You stared at yourself in the mirror. You hadn't meant to fall into this mess, but you did...and weirdly enough you didn't care. You pulled the sleeves of your shirt down over your scarred arms and gulped down a shot of an adult beverage that made the pain lessen some.

You went off to school and as usual, once you were at your locker, you were cornered by the school bullies. They hated you and let everyone know it...of course you wouldn't even be having this problem had you not punched one of them in the face for harassing some kid in the hallway.

They verbally abused you then found...your stash! ShitShitShitShitShitShit

Of course, they ran to tell the principal and in turn, you were placed in detention until they got a hold of one of your parents.

While sitting in the uncomfortable detention desk, you cursed the day you were born. This shouldn't have happened. They shouldn't have found your stash of pain meds and a water bottle filled with vodka.

Your mother would probably yell at you till next year. Your dad was apathetic when it came to stuff like this. But you knew he wouldn't look you in the eye for a while.

But it wasn't your fault...You'd had a rough year. Losing your grandmother like you did was eating you alive and no one understood how awful you felt.

Just then the door opened. A familiar head of blood red hair walked in. Gaara spotted you and nodded in greeting. You returned the formality and went back to staring into space, trying to figure out how to get out of this mess without killing yourself. Sure you were depressed, but not suicidal.

Gaara took a seat next to me and immediately went to his notebook. I didn't mind since he was one of the few pricks here who didn't give me a hard time.

What you in for? His note read.

I took out my pen and scribbled out my reply. Bitches, man. Bitches.

He chuckled quietly as he responded. Likely story.

As time passed, Gaara and I were the only ones left in the room. A teacher kept telling me they were trying to reach my parents, but weren't having any luck.

Mom was probably busy at work while dad was most likely in a meeting with some corporation pigs. They didn't have time for their depressed kid.

At 6, the school HAD to let us go. I picked up my backpack, and as my luck would have it, my 2nd water bottle with 'water' in it and a metal tin filled with 'candy' in it fell out.

And like the stupid gentleman he was, Gaara offered to help pick the stuff up.

He grabbed up the water bottle...and I saw it in his eyes. He figured it out.

I'm not sure how but I knew he knew something was up.

Immediately I grabbed my bottle, my tin, backpack, and got the hell outta dodge.

It was bad enough someone who I actually could call a friend might know my little secret, but what was worse...is that I thought I liked him...more than a friend.

When he stood outside her house, he felt unsure of himself. Would she think he was a creeper or a stalker? It wasn't like he followed her home...he sometimes hung out with her here after school.

But he NEEDED to talk to her. He smelled the alcohol wafting off her while in detention and when she dropped her water bottle, he was almost certain it had vodka in it.

And he didn't even wanna know what was in the metal tin.

Sucking a breath, he knocked on the door. A few minutes later she opened the door just enough to see who it was.

"I don't feel good. I'll see you at school tomorrow." She told him before he could even say hello.

He held out a book.

"You left this at school. Figured you wanted it."

She reached her arm out to grab it, but he pushed past her and walked inside her home. No one else was there.

"What the hell Gaara? I told you I don't feel good!" She muttered.

He looked at her. She looked awful. He hair was in a messy bun while her clothes revealed how small she was. Dark circles that rivaled his eye makeup ringed her bloodshot eyes. She reeked of alcohol.

"You're drunk...probably high too." He stated.

"Just go away." She mumbled.

"Make me." He shot back.

She attempted to move him, but she was so tipsy and weak that she nearly fell herself.

Gaara's hands wrapped around her small wrists, which he examined with detail.

"I'm sorry." She nearly sobbed.

"Why?" Was all he could ask as he tenderly touched her scars.

She suddenly swelled with impaired strength and broke free of his grasp.

"Because I'm in pain!" She yelled and took a sip of the dwindling booze. "Look at this house! No one sees how sad I am!"

He pried the bottle from her and wrapped his arms around her torso as she sobbed, screamed, and beat his chest.

He could feel how broken she was, and he knew he loved her even more. He wanted to heal her.

When the effects of the booze and pills reached their peak, she collapsed in his arms, exhausted.

Gaara carried her to her room and laid her on the bed, covering her with her blanket.

Once she was comfortable, he went to step out of the room.

"Gaara..." She mumbled ever so quietly. "Stay, please. I-I'm cold."

How could he resist when she held his heart in her hands?

He kicked off his shoes and crawled into bed with her, wrapping his warm body around hers.

One thought crossed her mind as she drifted to sleep. Maybe, just maybe...she could give up her crutches, with Gaara's help.