Just certain parts of my life at the mo that needed out somehow. So, why not share them out?

Enjoy it as a little snapshot of AU Beyblade girl's lives.

"Get out your logbooks, class, your homework today is - " The teacher's voice was drowned out by thirty indignant wails.

"It's the second day back, Miss!"

"I've already got too much!"

"Come on, Miss!" The young teacher turned away, fighting an embarrassed grin.

Groaning, Mariam hung halfway out of her chair, rummaging through her bag to get her logbook. Once it was out, she stared at it blankly for a few seconds, then groaned again and mimed bashing her head on the desk.

"Too much!" she muttered hopelessly. "History, RE, Business Studies, that English I've had for like, three weeks, and now Maths. All over a weekend!"

The boy next to her looked at her oddly.

"What?" she snarled. I hate Year 10, she grumbled in her head. We get so much homework! The words "Free Time" might as well not exist! God, and there's more next year …

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Salima felt uncomfortable. Again. Mariam was making fun of Julia as usual. It wasn't that she liked Julia - by contrast, she couldn't stand even looking at her for too long. But it wasn't for the reason that Mariam was squealing and jumping behind Hilary if Julia touched her.

No, it wasn't because Julia was bi. It was just … she didn't know, she just had a very strong aversion to her. Julia was taller than all of them, and weighed slightly more, so it could be, Salima mused, the snob in her exercising judgement.

Anyway, she didn't like Mariam making fun of her. The younger girl's constant "friendly", (she thought it was,) taunting rang uncomfortable bells, and made Salima even more determined to keep silent about her uncertainties about herself. At the moment, her mantra was that she was going through a "phase" that she would look back on and laugh at when she was older.

She would.

On no account would she let any of her friends know if she didn't. That kind of teasing could ruin her friendship with Mariam in a heartbeat. The girl annoyed her and frustrated her, but she was a great laugh, fun to talk to and loyal to a fault.

The conversation turned away from Julia being a "dyke", or, "nearly" as Mariah had amended it - did they not realise how much this must be hurting Julia? Salima had now decided to keep her mouth figuratively taped shut - to random dirty topics and hysterical laughing at the snogging couple behind them. Salima laughed along with them and exchanged wry glances with Hilary when Mariam and Mariah started on a particular disgusting topic.

She could handle that.

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Hilary sank down into the computer chair and turned it on, letting out a sigh. School was over again. Thank God. That lunchtime had been … distasteful. Suddenly, the phone rang. Reaching over lazily, she scooped it up and held it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Hil." It was Max, but a strange, flat-sounding Max. At the same time, Ming-Ming came online.

Hiya! she typed quickly, before returning her attention to the phone call.

"Max? You ok?"

"Don't ask. How are you? School ok?" Hilary shrugged.

"Not bad. Boring as ever, and the homework hasn't let up." The computer bleeped, the MSN icon flashing orange as Ming-Ming replied.

Hi, Hils! Don't tell him I told you, but Maxie's scaring me.

Yeah, he scared me a while back, I know how you feel. Hilary typed back, remembering that horrible time when Kai had gone to hospital and Max had been mad with worry, and assuming something else similar had happened.

"Bad luck." Max said at last, clearly distracted. Worry made a hollow feeling in Hilary's chest.

"What's the matter, Max? You sound horrible! I'd hug you, if I could beam myself through a phone line." A long, long silence.

"Yeah." A weak chuckle. "Thanks for that."

"Max?" Hilary's question was more a demand, her voice tight with sudden worry. There was a slight catch of break over the phone line.

"Hil, Kai's in hospital again. They're thinking about sectioning him. He doesn't even notice me. Me!" Max's voice broke.

The MSN icon flashed.

You mean he told you about Kai? Ming-Ming asked. Swallowing, with shaking fingers, Hilary typed out a reply.

Just now. Oh … fuck.

Max's voice had been like a bucket of ice-cold water or someone shaking her violently out of a doze - the terrible jerk in her chest that sent waves of heat and cold over her in quick succession.

"I-I'm so sorry, Max." she whispered.

"Why? It's not your fault."

She talked for a little longer to both friends, alternately trying to say something that got that dead tone out of Max's voice and wailing about how awful she felt over MSN, to which Ming-Ming replied with (hugs) and saying that she felt the same. Max hung up after a little while, and she was left with Ming-Ming, and her shock.

Eventually, shivering all over, she logged off. She went in to say good night to her parents, did so, got halfway up the stairs and screwed up her face in a silent, unstoppable sob. By the time she reached the bathroom, tears were beginning to run down her cheeks.

Sitting on the toilet seat, she stared at the floor and cried until her face felt hot and tight and sticky with tears, mouthing alternately "Max", and "Kai" in a barely audible, cracking voice.

Waking up at four in the morning, her cat got fed up of having its own personal vibrator and jumped off her chest. Her shaking stopped, eventually, and she fell asleep.

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What's with me? Ming-Ming scribbled into her diary. I was as upset as Hil last night, and still felt sick this morning and in school, and now … nothing. Now all I feel is worried about Hil. And vaguely, if I concentrate, about Max and Kai. It's like all my emotions just slide off after a day at most. What the fuck is wrong with me?

Even now nothing happens! It's like I only understand what's going inside my head when I write it down! I'm writing angrily, self-deprecatingly - I'm feeling normal!

With a sigh, she put the notebook away.

Suppose I should be glad. At least I can't get depressed.

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I've changed events, I've changed genders, I've changed POV's, I've changed timings, but if a certain two people read this, recognise themselves and are offended in any way, please tell me and I'll delete this at once.

Thank you for reading. Please, don't flame, and also, don't ask for any futher information on these events. I'm a hypocrite - I won't talk about them, yet I publish them. Still, it is my hypocrisy and my privacy, so please respect that.

Thanks again