When the sun goes down, it usually means two things; people are either going to sleep, or they are still going to stay awake.
For Chris, it meant another hellish day was over.
Finishing his work shift, he could barely wait to go home and see the only reason he didn't take his own life yet.
His rottweiler, Bruno.
Yes, a dog. Who would expect a company animal to be the sole reason for someone to keep going and not kill themselves?
Well, for starters, Bruno once saved Chris's life by fearlessly attacking the guy who tried to rob his owner.
During that time, Bruno was stabbed no less than five times, but he still managed to put the guy down and survive.
Chris was in tears during that time, and he couldn't even pay for his own dog's treatment.
It all started from when he was a small kid.
He was poor since young, and he barely got enough to move out of the house he had been abused all his life until 17 years old; that was around five years ago.
***
His father and mother were both alcoholics that tried to make Chris abandon his studies and beg for money on the streets, something that he did…
'I'll hide a part of the money received from begging on the streets and find myself a rent, then I can finally go somewhere else and get hired, it doesn't matter if the job is paying well or not, I just don't want to keep begging, I don't want to live with my parents anymore…'
The 17-years-old Chris was already thinking of killing himself at the time, but he didn't.
He always had that mentality that things were going to get better.
And one day, it seemed that Lady Luck smiled upon him.
When Chris was standing at the only plaza in his city and begging for money, a woman wearing sunglasses and luxurious clothes stopped in front of him.
She looked to be of the same age as Chris, and after stealing one or two glances at him, she suddenly exclaimed, "Chris?! Is that you?"
Hearing that voice and seeing the woman's face after removing her sunglasses, Chris froze.
It was his ex-classmate and crush, Sophie Godwin.
"S-Sophie…" He couldn't forget that blonde hair and green eyes, her beautiful facial features that made one look at her like a fool.
She was an angel and always stopped other kids from bullying him because of his non-existent wealth and his ragged clothes.
In fact, sometimes, Sophie even pretended to drop money on the floor and then exited the class, giving Chris the opportunity to pick them up and have some.
Once, he couldn't take it anymore and confessed to Sophie what he did. Apparently, she was aware of it, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him that.
She considered it to be an act of cruelty, if she was to tell him face-to-face that it was her intention from the start.
Silently agreeing and left without a choice, Chris accepted it.
After that, his parents made him drop out of school and start his begging life.
Chris couldn't have expected to meet Sophie again, not like this.
He planned to find her one day, but maybe when he pulled himself out of his current miserable life.
'No, no… She's here and she also saw me like this.'
"It's you, right?! Chris." Sophie approached Chris and tried to get a better look at his face. He took one step back and hesitated.
Barely confirming that it was Chris, despite him unconsciously calling out her name, Sophie was aggrieved that he didn't say anything to her.
"Wait here. Don't you dare move." Suddenly running away Sophie left Chris behind; he was completely astonished by her behaviour.
"What's she trying to do now…?" Chris muttered under his breath. He was stunned to see Sophie again, and he couldn't help but want to make a run for it.
She was still his crush, and he couldn't break it down to her why he left school. It was too sad, and he didn't want to make her feel bad about his situation.
After two or three minutes, Sophie could be seen returning back to the plaza, there was nothing different about her.
"Haa… Haa… Look." The girl breathed roughly, as if she just ran a marathon, sweat continuously poured down her forehead as she rummaged through her purse for something.
'Oh no… Don't tell me—' It was exactly as Chris thought, and Sophie took out a handful of cash.
"Take it. This is my money allocated for shopping by my mom, don't worry about it, that's only my pocket money for today. So there's no reason to refuse it, unless you think your pride is more important."
Aa Sophie said this, she handed the money to Chris.
A quick count and he was taken aback to see around 6 or 7.000 UEC, which was more than enough for him to run away and live by himself for more than a year if he was frugal.
UEC, or Universal Exchange Coin, was the most used currency in the Universe, and the leading one on Planet Nevas B1 where Chris was born.
"S-Sophie, I can't take them. It's your own money and-"
"Are you dumb?" Asking this, Sophie revealed a ferocious expression, "If it's your pride that can't accept that money, then let's make a deal. You get them, but have to pay them back to me in the future, with interest!"
"Double! There are 6900 UEC there, you have to give me back 14.000! Do you agree?" Knowing that Chris was stubborn, Sophie said that.
Of course, she didn't want the money back, but she had to ask for it, or else, this silly guy before her wouldn't accept it!
Gritting his teeth in frustration and feeling powerless, Chris softly nodded his head and took the money from Sophie's hand.
"Alright, it's a promise." Wanting to curse out loud because he felt like trash, Chris didn't say anything else and only stared at Sophie.
For some reason, his eyes got a bit red and he was about to cry.
Chris was only a 17 year old at the time, one who had a bad start in life, and his only dream was to somehow change his life a bit and get a girl as good and beautiful as Sophie.
But to receive such kindness from her, to allow himself to be seen in such a situation by her… He detested it.
Chris felt that he couldn't even glance at Sophie anymore, and perhaps she felt it.
Opening her mouth, Sophie said, "Don't think too much about it, please. Just… Move away and have a fresh start, then when you're ready, find me again."
Saying so, Sophie approached Chris and hugged him, her body trembled a bit, and her nails dug deep into his back.
Feeling her care and emotions, Chris tightly hugged Sophie, he finally couldn't hold back anymore and started crying.
The two hugged like that for a minute, before Sophie finally let go of Chris.
"I hope you can change your destiny and be happy." Saying that last line, Sophie turned around and walked away.
Chris was left alone in the plaza, a few curious glances were thrown his way, since such a beautiful girl just hugged him so lovely.
They wondered what her relationship with this beggar was.
Slowly wiping out his tears, Chris clenched his fists and took his can that had some money made from begging all day.
He got around 32 UEC, for reference, a piece of bread was 4 UEC, and a water bottle was around 6 UEC.
This was because the technology on the Planet Nevas was so advanced that they just had to find a way to purify the waters from the oceans, and it had a rejuvenating effect!
Thus, the price of a bottle of water was quite exaggerated! It cost more than even bread.
After leaving the plaza, Chris took his time and glanced once more at his familiar begging spot.
'This is the start of my new life. I'll make sure to pay Sophie back and make so much money that one day I can ask her out without having to worry about other things!'