The Boy Everyone Loves

If popularity could buy happiness, Denzel Alexander should have been the happiest boy in the city.

He could be the happiest boy in the world At least, that is what everyone believed.

Everywhere he went, heads turned. Girls whispered.

Guys wanted to be him. Teachers praised him.

His social media was flooded with likes, comments, and admiration. To the outside world, Denzel Alexander was living a dream.

But sometimes the brightest smiles hide the darkest loneliness And nobody knew that better than Denzel.

The loud music echoed loudly through the massive Alexander mansion.

The music was echoing very loudly through the mansion. A weekend pool party was in full swing.

Students from different schools filled the backyard.

Laughter. Music. Selfies. Dancing. Everything looked perfect.

Denzel stood near the pool wearing a white designer shirt and dark sunglasses. The moment he appeared, several girls rushed toward him.

"Denzel!"

"Take a picture with me!"

"No, with me first!"

“No am the first person to reached here.”

He laughed.

"Relax, ladies. There is enough Denzel for everybody."

The girls giggled.

One of them grabbed his arm.

"You are impossible."

"And yet you still like me," he teased.

More laughter followed.

His friends watched from nearby.

"Man, your life is unfair," Kelvin said.

"Seriously," Jason agreed.

"Girls practically line up for you."

Denzel smirked.

"Not my fault I was born handsome."

Everyone burst into laughter. The jokes continued. The music got louder. The party became wilder.

Yet as Denzel looked around, something felt strangely hollow. Nobody was talking to him. Not really.

They were talking to the image everyone loved. The rich boy. The charming boy.

The popular boy. Not the real him. A strange emptiness settled in his chest.

For a moment, he felt completely disconnected from the crowd surrounding him.

Later that night, the party finally ended. The guests left.

They start leaving one by one.

They all headed back to their various destinations.

The music stopped. The laughter disappeared.

Silence filled the mansion. Denzel walked through the enormous hallways alone.

His footsteps echoed against the marble floors. The house suddenly felt too big. Too quiet. Too empty.

He entered the dining room. The long table could seat twenty people. Only one chair was occupied.

His father.

Mr. Alexander sat at the head of the table reading business documents.

He was sitting on the table reading his business documents. Without looking up, he spoke.

"Party finished?"He asked.

“You are done with the party right?”

"Yeah."Denzel replied.

"Good."

That was it. No questions. No conversation.No interest.

Denzel sat down. A maid served him dinner.

His father continued reading. After several minutes, Denzel finally spoke.

"Dad?"

"Hm?"

"How was your day?"

Mr. Alexander glanced up briefly.

He raised his head up slowly and look at him.

"Busy."

Then his eyes returned to the papers.The conversation died instantly. Denzel stared at his food.

Sometimes talking to his father felt harder than talking to strangers. His father finally spoke again.

"Your grades?"He asked.

"They are good."Denzel replied.

"They better stay good."

"I know."

"You represent this family."

Denzel nodded.

"Yes, sir."

The man returned to his work. Denzel swallowed hard.

Part of him wanted to say something.

Ask him to spend time together. Ask him to attend one of his games. Ask him if he was proud of him.

But the words never came They never did, They never came out. After a few minutes, he quietly stood up.

"I am done eating."

His father didn't look up.

"Good night."

"Good night, Dad."

As Denzel walked away, a painful thought crossed his mind. The girls at school knew more about him than his own father. And even they didn't know the real him.

The next morning, school was exactly the same. He wakes up very early in the morning preparing to go to school.

The moment Denzel stepped into the campus, students greeted him. From the school entrance gate they start greeting him.

"Morning, Denzel!"

"Bro, great party!"

"Are you coming to the football match?"

"Denzel, can I borrow your notes?"

He smiled. Joked. Laughed. Played the role everyone expected. The mask fit perfectly. Maybe too perfectly.

At lunch, his friends gathered around their usual table.

They start having their conversation together as usual.

Jason pointed toward a group of girls.

"They have been staring at you for ten minutes."

Denzel chuckled.

"Only ten?"

The table erupted with laughter.

Kelvin shook his head.

"You seriously enjoy this attention."

Denzel forced another smile.

"If I say no, would you believe me?"

You won't believe me.

"No."

"Exactly."

The conversation continued Yet his attention drifted elsewhere. Across the cafeteria. Toward a corner table. A familiar girl sat alone.

“Amara Collins.”

She sat down quietly. Quiet as always. Reading while eating lunch.

Nobody sat with her. Nobody bothered her. Nobody noticed her. Just only her sitting down alone.

For some reason, Denzel couldn't stop looking. He was staring at her. Jason followed his gaze.

"Why are you staring over there?"Jason asked.

Denzel quickly looked away.

"I am not."Denzel replied.

Am not staring at her.

"You definitely are."

Kelvin leaned forward.

"The quiet girl?"

Denzel shrugged.

"I don't know."

"What is there to know?" Jason asked.

"She barely talks."

“She is always sitting down alone.”

"Exactly."

His friends exchanged confused looks. Denzel couldn't explain it. Everyone fought for his attention.

Yet the one person who seemed completely uninterested in him somehow stood out the most.

Classes ended. Students headed home. They were all heading back to their various home.

Denzel sat alone in his car for several minutes before starting the engine. The parking lot slowly emptied.

For once, he wasn't in a hurry. His phone vibrated repeatedly. The phone keep vibrating.

Messages flooded in. Party invitations. Flirty texts. Friend requests. Dozens of notifications.

He stared at them Then locked the screen. The silence inside the car felt strangely comforting.

He leaned back in his seat.

"What am I even doing?" he whispered.

He had everything people dreamed about. Money. Popularity. Looks. Status.

Yet every day felt exactly the same. People wanted something from him. Attention. Validation. Entertainment.

Nobody seemed interested in who he really was.The realization hurt more than he wanted to admit.

For the first time in a long while, Denzel felt tired. Not physically. Emotionally. The kind of tired sleep couldn't fix then His thoughts drifted back to Amara.

The quiet girl. The invisible girl. The girl who never chased him. The girl who looked like she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders.

And somehow, she seemed more real than everyone else around him. A small frown appeared on his face.

"Why do I keep thinking about her?"

“Why did I care?”

“Why did I care so much about her?”

He didn't have an answer But he had a feeling his life was about to change.

The following morning, Denzel hurried through the crowded hallway. He keep walking faster through the hallway.

Students moved in every direction with their Books. Backpacks. Conversations. Chaos Then suddenly

Crash!

Someone slammed into him. Books scattered across the floor. Papers flew everywhere.

The papers scattered to different direction. The hallway fell silent. Denzel looked down. A familiar face stared back at him with wide, shocked eyes.

“Amara Collins.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke Then Amara quickly knelt to gather the books.

"I am sorry," she said softly.

Denzel stared at her. Something about her trembling voice made his chest tighten.

Before he could respond, one loose sheet slipped from her notebook. The sheet slipped down on the floor.

“A hospital bill.”

Denzel eyes landed on the large amount printed across the page. His expression changed instantly.

Amara saw where he was looking. Her face turned pale And in the next second, she snatched the paper away.

The hallway became painfully quiet. Denzel looked at her. Amara looked at him.

Neither knew that this accidental collision was about to change both of their lives forever.