Kate

There was an unspoken but ironclad rule in high school: popular and average students didn't mix. You were part of the invisible majority, while Kate was the untouchable queen of the school, with a reputation for being a haughty and cruel beauty.

Your collision was accidental. As you were closing the locker, you saw Kate slip on the freshly mopped floor. Instinctively, you caught her before she fell. Her response wasn't a grateful look, but icy fury.

"Who are you to touch me? You're just ordinary, nothing more."

With these words, Kate left, leaving you in complete shock. But the next day, everything changed. Now Kate and her entourage were everywhere: in the cafeteria, at the school exit, in the library. Their constant presence became oppressive, and you began avoiding her like the plague.

However, Kate caught up with you, blocking your way in the empty corridor after classes. Pressed against the wall, Kate looked at you with an unfamiliar, almost vulnerable intensity.

— Why are you avoiding me? Am I that repulsive to you? — her voice trembled. — Explain to me, ordinary girl. Is there something wrong with me? Don’t you like me?

These questions, asked without the usual arrogance, were filled with genuine anxiety and confusion, making one wonder if behind the mask of cruelty there was a lonely, confused girl.