Disclaimer: Don't own it, so don't sue me.

A masculine voice yelled out a play as the players got into place and waited for the ball to be hiked. They began to move around in organized chaos as one team tried to help their player score a touch down and the other tried to prevent it with a tackle. There was a mixture of playfulness and seriousness in the air as the game took place. It was obvious that only very few knew what they were doing which made Arya cringe. There was bad, and then there was shouldn't be playing at all.

Intently, Arya watched the pick up game from the sidelines and found that she enjoyed it despite most of the players lacking a basic understanding of football. As if it was second nature, she mouthed the plays that were being run and corrected the mistakes while she watched. Her brother Bran looked to have potential, but he seemed to overthink and second-guess himself. Jon and Robb moved around the field with confidence and their presence commanded attention. In addition to their speed and strength, they were incredibly intelligence and thought quickly on their feet.

Behind Arya, Sansa and her friends spoke about boys, clothes, and gossiped about their peers. Occasionally, there would be uproar of laughter before a series of soft whispers. Of course, it was all to get the boys attention because, apart from Arya, none of the girls there were interested in watching the football game. They were only there to be seen. Personally, Arya could have cared less for boys. She thought that they were entitled, sexist idiots. The only thing she envied about them was their endless freedom and they weren't scrutinized as much as girls.

After the game ended, Arya walked over to her brothers and watched the older two teach Bran the proper throwing technique. Bran tried to mimic his brothers, but kept failing miserably every time he threw the ball. No matter how much Bran tried to follow their directions, he repeatedly missed his target. Arya laughed to herself and shook her head.

She grabbed a stray ball off of the ground, placed her fingers in the correct position on the ball, squared her shoulders, and threw the ball. The ball hit the target dead in its center as she mischievously grinned before looking at Bran, and then walking back to the bleachers. Bran audibly groaned.

"I'm never going to get this," he complained as he dropped the ball to the ground.

Jon picked up the ball and handed it to Bran. "Yes, you are," he assured. Jon then tried to show Bran the proper technique again while he used himself as an example.

Melancholy crept in Arya's heart as she watched her brother's interact. It was times like these that reminded her how much of an outsider she was in her family. Arya was 100% positive that her family loved her, but they didn't know how to respond to her. She acted too much like a boy for her mother and Sansa to understand her and Arya would always be a girl in the mind of her brothers-they couldn't treat her like one of them guys. Arya was in a lose-lose. Her father was the most understanding, but even then, there were times where her behavior baffled him as well.

When Arya was younger, she used to ask if she could play football with the guys. Her brothers wouldn't mind playing with her, but the other boys had refused because she was a girl. Robb and Jon explained to her that the boys were afraid to hurt her since girls weren't as strong as guys, but Arya knew better: they were afraid of being beaten and embarrassed by a girl. They didn't mind teasing girls and making fun of them, but they sure as hell hated to lose to them. Despite her brothers playing football with her, it was also apparent that they had reservations about her playing as well. Although Arya disagreed with their sexist mindset, she knew that her brothers were the only ones with her best interests at heart. It still didn't make it any less infuriating that they tried to coddle her because she was a girl, but at least, they did it for what they believed to be the right reasons.

Over time, Arya found herself annoyed with her family's treatment of her. They believed that her behavior and interests weren't appropriate because it didn't fit the restrictive gender roles of what a female was supposed to be. She didn't understand it. They all spoke about how they wanted the best for her and for her to be happy, but they continuously questioned the things that made her happy, which led to her feeling bad about having interest in those things. Although she pretended not to care at times, she really did. She wanted her family to accept her for who she was like they did with the other siblings.

A recognizable laugh permeated the air and Arya searched for the person it belonged to. In no time, she found Sansa laughing at one of her thousands of admirers before coyly smiling. As the boy handed her a flower, she wildly blushed. Inwardly, Arya gagged and felt slightly sorry for the guy. Sansa wouldn't be Sansa if she didn't eat up that lovey dovey I-got-a-crush-on-you shit up, but, ultimately, Arya knew better: her sister wouldn't date this guy. Oh, he was sweet and charming, but he lack confidence—swagger. Sansa seemed to enjoy being around guys who demanded attention and this guy wasn't that type of person.

Sansa was beautiful, smart, funny, and bubbly. Of course, guys were drawn to her like the flame her hair resembled. And, of course, they were going to get burned.

Her older sister didn't understand why Arya didn't behave like most girls. It was obvious that the two sisters were as different as night and day. For a while, Arya could see unspoken questions swirling in Sansa's eyes, but she remained silent. Arya supposed that Sansa thought either she would eventually understand her younger sister or that Arya would grow out of her behavior. But, Sansa never did understand and Arya never grew out of her behavior. One day, Sansa finally voiced her thoughts:

Sansa looked in the mirror as she carefully applied her lip-gloss. When she when she rubbed her lips together as she slowly twisted the top on the small tube before placing it in her purse. Noises from Arya's portable game filled the car when Sansa finally asked, "Do you want to be a boy?" She stared straight ahead.

Arya continued to play her game before momentarily giving Sansa an unbelieving look.

"No," the younger girl denied. "God, you're so stupid."

Sansa gasped as she immediately whipped her head around.

"I am not stupid—don't call me that," Sansa cried.

"Then don't ask stupid questions." Arya glared at her game. She refused to look at Sansa because she didn't want her sister to see how much her question had hurt her.

Sansa's concern for her sister stemmed from the fact that she believed guys weren't interested in Arya because she dressed and acted like a boy. Besides not having any interest in girly things (or wearing them), Arya wasn't pretty anyways. She didn't have Sansa's natural beauty or guys drooling over her. There was a reason she was called Arya horse face and Arya underfoot. Even if she did dress up, it wouldn't change the fact that she was ugly. What was the point in trying to look nice if people didn't think you were nice to look at in the first place. Arya rather be unnoticed than the object of some guy's attention, which was not going to happen anyways.

"What do you expect me to think," Sansa began. "You wear boys clothes, act like a boy, and show no interest in boys."

"So, your logical conclusion is that I want to be a boy and like girls—you think I am a lesbian?" Arya's tone was mocking and laced with condescension to which Sansa ignored.

"I don't know," Sansa shrugged. "I just want to understand you. We've never really seen eye to eye on many things. Your behavior confuses me and you could care less for my girly-ness."

Arya bit her lip and glanced at her sister. "Sansa, I am a tomboy. That just means I like the same things as boy not that I want to be one or that I like girls. I don't want to be a boy and I don't like girls.

Softly, Sansa asked, "Is there a guy you have a crush on?"

It was clear that Sansa was trying to find a way to bond with Arya, but she was done with this conversation. Arya thought that if Sansa really wanted to bond with her, she would ask her what her interest were. But, Sansa didn't work that way. She tried to make things fit into her understanding of the world. It was either this or that. There was never any middle ground with her.

"No," Arya answered sternly. The tone of her voice indicated that the conversation was over."

There were a few more attempts on Sansa's behalf to figure out her younger sister, but they were all disasters as well. The more time passed, the more apparent it became that Sansa may not ever comprehend who her sister was. But, Arya no longer cared.

When the Stark kids arrived home, Arya went to her room and played online games. She had cleared a few more levels and was working on a game high in points when someone knocked on her door.

"What," she yelled without looking from her screen.

"It's Jon," her brother yelled through the door.

"Go away," she responded as she continued to play her game.

Jon jiggled her handled and discovered that it was locked.

"Don't be like this, Arya," Jon said quietly.

"I wouldn't be if you hadn't signed up for the fucking army," Arya pounded on her computer keys.

"Arya, watch your language," the admonished girl rolled her eyes as she scored a game high. "I just want to talk to you."

"Funny, you had all the time in the world to talk to me after you signed up for the army, but you waited until the day before you were leaving to tell me." Jon had announced that he was leaving for the army on their way back home. He had spoke to their father about it, but remained tight-lipped about his new career from the rest of his family.

Despite her better judgment, she opened the door.

"Hell, Robb got an internship at dad's job and he can't shut up about it," her eyes were teary and forlorn. "But, you got a job where you could lose your life at any second and didn't tell anyone, but dad about it."

Jon pulled her into his arms and gave her a tight hug.

"I'm sorry," he wiped his sister's eyes, and then placed a kiss on her forehead. "I was afraid of how you guys were going to take it."

"It doesn't matter, you should have said something sooner."

"I know," he admitted. Jon picked his up from the floor, and then opened it. He pulled out an autographed football. "Courtesy of the Winterfell Direwolves."

"Seriously," Arya gasped.

"Seriously," Jon repeated as Arya threw herself back in his arms. She then took the ball from his hands and stared at it in pure amazement.

"Don't think this means that I've forgiven you." Arya read all of the names on the ball and she tenderly held her new gift.

Jon smiled tightly. "I don't." He gave her another hug. "I wish I could stay longer, but I have to go, kiddo."

Arya bit her lip and looked down as hugged her ball. "I know."

Gently, Jon placed a hand on Arya's chin and made her look at him.

"Everything's going to be alright, Arya," he reassured.

"No, it isn't," she said plainly before going to lie on her bed. Jon left Arya to her solitude.

The next day, Arya slept in until the afternoon.

She went into the kitchen and fixed herself a bowl of cereal.

"Welcome to the land of the living," her mother quipped as she brought a cup of coffee to her lips.

Her mother hated when Arya woke up late. Catelyn believed in making use of every minute in your day—this explained one of the reasons why Sansa was her favorite. Arya just wanted to be young. She wanted to have fun, get dirty, and sleep in late. But, mostly, she was still upset about Jon leaving.

Arya rolled her eyes and began to eat her cereal.

"I know you are upset about Jon leaving; we all are, but you'll see him again." Catelyn gave a stiff smile to her daughter as a way of reassurance.

"Mom, don't," Arya began. "It's not as if you liked Jon when he was here, so don't try to pretend you did to make me feel better."

"Arya, sweetie, you don't understand," her mother defended as she reached for her youngest daughter hand. Arya quickly snatched it away before her mother could touch her.

"You're right: I don't." The two sat in silence for a moment. "But, you were the one who made him join the army."

" I did not make Jon join—"

"Yes, you did," Arya interrupted. "If you hadn't acted like a bitch to him his whole life, he wouldn't have left."

"Arya!" Anger filled Catelyn's eyes as she barely kept her temper in check. "You go to your room right. I refuse to be spoken to in such a disrespectful tone. I don't know who you got your bad manners from."

Arya didn't move as she looked at her mother. "Well, I learned from the best," she gave her mother a pointed look.

Catelyn slammed a fist on the table, and then pointed to the door that led to the stairs. "GO TO YOUR ROOM NOW!"

For the rest of the afternoon, she stayed in her room uninterrupted. Although she knew her mother told her siblings not to bother her, she locked her door just in case and played her music loudly. Her time was spent between reading books, sports magazines, buying new music, and playing online games.

Most of the time, she played online games though. She and Mycah made sure to find teams that weren't crowded, so both of them could join. Mycah wasn't as good as she was, but he was fun to play with, which was all that mattered to Arya. He was better at cooking and enjoyed reading, but only played games and sports because Arya liked them. That's what best friends did. When he wanted someone to help him cook (while his parents monitored them) or try out the food, Arya offered her assistance.

Mycah was the only one who didn't judge her and accepted her for who she was. He didn't care that she was better than him in most things and offered his help whenever she needed.

"Hey, Mycah, can you come over tomorrow," Arya asked in her mic while she shot an opponent.

"Sure," he agreed without hesitation. "For what?"

"To play some football." There was a knock on her door. "I have to go; I'll see you tomorrow."

"All right, bye," Mycah said before hanging up.

Arya put her computer on sleep and cut off her music before going to the door. She opened the door expecting to see her mother, but instead, her father stood on the other side.

"Dad," Arya said in surprise.

"Mind if I come in?" Ned's arms were folded across his chest as he raised an eyebrow. Even though his statement was phrased as a question, Arya knew that he only asked as a courtesy.

The young girl opened her door completely to let her father in. Ned followed Arya into her room as she picked up a stationary chair for her father to sit in and she took the one with wheels. The chairs were placed to face one another and the two sat down.

Father and daughter sat in silence for a moment as Ned collected his thoughts. Both he and Catelyn were reserved people, but Arya voiced her thoughts on a daily basis, damn the consequences. Every since Arya was a little girl, she had always been passionate and said what was on her mind when she deemed necessary. She had an even hard time censoring her mouth the issue was incredibly important to her. As proud as he was of Arya, he had no idea where her passion came from or her outspoken nature. She was the wildcard of the family for sure.

Although he would never admit it aloud, Arya was his favorite. Ned loved all of his kids and would do anything for them, but he connected to his youngest daughter in a way that he hadn't connected to his other kids. Despite her loner nature, he could see that she wished to be understood and did want friends, but she refused to compromise who she was to become someone she was not. It was something that drew Arya to Jon over the years. The two of them were looking for a place where they belong—where they made sense.

"Arya, I understand that you were upset about Jon leaving, but that does not give you the permission to disrespect your mother even if you believe Jon left because of her," Ned began. Arya's expression was ambivalent, which wasn't surprising considering her nature. She did feel sorry for calling her mom a bitch, but at the same time, she felt her mother mistreated Jon for far too long. "She is still your mom and you have to respect her even if you don't want to."

"Respect her," Arya scoffed. "She doesn't even respect Jon. She always makes him feel like an outsider even though he has lived with us ever since he was born—before I was born. Don't you all always say 'treat others how you want to be treated?' "

Ned inwardly groaned. Of all of their children, Arya loved using their words against them the most. If you say 'do as I say and not as I do', she'll respond with 'but you also say that actions speaks louder than words.' She knew how to argue her case and simultaneously frustrate you with her non-stop persistence. If she ever did get married, it would take a man who knew how to go head to head with his daughter.

"I know, Arya, but having Jon around is difficult for your mom, so I wish you could be more understanding," he explained in a soft tone.

Arya crossed her legs, and then her arms. "But, why is she mad at him, you were the one who cheated. Jon didn't ask to be created, so why should he suffer the consequences?"

A regretful expression crossed Ned's face. "I'll admit, what I put your mother through was wrong and even her treatment of Jon is wrong, but I expect more of you." He placed a hand on Arya's shoulder. "You are an incredibly bright young girl and more mature than most 13 years olds your age, despite your outspoken nature, but you need to treat your mother better and I am not referring to just yesterday. I know you love her, so start showing her. And as right as you may be about what I did, Arya, you are not the parent, but the child. I do not have to discuss or explain my actions to you."

Ned stood up and opened his arms for a hug.

Arya tightly wrapped her arms around her father. "What is my punishment?"

"The is the first and last time I'll let what you did slide, but next time I won't be so understanding, okay?" Arya shook her head in agreement before her father placed a kiss on her head. "Tomorrow, my boss and his family will be having dinner with us, so make sure to be home a little early to wash up and put on some nice clothes."

"Okay," Arya said softly.

The following day, Arya got up early and ate breakfast with her family. Quietly, she ate her food as she listened to the chatter around the table. Sansa asked Robb about his internship and Bran and Rickon were discussing an anime cartoon. Her parents were having a conversation about Robert Baratheon, her dad's boss.

"Are you sure you have no clue why he is coming by to see you?" It was odd to Catelyn that Robert would not just visist Ned, but have dinner with him as well. He was the kind of man who enjoyed going out for drinks and eating dinners at fancy restaurants.

"Cat, you never know with Robert. He could just want to come by for dinner with his family or it could be something else," Ned shrugged and stuffed some eggs in his mouth. "You seem to think I know what is going on in Robert's head."

"Well, you two were close friends once upon a time," Catelyn took Ned's plate and put some more food on it, and then sat it back down in front of him.

"Once upon a time," he stressed. "The last time we really had a good talk was when Robb was an infant. Every since then, we've both been busy living our lives and running businesses—we just became too busy for one another."

The conversation then transitioned onto another topic as Arya picked at her food.

Mycah had to cancel on her because his grandparents were in town for the day, so Arya went to the park with Rickon. She read a book as he played on the slide and monkey bars. Once Rickon started to pester her about playing with him, they took started to race on the swings to see who could go the highest or they jumped off to see who could go the furthest. After that, they took turns spinning each other around on the tire swing to see who could get the dizziest.

After they left the park, Arya bought the both of them ice cream they decided to wander around the neighborhood. Eventually, they ended up back and home and decided to go swimming in the lake in their backyard. They could only swim for an hour before they had to get dressed for their guest.

"Arya, do you mind wearing this for tonight," Caelyn asked as she handed her daughter a dress. Her daughter took the dress without complaint and looked at it.

"Okay," she agreed. As Arya was walking away, she hesitated. "I'm sorry for calling you—you know…that." Regret colored Arya's face even though she did not agree with her mother's treatment of Jon.

"I don't appreciate being called such a foul word," Catelyn clasped her hands together in front of her body. "But, apology accepted."

Arya gave her mom a small smile.

"Did Sansa do your hair?"

"Yes," Arya touched her hair insecurely.

Catelyn tucked a strand of hair behind her daughter's ear. "It looks nice…you're going to look great tonight."

The young girl stared at her mother blankly and said nothing.

Dinner turned out to be a disaster or, at least, for Arya it was. She hated the Baratheons. She hated Robert Baratheon, Cersei Baratheon, and especially Joffrey Baratheon. The younger two kids were all right, but the others were just the worst. Robert was a drunk who kept looking at her because she looked like her deceased aunt Lyanna, which made her feel uncomfortable. Cersei looked down upon them because she was a stuck up rich bitch. And Joffrey was a snide jackass who thought that he was better than them.

To add another cherry on top: the Baratheons were spending the night in their guesthouse.

Mrs. Baratheon didn't think the hotels were good enough for their family to stay in and the Starks guesthouse as "just" a step above the hotel. If she had her way, they would have left that same exact night.

Arya just didn't have the energy to argue with her parents over something she knew she couldn't prevent. She was still upset about Jon leaving and on thin ice with her parents with the whole "bitch" fiasco. They may have not punished her, but she didn't want to push any more buttons. So, she went straight to her room and went to bed. You can't get in trouble if you are sleep.

Mycah arrived to her house around ten in the morning. Arya had texted him to come by and see Nymeria, who had just gotten out of the hospital. She had been hit by a car and severely injured. Her best friend adored her wolf and was upset that Nymeria had gotten hurt. Despite the severity of the injuries, Nymeria had made a full recovery and they two teens sat around her and talked for a while.

Two in the afternoon, the two finally started playing football in the backyard. Arya outplayed Mycah, as usual, and he didn't care, as usual. Despite being bad at sports, Mycah actually did try, which Arya liked. At least, he tried to make it fun for her.

When Mycah playfully tackled her was when everything turned to shit.

Arya paced her room back and forth with her hands balled into fists. She was absolutely fuming.

After Mycah tackled her, Joffrey had come over to them acting like tough shit, especially since he had been trying to impress Sansa. Mycah and Arya tried to explain to the Baratheon boy that they had been playing around, but Joffrey tried to fight Mycah for "picking" on a girl. After it was clear that Mycah had no clue how to fight and was at a clear disadvantage, she stood up for him and punched Joffrey in the eye.

Joffrey pretended to be some innocence bystander and Sansa kept her mouth shut about the whole ordeal, which resulted in Mycah's father getting fired from Baratheon corporations since he didn't know how to control his kid. Arya was put on punishment for the rest of the summer to appease Robert.

Her father knocked on her door as he opened it.

"Can you please leave, dad," Arya requested of her father.

"I know you are upset, sweetheart, but what was I supposed to do," Ned genuinely asked. "I believe you, but that's my boss."

"And I am your daughter!" Arya yelled as tears formed in her eyes. "You're supposed to take my side."

Ned was upset by his daughter's state of distress.

"Arya, life isn't that simple. I made the best decision possible in the situation I was put in. I know you hate my decision, but I am the one who had to make it. Do you think it was easy for me? But, I had to. Being adult means making the hard decisions even when it pains you to do so."

"Even if the hard decisions are overkill," Arya sarcastically asked. She was not upset at the fact that she got punished, but the severity of her punishment and Mycah's father being fired.

"Sometimes we have to make extreme decisions in order to maintain the peace." As smart as Arya was, Ned could see that she had a lot of learning to do. Life wasn't about what you wanted or thought was right and fair—it is harsh and is about compromise.

"Or maybe you decided to quickly."

"Maybe," he agreed to placate her, but she didn't know Robert like he did. Suddenly he announced, "Mr. Baratheon needs me in King's Landing."

"What?" Arya snapped her head to look at her father. "You're leaving us?"

Ned looked to the floor. "We're leaving to go to King's Landing." By the tone of his voice, it was apparent that there wasn't any room for compromise. "Based on my discussion with Robert, it seems as if I am going to be there a while and I don't want to be without you, your mother, and siblings. Whether or not you like my decision, I am not splitting our family up."

With that, Ned left Arya to her own thoughts.

"Winter is coming," she mumbled to no one in particular.

TBC...

A/N: This is a romance/drama and will not be as dramatic as the series. Basically, this is the exposition and I hope things will flow better after this chapter. IF there are any typos, they will be fixed eventually.