Crimson High

A/N: Well, I'm still considering an idea for another fic, but this one came to mind instead. I'm South African, and so our school year ends in December. I officially have two weeks of school left before I write my final exams. This has had me considering a lot about high school, and life as the 'new kid', so to speak. Thus, this AU was born. This is from Lisbon's POV. I hope you enjoy it, and good luck to all of my fellow South Africans who write their finals soon.

Chapter one

I hated standing out from the crowd, and arriving at a new school for the first time is about the best way to stand out. I felt awkward stepping from my car into a new life in Sacramento. The Teresa Lisbon who attended school in Chicago had friends, a life. This Teresa Lisbon was a runaway, far from anyone she knew and living alone. I pulled my books closer to my chest and entered the unassuming building before me.

The hallways were crowded, and I felt awkward walking through the people to the only room I knew, principal Minelli's office. He held the door open for me and I slunk shyly through. He smiled at my concerned face as I sat low in my chair. "Teresa," he said kindly, handing me a schedule. "Everyone's nervous on their first day."

'Not everyone's a seventeen year old runaway,' I thought dryly. However, I just smiled at him in response. I had my reasons for leaving my life in Chicago. My mother was killed in a car accident when I was twelve. My three brothers were all in school still, and I left to find work. I promised to send money back to them. Possibilities were better in California, and so, two months before, I had packed my bag in the night and left. I had explained my actions in a note. My father was trying to take care of my brothers, but he was in and out of rehab for alcohol abuse. I had to leave that behind. Start afresh.

Principal Minelli smiled and showed me through to the door, wishing me luck. I nodded my thanks and wandered the emptying halls, trying to find my first lesson, English. I eventually stumbled across the door and let myself in. The lesson was already in progress, and the teacher turned to face me in mild irritation. "Can I help you?" he asked, suddenly realising I was a new student to the school.

I nodded. "Is this Mr Bertram's English class?" my voice sounded huge in the silent room.

Mr Bertram nodded. "You must be Teresa Lisbon." He beckoned me over and handed me a pile of books. "Take a seat, Teresa. The lesson has just begun."

I nodded and sat carefully in the empty seat he indicated. My face was beetroot red as the entire class watched me with interest. The girl seated next to me turned to face me. "My name is Grace Van Pelt," she said with a smile. She glanced around the class dismissively. "Pay them no mind. They're just curious."

"I'm Teresa. Teresa Lisbon." I was immediately beginning to like this girl. Her long red hair was loose about her shoulders, and her blue eyes sparkled when she smiled.

The two boys seated in front of me turned around when Mr Bertram wasn't looking. The taller, gangly looking one with braces smiled at me. "My name's Wayne Rigsby. You can just call me Rigsby."

His Asian companion stared stoically into my eyes. "Kimball Cho."

I smiled at both of them. "Pleased to meet both of you."

They turned around, and I settled into the lesson, relieved to finally know someone.

The bell rang, and we all stood up. I checked my schedule. Science. I glanced across at Grace. "Where would I find Miss Hightower's science class?"

Rigsby turned around to face me. "I have her next. You could walk with me."

I nodded my thanks and followed him from the room. He walked next to me, explaining every room we passed. I glanced over to a large group of students standing near the water fountain, laughing at the tops of their voices. Rigsby followed my gaze and grimaced. "Those are the popular kids. High up on the food chain. The blonde guy," he pointed surreptitiously at a guy with curly blonde hair that stood up from his head like a halo, "that's Patrick Jane. He's basically the head of the group. The dark haired girl next to him," he pointed again, "that's his girlfriend, Lorelei Martins. They date because she's on the cheer squad, and he's popular. The rest of them are their crew. They are all rich, good looking, have everything we all want. They rub it in our faces that they have what we don't."

The group paid us very little attention as we hurried past. I looked up into Rigsby's face, and realised something seething in his eyes. "They've picked on you before, haven't they?"

He nodded, and scowled in the direction of the laughing Patrick Jane. "They make fun of me. They make fun of everyone who isn't as good looking or talented as they are. The outsiders."

I nodded. "Basically, I'm now a prime target."

Rigsby looked down at me as we entered the science room. "They don't do it immediately. But within a month…" his face turned grim.

I felt myself tense up as I headed towards Miss Hightower's desk. She was a pretty young woman, and she smiled sympathetically at me. "Ms Lisbon," she said, handing me my books. "It's good to have you in my class. I hope you enjoy learning here."

I smiled my thanks and headed towards the empty seat in the back corner. I had the feeling that Rigsby's reason for being picked on would now apply to me. Unless you counted the ability to shoot a handgun with any semblance of accuracy a talent, I had nothing to offer. I wasn't rich, – far from it – I didn't have the confidence to be popular, my acrobatic skills were about as graceful as an elephant's, and I was fairly plain in appearance. My black jacket and jeans helped me to blend into many situations, but I would stick out anywhere near that group. I forced myself to focus on the lesson, and ignore the slowly building fear within my stomach.

The bell rang, and I jumped. Rigsby came to my desk. "What's your next lesson?"

I glanced at the schedule. "Biology."

He frowned. "I will have to ask Cho to take you. His locker is next to mine."

I rose to my feet and followed Rigsby from the room. Unfortunately, our route took us past the popular group again, and we both worked very hard to keep our heads down. I refused to look at them, but glanced back as we rounded the corner. I caught Patrick Jane's eye, and he smiled at me. I glanced away quickly and caught up to Rigsby, my face slightly flushed. Cho was waiting at his locker, and I stopped next to him. "Can you take Teresa to biology?" asked Rigsby.

Cho nodded. "Follow me."
I set off behind him as he wound his way through the people. I could hear the whispers as I passed, but kept my eyes forward. I was so focussed that I nearly walked into the back of Cho when he stopped at a door. We entered together, and I froze momentarily. Two people I recognised from the popular group were in that lesson, a dark haired boy, and a boy with dark blonde hair. They looked at me when I came in, but said nothing. Cho took a seat at one of the tables and waited for me to join him. I headed to the desk and received a pile of books from the teacher, Mr Stevens. The seat next to Cho was empty anyway, and so I joined him. The two guys continued to watch us, and I turned to Cho. "Who are they?" I whispered.

He glanced over at them. "Craig O'Laughlin and JJ LaRoche. Both friends of Patrick Jane." He said the last name in disgust. "JJ is close friends with Lorelei. Craig and Rigsby have some history."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Oh?"

Cho nodded. "Craig has been chasing Grace for months now. But she likes Rigsby. Rigsby likes her, but he's too shy to act. Craig hates Rigsby for Grace liking him. Grace doesn't want to hurt Craig's feelings, so she doesn't tell him to back off. Rigsby doesn't stand up to Craig because he's scared of the popular crowd. It's all very complicated." He rolled his eyes.

I noted with some amusement that his expression didn't change when he spoke. He seemed very bored with it all. "And you?" I asked. "What's your story with them?"

Cho shrugged. "They tease me because I'm Asian and intelligent. Intelligence is the one thing they can't handle."

I smiled at his blatant implication. I was starting to like this Cho. He was a person I could see myself really getting along with. The lesson flew by, and soon we were headed towards the cafeteria for lunch. Grace appeared out of nowhere, followed by Rigsby about ten steps later. Little snippets of conversation were traded between the three of them as we headed towards the cafeteria. I walked in silence, absorbing the feeling of true friendship that hovered between the three of them.

The cafeteria was noisy, and I felt self-conscious as I followed Grace to the counter. I bought a soda – suddenly I wasn't so hungry – and I followed the rest of the group to a table in the back corner. I had a clear view of the popular table, and I watched with mild distaste as they made fun of a girl who passed by. She pushed her glasses up her nose self-consciously and hurried off to a far table. I turned away in disgust. Grace caught my eye and sighed. "They do that to everyone. The behaviour is constantly overlooked by everyone, because their parents are rich, and they have influence. We can't do anything about it because they turn on us. It's awful."

"Something has to be done," I said, pulling my ebony hair away from my face. "They can't do that forever."

Cho glanced at me and shook his head. "As appealing as the thought of doing something is, we have to stay under the radar as much as possible. We can't risk standing out from the crowd, or we will be humiliated in front of everyone."

The rest of the day flew by, and soon I was saying goodbye to my new friends. Grace smiled at me. "See you tomorrow, Teresa."

I flashed her a grin. "Thank you, Grace."

I headed out to where my car was parked, and frowned in confusion. Three people were leaning against my car, blocking my access to the driver's door. I recognised them all, and my heart sank. JJ LaRoche, Craig O'Laughlin, and last, Patrick Jane. I pulled my keys from my pocket and strode – with more confidence than I felt – towards my car. Patrick smiled at me – a challenge – but I didn't react. I drew on all of my practiced control as I opened the passenger door and crawled through. I plopped down onto the seat and started the engine. I revved unnecessarily as I pulled out of the parking. The three asses pressed to my car were nowhere to be seen, but the message was clear; we're watching you.

I drove in the direction of my job. I worked as a cashier in a local convenience store, and I longed for the numbing routine of work to take over my mind. I arrived at the store, and spent the next four hours trying to focus on my job. My shift flew by quickly. Sure the job didn't really pay well, but it gave me money for food and rent, with extra to send back home every month. It wasn't much, but it helped.

As soon as I was in my car again, I turned my car in the direction of the local gun range I was in desperate need of stress relief. I aimed at the target in front of me and pulled the trigger, feeling the stress melt away. The sky was dark when I eventually returned to my one room apartment. It was tiny, with sparse furniture. I flopped down onto my bed, exhausted. Sleep overtook quickly, and I slipped into sweet oblivion.

A/N2: I hope you're enjoying this so far. If some of the people seem out of character, don't worry, their true characters will reveal themselves in the next few chapters. Please let me know in a review what you think of this story. Thanks.