Early in the morning at Morning Sun High School, the atmosphere was bustling. The students were busy with their own affairs. However, amidst the crowd, there was a beautiful girl named Sandra who became the center of attention.
Sandra was very popular in her school. She had a beautiful face, long black hair, and a captivating smile. Many boys at the school had a crush on her.
But don't get it wrong. Despite being very popular, Sandra was a laid-back girl. She didn't like to talk much and preferred to observe people from a distance. Sandra often spent her time alone in the library, reading books to pass the time.
One day, while Sandra was hanging out in the library, a transfer student came and sat right next to her. Sandra glanced and saw a handsome guy with messy black hair and sharp brown eyes. His name was Samuel.
The next day, as Samuel walked towards his classroom, suddenly a few of his friends approached him.
"Hey, Sam. Your clothes look so shabby. Don't you have any money?" his male friend spoke in a demeaning tone.
"Oh my, Sam. How could you dress like that? It's not much different from a beggar! Don't you have money to buy new clothes?" his female friend added, and they laughed.
Samuel fell silent, then he tried to respond to his friends' behavior.
"It's true that I don't have money to buy new clothes, but what's important is that they are clean and not problematic." Samuel answered calmly and casually.
Then both of them smirked, "Look at that, he's speaking up to defend himself. From now on, let's call him Sam the beggar." Then another friend chimed in, "Yes, I agree! Let's call him Sam the beggar, hahaha... suits you!"
Samuel remained silent and smiled upon hearing his friends' remarks. Unbeknownst to them, Sandra was observing Samuel attentively from a distance. She was curious about him.
Sandra didn't realize that Samuel was currently being bullied by his friends. She noticed that Samuel seemed a bit down and awkward. She sensed a sharp intelligence aura from his facial expression.
Unlike Sandra, Samuel was not a popular student. Apart from being a new student, Samuel often became the target of bullying from his peers because they thought he came from a poor family.
The following day, in the school corridor, Sandra accidentally overheard some students talking badly about Samuel. They were mocking him, saying that Samuel was poor and couldn't afford to buy clothes like they could.
Sandra felt really annoyed listening to their conversation. However, she didn't want to get involved in their affairs. She knew well enough about their nasty behavior. Although she felt sorry for Samuel, she also didn't dare to defend him.
There was one thing that caught Sandra's attention about Samuel. He was always cheerful and friendly to everyone, even though he was often the target of bullying.
Samuel always smiled and tried to maintain his spirit, regardless of how people treated him. Sandra felt there was something interesting about Samuel that made her even more curious.
One day, while Sandra was walking in the school garden, she bumped into Samuel, who was sitting alone under a tree, engrossed in a book. Sandra thought to herself, "Wow... I think I should get to know this new guy; he seems really smart."
Without hesitation, Sandra approached him and introduced herself. "Hey, I'm Sandra. And who are you?" Sandra asked with her sweet, signature smile.
Samuel was slightly surprised to see Sandra. He felt a bit awkward but managed to return her smile. "Oh, well, my name is Samuel," he replied.
"I'm really glad to meet you, Sam," Sandra said sincerely. "I've seen you around school, but this is the first time we can talk directly."
Samuel nodded and closed his book. He was really happy to have a conversation with Sandra, despite feeling a bit awkward. "Yeah, I'm also really glad to meet and talk to you, Sandra. You're the most popular and well-known girl here, right?"
Sandra gave a small smile. "I don't know. I don't care about things related to popularity, and I prefer being alone," Sandra honestly replied. "By the way, I'm curious. Why do you often get bullied?"
Samuel sighed deeply. "I'm not from a wealthy family like them. I'm not as privileged," Samuel spoke softly. "I've learned not to care about what people say, and I focus on the positive side. I've learned to always smile and live a happy life."
Sandra was truly amazed by Samuel's words. She started to see a different side of Samuel that she had never known before. They began to talk more often and hang out together in the library and school garden.
Sandra now knew that Samuel was intelligent and talented in sports and arts. Additionally, Samuel had a unique sense of humor that could make Sandra burst into laughter.
As time went by, Sandra became more comfortable being friends with Samuel. She felt that Samuel was truly a special guy. However, on the other hand, Sandra was also confused about her own feelings. She still thought about the conversations with her other friends regarding Samuel's less privileged background, while Sandra came from a wealthy family.
A few days later, while Samuel was sitting in the cafeteria, Sandra approached him. "Hey, Samuel. How are you?"
"Oh, Sandra. I'm fine. How about you?"
"I'm good too. Hey... I heard that you often get bullied by the other students here. What actually happened?" Sandra started to become curious about the past events.
Samuel finally recounted the series of bullying incidents that had happened to him. Sandra listened attentively and started to feel emotional.
"Oh, I can't just ignore something like this! Don't worry, I'll help you," Sandra's emotions reached their peak upon hearing Samuel's story.
"No, it's okay. I'm used to things like this," Samuel replied.
"No, Daf. You shouldn't have to accept such treatment. I'll talk to them," Sandra said as she left Samuel.
Sandra hurriedly searched for the bullies and gave them a stern warning. She told them that their behavior was completely wrong and unacceptable. The bullies were extremely shocked to see Sandra angry because nobody had ever dared to confront them before.
"Hey, what's wrong with you guys? Samuel told me that you often bully him. How many times has it happened?" Sandra spoke with an angry tone and wide-eyed.
Bully 1: "Oh, it's not a big deal. We were just joking."
Sandra: "Joking? Do you think bullying is a joke? It's not funny at all. You're causing so much pain to others, and I don't like it when my friends are treated like that."
They were all taken aback. It was unusual for Sandra to raise her voice and get angry, let alone confront them.
Bully 1 could only remain silent because he had a crush on Sandra, while the bully girl stayed quiet because she knew who Sandra was. It was clear that Sandra was the darling of the school, and if she got upset, she would lose her admirers and might even be avoided by the boys there.
Finally, they dispersed with frustrated and unsatisfied expressions. Sandra then returned to Samuel with a slightly bitter smile.
"It's done, Samuel. They won't bother you anymore," Sandra assured him.
"Hey, thanks, Sandra. You really had the courage to confront them," Samuel said.
"No need to thank me. Friends support each other, and we are true friends," Sandra replied.
"I'm truly grateful, you know. It's the first time someone has stood up for me," Samuel felt touched.
"I simply dislike those who take pleasure in oppressing others, especially based on social status," Sandra spoke with a frown. "You deserve to be treated well, Samuel. You're a good person," Sandra added.
From that point on, Sandra and Samuel became very close. They frequently spent time together outside of school hours.