Every single day, when I walked into my school and tried to get to each class without being pushed into lockers, having sodas purposely spilled onto my books and binders, and being tripped, I never said a word. Every single day, when a preppy girl on a dare would run up to me and tell me how much she loved me and that we had to date, I pushed her away and tried to find the closest place to hide.

The school was breeding ground for assholes - grade A, lowlife assholes. Even the walk to and from school gave me the chance to experience how assinine these people were. Everyone says that everyone in high school gets picked on at one time or another. Count how many days of school there are. Now, with that number, think about a single block of six hours within each of those days.

Every single day of the school year for six hours, I was pushed around. I was pushed around by the popular kids, the jocks - I was rejected by your local group of rejects you'll see hanging out at your school together. Anyone who would have cared about what was going on with me did not go to that school. I looked for a friend, but I knew it was useless - but I still did look for someone who cared about me.

Even the "non-conformists" wouldn't consider me to be a friend. Why? Their answer: "Because you're a loser." That was the answer I heard from everyone.

What the hell did I do to make myself all of the sudden a loser? I never hated anyone at that school until they hated me. I barely spoke. I didn't bother other people. I was a hermit forced into a group of two thousand fuckers. I thought I would go by unnoticed.

Well, that was almost true. I was noticed when someone wanted to make fun of me or beat me up. But I was also noticed by someone else, who, when I passed by her, I didn't see - because my head was always down. But the day that I did notice her for the first time for who she really was is the day that I, and all those in the world who would hear about it, would never forget.

It was Thursday afternoon. After my shoes were spit on and my backpack had been raided a few times, I was walking through an area near lockers, looking to make sure I didn't see anyone who would push me into them. I was passing by the small theater the school had, when I heard someone very softly say my name.

I turned around slowly and looked towards the theater door. It was open, and I saw a girl there looking at me.

"Come here for a second?" she asked.

When she talked, I thought she was pulling a trick. Each time I was asked to come into any room, there were jocks there, or whoever claimed me as their beating of the day, ready to slam me into the wall or steal anything they could off of me just to force me to be without it.

I shook my head at her, and I turned around. But I heard her talk again.

"I swear, no one's here but me. No one will beat you up. I know that's what you have to be thinking, I've seen what happens to you," she said.

I turned around and walked back towards her. I quickly stuck my head in the theater and looked over the corner. As she had said, there was no one else there. I didn't see anyone under or behind any seats either.

"Okay," I said, then pulling my head back and looking at her. She stepped back into the theater and waited for me to walk in. When I stepped in, I saw it was dark in the theater, but light enough so that I could see if anyone was hiding in there.

"I told you, no one's in here," she said. I looked at her, and I asked her, "What did you want me to come in here for?" She looked down slightly, like she was preparing to say something. When she looked back up, she sighed before speaking.

"I don't like the way people are treating you," she said. I wanted to roll my eyes and tell her that was stupid, but I felt like something stabbed me in the throat when I realized that she was someone that really cared.

"I don't like the way they trip you on your way to class, I don't like it when they hit you. But I wanted you to know, I like you. I like you a lot," she said, moving her foot nervously. When she looked at me directly, I saw a smile on her face.

And then I thought it was a joke.

"Very funny joke, you really did have me there. Good job," I said angrily, then turning quickly to leave. She grabbed my arm.

"Wait, I'm not joking! I like you a lot, and I mean a lot, and I wanted you to know that!" she said desperately.

I remembered all of the other times preppy girls would say that they liked me in the same tone of voice that she had used. I continued to walk, and I muttered, "No, you don't."

I knew she had heard me. I didn't bother to stop and tell her off. As I was about to exit the theater, I heard her speak again.

"You might not believe me now, but believe me, I will prove it to you, tell me whatever you want and I'll do it," she said. I stopped then and turned around with a grin on my face.

"You want to know what you can do to make me believe that you like me?" I asked. She nodded quickly. I laughed as I said, "Kill everybody in the school, I'll believe you then."

That's when I left the theater and walked out of the school, turning down the road and going home. I didn't think about what I had said to that girl.

The best way to get someone to leave you alone is to ask them to do something impossible. Killing off everybody in the school - the students, the teachers, the people working the office - was impossible, right?

I thought so. But then Friday came.

I sat in my first period classroom, and an announcement came on over the intercom. It was the voice of the football couch.

"Good morning, students, and congratulations to our sports teams, who, in each of their specific teams, have come in as first in the state!"

Some of the people in the class yelled "Yeah!" and clapped. I put my hands over the back of my head and looked down.

"To congratulate our school on it's amazing success, today, we are handing out free ice cream to everyone in class, the first of our five series of Free Ice Cream Fridays! Ice cream will be served to you in your second period class and throughout lunch today! Have a great day students, and congratulations to our sports teams!"

As the announcement ended, the bell rang for second period. Everyone in the class cheered and clapped, and everyone rushed as quickly to their second period classes as possible. I slowly made my way to my next class, taking the long way to avoid everyone.

As I was near the door of my class, I saw the girl who had told me she "liked" me. She smiled at me, and she came towards me.

"I'll prove it, just like how you asked," she said. I rolled my eyes. "I doubt it," I said. Her smile spread farther across her face. "When it's done with, come out to the theater, okay?" she asked with a happily sound to her voice. "When what's done?" I asked.

Before she could answer, the bell rang. She laughed, and said, "You'll see soon." She turned away from me and walked across the basketball courts to go to her class.

I walked into my class and sat down. I saw my teacher standing up in front of the class with a large box of ice cream in his hands.

"Okay, does anyone want to pass this out?" he asked. "I will!" a high- pitched, annoying voice yelled. I saw the cheerleading captain jump up out of her seat and literally skip towards the front of the class room, jerking her head from side to side to have her long hair that was in a ponytail sway back and forth.

She picked up the box and went walking through the rows of chairs, opening the box and allowing the students to pick up whatever kind of ice cream they wanted. When they had chosen one, she moved along to the next person.

When she came near me, she looked and me and rolled her eyes. Once the person next to me had taken one, she passed me by and went up to my teacher's desk, saying, "Okay, I've passed them all out!"

I felt my blood boil. No, not because I didn't get any ice cream. Fuck the ice cream. Like I said earlier. They deprived me of things just to force me to be without it. I put my head in my hands, and I stared down at the floor.

For fifteen minutes after the ice cream was served, there was non-stop chattering. Sometimes there was a loud laugh that would eventually spread across the classroom.

Sixteen minutes after the ice cream was served, my teacher, in the middle of speaking, seemed to be choking. My eyes widened as I watched students rush towards him to try and help him. He collasped to the ground.

It started slowly, but soon, everyone in the class seemed to be choking. And one by one, they collasped. Each that were choking had their hands around their throats, had their faces turning red, and tried to keep themselves from falling.

I stayed seated, watching as this happened. I stayed still, not knowing what would happen if I was to rush outside.

There was loud thuds as people dropped to the floor that sent chills up my spine, and then, finally, there was absolutely silence, which sent chills through my entire body.

I was the only one that wasn't on the floor.

But I then stood up, and I rushed outside now, feeling the wrappers from the ice cream being crushed under my feet. I ran to the class next door, and I opened the door. I saw everyone on the ground there. No one was moving. I ran to various classes, looking in, and seeing everyone on the floor.

I ran out to the office. I heard the phone ringing, and I saw the receptionist leaned back in her chair, with her eyes and mouth wide open. I could see parts of the ice cream still in her mouth. I saw the wrapper on her desk. I turned my head and saw the school nurse lying on the ground near a wrapper. I tried to wake her up, but she was limp. I jumped back as the thought of those in the office being dead.

I then ran outside into the basketball courts, panting for breath as my heart beat rapidly. I was scared to death. Everybody in the school was lying on the ground. Everybody in the school was dead. Everybody - the students, the teachers, and the people working in the office.

Suddenly, everything from the day before rushed into my head. I remembered saying to the girl, "Kill everybody in the school, I'll believe you then."

My jaw dropped open, and my heart stopped. It came to me then. But it was impossible...

I remembered her telling me to meet her in the theater "when it was done with". I ran towards the theater, and when I ran through the door, I saw people lying on the stage dead.

I looked out through the audience, and I saw one person sitting there. She turned her head, and I saw it was the girl that had told me she liked me. She saw me, and she stood up and came to me.

"What, I mean, did you do that?" I whispered. She nodded. "How?" I asked. "I knew they were going to do the ice cream thing today. A friend in the ASB office told me. I mixed my own poision. I put it into the ice cream. They couldn't even tell, could they?" she asked. "They didn't know at all," I said.

She looked down with a smile on her face, and then looked back up at me.

"Do you believe me now when I said I liked you?" she asked. I lowered my eyes and I said, "Yes. The whole school is living... well, were living proof, weren't they?" She nodded her head.

A few seconds of silence passed between us. She extended her hand out towards me. I glanced at her, and I saw she was looking at me with a smile on her face. I smiled back, and I took her hand.

And this was how I found the person who cared about me.