Alex leisurely opened her eyes to her moonlit-basked bedroom. It irritated her to how everyday she would wake up in a cold sweat with the same nightmare at the same time in the middle of the night. She sat upright to start her way towards her door to go the bathroom only to plop herself right back down on the bed. She inwardly cursed before attempting to sit upright once more only to repeat the failed effort.

It's no use. I'm too weak.

She then simply decided to wait until morning when she was more determined to attempt to get up. She gathered the sheets closer to herself and tried to lull herself into the blissful, dark abyss called sleep but she was so frustrated with the current situation that she was in that the attempt was futile. She knew that she was too tired to do that as well so she decided to cry herself to sleep instead, repeating a chant that she had grown accustomed to doing ever since the nightmares first began.

It's only a bad dream. It's only a bad dream. It's only a bad dream...

As soon as Alex found herself in her boss's office, she knew she had gotten herself in an unfortunate predicament. She had been doing things on and off lately for the past two weeks that got her into trouble, massive trouble that could land her without a job and now that she was finally sitting in her boss's office, she felt her blood run cold and her body trembled in response.

The door to Mr. Hobbs's office swung open and in stepped Alex's boss, his face heavy with an emotion that she wasn't able to read quite well.

"Alex," he snarled.

"Mr. Hobbs, sir." The man nodded, grunting as he rounded Alex to get behind his mahogany desk. His lips seamed together as he sat in his creaking chair and as he made himself comfortable, Alex's fingers began to silently fidget.

"I assume you have figured that this is not one of our social calls," her boss said with a sigh and Alex remained silent, "I have let you get away with a substantial amount of things... You do realize that?"

Alex slowly nodded her head, "I do, sir."

"I've let you borrow money-?!"

"That I paid back," Alex interjected holding up a finger to accentuate her point. Mr. Hobbs didn't agree but only shot her a cold glare, warning her not to interrupt him again. Alex obeyed and sank in her seat obligingly.

"You have been sleeping on the job..." Alex sat up and opened her mouth to say something only to receive yet another glare.

"And Alex, these are only things that are currently coming to mind. If I wanted to, I could fill an entire notebook of things that I have let you get away with. Understand?"

"Yes sir."

Mr. Hobbs grimaced as if he were in pain, "However, this time, you have crossed the line."

"What have I done, sir?" Alex calmly asked him.

Mr. Hobbs sighed, "Nothing. Nothing at all. Nothing to deserve this."

"What do you mean, sir?"

Sighing heavily, Mr. Hobbs held Alex's gaze for a long moment, tears welling in his eyes, "Despite the things you have done, you are one of the best workers I have ever hired. Everyone knows that. However, even favored employees do not have special privileges to avoid these claims."

"But?" Alex inquired.

"I'm gonna have to let you go."

"But why-?!"

"It's budget cuts, Alex. You know that we're in a recession. It's to save the business. You aren't the only one getting laid off. Many others are too. You know the sang, 'The last employee hired is the first one fired,' and unfortunately, you were that employee. I'm sorry, Alex. I really am."

"But Mr. Hobbs," Alex began trying not to let her anger show. "This isn't fair-?!"

"Stop it, Alex!" Mr. Hobbs snapped coldly, silencing Alex instantly, "I will not sit here and let you argue with my superior's decision! Do you not think I did the same?! I sat with him for over an hour trying to convince him to fire somebody else! It was useless! There isn't another damn thing I can say to change his mind!"

"How about telling him that my family is living in poverty and if that my aunt and my uncle don't bring enough money in, me and my cousins will have to be put in a foster home?! How about telling him that?!"

Mr. Hobbs sighed shakily to calm the boiling anger raging within him, "I tried, Alex. I really did. It's just business."

"Fine! Your superior can rot in hell for all I care!" Alex cried as she shot up to her feet. "Next time you see him, how about telling him how he ruined my family's life."

With that, Alex turned on her heel and stormed out of her boss's office, trembling with rage. She strode down the long hall, pushing aside a person who had been carrying a stack of papers that flew askew as Alex bumped into him. It seemed as if everyone hurriedly stepped out of Alex's way to avoid her blinded rage and she was somewhat glad that they had done that. She wouldn't have to do something that she would end up regretting later in her life.

The last stains of the setting sun had already melted away, the twilight slowly dying after it as the blue remnants reluctantly clung to everything that was pale in color; pebbles, the dusty road, the figure of the lonesome girl herself, causing a bleary blue color to emanate from her trembling, petite body. The moon was hovering high in the black sky where the twinkling diamond stars winked down at those who wandered aimlessly through the silent night.

In that moment, Alex finally realized what was happening to her and it was in that moment when she began to sob. She realized that the future ahead of her was fading because there was no future lying ahead of her any longer. This was her own personal hell and crying, she was being dragged down into it without another by her side to comfort her on the way down.

She finally came to realization just how alone she was. Monica had rejected her friendship, Nelson no longer liked her the way she still liked him and then, she had lost the chance to make a friend in Bruno. She had no family to count on, her aunt being in her depression and her cousins not at the appropriate age to care and Uncle Joe was the last person she would ever think to talk to about her personal problems.

No one cared anymore, no one ever cared. She was just dead weight holding them back in their lives and that's all she ever was. She hated this life. She wanted it all to end somehow.

"No one would miss me..." she whispered, repeating the words that seemed to be the only thing that held truth in her life.

I don't want to be alone anymore. I miss my friends but no one misses me... No one loves me anymore... Nobody cares whether I live or if I die...

Michael hauled himself into the kitchen in search of something to eat, scoffing slightly once he saw that the refrigerator was practically empty(which was actually filled with food that he didn't like. He's a picky eater...). He decided to settle with a carton of milk and slammed the door shut so that no more cold air was able to seep out of the fridge. He drank from the lip of the carton and became slightly startled once he saw his twelve year old sister gaping at him from the entryway.

"Other people in this house drink from that carton too, you know?" she remarked with a repugnant scowl. He rolled his eyes in response and continued to drink the rather refreshing substance.

"And guess what? I'm back from boarding school too!" He pulled his lips away from the now empty carton and tossed it into a nearby trash can as a loud burp emitted from his throat. Janet scoffed, muttering a small "Pig" under her breath before turning her back to him to make her leave.

In retaliation to her insult, Michael swept her off her feet into his arms and promptly smeared his milk mustache along her cheek, simply ignoring her shrieks and squirming of protest and laughing in spite of her.

"This is why you don't have a girlfriend!" Janet yelled frustratedly wiping away the incriminating milk off her cheek with the hem of her skirt. She glared down at the now soiled material.

"For your information, Dunk, girls find me very attractive and can't resist my irresistible charms unlike you. You ward boys off with that large derriere of yours." Janet pouted in response and marched her way into the dining room where they both took a seat at the dining table.

"I'm just messing with you, Jan. How's school?" he asked.

"Terrible," she snapped, "All of the people there are just rich snobs with way too much time on their hands! They make me sick!"

Michael stifled a chuckle, "Are you keeping your grades up?"

"Well, yeah but-?!"

"Then that's all that matters," he interjected, "Grades are important after all."

Janet smirked, "Then explain your last report card." Her words silenced him, making his mouth shut with an audible snap.

"Well-?!"

"Grades are important after all, like you said," she mocked making her voice a pitch higher to match his, "I've never seen a piece of paper stutter so much. F-f-f-f-f-f-f!" Michael shot her a cold glare and nudged her side.

"Whatever. I'm doing better now."

"With your D-d-d-d-d-d-d's?" Michael rolled his eyes but wasn't able to avoid the urge to chuckle at the way she sputtered.

"God I hate you." Janet laughed in response.

"You know you love me."

"I do." Her playful expression softened into one filled with dread and longing. Michael frowned to see his sister so full of sorrow and couldn't help but feel guilty about it. Why did he suddenly feel guilty?

"Do you?" she questioned skeptically.

Why is she asking me that? She knows the answer. Why would she ask me again?

Once he was about to reply, Alex flashed in his mind.

Wait... What? Why is she-?!

"Do you still love me?" Janet asked.

What confused Michael was that he wasn't able to answer her right away. All he could do was imagine Alex smiling, not at him but at someone else, someone else that wasn't him; Nelson, Monica, those who could make her smile that way, the way he never could. He had promised himself that he would never do that, replace Janet, his little sister with some other person who wasn't his most beloved. He had promised from the day she was born into this world that he would always love her the most but now, being asked this strange question and not being able to produce an answer frightened him.

He felt uncomfortable and unfamiliar sitting beside her like this. His love for her was slowly vanishing into nothingness, fading in the distance. She was supposed to be there in his heart, always and forever but now, he no longer felt her presence dwell within him.

She was just gone.

"Janet, I do..." His voice trailed off into nothingness, just like his love for her.

Ever since Janet had left for boarding school, Michael had sworn to let Janet be the one he cared for most, no matter what happened. He thought that in order to keep her presence alive, he had to keep caring so she wouldn't fade, the memories they shared, the promises they made, would still remain alive. If he didn't believe that, he felt as if he would lose everything. It was the only thing that kept him sane.

"The person you love, who is it?" Janet asked him and Michael jolted in surprise.

Once Alex came to mind, Michael yanked at his already disheveled hair and vigorously shook his head, not able to process why he felt this way about someone that he was supposed to hate.

"Wh-Why? But I..."

I promised! I promised so, so hard! The one I care for, the one who I was always supposed to picture first in my heart was supposed to be Janet. Not her! How could I have let this happen! Now she'll disappear! She'll leave me! She'll be so far away from me! I'll be alone again...

"Why do you do this to me, Janet?" Michael cried.

"Because I want you to realize just how much things has changed these past few months," she replied quietly.

"How could this happen...?"

"You've fallen in love, Michael. It's okay. Everyone does. It's okay to fall in love-?!"

"Shut up!" he shouted. He clamped his hands over his ears to block out the sound of her voice and those unforgivable words. He couldn't accept that. It was too soon, too surreal and yet, he knew the horrible truth.

"What's her name?"

"Alex..." he breathed as if he were taking his last breath.

I hadn't seen her in so long... When was the last time I saw her smile? When did I last see her?

"Excuse me," Michael whispered as he scrambled out of his seat.

He bolted out of the room without looking back at his once loved and Janet smiled, knowing that although Michael had someone else that he loved more than herself, she had found someone that she had loved more than him.

Things really have changed...

The heavy sensation of dread weighing on Alex's chest was achingly painful as she silently made her way towards the cemetery. She shortly arrived at the sorrowful place, trudging towards the tombstones near a weeping oak tree. Kneeling down onto the ground, she let her hand run over the dirt that suffocated her parents' coffins.

"Hey mom. Hey dad..." she murmured rather huskily to the tombstones.

In low murmurs, Alex told her parents how her days at school was, how she was constantly bullied on an inhuman level, how she no longer had a friend to eat with at lunch, how her crush no longer wanted anything to do with her and how she had lost the chance to make a friend by misjudging them. She told them how she never complained to anyone about her troubles, how she took the pain and didn't fight back for her sake.

Would they be proud of that? She thought wearily as she feigned a tiny smile.

She had been excited to tell them all month but always knew that she would never receive a response, no word of pride, no words that encouraged her to strive for better, nothing.

Only complete silence.

A cold breeze engulfed her and she shuddered under the force of the bone-chilling sensation. She hugged her jacket about her trembling body.

"School is pretty hard but I'm keeping my grades up," she remarked quietly. "The classes are easy but it's the people there that are making it hard for me..." She bit down on her bottom lip to prevent it from trembling and the tears welling in her eyes finally streamed down her face.

"Michael... He makes everything so hard for me. H-he never stops. He just keeps hurting me and hurting me. He nearly killed me once! He's such a bastard! I hate him so much! He wants me dead!" She bawled into her hands at her moment of realization, her shoulders trembling with wracking sobs and her sobs muffled with her hands.

Looking down at her arms, she marveled at the cuts and bruises marring her skin that seemed to increase in quantity as her life droned on. Even with these multiple wounds on her arms, it didn't relieve the pain in her heart. All it did was worsen it. It didn't help her no more did her isolated self become useful to her advantage. The idea of killing herself though seemed like a great idea at the time and something that she thought would at least ease the loneliness she felt.

She wanted everything to end so badly, to feel better, to smile again, be happy again but how could she do that when she was in such a cold world such as this one.

I don't know what to do anymore!

"Am I a nuisance...? Am I necessary for living anymore? Have I always been trouble for you? Is it still my fault that you died?" She paused at the sound of footsteps approaching her.

She didn't bother to wipe away her tears. This was the only place she was able to cry and let her emotions take over. This was her sanctuary, the place she felt most protected and most comfortable. She had the right to expose her feelings here.

Craning her neck to see who had intruded, she blinked at the person and whipped her head around to stare at the two tombstones in transfixed horror.

He's everywhere! Why won't he ever leave me alone?!

His footsteps drew closer to her and the louder they got, the more her heart raced. By the time his footsteps came to a halt, Alex's heart stopped.

She knew at that moment that she wasn't safe.

She was trapped and there he was, standing only a foot away from her. How will she ever be able to forgive herself for letting herself let him see her so weak?

Her legs, which felt like jelly at the moment, suddenly found it's strength as she forced herself to her feet, her mind buzzing frantically as she did so. She only had one thought in mind as she straightened herself up.

Get away from him.

She couldn't let her parents watch her get beat up by her bully. No, not here, not in front of them. She didn't want to humiliate herself any further than she already was. It was enough dishonor that she was born as weak as she was but proving it to be true in front of her parents would be too disgraceful, unforgivable.

Michael said nothing as he watched her struggle to her feet. Looking at the place where she once sat, he noticed several droplets that stained the ground blending into one; tears and blood. Had she been crying? Cutting? Hurting herself? He didn't bother to contemplate on it for long as Alex passed him, accidentally bumping into his shoulder and leaving him with a quite frantic muttered apology.

"Who did this to you?"

Alex froze on the spot, mind numb with shock and fear. She couldn't stop now. She had to get away from him. He would only hurt her again.

"I'm fine," she snapped but the fear that she felt made her voice shake.

"I can tell when you're lying, Alex."

Abruptly, his arm shot out and grasped her wrist in a tight vice-like hold and slung her to the ground where she had previously sat.

"Stop lying to me."

"Please," she pleaded, "Not in front of them. Not in front of them..."

Michael's grip on her wrist softened and before he knew it, he released her and was kneeling down beside her, staring at the two names carved into the tombstones.

Everything seemed to stop at that moment. The trees weren't rustling, the wind stopped blowing, the birds were no longer flying and both souls weren't breathing.

"Tell me," Michael began softly, his voice barely above a whisper, "What's on your mind?"

Alex felt more tears well in her eyes, the painful memory of her parents dying gnawing at her heart.

"My parents' deaths..." she murmured, "It's my fault... All of it..." Her eyes went huge as her choking voice began to shake. She bent forward slightly to ease the nauseating pain in her stomach. She held her heart and squeezed her eyes shut as she began to sob even harder.

"I'm the one to blame for their deaths... It's always been my fault..."

She cried and cried and cried until something made her gasp and look up. Michael had pulled her into a trembling hug, laying his cheek upon her head.

"You can cry as long as you want to," he murmured softly to her.

Slightly shocked, Alex brought her hand away from her face to see that it was wet with tears she hadn't known she had been shedding.

He was touching her, so tenderly, so compassionately, so affectionately. She never would have thought that she would ever be comforted by the one she hated most, by the one whom she was deeply hated by. It shocked her to the core to see him acting this way but what shocked her most of all was that she didn't pull away from him but remained in his arms, unconscious to the fact that tears were still streaming down from her eyes. They were no longer tears of sorrow. Instead, they were tears of joy.

Only this once would she let herself feel this way, feel comfortable near him. She would give into defeat and let him win this time.

Only this time, Alex told herself. Just this once, I will let you hold me and love me like you actually care.