It had been after a particuarly nasty argument with her parents that Valerie had decided to pack up her things and move back to Westbridge. Although the relationship between the girl and her parents had been tense and on very thin ice for a long time, when Valerie had accidentally came out to them, it was the final straw, and she found that she could no longer stay in the same house as her homophobic parents. She had known that Sabrina would be happy to provide a new home for her, and without so much as a backwards glance, she had up and left her family. However, after the initial bitterness she felt towards them started to ease off, sadness and an uneasy sense of loneliness began to creep in, and Valerie couldn't help the tears that escaped most nights as she fell asleep.

Valerie had been staying at the Spellman residence for two weeks now, and had adjusted to their lifestyle immediately. Although a year had passed since she had seen Sabrina, they quickly found that their friendship was as strong as ever, and Sabrina was amazed at how much Valerie had changed - she was much more confident with herself than she had once been, and overall much happier to be around.

School had been relatively easy to arrange, and it was an early September morning, the first day back at school, that Valerie found herself skipping down the stairs, humming a cheerful tune to herself. She breezed into the kitchen to see all three Spellmans seated around the breakfast bar.

Aunt Zelda (the two sisters had insisted that Valerie refer to them as her aunts) smiled warmly at her, a cup of coffee in her hand. "Good morning," she said, before turning her attention back to a paper she was thoroughly enraptured by. Aunt Hilda bustled past her sister, reaching into the cupboard and producing a bowl.

"Sleep well?" she asked, sliding the bowl over to Valerie, who had taken a seat next to Sabrina. Valerie nodded and smiled falsely, recalling the way she had cried herself to sleep.

"Super," Valerie lied. Hilda began to pour Valerie some cereal, and Sabrina rolled her eyes.

"You know, I think that Valerie's capable of making her own breakfast," she pointed out through a mouthful of cornflakes, but her eyes twinkled. Valerie grinned. Ever since she had arrived, the Spellman sisters had been treating her wonderfully, even coddling her at times, and although Valerie was entirely grateful to them and had grown very fond of them, it got to be a bit much every now and then. She suspected they were being so nice because they felt sorry for her - they were aware of the fact that she had fallen out with her parents, but not the reason behind it.

Valerie trusted Sabrina; she was her best friend, after all. But she couldn't bring herself to tell the blonde girl that she was gay. It was the deepest secret she had, and after keeping it hidden for so long, it felt unnatural to tell anyone. Valerie had eventually grown to accept herself for who she was, after fighting against it for so long. It had caused her a lot of pain, and she didn't want to have to go through any more discrimination, just when things had gotten so good again. She knew, of course, that Sabrina and her aunts would love her regardless of her sexuality, but nevertheless she carefully concealed it.

When the two teenagers had finished their breakfast, they said hasty goodbyes and hurried out of the door to catch the bus - Salem, Sabrina's curiously human-like cat had delayed them by knocking over a stack of plates - before it was too late. Surprisingly, they were still a few minutes early, and they nattered on about a few random things until the conversation turned to school. Valerie wasn't worried about returning to Westridge High. At least, she hadn't been until Sabrina had made an offhand comment a certain dark haired girl that Valerie was all too familiar with.

Libby Chessler.

Valerie had been teased and tormented relentlessly for two years by Libby Chessler. Libby Chessler: popular, rich, avid cheerleader, absolute bully and entirely gorgeous.

Initially, Valerie had hoped to befriend Libby. That, obviously, did not happen, and she was labelled as a freak from the moment she tried to approach her. Sabrina naturally stuck by her side - the only person Libby liked to pick on more than Valerie was Sabrina. Still, although Valerie had once grown to fear Libby, part of her still wanted to be liked by her. And, if she was being perfectly honest, she was more than slightly attracted to her.

So, in light of her new found confidence, Valerie had made a deal with herself. If Libby tried anything funny this year, she would not back down. She would not allow herself to be walked all over any longer, and if she refused to get treated like dirt, maybe, just maybe she could earn Libby's respect

"Did you hear what I just said?"

Valerie jolted, and snapped out of her reverie. The bus had just pulled up in front of the high school, even though she barely remembered getting on it. Sabrina's wide blue eyes were staring at her. She shook her head and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry," she said. "I was just lost in thought. You know, school and stuff,"

Sabrina nodded in understanding, following Valerie off the bus. "It's fine, I'd be distracted if I was in your position too. It wasn't important anyway, I was just filling you in on some stuff that you've missed."

The pair headed towards the entrance of the school and, with her head held high, Valerie entered Westbridge High once again, determined to reinvent herself.

A/N: short first chapter, I know. I just wanted to set the scene and provide some background information. Please let me know what you thought of it, I haven't attempted a full length story before. I know that I'm extremely late in jumping onto the Sabrina The Teenage Witch fanfiction bandwaggon, but I've recently rediscovered it and I couldn't resist. Reviews are welcome, more to come soon!