"Wake up, Kai, get ready for school."

Stretching out my arms and legs, I turned to the alarm clock. It's 05h47; the school only started in two hours and 13 mins.

I pulled the pillow over his head, the door swung open, and it was his mom opening the blinds.

"Mom, we go over this daily; my school doesn't start at 6 am."

"yes, honey, and I have work; you must drop your little sister at school."

How I wish dad were around to help mom, but what good is a deadbeat father who abandons his family?

Mom has to do everything

independently; let me summarise my life. I am Kai, age sixteen.

I will be seventeen soon; I have no friends and an online best friend I met three weeks ago. People are probably wondering how I can call her my best friend if we do not even know each other for a month; that will be cleared up later in this story.

I am tired of being bullied, and Maka said she could help me, but why would someone want to help me who is pale and thin with a dull life and flat face? Is this just another of my classmate's pathetic games, or is Maka the one who will change my life?

"Kai, for the how much time, climb out of bed and get your sister ready."

"Yes, mom."

Who will do it if I don't, not my deadbeat father? I pay for my lunches with the money my mom gets from welfare; yes, she lied; she told them she is not working and has no income, but who am I to complain?

She could have cowardly run away like my dad. I can't wait to finish school get a decent job, and help my mom out, but I am tired; yes, you heard me, I am tired of always being picked on.

Why did Maka find a particular interest in me? Is it because I told her about a silver ring with a blue stone I found one day on the beach between the rocks?

Maybe it's worth something; I should google this ring google lens can perhaps help me identify this stone on the ring; that way, I will know if I am a millionaire if not a billionaire; who am I kidding? Wake up, Kai; it's your sister's first day of school; enough of your fantasy; Maka is just an online friend who will eventually leave you as everyone else did.

"Kai, are you up?"

"Yes, mom."

I dragged my feet across the room to the bathroom, rinsed my face, and brushed my teeth; that felt better.

"I'm leaving in twenty minutes, Kai; help pack your sister's lunch."

Everything seemed blurry, and I nearly tripped over my feet, "I forgot to mention I am wearing a pair of glasses that cost five dollars; yes, you heard right, five dollars has improved my vision.

Still, barely with fifty percent, it gets me to school and back, and when reading, I use the text-to-speech with earphones; my teachers understand them, but they are underpaid, so they teach for the salary."

"Beautiful day, ain't it, mom?"

Mom rolled her eyes. She could pretty much tell I was being sarcastic. My mom has black hair with shimmering sprays of white, long, and smooth curls like noodle spaghetti.

Her eyes are black and round, filled with love when she laughs. She is average height; she has large eyelashes and figured eyebrows. Her lips are thick with a sparkle of pink; her nose is medium and much defined.

Her ears are rounded and neither too large nor too small, "normal." In general, her face is smooth with a bit of wrinkle.

She was a mom, but after my mom had stopped dating and worked herself to the bone, she worked down the street at a small restaurant. She doesn't pay much to buy us treats, but it helps with food on the table.

Standing in the mirror, my body will never change; I've been thin to the bone for as long as I can remember.

My twenty-six waist pants sat baggy on me, and my long black shoulder-length hair looked messy and oily; maybe I should cut it; Kai pulled on the strands of his hair.

I will do it after school, "I have to go, honey; please take care of Jia, and make sure to pick her up after school."

"Yea, mom, I will remember."

I get reminded every day of the week my little sister Jia was six years old, talkative like all other six-year-olds, but quiet and shy around others; on wait, that's me; mom insisted on keeping her hair shoulder length as it was shiny.

"What are you wearing, Jia?"

"Mom dressed you in school clothes, and you changed your clothes."

Jia grinned with her toothless front teeth, "but I like these yellow boots, and these pink pants mom got me."

"Jia," I rolled my eyes, "seriously, mom woke me up early; she knew you would change."

"Yes, mommy said you take me to school." she insisted, picking up her hello kitty bag.

"Jia, you can't go to school with those clothes," I replied.

"She curled up her stubborn lips, narrowed her eyes, folding her arms; she did that when she was about to scream her roof off.

"Jia, can we make a deal? If you don't fight with me and change back, I will take you to that ice cream place after school."

"Hello, stranger," came a voice from my Xbox. "Morning routine again?"

"Hey, Maka." I faintly smiled, "yes, you know me all too well."

The monitor's screen switched on, and there she was, Maka with her long sleek hair and dark eyes, looking like -Wednesday in Adams family- Yes, you heard me, Wednesday; I was forced to watch it three times yesterday, and the day before because Jia wanted to be like Wednesday.

We all know what that means; she likes Maka.

She grinned shyly at Maka, hiding behind me, "she is so cute."

Maka spilled out, "stop before you say anything."

I said, "If you are going to say anything about her clothes, she will want to keep them on, and I have a hard time persuading her to change her school clothes. She won't even make ice cream. Any ideas?"

Maka stepped away from the screen, then came back with a puppet in her hand dressed in a school uniform, "Hello, Jia," said this puppet, who looked like an ordinary teddy bear whose lips were moving.

"I am supposed to start school today, but I am the only one wearing this uniform. I feel left out."

Jia jumped up and down, "dress like a teddy." She insisted as she ran to her room, changing her school uniform.

"I don't know how but you convinced her I owe you one."

"You owe me nothing." Maka smiled, "have a great day at school." And the screen went black.

Maka was never good at saying goodbye, but hey, Jia changed, and the time was 07h30am; damn, I will be late.

Jia's school was a block away, and mine was three blocks away. That would mean I would have to run from her school to mine.

As I exited the gate, Jiang drove past me with his convertible BMW; what father buys their kid's expensive cars while in school? Oh, wait, a father who takes responsibility for their kid.

"Hey, loser," he screamed from the car, "shouldn't you visit a barber instead of babysitting?"

He was with popular Ming Yui, the girl who had it all, with wealthy parents.

She only hung out with popular guys; she wouldn't even look in my direction.

"Jia, we need to walk faster."

"I want to go to the bathroom." She insisted, "Jia, we are late. We have to get going."

"No bathroom."

I then thought to myself, either standing here and arguing with a six-year-old or going back inside and taking her to the bathroom, I will be late, and she will be on time.

After leaving the house, Kai could finally drop Jia off at school; when he arrived at his school, it was 08h30; coming to a closed gate, the security was not too happy with me; he took me straight to the principles office.

The principal gave me a lecture about being late and accused me of waking up late. This time he let me off with a verbal warning. Mr. Cheng was a big bald head guy.

He had no humor. Kids often refer to him as Mr. Dementor because he sucked the happiness out of you.

"Go off to class, don't let this happen again; do you hear me?"

Of course, I thought, there is no way to escape your depressing deep voice. Realizing his waiting for an answer, I nodded, "Yes sir, loud and clear."

Checking my timetable, I realized it was Maths, and Mr. Cheng had a strict rule: if you were not here during my class and failed one paper, you would fail the class.

I walked as fast as I could to the class.

I knocked on the door and opened it. There he was standing, Mr. Xhia "you know my rules," he said sternly, "go find your seat."

Jiang looked over at me, "dork," the whole class laughed.

I flicked my middle finger at him, all's eyes went wide, and a light "ooohhh" sound came out; he wasn't too happy. Yeah, that's him pretty much telling me his going to beat me up; welcome to -Shanghigh secondary–