"Hey, if your dad ever hits you again, juste over to my ce! We''ve got plenty of food and drinks, and I''ll have your back!"


    I desperately needed a friend, but I couldn''t let them know that I was the kid nobody wanted. I had to be strong so no one would think I was weak. I wanted to be bright and cheerful, so people wouldn''t see me as the unwanted child.


    She paused for a moment, blinking her eyes. From that day on, I finally had a friend.


    Wendy starteding over often. We''d y andugh together, and thedy would cook for two. Although she sometimes grumbled, she never skimped on meals for Wendy.


    With Wendy in my life, my world got a little brighter, and she seemed happier too. Even though we went to different schools, we''d often have sleepovers, chatting about all the funny things that happened at our schools.


    Then we hit high school. Wendy moved away. Her dad was dodging debt collectors, so he took Wendy and disappeared.


    I had never hated anyone so much in my life. I despised him for taking my friend away. I even wished he''d drop dead, so Wendy coulde back.


    I started attending the high school my parents had chosen for me, one of the top private schools in Zephra.


    I epted it. I didn''t dare to go anywhere else; I was afraid that Wendy woulde back and not find me.


    During that time, I''d sometimes sneak into bars, drowning my sorrows in drinks. No one cared about me anyway. I felt like I''d been forgotten by the world.


    One night, my luck ran out. I encountered a jerk.


    "Hey there, sweet thing. You look just like the type I like. How about having a drink with me?"


    I angrily refused, but that only made him madder. He raised a bottle, ready to strike me. Just when I thought was doomed to getting


    assaulted by this man, a hand het


    grabbed his wrist tightly. Without even a nce, the stranger flung the guy far away.


    "Get lost!" hemanded coldly.


    The jerk barely started to curse before someone dragged him off. The stranger who saved me only nced at me briefly before turning to rejoin a group. They seemed to be his friends.


    In a daze, my gaze was fixed on that man, merely his profile though, and at that moment, my heart raced. He turned into a beacon in my world.


    I saw he promptly blend in with his crew.


    "Quick on the draw, huh?"


    "Well, I wouldn''t meddle if you didn''t feel sorry for the girl. The credit is on you, Sis. I''m doing this for you. Good that we are with you this time, what if you encounter someone like that when we''re not around?"


    A girl''s voice joined the conversation. "That was just a casualment and you actually stepped. Even though I think she looked pitiful, honestly, what decent girl woulde to a ce like this alone? Not like me... I''ve got you guys with me."


    ...


    I overheard bits and pieces, but got the rough idea that they were family. Watching them together, I felt a pang of envy. Having family by one''s side must be wonderful.


    Later, I spotted that girl at my school. She was a hot topic in ss. I recognized her. When I was home alone, I spent a lot of time online. I''d seen her pictures all over, and she had quite the fan base, even at school.


    She was cherished by her family, adored beyond measure.