He still has to pay. You can't just torture someone for years and then expect them to forgive and forget just because you felt 'guilty' or 'bad.' I will make him pay somehow. I need to first get close to him. You know what they say – keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.

How am I going to get my revenge? Maybe in a way that wouldn't jeopardize our friendship. Or maybe my 'friendship' with him is worth it. He said it himself – "We're not friends," so why even care about my relationship with him? He's nothing to me. Just because he sat next to me once in the cafeteria and just because he stood up for me... Ah, that does make him a friend, whether he likes it or not. I can't just stab him in the back like that.

But I can't forgive him. I really can't. I don't know how to get over what he's done to me. How do I get over all the bruises he gave me? All the tears I spilled because of him? All the times I hated going to school because of him?! It's not my fault I have a loving mother and he doesn't.

I'm sitting in my room right now, thinking about how I should approach the situation with Billy from now on. Maybe I should ask my mum for advice. She always knows what's best.

"Mum!" I said as I stepped into our kitchen. The place wasn't fancy, but it was ours. Do you know those vintage kitchens with white wallpapers that have pink flowers on them? That's what our kitchen looks like.

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"Yes, Nathaniel?" replied Mrs. Emilia Thompson.

"So... I kinda have a problem..."

"Did you do something bad?"

"N-no... it's just, what... what do you do when someone hurts you a lot over a long period of time, and then they want to change because they now know better and they feel bad because of what they did, but you still want to hurt them the same way they hurt you but you really can't as they want to be your friend now? Especially when you've never had a true friend before?"

"...Kindness and compassion always win, son. No matter the situation, you always have to remember that we all make mistakes and that we can only hope to be a better and wiser person tomorrow."

"Thanks, mum," I went over to hug her. I was so glad to have a mother like that. She's always been there for me and has always helped me whenever I've needed her. I can't imagine what it's like for Billy... I don't know what I'd do without my mum.

I do understand him. Hurt people hurt. Maybe his mother wasn't there for him to teach him better and to support him, but I will. There's goodness in Billy. He's already proved that.