• "Kathleen, I have a big test in history today and I haven't read the chapter! What am I going to do? I'll fail for sure!"

    "Don't worry. Just calm down, study the chapter outline very closely, and hope for the best."

    "Kathleen, I had to put my dog down last night... What should I do to get over it?"

    "Go out with your best friend. Get some ice cream or go for a swim at the lake. Either way, keep this in mind: life won't pause to allow you time to grieve."

    My name is Kathleen. I'm seventeen, yet somehow, I don't have any friends that I know of, and I've never had a boyfriend before. People always approach me first when they need help, and I always give it to them without a second thought, always foolishly hoping that this would be the time they show their gratitude. I'm always asked things like "Kathleen, how do I do this?" or "Kathleen, what do I do in this situation", never "Kathleen, would you like to hang out with us?" or "Kathleen, how are you today?" I have just as many problems as those who come to me for help, but I have no one to go to. At least, that's what I thought before...Well, that will be revealed all in due time.

    One crisp spring day, I was walking home from school. I had removed my cotton jacket: after all, it was seventy degrees outside. I looked behind me and noticed a guy carrying a baseball bat, slowly approaching me. I pressed my textbooks against my body and walked a little bit faster. I passed by a pear tree, already in full bloom, its blossoms drifting to the ground on a cool breeze. I paused for a moment, stopping down to pick up one of the flowers and inhale its sweet fragrance. I turned around, and the guy who had been following me was right behind me, his bat held high over his head. I dropped my belongings and screamed, but it was too late to run: the man swung his bat at my head, and everything went black.

    I opened my eyes slowly, and found myself in a white room full of sweet-smelling flowers and, to my surprise, many of my classmates, a few of them with tears collecting in the corners of their eyes.

    "You've been in a coma for a month, Kat," my mother sobbed, stroking my forehead, "You're so lucky to have so many friends."

    "I don't understand," I said in bewilderment, "I thought I didn't have any friends."

    "We're all really sorry," replied a blonde-haired girl, "We didn't realize how much we cared about you until this happened. We always took your kindness for granted without giving any in return. None of us knew how much we would miss you if you died."

    My sight was blurred by a glaze of tears over my eyes. I had gone from having no friends at all to having so many friends, it made my head spin.

    "Get better soon, Kathleen," a dark-haired boy remarked, "You need to start going to school again so we can start to get to know you!"