Leo was just another regular high school kid—slim, good-looking, with a hint of muscle… but not too much. Tonight, he wore a pink polo shirt, black jogger pants, and a pair of squeaky-clean sneakers. His hair was sharp and clean-cut, catching the glow of the streetlights.
It was a restless night in Brooklyn City. The streets buzzed with traffic, neon lights flickered like broken promises, and Leo wandered aimlessly, as if even the sidewalk didn't care if he existed.
"Damn," he muttered to himself. "Yesterday I was on stage, winning that Outstanding Student Role Model award, giving a speech in front of the whole school. And today? They just straight-up kicked me out. Expelled. Unbelievable."
He shook his head and kept walking. People brushed past him, not giving him so much as a glance. He felt like a speck of dust—small, invisible, and absolutely irrelevant.
The Letter
Leo's mind replayed the moment everything started to spiral.
Earlier that day, around noon, he'd opened his locker and found a letter—more precisely, a love letter. The envelope had a pink heart drawn on it with his name, "Leo," written on top. He looked left, looked right, made sure no one was watching, then carefully tore it open.
The words inside were so soft and sweet, they almost looked like they were written in perfume.
"Dear Leo," it read. "I'm just an ordinary girl—quiet, shy, low-key, but beautiful. I've been secretly watching you from a distance for a while now. Today, I finally gathered the courage to tell you how I feel. After class today, at 4 p.m., can we meet on the school track field?"
Waiting
By 3:30 p.m., Leo was already at the track field, standing alone. His heart felt light but jittery, dreamy but nervous—like his first love was about to drop out of the sky. Judging by her handwriting, Leo imagined she must be the kind of girl who looked like a scene straight out of a romance movie—long silky hair flowing in the breeze, a crisp white blouse hugging her figure, a short black skirt showing just enough leg to make his heart race, and soft red lips slightly parted as if waiting for a kiss.
Leaning against a lamppost, he scrolled his phone while sneaking glances at everyone who walked by. Some students jogged around the track. A few elderly people walked their dogs.
Not far away, a chubby guy leaned against another lamppost, also glued to his phone.
The guy had long hair brushing his ears, a big nose dotted with visible blackheads, tiny squinty eyes, and an oversized mouth. His lips were puffy, like someone had stuffed sausages under his skin. He wore a pink polo shirt, shorts, and sneakers—almost identical to Leo's outfit.
Weird… he's not good-looking, but he seems to know how to dress, Leo thought. Personally, Leo had a thing for pink outfits. If we were in the same class, maybe we could even be friends.
The Confession
Time ticked closer to 4 p.m., and Leo's nerves went off like alarms. What should I say when I see her? "Hey, how's it going?" No, too casual. "Hi, how do you do?" Ugh, too stiff.
His brain kept tossing out terrible opening lines. Then he started daydreaming—holding hands with her, watching movies, having dinner dates, checking into hotels, having kids, growing old together. The whole scene played out in his head like a cheesy romantic movie trailer.
But before he could overthink more, the long-haired guy walked toward him.
"Hey, you're here early," the guy said.
Leo froze. Wait, what? Why is he talking to me?
"Uh, excuse me… who are you?" Leo asked.
The guy smiled shyly. "Oh, I'm Betty. I'm the one who wrote you the love letter. I've had a crush on you for a long time."
Leo stared at him head to toe. Say what? Is this a prank?
Then he noticed something—this guy's chest… it was, well, huge. Way too big for a guy. And not the elegant, pretty kind of big, but the awkward, over-the-top kind of big—so big that even for a girl. Honestly, it looked uncomfortable—and kinda gross.
Oh no… don't tell me… he's actually a girl who just happens to look like a guy?
The Wrong Answer
Leo's whole body tensed. He stared at her, speechless, while she lowered her head, her face turning red, and her hands nervously twisting the hem of her shirt.
"Leo," she said softly, "I… I like you. Will you go out with me?"
Leo panicked, and the words shot out of his mouth in less than a tenth of a second. "Uh… I don't know how to say this, but I have to decline politely."
As the words left his mouth, he felt they were too blunt. He tried to soften it, thinking, Maybe I can say something nice, calm her down…
But Betty didn't give him the chance.
Betty Loses It
"YOU BASTARD!" she shouted. "No guy has ever dared to reject me! You wanna die?"
Before he could react, Betty grabbed Leo by the collar with both hands and hoisted him off the ground. His legs kicked wildly in the air, looking ridiculously cartoonish—like he was jogging in midair.
"Hey! Whoa, easy!" Leo struggled. "Put me down, alright? No need to get all physical!"
Betty's eyes burned. "You know… in our school… that guy we call Pighead? He used to be a pretty handsome dude. But two years ago, he rejected me. I beat him so bad he's now a pig-faced freak. No girl even looks at him now!"
Leo's stomach dropped. He was so scared he almost wet his pants.
"Betty, hey—let's talk, okay? We can work this out. Just… put me down. I think you're actually… kinda cute. Your confession just caught me off guard, that's all. I was… afraid you might be, you know, a player or something like that."
Betty's expression softened. A smile crept back onto her face. She gently lowered him to the ground.
"So… does this mean you'll be my boyfriend?" she asked sweetly.
Leo took advantage of that one split second. He grabbed her shoulders, drove his knee straight into her stomach—bam!
Betty doubled over, foam on her lips, gasping for air.
Leo didn't wait. He turned and ran like hell, not looking back.
Expulsion
By 6 p.m., Leo was officially expelled.
The reason? "Sexual harassment of a female student."
The principal who signed the paperwork? Betty's father.
A New Beginning?
Back on the streets, Leo sighed and muttered, "Guess being handsome is a crime these days…"
He walked aimlessly. What now? My school life's over. I'm basically thrown into the real world. I need to find something to do, make some money.
Then an idea hit him—Should I… join a gang?
As if the universe was listening, he spotted a flyer stuck on a telecom pole nearby. It was a gang recruitment ad, written in messy, wild hand-drawn letters, like something out of an old crime movie.
Leo squinted at it. Maybe this is how my new life starts…