Our MC is a young girl who lives alone in the city for school since her mother lives in the country to make ends meet. She ends up witnessing the death of a classmate. The instigator bullies the MC to keep her mouth shut. One afternoon, on her way home, she encounters a gang beating up a boy. She normally minds her own business but as she walks pass them, she takes her phone out to call the police. When the gang sees this, they attack her too. They force the MC and the boy to kiss. Later they see each other. The boy is a member of another gang and on that particular day, he was sick so he let them beat him up. She asked the boy for protection from her bullies. He would walk behind her every day to and from school. She becomes deeply dependent on him and they start to fall in love. He will make sacrifices for her after a big incident that happens towards the end. The ending isn't conclusive.

I really hate 'the r*pe element' (doesn't matter in which story). It was a relief that they only described a part (details) near the end. But I really despise that people, who are underage, are a gray area in the law. The fact that they are underage does not make the heaviness of bullying and r*pe any less. But I agree that they need psychological guidance, though that doesn't mean no/less punishment.

because you knew they ended up together and grew to be better people.

In the end, she writes to the police officer that she still believes in truth, in beauty, in kindness, in goodness, and in trust and belief itself. All thanks to her partner, because he showed all that to her.

At the end of the novel I too finally started to understand the quote, "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."