My name is Eve from Ashton Aide Highschool. I'm in class 2-B and I like to read fantasy and adventure, and maybe with a little romance. My school is filled with talented, bright students and they all have futures, brighter than mine. I, apparently, am supposed to be one of them, but I got used to lurking in the shadows without talking to anyone.

When I was 5 years old, I had the liberty of having drunk parents who loved smoking. I was diagnosed with lung cancer at 7. Since I had a diagnosis, I was unable to come to school for almost the entire year in first grade. In bed, I studied and I read enough books that could have trumped the amount of books in the state library.

When I was cured at 9, my parents died from a car accident and I was orphaned. For an entire year, I was with other orphans with their own depressing backstories. I never told them mine because I knew they would tell me that I should stop reading too much just like how my parents had reacted when they saw me in that hospital bed reading novels and textbooks and such.

At the age of 11, I was jumping from family to family, each one more distant than the other. For 3 years it kept on going, when I finally found a couple that wanted to bear a child but was unable to. We were uncomfortable around each other because they were never used to my distant behaviour and I was never used to their warm personalities.

I was never ready to face school, so my parents always left me alone for years, especially because I studied by myself and only ever asked for books. Although I was a very determined person to study and just skip school to go straight to university, I came back to school at 14 and found myself in a different dimension altogether compared to the white sheets and clothes I was used to seeing at the hospital.

I found myself touching and feeling the things that were absent throughout the years I had stayed at the hospital or at home. My friends from my past school went to different schools and I distanced myself from everyone, trapping myself in a world somewhere far whenever I was in class.

A year faded and I went into highschool. By then, everyone had known about my past and called me the mute patient. It struck a few painful lonely memories when I was in the hospital and although they called me names and said stuff about my parents, I could never fight back because I wasn't brave enough to say something out of line or anything that could put me into trouble.

Students who were new to the school were told of my past by the time I had worked up the courage to make a new friend. All throughout the year, I was bullied and alone and no one wanted to even approach me. I was lucky that we were able to wear clothes over our uniforms. I always wore a sweater to school no matter how hot, no matter how dirty, just to conceal the secrets I hid under the cloth.

I know this year it won't be any different as last year, but I still hope for a new chapter, and I still believe that something will change. I'm not sure why though.

The orientation for the new year was coming and I was nervous. There was going to be a new student in my class next year and I wanted to introduce myself before the others got to them.

It's past Christmas and I'm starting to get a little worried about what might happen on orientation day. I've been bouncing in and out of foster care this year and I hope it won't be the same next year.

I can't seem to sleep, after all, tomorrow's orientation and I'm pretty scared.

Smile, I tell myself but I can't even look at anyone. In the end, I probably wouldn't be able to face the new student at all.

As I walked through the crowded halls, I can hear them chattering and whispering about the new student and how good-looking he was. I could also hear a few giggles about me behind my back but I don't let it get to me. I need to get ready for the new kid. I walk up to my locker and open it, shoving in my backpack and grabbing some books for science later on when suddenly someone taps my shoulder and my heart starts racing.

Who would be talking to me? Are they here to study with me? Is someone finally going to talk to me after all these years? Is it a guy or a girl? Is it the new kid? Is someone finally ready to talk to me on orientation day? Before next year? Most of all, am I finally gonna have a friend?, Millions of thoughts raced in my head a split second before I turned.

It was Ryder, one of the hottest jockey team members who was dating the cute cheerleader who always talked about me.

And not in a good way.

"Um, sorry for disturbing you..." he chuckled. His laugh was like gold.

"Yeah?" I carefully said, blushing and staring at the floor. As I did so, I could see the jockey team staring at the both of us with the cheerleading team.

And they were all laughing.

"I was wondering..." He was starting to blush and he started playing with his hair.

"Sorry, I'm busy." I say coldly to Ryder. I walk away from him and go up to the library. I study for a while when Ryder and the jockey team suddenly walks into the library with a few books in their hands.

I see Ryder looking at me and smiling. Instead of returning the smile, I turn back to my book and study some more. He walks over to my table and takes a seat right across from me.

"Hey," He says to me.

There was an awkward pause before I finally mumble a small "Hello," to him. He puts down his books and opens a science textbook.

We were studying at the same table and I'm not sure why, but my heart was beating so fast.

"Uh..." He looked up to me.

My heart beat out of my chest and I felt embarrassed. What was he doing here?

"I was wondering..." He continues.

"What?" I snapped, looking up at him from my book.

"If you would..." He pauses for a second then continues to ask, "...go out with me?"

There was another awkward pause before my brain cells could move.

"What?"