Live as Me

Chapter 1

Chapter 1
Tan Kim
I sat in the school benches, where the sun shined brightly and beautifully. Most of the time, no one else sat here but me but I liked how the sun felt and how the peace of this atmosphere comforted me like nothing else. Once in a while, people would come next to me and ask me why I sat here, and called me weird when I would tell them the truth. I would always smile and just ignore their looks.
Today, another girl for the first time came and sat at the benches. There were only two, which were right by each other, so it was possible to see who it was. I turned my head a little, and a few leaves falling from the trees above blocked my view for a few seconds. The sun shined in my eyes, making me put my arms over my face, then I saw her clearly. I liked how she looked. I turned my head to the side a little, staring at her. She had a light fluffy black skirt on with a white blouse and another black blazer on top. Maybe she was a teacher? She was dressed like one...
She turned her head to me as well, revealing short curly hair and a pretty face. Her eyes were brown and they shined brightly, especially in the sunlight. I smiled at her, but turned away because it was awkward. Her face remained fresh in my memory. Her lips were pink and plump, and her nose pretty high for an Asian woman, not to be racist since I myself was Asian as well. She was very beautiful and ladylike.
"Hi, excuse me?" She asked, standing over me and holding her hand over her face.
"Yeah?" I asked, my heart beating. I wonder what she was going to ask me.
"You are in my drawing class, no?" She asked.
I shook my head and pouted. "I'm not sure. Which one are you in?" I asked. I sure hoped she would be in my drawing class. That meant I could see her there too...
"Mr. Philis's class. Pro drawing for the senior college students only." She said, her voice was soft.
"Oh, yes. I am in that class." I said, scratching my head.
"Do you know if we had any important homework before break started? I actually came here to talk to the teacher but it seems he's on vacation..." She said, looking disappointed.
I squinted to think about shook my head. "There weren't any new projects started, but he did say that starting next semester, we were going to go into human drawings into a great depth. So he said it might be good to practice a little." I said, smiling.
She sat next to me. "I can sit here, right?" She asked.
I nodded, my heart still beating.
"Don't you just love this place? It's not often to see people sitting here..." She said.
"Yeah, me too. I sit here all the time but no one else seems to love it as much as me." I said, shrugging.
She nodded. "We should come here to study drawing together." She said, then got up, putting her short hair behind her ears. She also had little pieces of bangs hanging down her face, and she was really beautiful.
"Yeah, that would be great." I said.
"So I can find you here next time?" She asked.
"Yes." I said, standing up as well.
"Then I'll see you around." She said, and walked away, putting her bag over her shoulder and walking away.
I sat there after she'd gone, and stared at her back for a long time. She was really different. Nowadays, it was really difficult to find people, especially girls, who loved nature, and liked to sit in sunlight, but she didn't seem to care. She also seemed different because she didn't act fake... I could feel some kind of truth emanating from her personality. I laid down onto the warm bench, and closed my eyes for a short nap, hoping I would get to see that girl soon again...

A few days had passed, and the girl still hadn't left my mind yet, which was weird for me, and to all my friends who knew me well. They knew that I usually didn't show an interest in girls, but they were surprised that I was finally showing some reaction for the first time. I laughed them off but in my mind, I knew that it was weird too... I've never felt like this before.
"I wish I could see you once more... at least know your name." I said out loud while sitting on the bench. Little leaves fell on my stomach and I left them there, too lazy to brush them off.
"Do you like coffee?" I heard a voice say. It was similar to the girl's soft voice. I opened my eyes instantaneously and saw her. I got up pretty fast, and couldn't hide my smile.
"Hey." I said.
"Hi." She said.
"So what do you do here? Most people went on break and on vacations... Do you come here often even during the summertime?" I asked.
"Yes. This place is like... my escape route. So I come here all the time. And the nature that surrounds it... it's beautiful." She said.
I said nothing in response to that, but just smiled. This was the girl I was going to fall in love with, or maybe I already had...
"Are you not going to ask me why I like it so much? Or why I sit here alone for hours?" She asked.
"Why should I?" I asked.
"You're not curious?" She asked, her expression curious.
"No." I said, understanding her question. "You're just here because you like it and it offers you peace, right?" I asked.
Her mouth opened into a little o. Then she laughed, and put her hair behind her ears, which made it possible for me to see her side face again, which was absolutely speechless.
"What is it? Why are you laughing?" I asked, still staring at her.
"Because it's the first time... that someone has said that, so naturally." She said.
"Me too. People always ask me why I sit here alone, and my friends sometimes call me a loner... no one really understands the significance of this place." I said.
She smiled. "Can I draw you?" She asked.
"The question is, can I draw you?" I asked.
Then we both laughed. "Of course." She said. And that's when I saw her smile. It was so natural, so pretty, and so innocent. She also didn't have much makeup on, which is why I felt so different too.
"I'm Miso." She said, holding out her hand.
"I'm Tan. Tan Kim." I said, and her hands slided into mine, and once again, my heart beat like crazy. Was it this easy to fall into love?

Hi~~ hopefully it's okay so far. I have a few typos and I apologize. I didn't overview. But thanks so much for reading and comment and tell me on what I can improve on. Once again, thanks so much!