EMBRACE winrina

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"I'm not ready to die, Tae."

He rolled his eyes, his hands on my shoulders from behind as he pushed me along the sidewalk. "Will you stop? It's not even that bad."

"I am ninety-nine percent sure I just heard a gunshot."

"You're making shit up. Look, it's right over there. Don't be so much of a wimp; I'd think you more than anyone would know that green grass and picket fences are overrated."

"Yeah maybe, you and I both know looks are deceiving. But that does not mean that I, a skinny ass, underweight asian girl should be outside after ten in this neighborhood."

He laughed, pulling me into his side as he ushered me forward toward a building on the left of us. It wasn't in very good shape, but I knew it was probably the best one that Taeyong could find with the money that he had. Apparently his eighteenth birthday had been the day after the frat party, which aged him out of the system and forced him to make living arrangements as fast as possible. I considered Taeyong to be lucky; most of them didn't have the opportunity to buy even this crappy of an apartment. "You've got me to protect you, yeah?"

"And what good'll that do?"

"You're funny," he said sarcastically. "You know that I'd kick anyone's ass if they tried to put their hands on you, don't you?"

I smiled a little, standing beside Taeyong as he fumbled with the key to his new apartment. "Yeah, I know."

He swung the door open and revealed a small, hard-wooded open space with nothing in it. There was a doorway leading somewhere else, and I peaked into it to see an empty room of similar size.

"Hey, you got two rooms. You have more space in here than your room in the group home, at least."

"Yeah," he said, leaning against the wall. "Only it's empty."

I smiled half-heartedly, sitting down on the floor in the middle of the room. "Who the fuck needs a couch anyway?"

He laughed, walking towards a small space in the corner of the room where a counter was built into the wall. "That's what I'm saying."

"Well shit, there's too much to do around here. What do you think we should start with?"

Rolling his eyes, he lifted up a six-pack of beer. "Might not have much entertainment, but I am good for something, aren't I? Had a few extra dollars that weren't going to buy me a damn bed or refrigerator and thought, why not spend it on something that might make this place a little less depressing for the night?"

"I like the way you think sometimes," I said, smirking. "Last time I stumbled home drunk though, I regretted it the next day, so.. I'll pass."

He lifted his eyebrows. "I don't think I've ever seen you refuse alcohol before."

I shrugged. "I don't need it right now. I don't particularly love the taste of beer anyway. I think I'd rather have a nice iced tea."

"Damn shame that iced tea doesn't help us to forget about our problems, isn't it?" he mused absentmindedly. He looked over at me, questioning, "You wouldn't mind if I helped myself?"

"Your place, your beer, have at it," I said, gesturing towards the six pack as he nodded and twisted the cap off of one. He proceeded to sit down next to me, leaning against the wall.

"So Win, I felt that when you came to me for the ID, it probably wasn't the best time to ask, nor while that blonde was sticking her tongue down your throat, but uh, what happened to you anyway?"

"What do you mean?"

He gave me a 'no bullshit' look and I sighed, resting my arms on my knees. He spoke, "I mean, one minute you were there and the next you weren't. I went back to your group home to make a deal with one of the girls and she told me you weren't around anymore. Where you living now?"