When Richard’s parents moved to a new city mid-school, he had to change schools.

As a quiet and shy teenager, he struggled to fit in with his classmates. All his friendships had long since formed, and a new face seemed irrelevant. Richard thus became an easy target for constant ridicule and bullying.

The years passed, but attitudes toward him remained relatively unchanged. Then, unnoticed, prom approached—an event that almost every high school student dreams of.

Richard also wanted to invite three girls to the prom and decided to ask them all at once—not for bragging rights, but in the hope that at least one would accept, and he wouldn’t be alone.

He approached Millie, a kind and sympathetic girl, first. She was genuinely surprised by his invitation, and although her heart told her to accept, her fear of losing her status at school kept her from saying yes.

The other two girls also turned him down, and rumors of his advances quickly spread throughout the school. The next day, a group of bullies had already prepared a whole series of taunts to ruin Richard’s life completely. But it was then that he missed class for the first time in a long time. This alarmed even those who usually made fun of him.

Knowing of his fascination with technology, the students decided to search for him on various forums. There, one of the students, Shirley, stumbled upon a post by a young man worried about rejection before prom. She replied to him under a fake name, initially to make sure it was him, but the correspondence unexpectedly captivated her.

After a few days of communication, she was already dreaming of meeting this mysterious interlocutor. They agreed to meet in the park at noon. Shirley waited for him for two hours, but he never showed. And when she got home, a message was waiting for her:

“Shirley, I know who you are. I’m Richard. Don’t look for me. I’m not coming back to school.”

Shirley grew increasingly anxious: would he show up for prom? The evening of the ball arrived. The kids were enjoying themselves, as if the incident had been forgotten. Only Shirley couldn’t stop thinking about him.

And suddenly, an expensive sports car pulled up to the school. When Richard stepped out, the entire hall was stunned. But even more striking was the fact that he had come with his grandmother.

Something about his gesture was touching and noble, and the kids’ attitude toward him instantly changed. Throughout the evening, he and his grandmother were treated with respect, and Shirley could hardly hold back tears of relief.

After dancing with his grandmother, Richard approached Shirley and asked her to slow dance. They talked for a long time, and he admitted that he deeply regretted his disappearance.

After a few dates, they became a couple.

Richard not only found love but also unexpectedly became one of the most respected students in school – thanks to his kind heart and honesty.