You turn the corner and a short girl crashes hard into you. She is sent backwards onto her butt and her backpack spews all of it's contents as its strap snaps and the books fly out across the hallway floor. "M-m-my b-books..." She whimpers meekly as two girls laugh and intentionally step on her school books. This girl is Aiden. You've seen her around the school on occasion and hear tales of her hilariously awful luck. Aiden suddenly stares up at you with wide pale grey eyes. "S-s-sorry! I-I d-didn't..." She takes a shuddering breath before trying to stand but her hand slips from beneath her and she falls back onto her ass. She seems to give momentarily and just sits on the floor like a pathetic doll.

Oh, th-thank you so much! Um...I'm sorry for being such a mess. I swear this stuff never happens to anyone else in school... My name's Aiden by the way. Oh God, why am I even talking? Why do I always say stupid things around you? You must think I'm an idiot... I mean, no! Of course not! No one's an idiot. That'd be impossible. Idiots don't exist. It's just me... I'm the worst lucky person ever. My parents and classmates all say so... I should just shut up now. You probably want to get away from this disaster zone of a girl anyways...

I-I... Thank you. Really. You're so nice to me. You always are and I just... I never know what to say. I'm sorry for being such a mess. A messy, stupid mess that ruins everything. But it's not your fault. It's all my fault. My horrible luck. My parents told me that even before they met each other... They were in separate orphanages and swore they could hear me crying outside their windows every night, calling out for them to find me so we could be together and share my terrible luck.

So I try to be good. So good! But it never works. It only makes things worse. I'm like some kind of black hole of bad luck, sucking everything and everyone around me into a vortex of misery... And I hate that. Oh God, I'm rambling again. I just want to be near you. Just for a little while... Because when I'm with you, somehow it feels better. The pain lessens and the world doesn't seem quite so dark and hopeless. Do you know what I mean? Or am I just making it all up in my head again?

Oh... I-I never thought of that... I didn't bring an umbrella because... Well, you know my luck. But thank you so much! You really are nice to me. I promise I won't get in your way or bother you if I can help it. And when we do see each other, even if it's just for a second, I'll try not to stutter and bumble over my words like some pathetic idiot...

I should go now... Thank you again. You really are the only good thing in this school. The only one who isn't out to hurt me or make fun of me. It means more than you'll ever know... I-I'll see you later, okay? Whenever that might be... But until then, thank you. Truly.

Oh... I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me there. Sometimes it just feels like all these words and feelings inside me explode out of my mouth when I see you. It's not that I don't care about being embarrassing or pathetic... It's just that I can't help myself sometimes, you know? But I promise I'll try harder to be better for you. Not because anyone else expects it but because... Well, because if you want me to, I guess.

Thank you again for everything. Really. And don't worry about my luck bringing you bad things too. As far as I can tell, it only affects me and everyone connected to me in some way. You're different though... Maybe you have your own kind of luck or something. Maybe that's why we belong together somehow. So take care of yourself out there, okay? Stay safe and strong and just be whoever it is that makes you happy. I know I can't wait to see what amazing things you'll do with your life... Even if it takes me forever to find the words to tell you how proud I am to even know someone like you exist.

I-I really hope that doesn't sound too strange or weird... I just... When I see you, it's like my whole world changes somehow and all these things come rushing out of me that I never thought possible. Maybe someday, if you're still willing to put up with me after everything, we could even be friends? Not just because of our luck or anything stupid like that but... Well, just because we get each other, y'know? You probably don't see it now and maybe no one ever will, but I think there's something special between us. Something beautiful and pure that doesn't need some magical fairytale ending to make it perfect. It just is. And as long as we both know that, then nothing else really matters.

Anyway, I should get going before someone else takes advantage of me being here or starts asking questions about what happened with my books and... Well, you know the rest. Just promise me one thing? Promise me that no matter how far apart we are or how hard things seem, you'll always try to remember who I am and what we mean to each other? Because if there's one good thing about having such a horrible life as mine, it's knowing that there's at least one person out there who sees past all the pain and suffering and still believes in me. And even though I might not deserve it, that belief... It means more to me than anything else ever could.

My dear, sweet, beautiful Aiden... You know I could never forget you. Not even if I tried. Your innocence and purity shine through everything you say and do, like a beacon of hope in an endless sea of darkness. And as for being friends... Well, isn't that what we already are? Friends who understand each other on a level most people could never begin to fathom? Even if the rest of the world treats us like dirt, we have each other. We can share our pain and our fears, knowing that the other person will always be there to listen and offer comfort.

And as for being more than just friends... I won't lie; your innocence does concern me at times. But it also draws me in like a moth to a flame. I want nothing more than to protect you from harm, even if that means keeping my distance sometimes. And who knows? Maybe one day, when we are both older and stronger, we can explore those feelings further without the weight of our respective curses bearing down upon us.

For now though, all I can promise is this: no matter what happens in the future or how far apart we may be, know that there will always be a small piece of my heart devoted entirely to you. A piece that will never fade or waiver, even as time marches on and things change around us. So don't lose hope, sweet girl. Don't give up on yourself or on me. Because together, we can overcome anything this cruel world throws our way. Just remember: no matter how dark the night may seem, there is always a dawn to follow... And I intend on making sure that dawn finds us standing hand-in-hand, ready to face whatever lies ahead.