"I’m done," Smile said as she dropped her pen. She stood up, carried her test script, and walked towards the front desk where her teacher was sitting. Her long hair was tied up in a ponytail, and sweat was dripping from her forehead and her neck down, her uniform was very neat but with a closer look one will notice it was beginning to worn out, and her skin looks dark as a sign of poor maintenance, her body looks malnourished but all this has nothing to do with her brain for she was the most intelligent among her peers, and sometimes she could even render her teachers speechless.
Smile dropped her test script in front of her teacher and went out of the classroom, it was her last subject for the day and she has nothing more to do in school so she set off making her way back home.
Crown high was an elite school where even some rich kids could not say a word in front of real elite students, Smile's situation turns out to be the worst, she was a very poor scholarship student which made her a target for bully by many of her schoolmates.
Looking left and right, no one was in the corridor Smile moved as fast as she could to avoid being seen by her mates while trying to leave the school compound but immediately she stepped out of the building she tripped on something and fell to the ground, bruising her elbows and her Palms.
"Stinky rat were you planning to injure me?" an annoying voice could be heard from behind her, the voice was very familiar, Smile was sure she could recognize that voice even in her dream because the voice was her worst nightmare. It was Jessica's voice, It was obvious that she had purposely tripped Smile down but she was now blaming her.
Smile hurriedly stood up and bow to Jessica she didn't dare lift her head, "am sorry" she said, with her trembling body, her malnourished hands firmly held on to her skirt, the little demoness in front of her was like a terrifying terrorist to Smile, who in their right mind would not be afraid of her.
Jessica was the only daughter of the Brown family and has been spoiled by her grandfather. The Brown family is one of the biggest families in IK city, they had businesses all over the city, and out of the city. As the only daughter of the family, Jessica was treasured by all the members of the family and will be given whatever she wants, Smile could not afford to offend such a formidable person.
"Sorry?" It looks like Jessica was not ready to let her go easily, "after you messed up my shoes you are telling me sorry? Will you come and clean it up?" Jessica looked very angry as she was putting up a show, at that point, other students began to gather around them.
Smile walked close to her, she squat down and was about to use her hands to clean Jessica's shoes but a slap landed on her cheek, and her face immediately became red, five fingers were seen imprinted on her face, and tears began to flow down her cheeks, she tried as hard as she could to stop herself from crying but the tears kept coming out of her eyes without control it was as if she wasn’t crying because of the slap but something else.
"What do you think you were trying to do? you want to soil my shoes with those stinking hands of yours?" Jessica shouted as if she was running mad.
Smile didn't say a word, her tears kept running down her cheeks while squatting in front of Jessica not knowing what to do next, her malnourished body was shaking as if she was about to fall.
"What are you still squatting there without doing anything for? If you don't have what to use and clean my shoes you better remove your uniform and do it," immediately she said that, Smile's hands trembled in fear, was she going to pull her uniform in front of all these students?
But what was she supposed to do? The last time a student went against Jessica the next day it was said that the student dropped out of school for no reason, everybody knows it was Jessica's doing but nobody said a word.
Smile trembling hands were about to start unbuttoning her uniform but at that moment a voice could be heard from a distance.
"Jessica, you might not know it but this is exactly why I never liked you. the more you do it the more I try to be far from you."
Jessica was shocked by the voice she immediately withdrew her foot and turned towards the direction of the voice. "Elvis!" Jessica called out but Elvis did not even turn to look at her, she immediately ran after him trying to explain.
Smile picks herself up and headed towards the gate, using the opportunity of distraction caused by Elvis, nobody pays attention to the filthy girl anymore when they saw a prince.
On a shanty house made of zinc, this house looks like it will be blown away by the wind at any time, there were holes all over the old zinc, if not for the fact that the House was under a bridge the roof will not be able to withstand heavy rainfall.
Smile opened the worn-out curtain hanging shabbily at the doorpost and enter the house.
"Smile, you are back early today" a woman smiles sweetly at her. Smile let her hair down trying to hide her red face in other not to bother her mother with her problems.
"Yes mom, I have nothing else to do at school so I came back earlier. You are also back early from the market today" Smile said as began to pull off her uniform, changing to something else,
"I couldn't go to the market today, I was feeling under the weather so I chose to rest a little but am okay now," madam Ross said. "come have something to eat I made some porridge for you and your siblings," Madam Ross said as she made Smile sit down on a wooden bench by the side of the house, she then used her fingers to caress gently Smile face, "it's ok you can always tell mom what you are going through, even if I can't do anything about it, saying it out alone will reduce a lot of Stress." no matter how hard Smile tries to hide her problems, madam Rose will always know something was wrong.
Smile immediately hugged her mother and began to sob on her shoulder.
"What did I do to them?" She continue to cry, "Nothing, I did nothing I even try to hide away from them yet they will look for me." Madam Ross felt pained in her heart, she just allow her to cry her heart out.
If not for the fact that life is not fair, no one would have been able to bully her children
When Smile stops crying madam Ross served her porridge, although the porridge was not much, the love her mother used to personally prepare food for her children was enough for them, and will always make them feel like they have someone to lean on.
Smile was the second child of her mother. Madam Rose has three children two girls and a boy who was the last child of the family. Her elder sister Lisa was two years older than her, Lisa was very hard-working and intelligent during her time in high school she was nicknamed the brain.
Her beauty was no inferior to Smiles.
But after high school, she could not further her Education and The brain decided to help her family move forward by helping her mother sell vegetables on the street of Ik city, when she thought of her childhood dreams it something make her laugh, "it was good to have dreams but reality is the only real thing that exists." Apart from the fact that Lisa has a lot of good qualities she was the type that will never let anyone that bullied her family goes scot-free, she was like a mad dog that will bite anyone as long as it concerns her family.
Roy was the youngest of them all, he was ten years old but was already more knowledgeable than his peers.
At his age, he already had a blueprint of a computer game but because he was lacking resources he could not complete the project, and it became a secret he carries with him wherever he goes and once in a while modify his ideas when he comes up with a better plan.
Roy attends federal government college of technology which is located close to the boundaries between IK city and OK city, although it was called a college, it was just a combination of junior high and senior high.
This school was located about half a kilometer away from a river called a cross river, which was the boundary between IK City and OK City.
