Alright, here's a song fic I wrote that just seemed to write itself. The song is "I Ain't Goin' Down" by Shania Twain. Hope everyone enjoys!

New Hope

Sometimes life is hard.

And, you just have to get through it.

Whenever I am starting to be let down, I sing.

"I'm gonna hold on--
'cause what I believe in is so strong
No matter how long, no one
Can tell me I'm wrong--I ain't goin' down"

See, here's my story: I met William Dunbar in the eighth grade. I could tell from his first day at school that he took an interest in me.

But, it was the opposite for me.

I liked a German boy a grade below me, named Ulrich Stern. Nothing concrete was between us, since he didn't like me.

However, William didn't like the fact that I liked someone else and not him. He tried to do anything to get my attention. I ignored him. Plain and simple. I wasn't interested.

Who knew that in ninth grade, when I was at high school and Ulrich was at middle school still, William would change.

His attitude changed big time. He went from being careless and desperate to reasonable, and sort of cute. I had six out of seven of my main classes with him, from gym to science. Even though the summer seemed to make him forget about me for a little, it was the same as it had been that first day of his at Kadic.

After being assigned numerous countless projects with him due to the fact that we worked well together, I began forgetting about Ulrich more and more. I began calling William once every day, in Ulrich's place. I found that, due to me, our usual once-a-day phone call became more of a once-a-week phone call.

My friendship with Ulrich was being stretched thin, and we soon lost all contact.

One February evening, February 12th, to be specific, halfway through freshman year, William and I were out on a friendly walk through the park when he stopped our walk at a small pond. We took a seat near the water, and he asked me something that changed my life.

I became his girlfriend that night.

Our relationship became strong quick. I feel it had always been strong, I just never realized it until we actually began dating. We had our first kiss three months later on his fifteenth birthday.

I really felt like I was in love at that time. I had everything I had ever wanted in a guy. He really liked me, and I really liked him.

For our one-year anniversary, which also happened to be near my birthday, William treated me to a nice dinner and movie. It was a very happy time for the both of us. After the movie ended, at about eleven o'clock, we headed back to William's house. His parents were gone on a trip to Spain, and so we were going to go enjoy some television and popcorn, since both of us weren't ready to end a splendid evening together just yet.

However, our plans changed, and a month later, I got the shock of a lifetime.

"I had a baby at fifteen--
daddy never did forgive me
I never heard from the guy again
I had to drop outta high school--
everybody treated me so cruel
But I didn't give in and give her away"

Daddy wasn't happy with me at all. He told me flat out that I was a screw-up in a daughter. Mother, however, stuck by my side, most of the time, anyway.

She helped me take care of the beautiful baby girl that I held in my arms for the first three months or so, before my father stepped in and told me that I had to leave. He told me that I had created this mess I was in, and that it was my responsibility to take care of this child.

So, I packed my clothes and the baby's clothes in a suitcase, and headed out the very next morning. I headed downtown, baby in one hand, suitcase in the other, and stopped at the first hotel I saw.

The manager, because of his belief that I was a run-away who couldn't pay, turned me away.

I walked for about a mile before I came across another hotel. The owner of the hotel was kind enough to let me rent a room for as long as I needed, as long as I could pay, of course. Good thing I had some babysitting money saved up and I had just gotten a fair-pay job at a restaurant just a few blocks from the hotel.

I faced one dilemma while I worked, I needed a babysitter. Fortunately, my little brother was still as helpful as ever, and watched my daughter while I worked the late shift, for a small fee of five dollars an hour, which meant he was making money fast.

"Her smile got me through the day--
and every night I'd pray
I could give her enough
At night I'd lie awake and cry--
hopin' we'd get by
'Cause you can't live on love

I worked night and day to keep us goin'
Through the sweat and tears
without her knowin'
It was worth it just to watch her grow
Oh, oh, at least I was able to hold her
Whenever she needed my shoulder
I'm so glad I never let her go"

My father spoke to me rarely, usually just on holidays, when I would get a phone call from my mother wishing me and the baby happy holidays. She tried to invite me over for dinner one holiday, but my father prevented me from entering the house.

"I'm gonna hold on--
'cause what I believe in is so strong
No matter how long, no one
Can tell me I'm wrong--I ain't goin' down"

For three years I lived at the hotel with my daughter, before we moved into a small one-bedroom apartment a few blocks from my work. My mother helped me move all of my old furniture that had been collecting dust in my old bedroom into my new apartment, so I would have some furniture in my apartment, but it was up to me to buy a sofa and all those type of things.

"Her smile got me through the years--
dried away the tears
And filled me with hope
At night I'd lie awake and cry--
prayed we would get by
And for the courage to cope
Oh, oh, oh

Her smile got me through the day--
and every night I'd pray
I could give her enough

I'm gonna hold on--
'cause what I believe in is so strong
No matter how long, no one
Can tell me I'm wrong--I ain't goin' down"

Through the years since my high school drop-out, I've been thinking a lot about Ulrich Stern. What's he doing now in his last year of high school? Where has life taken him? Does he think that I abandoned him for William? Does he hate me for replacing him like I did? Has he forgotten all about me?

The questions make me cry every night.

I wonder every night how my life would have been different if I hadn't replaced Ulrich with William, and how my life would have turned out a different way if I hadn't even met William.

For starters, I'd have been able to complete high school.

And I wouldn't have a daughter to take care of all by myself now.

Now now, don't get me wrong, I love my daughter. She's the reason I got up in the mornings. But, sometimes I wish I had made a better decision that night, a more mature one than the one that caused this life changing event. Well, I with I had waited until a better time. I wish my daughter had come at a better time, like after high school, or even better, after college, since I was planning on attending a college nearby. Well, that didn't happen, now did it?

And, I wish my daughter wasn't William's child, I wish were someone's who is more responsible.

One night after work, I was at my apartment lying on my bed, thinking once again, about Ulrich and how I ruined a great friendship.

I was looking through my cell phone contacts when I came across one in particular.

"Ulrich's Cell" made me almost start to cry. Why I wasn't entirely sure of. It just did.

No, no, I'm sure he has a different cell number now, he can't have the same one he had four years ago.

I stared at that contact for about an hour, before I felt myself press the call button.

If it is someone else's cell, I'll just tell them "wrong number, sorry," and forget about it.

I pressed the phone up to my ear and listened to it ring.

It rang.

And rang.

And rang.

After the fourth ring, I was about to hit the end button when I heard someone pick up on the other end.

"Hello?" a voice spoke softly.

"Ulrich?"

"Yes? Who is this?"

"Yumi."

I knew Ulrich had frozen. Nothing was coming from the other end, only the sound of slow deep breathing. I myself froze, and awkwardly smiled. An uncomfortable silence hung over the line for about a minute.

"Yumi?" he finally spoke quietly.

"Yes, Ulrich, you're not going insane," I replied.

He chuckled. "Yep, definitely the same Yumi I knew, years ago. Same person who can read me like a book even if it is over a phone."

"I'm sorry," I told him honestly.

"For what?"

"Everything. It was because of me that we stopped being friends all those years ago."

"Yeah, what happened, anyway?" he questioned.

"I'll tell you what, how about we meet somewhere face-to-face? I haven't seen you in years."

"I know, yeah, meeting sounds . . . nice. Are you free tonight?"

"Yeah, all night long."

"Great, where do you want to meet?" he asked, trying to think of a great place.

"Remember that little café downtown that we used to go to all the time?" I asked

"Yeah, I was thinking of that place, let's go there, it'll be perfect," he said, smiling. Even though I couldn't see it, I could still sense he was smiling.

"Great, I'll meet you there in, say, ten minutes?"

"Awesome, see you there, Yumes." He hadn't used that nickname since their friendship years ago.

"Sweet, bye, Ulrich."

"Bye." I pressed the end button and jumped off of my bed. I couldn't believe what had just happened. I felt like I was fifteen again.

I raced to my daughter after and got her dressed in clean clothes, since she had gotten food all over her from her dinner.

Grabbing my car keys, I raced outside and down to my car parked in the parking lot. I placed my daughter in her car seat, fastened the buckles, and hopped into the driver's seat.

I drove downtown to my favorite little café, where Ulrich and I had spent so much time so many years ago.

Being there first, like I had anticipated, I took a window seat, a table for two, in the far corner. I pulled up an extra chair and placed my daughter in it. I positioned the chair to the left of me, but my daughter objected.

"No-o-o! I want to watch the birdies and the squirrelies!" she insisted.

"Alright, alright, you can be on the window side." I put her chair on the other side of me, and plopped her in it.

I walked up to the counter, and ordered two medium hot chocolates, complete with little marshmallows and a dollop of whipped cream, and one apple juice.

Walking back to the table, I couldn't help smiling. I couldn't believe that I was actually here waiting for the one person I really wanted to see the most after not seeing him since the end of middle school. When I got back to the table, I pushed the bendy straw through the lid of the apple juice cup, and placed it in front of my daughter. I set the two hot chocolates down, one in front of me, and one across the table from me, where Ulrich would sit.

My daughter and I were playing a game of I Spy when I spied Ulrich walking in the door.

I almost couldn't believe it. He was just as beautiful as he had always been, yet much more handsome at the same time. He looked around, and when he looked in my direction, he smiled.

"Yumi!" he called, walking towards me.

"Ulrich!" I jumped out of my seat and walked towards him, too. He embraced me in a tight hug, and I couldn't help but sigh with happiness. We broke apart, and he stepped back, looking at me for a long moment.

"Look at you, Yumi," he said with a smile. "You look as beautiful as ever."

"Thanks, and you look great yourself, Ulrich," I told him.

"It's great to see you again after all those years of nothing," he said.

"Yeah, it is," I gestured to the table, where my daughter was looking out the window, counting the birds on the grass. "Would you like to sit down?" I questioned.

"Sure," he said, and as we walked to the table, I saw his mouth turn into a smile, as he looked at my daughter, who had turned around from looking out of the window to facing me.

"There is seven birds on the grass," she informed me. Ulrich and I sat down at our seats, and he laughed.

"She's cute," he said, looking at her for a long moment, as if analyzing her. "Is she . . ."

Here's the part of the conversation I was hesitant about reaching, since I was unsure of how it would turn out.

"Is she . . ." he repeated. "Yours?" he finally asked, looking back at me. I couldn't tell if he was shocked, surprised, or what.

"Yes, she is," I said, stroking her hair slightly.

"She looks just like you, Yumes, same hair, same eyes, same adorable face."

I could feel my cheeks start turning pink. "Thanks," I said.

"Who is the father?" he asked, and I could tell it was awkward.

Correction, this is the part of the conversation that I was most worried about.

"William," I whispered, afraid of his reaction.

Surprisingly, he wasn't as surprised as I thought.

"Dunbar?" he questioned.

"Yes."

"Oh, so the rumors about him were true," he half-whispered.

"Which rumors?" I questioned. I knew most of the rumors that had surfaced and shone their evil little faces, but I wanted to clarify which ones he was talking about.

"The rumors were that you and William had a daughter, but I didn't believe them. I thought that the Yumi I knew wouldn't have made that decision, and would have stayed in school, because I knew a high education was important to you."

"Yeah, I wish I could have stayed in school, but it was impossible. See, I'm happy that I have my daughter now, but I wish it was at a better time, like after I finished my education. And, I wish she wasn't William's, too."

"What happened to him anyway?"

"I don't know exactly. I told him after I found out that I was pregnant that I was, and he flipped out. He was completely different, and when I came to school the next day after telling him, he was gone," I said in a small voice.

"Gone?" he questioned.

"Yeah, I checked with the secretaries and they said that he switched schools, to one in upper France. I called his house later that day, and the phone had been disconnected, along with his cell number changed."

"Weird, what did he do, like move?"

"Yeah, they sold his house and supposedly moved to like upper France."

"So you never saw him again?" Ulrich asked, taking a sip of his hot chocolate.

"No, never."

"Wow, I knew he was a jerk, but I didn't know he was this much of a jerk that he'd literally move away after what he was half responsible for."

"Well, that's the real William Dunbar for you, Ulrich." I took a long sip of my hot chocolate, and Ulrich started laughing slightly.

"I just noticed something," he commented.

"What?" I asked.

"The hot coco is the way we used to get it when we were back in middle school . . ."

"Complete with a dollop of whipped cream and tiny marshmallows," Ulrich and I said in unison, looking at each other. I started laughing, and he joined me.

"I missed you over the years, Yumi," he told me, looking down slightly. Same shy Ulrich as always, I could tell.

"I missed you, too, a lot." Just then, my daughter finished her hot chocolate, and told me she wanted more.

"She's so cute," Ulrich repeated. "She's about four, right?"

"I'm four and a half!" she informed him with a smile. He chuckled a bit, and I kissed her forehead.

"Yes you are, you're my little girl, aren't you?" I said, tickling her. She made her cute face and started giggling endlessly.

Ulrich watched us for a little, and then looked at me when we finished. "What's her name, Yumi?" he asked.

"Nozomi."

"That's pretty, what's it mean?" he asked as Nozomi scooted out of her seat and came around the front of the table.

"Her name means Hope."

"Hope," he repeated. "That's very appropriate, Yumi, I like it."

"And my middle name is a spring flower, Akina," Nozomi informed Ulrich, smiling her cute smile.

"Nozomi Akina Ishiyama, you have a very pretty name," he told Nozomi, and she giggled.

"Thank you," she said. "I like you, you're nice. What's your name?" she asked, looking in his chocolate eyes.

"My name is Ulrich, and I like you too, Nozomi. You are a very sweet little girl." He took her tiny hand in his, and shook it in a handshake. She flashed an ear-to-ear smile, one I haven't seen her show since she was really little.

By watching Ulrich and Nozomi, I could sense a feeling of security with him. We tossed our hot chocolate cups in the trash and Ulrich picked up Nozomi before we left.

"Can I carry her?" he asked.

"Sure, Ulrich." Nozomi smiled and threw her arms in the air, as Ulrich picked her up gently.

"Want to go to the park for a little?" Ulrich asked me when we got outside the café.

"Park! Park!" Nozomi voted.

"Sure, the park sounds great," I answered, and Nozomi squeaked with joy.

I could feel a connection between Ulrich and Nozomi, a feeling I had not felt between anyone and Nozomi before, other than me. I could tell that Ulrich, Nozomi, and I would be spending a lot of time together from then on.

"I'm gonna hold on--
'cause what I believe in is so strong
No matter how long, no one
Can tell me I'm wrong--I ain't goin' down

No on can tell me I'm wrong
I ain't goin' down"