would lure in a stray cat. With food.

He remembered the night they met like it was just yesterday. He had been walking home late at night after waiting all day to audition for a company, only to be rejected as soon as he was seen.

He was frustrated, and all he had wanted to do was go home. He was just about to walk into his small apartment when he heard sniffling and hissed curses coming from the alley a few feet away from his front door.

He could have just walked inside and pretended he never heard it, but a tiny voice in his head told him to go check, so he did.

Maybe this could be his big break. And in a way, it was. Even if it didn't seem like it.

Of course you wouldn't thing 'Wow! That's my future best friend right there!' When you see a bloody and bruised girl leaning against a grimy garbage receptacle, glaring at you like you were the one that put her there.

When Duke gasped, the girl snapped her head up and looked at him. They stared at each other for a few seconds before the girl struggled to get up and make a run for it, but she was so weak that she just collapsed.

"W-Wait! Just one second!" Duke yelped. His grandmother had always told him to help those in need. He lifted his hands to show he was unarmed. "Are you alright? Do you need help?"

The girl laughed humorlessly. "I'm just dandy. Lovely weather tonight, isn't it?"

While Duke didn't appreciate sarcasm from the girl he was trying to help, he was used to it. "Wait here!" He said and ran inside.

He came back out a few minutes later, and the girl had seemingly crawled a few yards away from where Duke had found her.

Duke pretended not to notice and slowly walked towards her, ignoring her vicious glaring. He only stopped when the girl started to back away again.

He crouched where he had stopped and placed a roll of gauze, some pain killers, a bottle of water and left overs from his grandmother's food stand.

"Here, use these." Duke said, slowly pushing the water closer to her.

She didn't say anything, but she stopped glaring. After a few minutes of nothing happening, Duke went back inside after wishing her goodnight.

The next morning, the container of rice cakes was gone and the bottle of pain meds and roll of gauze was on his front step.