I walked to school not able to keep my smile hidden. The sleepover had gone better than I could have ever hoped. Rosalya was wonderful, I loved her intense personality, and Kim was so relaxed and nice. I still felt like I hardly knew Melody, but that was alright since I had all next year to get to know her. My mind turned to school again. I only had two more weeks until the end of the year and a month of summer vacation. The teachers were starting to talk about finals and as I walked into the school I thought I could feel a sense of anxiety in the air.

"Sato!"

A hand suddenly gripped my shoulder hard. I stood very still, clenching my hands into fists without hardly breathing and willing myself to not rip the crushing hand off my shoulder. A vision of my father appeared behind my eyes and I felt a bead of sweat run down my neck.

"Dude, you're hurting her." I recognized Dajan's voice and the hand was promptly removed. I let out my breath with a painful sigh and tried to compose myself as I faced Brandon, who looked mortified.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Sato! I'm just so stressed, I wasn't even thinking."

"It's fine, Brandon. What's wrong?" I asked, keeping my voice steady and calm as I tried to bury the feelings of fear that were flooding through my entire being.

"I have two projects that I have to finish AND I need to study for my biology test, and then there are finals! I've been making the notecards but I hate finals. I always flunk them!" he exclaimed desperately while stepping towards me, but Dajan held him back while giving me a strange look.

"Sato, are you okay? You look like you saw a ghost."

"What? Me? No, I'm fine," I said hurriedly, trying to sound reassuring.

But that wasn't true. My heart was still racing and I was inwardly shouting at myself to stay calm. No matter how many times someone scared me I never reacted like this. What is the matter with me? I thought desperately as I tried to stop the panic that was bubbling up through my body.

"No really, Sato, you don't look so good," Dajan insisted with obvious concern. I smiled shakily and shook my head.

"It's nothing really. Brandon just... reminded me of something unpleasant," I remarked uneasily. Brandon looked shocked and then his expression turned hurt and I gasped, realizing how that sounded.

"Oh, not YOU you, I meant your hand. You just, umm, it's just..." Brandon went to turn around and I looked desperately at Dajan for help. Dajan stuck out his arm, preventing Brandon from leaving.

"Calm down, man. You probably reminded her of a nightmare or something. You know how jumpy Sato is," Dajan said with a teasing smirk at me, although I could still see the worry in his dark eyes.

"Yes! Exactly. I'm really sorry, Brandon. I would love to help you with studying for your finals." Brandon turned around and slowly smiled.

"Great. I'm sorry I scared you. Those must be some intense nightmares."

"You have no idea," I murmured. "Hey, do you mind if I bring Iris along? She took bio last year too after all; maybe she would have a different approach."

"Sure. I'll have the boys meet in the library after practice. Thanks, Sato."

Brandon and Dajan waved and headed for their lockers. My heart was still pumping hard as I walked down the hall, rubbing my shoulder. Brandon hadn't really grabbed me that hard, but after having it dislocated twice it was hypersensitive. That must be why I freaked out, because his hand is the same size as my father's and he grabbed my bad shoulder, I thought to myself as I got my stuff from chemistry altogether.

As soon as I identified the reason behind my panic attack, my heart slowed, and the irrational fear that had gripped me finally eased back into the far corner of my mind where I always kept it hidden away. I straightened my shoulders, closed my locker, and breathed in and out deeply. The bell to signal I had five minutes before class rang out and I walked up the stairs. Each step filled me with a bit of the happiness I had felt this morning and as I walked into Chemistry I was able to smile and tell Iris excitedly about her coming to my study group with the basketball boys. Her enthusiasm was the final step and I relaxed completely, shutting away all thoughts of fear and my father away.

The morning lessons flew by and the bell rang, ending the fourth period and signaling lunch hour. I gathered up my physics textbook and notebooks and looked up to see Dajan leaning against the doorway watching me. I smiled and walked over to him.

"So... want to tell me what that was about this morning?" Dajan asked as we walked slowly down the hall.

"It really was nothing. You made an excellent guess. I have a lot of nightmares about being kidnapped and I didn't sleep well last night so Brandon just kind of freaked me out." I had rehearsed this story many times that morning and it came out naturally, just like I had planned. Dajan's suspicion faded to concern.

"Are you alright? Do you want to go home?"

"I'm fine, Dajan. I have to drop my textbook off at my locker, I'll meet you at the cafeteria, okay?" Dajan nodded reluctantly and followed the crowd to the cafeteria.

I turned down the hallway towards my locker and saw that almost everyone had already cleared out. As I walked towards my locker though I saw three girls, one of them leaning directly on my locker. I groaned, recognizing the blonde hair and designer shoes. With a sigh, I walked over to the girls while plastering a smile on my face.

"Excuse me, could I get to my locker, please?" I asked politely.

Amber stared at me with obvious dislike.

"You think you're real cute, don't you?" she sneered while Li and Charlotte snickered.

"No, I just want to put my textbook away," I said, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice. I don't know if I can handle this today, I thought to myself uneasily.

"So, freak, I think I've figured out a way that you could be useful to us," Amber announed, inspecting her nails and not moving an inch from my locker.

"Did you now?" I asked blandly, not at all in the mood for this.

"You're a nerd. Everyone says you're some kind of genius. Well. I want you to take my tests for me."

I stared at her in disbelief and confusion. "Uhhh, you do realize that's physically impossible."

"Oh, shut up, I'm not stupid," Amber snapped and a derisive comment entered my mind that I decided not to share with her. "You see, I happen to know the principal's password so I can get the exams off of her computer. I want you to take them for me and I'll memorize the answers."

"That is called cheating, not to mention hacking, and I will have no part of it," I declared icily, indignation coursing through me like a wave. Where did this lackadaisical girl get the gall to cheat when everyone else was working hard to study and earn their score?

"Aw, the freak is a goody-goody too. Listen, I have the principal wrapped around my little finger. If you don't help me, then I'll get you expelled," Amber threatened with a wicked smile.

Temper I did not know I possessed flared inside me and I walked right up to her so that we were only inches apart. I stared straight into her eyes, trying my best to remain cool and calm.

"I will not be a part of this. I don't care what you do to me. Now move," I said slowly and emphatically.

Amber's face went red with anger and she tried to shove me away from her but I held my ground, not moving an inch. Charlotte shoved me from the side and again I held my ground, never looking away from Amber. Amber swiftly brought her hand up to slap me and without thinking I brought up my arm before she could connect.

Just as I was about to order her to move once more, I felt an arm gently circle my shoulders. My head whipped around to see who it was and I froze when my eyes met a pair of green and caramel eyes. As I gazed into them all my feelings of anger slipped away and Lysander nodded slightly to me, then looked at Amber.

"You appear to have found a victim who refuses to be victimized," he observed in a conversational tone. Amber frowned and brought her hand down.

"What do you care, Lysander?" Amber asked with barely concealed frustration. I blinked, wondering why her tone had changed so suddenly. She almost sounded civil.

"Now Amber, you might be interested to know that Castiel takes his own tests and never cheats."

Amber's cheeks turned a delicate pink and she looked away. I watched in fascination. Apparently Amber liked Castiel. Did she act the way she did because she thought she could impress Castiel, the resident bad boy?

"So what? Just back off Lysander, this freak needs to figure out who is boss around here," Amber huffed, but without the usual bite to her words.

Lysander pulled me closer to him, almost like he was trying to protect me from Amber's words and I felt my cheeks heat up. What on earth is going on? I thought in confusion, wondering if it was okay for me to be standing this close to a boy.

"Kate has the same right to a normal high school experience as you do, Amber. She is not a freak. She is a talented orator, a kind person, and an exceptional student. Castiel agrees and I don't think he would be happy if he knew you were bothering her."

At first a wry grin formed as I wondered if Lysander would always call me Kate but I could feel myself blush as he complimented me. I felt the blood drain from my face quickly though as Amber turned a death glare on me.

"YOU know Castiel?" she hissed.

"We have a class together," I replied automatically, wishing Lysander hadn't made it seem like I was her rival or something.

"Now, Amber, please take your friends and leave her alone," Lysander requested, even giving one of his rare half-smiles.

Amber's face filled with irritation but she slipped from between the wall and Lysander, exposing my locker to me. Then she stopped, letting Charlotte and Li get in their positions behind her.

"Why are you defending her? What is so great about this freak that every boy in the school keeps sticking up for her?"

I noticed with interest that a small vein in her neck was bulging out. I wondered how much self-control she was using to keep herself from shouting. Instead of replying though, Lysander guided me gently towards the staircase, leading me upstairs.

"Come, Kate. I seem to have misplaced my notebook," Lysander said, just loud enough for Amber to hear him.

I couldn't help but look back at Amber and was surprised to see her face clouded with anger and confusion. Lysander kept going, cutting off my view of Amber, but I wondered why Amber was bullying me.

Do I somehow make her feel inferior? I thought to myself but quickly shook my head. No, that was absolutely ridiculous. Even if she is a bully, I'm a mistake. If everyone knew what I had done, then maybe everyone would treat me the same as Amber did, and I really wouldn't blame them. I was so focused on my thoughts I had almost forgotten Lysander until he stopped and pulled me to a halt too.

"Are you alright, Kate?" he asked softly. I blinked up at him, realizing that our faces were very close together. I immediately backed away from under his arm and tried to smile.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for stepping in when you did," I said awkwardly.

"I saw and heard the whole thing. That was very brave of you," he remarked quietly and I blinked in surprise.

"Brave?"

"Well, she was threatening you with expulsion and you still refused to act dishonorably. It was quite spectacular to behold."

I felt my eyebrow arch up in disbelief. Lysander noticed and one corner of his mouth turned up slightly in his ghostly smile. I like that smile, I realized suddenly.

"In any case, when she resorted to violence I thought it was best to intervene. Castiel says I have a calming influence on others." I smiled at the strange boy, thinking that that was definitely true.

"But wait, why were you even there? I've never seen you near my locker."

"Ah, as I said before, I have misplaced my notebook. I write down my song ideas in it so it is quite precious to me. I had it last in psychology which is down that hall, so I went to see if I could find it."

"Then why are we up here?" I asked, looking around the hall.

"I thought it best to give Amber some space so she could calm down," Lysander answered with a shrug and I gazed at him with respect.

"You seem to understand other people really well, Lysander."

"It comes from observation. The greatest artists appreciate everything around them. Anything can spark inspiration: a word, a gesture, a blocked slap," Lysander's voice reverberated and I felt like he was offering me a key to a door that would make the world become clearer to me. "I suppose it's safe now for me to continue my search. Would you care to join me, Kate?" Lysander asked and I chuckled, breaking the spell Lysander had put me under.

"You do know that my name is Opal, right, Lysander?" I asked while following him down the stairs. Amber and her friends had left, thankfully.

"Yes, that is what Castiel calls you. And your voice IS different from your Kate voice. Did you want me to call you Opal?"

"It doesn't matter. You can call me Kate if you want," I said with a smile.

We then walked over to Mr. Morton's classroom. I hadn't taken any of his classes but I knew he taught psychology since I was planning on taking the AP course next year. I opened the door and scanned the room for a moment. Almost immediately I spotted a small brown notebook underneath the desk in the middle of the second row. I walked over and shifted my textbooks to one arm so I could pick the book up, then held it out for Lysander.

"Thank you, Kate. How did you know to look there?"

"That's where you sit in Shakespeare class. I figured that unless you had an assigned seat then that's where you would have sat."

"So you are observant as well," Lysander stated with what sounded like approval. I waved my hand dismissively.

"Not really."

Lysander opened his notebook and scanned the contents. I looked around, wondering what I should do. I cleared my throat lightly and Lysander looked up.

"I'm going to go to the cafeteria. Thank you again for your help. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't stepped in." I thought back to the icy anger that had coursed through me and frowned. I would have to reflect on that strange feeling so that I wouldn't give into my anger again.

"I will see you in Shakespeare class, then," Lysander said, inclining his head and then leaving the classroom with the grace of a nobleman.

I went to my locker, dropped off my textbooks finally, and headed to the cafeteria slowly. The closer I got to the cafeteria, the more the sound of chattering teenagers intensified. I stood in the entranceway and looked over the masses of students.

Sweet Amoris high at around 900 students was larger than my old prep school and sometimes the sheer amount of people made me nervous. Right now with my mind full of Amber and Lysander, I just couldn't face the noise. A hand caught my eye and I saw Dajan waving to me. I waved back and turned away, heading for the courtyard. After my spat with Amber, I didn't feel particularly hungry anyways.

I walked outside and stood still, enjoying the feeling of the sun on my bare arms. Today I was wearing a short-sleeved blue top with my white slacks and I couldn't help but marvel at how different my life had become. I could wear whatever I wanted, not having to wear long sleeves to hide my bruises. Thinking about my bruises I realized that I didn't have any major scarring either, which was nothing short of a miracle in my mind. I let those kinds of thoughts slip away as I sat down on the steps and just enjoyed the sun and the quiet.

"So, how was your first pillow fight?"

I opened my eyes reluctantly and looked around, finally tilting my head back to see Castiel standing behind me with his usual smirk.

"Hello, Castiel," I greeted languidly, then blinked as his words sunk through the layer of fog around my mind. "Wait, how did you know...?"

Castiel held up a sheet of paper and I gasped, recognizing the list I made for the sleepover. What is Castiel doing with it? I wondered in shock.

"Where did you get that?"

"I found it by the maple tree. You must really enjoy micromanaging things. I mean, you even have backup plans for your backup plans. Seriously, what is this? 'If the girls aren't enjoying themselves then offer to take them shopping.' Who does that?"

I stood up and made to grab the paper from Castiel's hands, but he held it up so that it was out of my reach.

"Give it back! Why were you reading that anyways?" I asked in embarrassment. I jumped but Castiel brought the paper behind his back with a sly grin.

"You even wrote, 'Pillow fights are normal, they aren't serious.' What are you, two years old?" Castiel taunted while jogging down the steps and I chased after him.

He danced around and I analyzed his movements. I purposely floundered around, pretending I was helpless until he brought his hand down once again to keep me from reaching the paper with my right hand. At that moment I snatched it from him with my left hand and quickly took several steps back, breathing deeply and holding the list behind my own back. Castiel blinked in surprise, looking at his hand, then at me, and he smiled widely.

"Nicely done, Opal, you're pretty quick." Castiel walked toward me and I backed up defensively, but he put up both hands in a peace gesture. "I'm not going to take it again," he said with a smirk.

"I don't understand why you read it anyway," I mumbled, my embarrassment overshadowing any other emotion at the moment. His eyes danced with mischief but I stayed put as he came up next to me and folded his hands with a grin.

"So, how was your sleepover?"

I wanted to be mad at him, but his directness made it almost impossible. With a small sigh, I folded my list and placed it in my pocket before meeting Castiel's eyes with a quiet smile.

"It was really fun. Auntie helped me out a lot, so the girls enjoyed themselves."

"What did you mean that you weren't used to having friends?" Castiel asked bluntly. I automatically cringed, looking away. I had hoped he wouldn't remember that.

"It was nothing. Don't worry about it," I said, trying to walk past him towards the maple tree, wanting nothing more than for this conversation to be dropped. But as I passed him, Castiel slid to the side, blocking my path. I took a step to the other side and Castiel mirrored me. I sighed with frustration, placing my fists on my hips and glaring up at him.

"Why are you being so stubborn? Why do you care if I had friends before now anyways?"

Castiel's smirk faded slowly and a rare serious expression formed which seemed to transform his steel grey eyes into beams of silver. I held my breath as he looked at me for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he blinked and frowned slightly before opening his mouth.

"You're different. You don't care what people think about you, but you care for others. You're smart, but you don't brag about it. And you're hiding something; not a stupid girly something. Something real." Castiel leaned toward me and I tried to swallow. "What are you hiding?" he asked and I could feel his breath on my nose.

I jerked away, backing up so quickly that I tripped over my own feet. As I began falling, Castiel caught my wrist, halting my fall.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment and I didn't dare move. I was at about a 30-degree angle from the ground, and I could feel my one foot shaking from the effort of keeping me off the ground. If I shifted my weight the wrong way I knew I would end up on my side with a scraped arm.

Before I could think of what to do, Castiel pulled me up roughly and I sprang towards him. In a split second, I could tell I was on a collision course with his chest so I shifted my weight onto my left foot and pivoted to the side. I stumbled but eventually got my footing back and glanced over at Castiel. His eyes went wide, but then he started to laugh. His laugh was rough and loud, but it seemed carefree and for once didn't hold any kind of sarcasm or mockery.

"That was a fancy move there," Castiel said with a grin. "Did you think I couldn't catch you?"

"No. I just..." I bit my lip. Honestly, the thought of the position I would have been in if I had let Castiel pull me into his chest made my head spin. That was way too close to a hug. Even if it was accidental, I didn't deserve to be held like that by a boy.

"Well, whatever. I'm watching you, Miss Goody-two-shoes. Remember that," Castiel said with his usual smirk back.

He pulled out his MP3 and headed for the tree. After a moment I decided to go to the library where I found the third book in the crime series Nathaniel had recommended to me and I read for the rest of lunch hour, losing myself in the story.

The rest of the day was wonderfully normal. Castiel didn't say anything to me in World History, Lysander sat next to me without speaking as we all took turns reading our projects for the class, and Violette and I finished our masks during Art. After I finished up my gardening duties I went to the library and held a study session with the boys. I put Iris in charge of the Biology session while I helped Troy with his most recent math assignment.

I came home to an empty house and a note from Auntie saying she would be home late. Heaving a sigh I laid down on the couch and reviewed my day. First I examined how I had let my emotions come to the surface when Brandon had scared me and promised myself that I would never again let my old fears resurface in front of anyone. I was no longer at the mercy of my father. I had a new life, a new chance.

You shouldn't have been born, my father's voice rang through my mind sharply. I turned, hiding my face in between the cushions of the couch, and held my ears as if I could block out the words. You're nothing but an embarrassment, you good-for-nothing mistake. I curled into a ball and felt tears slowly slip down my cheeks.

"I know," I replied to the voice. "I won't forget. But can't I pretend that I'm not around my friends? Can't I live a normal life?"

You shouldn't have been born, the voice replied and my tears fell harder.

"I know," I whispered, wishing I could just disappear. "I know."

A/N Ugh, it's so hard to see Opal like this. It's amazing the pain that people can hide from the world with a happy smile :(