"Okay, bottom line is; I would really appreciate it if one of you could grab me the paint." Ella tried again as we made our way down to the cafeteria for lunch.

"And why can't you go again? I thought you had the paint already?" Harper chimed in from my other side.

"I just used what I found in the basement. How was I meant to know the colour of my living room was Vanilla Pudding and not Vanilla Custard?"

I tisked between the both of them. "Rookie mistake," I joked causing a humoured grin to form on Harper's face.

"Well, you know I can't help you tonight." Harper reminded her once she got a sobering glare flashed in her direction. "Between student council and my physics paper I won't have the opportunity."

"Can't you stop on your way home?" Ella pleaded.

Harper shook her burgundy curls, "It's completely out of my way. Just take the bus."

Oh, no. Not the B word.

Ella paused in her tracks causing Harper and I to come to a complete stop in the middle of the hall. Her eyes wide, gazing at Harper like she had just squished a kitten. "You're kidding right? You're going to force me to take public transportation?" She spat as if though the concept itself was absolute filth. "I refuse." She stomped, "I absolutely refuse."

"Ella-" I tried, knowing this was going to be the start of something.

"No, no way am I taking the bus."

"You're such a prissy princess." Harper concluded.

My two best friends began to bicker in the hall while students passed by staring. Feeling the embarrassment slowly creeping in I stood a few feet back with my arms crossed as I smiled tightly at those who passed.

Ella had stepped up to Harper who stood a few good inches above her. "So you want me to walk, in the cold, only to wait, in the cold, to pay money to sit awkwardly with a bunch of strangers?" As per usual Harper had a logical comeback only forcing Ella to lose her cool even more.

"I'll grab it for you." I announced causing Ella to turn her attention to me, whipping Harper in the face with her ponytail in the process.

"Will you really?" Ella gushed, throwing her arms around me when I nodded in confirmation.

"And this is why I love you." She confessed only to turn to give Harper the stink eye. "It's clear who cares more about my wellbeing."

Harper's pale features twisted into a dry expression when Ella maneuvered to give me one last squeeze. With Ella content we commenced our track to the stairwell, Harper and Ella making jabs at each other out of habit.

"It's not going to be until later on, you know that right?" I interrupted their diss-fest.

"Honestly, I'll take whatever I can get." Ella agreed gleefully now that she didn't have to take the bus. "I owe you."

"Big time. You owe me big time. And don't think I've forgotten about the whole babysitting fiasco." I reminded her. "You owe me for that too."

The hall we took to the foyer was still busy as we made our way to the lunch area. I had fallen a few steps back to check my phone when an arm reached out, yanking me into the student help centre.

I was seconds from shouting out in protest when the door shut, a hand slipping its way over my lips.

"Tell me you were actually about to scream." Lincoln shook his head in disbelief, his hair it's usual bed-head disaster.

I glared for a moment in silence before sticking my tongue out and licking his palm. As expected his hand shot away from my mouth, his facial features contorting into disgust. "Obviously. Who in their right mind just drags someone into an empty room like that?" I growled once I was able to speak coherently.

"I needed to talk to you." He defended, wiping his hand on the denim of his jeans.

My hands found their way onto my hips, "A 'hi Cali, what's up?' would have been sufficient."

Lincoln rolled his dark eyes at me. "I need you to babysit Sadie."

I rose a brow.

"Please." He almost spat. Apparently the use of his manners were a little rusty.

To his dissatisfaction I tilted my head.

"Can you please watch Sadie for me?" He questioned after a moment of seemingly choking down his pride.

A bright smile found its way onto my face. "Of course my favourite student." I chirped giving his shoulder a nice sturdy pat. "When?"

His jaw ticked slightly, a bored expression plastered on his face. "For the rest of the week."

I pondered for a moment, thinking over my schedule. "I think I can do that." I nodded.

"Great." He gave me a tight lipped smile obviously no longer wanting me in his presence. Not even a second passed, he grabbed hold of my arm, pulled me forward, only to follow through with opening the thick green door and launching me out of it.

Before I knew it I was back in the sea of students. So shocked that he had kicked me out for a second time in two days I stared openly at the now closed door - almost forgetting to mutter an apology to those I rammed into on the way out.

Confused, but trying to pull myself together, I slowly made my way towards the cafe.

Note to self: Lincoln Pierce was weirder than a camel without humps.

The rest of the day went by without so much of a hitch. Classes flew by and before I knew it I was headed to the daycare. Tammy had called in "sick" for the day so I spent a good chuck of my work hours back in that dreaded kitchen until it was time to head to Lincoln's.

"Ms Cali, is there really such a thing as Neverland?" Sadie wondered in awe. I had just exposed her to the magic of Peter Pan half-an-hour prior and Sadie's doe-like blue eyes hadn't stopped glowing since.

"I like to think so." I replied honestly, wiping some leftover toothpaste off her chin.

"I want to go there." She whispered dreamily, imagining the one place were no one has to grow up. Where no one had a worry in the world apart from a band of not-so-smart pirates and a tick-tocking crocodile. Like Sadie, it was the one place I wished I could escape to as a child. "Would you and Lincoln be able to come with me if I go?"

I sat perched on her single bed, which was rather low to the ground. "I don't think so little miss." I said pulling her comforter up higher across her chest. "Lincoln and I are too old now, I think. We're not kids anymore." Life had already sucked the innocence out of us.

"So Linky wouldn't be able to come?" The glimmer in her eyes began to lose some of it's shine.

Disappointed that I was foiling her plans, but knowing this little girl deserved nothing but the truth, I shook my head.

"Then I'm not going." Sadie confirmed, changing her mind. The attachment she had to her big brother warmed my heart. I could only ever dream of having the connection one has with their older brother.

"And I'm sure he's not going anywhere without you." I assured her.

"Good, I'd miss him."

The smile I was wearing transformed into a grin. She was an absolute doll.

Taking Sadie snuggling deeper into her bed as my prompt to leave I rose from her princess duvet. Plugging in her Cinderella night light prior to leaving I kept the door slightly ajar just incase I was needed before heading downstairs.

I officially had nothing to do. I rattled my brain for anything that needed finishing as I made my way down the carpeted steps. The kitchen was already cleaned after our meal of hotdogs and french fries and the rest of the main floor hadn't really been put to much use since all Sadie and I did after dinner was watch a movie.

Not knowing what time Lincoln was expected to return I settled down in the family room to get started on a few assignments. However, when ten o'seven flashed across my phone screen I wondered what time Harold's closed on weekdays. A couple minutes after I stopped my pondering and dragged my focus back onto my work I heard the fiddling of the lock behind me.

Knowing it was getting late, and that Lincoln probably wanted me out of his hair, I commenced packing up my things. I wanted to hurry up and make it to Home Depot for Ella's paint before the stores closed. Packing in a final textbook I rose from my spot on the couch. The shuffling to my rear made me well aware of Lincoln's presence as he forced off his shoes and dropped something down to the floor with a thud. Turning around, my bag in-hand, I was prepared to briefly greet him prior to running my errand.

Then again, I wasn't expecting what I saw.

An audible gasp left my lips, the hand I had securely around the strap of my bag turned to jelly.

"Oh my God."

Lincoln stood awkwardly on the front mat. The way he stared at me was almost as if he forgot I was going to be here. After a few brief moments of me gabbing, and him attempting to hide his face from my view, he slipped off his jacket. It was too late though. The images had burned an impression in my eyes and seared themselves to memory.

"Lincoln?" Practically flying over the couch I made my way up to the injured teen, peeking around him when he tried to hide his complexion again. "Oh my God," I repeated in shock, "what happened?" I questioned reaching out to the angry, swollen bruise forming on his cheek. A defined gash vandalized his high cheekbone and I wondered silently to myself if it needed stitches.

He batted my hand away, jerking when I got too close for comfort. "Nothing." He forced out gruffly. "Nothing happened."

Contemplating the possibility that he could have a concussion I looked over him as if though he had lost his mind. "Nothing? Have you seen your face?" Lincoln turned away again, blocking my vision. Leaving his stuff unattended at the front door he stormed through the threshold of the kitchen. You could tell from the stiffness of his posture that he was aggravated.

He was hyped.

He was seeing red.

Usually, if I were in a more sane state of mind, and not so caught up in wanting to help, I would have disappeared out the front door faster than you could say flapjacks. But I was too concerned to care if he turned his visible aggression towards me.

I watched him from the opening of the kitchen door, trying to give him some space as he slammed around. As I stood there I analyzed, knowing full well I probably wouldn't get the answers I wanted from Lincoln himself.

The liquid crimson was vibrant and clearly noticeable against his light grey hoodie. I was almost tempted to tell him to take it off. His hair was in more of a state than usual. It was in complete disarray, appearing more scruffy than his usual out-of-bed style.

But his face. Oh my God, his face.

There was no doubt he was in some sort of confrontation. It was either that or he'd been hit by a bus on his way home.

Taking a glass from the cupboard he filled the vessel with tap water. He swooshed the cool liquid around in his mouth only to spit a copper stream into the sink. Usually that sort of uncultured behaviour would have me pulling out my scolding finger, however, looking at Lincoln's dishevelled state the thought hadn't even crossed my mind.

"Lincoln?" I tried again, slowly moving forward as if I was approaching an injured animal. "What happened?"

The muscles of his jaw were tense as he braced himself against the countertop. His knuckles, which should have been red due to the visible blood, cuts and scrapes, were white from the pressure of holding on so tight.

The beating of my heart was erratic within the shallow confines of my chest. Approaching Lincoln Pierce in this kind of situation seemed to be like asking for a death wish.

But I just couldn't leave.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice more stable than I felt. "Were you jumped? Do you know who did this to you?" More silence followed. "Did you phone the police? We have to call them." I insisted taking my phone out of my back pocket. "Where did it happen?" I rambled on while tapping the password into my device.

"You can't call anyone." Lincoln's injured hand was over both of mine within moments. The action put the extent of his injuries on show. Instinctively I wanted to skim my finger tips over the damage, sooth the pain away.

"What do you mean I can't?" I pondered out loud once I could no longer look at the gruesome cuts and gashes. "If someone intentionally hurt you to this extent-" The protest I was planning fell short.

"Just leave it." His rough hand tightened, blocking access to my phone completely. "It's already been dealt with."

Suspiciously I eyed his features, searching for any telltale signs of a bluff. "How?"

Silence elapsed in the space between us once more, both pairs of our brown eyes analyzing each other. Lincoln's Adam's apple bobbed in a thick swallow but his eyes stayed steady. "There was a robbery at Harold's."

The confession had my jaw going slack.

"Some punks stealing some power tools for some crack money or something, I don't know. The cops were already called."

I was at a loss for words with no idea of what to say. "That's horrible. I'm so sorry that happened to you. Did they catch them?"

"Yeah," Lincoln replied shortly while moving away. His body was still tense but overall less stiff as he hobbled over to the black duffle bag he abandoned at the front. Bending down he dug around an outer pocket, pulling out a small wad of bills. Confusion clouded my mind when he moved towards me, holding the cash out.

I stared down at the crumpled paper in his hand before trying to resume eye contact with him, but he refused. "Just take it." He ordered breaking the two seconds of eye contact he granted me only to look away again.

"I'm not taking your money." I told him with a shake of my head.

"If you're going to insist on helping me with Sadie than we're doing this my way. Take the money."

"Lincoln-" I started.

"Take it."

Realizing I didn't have much say in the matter I gingerly reached for the money in his hand. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." He murmured.

Not wanting to leave - but knowing I had to go if I wanted to get to the store on time - I made my way to the fridge. After dragging the freezer drawer open and digging around I located what I was searching for.

With an ice pack in-hand I stepped up to the unruly looking teenage boy, raising the cold bag to his cheek. He winced from the contact, I had no idea whether it was due to pain or the temperature. Nevertheless he accepted the aid - lifting his own hand to take over so I could withdraw mine.

"Try to ice for as long as you can without giving yourself frostbite, put a small towel around it if it gets too cold. It will help with the swelling."

When he didn't respond I took that as my cue to leave. Lincoln didn't seem like the type to want to be coddled. He wanted to be left to deal with this on his own, that much I knew.

Without another word I gathered what I had and made my way to the car. It was only when I sat down, both hands gripping the wheel, that I let myself breathe out a shaky breath.

Lincoln Pierce was going to be the death of me, I swear.

Feeling exhausted all of the sudden the only thing I wanted to do was hurry up, grab Ella's paint, and go home to sleep. As originally planned I headed to Home Depot, Lincoln's abused face not leaving the forefront of my mind.

Until I neared the plaza that housed Harold's Hardware.

In a split second decision I pulled into the parking lot, cutting off a not-so-happy lady in my haste to make the turn. Nearing the still lit shop I inspected for damage.

There was none.

Having a sudden inkling of suspicion I pulled into park, not even bothered that I had situated myself between two spots. The familiar jingle of the bell sounded as I entered. Nothing had changed since I'd been in here yesterday, not even a section of rolled out caution tape.

"Calista Hale. Long time no see, hun." An oddly familiar voice called from my left. Mr Harold Blackshaw, the shop owner, appeared between a couple rows of shelving units. He hadn't changed a bit since I last saw him, still sporting the plaid shirt and suspenders with that jolly, jiggly belly I loved so much as a kid.

"Mr Blackshaw... you're here."

"Of course. Open every day 'til 11 'sides Saturday and Sunday. What can I help you with?"

Not expecting for the shop to even be open at this time I paused to think. What could he help me with? My linear mindset involving Lincoln diverted and Ella's desperate need for paint flashed to mind. "Uh... paint. I need some paint."

"Sure thing." Mr Blackshaw waved a thick hand. "Anything specific?"

"Vanilla Pudding or something like that." I stumbled out.

"This for Ms Gillard by any chance?" Mr Blackshaw asked referring to Ella's mom.

I nodded when he peeked over his shoulder to glance at me.

"I figured." He shook his finger with a knowing twinkle in his eye as he lead me to the wall of paint cans. "She always was my most Vanilla Pudding obsessed customer."

I stayed silent as he dug for a can, blowing the dust off the top when he found one without a dent. When I made a move to grab the item he tisked. "Don't worry hun, I've got it." He reassured me, tossing his greying head in a sign for me to follow. "This is all you needed right?"

"Yup." I chirped, shadowing him to the cash register. "Hey, Mr Blackshaw?" I tried while digging in my purse longer than necessary for my wallet so I didn't appear too intrigued. "Has there been any robberies in the area lately?"

A beeping sound registered throughout the small shop, "None that I know of."

"Oh, okay, never mind - probably just your typical high school rumours." I smiled after fishing out my wallet.

"Kids these days." The elderly man mused, the round mass of his belly jiggling. "The total comes to twenty-six, seventy-two.

Absentmindedly, I handed over the cash I received from Lincoln earlier, not even really paying attention to the total due.

Lincoln Pierce lied to me.

The new found knowledge festered in my mind, causing an annoyed sensation to crawl its way under my skin. The question now was, what was I going to do about it? Well, I'd be damned if I let him get away with it. I would be sure to let him know that I caught him red handed.

"Thank you so much Mr Blackshaw." I said accepting the tin when he slid it over the metal counter. "Say hi to Lincoln for me." I grinned widely, showing off the teeth my parents spent a pretty penny fixing up a few years earlier.

"You know Lincoln?" He paused his movements, peering over at me in mild interest. "Great kid, eh?"

"The greatest," I muttered before recovering my smile.

Mr Blackshaw nodded, rubbing at his facial hair, "I'll let him know." He promised. "But you'll probably see him before I do."

"Doesn't he work everyday?" I asked with a slight tilt of my head.

"More or less." He admitted, leaning his burly arms down on the cash counter. "But he took the week off to watch his sister. His mom's been picking up extra shifts at the hospital from what I hear." He explained, patting the metal beneath him as he straightened up. "All about family that one there."

"He sure is." Was all I managed to whisper.

Mr Blackshaw's plaid covered figure moving out of my vision is what snapped my mind away from my thoughts. "You have a goodnight Cali. Say hello to your parents for me, don't be strangers now ya' hear?"