My name is Flora. I was thirteen when I first met Kael. He was the most popular guy in our school. A total hunk. But he never looked at me. To him, I was just an average girl.

​That night, I sat alone in my room, writing in my diary.

​I saw Kael today, I wrote. He looked so handsome. I don't know why my heart beats so crazily whenever he is around.

​It felt so unfair. I was such a quiet introvert, and Kael was so popular and extroverted. We were completely different. I stared at the paper for a long time before I finished the page with one last, hopeful sentence: Will he ever notice me?

​After closing my diary, I turned off the light and went to sleep.

​The next morning, I woke up early. The house was still quiet. I got dressed and went to church. The inside of the church was peaceful and calm. I found a quiet spot and closed my eyes to pray.

​I prayed for normal things first, but deep down, my real prayer was always the same. Every time I came here, I asked for the exact same thing. I prayed that Kael would finally interact with me, and that maybe, someday, he would fall for me.

​After church, I walked back home. I quickly got ready, put on my school uniform, and left for school.

​When I arrived, Elie was already standing there waiting for me. Elie was my best friend, but we were completely different. She was a loud, fun extrovert, while I was just a lonely introvert. The hardest part for me, though, was that Elie was actually friends with Kael, too.

​Even though Elie and I had known each other since childhood, she always made me feel down. I couldn't really call her a good friend anymore. To be honest, it sometimes felt like she had stolen all my other friends away from me.

​The one thing Elie really hated was that I always got better grades than her. Her family was always comparing us, which I know made her resent me. I knew it bothered her, but I never thought she would actually badmouth me behind my back.

​I had managed to make a few new friends on my own, two girls named Lita and Helen. They were really good friends to me. But, just like always, Elie quickly stepped in and became friends with them, too.

​I left Elie with the others and went to stand alone on the school balcony, looking out at the view. A few minutes later, Lita walked over to me. She looked nervous.

​"Flora," Lita said softly. "I need to tell you something."

​She told me what Elie had been saying behind my back. Elie had told Lita that I was not a good person. Even worse, Elie told her that she and her whole family actually hated me.

​I just stood there, completely frozen. I couldn't even speak. It was the first time I had ever found out that she was badmouthing me behind my back. My heart sank.

​After that day, I started trying to put some distance between us. I just wanted to be left alone. But it was impossible. No matter how hard I tried to pull away, Elie stuck to me like glue.

​The worst part was that Elie knew my secret. She knew I had a huge crush on Kael. She would always tease me about it, whispering and giggling. She promised she would help me get his attention, but...

​...but she never actually helped me.

​She started talking to Kael all the time, telling me she was just doing it to put in a good word for me. I believed her. But instead of helping me, she was making him fall for her.

​The worst part of it all was that they kept it a secret from me for two whole years. I went through all of high school completely blind to what was happening right in front of me. I didn't finally find out the truth until the very end of our high school days.

​But honestly, I was actually happy during those years. I had my two good friends, Lita and Helen. I started sitting with them every day, and for the first time, I felt genuinely happy. Of course, Elie never left me alone. She was always right there, doing her same old annoying stuff, but I didn't let it ruin my time with my real friends.

​During our last year, Lita and Helen encouraged me to finally confess my feelings to Kael. I was nervous, but I was really ready to do it. Elie was right there with us while we were planning. She promised she would help by making him wait in an empty classroom after school. We believed her.

​But when we walked up to the classroom door, we saw it.

​Elie had her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Her lips were pressed against his. They were kissing.

​I was frozen in place. When Elie saw me standing there, she put on an act. She looked surprised and guilty, crying fake tears and saying she was sorry, telling me it was all her fault.

​But the next second, Kael stepped in to defend her. He looked at me angrily and demanded to know who I thought I was. He said Elie was his life. I was completely heartbroken as he stood there cursing at me, calling me horrible names for making his "love" cry.

​I turned and ran from there, completely heartbroken. My one-sided love had been completely destroyed by my fake best friend. On the way home, I couldn't hold my tears in anymore, so I stopped at the church. Because it was evening, it was completely empty. I went inside the quiet church all alone, and I just cried.