Unable to keep the smile off her face, Rebecca walked to school. Last night had been perfect. Beyond perfect.

By the time she’d gotten home from school, her curiosity for the new kid hadn’t lessened. Honestly, Rebecca hoped he was ugly nerd with bushy eyebrows and is name would be Abbot or something equally ridiculous. She really didn’t need another popular guy harassing her. Not that she’d admit it aloud; she also didn’t want to watch the cheerleaders fawn all over him. If he was hot as they thought he’d be, the new guy would have girlfriend within an hour of being at the school – and then there was Rebecca who’d been there for years and had yet to be asked out. She didn’t want a boyfriend, but it still hurt. Even after three years, most of the school didn’t know her name; she was just the “freak” of the school. Seriously, even the nerds were called their real names. The thought of a guy coming into the school and his name being everywhere just depressed Rebecca.

Her father had been sitting on the lounge watching The Walking Dead when Rebecca had walked in the door, and she hadn’t even bother to change before sitting and joining him. She knew that she’d smelt, but her father had either not cared or he couldn’t smell her because he’d tucked her into his side, his arm around her shoulders the instant her butt had hit the lounge. Rebecca had melted into him without thinking, surrounded by his scent. He’d showered and changed into a shirt and jeans. They’d sat like that for at least an hour watching zombie attacks. In a total contradiction, her father loved The Walking Dead for the violence and considering he was a lawyer it was pretty ironic – he prosecuted people for violent acts and there he was enjoying it.

Finally he’d stood, announcing he had to get started on the lasagna. Of course, when Rebecca had offered to help her offers had been rejected. Rebecca had gone up to her room, grabbed Sempre from her bookshelf, and sat back down on the lounge. She absolutely was in love with Carmine and she’d memorised every Italian sentence in the book as well as the English translation she’d read them that many times.

When her mother had walked into the door, earlier than usual, Rebecca had stopped reading, still smiling. She loved the part when Carmine tried to teach Haven how to drive. Her mother had taken one look at the book and shook her head. After all, it was about the Mafia, and she didn’t want Rebecca to get any ideas, considering there was a chance she’d be the one to send Rebecca to jail if she tried anything. Rebecca just rolled her eyes; she was too much of a goody-two-shoes to even keep money she found on the street. Sensitive of other people’s situations more than others, she knew the true effect of stealing or anything illegal. Everyone had a story they kept secret from other people, something they were ashamed of, like Rebecca did. Few people knew the true extent of her childhood – only that she’d been an orphan who’d been to four different families. People made their own conclusions without Rebecca even getting a chance to defend herself.

Dinner had been amazingly good and Rebecca had eaten way too much; it was just too good to resist. She didn’t know why her father hadn’t become a chef, he could make anything taste like heaven. Rebecca hadn’t stopped laughing as her mother had ranted about the case she was working. Apparently, the defendant’s attorney had been an idiot who’d had not idea what he was doing and he’d been terrified of her mother – the reputation her parents held was intimidating. Her father had joined in the conversation as well and at the point Rebecca had zoned out – they’d started to use lawyer words that Rebecca didn’t even have the hope of understanding. She’d still laughed at them; they’d been so passionate about what they were talking about. They’d also both swore a few times which Rebecca would use against them in the future – her parents were adults, but they had a thing that if they swore in their daily life they’d use them in the middle of the case.

Now, as she walked to school, everything was still perfect. Rebecca wasn’t sure how long it would last though. She could ignore torment better than any one else, but little by little it always ate her – even self-inflicted hate kicked in. For now, though, Rebecca would take what she had and roll with it. She could deal with the inevitable torment later.

Her parents – normally one of them – drove her to and from school since she lived almost half an hour away, but today they’d both had to leave early for work so they hadn’t been able to. Yesterday had been an exception. Her father had been home all day and would have jumped if she’d asked him, but Rebecca didn’t want to interrupt his day. He worked hard and Rebecca could see the fatigue on his face most days, so on his only day off she’d wanted him to relax. No doubt, if her father heard she’d purposely not asked him, he’d kill her – figuratively, of course. Rebecca’s parents often told her that she was way to considerate with them, that she should just be a normal teenager sometimes and ask for things she didn’t need or pester them to drive her places where she could just walk. It was a part of having a child, they said. Rebecca couldn’t do it though. Even with the amount of love she knew they had for her, she still was a burden. Rebecca wasn’t their child and they’d taken her on without having to. She didn’t want to be a burden anymore than she already was.

Rebecca loved walking. There was something so peaceful and serene about it – depending on where you were. Forests were her favourite place to be. Sure, there were wild animals that could eat you, but it was your fault if you got eaten, not theirs – it was their territory and you were trespassing, so you were only asking for trouble. She had never directly encountered an animal, but she had heard wolves howling once and by the noise there had been a lot of them. Rebecca couldn’t deny that fear had frozen her momentarily but, at the end of the day, this was their home and she couldn’t get rid of them. That said, Rebecca had turned around the instant she’d heard the noise. The animals probably loved it the same way she did – the scent of trees and breathing in air was amazing. In forests, it was just Rebecca and nature, no one to harass her. She could just lower all her defenses without the fear of being hurt while she was vulnerable. She didn’t have to care whether what she was wearing would impress anyone, or whether or not she was pretty enough – which she wasn’t. It was just her surrounded by beauty that wouldn’t judge her.

By the time, she turned the corner and the school was in her sights, Rebecca’s good mood hadn’t diminished. She braced herself, throwing up all the defenses she could, not willing to let anything being her down.

To Rebecca’s complete and utter surprise she was completely ignored. In disbelief Rebecca looked around, knowing there’d be eyes on her, waiting to pounce. She could only blink when she realised there weren’t any eyes on her; nobody even took notice as she walked though the crowds. What was happening? Yesterday, she’d been facing harassment at every turn and now nobody was even noticing her. Had Skye suddenly told everyone to drop it, or had they found a new target?

Wait.

Understanding dawned on Rebecca and she couldn’t believe her stupidity. A new student at school was a big deal and yet she hadn’t even considered that prospect. Now, as she looked around, she noticed that everyone was crammed into the front of the school. Normally, some people hung out in the library or in the halls to avoid people, but not this morning. Not today. Every student in the whole school was outside, talking amongst each other. They were also in each of their groups, Rebecca realised. The cheerleader and jocks were sitting on the picnic tables where they usually sat during lunch. Instantly, Rebecca realised that the cheerleaders looked different – they had on more make up and their already tiny cheerleader uniforms were tinier. Apparently, they’d doubled their efforts in order to impress the new kid. Wanting to see their efforts go to waste, Rebecca hoped that the nerdiest, ugliest guy in the world was the new guy. It was the same with all the other cliques too. The nerds sat on the floor huddled together – still acting like nerds, of course. The popular wannabees were standing causally, trying not to seem to obvious. The girls in the group had also tried harder to impress the new kid. Every group was outside and ready to see the new kid, it seemed. Everyone wanted to know where he’d fit in.

Rebecca turned and walked through the doors of the school, not wanting to seem like an obsessive weirdo. Not that she cared what the new guy thought of her. Even if it didn’t appease Rebecca’s curiosity she tamped the feeling down; she’d see the new kid later, one way or another.

No one was harassing her, at least. Rebecca suddenly was thankful for the new kid. Hopefully the fact that she was supposed to be the victim of everyone’s anger would be forgotten and she’d be left alone. One good thing had happened.

*             *             *

The news of the new kid had yet to be confirmed. By eavesdropping in on other conversations Rebecca had found out that he hadn’t turned up before the bell this morning. Whilst some groups had left in a rush to get to class – Rebecca immediately knew it was the nerds and the smart kids; Rebecca had gotten to class on time but she hadn’t cared for the new guy, so it wasn’t the same. She’d heard that the cheerleaders and jocks had sat at the tables for at least ten minutes before anyone realised they’d been late to class. It had taken several teachers to actually make them go.

So, Rebecca sat through Science, annoyed at a guy she didn’t even know. She’d heard enough about him. Why did people care so much?

*             *             *

The lunch bell rang and everyone rushed out of their seats eager to get out of the classroom. Whispers about the new guy made Rebecca want to bang her head into the wall. Seriously, was she the only one who wasn’t shallow and didn’t care about the new guy? It seemed that way. This was why teenagers had such a bad reputation. It didn’t take a genius to figure it out.

Rebecca stayed waiting for the crowd to clear the doorway. Her teacher, Mr Morgan, smiled at her from the desk. He didn’t question why she stayed behind and Rebecca didn’t really want to know what he thought. It was made pretty obvious that she was alone in the school, so Rebecca was pretty sure all the teachers knew.

As she was walking to the door, he called her over. Rebecca watched as he grabbed an envelope. He was average looking, his hair mostly grey and his eyes weren’t all that great. Then again, no one with brown eyes had good eyes. He smiled at her, the smile seeming out of place. He was one of the harsher teachers in the school, but Rebecca couldn’t blame him. He taught idiotic fifteen year olds who thought they were they greatest thing to exist, so it wasn’t surprised he yelled a lot or was constantly frowning. “Hey. Can you go to office and give this to Mrs Hine? I’d appreciate it.”

Rebecca smiled, grabbing the envelope out of his hand. “Sure, Mr Morgan.”

He smiled back at Rebecca, straightening papers on his desk that weren’t even out of order to begin with. “Thanks, Rebecca. You’re doing me a huge favour.” His eyes came back to her, this time a lot less kind. “I can trust you not to open it?”

Rebecca nodded, solemnly, meeting his eyes. “Yes, sir. I won’t look.”

He smiled in return. “I know you won’t. Now go, before lunch is over.”

Rebecca turned, walking to the door, envelope clasped in her hand. She wasn’t even tempted to look in it; she honestly didn’t care what was in it. So, if it happened to be secret love letters, good for them. It wasn’t her life or her business.

The walk to the office was short, without having to walk past students. Rebecca passed the library, the nerds looking at her as she walked past. Then they looked away. Guess, the general consensus of ignoring me is still valid, Rebecca thought. She passed a few rows of lockers, none of them in use; nobody brought text books anyway, so there wasn’t a real reason for them still being there.

The office area wasn’t all that exciting, a dome-like desk in the center with only one door leading out. Glass paneling ran around the circle, windows cut out so you could talk to the people who worked there. It was way too secretive and ridiculous. No one was breaking in anytime soon. Along the walls surrounding the dome were doors, leading to different offices. The principals’ office was at the end, the less important people towards the front.

Rebecca walked up to one of the windows, surprised her mood hadn’t plummeted throughout the day. Knowing she was still a target had threatened to ruin her mood, but she could handle it. The lady inside the dome looked up, ran her eyes over Rebecca, and muttered, “What can I get for you?”

Used to the flippant attitude of the office, Rebecca smiled. If she had to sit and deal with teenagers all day, she’d be annoyed too. “Mr Morgan asked me to give this Mrs Hine.”

The lady held her hand out, taking the envelope from Rebecca’s hand. Then she went back to her computer, no longer paying attention to Rebecca.

Conversation – if you could even call it that – over, Rebecca turned around walking outside. She found her usual spot and sat. Dropping her backpack next to her, she looked around. She liked this spot for a reason. It always was shady because of the tree it was under. It was also near the area where all the drugs were smoked so most people steered clear of it – unless you were someone smoking something. It smelled faintly of cigarette but Rebecca was used to it. Her first foster father had smoked around her constantly so the smell didn’t even faze her. Not that she liked that fact; it was nothing to be proud of.

As usual, the popular kids were at the picnic tables, laying all over them as if they owned them. Some of them thought they did. In their eyes, they were invincible. Skye was sitting on top of one, oblivious to the eyes all over her. Either that or she was playing ignorant. The latter seemed more likely. The poplars’ knew Rebecca sat under the tree but rarely went near her, instead they just yelled about how ugly she was or anything else they though of at the time, laughing as if was the most hilarious thing in the world. Rebecca could look past most of the things they said, but sometimes when they mentioned anything about her past it got to her, and had to forcefully dig herself out of the hole of hurt she created. She relieved some memories she wished she could forget.

Rebecca grabbed her peanut butter sandwich out her bag, eating it slowly while she just watched. It was what she did every lunch. All she could do. With no one to talk to, she observed. It had started out as a boring way to pass time and yet it had become a hobby. What did that say about her social life? She enjoyed staring at others. It was probably why she didn’t have any friends; she was weird and freaky when she thought about it.

“Hi.”

Rebecca jumped, her sandwich falling to the ground. Damn, she thought. She’d really wanted to eat that too. She fought the urge to locate the voice, knowing they hadn’t been talking to her or they’d assumed she was someone else.

She heard footsteps, heavy combat boots hitting the dirt and her heart seized up in panic. It was irrational and stupid but Rebecca couldn’t help the reaction. Her main abuser had always worn combat boots and she could vividly remember being kicked by them. Rebecca forced her heart to beat normally again, angry with herself. She wasn’t the person who related everything back to the abuse she had suffered, nor did she use it as a cop-out. It was a chapter of her life over and she wasn’t there any more. Any time she let herself feel weak she was annoyed; her past still managed to set her off, no matter how strong she thought she’d become.

The same voice came, a deep baritone. “Hello? Are you deaf?”

Rebecca forced herself to turn around, finally taking a look at the stranger. She stopped breathing, and not because of panic. The stranger was too beautiful to be male, yet too masculine to be feminine. His black hair was short, almost shaved to his head and it made him look terrifying. Yet, his bright blue eyes softened the look. They made him look like someone who’d only sometimes beat you up for the sake of; he was still pretty scary. Oddly, he even had a nice mouth. His whole face was surprisingly soft, the hair making him seem a lot less soft. He was big, only slightly smaller than the quarter-back of the school. Rebecca would guess he was about six foot. His arms were muscled, his abs outlined against the tight black t-shirt he was wearing. His loose jeans were black – seemingly his chosen colour. He smiled at her, revealing perfectly white teeth and Rebecca came to her senses. She was an idiot; she’d basically been checking him out. Whoever he was, he didn’t want her. Besides, if this was the new kid he’d be joining the popular group the second they saw him, and he’d catch onto the fact that she was the “freak.”

His eyes ran over Rebecca and she knew what he saw. Her clothes were too big, her face too ugly. Stop, she told herself, you don’t care what he thinks of you, you’re not a love sick puppy.

He spoke again. “Hi there, I’m Mikael Bertoz. I’m new.”

Well, damn, Rebecca thought. I guess he’s not an awkward looking teen after all. Hello popular group.

Against her better judgement, Rebecca opened my mouth, knowing she’d sound like an idiot. She was proven correct when she blurted, “What?”

His eyes turned to steel and Rebecca knew she’d annoyed him. She’d opened her mouth and offended him. This was why she had no friends.

Then he blinked at her, and laughed.

Rebecca could only stare back, wondering if he was insane.

“Yeah, I know. It’s my name. It’s French. M-i-k-a-e-l, pronounced Mi-kale. It’s kind of like Michael, but fancier. My parent weren't into standard names, so they turned Michael in Mikael. It’s a cool name, but it’s a pain having to spell it out constantly.”

Rebecca looked at him and realised she had to find an excuse to go, before he found out she was a freak. She’d already opened her mouth one too many times. She didn’t need to give him another reason to hate her – he’d already have plenty of them by the end of the day. He’d probably be glad to see her leave too. “Look, Mikael, I have to go.”

He looked offended for a second, before he smiled. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you; I wasn’t implying you were dumb or anything. People normally have the same reaction and it’s just a habit now. Honestly, if I offended you, I’m sorry.”

Rebecca continued to pack her bag up. Once that was done, she stood wiping the dirt of her jeans. There was no dirt; honestly, she just wanted to stand near this guy and pretend that he could be her friend for a little longer. Soon, he’d join every other person who hated her. So, she wanted to drag this out as long as possible.

As she was walking away, she could hear him following, so she walked faster.

When it was clear Rebecca wasn’t turning around, Mikael resorted to yelling, loud enough to catch other people’s attention. “Hey! Look . . . what’s your name?” When she didn’t answer, he just didn't include her name. “Look, I’m sorry. Can we start over? I won’t say anything offensive, I promise!”

Rebecca continued walking, hoping he’d take the hint.

The sound of heels – Skye, undoubtedly – was a savior. Rebecca would never use those words in the same sentence again, but right now it was true. Skye, with her perfect body and beautiful face, would distract Mikael. Skye knew everyone in the school and she would have known in a heartbeat that Mikael was the new guy; now all she had to do was getting him into the popular group. Not that it’d be hard. Mikael was attractive and strong enough to match to description of a jock, and no guy could say no to Skye; she was every teenage boys dream girl.

The heavy boots stopped moving and Rebecca knew this was her chance to escape – but she couldn’t. She wanted to know how this would play out. It was emotional suicide but she couldn’t stop listening. When the heels stopped, Rebecca knew they were both looking over each other. Mikael would see everything he hadn’t when he’d seen Skye – perfection, beauty, amazing body and expensive clothes.

Skye’s voice was almost a purr when she spoke, “Well, hey there. And who might you be, handsome?”

At this point, Rebecca knew her good mood wouldn’t last; she could already feel emotions hiding, her walls building higher.

Mikael’s reply was with a deeper voice than what he’d used with Rebecca. “Mikael Bertoz at your service, beautiful.”

In that moment, Rebecca wanted to cry. Skye was already flirting with the guy and they’d been speaking for less than a few seconds. He’d never flirted with Rebecca, probably been too revolted to even imagine it. Rebecca knew she was ugly, she was forced so look at herself every morning, but for some reason, this moment was really getting to her. She blinked away tears; she wouldn’t allow this to get to her any more than it already had.

Skye laughed and as much as Rebecca wanted to deny it, the laugh was perfect. “Well, I do love a gentleman. I like your name too. Very . . . sexy.”

Mikael laughed too. “Thank you, it’s French.”

“I do love French boys."

Again, Mikael laughed. “I wish. I’m not French though. My parents just wanted something unusual.”

“Tell your parents thank you for me.”

“I will . . .” He broke off.

Skye giggled like she was embarrassed. “Skye.”

“What, no last name?”

“I’ll tell you later. But you’ll have to earn it.”

Mikael voice deepened even more. It was a shame because he had seemed so nice, and now he would just become one of the asshole jocks. “Trust me, I’ll earn it.”

Skye giggled again and her heels moved. She was probably all over him, her body plastered against his. Probably touching him. And he was no doubt enjoying it. If that was Rebecca trying to touch him, he’d have backed away before she could get near. Stop, she ordered herself. He’s not worth beating yourself up over.

Finally Rebecca decided that she’d subjected herself to enough emotional trauma and walked away.

As she was walking, she heard Mikael ask, “Who’s she?”

Skye sounded disgusted, as if Rebecca wasn’t even worth mentioning. “Oh. Her. No one really knows her name; she’s a freak who no one likes. The last person she talked to got vomited on, so you really want to steer clear of that.”

Rebecca wanted to storm over and yell that she’d never vomited on anyone, but, in retrospect it was one of the nicer lies Skye could have told. He’d hear far worse ones if he was accepted into the popular group.

She couldn’t tell what Mikael was thinking, his tone was completely unreadable. “Do you know her name?”

“Jenna, maybe? Abby? It starts with a J?” Then Skye’s voice turned into a purr again. “But who cares about her? I have you here, Mikael, and I want to know more about you. Come. Sit with us. I’ll introduce you to new people.”

The sounds of boots and heels turned in the opposite direction and Rebecca knew he was in. Mikael was now a popular. Now, he was just another tormentor to add to the list. She’d had her first, and probably the last, real conversation with someone at school who hadn’t been a teacher. And she’d completely offended them. Now they hated her. Rebecca needed to give up on making friends; she wasn’t good at it and she’d probably never be. Not that she’d ever get another chance.

As Rebecca walked to her next class, she was annoyed at herself. She’d watched Skye flirt with guys who called her ugly millions of times and it had never bothered her. But, for some reason, it was bothering Rebecca now.

Avoiding Mikael Bertoz was now her main goal.