They wandered aimlessly until they nearly ran into Raegan, who was picking up her practice books from the ground.

The driver barely managed to stop in time, failing to see Raegan until the last second. Stepping out, the driver scolded Raegan sternly.

Tears streaming down her face, Raegan apologized and then stood on the roadside, clutching her ripped practice books and wearing a drenched cotton jacket.

It was then Mitchel noticed Raegan was without shoes, in freezing weather, her pants soaked through.

The driver, feeling guilty for scolding Raegan, thought she Looked too pitiful. His worry was that if he didn't scare her a bit, she could end up in danger with other drivers.

Feeling the stare from Mitchel in the car, Raegan quickly slipped on her shoes, gave a small bow to the driver, and got ready to walk away.

Mitchel offered Raegan a ride, but she declined, “No, I'm soaking wet. I'll mess up your car."

Mitchel chuckled, looking at her mud-splattered, kitten-Like face, and replied, "You look pretty clean to me."

Raegan glanced down once more.

Mitchel inquired, "Think I'm up to no good?"

Raegan shook her head. It was her first encounter with such a good-looking and neat young man, stirring a strangely familiar feeling within her. Her gut feeling assured her he was trustworthy.

Just then, Raegan's grandmother's neighbor came by and offered her a ride home.

Raegan quickly expressed her gratitude to Mitchel and hopped into the neighbor's tricycle.

Mitchel noticed the damaged practice books, reminded of Raegan's tears. For the first time, he felt a sudden urge to follow Raegan, a girl he had just met.

After watching Raegan enter a house, Mitchel sent his driver to the local bookstore.

He called the bookstore, described the practice books, and went to pick them up, noticing its price was $72.80.

Mitchel found it ironic. Some shed tears over $72.80, while others argue about petty issues despite being wealthy.

When Mitchel got back to Raegan's house, he didn't want to bother her, so he quietly left the practice books by her door. To him, it was just a small gesture, not knowing it would be a lifeline for someone losing hope.

Raegan, with a smile, said, "You now remembered? But upon thinking back, I was just like a kitten covered in mud back then. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. The morning I found the practice books, my first thought was of you. You once said I was very clean. Honestly, that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me. I even remembered the start of your car's license plate. I heard it was from Ardlens, a place I thought I could never reach. After that, I pushed myself to study harder and eventually got into Ardlens."

Coming from a small town, I found it hard to adjust to the fast pace of the big city, and I nearly gave up.