His eighteenth birthday

Nathan just sent a message to the employer. He took a deep breath as he stood in front of the majestic house. It was his 18th birthday, but there was no time to celebrate. He had to work to earn a living and make ends meet. He was a cleaner. He didn't have anyone to fall back on.

He raised his fist to knock on the door when it suddenly swung open. Nathan's eyes widened in shock as he stared into the face of his former classmate, Dylan Blanchard. The boy who used to tease him in school, the one who made his life a living hell. And now, he was his employer.

"Nathan, what are you doing here?" Dylan's voice was cold and distant, and Nathan felt a shiver run down his spine.

"I'm here to clean." Nathan tried to keep his voice steady, but his hands shook.

Dylan's voice was filled with amusement, and he laughed loudly. "I can't believe the cleaner I hired is none other than my favorite punching bag from high school!"

Nathan felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment as Dylan called out to everyone in the house, introducing Nathan as the cleaner:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce our newest party addition - the cleaner!"

The room erupted into laughter, and Nathan felt his face flush with embarrassment. He had never been more humiliated in his life.

"The cleaner? That's just a job for a loser who can't find anything better, right?"

"The cleaner sounds like a maid, haha.”

"Ha! Look at Nathan's face! He's red as a tomato!”

Dylan's wealthy friends surrounded Nathan, laughing and pointing at him, and Nathan wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and disappear.

"Nathan, remember to clean the toilet before you head out. It's missing your touch," said Andy Vaughn with a sly smile, looking at Nathan.

Andy Vaughn is also a bully at school and is Dylan's best friend.

Every time Nathan sees Andy, his heart sinks, and fear grips him. He's still haunted by memories of Andy knocking over his lunch tray in the school canteen or locking him in the bathroom and pouring water before gym class. These incidents were even more traumatic for Nathan, as they often occurred in the bitter cold of winter. So, even as spring draws to a close and the weather begins to warm, Nathan's body still trembles at the sight of Andy.

The ridicule and sarcasm directed towards Nathan intensified as more people joined in: 

"Nathan, if I spill water on the floor again, I'll have you clean it up. Anyway, you're used to doing things like this every day."

"You should throw him a few coins. I knew he was struggling, but I didn't think he was this bad off. How did he even end up at our school?"

"Maybe he's not as poor as we thought. He must have come across some cash while cleaning the toilets! Haha!"

Each laugh felt like a sharp knife piercing his heart, leaving him wounded and exposed.

Just then, Nathan spotted his girlfriend, Hayleigh, across the room. She was arm-in-arm with another man, and they were laughing and chatting. Nathan felt a pang of hurt in his chest.

Nathan remembers the day Hayleigh walked into his life like it was yesterday.

One day, he found himself surrounded by bullies in the schoolyard, trapped in a warehouse with no way out. When he thought all was lost, Hayleigh appeared like an angel, wielding a crowbar like a superhero. She saved him from certain doom, and from that day on, he was smitten. He knew he had to make her his girl.

He made his move, approaching her, even though he didn't have much confidence. To his surprise, she agreed to be his girlfriend. They've been dating for almost a month now.

"Hayleigh!" Nathan called her name out loud. He seemed to have forgotten his current situation.

"It's a shame what happened to Nathan. He used to be just a poor boy, but now he's become a pathetic loser. If I were in his shoes, I would have taken off long ago." Dylan feigned empathy.

The people around were silent and waiting for the excellent show.

When Hayleigh saw that the person standing at the center of attention was Nathan, Hayleigh looked at Nathan as if a dumpster had suddenly rolled out in front of her. Nathan didn't see any remorse in her eyes. His voice seemed to be pressed by something, becoming weak: "Why... why you?"

Hayleigh smiles and says, "Looks like I haven't told you yet. This is my boyfriend, Declan Lawrence."

Declan has a muscular build. He looks at Nathan from above and smiles scornfully: "What right does a guy cleaning the toilet have to complain?"

As soon as he finished his words, laughter broke out again.

"You should realize reality, Nathan. You were nothing but poverty and worthlessness." Hayleigh sighed.

Declan smiled and put his arm around Hayleigh's waist. He said:

"Nathan, Hayleigh was hoping that dating you would bring positive changes. But it looks like you're still the same old loser. Can anyone stand the smell of toilet cleaner on you? Haha."

"Wow, the smell is overpowering. Even though I stand him far away."

"Are you kidding me, Nathan? Do you think you can keep seeing Hayleigh? Have you lost your senses? You're just a poor man, trash!"

With such insults, Nathan couldn't take it anymore and ran away. Tears rolled down his cheeks, and thousands of pain stabbed him, leaving deep wounds.

But he had only just run to the courtyard gate when a voice said right behind him: "Hey, Nathan!"

Nathan paused for a beat instinctively. And that was his mistake.

A bucket of dirty water splashed directly on Nathan.

"And that's the way to get rid of the poison." Dylan smiled triumphantly.

The sewage mixture was the most horrible smell Nathan was experiencing. For a moment, he couldn't see anything, his nose was deaf, and even though his ears were ringing, he still heard laughter and snaps of photos.