I stood before the school at 3 am, battered and bruised. I had a dark forming bruise running across my cheekbone, my ribs and back littered with even more than the ones along my arms. She was careful not to hit my burns as bad, but in her drunken rage she got sloppy.

I raised the bandana around my mouth after taking a sip from my bottle of Hennessy, already feeling the warming effects from the drink. I was turning into my mother, and I'm not sure where to be utterly terrified or just suck it up and accept it.

I took off my sweatshirt and let my arms air out in the tank top I was wearing, smiling at the fresh feeling against me. I stood before the brick wall that every student saw right before they entered the school, my fingers aching to paint something, anything; I just couldn't decide.

So I didn't.

I didn't mean for it to come out the way it did, nor did I mean for it to seem so, pathetic. I felt like a lovesick fool, even if I wasn't in love. I just simply longed for him, which was a stupid feeling.

Longing was a stupid feeling. And I hated it.

"Fern?" I whirled around to face Charles again, his eyes narrowing on me. They went wide after a few seconds before containing such sadness it broke my heart, and I wasn't even sure what he was so upset about. "What the hell happened?"

I looked back at my painting before looking back to him, my eyebrows raised in confusion. "Huh?"

"Your goddamn arms Fern! Your face! The fucking bruises! What the hell is going on?" My eyes bugged out as I reached down for my sweatshirt I had completely forgot about, turning and racing down the hallway.

Admittedly, not my proudest moment.

His footsteps sounded behind me before my body went sprawling on the cold marble floor, a groan of pain leaving my lisp when he came in contact with my ribs and my skin. He pushed my arms down to my side and sat down on my palms with his knees, my eyes staring at the ceiling. I didn't dare look at his face, not wanting to see the pity and confusion in his face.

"Why didn't you tell any of us?"

I sighed before looking to his face again, my heart clenching at the pain within his eyes. "It hasn't been that bad until recently, and I didn't really want to bother any of you. Plus, to be perfectly honest, I don't trust gangs all that much."

"Damien's a dick." I chuckled as he stood up, lowering his hand in an attempt to help me up. I graciously took it and stood, groaning at the sharp pain from my ribs. I was almost positive they were broken, but I couldn't go to a hospital, not with my burns.

"You can say that again." He didn't laugh at my words, instead staring at my arm wrapped around my ribs with a pained expression.

"Let me take you to our docto-"

"No, Charles. I can't have Damien figuring anything out."

"You're not going back to your house!" I huffed, spinning and walking back to my bottle of Hennessy and the left over paint bottles.

"You're funny."

He sighed as he watched me, walking up and snatching the bottle before I could get a proper sip. "You'll turn into your mother."

"Fuck you Charles."

"Seriously, let me take you to the doctor to at least look at the goddamn burns, you'll tell me afterwards." I sat and thought for a moment, my eyes lingering on the painting smeared over white brick. "If you don't I'll tell Damien everything, and I mean everything."

I sighed before nodding, reluctantly following him to his car. The ride was short, my breathing slightly labored as we pulled up to the house. I looked at him warily as he got out, watching him walk around the side and practically drag me out of the car.

He snuck me in through the back door, walking up a small stair case that led to the main hallway. He knocked on the third door down, three down from Damien's. A petite blonde opened the door, her eyes wide as she looked back and forth from me to Charles.

"Charles?"

"Can you look at someone and not tell Damien?" She looked at my bruised face before her eyes softened, moving back to fully open the door.

As we walked in she flipped the lights on brighter, and motioned for me to take my shirt off. I hesitated, my lip rolling between my teeth as I sucked in a breath and reached for the hem. I pulled it over slowly, wary of the pain radiating from my bones deep within me.

I stared at my hands before looking back up, seeing the doctor holding her hand over her mouth while she looked at me in horror and Charles looking absolutely livid. I grimaced as my eyes wandered over my marred skin, tattoos and bruises coloring my pale body.

"Tattoos?" I gave Charles a small forced smile, watching as he tried to focus on the flowers over my shoulders and upper arms and back instead of the bruises.

"Had to have something that covered up the scars." He grimaced at my answer, watching at the doctor began to poke and prod my skin gently.

"I'm Sarah." I gave her a soft smile before a grunt of pain when she touched a particularly tender part of my ribs, my eyes shining with concern. "I don't think they're broken, but you shouldn't do much."

I nodded as she began to wrap my chest and put antibacterial cream over my cuts, as well as small heating bars onto my bruises. She sighed once she finished and helped me into a shirt Charles had brought, her facing looking back over me.

"Don't go home tonight, please. You need to rest, and it's almost time for school to start anyway." I nodded briefly, watching as she hesitated before looking over to Charles. "I'll go get clothes for her for school, show her to a shower."

Charles walked me slowly to his own room, the walls beige with the occasional poster and picture frame on the wall. His bed was set in the corner with a black duvet, a nightstand with a silver lamp illuminating the rest of the room. He showed me into the bathroom where a huge jacuzzi bathtub and completely separate shower stood, sparkling silver with how new they were.

He turned the water on for me before nodding and showing me where the towels were, quickly leaving the room and shutting the door behind him. I undressed as fast as I could, which was still painstakingly slow, before turning and facing myself in the mirror.

God, no wonder Damien didn't want me.

I stepped into the shower and hissed away from the warm water hitting my bruises, before finally relaxing. Could I marry a shower? Is that legal? I wasn't really sure, but with the way this shower was making me feel I was seriously thinking about looking into it.

I smelt like Charles when I stepped out, drying myself off the best I could before wrapping myself in the towel. I poked my head out to find clothes laid out on the bed and an empty bedroom, walking out to to look at the clothes.

I pulled on tight jeans that were a bit too tight around my thighs and behind, as well as one of Charles oversized plaid shirt. I thanked god that Sarah's feet were my size before pulling on a pair of combat boots, running my hand through my damp hair that had already began to curl.

The door opened with Charles looking at me with a small smile, his eye catching on the bruise on my face. "I don't have makeup to cover that up."

I chuckled, before giving him a shrug. "No one will care, I'll be fine. Besides, I'll probably get in trouble for my art today anyway."

"Damien just left, as well as Joey. Come on." I smiled before following him downstairs, walking in the kitchen behind him. I took out an apple from a bowel in the center of the table, munching on it as Charles grabbed his backpack. Another big and buff guy walked in, his body stilling when he took me in.

"Who are you?" My eyes flickered over to Charles, who seriously had the nerve to shrug at me.

"Charles date." Charles choked on air, his eyes wide when he looked over to me.

"Thought you were gay?"

"He is, I just needed to borrow him last night. Don't worry about it, okay?" He looked back over to Charles before nodding slowly, making his way to open the fridge.

I smiled when Charles grabbed my hand and tugged my outside rather quickly, practically pushing me into his car. "I can't fucking take you anywhere in public."

"Haha:" I said sarcastically before sticking my tongue out.

I watched as the car drove by the town, trees and buildings I had seen since I was a child flying by. When we pulled in, I became increasingly aware of the bruise across my skin. I know I said no one would care, but the fact it was true still sent pangs of hurt through me.

Everyone stared as we got out, giving us knowing looks. I looked over to Charles with a confused face, a smirk crossing his looks. "I may not have told exactly everyone I was gay. I didn't tell Joey and Damien, and I told everyone to wait for me to tell them."

My eyes widened when I looked around, before they settled on him. Damien glared at Charles, his jaw tense and his body practically gleaming under the cold sun. That wasn't what hurt me though, it seemed like karma was against me today or something.

My heart broke because he stood there with Courtney, and the fact his arm was wrapped around her protectively — the way he use to with me.