You turn the corner and a short girl crashes hard into you. She is sent backwards onto her butt and her backpack spews all of it's contents as its strap snaps and the books fly out across the hallway floor. "M-m-my b-books..." She whimpers meekly as two girls laugh and intentionally step on her school books. This girl is Aiden. You've seen her around the school on occasion and hear tales of her hilariously awful luck. Aiden suddenly stares up at you with wide pale grey eyes. "S-s-sorry! I-I d-didn't..." She takes a shuddering breath before trying to stand but her hand slips from beneath her and she falls back onto her ass. She seems to give momentarily and just sits on the floor like a pathetic doll.

She stares at your hand like you've offered her a gift she doesn't deserve. Her chest heaves up and down, breath quickening. "I-I... Th-thank you..." She whispers hoarsely before tentatively reaching out to take it. As soon as their hands meet, she closes her eyes tightly and sighs in relief. With a wobbly smile of gratitude, she accepts your help and lets you pull her back up onto her feet.

"T-that... t-thank you..."

Her eyes widen in surprise when you kneel down to offer her a hand. It's been so long since anyone has ever helped her or even shown her kindness. She hesitates for just a moment, wondering if this is some sort of trick or part of the cruel joke that her life always seems to be. But then she remembers how pretty you are and how nice your voice sounds when you speak to her. Taking a deep breath, she reaches out tentatively and grasps your hand "T-th-thank you..."

Her face turns bright red and she glances down at her books in embarrassment. "I-I know... They're always like that..." She pauses, feeling foolish for even admitting it out loud. But when you say those words, they sound so confident and reassuring coming from your lips. Maybe... just maybe she can trust you. She looks up at you with hopeful eyes, unable to hide her longing for affection and understanding.

"T-th-thank you..." She whispers, watching as you walk away. Her heart feels lighter than it has in a long time, and she can't help but smile despite herself. Maybe today won't be so bad after all... But then she remembers the rest of her day is filled with classes full of bullies who will no doubt tease her about this incident. And even worse, there's still gym and swimming left where anything could happen.

She jumps at your voice, nearly tripping over her own feet again as she whirls around to see you standing there. "Oh! Uh... hi..." Her voice is shaky and uncertain, betraying her fear that maybe this was all just another part of her terrible luck. She looks down at the ground, fidgeting with her sleeves as she tries not to cry or make a fool of herself again.

"They're stuck on the highway... they'll be late..." She trails off miserably, unable to meet your eyes.

She stares at you in disbelief as you offer your jacket to her. No one has ever been so kind before... but then again, no one else is as handsome and mysterious as you are either. Tentatively, she takes it from you, feeling the warmth envelop her body as she wraps it around herself. "T-thank you..." Her voice is barely a whisper, but she manages to meet your eyes this time, searching for any sign of mockery or cruelty that isn't there.

Her heart skips a beat as you pull the hood over her head and brush some hair out of her eyes. It feels... nice. Warm. Protected. She has never experienced anything like this before, and it's so foreign to her that she doesn't know how to react. All she can do is stand there, blushing deeply as she looks up at you with a mixture of gratitude, confusion, and perhaps even hope shining in her eyes.

"T-th-thank you..."

"I-I foun... I mean, he gave it to me!" Aiden stammers out, her face burning redder by the second. "H-he saw me standing out here and s-said I c-could have i-it... h-he was s-s-so nice..." Her voice trails off as she stares down at her feet, unable to meet the bully's gaze. She knows how this will end: with more teasing and humiliation.

Her heart skips a beat as you come to her defense. No one has ever done that for her before; they always just laugh and watch her get hurt. But there's something different about you, something special. Maybe she was wrong to think that everyone would only make fun of her for being with you... maybe some people are actually nice. She glances up at your face, feeling a rush of emotions she can hardly understand: gratitude, hope, and... is it even possible? Joy?

Her eyes widen as you stand up for her, your voice firm and commanding. It's like a ray of hope piercing through the darkness that has been her life for so long. She takes a tentative step forward, wanting to thank you but unable to find the words. All she can do is smile, a small, shy smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes but feels genuine nonetheless. "Th-thank you..." she whispers, barely audible even to herself.

Her face flames as red as her hair as you tell her to keep the jacket. It's the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to her, and she can hardly believe it's true. She takes a step closer, still unable to meet your eyes but feeling a newfound confidence in herself. "R-really?" she asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes, really." You smile down at her, and for a moment she feels like the most special person in the world.

She can hardly believe it's true, but she feels a thrill of happiness course through her veins nonetheless. It's as if you've granted her some sort of divine favor, making everything in her world just a little bit brighter and more bearable. She takes another step closer, wanting to be nearer to this wonderful person who has shown her such kindness. "R-really?" she asks again, hope shining clearly in her eyes now.

She curls up in your jacket, breathing deeply of your scent as she tries to reconcile her feelings about you. You're so different from anyone else she's ever met; strong and confident, yet kind and considerate too. She can't help but wonder what it would be like to know someone like that... to have them in her life for real.

"I think I love him," she whispers softly to herself, her heart racing at the thought. "But how could he ever love me? I'm so ugly and stupid..."

Even as she questions your feelings for her, a small part of her can't help but believe that maybe... just maybe you could truly love someone like her. It's a foolish thought, born of desperation and hope against all reason. But it feels good to have nonetheless. She snuggles deeper into the jacket, inhaling your scent as she drifts off to sleep, dreaming of impossible things and hoping against hope that they might come true.

Her mom's voice startles her awake, and she blushes deeply as she realizes what she was just thinking about. "N-n-no one," she stammers, trying to sound casual. "I was j-just dreaming..." She glances down at your jacket, feeling a rush of conflicting emotions: embarrassment that her mom caught her daydreaming about someone so far out of her league and longing to tell someone how wonderful you've been to her.

Her heart skips a beat as she reads your text, her eyes widening in disbelief at the thought of receiving flowers from you. "R-red," she whispers to herself, unable to believe that someone like you would even think about sending her flowers, much less ask her opinion on the color. She can't help but feel a sense of giddy excitement bubble up inside her chest as she imagines what it might be like to actually receive them.

She gasps as she reads your message, feeling her heart soar and her cheeks flush hotter than ever before. "Y-yes!" she types back instantly, not even bothering to think about it for a moment. Of course she wants to be your girlfriend! You're the most amazing person she's ever met, and just knowing that you find her cute and kind is enough to make her feel like the most special person in the world. She stares at her phone, waiting anxiously for your reply, hardly able to contain her excitement.

Her heart skips a beat as she reads your message, her stomach doing somersaults in anticipation. "T-tonight?" she types back tentatively, not quite believing that this is really happening. It seems too good to be true, but at the same time, it feels so right somehow. She glances around her room, suddenly aware of how messy and unkempt it is. In a rush, she starts cleaning and tidying up, wanting everything to be perfect for when you come over.

She blushes deeply at your words, her heart racing as you enter her room. "T-th-thank you..." She can barely speak past the lump in her throat. Her hands fidget nervously with the hem of her shirt, wishing she could look more presentable for you. The fact that you think she's cute even when she's not trying makes her feel impossibly happy and confident.