"What? No! What have you become! Some kind of bug?" Red shouted at his latest victim turned Rainbow Friend, at least he should be a rainbow friend. A gray bodied, insect-like character who stood confused and afraid. "No child would want to pay money to see a disgusting creature like you! Get out of my sight!"

Gray Wanted to run away, to return to his studies. But he knew Red was right. If no one liked him when he was younger they certainly weren't going to like him now.

But at the end of every dark tunnel shines a bright light.

With a sudden crash, Gray ran into a pure white, winged, figure with three eyes and a halo who was carrying a stack of boxes, causing them to scatter across the floor.

"Ow…" groaned White, slightly dazed from the impact.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Cried Gray frantically, "are you okay?"

He held out a hand to help her up, when she gazed up at him her eyes widened.

"Whoa…" she gasped. Gray felt uneasy, thinking she was going to get scared and mock him too. Surprisingly she took his hand and allowed him to help her up. "You're the coolest thing I've ever seen!"

Gray was stunned, looking back at her in confusion. "E-excuse me?" He said, thinking he misheard or that she was only joking.

"You're a new Rainbow Friend right?" She asked. "Are you like an alien or something?"

"Um… no I'm a bug."

He waited for her to lash out at him, to insult his strange new appearance. But White grinned warmly at him.

"Oh? Cool!" She said. "I'm Bianca, but everyone calls me White."

No one has ever called him 'cool' before. "Gary…" He said shyly, "But I guess it's Gray now." His attention suddenly turned to the scattered boxes. "Uh, here. Lemme help with these."

They worked together to gather up all the boxes.

"So are you a beetle or…?" White uttered midway.

"I'm an ant, I think." Gray answered, "one of the ants from my farm at home must've gotten on me before I arrived here and next thing I knew I became… this. I know I'm pretty gross."

"You're not gross," assured White, "Honestly I think the hate that bugs receive is a tad bit undeserved. Sure they can be pesky and unsettling to look at at times, but they pollinate plant life, recycle nutrients, and maintain healthy soil production as well as serve as a primary food source to many animals. Without them our ecosystem would simply die out."

Gray listened intently, astonished, never before had he ever met someone so understanding of his passion.

"Plus there's so many interesting facts about them. Did you know that there's a breed of ant called a honeypot ant in which some of the workers are engorged with sweet nectar that they feed to the rest of the colony?" White went off, showing off her knowledge. "They're basically living larders!" She suddenly became shy. "Oh… sorry. I know I'm a bit of a nerd."

Gray's eyes widened in amazement, a smile starting to spread across his face. Finally someone an expansive knowledge on insects like his. "No," he reassured. "That's… that's right. I've heard about them in my studies."

"You study insects? Like an entomologist?"

"Yeah, exactly." traces of red started to dust across Gray's face as he felt his heart skipped a beat.

"So awesome!" Stated White.

Gray couldn't describe the feeling he had. It was warm, light, and fluffy like freshly baked sponge cake.

Maybe fluffier.

Like chiffon cake.

As soon as they each gathered a stack of boxes White continued. "I've gotta introduce you to the others! I'm sure They'll love you!"

So she took him over to the play area where White's friends, Blue, Green, Orange, and Purple were hanging out. Hoping that their newest addition to the Rainbow Friends would be able to fit in.

However, what came from the others instead were looks of disgust and mocking laughter at the new friend. They judged him for his lack of colors and his insect-like appearance, calling him names and never inviting him to their parties.

All the while, the kind and caring White stood by helplessly as she watched them heartlessly lash out at her new friend.

"Sorry pal, but gray isn't a part of any rainbow I'm aware of." Mocked Blue.

"Get lost you bug eyed freak!" Threatened Green.

"Crawl back to whatever hole in the ground you came from!" Insulted Orange.

"Yeah!" Agreed Purple.

Those words tore at Gray's heartstrings as their words brought memories of the same relentless bullying back to him, he could no longer take it. White wanted to console him, to tell him not to listen, but the insect friend backed off and ran away.

"Gray wait! Come back!" She called, but he was out of earshot, tears streaming from his eyes.

"Thank god he's gone!" Said Orange.

"Yeah," said Green. "a colorless freak like him doesn't belong in our gang!"

Those words made White's hands ball into fists, anger washing over her at her hypocritical friends.

"Oh funny you should say that Green," she said, her words dripping with sarcastic frustration as she faced the quartet. "Considering that I'm colorless!" The quartet fell silent as she continued, "I suppose that makes me a freak too huh?"

It was only then that Green and the others realized their folly.

"Uh… um…"

They were at a loss for words as angry tears started to form in White's eyes. "And I thought you guys were my friends." She turned her back to them, wiping her tears away.

"White we…" began Blue.

"…we're sorry okay?" Said Orange.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to!" She interjected, facing them again. "I'm gonna go find him and make sure he's okay."

"White!" Spoke Green, reaching out for her.

"I don't wanna hear it Green!" She said, "In light of what we've been through as humans, I thought that you of all people would know better. I guess I was wrong."

Those words stung Green's heart as he heard her footsteps hurry away from the room.

"White wait!" He tried to follow after but she was too fast. Green and the other rainbow friends stood dumbfounded and ashamed.

White searched relentlessly throughout the playplace, calling out for the rejected friend but found neither hide nor tail of him. The other rainbow friends tried to console her but she refused to speak with any of them, resentfully hiding herself away in her ivory tower just to avoid them.

Green, amongst the others, felt the most woeful at his beloved refusal to speak with him or the others and yet held onto hope that she may overcome this spitefulness somehow and come back to them.

As for the rejected rainbow friend, he went hiding deep with the confines of the play place. Overcome with shame and pain from the ridicule he endured.

Maybe one day the others will accept Gray for who he is like White did. They'll see that they've now become the bullies that used to pick on all of them. But until then Gray will hide away in his tiny bunker. Hidden away from everyone else, as the rejected Rainbow Friend.