Chapter 1

Kathleen

"Your pain is because of me."

He's delusional. He can't possibly leave me. Why does he think he can just leave me like this!?

"Goodbye, Kathleen."

Just like that, he was gone. Everything he had said to her, every single thing he had made her believe; they were all lies.

"Fuck you then! I don't need you." She screamed in the direction he seemed to have disappeared into. People were staring, but she didn't care. None of them mattered; none of them even knew what had just happened. Her entire life, her world, had just collapsed, and they went on with their pathetic, little lives. They all walked on in their own bubbles, too sucked into their own worlds to realize that the girl they were now laughing at really needed their help.

"What kind of idiot screams down the hall like that?"

"Oh, shut up. Maybe her boyfriend just dumped her."

"Are you kidding!?" One girl guffawed, "What kind of guy would ever be interested in that?"

They always seemed to think she couldn't hear them.

"You do realize I'm not deaf, right? Nothing's wrong with my hearing, and I would deeply appreciate it if you could find some way of just shutting that huge fucking trap you dare call a mouth. How about you try and swallow your words just as well as swallowing your supposed "boyfriend's" cum?" She never had the courage to tell them this right to their faces, but it always ended with them being so stunned they fell right down the stairs whenever she imagined it.

Caroline

She sighed silently and walked into class, music blaring into her eardrums. Her teacher said something, but Caroline couldn't care less. All she wanted was a way out of there, but she needed to pass this class to graduate. Not graduating meant another year with her parents, and there was no way in hell that was going to happen.

"Ms. Roumr! Please be as so kind to take those things out of your ears, and pay attention! My God, if you did just that much you'd be such a better student!"

"You know just as well as I do that I'm the smartest kid in this class, Ms. Pontac. So maybe you should go back to teaching some of these half-wits? Maybe then they could finally tell the difference between a radical and an addition sign."

A brief smile glanced upon that old woman's face, but it left as quickly as it came. Caroline knew what came next, and mouthed the words in sync with her elderly teacher, "Out of my classroom! Off to the dean, young lady!"

I wonder if she knows I never actually go there yet. I mean, for getting kicked out just about every week, she must know by now. If she hasn't caught on, that's more of an insult to her than a punishment waiting for me.

Joseph

The hallway was empty, as it should be. Joseph stared out the window of the door from the inside of the classroom. How easy would it be just to get up, and walk right out? Every day he was tempted, and every day he did nothing. He wished for the isolation and solitude of the empty hallways to be at his will.

"Mr. Moriarty, please answer the question?"

"I don't know, Sir…" he lied. Mr. Wentworth gave him a disappointed look and moved on with the lesson. One good thing this teacher did was drop the question if the student didn't know. Although, both teacher and student knew he knew and had the capability of answering in this case. Joseph was just too frightened to show his intelligence to the class, or even to himself.

Caroline

Caroline walked down the empty hallway, killing the silence with her iPod, volume up to maximum. She couldn't stand the silence, and so clung to music to save her from drowning in it. As soon as one song ended she didn't hesitate to change it, deafening herself for the off-chance that she would become freed by it.

"You stupid little bitch! That's what you are, and don't you fucking deny it. All you do is pick fights and hurt your mother. Your only job is to make her happy, and yet you still screw that up! I'm sick of you manipulating all of them into feeling sorry for you. Well I don't, and you better get that through your fucking head."

The bruise was slightly swollen and throbbed a little. Purple was now its base colour, but soon it would be disturbed with ugly browns and yellows.

"You know what, Dad!? I don't give a shit! You tell me they all feel sorry for me, you say you won't. Let me ask you this: How can they feel sorry for me and still scream and yell at, still HATE me? I already know you don't care. You've never fucking cared."

That's what earned her a smack. She had fallen off the bed because of it, but after she fell he continued to hit her. The one monstrous bruise hidden under her sleeve was meant to be a reminder to shut up and just take it. She just couldn't take the silence any longer. This mark, throbbing and growing on her forearm, wasn't a punishment, it was a battle wound. With it, she proved she had guts, and that she wasn't going to sit in silence anymore.

Joseph

Whoa, who's that?? Joseph's daydreaming was interrupted by a young girl walking down the hallway, murdering the silence with each step she took by her music blasting.

"Mr. Wentworth, may I use the restroom?"

"Write a pass, Joseph…"

In no time, he was in his beloved hallway, but the girl had disappeared. Foolishly, he decided to take advantage of this hall pass, and started to wander around the school aimlessly.

Once he was halfway through the school, he heard A Day to Remember piercing the quiet calm of the hallway coming from the B-Wing. Curiosity led him down to the hall where he found himself in the Commons. The girl he had seen before was sitting there, eyes shut, and head bobbing ever so slightly to the beat.

She was attractive, no doubt about that. Her hair was jet black, looked natural even, and spilled lightly over her shoulders, barely covering them. Her skin was pale, and she was skinny. Not the disgusting "see-every-bone-in-my-body" skinny, but the complimentary kind. She was wearing a short, lack Tripp skirt and corset top. Her hoody was black and had a Jack Skellington graphic right on the front. She had thigh-high socks decorated by an array of smaller multi-coloured skulls at the top. At the bottom, she had high top black and white converse with an Anarchy symbol right on the side. He walked up to her cautiously, tapped her on the shoulder, and said, "Um… hi. I'm Joseph, and I now feel like a huge idiot."

She looked at him, face full of confusion, and a feeling of awkwardness began to fill the silence; partnered with the music now out of her ears.

"Should I just go or are you willing to at least tell me your name?" He swallowed and was just about to get up and walk away when she said, "Caroline… Caroline Roumr. Would you say you're usually this much of an idiot, or is it a part-time job, accompanied with something else?"

He laughed nervously, "Oh no, only one job at a time for me, thanks. I don't see the point in over-working oneself." She smiled and broke into a small giggle. Her laough was perfect, crystal clear, and yet unbelievably calming.

Kathleen

"Did you really think that was necessary?"

Kathleen refused to answer. She did something wrong, yes, but it was well worth it. To see his face filled with horror brought a huge smile to her face. It was the best revenge she could ask for, and there was still more to come.

"Kathleen? Did you hear me?"

This bitch just won't shut up! Obviously I can hear you, there's nothing wrong with me!

"Well?" the woman asked again.

"Of course I can hear you. I'm choosing not to answer. My apologies for not making that abundantly clear for you." Her voice dripped with anger and sarcasm. "Can I please go now? I've already explained myself, and since I did that I would sincerely think that it would be obvious I thought it was necessary. Thank god it worked too, I was worried." She winced, realizing that she let a part about her out and into the open right in front of this woman. "What do you care anyway? The only reason why you even try to talk to me is because you think I'm completely screwed up and you want you fucking money from my parents. Tell you what, I'll leave, and you won't have to "worry" about me anymore, and you can find a patient with even more dough than my own family! It's kind of a win-win deal. Is that alright with you?" She stood, intending to let herself out, but then heard that cool voice that never failed from sitter her right back down.

"When will you realize I really do care for you, Kathleen? We've been seeing each other for months now, and you decide to act out now, after all we've accomplished?"

A sudden urge to hit this woman enveloped Kathleen. She, instead, closed her eyes and whispered, "He hurt me. He left me." At these words the doctor's eyes filled with compassion and concern. Crying now, Kathleen continued, "He blamed himself for my pain and self hatred. I screwed up. I made him think it was all on him, and now I pushed him away. He hurt me, made me cry, and now I hate him." Rage roared through her now. "I hate him so much I wish he were dead! He swore to me he wouldn't leave! He promised me he would be different. He's a liar, a liar! I hate him!"

They sat in silence for another twenty minutes. When the woman uncrossed her legs, Kathleen closed her eyes once again, and braced herself for the words she hated to hear every week.

"Our time is up, Kathleen. I'll see you again next week."

"Goodbye, Ms. Marc. See you."

Caroline

Joseph. Nice name, nice face. He even has an amazing personality. Not to mention great to talk and laugh with…

Caroline could not believe this guy was one to leave class to possibly just talk to her. Honestly, he was insanely attractive, but not in the kind of way that people are used to. If anyone looked closer at his face, they would see numerous small flaws, but how they all complimented each other just made him more beautiful.

"So why are you here, alone, anyways?"

His voice was smooth, deep, and matched him perfectly. He wasn't too fast or slow with his speech, and his eyes let nothing escape that he didn't want exposed. She melted silently when he spoke, taking it all in. She realized, suddenly, she was starting to stare. "Oh, well I just got kicked out of class for the millionth time. Nothing new or exciting in the slightest. What about yourself? Why are you wandering about this place?" After the question he seemed to get weirdly uncomfortable. "You okay there?"

Finally, he found his voice again. "Oh, yeah, sorry. I just don't know how to say this without sounding either like a creeper or just plain old corny."

Caroline let a light laugh escape her lips. "Well I like corny, and you don't look too much like a creep, so spit it out already!"

He smiled that wondrous smile. "Okay, okay. I was sitting in class, and I looked out the door and caught a glimpse of this exceptionally attractive girl. Asked for a pass, started to wander without a place to go, and now I'm sitting here, talking and laughing with her."

Oh my god, I think I just started to blush! Fuck… Aw, screw it. I like this Joseph Moriarty.