a banal story about an unworthy person

He appeared in her life out of nowhere. He arrived suddenly, unannounced and uninvited.

One day, she saw him at the bus stop, and that's how he became her spiritual friend. They never spoke. Yet she felt he was the closest person to her. She

had no friends. She was fat. That's how she thought of herself. Add to that those buck teeth and glasses. A person like her couldn't have friends; she could only dream of them.

That's why she devoted herself to studying. Of two evils, she preferred being called "nerd" to being called "fat."

And one beautiful winter morning, he spoke to her.

Well, yes, he only asked the time. And even then, foolishly, she thought he might...just like her.

And so it began. Her little obsession with the boy from the bus stop. But what a boy he was! A handsome, tall brunette with a telling, mysterious gaze. 'I could let myself be tortured for those eyes,' she thought, glancing at him when he wasn't looking.

He never really did.

And she was drowning in a river of dreams about this phenomenal boy.

The silence, however, was broken when he asked the time. It was a memorable day for her. She answered him with a smile, but she alone knew how hard it took for her to get anything out. Luckily, she didn't turn red—her complexion was always as white as milk.

The next day, the boy sat next to her at the bus stop and asked if she would be so kind as to tell him the time. They began talking. He asked her about school, the teachers, some of the girls (which she swallowed hard), and told her about his friends. It turned out they went to the same school. He was a year younger. Actually, not a year, but nine months. Talking to him, she wished the bus would break down and never come. Or at least not for another 100 years. She was happy.

And so she arrived at the bus stop 10 minutes early every day, just to save him a seat and talk for a moment.

She admired him. She admired and adored him.

A year passed like that. A year of dreams, fantasies, and hard work. She had changed. Her grandmother, who was very close to her, said she had become a beautiful girl. She didn't believe it, but she was pleased to say she had lost weight.

And then IT happened. It was so incredible, she couldn't believe it was happening to her. As she listened, she wondered if this divine boy was really talking to her. He wanted to go to the cinema. With her!!! He wanted to go out with her and spend time together!

She felt so, so happy. It didn't even bother her that a classmate in PE made fun of her duck legs again, and then someone played a prank on her and took her books. She later found them in the bathroom with a note: "A gift from Santa for a HAUNTED PERSON." No, even that didn't dampen her spirits.

She was living for Friday's movie night; that day had become crucial for her. She knew that her future with him depended on those few hours. With the divine boy from the bus stop.

Her grandmother was very worried about her. She explained that she didn't know this boy, nor did she know his intentions towards her. But she didn't listen to her then. 'She's just jealous,' she thought.

The long-awaited Friday had arrived. She'd been preparing for it all week—trying on clothes (and then, of course, deciding she had nothing to wear), doing sit-ups, facials, even painting her nails. To her great surprise, the girls in her class, with whom she'd never gotten along well, noticed she'd changed. They began to be less sarcastic and mean.

It was wonderful. They met outside the cinema. He even let her choose the film. She knew he liked science fiction, which she hated, so she decided on a new one about the cyber world. She was terribly bored during the screening, but she knew he liked it. After the film, they went to a café. He told her he'd love to stay with her longer, but he had to get back to write an essay. She was so happy she offered to help him. He agreed.

The next morning, she was waiting for him with the finished essay. She worked on it almost until dawn, just to make sure it was well-written. He thanked her and kissed her on the cheek. Those were the happiest moments of her life.

Since that fateful day at the cinema, they'd met almost every week. Unless he was training. They'd also seen each other less often at the bus stop. She knew he had to work out; she couldn't stop him. At school, she'd deliberately pass by his class, but they'd only said "hi" to each other. It didn't bother her. Besides, she was busy doing his homework, writing essays, and copying his notes. She was happy to be able to help him!

Soon, however, he began to have less and less time for her. It hurt her, but she knew she couldn't resist. It was for his own good, after all.

The girls in his class treated her more kindly and somehow less leniently. "Well, in high school, you count if you have a boyfriend and designer clothes, not a GPA above 5.0," she thought.

Thanks to him, she changed. She became more open. Besides, she experienced the most beautiful moments of her short, sad life with him. Actually, these moments were more in dreams than in reality, but he HAD to have his own life too.

One day, when she felt lonely and sad, she went to the gym, hoping they would talk, even if only for a moment. She had a cold and a fever, but she wanted to see him so badly... First, she waited for half an hour outside the gym. When she felt cold and her head hurt so much she couldn't stand anymore, she decided to go into the gym. She knew he would be angry, but after all, they hadn't seen each other for so long...!

His friends, long dressed, were sitting in the cafeteria, eating pretzels. She approached them and asked where her boyfriend was. One of them laughed and asked if she meant the janitor. She pretended not to hear; such things didn't faze her.

One slim blond replied that her Apollo was in the locker room. Someone shouted after her, but she was no longer listening. She only longed for her beloved to take her in his arms and tenderly stroke her hair.

She knocked cautiously on the locker room door. She heard no answer, so she gently opened the door.

She entered slowly, not wanting to scare the boy. She took a quick glance in the mirror to check how bad she looked. Her hair was matted with damp, her cheeks were red, and her eyes were glowing. "Well, I'm obviously sick," she thought.

She heard a familiar giggle. She stopped, slowly losing her courage.

What she saw made her feel even hotter. Sweat poured down her forehead as if opening the door had been a tremendous physical effort. The world spun around her. She prayed that what she saw was just a dream. A nightmare. A nightmare that would end.

But it wasn't. Her boyfriend was sitting in the locker room, embracing a sweet brunette with long, curly hair. She immediately noted bitterly that she had a figure like a model. She thought of her large belly and felt even worse. Next to him, his friend was passionately kissing her own classmate. The one who had always bothered her the least.

The girl's chosen one didn't look at all thrilled. He stood up, flushed and angry. He tried to say something, but couldn't. Finally, he shouted, "You fool, why did you come here?! I've told you a million times that we meet on Fridays in your building! Now it's your own fault!"

She wanted to cry. She couldn't.

The long-legged brunette stood up, bored, looked at her, and laughed directly into her face, filled with pain and humiliation. That contemptuous look probably hurt her more than all the insults from her classmates.

"What did I expect... What...??" she thought. Tears flowed from her eyes. Hot, bitter tears of despair.

Everyone, except her friend, left. She went up to her, hugged her, and said, "Haunted, don't cry. Don't worry. Come on, shut the hell up!"

She felt better. She was glad someone cared about her. For a moment, she even hoped they would become friends.

"Hey, I used to go out with him too. He had two other girls at the time. He has women all over the county!" she added, and laughed pathetically to herself.

That was probably what hurt the most. She hugged her. The other girl pulled away abruptly and, as if surprised, said, "But you didn't think he was actually going out with you, did you? Hahahahahaahhahaah, Haunted! You didn't think so, did you?" She couldn't stand this aunt anymore.

"Take this, don't cry. Be glad that someone like you ever had a boyfriend. At least you'll have something to remember! I'm going, they're waiting for me, goodbye!" she added.

She was left alone. She and her sandcastles, which were now in ruins. She knew such happiness couldn't last long. After all, she was just a fat, sad girl with a complex. No one ever took her seriously, so how could HE? I'm such a moron. And I thought I could be happy too. It's not his fault. It's mine alone. At least now I know what it's like to cuddle up to a boy... Thank you for being there."

She cried for a long time. When she ran out of tears, the janitor came to close the room. It was long after midnight. She knew people were worried at home. She didn't care.

"I want to die."