Beautiful People

Chapter 1

            A good number of beautiful people that we encounter throughout our humble lifespan are naturally those who have tasted defeat, have known agony from inside out, and made acquaintance with tragic loss and affliction. Nevertheless, they'd find their way out of the darkest and deepest depths of the abyss, cultivating the truest understanding for the wounded that bear similar losses. It is a simple logic of the universe, when you lose something, you'd gain something in return: an equivalent exchange. For every failure ensued, you become more beautiful. Beautiful people simply are not determined by birth or fate; they are molded...

            It was a late defiant afternoon. A young man stood by a crummy grand piano, dusted his fingers across the keys. The room was so still and silent, it is hauntingly deafening until the leanly muscular man plays a chord gently. The off-pitched piano echoed throughout the vacant space, as glimpses of his high school years resurfaced within his head.

            He begun recalling fond memories prior to that fateful night – before the darkness between the city embers; before the trees swayed to the enraged thunderous storm; before the raindrops danced beneath the moonlight, and even before saying goodbye to the most unique person in his life.

                                                                * * *

7 years earlier...

            Late in the winter of Evan Evans's seventeenth year, he had already gained a notoriously infamous reputation – a crummy delinquent. Everyone is apprehensive of him. Being often alone, he has no peers and unspeakably bad grades, and majority of the teachers and student council members are on the verge of giving up on him.

            "Do you see where I'm coming from, Evans?" Mrs. Hawkins asked, fully certain that his words have been landing on deaf ears.

            "Mhmm." Evan muttered, even though he was spacing out the entire time.

            "Please don't give up just yet..." Mr. Hawkins let out a heavy sigh. "There are still people in school who hasn't given up on you yet."

            "Wow."

            "Buck up, and make sure you come for the make-up exam on Friday," He continued even though it was futile. "You don't want to be kicked out of school just yet."

            "Yeah." Evan answered, with no plans to hide his disinterest.

            "You are dismissed. Head back to class now."

            Evan exited the homeroom teacher's office and paced steadily toward the stairwell. The unsoiled corridor was free of dirt as sunlight burnished the walkway through the exquisite-looking windows. Canopy High is one of the best high school there is within the region, and it contradicts the very existence of Evan Evans, as though he was the filthy spot along the spotless walkway. He hated himself; he hated everything. The universe itself is an anathema to him.

            As he approached the stairs, he noticed a pair of bluebirds soaring freely right above the skylight, as though they were waltzing in the wind. He thought to himself – How good is that, to fly around with no whims and woes.

            Upon lowering his head, he saw the silhouette of a petite lady, holding onto a stack of papers right above the stairs, as blindingly vibrant as the sun behind her. Evan recognized this girl in an instant. The sharpest and most promising student of Canopy High - Rain Wallace. Despite her intellectual capabilities, she's awfully popular in school due to her modesty and, well, her eccentric behaviour. Even though Evan's a sophomore, news of this first-year student was not unheard of.

            While he was inadvertently staring at her in awe, Rain unexpectedly staggered a little before she lost her footing. As though defying gravity, the papers in her hands scattered in mid-air, and her, falling gently in slow motion.

            "NO!" Evan cried out frightfully, and dashed right ahead hoping to break her fall.