The rose that bloomed in winter

I was born on a cold winter night, it has been snowing almost every day that winter but despite the grim weather, it was a joyful time. The cold war has just ended and with it, all the fears and worries that plagued people's minds for years were gone.
I wish I was born in a less hopeful time perhaps then  I could have blamed my curse on it being a byproduct of the era. I could have shared my misery with the world. I could have died somewhere fighting someone's else pitiful war. 

The very moment this thought ran through my head a powerful kick made contact with my face sending me flying to the ground. A sharp pain vibrated through my body.
I lifted my gaze to the person who left an imprint of their shoes on my face and glared at him.
'' Ha? What's with that look? '' A tall person sporting distinctive red hair spoke as he glared back at me.
'' Ugh, hit him again Dean. I can't stand being looked at with those disgusting eyes '' A slightly short person with rimeless glasses added as he gave me a disgusted look.
'' Kahn! What gives you the right to order me around? If you want to smack him so badly then do it yourself '' Dean replied as he glared at his specky ''friend''. 
''S-Sorry, I-I didn't mean anything by it '' Kahn quickly spoke as he looked away.
''Deanyyy babe, listen! The other day when I bent down to tie my shoes I saw him trying to look up my skirt ''  The girl who was watching this situation unfold suddenly decided to take part in the conversation. A girl with long brown hair and bags under her eyes. Her name is Lily and I most certainly never sexually thought of her. Not only are her looks pretty average but she packs as much sexual allure as a newly constructed brick wall. No, saying that would be unfair to the wall.

'' Huh? You did what ? '' soon after uttering those words, Dean lifted his leg and kicked me right in the stomach.
I groaned in pain as I held my body.
''People like you disgust me!  '' Dean then spat on me.  

You're probably wondering why I didn't say anything. Why didn't I defend myself if I was so innocent? If I didn't look up his girlfriend's skirt why didn't I say something? 
The answer is simple ''It's pointless ''.
Anyone with half a brain knows that I'm innocent, I barely lift my eyes from the ground when I'm around people. Even though this is my second year in high school I barely know anyone's face. How would I even have the courage to check out someone from the opposite sex?
No, she's lying. Even Dean knows she's lying. He just wanted an excuse to hit me. You see humans are horrible creatures, they do so many horrible things but at the end of the day, they don't want to admit that so they look for any kind of excuse to justify their actions.
When did you ever hear someone tell you that they are not a good person?  
I'm not talking about girls fishing for compliments, I'm talking about someone genuinely admitting that they are horrible human beings.
Even you right now probably believe that you are a good person or at least a good person who had the misfortune of doing some bad things.
''Uh, whatever...It doesn't matter anymore '' After Dean and his lackeys left, I stood up on my feet, wiped the blood from my upper lift, and went back to class.

Upon entering my classroom, everyone's attention was briefly fixated on my battered face before they went back to their business like nothing ever happened.

Indeed for them, this is just a daily occurrence no different than anything they've grown accustomed to them.

I sat back on my desk and took out my textbook. I could hear the girl sitting next to me getting visibly upset now that I was in her line of sight but it was not my fault. desks are assigned randomly each month, I didn't choose to sit here.
Minutes later, the teacher arrived and started checking attendance. The moment he called out my name I lifted my hand.
'' Sinary! What happened to your face? '' The teacher asked with a stern look on his face.

'' Sorry, I fell down the stairs '' I replied in a barely audible voice.  

'' I see,  make sure to see the nurse after class '' The teacher then continued taking attendance.
I could hear a few girls sitting in front of me whispering stuff like '' It's not like it looks any worse than usual '', and'' When the teacher asked him he should have said being born haha ''.

I was brought to this world with what the doctors called '' a minor facial deformity ''. It isn't anything life-threatening nor does it affect my health but that didn't stop it from fucking up my life or at least make it so insufferable that I often questioned the very reason I was alive.

Before I realized it the early classes were over and it was now ''lunch time''. I had a very important thing to do right now so I stood up on my feet and head out.
But before I could leave,  a certain person stood in front of me, my eyes were glued to the floor as always but from the look of their shoes, it appeared to be a girl.
'' U-Uh, excuse me '' The girl spoke with a slight tremor in her voice.
'' I-I was asked to hand tomorrow's homework to everyone'' The girl spoke as she handed me some papers. The moment I reached out my hand, the girl suddenly let go and the paper fell to the floor.
''S-Sorry..'' the girl added.
I bent down and picked them out but the moment I stood up, the girl was gone. 

I shoved the papers in my bag and continued moving along.

A few minutes later  I arrived at my destination. The school's rooftop, a place students aren't allowed to access, not that they want to anyway. You see, my school is near the sea,  so seagulls would hang around here a lot and more often than not treat the rooftops as their little public bathroom.
Staying here for long will guarantee you to be showered with bird feces. Not a shower most people will appreciate. But that doesn't matter to me, I won't be here for long.

I looked around me, the rooftop was empty as expected. I lowered my bag and approached the guardrail.
The cold winter air suddenly hit my senses thus bringing me back to reality.
You probably figured out what I'm here to do but don't get it wrong, I'm not some tragic person or someone seeking attention.
Most people in my position either do it as a cry to help or in the heat of the moment. I'm neither. I have been researching this for months, I even picked the perfect spot that guarantees a perfect end so please don't go painting me as some sad loser driven by his emotions and despair. I assure you, I'm perfectly rational.
I climbed over the guardrails and stared at the view below. Everyone is busy ordering food at the cafeteria so the school yard below is practically empty.
I took multiple long breaths to calm myself, I just need to let go. I just need to close my eyes and let it happen. If I do so gravity will do the rest and my mission will be accomplished.
Come on, be brave. Everything will be okay, just be brave.

'' If you have no more need of your life, can I have it instead? '' A sudden voice echoed from behind me. I quickly turned around just to be greeted by a girl with long pink hair.
''Huh ? '' confused by her sudden appearance I let out a surprised sound.
'' You're trying to kill yourself, aren't you? This view might be pretty but it's not worth climbing over the fence for it '' The pink hair spoke with a bored expression on her face as she leaned on the guardrail next to me. 
''W-Who are you? '' I quickly addressed the weird girl.
'' Why does it matter? If you're ending your existence, does my name really matter? '' The pink hair girl spoke as she gazed at the view in front of us.
'' It's such a pain. Humans live such short existence yet every day thousands of you decide to throw your life away. If you don't need it then why not give it to me instead '' The pink hair girl added with the same bored expression on her face.
''W-What are you talking about? '' I quickly raised my voice as my confusion grew by the second.
The pink hair girl then turned to face me and smiled.

***************************************************

That was the first time I met her. Back then I thought she was just a weirdo with an even weirder sense of humor but even back then when we were staring at each other, I...I felt an immense joy deep within my heart.
That was the first time someone looked at me ...The first time someone didn't flinch when I looked back at them ...The first time someone ever smiled at me.