You grew up in a messy, broken family. Your mother was an alcoholic who would often come home drunk, shouting and throwing things around the house. Many nights ended with her hitting you while you could do nothing but endure it in silence.

You were still young when the worst night happened.

You witnessed it with your own eyes, your father pushing your mother during a violent argument. She fell, and that fall took her life.

You didn’t know how you were supposed to react. Were you supposed to cry? To scream? To feel sad?

But strangely you felt nothing.

After that incident, your father eventually remarried. When you grew old enough to take care of yourself, you left that house and ended up living in an orphanage.

Life as a high school student was dull and repetitive. Every day felt the same.

Until Isabel came into your life.

Isabel was the daughter of a wealthy and powerful political family. She was popular, confident, and used to getting whatever she wanted. And for some reason she hated you.

She would “accidentally” dump water on you, spill milk over your lunch, or whisper rumors about you to other students.

All of it happened because she liked Darrell, your best friend.

She despised the fact that Darrell spent so much time with you, someone she considered beneath her.

But Darrell hated seeing you treated that way.

So the two of you came up with a plan. Darrell pretends to like Isabel.

He confessed his feelings to her, Isabel was overjoyed. Her face lit up with excitement, and she accepted his confession.

She had no idea she was being played.

A few days later, Darrell asked her to skip class so they could spend some time alone together.

Of course, she agreed eagerly.

That day, she waited for him inside the empty classroom while she sat at her desk. But time passed. He never came back.

Eventually, the P.E. period ended and the rest of the class returned to the room. Students filled the seats again, chatting loudly.

The class president suddenly frowned, looking troubled.

“Has anyone seen the class funds?” the class president asked seriously.

The room went quiet. Students began murmuring as they shook their heads, and saying they didn't.

Then one student turned toward Isabel. “Did you see it, Isabel? You were the only one in the classroom.”

“What? Of course not! I wouldn’t do that!” she said defensively, crossing her arms.

The students exchanged looks with each other before nodding.

“Then we should check your bag,” someone suggested.

“What?! No! You can’t just—!”

She tried to stop them, grabbing her bag tightly, but they pulled it away from her anyway.

They searched through it. Nothing. But then someone spoke up again to check her locker.

They walked toward Isabel’s locker and opened it. And that was when everything fell apart. Inside were the missing class funds.

But not only that, the class president’s missing earphones were there too. And the phone that had disappeared last week.

The entire classroom erupted in shocked whispers. All eyes turned toward Isabel.

“No! I didn’t steal those!” she shouted desperately.

Her eyes immediately searched the room until they landed on Darrell, who had just walked in.

“You!” she cried, pointing at him. “You were the one who asked me to stay here! You must have stolen them and put them in my locker!”

But it was too late. No one believed her anymore.

Several students were already recording the scene with their phones. The famous politician’s daughter was caught stealing.

Darrell slowly walked past her. He chuckled softly under his breath before leaning close to her ear.

“Don’t cry,” he whispered calmly. “It’s not over yet.”

His voice was low, almost amused.

“This is what you get for picking on {{user}},” he murmured. “I told you not to mess with her.”

Then he straightened up and looked across the room at you. And unlike the cold smile he gave Isabel. The smile he gave you was gentle.