Alex walked into the girl's locker room, gingerly stretching out her aching back. The previous afternoon, Michael had cornered her at the top of the stairs. Alex had just seen him as he pushed her down the stairs and had caught a long, fleeting glance of his smirking face before her back had collided with the stair step for the first time. She had descended twenty steps, bouncing in the air after every few steps and landing with more force each time. Her hands had instinctively flown to the back of her head to prevent herself from going into unconsciousness again. By the time she had landed on the final step, her plan not to utter a single word of complaint after a solid week of brutal abuse came crumbling down and she was shrieking in pain.

Unfortunately, no one was there to witness the assault, not that anyone could have come anyway since most of the people had already exited the building. Michael, smirking, had left her there, alone as she writhed in her semi-consciousness.

Every inch of her back was throbbing with pain that day and when Coach Anderson had clapped her on the back after doing three laps under ten minutes, she had thought her knees were going to give out. Somehow, she was able to manage to stand upright and casually make her leave. But at that moment, she wanted nothing more but to soak in a long, hot bath.

She inwardly groaned once she realized that she had to walk home that day and began to slowly slip off her shirt.

A sharp gasp pierced the air.

Alex merely glanced over her shoulder and nearly cursed to herself once she saw who was standing at the door. Monica and her friends had been standing at the doorway for quite awhile and each of them had caught a pretty good look of her back.

Monica stared with a look of transfixed horror at her back that was marred with blue-black bruises that spread from the bottom of her back up to her shoulders and as far as she could see, her ribs and chest.

"Don't worry about it," Alex assured softly as she slipped on the original shirt she had worn that day.

"Don't worry about it!" Monica exclaimed, "Alex, you're hurt! You need the nurse!"

"I said don't worry about it," Alex repeated.

She slowly gathered her belongings and slung her backpack over her shoulder, simply not deciding to expose her discomfort as a hot knife of pain slashed up her shoulder.

"Did Michael do this to you?" one of the girls amongst the group asked her. Alex raised her head up slightly to nod and a collective gasp rang throughout the room.

She instantly regretted ever responding to her question and quickly shook her head to gain placidity in the room.

"I tripped and fell down a few steps, okay? It's no big deal. It'll be fine in a couple of days," Alex reassured before she pushed the door open to leave.

"And what about you?" Alex halted in her tracks.

Yeah. What about me? Will I be fine in a few days too? Will I ever be fine again? With Michael around...

"...only time will tell, right?" Alex wondered aloud.

Before Alex could hear Monica's reaction, she had already shut the door behind her and was striding down the hallway.

It was agonizingly painful for Alex to walk but she couldn't complain. She knew that she was worrying those around her but she was too stubborn and too modest to let anyone solve it. She was too dependent on herself that she didn't even realize that she needed to depend on others in order to survive. She hated it but if she wanted her problems solved, she knew that she needed to do it herself, even if it meant making others worry.

Once she stepped into her apartment, she was surprised to see that Aunt Becky was not slaving over the kitchen stove but instead lying on the couch, her glazed over eyes glued to the flickering TV screen. Alex's expression scrunched up into one of sheer perplexity and concern and as she dropped her backpack to the floor, she rounded the couch and sat beside her motionless aunt.

"Aunt Becky?" she questioned.

Aunt Becky merely shifted her body so that her face was pointing upwards towards the ceiling and as she did so, she parted her chapped lips to drawl out a shaky sigh.

"I'm so tired..." she murmured softly but loud enough so that Alex was able to hear her.

"Do you want me to take you to your room then?" Alex asked her.

"No," she snapped. The harshness in her voice pierced Alex's heart and made her wince. Aunt Becky almost instantly noticed.

"I'm sorry, honey," Aunt Becky said shifting her body upright. She laid a feeble, trembling hand upon Alex's and gave it a light, tender squeeze.

"I'm just really, really tired." She shook her head softly as she said this, as if she were ashamed for feeling that way.

"Get some rest, Aunt Becky," Alex suggested but to her, it seemed more of an order than a request.

Alex held her weary, archaic gaze for a brief moment before Aunt Becky tore her eyes away from hers.

"I got laid off..." she finally sighed.

The first thought that came to Alex's mind was Michael. She thought about how she always stole money from Aunt Becky's purse to pay him. How was she going to pay him now? With no money to offer, he would beat her into a bloody pulp! She knew that she was being selfish for only thinking of herself in Aunt Becky's time of comfort but she couldn't help herself. Michael wanted her money and he would beat her everyday if that meant he was going to get it.

Alex's heart raced, Aw, dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! This sucks! If Aunt Becky doesn't have a job, then she doesn't have any money and if she doesn't have any money, then I can't pay Michael and if I can't pay Michael, then I'm dead! No... I shouldn't be thinking about him right now. She just lost her job for goodness sake! God, I can be so selfish sometimes.

"It's alright," Alex assured her aunt but it sounded as if she were trying to comfort her own self instead of her, "Maybe it's just budget cuts or something."

"You don't understand, Alex," Aunt Becky cried, "Joe doesn't bring in that much money with the job he's working at. By the time the month is over, we'll be living on the streets! You and the boys might even end up in a foster home..."

"Don't say that!" Alex scolded and she held her aunt's shocked gaze, "You just can't decide what your future will be just because of how bad things are now. You have to do something about it. Just be on the lookout for some other jobs. I'm sure there are plenty out there just waiting for someone to sign up."

Aunt Becky sat there, letting Alex's words marinate within her mind and several moments later, her aunt nodded in agreement with her, smiling the pleasant smile Alex adored with her all.

"You're right, honey. Thank you."

Alex feigned what she thought was a content smile, "No problem."

Alex felt so dirty under her aunt's gaze, exposed, naked. She was still thinking about her and Michael, whether she would still be able to pay him his daily ten in the future. It frightened her to think about what laid ahead of her and the thought alone made her wince. She was being selfish, deceitful, wicked, sinister, just like Michael. On the outside, she seemed to be happy for her aunt's gradual gain of confidence but on the inside, she was screaming out in agony.

How am I going to pay him his money now?

The next morning, Alex took a different route to go to school with the back paths that led to the tennis courts. To her shock earlier that morning, there wasn't any money left in her aunt's purse and she couldn't help but imagining that it was her fault for taking ten bucks everyday. It was bad enough that Aunt Becky no longer had a job but it made it all the more worse now that she didn't even have any spare money left to buy herself something nice. Now that she no longer had money to give, Alex couldn't "eat lunch" that day. Michael was being "soft" on her now but if she ever missed a day without giving him his ten, he would show no mercy.

The wide stone steps led her to the tennis courts and she was glad that barely anyone took this route because anyone in this school could turn on her and tell Michael that she was avoiding him. It seemed like everyone knew about the situation that she was in and now, all of the girls in her gym class knew who was the culprit of assaulting her. She felt so careless thinking that she would be the only one in the dressing room but she couldn't help herself. She was more focused on the pain inside her back that she couldn't even hear the door open. It was her own fault. Not Michael's.

When Alex was in the hallway, she tried to blend in with the rest of the crowd but the attempt was futile. Everyone in the crowd wore makeup, had their wrists and fingers clad in jewelry, wore fashion designer clothes and wore shoes from another country whilst Alex wore her naked face with her cheap timeworn shoes and clothing from stores down the street. Michael could have easily singled her out, anyone could. She was, after all, the only commoner in the entire student body.

She stood out like a sore thumb being surrounded by heirs of the throne, children of major business owners and rich students beyond imagination. She was the needle in the haystack, the odd ball of the family, the street rat in the trash, a commoner.

Alex was relieved when she arrived in her first class and was glad to see that neither Michael nor his friends were present. She made her way to her seat in the back of the room and was slightly startled once she saw Nelson scramble back to his original seat. Alex stared at him with furrowed brows, silently wondering why he had moved back to his assigned seat. She noticed that he was refusing to look back into her direction, as if he weren't able to look her in the eye, as if he were guilty of a crime.

Shrugging, she slipped in her seat, careful not to bump her bruises. Once the obnoxious bell rang throughout the school, Mr. Matthews embarked on his lesson for the day and all listened, all but Alex that is who currently stared at the door, waiting for Michael to walk in. She glanced over at his empty desk and she could imagine him craning his neck to glare at her like he usually did during class and then she shifted her gaze back to the door that still remained closed.

She wondered if Michael was running late or maybe if he were absent today. Alex hoped that he was absent because he couldn't blame her for not giving him money when he wasn't there to take it.

During lunch, Alex was excited to talk to Monica about her day, how Michael wasn't present in any of her classes and how she didn't have any new wounds to show. But she was surprised to see that Monica wasn't anywhere in sight. Alex peered her eyes about the room in search for one face in particular but she saw no one, at least, no one that she wanted to see.

Sighing, Alex decided to eat outside and settle herself in a corner close to the D building. After losing her appetite to the loneliness she felt, she leaned herself heavily against the cold stone wall, pondering miserably how her day was going to turn out.

The hard clanks of heels pierced her ears and her face broke into a wide smile once she realized who it was.

"Monica!"

Monica froze in her tracks, risking one terrified glance at Alex before whirling around the opposite direction. Alex watched her strode away, hurt that she would leave without biding her the slightest of farewell.

"Wait Monica!" Alex pleaded as she scrambled up to her feet, "Monica!"

Before she could run after her, a sudden wave of coldness engulfed her body and made her skin bud with goosebumps. Her drenched black hair was plastered to her face, as was the rest of her clothing that was dripping with water. She stood there in shock, shuddering and blinking the water out of her eyes.

And then, she heard laughter, his laughter.

She wanted to run away that moment but the utter shock and the coldness she was feeling numbed her brain and ceased her current thoughts. She shifted her body so that she was facing Michael and his sinister smirk. Her gaze hardened into a glare then quickly turned into a stare filled with pain and misery and with the water streaming down her cheeks, she looked as if she were crying. Michael pouted his lips, showing mock sorrow.

"Awww. It looks like your only friend has abandoned you too," came Michael's teasing tone as he waved the empty bucket around.

Anger and resentment aroused within her as his mocking laughter pierced her ears. She clenched her knuckles until her nails dug into her palms but the pain in her hands was nothing compared to the pain she felt inside.

"You were a nuisance from the beginning," he continued, "What ever made you think that a commoner like you could ever fit into a prestigious school like Charington? Just pack up your shit and leave already! Go to your foster home with your cousins. You can't afford to stay in the place that you're in now."

Alex's heart stopped as the fear in her eyes grew visible to him.

How did he know about that?!

Michael smirked, "Oh, darling. Everybody knows that. When in Charington, everybody knows everybody and with that, everybody knows everybody else's business. You're practically the gossip now. Everyone knows about your situation. Why do you think your little friend wouldn't sit by you in class today? Why do you think Monica ran away like that like she had seen a ghost? Or in your case, a rat."

When Alex didn't reply, Michael stepped closer to her and leaned down to her ear.

"It's because they're ashamed of you." Alex's heart raced, "They don't want to be seen with you in public. Your life would only taint their reputation. If they're seen hanging out with a commoner that can't even afford a three bedroom apartment, everyone would shun them just like they have done to you. They can't risk that. It's too risky."

Michael pulled away from her and saw that she was not only taking his words in but she was on the verge of tears. No whimpers escaped her throat, her lips didn't quiver the slightest and her body didn't tremble. They were silent tears welling in her eyes. She had always been a silent girl during lessons, beatings, everything. She never complained and she never gave up. She just continued to endure the pain without informing anyone. And it seemed that it was only Michael who was able to solve and or worsen the problem.

"I see," she shakily replied, slowly nodding her head, "It all makes sense now..."

Everyone is ashamed of me all because I don't have a single penny to my name? How horrible people can be... Is it my fault I wasn't born as the heir of a king or queen? I suppose it is my fault. It always is my fault.

"You have always been a nuisance."

No. Shut up. Stop talking!

"Just go back home and don't ever come back."

Stop hurting her! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!

"You're only hurting yourself here."

Why are you being so mean to her? It's not her fault! Don't do this!

Alex bit down on her bottom lip and walked away, simply refusing to cry. Not here, not at school. Home is where she needed to be then and it was a place that she should have stayed. Michael was right. She was just a nuisance to society, a street rat, a commoner. No one of her class were accepted as human beings in the wealthy society. It "tainted" their reputation as Michael had said. Alex loved Monica dearly and ruining her life would be the last thing she would ever want to do. She was doing her a favor by giving up hope and not ever seeing her again.

I'm sorry that I failed you, Monica. I tried to be better. I really did. I tried so hard...