Hey guys! So here's another chapter! I hope you all enjoy it :)

***

No.

No.

No.

Years of suffering and longing hit me like a tidal wave. All of the air was forced out of my lungs making it hard to breathe in a mere fraction of a second. The feeling of being unwanted poured over my, soaking my being from head to toe in loneliness. But most of all, the self-hatred I had towards myself punched me in the face, because I blamed myself for not having a family that loved me all of those years.

I sank to the ground feeling numb and disgusted with myself. How did he of all people manage to get information on the one thing I made sure no one would ever find out about?

At this moment, I hated Axle Fields more than anyone I have ever hated in my entire life.

I tried to ignore it and push it away, but emotionally, the pain was too much. It broke my heart the way he just blurted out my deepest and darkest flaw to me so easily after I had tried to help him. I roughly wiped the tears away that were streaming down my cheeks, angry that I was crying in the first place over that douche's comment.

The pain was not subsiding, if anything it was increasing making it even harder to breathe. Turning my head away, I looked at the fence in my view, too hurt to even conjure up enough energy to look at him.

"I hope you rot in hell, you bastard," I said in a gasp but loud enough for him to hear me.

I picked up whatever was left of me, and emotionlessly dragged myself to my front steps, and inside.

I realized that I was not the same girl that I was two days ago, even though it has been only a short amount of time since then. As another tear slid down my face, I sadly realized that I didn't believe I would ever be that Zaph Phelo anymore.

My phone started buzzing in my back pocket indicating someone was calling me. I wearily answered without checking the caller ID.

"Hello?" I said tiredly.

"Seems like you have too many secrets to handle. I'd be happy to lighten the load for you," said the caller.

"X," I breathed out in fear, my voice cracking.

"Glad to know you remember me. Don't forget the name sweetheart; we will be meeting soon enough." And with that, he hung up.

Oh no...

X was near when Axle said what he said. X knows.

I slump against the door in exhaustion. I feel defeated, like I can no longer take on the world I once thought was so easy to conquer. Old feelings started coming back but my mind remains numb. Axle and X both managed to dig up a feeling I never wanted to surface again.

Loneliness.

***

When I walked up to my school, I looked upon it with dread.

The social life that I already didn't have was going to be ruined, and I was going to be taunted by my cold hearted peers, because that's just the way high school works.

I took a minute at the door to calm myself. People were already giving me strange and rude looks. Oh geez, I'm going to throw up.

I took another deep breath, and walked into the building. I quickly walked to my locker with my head down. Nobody had made any remarks yet, so I was relieved as I opened my locker.

"Hey look everyone, it's the girl that nobody wants!" Someone shouted down the crowded hallway, pointing in my direction. Spoke too soon.

Immediately people started laughing and pointing at me. Some nudged by me roughly and I slammed into my locker. Two teen guys came up. One sniffed me and said, "She even smells like an orphan." He laughed, and gave his buddy a high five.

"Looks like one too, "the other guy said smirking. "No wonder no one wanted you."

Despite the fact that I do have a family, I know what they all mean It doesn't seem to matter that I have a family that wants me for who I was now.

It hurts that people so young could be so cruel. I shut my locker, after getting everything I needed for Biology, and looked at the ground as I passed by hordes of a taunting student body. Tears burned my eyes the entire walk, and that was one long walk, but I sighed in relief and wiped my eyes as I opened the door to the room.

"Zaph..." Someone called from the hallway. I looked out the door and in the direction of the voice. No one. I glanced over everything again, making sure I didn't miss anything.

"Zaph..." This time the voice was louder, but it sounded like it was coming from... above me?

"Zaph!" the voice said even louder. What is going-

"ZAPH!" I jumped up in my seat and looked at my fuming teacher in front if me.

The class snickered.

"What-"

"Do you think my class is a bore Miss Phelo?" Mrs. Jensen asked.

"You're not my biology teacher!" I exclaimed. The classes erupted in laughs. What? What did I say wrong?

Mrs. Jensen pursed her big fake lips, and gave me the evil eye. "No, I don't believe I am. Welcome to Math class orphan!" She said with irritation in her voice.

Did she just say... orphan? Every word she said was like an echo in my head, as if I was at the end of a long tunnel and she was on the opposite side.

"What is wrong with you today?" She asked me, her face becoming distorted as my vision faded in and out.

I looked around the classroom to see people looking at me in interest as I started hyperventilating, realizing that everyone did know. It wasn't just a dream. The colors around the room merged with the outfits and the faces of the people around me, until I felt I was in an abstract painting.

I looked back at Mrs. Jensen to see concern in her eyes as she reached out to touch me. I swatted her hand away, and a chorus of gasps filled the room. The blobs can make noise?

"Don't touch me!" I yelled as pushed my chair backwards with a screech, knocking it over in the process. I sprinted out of the door in a dysfunctional heap, clipping my side on the metal doorway I ran away from the shocked faces of my peers and my teacher.

I hurried down the long hallway, not exactly sure where I was going, but knowing that I had to get out of that room.

"Zaph!" It was Jacen. I turned the corner quickly, ignoring him, and hoping that he would go away. I don't want to be near anybody right now.

"Zaph! Would you wait up, please?" He asked, his voice and footsteps getting closer.

"Zaph," he breathed out as he caught my wrist in his hand. I turned around and stared at him angrily tears falling lightly as I tried my hardest to keep them in.

"What could you possibly want?"

"What's up with you today?" He asked, searching my face for an honest answer.

"Ask Axle, I'm sure he'd be happy to let you know if you didn't already know. The whole class has been buzzing about it." I whispered dejectedly.

"I'm not talking to Axle, I'm talking to you. What was that back there?" He said pointing in the direction we came from.

I scoffed. "If you got called an orphan in front of the whole class, would you stick around?" I said trying to tug my hand away from his firm grip, as my throat tightened.

His look turned from worried to confused, and then a little bit of both. "What are you talking about? No one called you an orphan."

...

Wait what?

So, Mrs. Jensen didn't call me an orphan. Which means I am just being paranoid about the whole thing? Come to think of it, I haven't seen Axle today, and he is in my math class. But I was so sure that...

I sighed, rubbing my temple with my one free hand. I turned away from Jacen so he wouldn't see the look of defeat and tiredness on my face.

"Hey, hey," he said when I was still facing away from him. "Look at me Zaph." He tugged on my hand gently.

I turned around looking at the tiled floor. He bent his head so that we were making eye contact.

"You can tell me anything, you know. I'm not going to go and tell someone." He said.

I didn't say anything back as I tried really hard to maintain the eye contact. As he realized I wasn't going to say anything, he continued, "Is it... is it about the calls and texts you're getting?"

That got my attention. "How do you know about that?" I said in a whisper.

He looked guilty as he only responded with a, "I just do."

"No!" I shouted, completely fed up with him not telling me anything. "Don't do this Jacen! Don't ask a question that you know I am going to want the answer about and then pull away!" I said as I yanked my hand from his.

"Either tell me or stay away from me, because I can't take it anymore Jacen," I said, my voice cracking slightly, as I tried to remain steady.

"Stop," he whispered.

"Stop what?"

"Stop putting up this brave facade. It's alright to let it out Zaph. I know its tough for you," He said giving me a heart-wrenching look.

"What do you know about me other than I am that stupid hobo who couldn't stop gawking at you on Monday," I said bitterly, recalling his words from history class.

"Stop."

Something about his tone broke me. I heard the pity, the utter sadness, and the understanding, which caused me to crack. I cried softly until my cries turned into sobs, and I began cried like I had never before. Jacen wrapped his arms around me and pulled me down to the floor with him. The past few days had been too much for me handle on my own.

It was strange. I barely know the person in front of me, yet here we were, acting like old friends. It was slightly uncomfortable as he sat there patting my back as my hideous cries sounded in the silent hallway, but I disregarded it. I needed this.

"I'm so sorry Zaph," he whispered over and over soothingly in my ear. He kept whispering in my ear and gently ran his fingers through my hair as I cried. I soaked his shirt from all the crying I did, but I hoped he wouldn't mind too much. Good thing I wasn't wearing any makeup. Who am I kidding I don't even own any make-up.

As I sat in his lap with my head on his shoulder, I realized I was extremely grateful. I'm grateful that he is here with me now. I'm grateful that he saved my life on Monday night.

And I'm really grateful that I bumped into Jacen Matthews on Monday.

A/N Sorry it's a short chapter! It's definitely not my best either, but I'm glad there was a little JacenxZaph fluff. ;) More is to come in the future, so don't worry.

Love you all!

XOXO,

jean margaret