And there I was, out the door again, walking through the streets of my town like any other normal day. The trees swayed in the wind as the gaps of sunlight leaked through the leaves and illuminated the sidewalk.

     The neighborhood stray cat came and walked next to me, full of pride to be alive once again. So was I, for today was special; it was my birthday. I felt a shiver go down my spine as the clouds blocked the way of the sun, crossing paths as if they lived near each other in the sky. It made me wish to go climb a mountain just to see the sky up close.

     I tugged at the hem of my lightweight coat, keeping me warm on that December day. I just loved the color. Turning the corner, I came upon the bus stop, where I would have waited if I hadn't gotten a head start that morning, for I decided to walk to school with my best friend, Kari.

     Kari was popular, yet nice and not shallow, like other people who promoted themselves as better. The school had chosen their queen, and everyone who opposed her had to live with it. On the other hand, I hid in her shadow when she let me, though she tried to force me out of my shell. That was the part I was plenty opposed to. Nevertheless, I met her at the corner like I did when I didn't take the bus to school.

     "(Y/n)! Get over here!" she waved to me from up the sidewalk, her rich brown skin glowed in the morning sun.

     Kari's eyes were kind, and her coiled hair was braided and pinned on top of her head into two space buns. She loved wearing bright colors and didn't let anyone put her in a box for her clothing, makeup, or status as the popular, pretty, smart, spring-fling queen.

     "Hi Kari," I greeted almost sarcastically because of her extra spunky demeanor. If she was excised, that was never good... for me. "Why are you so excited?"

     "Oh, (Y/n). Poor, innocent, nieve (Y/n)," her narrowed eyes and cunning grin could only mean one thing; that girl had a plan, and I was the test subject. "You won't BELIEVE what I came across yesterday."

     "Yes?" I asked nervously as I came in closer.

     "Guess what I found at the store yesterday?" she whispered, and it sounded more like she was teasing me. Kari held up a novel with a blue cover and silver trim. The book was the latest edition in a series I was reading. It was popular, but not even hardcover, high quality, hard to get, insanely gripping novels couldn't get past Kari.

     "No, you didn't." my jaw dropped as I thought of reading the newest book in the series. "How did you get it!?"

     "The book store downtown stocked up just yesterday!" my best friend mused as she yanked my hand, pulling me forward. "Come on, we have to go to school now!"

     I blushed at her gesture of kindness. If there was a prize for best friend, Kari would win every time.

-

     Lunch came sooner than I realized and I was sitting at the same lunch table with the other popular girl, Sadie. She was Kari's other friend and kind of an airhead who was obsessed with makeup. She wasn't mean in the slightest. In fact, I doubt she could insult. Though, her cute, airhead demeanor made her popular just for being herself.

     She had black silky hair with beach blond highlights and the most vibrant turquoise eyeshadow that school would ever see. Her tan skin and dark eyes really brought out her Latina side. Everyone took poor Sadie for granted, but in Kari's group, everyone was there for a reason and we left no one behind.

     "So, (Y/n)?" Sadie leaned in. "What are we gonna do at your Birthday Sleepover this weekend?"

     You see, my birthday fell on a Wednesday that year, and I couldn't have a sleepover on a school night. So, I moved it to Saturday night.

     "I don't know. I was thinking we could watch some movies or play some sleepover games," I spat out random ideas. In all honestly, I forgot I was having a sleepover, for I had been so caught up in homework.

     "Oh, come on. Let's not be basic about it," Kari proceeded to pull out a notebook and titled a random page "(Y/n) Sleepover Ideas." "Now, we should go out and do something! Any ideas?"

     "I say Starbucks!" declared Sadie, for that was probably her favorite place on Earth. Kari and I both gave her 'the look.'

     "You just think the barista is hot." I was the first to point out her weaknesses; lattes and hot guys.

     "Is that WRONG?" Sadie took a large bite of her burger.

     "No, it's just kind of predictable," I gave her a sympathetic smile paired with a sarcastic comment; my classic power duo for verbal combat.

     "No fighting, besties. (Y/n) you know we don't tolerate shaming others' interests..." she paused, and I could see the wheels turning in her head. "Except..."

     Kari narrowed her eyes and I could only imagine what would come out of her mouth next. "Except what?"

     "Except... if you tell us who you like," Kari narrowed her eyes and the two girls exchanged evil glances. I was in trouble now.

     "Tell us, (Y/n)," Sadie had the same mischievous look on her face. Sure, Sadie was an airhead, but that didn't mean she was 50% dense and 50% percent stupid.

     My gaze darted behind Sadie, who was sitting across from me, to look at Issac. Unknown to me, Kari and Sadie followed my gaze and caught me red-handed. I was still staring at him for a few seconds as Sadie and Kari devised a plan. I swear, it's like they can read each other's minds.

     The boy I was staring at had pale skin and black hair that puffed at the ends just a little. His eyes were brick brown and could have been mistaken for red in the right lighting. He might have had an emo-inspired appearance, but he acted more like a prince. Then I looked back at my friends, who I could tell were plotting against me.

     "Guys?" I broke the stimulating silence that floated over our table like a storm cloud blocking the sun. "Please don't do what I think you're going to do."

     "Oh, (Y/n). Poor, innocent, nieve (Y/n)," Kari mused and a part of me died.

     The next thing I knew, Kari and Sadie were practically dragging me across the lunchroom to approach Issac's group. Don't get me wrong, I had always wanted to talk to him, but was it too much to ask that he approach me first?

     That's when it happened! Some kid's lunch tray flew across the room... and ruined Sadie's appearance. The lunchroom was so silent, even god stood impressed.

     "FOOD FIGHT!!!" some kid at a table nearby yelled, and all chaos broke loose. It was like opening Pandora's box... but with a lot of kids and a lot of wasted food. So, what did I do in this situation? Simple, I ran for the nearest trashcan and used the lid as a shield. I hid behind the trashcan as I spotted Kari and Sadie flip our table on its side. Dashing over, I attempted to avoid any an all food, because you don't mess with me and my new jeans-

     I thought too soon and looked down to see my new jeans covered in ketchup. REALLY? I wasn't one to worry about clothing, but those jeans were a MAJOR exception!

     "Hey, guys? Are we gonna get in trouble?" I asked, after sprinting the rest of my way to the table. "I really don't wanna get suspended for something we didn't start!"

     "That depends," Kari threw a small container of green beans at some kids peaking up from their flipped-over table nearby. A direct hit! "Can they fit the entire grade in detention?"

     That's when I peaked up from our table a little, spying Issac and his friends rushing across the lunchroom. What the heck were they doing in the kill zone?! Did they have a death wish or something? That's when I noticed that their table had been taken over by another friend group.

     It was the chance I had been waiting for, for lady luck had favored me greatly. "HEY, YOU GUYS! OVER HERE!!!"

     I waved my hand in the air, catching their attention. As they ran over, my heart skipped a beat. Had I really just done that??? Kari and Sadie looked at me like I had won the lottery and we all started quietly squealing for the next two seconds.

     The next thing I knew, Issac's entire gang was squatting down behind the table with us, food in hand and ready to fight.

-

     Issac and I somehow ended up walking home together, becoming friends, and uniting out tables under my act of kindness. We were all the popular kids now, living in our own little bubble. My birthday had ended up more perfect than I could ever dream. I walked back to my house, greeting the neighborhood cat as I went, and unlocked the door.

     My house was pretty old, as it was first built in the late fifty's. But that didn't stop it from making me feel safe whenever I was in my room, all alone, reading novels and drawing. The interior of the house was dark and quiet, which was out of the ordinary, for Dad would usually be home from work by this time. Mom usually had to work the late shift, so her absence was understandable. I didn't have any siblings either. "Hello? I'm home!"

     Silence.

     I walked over to the light switch, flicking it on and-

     "SUPRISE!" I almost screamed, for Mom and Dad jumped out from behind the couch and scared me to death. "Happy birthday, (Y/n)!"

     My eyes widened at the sight of my parents, holding a cake and surprising me out of the goodness of their hearts. There were so many good people in my life that loved me and had the heart to care if it was my birthday.

     "Blow out the candles!"

     'I wish that I could give someone the love that has been given to me...'

     Later that evening, I sat on my bed. I had just finished getting ready for bed and it was finally time to start my new book Kari had bought me! My hands smoothed out the first page feeling the freshly printed paper under my fingertips. Despite having what was probably the best day of my life, I seriously needed to recharge before going back to school the next day.

     My eyes found their way to the first line as a strong wind blew in from the open window. I looked out into the sky as something way out there caught my attention. A bird maybe, but I couldn't exactly tell. It flew in front of my view of the moon, letting me see its silhouette in the late evening light.

     It could have been a bird, but there was something odd about the free-spirited way it flew through the air. There was something mysterious and maybe even magical about it. It seemed vague, yet perfect in the oddest sense of the word. There was something inside me that wanted to know what it was.

     It was almost familiar to me...

(AN: Pick ur favorite angel ending time!!! 

Also stick around afterward because I'm gonna be showing more fanart, giving shout-outs, talking about Atë, and even hosting a Q and A featuring Kari and Sadie!

Also, in this chapter, I added some references to things from the Goddess of Bad Luck. (It was like 4 different things.) If you caught the references, comment and let me know. Thank u all for sticking around!!!)