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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...

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