PART ONE

High school is hell. Being adopted makes the torment a hundred times worse but luckily for me, I have friends-- if you can call them that. A bunch of guys I tutor because I have to supplement my own allowance, thankfully, they're the only ones I deal with and their parents pay well.

"Yuki!" I hear Erick call out to me. He's the ditziest of the bunch. Always falling asleep when we have a session and never remembering to do his homework.

"Hey, Erick, what's up?" I shout back. He looks around quickly and then pulls me into the arch of a doorway.

"I need to copy the homework for History," he says quietly.

"You can't copy from me," I answer.

"Why not?" His eyes have already begun to plead, always a bit of a crybaby.

"Because we didn't have any homework last night, Erick," I say tapping my forehead, "Think!"

I wink at him and turn to walk away, giggling at the confusion on his face. No, I'm not cruel. I could've just told him that we had a quiz today, but what would be the point, he'd forget by the next period anyways.

My journey continues down the hall to my locker. The pretty decorations next to it telling me that the Queen Bee is having her birthday. I know, it's cliche to say things like Queen Bee, but wicked witch is already taken. The girl is beautiful, clearly, but she somehow manages to worry more about what I'm doing even when I'm not in the same league as her.

Save for the idiots that I tutor, I can't get a single guy to look my way, meanwhile, she has the entire male population lining up to kiss her feet.

I open my locker and switch out my books. After the quiz, we're supposed to be taking a break while they hold auditions for this year's school play. In high school, I'd like to point out that a school play is something lax that I want to ignore; unfortunately, seniors have to set up the auditorium and are essentially in charge of the auditions.

Thanks in part to our Queen Bee Charlotte, whom I've basically shared locker space with for the past 3 and a half years. She insisted that since we were the oldest ones, we should take care of things like that. Sadly, the truth is that she just wants to be at the top of everything where she could control everyone. Ditching would be suitable but, anyone who isn't there would have worse penalties; as explained by our Principal.

I can hear the sound of the heels as they stomp down the hallway. The ooh's and ahh's that echo after it, it's Charlotte, of course, so I hurry to make myself scarce. By the time I slam my locker shut and rush around the corner, I can hear the giggling growing. They're obviously laughing at me; they always do, but if I don't get out of her way, a sure horror awaits me.

My math session is only a few doors down, so I continue on my way, stumbling ever so often as I'm pushed around by the students in the hallway.

"This is really getting pathetic, you should stand up to her one of these days," Christian says from behind. He's always the wise one if only his grades reflected how philosophical he really is.

"What's the point of doing that?" I turn and say, "She's well loved, and I'm well hidden, I'd like to keep it that way."

"There's no point to that if you can't even stand in front of your locker for longer than 2 mins,"

"I only need two minutes, Christian, seriously. . . It's not a big deal."

He walks ahead of me, tossing a balled up paper into the garbage can near the water fountain, "Fine, maybe you're right?" he shouts then ducks into the boy's bathroom. He's been on my case lately, always telling me to stand up for myself and to try harder. It's good advice, but why is everyone so fixated on standing out. I like the way things are. Maybe I don't have a ton of time to do the things I want to, but so what? At least I'm alive.

Math is supposed to be easy today, so I enter the room and sit where I normally do, right at the back. I honestly shouldn't even be here. I've already gotten all my credits, but this looks good on my college applications, plus, I have people who'd miss me if I wasn't there.

"School sucks," Max says. He's the resident pain in the ass complainer, "When do we go sit in the Auditorium and stare into nothingness."

"Aren't you ditching?" I ask him. He would be the one to ditch, but I guess this threat of worse penalties has us all riding the straight and narrow.

"Nope, but I don't care to be in this classroom and that's the only way out," he explains. I nod, resting my head on the table as we continue to wait for the teacher to arrive.

Sometimes I daydream, that the life I have is not my own. That the things have led to my pain and anguish were just trials. It would be great if that's how it really was, but I know the truth of the matter is that I'm not lucky. I barely even have a handle the people that surround me. Things like trials wouldn't be given to me-- that's just a waste of testing fate.

******

Math is over, thankfully Max didn't make too much of a problem in there this time. We're instructed to go to the Auditorium and remain there until given further instructions. Max is the first one out the door, rolling his eyes and grumbling under his breath about how hard the questions were. He probably won't complete the homework on his own, so I'll have to work extra hard in tutoring tonight.

We get to the auditorium and of course, I see the rest of the Yuki fan club waiting at the door. Erick, Christian, Sam, and Kairo are each carrying a notebook. I guess it's so that I can jumpstart homework, but I don't really see a point to that. We have all night once they finish their extra-curricular.

"Hey guys," I say as Max and I approach them. They all say hey back and we head into the Auditorium. I expect to see something drab just like every other time I've walked in, but instead, there are lots of decorations hanging inside. The six of us stop for a minute, staring around at the room as we try to figure out what is happening.

There are no explanations.

We've only just been told about the play, and the auditions haven't been held yet, so there's no way that we could be setting up for the show already, right?

"You guys can't stand around here doing nothing. Get to work!" Charlotte screams from atop the stage. We all stare back at her; dressed in an all white dress, her blonde hair hanging in curls over her shoulders. Full lips in a shade of dark of red lipstick. She looks beautiful -- almost angelic.

"What the hell is going on?" Max shouts, "I thought this was supposed to be Auditions time?"

"We've already decided that I'll be the lead and Marcus will be the Prince who saves me!" she says back through the bullhorn in her hand.

We all look around. Everyone else in the Auditorium seems to be okay with it, they're just working quietly, putting up streamers and gluing things to chairs like good little worker bees. They don't have a single thought of protest. . . and, neither do I.

"Who decided that?" I hear Christian shout. I grab his arm quickly, shaking my head and begging him not to say anything.

It doesn't matter what they do, I was the easiest to pick on. Christian was tall, handsome with a fairly athletic build. Max and Kairo were both on the wrestling team so nobody challenged them. Sam had a shy side that made him popular with all the girls, and Erick's older brother was a well-liked student so nobody bothered him. That left me to take the heat for everything that was said and done.

I've never complained about it, because like I said, these guys actually talk to me. I even think they care, so a little extra bullying never really bothered me. I just didn't like when it was the public type.

"It's fine," I tell him, "I don't care so we should just set up."

He looks down at me like he always does, pity pouring out of his eyes, and his heart bleeding so wildly I could see the hurt written on his face. I know he wants me to enjoy my last few months -- they all do. But, I don't really care. Once I graduate I get to say goodbye and never have to see Charlotte or this horrendous school again.

"You're really okay with things like this?" Christian asks me.

I nod quickly, "It's just a stupid school play. . . really -- it's not a big deal."

I release his arm, walking over to a group of students that are digging through a bag. I'm guessing that they're looking for the right color so I help them. It doesn't take very long for me to get into hanging and gluing all sorts of useless stuff, but I'm kind of enjoying it. It doesn't matter that the Queen Bee dictated this whole thing, it only matters that I get to do something without being verbally berated by her.

Every few minutes I look for my band of brothers. They're all spread around the room; Erick seems to be getting tied up in some garlands, while Max and Kairo have been given the task of getting to the high places. Sam's fan girls are doing his job for him while he nods and smiles and well, Christian isn't doing anything.

He's just sitting there, looking over in my direction.

I look around for Charlotte or any one of her minions, and when I find none, I slip between the crowded Auditorium seating and over to him. "Are you gonna help or not?" I press him.

He ignores my question, turning away and looking up at the stage, "Hey?" I say pushing his arm, "I'm fine with it, can't you just let it go?"

"They're doing Snow white," he replies.

I wrinkle my forehead, looking down at the sadness on his face, "It's just a play Christian, and don't you have better things to do?" I say.

He looks up at me quickly, grinding his teeth and then releasing a loud sigh, "Charlotte doesn't fit the role, she's too selfish, Yuki."

"Yeah, so what?" I answer.

"And she's blonde, Snow white isn't blonde."

"Gee thanks, Captain Obvious."

"The Prince isn't that cocky either," he continues, "he should be someone with humility,"

"Dude," I stop him, "It's just a play." I start smiling because it's kinda funny how cute he is, worrying about the play like that, but he doesn't smile back. Not even a half smile, he just looks upset.

He takes my hand, looking me directly in the eyes, "You'd be perfect to play snow white," he says.

Of course, I pull away, things aren't going the way they normally do, "Don't make fun of me, okay? Just because my name means Snow, that doesn't mean anything," I can feel myself getting angrier, remembering the jokes and the taunting of younger children in the past. I don't like feeling that way. "I'll see you for tutoring tonight, later," I manage to say, then I hurry back to the group I was working with.

I used to be proud of my name because it meant something beautiful. The people at the orphanage said that they gave it to me because it was snowing the night that the good samaritan found me and brought me in. They said he was an Asian man with long dark hair and kind eyes. I'd wondered for a long time if he was really my father since I bore a resemblance to him, but my genes have nothing from that continent in them.

Now, I don't tell anyone the meaning anymore. Some people figure it out using the internet or whatever, but I'm no longer proud of it. It reminds me that I don't belong here.