Chapter 1 — The Boy Everyone Ignored

Greenfield Town looked perfect from the outside.

The streets were always clean, colorful flowers decorated the sidewalks, and every evening the golden sunlight made the entire town shine beautifully. Families walked happily through parks, children laughed while riding bicycles, and neighbors greeted each other warmly every morning.

To everyone else, Greenfield was a peaceful little paradise.

But for Harry Mitchel, it was the loneliest place in the world.

Harry was a sixteen-year-old boy who lived in a small house near the edge of town with his parents. He had no brothers or sisters, and most days his home felt painfully quiet. While other teenagers spent time with friends, played games together, or laughed in groups at school, Harry spent almost all of his time alone.

Every morning began the same way.

The loud sound of his alarm clock pulled him out of sleep at exactly six-thirty. Harry slowly opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling above his bed for a few seconds. His room was silent except for the soft sound of wind brushing against the window outside.

He sighed deeply before sitting up.

Another school day.

Another terrible day.

Harry dragged himself toward the mirror beside his desk. His messy brown hair covered part of his tired eyes, and dark circles sat beneath them from sleepless nights. Even though he was only sixteen, the sadness on his face made him look older.

He quietly wore his Greenfield High School uniform and picked up his bag.

Downstairs, the smell of toast and eggs filled the kitchen. His mother, Sophia Mitchel, smiled softly when she saw him.

“Good morning, Harry.”

“Morning,” he replied quietly.

His father, Daniel Mitchel, sat at the table reading the newspaper while drinking coffee.

“You should hurry,” Daniel said. “The bus will be here soon.”

Harry nodded silently and sat down for breakfast.

Sophia looked at him carefully. “Everything okay at school?”

Harry instantly lowered his eyes toward his plate.

“Yeah,” he lied softly. “Everything’s fine.”

That word again.

Fine.

Harry used that word every single day because it was easier than telling the truth.

The truth was painful.

School was not fine.

Not even close.

Almost every student at Greenfield High treated Harry like he didn’t belong there. Some ignored him completely, while others laughed at him for no reason. But the worst were the senior boys who bullied him nearly every day.

Harry never told his parents because he didn’t want them to worry.

After breakfast, he quietly left the house and walked toward the bus stop. The cold morning breeze touched his face while dry leaves moved slowly across the sidewalk.

A few students were already standing there laughing together.

Harry stood alone at the corner.

Nobody greeted him.

Nobody even looked at him.

A few minutes later, the yellow school bus arrived with a loud screech. Harry took a deep breath before climbing inside.

Immediately, laughter echoed through the bus.

“Well, look who decided to show up.”

“The loser is here.”

“Hey Harry, did your imaginary friends leave you too?”

Several students burst into laughter.

Harry kept his head down and silently walked through the aisle.

Near the back sat Ethan Cole and his friends, the most feared seniors in school. Ethan was tall, athletic, and cruel. He enjoyed making Harry’s life miserable.

As Harry tried to pass by, Ethan stretched his leg into the aisle, blocking him.

“Where are you going, freak?” Ethan smirked.

The other boys laughed loudly.

Harry quietly stepped around him without saying anything.

“Aww, he’s too scared to talk,” another boy mocked.

Harry finally found an empty seat near the window and sat down quietly. He stared outside while pretending not to hear the laughter behind him.

But every insult hurt him deeply.

Sometimes he wondered why people hated him so much.

He never bothered anyone.

He never fought with anyone.

He only wanted to survive school peacefully.

Yet somehow, that was never enough.

The bus eventually arrived at Greenfield High School.

Students quickly rushed inside the building while talking excitedly with their friends. Harry walked through the crowded hallways alone, gripping the strap of his bag tightly.

The loud noise around him only made him feel more invisible.

Inside his first class, Harry quietly sat in the back corner like always.

Nobody sat beside him.

Nobody ever did.

Throughout the lesson, students whispered, laughed, and passed notes to each other while Harry focused silently on his notebook.

At lunch break, things became even worse.

Harry carried his lunch tray toward an empty table near the cafeteria window. Just as he sat down, Ethan and his friends walked over.

“Well, well,” Ethan said loudly. “The lonely king is eating by himself again.”

One of the boys grabbed Harry’s juice bottle.

“Give it back,” Harry said quietly.

The boys looked shocked for a second before laughing even harder.

“Oh wow,” Ethan smirked. “He can actually speak.”

Another boy suddenly pushed Harry’s shoulder hard.

The tray slipped from Harry’s hands, crashing onto the floor. Food scattered everywhere as students around the cafeteria burst into laughter.

Harry’s face burned with embarrassment.

He quickly bent down to clean the mess while trying to ignore the laughter surrounding him.

Nobody helped him.

Not a single person.

Ethan leaned closer and whispered cruelly, “You seriously don’t belong here.”

The boys walked away laughing.

Harry remained frozen on the floor for a moment.

His chest hurt badly.

Not because of the bullying.

But because he was completely alone.

The rest of the school day passed slowly. By the final bell, Harry felt emotionally exhausted.

As he stepped outside the school building, dark clouds had already begun covering the sky. Cold wind moved through the streets of Greenfield Town while students happily walked home together.

Harry walked alone like always.

When he finally reached his neighborhood, he noticed something unusual.

A large moving truck stood outside the empty house beside his own.

Workers carried furniture and boxes inside while a black car remained parked near the sidewalk.

Harry slowed his steps slightly.

“New neighbors?” he murmured quietly.

As he looked toward the house, the front door suddenly opened.

A girl stepped outside.

Harry froze instantly.

She looked around his age, maybe sixteen or seventeen. Her long dark hair moved gently with the wind, and her bright eyes scanned the neighborhood curiously. She wore a simple white sweater, yet somehow she looked beautiful without even trying.

For a brief moment, her eyes met Harry’s.

And then she smiled.

It was a soft, warm smile.

The kind that instantly made someone feel comfortable.

Harry quickly looked away, his heart strangely beating faster.

He wasn’t used to girls smiling at him.

Actually, he wasn’t used to anyone smiling at him.

“Abby, bring those boxes inside carefully!” a woman’s voice called from the house.

Abby.

So that was her name.

Harry quietly continued walking toward his house, but for some reason, he couldn’t stop thinking about her smile.

Inside his room, he placed his school bag near the desk and collapsed onto his bed.

The bullying, the loneliness, the embarrassment from lunch — all of it still hurt.

But somehow…

That girl’s smile stayed inside his mind.

Outside his window, the evening sky slowly turned orange as the sun disappeared behind the trees of Greenfield Town.

Harry stared quietly at the ceiling.

For the first time in a very long while, something inside him felt different.

Small.

Unclear.

But different.

Almost like hope.

And without realizing it, Harry Mitchel had just met the person who was about to change his entire life forever.

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