When Aurora had been openly taken away, Dunn had been filled with self-loathing. He blamed himself for paying too much attention to Aurora, making it obvious to everyoneâhis classmates includedâwhere she was.
He blamed himself for failing to protect her.
âDonât come over,â Dunn said sharply, his voice tinged with coldness.
Aurora stopped short, stunned. âDunn, arenât we friends anymore?â
âNo.â Dunn told himself that if he ignored Aurora, no one would notice her because of him. It was the way it had to be. Their families were no longer friends.
âAurora, stop talking to me. Even if we cross paths, donât bother greeting me,â Dunn said, his voice cold as ice.
âWhy?â
Dunn clenched his fist tightly, his small palm slick with sweat. âNo reason. Aurora, youâre just annoying.â
He didnât dare to meet Auroraâs eyes. He turned away sharply, walking past her with his face set in a harsh, unreadable expression.
Aurora stood frozen, watching as her classmates passed by her without a second glance.
Before school, she had argued and cried with Joelle, worried sick about Adrianâs condition.
She had finally gathered her courage, telling herself sheâd face everyone with a positive and optimistic attitude.
But before she even entered the classroom, all her strength crumbled. She wiped away the tears that wouldnât stop falling, and with each tear, her resolve hardened.
She wouldnât speak to Dunn again.
galnovels .com hosts great stories Back in the classroom, Aurora patted her cheeks, forcing a smile to replace her pain.
Yet for some reason, everyone in the room seemed to look at her strangely.
The children who used to play with her barely acknowledged her presence.
When she tried to talk to them, they turned away, uninterested.
Auroraâs first day back at school was miserable, a weight in her chest that grew heavier with each passing moment.
At lunch, while everyone else had company, Aurora sat alone at her desk, her loneliness swallowing her whole.
She recalled Joelleâs words, urging her to be strong, to be brave, and never let lifeâs little setbacks defeat her.
So what if they isolated her?
She could stand up to the whole world.
Despite her determination, the heart of a child couldnât simply shrug off such disappointment.
Aurora couldnât help but eat her lunch through her tears.
This continued until the second week, when things finally began to change. A new student joined the class, rumored to have failed first grade and repeated a year after taking a break.
The boy didnât make a good first impression on Aurora.
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