A white puff of moist air escaped Kane’s lips as he stood at the school gate. The teens that were leaving all stared at him and whispered as they walked by. He had no idea what they were saying, nor did he care. He was more concerned as to what was taking Stacey so long. 

He turned and looked towards the school to see a bubbly girl racing towards him. “Brother!” Her loud yell caused everyone there to turn and look at her. Their gazes went from the girl to the boy who was at the gates. 

Kane felt the gazes on him and let out a dry chuckle. These were the kinds of looks he would need to get used to. And, in fact, it was not too bad for training. When he finally got to stand on stage and get to sing, he would need to get used to the audience’s gazes on him. He would be the central figure that would be the focus of the stage. This was what it meant to be a star. To be in the limelight and be the center of attention.

Stacey ran right up to Kane and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a hug. “You really came.” She whispered softly. She had been worried that Kane would not show up. Although he kept his promise in the morning, she still couldn’t keep herself from worrying.

“Hmmm…. Brother, huh?” a voice came from behind Stacey, causing her to tense up. She turned and looked at the blue-haired girl. “Jackie, this is my brother Kane.”

“Hmmm… Didn’t you say he was your huuu—oooff!” Jackie held her stomach and gritted her teeth. She had forgotten that this little girl liked to get violent. “Did you need to hit me!?”

    “I had to make sure you didn’t say anything unnecessary,” Stacey replied with a sweet smile. 

“Anyway, we need to get going. I need to get to work.” Stacey hooked her arm with Kane’s and began pulling him away. Kane was unsure of what just happened and had no idea what to say in this situation. He could only let Stacey pull him away.

Jackie looked at Stacey’s retreating back as she stood up. The pain in her stomach had subsided a bit, and a smile appeared on her face. She had not seen her friend smiling this happily in a long time. But she wondered if Stacey was being played with. She had been friends with Stacey since middle school and knew Stacey’s life was hard. She had tried to help the girl as much as possible, but there was not much she could do. She could not live with Stacey and help the girl forget about her loneliness. 

She knew Stacey was the type to hide her emotions and show the world her energetic side but deep down; she was very lonely. Her mother always worked, and she hardly got to see her. She even worked after school almost every day to try to help her mother out. 

Jackie had heard Stacey many times say she was thinking about quitting school to work full-time to help her mother out more. She was worried that her mother was working herself into an early grave. Jackie, at the time, could only do her best to talk her out of it, saying that if she did quit, her mother would not be happy. After all, her mother was working hard so she could go to a good school and get a good education.

So now, seeing a new person suddenly showing up, Jakie did not know if this ‘Brother’ of her best friend was actually someone who was just leading Stacey around. Jackie placed her finger on her chin before nodding her head. “I will need to investigate this ‘Brother’.” With this thought in mind, Jackie hurried to catch up to the two from a distance.

“Hehe!” Stacey was in a very good mood. All her worries were now gone, now that Kane was here. 

“Did you have a good day at school?” Kane asked. He did not know what else to ask, so he could only ask this.

“School is school. There is no good days or bad day. But…. My day is good now since Brother is here.” Stacey replied.

“I said I would be. Oh, right, you have a day off from work tomorrow, so you will need to wait for me to get off work after I pick you up from school. I will then take you to my house. I talked to your mother already about this.” Kane had forgotten he had mentioned this to Stacey’s mother, and she agreed.

“Okay!” Stacey’s eyes lit up. She couldn’t wait to see where Kane lived.

“Ah, right, don’t get your hopes up too much. My home is not all that much bigger than yours.” Kane did not want the girl to think he was living in a big house or anything.

Stacey rolled her eyes. “That is not why I am excited. Just seeing the place you live is exciting. To grow up to be the person you are, shows that your surroundings must have good role models, no?”

“I am not sure about my surroundings, but my role models are very good,” Kane replied. His father and mother had taught him well. Sadly they left so early in life. But he still had two good ones at home. His grandparents were people he also looked up to. They were kind and caring and scolded him when he did things he should not. He loved them both dearly.

“See! This is what I want to see.” Stacey replied. “Come, we need to hurry, or we will be late.” Stacey slipped her fingers in between Kane’s and held his hand as she pulled him along. Kane had no choice but to be led forward as he watched the girl run. 

Life was always full of twists and turns. He was once thinking of doing nothing but work. But now, here he was. Working hard not only to support his grandparents but also to follow his dream. He even got a younger sister as well in the process. He hoped his life would continue to change for the better and that he would be able to continue forward on the path he had long dreamt of.