Tao didn't consider himself to be totally unlucky, or totally unfortunate. No, he was okay. He wasn't popular, or even very sociable, but he had a few friends. He had a roof, albeit less than adequate, over his head. He had a job, and he had an education - in fact, it was his last year of high school. His friends would often look at him with worried expressions and offer him items or money, but Tao would always decline. Teachers would quietly ask if he needed advice or extra help as they returned his test papers, a gentle hand touching his back with concern. Even at work, his boss would offer him extra hours whenever possible. To everyone else, Tao's life was something to be pitied; the kinder people would speak about how brave he was in hushed tones, while the meaner people, as in, most of the population of his school, would tease and mock him in loud whispers that were surely not meant to be heard by only the person next to them. For the longest while, Tao had got on okay. He didn't like the teasing, but he had friends to cheer him up. He studied as hard as he could, and he never felt too bad when he didn't do very well - there was always another issue to be thought of. He worked diligently, and was pleased that he was able to make his own money while his friends lazed around. But it seemed that Tao had been too optimistic for too long, or at least he hadn't realised what the others already had. For him, a day was busily spent worrying about too many things, and he was never able to simply sit and think about the future like the others. His vision of the future had been clouded by the present for year upon year. It was only when his final exams began to creep closer and the prospect of attending university was brought to his attention that Tao started to realise just why everyone looked at him as though he were a lost puppy. It wasn't a nice realisation, no; it sent Tao in a downward spiral as he understood what a mess of a life he had.






 

A/N: I'm writing this now, please look forward to it  ^__^!