*Almost two years ago*

Dawn quickly shuffled her aching legs to make it to her locker in the early morning, once again extremely sore from her father, trying to forget the commotion and memories of last night. it was almost like every other night, after school she went to her sports, then either took the bus home, walked, or finally gave in to letting herself be driven home by any one of her close friends. She'd get home and start on her homework until her father would burst through the door, raging about everything and blaming it on her and her mother for being useless, worthless, etc. Sometimes Dawn would be lucky to have dinner, and tears were shed every night from her loving mother. Her mother was the most important person in her life, always being at Dawns activities and videos for memories, cares, and loves Dawn, and it hurt herself to see her own beautiful mother cry. Life was definitely hard at home, ever since her younger brother Dusk died right in front of Dawn when she was 7 and he was 5.

Dawn pulled up her black hoodie and stared at the ground as she walked, looking at her too worn out Adidas shoes, practically her only shoes she even owned. She didn't even bother looking at her black jeans that hung loosely against her.

Dawn heard footsteps, so she started walking faster until she heard that voice again.

"Dawn, please take off your hood. You know the rules about hoods in school." Principal Cynthia said again, making Dawn sigh. This happened almost everyday, so Dawn whipped her hood off and took out her black beanie and put it on her head, shoving her midnight blue locks into it.

Cynthia slightly smiled at Dawn, who had a straight face. "Thank you Dawn."

Dawn didn't even reply, she just took off to her locker, since her stomach was craving anything edible by now. Last night she tried sneaking out, but her father caught her and..... so basically she didn't have a meal last night or this morning.

Dawn finally reached her locker, and wasn't surprised by the words written on it with lipstick. She already knew that Hilda and her group did it, so she ignored it and popped open her locker.

Her locker looked almost like a mini closet. A couple black coats and sweats just in case someone egged her again, old school textbooks, some granola bars and cup noodles to eat, a few bucks left, a basketball, skateboard, a pencil, a few sheets of paper, a mirror, and two huge notebooks for writing and drawing in.

Dawn checked herself in the mirror and wasn't surprised by the few bruises on her face. She sighed, then grabbed one of her notebooks to draw in during class. While stuffing another few granola bars into her bag, someone slammed her locker shut, the noise echoing through the empty hallway since it was too early in the morning.

'Not again....' Dawn thought to herself as she managed to glance at the person who had violently slammed her locker in her face.

"I'm not surprised this scumbag tried to get away from us again. Wow, your face looks so ugly- scratch that, you are ugly. Too bad nobody's asking you to homecoming!" Hilda mocked, while her crew laughed. Dawn sighed, obviously they don't have a life.

"Like, totally Hilda! Not even close! What a hag, like, look at those ugly nasty clothes!" Brianna spat, pointing at Dawns black clothes.

The five girls surrounded Dawn, and Ursula slapped Dawn across the face, making Dawn almost loose balance.

"Ew DeeDee, you can at least look like you don't live in a fucking dump. You're an embarrassment to this school, even lower than those loners." Ursula said, making Dawn almost throw up by her Barbie voice.

"At least I don't look like fake plastic Barbies around public." Dawn boringly said, then turned around to her locker again, only to be pulled back and shoved to the ground by the stuck up bitches they were.

"Shut the fuck up you bitch, how dare you even say that!" Miette screeched, then kicking Dawn in the stomach with her ugly ass high heels. They all laughed at the sight, and continued kicking Dawn every time she attempted to move an inch.

Dawn winced from the pain of those damn high heels they all wore, the brutal pain so unbearable from the beating from her father. She closed her eyes and got onto her knees and hands, breathing heavily to catch her breath.

"Who the fuck said you could get up?!? You dirtbag!" Melody screamed, swinging her leg back then smashing her heel into Dawns face, making Dawn fall back down. She felt her face throb in udder pain while feeling blood ooze from her nose.

Ursula yanked Dawn by the collar, almost choking her and they shoved her against the lockers. "Wow,you're so pathetic, you don't even try anymore. You should die Dawn Bernadette Berlitz, cause nobody will EVER remember you and you're ugly self." Ursula spat, her voice dripping with venom.

Brianna laughed at Dawn "Oh my gosh, your face looks like its rotting. I'll be damned if you show up to play the c-team basketball game today. The other team would actually be more afraid of your face than losing" the girls howled in laughter and mockery, while Dawn felt like nothing. She didn't belong anywhere.

Hilda slapped Dawn on the face "How does it feel to not have a family that hates you? To have your friends ditch you? And trust me, not even Ash would stay around for a shit like you." Dawn looked up at them since she was still at least four inches shorter than them, and saw the tiniest little gap in the circle. That was the only way to barely escape from their grasps.

As the five Barbies kept punching her, she noticed her locker was unlocked. Dawn slightly smirked, making them stop punching her.

"What're you smirking at shitbag?" Miette spat, glaring down at the blunette that was only 5 foot and 2 inches. Dawn looked up and smirked, even thought her face had tons of bruises, scratches, and a bloody nose.

"Adios bitchachos!" Dawn yelled, then pushed the girls to the side, having them scream and tumble over each other falling to the ground. Dawn hopes that they broke some ankles from those crappy heels they wore.

Dawn whipped open her locker and grabbed her skateboard and basketball and turned around at the sight of five angry bitches scrambling to their feet.

"You're gonna fucking pay you bitch!!!" Ursula screamed, lunging at Dawn. Dawn smirked as she threw her basketball right into Ursulas Barbie makeup face as hard as she could while hopping onto her skateboard, making Ursula screech in pain. Ursula clutched her face as blood ran down her nose and her foundation and makeup was screwed up.

"Get that BITCH!!!" Ursula screamed, her voice cracking. Dawn laughed as she skateboarded down the hallway, hearing more screaming and heels clacking against the floor. Dawn turned around and smirked, then gave herself a boost, then hopped off her skateboard, sending it straight to the ankles of Melody, Miette, Brianna and Hilda.

"Watch out!!!" Brianna squealed and the skateboard made them all trip, slamming onto the ground. Dawn quickly sprinted and jumped over them and shoved her skateboard and basketball back into her locker, slamming it shut, grabbed her black backpack and made a run for it to homeroom, where some of her friends would be.

She heard them trying to attempt to chase her, but from all of their heels, short skirts, and screaming about their messed up hair and makeup, and trying to catch up to the fastest sprinter, they fell behind in seconds. Dawn loved to play with those bitches, that was the best part.

"Fat asses" Dawn mumbled to herself as she arrived to Algebra 1, seeing May, Ash, and Gary along with a couple other students talking. There wasn't many students since it was still 20 minutes from class starting.

As Dawn closed the door, her three friends looked at her and smiled for a second, and then gasped to the sight of Dawns fucked up face.

"Dawn!! What happened this time?!?" May frantically asked as she hugged her best friend, who returned the hug.

"It wasn't much, just, er, I tripped last night and fell down the stairs and this morning it was just Ursula, Hilda and their followers. No big deal." Dawn said, as she saw Gary shake his head.

"Hell no! This isn't anything Dawn, this keeps happening and it's getting worse. I mean, you're face is... we're all worried for you. You need help." Gary said as Ash and May nodded in agreement.

"We're your friends Dawn. Please let us help you." Ash worriedly said.

Dawn sighed, they wouldn't understand. "I'm fine, really. I don't want you guys to ruin your reputation and place at this school, I'm lower than a sack of shit. I don't want you guys to ever feel the same." Dawn said, then looked at her friends who each had a sympathetic expression on their faces.

Gary shook his head "Friends are before anything. I don't care that I'm popular, there's nothing great about it, besides all those gorgeous girls. I hate it when Melody latches on me, or when Brianna latches onto Drew, or anything about those ugly chicks." Gary said, making Dawn feel guilt rise up in her stomach.

May looked up at the clock "We'll talk during lunch with the others. But we want you to know that we'll always be here for you Dawn." May smiled at Dawn, and they both walked to their seats.

As Dawn sat in her seat in the back corner of the class, she let out a sigh while grabbing her homework and notebook. She turned in her homework along with the other students, and paid no attention as she was lost deeply in her thoughts, drawing. Drawing was one of her ways to express how she felt, the other being singing, but of course she'd never tell.

After a few classes, it was lunch. Dawn gulped, she didn't want her friends to ask her about it, so she ate by herself. As she chomped down the only granola bars she had, she saw Ursula walking in the hallway. Dawn smirked to herself as she saw Ursulas face bruised and her attempt at another layer of makeup made it look worse. Dawn watched her open her locker, looking into her mirror putting even MORE makeup on.

Dawn heard footsteps approach the hallway, but it wasn't any of Ursulas group. The person rounded the corner, and Dawn could only hopelessly stare at the males back. It was one of her friends, and Dawn did like him for a while now. She watched his perfect movements and sighed, he was too good to be true. He'd never notice her besides being in the small group of friends. Hell, he was like, half a foot taller than her? Maybe even a couple more inches.

Ursula looked up and squealed at the sight of the male a little ways away from her opening his locker. Dawn frowned as Ursula strutted flirtatiously to the 5'10 male, and flashed one of those stupid flirty smiles at the purple headed boy who completely ignored her.

"Hey Paulie" Ursula sweetly said, making Dawn roll her eyes.

"What now Ursula, I'm busy here." Paul grumbled back, obviously hating her presence. He had a certain girl on his mind,and she was not even close to who it was. He swopped his textbooks, then looked at the extra PBJ sandwich he made for her along with a water and an apple. He decided to do it, or else he'd regret it later, so he grabbed the items. She wasn't at lunch again, and for some reason he felt that she didn't have something to eat. He glanced at the perfect blue rose and card in his locker that he finally managed to decide to give to her later after her game, discarding his pride just for her. She was precious. And he was gonna ask that girl that was like nobody else, even when everyone else hates her for it. He was so deep in thought that he forgot about the brat next to him, and sighed as she blabbed about her nose bleeding from something.

"... And then she like, totally tried taking me out!! I didn't even do anything to her Paulie!" Ursula complained, and Paul groaned out loud. He wished that he wasn't popular at all, he'd rather be a loner so he wouldn't have to deal with people like her.

"Maybe cause you deserved it." Paul muttered, whoever gave her a bloody nose this morning he gave respect for. Ursula always had those friends of hers following her around, and he thought it was pretty funny about Ursula and her bloody nose. He wished he saw it for himself.

"B-but Paulie! I didn't! Besides, what're you doing after school today?" Ursula asked as she applied lipgloss to her already too sparkly lips. Paul found it disgusting, she was like a human Barbie unicorn mashed together.

"Nothing that you need to know." Paul spat, then started closing his locker until Ursula gasped, making him raise his eyebrow, and before he could react to stop her, she had grabbed that blue rose and card and squealed. Paul felt his emotions waver furiously, how dare she grab those items that he was going to give to another girl.

"Oh em gee!!! Paulie you're like, the best ever!!" Ursula yelled, and ripped open the card.

Paul snapped inside "Those are NOT for y-" he got interrupted by Ursula laughing flirtatiously, cutting off his sentence.

"I would totally like, go with you! I was actually gonna ask you that after school today! Like, can you come to the girls varsity basketball game tonight? Cause I'm gonna be cheerleading!" Ursula giggled and winked, making Paul already more irritated and furious enough.

"Give. That. Back." Paul spat, then swiping the items out of her hands and throwing them back into his locker, crumpling them. Well, he was getting a new rose and card for her since that witch touched it anyways.

"And no, I won't be going to the fucking varsity game because I don't do that shit, I don't care about that team. I care about the c-team and that's it. Also, how fucking dare you take something that's for someone else who deserves it, who I actually want to spend time with at that fucking dance!" Paul spat, his words full of anger that left Ursula speechless.

Ursula had her mouth open from his rejection, then scoffed. "Well handsome, someday you'll come crawling back to me, you'll see."

Paul rolled his eyes "The only time I'll crawl back is when you're fucking dead and I'll be thanking that you died bitch." he grunted back, making Ursula have teary eyes. 'pathetic' Paul thought.

He saw Ursula glance behind him as she gasped again so dramatically while pointing behind him. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Paulie! That's the girl over there that hurt me! She just randomly punched me, so she deserves hell!" Ursula said, and Paul rolled his eyes again, but decided to look back and see the very same girl who flooded his mind every day. She was at the end of the hallway crouched up into a ball sitting on the ground while leaning against the wall. She had her head resting in between her knees and arms wrapped around herself while having her hoodie up again, blocking out everything.

Paul looked in his locker again at the now smushed rose and card and sighed. After school if he was fast enough, he'd stop by Drews mini garden again to pick up another midnight blue rose and either make a card or sign. He may miss the first few minutes of the game, but he'd do anything to just see her.

"Paul? Paulie? Paulie!!!" Ursula screeched into his ear, making him snap from his thoughts again.

"Fuck off" He said, then slammed his locker and walked away from Ursula towards the girl.

Ursula gasped "Are you leaving me? For HER?!?" She screamed, stomping her heel on the ground.

Paul carried the lunch he'd made for her and he approached her. Since she didn't move, he decided to sit right next to her, not caring about anything else, not about how there was only a few minutes before band class started, or how Ursula was screeching her lungs out. He didn't give one fuck about anything else but her. He'd skip class to be with this girl, well, they were in the same band class so it wasn't a big deal.

After a few seconds of silence, Paul sighed. "Troublesome" He muttered to her. When she didn't respond, he tapped her shoulder lightly.

Dawn snapped her swollen eyes open, ripping her earbuds out and slightly glanced to her left. She quickly looked away and dried up her tears with her sleeve, and kept her head faced that way. She didn't want him to see her awful face, not him. She'd already gotten harassed by many others about her face, and she couldn't, she wouldn't be able to keep it together if he did the same.

Paul kept his eyes on her, and decided once more. "Troublesome, you're looking the other way." He said.

Dawn gulped, hugging herself even closer than before as tears started building up again in her eyes that stung, feeling them slip onto her ugly bruised up face.

Paul watched her movements, what if she didn't want him there? What if she thought he was just a popular jock who was somehow in both of their friends groups?

"The bell's gonna ring soon, so you should go to class." Paul said, trying once more. He grabbed her hood and carefully pulled it off her head and sighed when he saw that she was wearing that beanie again over her hair. He's only seen her hair once, and that was when Miette ripped it off and set it on fire and then threw it back at Dawn, who had almost died if it hadn't been for him and Ash to use their waters and put out the fire that was on her clothes.

"I can't." She whispered, Paul barely even hearing her words.

"Why?" Paul asked.

"Because I can't." Dawn barely whispered, almost choking on her own words.

"Look at me Troublesome. Tell me why you can't." Paul said, he needed to know why. He couldn't just leave her.

Dawn shook her head, and she heard his beautiful voice again "Troublesome."

She swallowed her pride, and slowly turned her head a little to her left, but then glanced away, too afraid of the outcome.

Paul waited for her to look at him, as he saw her glance, but turn away. after another ten seconds, she stared at the ground as she turned her head towards him, not even meeting eye to eye with him. He grazed his fingers so softly against her chin, finally bringing her eyes up to his, and he had no words. Nothing. She didn't have to say anything, because he was utterly speechless.

He saw her tears swell up in her sad navy blue eyes as he scanned every purple bruise, every bloody cut, her swollen nose and a black eye. Paul saw fear written all over her face, sadness, depression. She was scared.

"What happened?" Paul whispered, and right as he saw a tear start falling from her eyes, she instantly shot up on her feet and ran away from him. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, ignoring the words Paul called after her.

"Dawn!" Paul yelled down the hallway, running to the stairs as he watched her sprint down, hearing her sobs that she desperately held back, but couldn't. She ran away, no longer in his sight. He heard the doors slam open and close, and couldn't feel more guilty than ever. She had ran away from HIM, and he glanced down at the lunch he never gave her. The bell rang, signaling that class had started. He groaned as he walked to class, thoughts roaming his head, not even worried about being late again.

Paul just hoped that she'd come back.