During my childhood, there were very few people I truly cared about.
Many students in my school didn't like me.
It wasn't their fault—my personality made it difficult. In my first days, I was the kind of kid who barely spoke to anyone.
Even the teachers struggled to hold a normal conversation with me.
I was labelled the quiet kid, the weird kid.
Some avoided me entirely because of the scars on my body.
My parents told me they were from an accident.
And because I was just a child, I accepted it… unaware of the darker truth behind those marks.
With no one talking to me, I would've probably turned into some edgy emo kid— if not for a girl.
Stella Lorien.
She was the most popular girl in school, perfect at everything she did, and easily the most beautiful among all the students.
She even had a fan club dedicated to her.
When she noticed me, she tried to talk to me.
Many students stopped her, warned her, told her to stay away—
But she still approached me.
At first, I didn't respond.
I even flinched when she tried to hold my hand.
I thought that would be enough to make her leave me alone.
Instead… she did the exact opposite.
From the next day on, she stuck to me like a loyal dog's tail.
Naturally, a lot of boys didn't like that.
Some confronted me, others threatened me.
One idiot even tried to beat me up.
Key word: tried.
I broke his nose before he could even land a hit.
After that, no one dared to touch me.
Rumours started spreading that I was some unhinged psycho.
And then came the rumours about Stella and me.
As a result, her popularity dropped.
Yet she didn't change.
She kept chasing after me, everywhere I went, every single day.
Eventually… I gave in.
I talked to her.
And slowly, our bond grew.
My behaviour shifted.
I wasn't that gloomy, lonely kid anymore.
She became like a sun in my dim world—bright, warm, impossible to ignore.
So I started calling her Star, the star of my life.
Just like I said in the beginning…
There are very few people I care about.
Very few whom I love.
And she was one of them.
Until…
She left the school.
Her number stopped working.
I had no way to reach her.
I never saw her again.
…until now.
***
"Are you done?"
It has been five minutes, and she is still hugging him.
People around them were staring, some were even taking photos.
"I missed you." Her voice trembled as he felt something wet on his chest.
She was crying.
He sighed, then patted her head.
"I missed you, too. Though I am angry at you for vanishing without any notice."
She trembled more and looked at me hastily.
"I didn't mean to. I didn't know that my father would transfer me to another school. And…"
"And?" Lucian asked, concerned.
"The school was a special school where I had to stay until I was 18. Even during holidays, my father didn't allow me to go out."
"Oh." He could only say that.
Should he be happy that she hadn't forgotten him, or be sad at the fact that she had to live like that?
"It must have been hard, living like that."
"It was boring."
***
Both of them were sitting in a park.
Because of Stella's injury, she called someone to pick her up.
"I tried to find you after I came here, but couldn't," Stella said.
They were both sitting on a bench.
"I knew your address, so I went there, but found out that your family had moved out. They told me that your parents died in an accident."
Her tone grew sad. She had met them a few times.
She held his hands, as if trying to convey her support.
'This girl… She is too kind.'
"It's fine," Lucian smiled.
Stella stared at him… then changed the topic.
"I even went to your school, but they told me that you dropped out of there."
"Why?" Her voice held concern.
"Just… something happened, and I couldn't."
"If you don't tell me, then I won't talk to you."
She narrowed her eyes and puffed her cheeks.
"Really?"
She looked at a sad expression…
"Hmph, in the past, you said that you would be honest."
Lucian didn't tell her because… he didn't want any sympathy from her or from anyone else.
But lying? No. He was already doing that to his mother by not telling his identity, not again.
"I… was paralysed."
Stella's eyes widened.