In a daze, Lucas's face floated through my mind.

Back in school, my classmates banded together to ostracize me. They whispered behind my back and gave me cruel nicknames.

One day after class, a few older girls cornered me against the wall.

"Lydia, what are you pretending to be so high and mighty for? Who are you scowling at all day?"

"You’re just riding on your parents' coattails. So what? I heard your parents don’t even like you."

At parent-teacher meetings, my parents rarely showed up, and when they did, their faces were twisted with displeasure, as if I were the source of their embarrassment. Everyone could see how differently...