I was learning more and more each day about people and the way they are. It helped that Antonio was showing me. Every time I had a question, he would answer it truthfully.

I didn't feel so out of place with everyone like I did before. I know people think I need to socialize and make friends, but I was okay with Antonio, Wade, and Adrian.

I'm happy it satisfied Cole with Wade. Cole needs someone like Wade to make him happy. Plus, Wade talks, and Cole doesn't. Well, he doesn't speak to people. Cole talks to Luke and me. He says I'm his best friend.

But he needs another best friend besides Luke and me.

Antonio kept his word and picked me up for school. My parents were hesitant, but I told them it was okay. They worry too much.

Antonio came to the door to get me, and we walked to the car. I got in and buckled my seatbelt. He got into the car; then he did the same thing. I looked at all the buttons. He explained what everything did, so I did what anyone does; I played with them.

I flipped through the music until I came to the eighties station and stopped. Antonio chuckled. "Oldies it is."

We drove to school and got out of the car. As we walked towards the front door, he slid his hand into mine. I smiled, and so did he.

He walked me to my locker, then we went to his, before heading to the room with the puzzle. He pulled out a new puzzle and opened the box. Then he dumped the pieces out. We worked on it together until our class.

I walked inside and took my seat. I pulled out my materials as others started arriving. I focused on what the teacher was saying: then someone touched me. This gesture made me move. They kept doing it before I stood up.

Everyone looked at me. I looked at the person. "Please don't touch me." Then I sat back down. People snickered while I tried to refocus on my lesson. Why must people bother someone?

Once class was over, I gathered up my stuff and walked out of the classroom. Then someone stopped me.

"Please move," I said to them, not making eye contact.

"Yeah, I don't think so, freak," they said as I became anxious.

"Please move," I said, getting upset.

"Aw, is someone going to cry. Then maybe you should have a reason to cry," a guy said as he grabbed my wrist. I tried to push them off as they dragged me down the hallway. We came to a closet as I kept clawing at them. They opened the door, oh god.

They shoved me inside and slammed the door shut. I don't like the dark and pounded on the door with my palms. "Let me out!" I screamed.

The door wouldn't open as I tried to open it.

"Please let me out!"

The door opened, and I looked at two people. Ella and Darcy shoved me back inside, and from there, I screamed as the door closed.

I went to the room Rain has lunch in, and she wasn't there. This behavior wasn't like her.

I went to see if maybe she was in her class, but no one was there. What the hell?

Then I checked rooms and closets. Morris and Adrian found me while I was checking things out.

"Have you seen Rain?" I asked both.

"No," Adrian said.

"Something's not right," I said to them.

"We'll help you look," Wade said as we checked every place possible until we came across a locked closet. Adrian picked the lock. I don't even want to know how he knew to do that.

As soon as we opened the door, it was dark. We turned to leave when I heard it, sniffling. I pulled out my phone and turned on the light. Then anger boiled inside of me. Rain was there in the dark closet.

Her hair and clothes cut, and it looked like someone beat the hell out of her. I walked over and gently touched her. She let out a scream.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed.

"Rain, it's me, Antonio," I said calmly.

"Antonio," she said as she opened her eyes.

I shined the light on me as she stared at me. "It's me, my Rainbow."

She started crying as I put my phone away. I scooped her up. That's when I noticed that she had urinated on herself, oh God. I carried her as she clung to me.

Lunch was letting out as I walked down the hallway, carried her while Morris and Adrian walked on each side of us. People watched and gasped. Good, let them look. Let them see what someone did to her, assholes.

I took her to the car and placed her inside. She curled up in a ball and buried her head into the seat. I drove her home.

When we arrived, I knocked on the door. Cole opened it and looked at us. I walked in, carrying her upstairs. I heard the door close and took her to the bathroom.

I set her down as I ran water in the tub. Then once I got it full enough, I helped her undress. She tried to cover herself, but I just reassured her I was only cleaning her up. She climbed into the tub.

As she sat there with her knees to her chest, I washed her up. She didn't talk, and I didn't push it. Then when I finished, I grabbed some clothes, and she got dressed.

"They cut my hair," she said as she touched her hair.

"Yeah, but you're still beautiful to me," I said to her. She hugged me as I hugged her back. She needed reassurance, and that's what I planned on giving her.

I heard the door open and footsteps. Rain looked past me and said, "Mom, Dad."

I let her go as her parents walked into the bathroom, and Colton hugged her as did Lia. She cried, and my heart broke. Then Colton's phone went off. He answered it as Lia held Rain.

"He did what? Yeah, I'll be right there," he said, hanging up.

"Colton?" Lia looked at him.

"I have to go down to the police station and bail out Cole. It seems he beat the hell out someone at the school," he said as he left the bathroom.

"Mom, is Cole in trouble?" Rain asked her.

"I don't know, Honey," she said to her.

This situation couldn't be right if Colton had to bail Cole out. I didn't care. I hope he did a good job.

I stayed with Rain, and we sat on her couch as Colton and Cole walked inside. Lia came into the living room.

"Well," she asked Colton.

Cole looked at her.

"Cole went down to the school, checked around, and found the person who locked Rain in a closet. He beat the hell out of the kid," Colton explained as Lia looked at Cole.

"They're assholes and deserved it," Cole said.

"The school isn't allowing Cole onto school grounds, or they will press charges," he said to her.

"Then can they press charges against Ella and Darcy," Rain said as we all looked at her. "They shoved me into a closet, cut my hair, cut my clothes, and hit me because I was crying. When I peed, they hit me again because I got urine on them. They said I ruin their clothes," she said as we looked at her. "Lyle pushed me into the closet as he grabbed my wrist. I asked him to let me go, but he shoved me in a dark closet and locked the door. I hit the door, then Ella and Darcy opened it. Then they did that to me. I don't understand why? I don't like dark rooms. I cried. I don't understand," she said as we all looked at her with furrowed brows.

Cole walked over and took a seat across from her.

"Because they are jerks. No matter what, they are jerks. They think they have a right to bully people because they think you're weak. You're not weak. You're the strongest person I know and my hero. Because of you, I feel comfortable being who I am. Rainbow, you're beautiful while they're ugly. Remember that," Cole told her.

For a guy that doesn't say much, he sure spoke volumes. Cole was right. Ella and Darcy are bullies, and so were the other students. They went after the wrong person.

It was time things changed, and I knew how to get them to change. I would enlist some help.