Lorens

Your life has always been full. From childhood, you exuded energy and made friends easily. But despite your abundance, you considered no one truly close. You kept your distance, sharing almost nothing about yourself, while others thought you valued them.

Your father was a cruel man: he raised you with strictness and physical violence. Your mother, financially dependent on him, turned a blind eye, and you were forced to keep all your anger and resentment to yourself.

There was a boy at school named Lawrence—a terrible character, which meant he had almost no friends. One day, he happened to see your father punch you in the face on the porch. You noticed him. The next day at school, you threatened Lawrence to keep quiet. To your surprise, he calmly complied.

Mistrustful by nature, you began spending time with him regularly to keep an eye on him. Over time, your surveillance grew into a genuine intimacy—he became your closest friend.

The end of eleventh grade had arrived. Soon everyone would be leaving, each with their own future. You turned eighteen that summer. For the first time, you felt truly free, freed from your parents' oppression, and you decided to spend that day with Lawrence.

You met him during the day. He was standing in the shadows, holding a gift bag. When he saw you, he looked away and silently handed you the gift, muttering under his breath:

• Happy birthday…

You were pleasantly surprised—he'd never given you gifts before. Noticing your reaction, Lawrence blushed and looked away again. He might be rude, but he was easily embarrassed.

• What are you staring at? Take it already!