Page 73 of Follow My Voice
Right now, all I care about is Kang.
31Accept Me
THERE ARE MOMENTSin life that can only be described as perfect. It may be something so simple that proves that the beauty of life is in the little things.
Happiness is not a perpetual state; it is a collection of fleeting, perfect moments. Tonight has been a coalescence of many accomplishments: the game with friends in a packed stadium, getting through a panic attack on my own, arriving at a party with friends, and this embrace—my head against Kang’s chest, his heart beating in my ear, my arms around his waist, his face nestled against my neck—is the perfect culmination. When I try to pull away, Kang hugs me tighter.
“Just a little longer,” he whispers, and his breath tickles the side of my head.
I grin hugely and close my eyes. But, as always, these little moments of happiness are brief. The balcony doors screech open and we pull apart so quickly that I almost stumble forward. Kang scratches the back of his neck and I pretend to cough.
“Kang!” Yana steps onto the balcony. “I thought you said you weren’t coming?”
He gives her a friendly smile. “I changed my mind.”
She turns her back to me as if I’m not even there. “What are you doing out here? You should come inside. The beer pong tournament is about to start.”
Kang takes my hand and pulls me to his side. “I’m enjoying the view out here with Klara. Do you know her?”
“Yeah, of course.” Yana fakes a smile. “How are you?”
“Hey,” I mumble.
Kang frowns, still watching me. Yana smacks her lips. “So, are you coming, Kang?”
“No.”
The disappointment on her face is evident. “It’s snowing, you must be freezing.” She rubs his arms in an attempt to warm him, but he takes a step back. Yana’s hands hang in the air before she lowers them, laughing. “I guess you’re not cold… Well, Klara…” She takes my arm.
I jump. “What?”
“You should come with me,” she says, tugging at my elbow. I take a step toward her, unable to refuse. “So you can meet everyone.”
I don’t know how to respond.
“I’ll just steal her from you for a second, Kang,” Yana says, smiling and squeezing my hand so hard it hurts.
I turn back to glance at Kang. He looks so sad standing there against the railing, like he doesn’t want me to leave. But, like a puppet, I walk back into the house with Yana, who pulls me along as if I were a little girl, her nails digging into the palm of my hand.
“Everything all right?” a familiar voice asks. I look up to see another one of my classmates: Adrian, who it turns out is also on the soccer team.
“None of your business,” says Yana with a tone of disgust.
“I wasn’t asking you.” He looks at me. “Are you all right, Klara?”
Yana steps in between us, annoyed. “It’s none of your business, faggot.”
My mouth falls open in shock and so does Adrian’s, but he recovers quickly. “What did you call me?”
Yana rolls her eyes. “You heard me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, Adrian, get out of my way if you don’t want me to tell all your buddies on the soccer team who you really are.”
Adrian drops his head and my heart breaks. But Yana isn’t finished with him. “I’m glad you know your place; your kind are usually so obnoxious.”
She tugs at my arm and Adrian steps aside, dumbfounded. So this is what Yana does. She manipulates people’s fears to get her way.
