Lunch. Why didn't I think of that? Of course there had to be lunch.

I made my way into the uncomfortably crowded room, dodging bodies and arms. All of the tables around me were taken, but there was that one table in the back...

I made my way over to the seemingly only empty table in the room but right before I could sit down a hand grabbed the back of my shirt.

I tensed. Please don't be another bully, please not now. I think to myself.

The hand whips me around and suddenly I'm face to face with sea green eyes and a bright smile gracing a gorgeous slightly tanned face.

Percy.

"Hey, you want to come sit with us? It's too lonely over here." He said, grinning, hand still on my shirt.

I felt my face start to heat up and I quickly turned away, glaring at the empty table behind me.

"I like being alone." I said softly.

Surprisingly Percy broke into laughter. When he finally got over his laughing fit he looked at me again and said, "Nobody likes being alone."

"I'd like to contradict that theor-" I wasn't able to finish what I was saying because he was now dragging me over to a long table filled with a ton of people I didn't know except that they were all pretty popular and I was getting myself into some deep shit.

I was plopped down next to Percy and some girl with pretty eyes... blue? Green? I wasn't sure.

"Hey Perce! Who's this?" Said a blonde guy sitting opposite Percy.

"I'd like to introduce to you all, Nico Di Angelo. He's new and wanted to sit alone so I thought why not invite him here?" Percy announced to the table.

I turned to look at him suspiciously. How did he know my name? I never told him. I mean, I knew his name because everyone knows his name. But nobody knows mine.

He smiled at me again, and I swear if his smile wasn't the most beautiful thing than nothing was.

"I'm in your art class." He said, explaining the unasked question.

Oh. Now I feel kind of dumb I didn't notice before. I nodded at him instead of replying.

Suddenly a pale hand was shoved in my face. I looked at it for a moment then glanced at the owner.

That blonde guy with the glasses was smiling at me, apparently trying to get me to shake his hand.

Hesitantly I took it and ow that was the most painful handshaking I'd ever experienced.

"Hi Nico, I'm Jason." He said.

"Hey." I replied simply. He chuckled. I didn't know what was so amusing but I guess I'm on a roll today considering Percy's laughing at me earlier.

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" The girl sitting next to me asked, glancing at the empty space in front of me.

I shrugged. "I'm not very hungry." I said. And I really wasn't, I'm barely ever hungry at lunch time, so when dinner rolls around I eat a lot. Or maybe that's just because it's Charlotte's cooking and she's really good at cooking.

The girl huffed. "You need to eat, look you're already so skinny." She quickly dug around in her lunch and pulled out a half of a tuna sandwich.

"Here, you can have the rest of my sandwich." She offered.

I immediately pushed her arm away. "No, I couldn't do that Im fine, really." I said quickly.

To be honest, I was more surprised then I'd ever been. Why were all these people being so nice to me? I didn't get it. All I do is push people away.

"You're eating it." The tan girl said sternly. "If you don't, it'll just go to waste because I'm not eating it if you don't."

Wow, this girl was persistent. I sighed heavily and took the tuna sandwich tentatively taking a bite.

She smiled, as if she was the one who just got free food.

"By the way," The girl said, "My name's Piper McLean."

Are these people considered my friends? Should I consider them that? They're probably only being nice to me because I'm the lonely new kid.

I probably shouldn't get used to it. But then I thought about Charlotte's words earlier, "Things will get better..."

*****************************

I grunted as I was thrust against a locker harshly.

The blonde boy had his hand around my neck as I weakly struggled against him. "L-let go..." I tried.

The smirk on the boy's face only grew. "What was that? I didn't quite catch it." He said, mockingly.

My eyes darkened. Hell no. Not again. Using the last of my wavering strength I kneed him as hard as I could in the groin. He let out a yelp of surprise and let go, bending over and muttering a string of curse words.

"You little, fucking, bastard." He grunted, glaring at me.

Suddenly he punched me in the face. I was caught off guard and I think I fell but I'm not really sure, I was too focused on the pain coming from my head.

The sounds around me faded. What a familiar feeling. The feeling of overwhelming pain, of dissolving...

A sharp hit was delivered to my side and I whimpered. I don't know what I did, but it happens to me at every school.

What makes me a target? Is it my clothes? My personality? My face? I don't know.

I weakly tried kicking a leg out, and I almost smiled when I felt my foot make contact with the blonde's shin.

I heard him curse again. "Why the hell are you fighting back? Just give up, admit it. You're done." I barely heard his words. They were in the back of my mind, only slightly registered.

One last blow to the head and darkness consumed me.

************************

I opened my eyes a crack and immediately closed them.

There was a bright light above me and I had no interest in seeing it again. I moved a bit and immediately regretted it. A sharp pain shot through my body, from my head down to my legs.

I grunted and forced myself to open my eyes. Where was I?

I heard voices coming from out the door and two of them I vaguely recognized. Just then another voice entered the conversation and I immediately knew who's it was.

"Charlotte..." I croaked out, hoping to God she would hear me.

Luckily she did and she burst into the white room, a worried expression painting her lovely face. I hated to be the cause of that expression.

She leaned over me and held my face in her hands. "Are you okay, mi bebino? Ero così preoccupata."

[I was so worried]

I was expecting this. Charlotte tends to switch from English to Italian when she's worried or excited.

I smiled weakly. "Don't worry, I'm fine." I said.

A small smile graced her lips and she pushed her wavy black hair out of the way so she could kiss both my cheeks.

"Don't scare me like that, Nico." She sighed, running a hand through her hair.

I shook my head. "I know, I'm sorry." I said, looking away.

"No! Don't be sorry, it wasn't your fault. I heard you even fought back. I'm proud of you, you know. Just please try to stay out of those kinds of situations." Charlotte said, stroking my face softly.

I heard the door squeak open and I turned to glance at it. To my immense surprise Percy and Piper both stepped in, looking genuinely worried.

Charlotte turned to look at them as well. Piper was the first to speak up. "Hello, Mrs. DiAngelo. I'm Piper, And this is Percy. We're Nico's friends." She explained.

Charlotte looked back at me, smiling brightly. "Friends?" She looked back at Piper and Percy. "Come in, I was just going to go talk to the nurse anyway." She said before walking out.

Friends? I was so shocked I barely noticed as they walked up to my bedside. Nobody's ever called me their friend.

"You okay Nico?" Piper asked softly.

I nodded slowly when suddenly she was pushed out of the way by an eager Percy. "Oh my god I was so worried, tell me Octavian didn't hurt you too bad. When I found you you looked dead! You were just lying there on the floor without moving and you were bleeding from your head and arms I almost had a heart attack!" He exclaimed nervously, scanning me up and down for injuries.

I grit my teeth. My arm was bleeding? That was probably from when I cut myself, that Octavian guy must have reopened them since they were just healing.

I looked up at Percy, into his sea green gaze and said, "Thank you." And it was very sincere.

A/N HEEEEY!
Thanks for reading this story guys, it really makes me happy.

I'll try to update daily but you guys know tomorrow's Christmas sooooo, I probably won't update. Anywho MERRY CHRISTMAS (if you're Christian if you're not then HAPPY HOLIDAYS!)