Background: She was little when she lost her parents and she has been living in an orphanage called the "Home of the Lost and Lonely". Her best friend and only true friend is Josh Jarvis. They know everything about each other because they grew up together spending all there time with each other. Some people aren't that nice to her, when Josh isn't around there is a group that pushes Rachael around. Then later when she hangs out with Josh she would have burses and he would wonder how she got them but she would lie and say that she got them from falling or accidentally hitting herself on the table, chair or something of no importance.


My story is just another one of those ones where there is an orphan and she wants nothing better than to get out of the hellhole she is in. My name is Rachael and I am sixteen years old. I go to BHS, aka High School, but as I call it- hell high. I hate school there is nothing there but snotty teachers with their robotic students. I'm a sophomore which if some don't know it means tenth grade. I use to live in San Francisco with my parents. We had a huge manor with everything that I could hope for but all that was taken from me one night while I was in bed, asleep. That night was Christmas Eve and all was well, my parent and I had one of our annual Christmas Eve parties. We had a few of our friends and relatives over to celebrated Christmas. It went quite fast, we all laughed and enjoyed the night as it was. It was close to mid-night and everyone was starting to head home for the night. Well, that was until they showed up- the cloaked men. They came and searched for something in the house. I, still to this day, do not know what they were looking for but the price that was paid for the undiscovered treasure was the lives of my parents. I was only four when they were murdered but I can't forget that night. The next morning they were discovered and I was taken to an orphanage called 'Home of the Lost and Lonely' which is located in North America, a city called Pebble Beach, California. I have been there ever since. As I said before I am seventeen and all alone. I have no family that I know of and I only have one friend. See if you want to say all the fake 'I want to be your friend' people are friends then you can say I have hundreds of friends but they are just fake, I only have one true friend which is Josh. He is like my older brother, he takes care of me and I watch out for him. He is really all I have and I don't want to loss him. We have this gang called 'West Side Riders', we have dance battles every couple weeks or so against other gangs. Our biggest rivals are called '501', aka 'Dance crew 01'; they are known as the fiercest gang on the streets. That is until one night we challenged them to a battle and stole their title for the greatest gang out here in the streets.

"Hey Josh. Where we headed to now?" I asked him as I stepped into pace with him. We just got out of the hottest club in town which is called, 'Shawty Gala', that holds most of the battles in the city. It has been a few weeks since we won the incredible title of the finest gang in the city and we have not been beaten at our beloved game.

"Well, how 'bout we do sum celebrating of our own for the night?" He asked with his little twist he does when he is enjoying himself. He smiled at me and put his arm over my shoulders.

"There is nothing else I rather do!" I smiled and hugged him as we walked down the store and bought some snacks: chips, doughnuts, mountain dew, and cookie dough ice cream. After paying for our food we headed for our spot—The Cascade Square. The Cascade Square is a park that Josh and I go to when we hang out just the two of us. We come here almost every night since I came to the Home. We come here and tell each other about what we are going to do with our live when we grow up and how we expect to get there. We talk about the problems we have at the Home and what we wish would happen.

"So what's up with you and Danielle? You two seem to be getting along." Josh asked me. It was true, we were getting along but I still believe that she is just doing it to get close to Josh.

"Well… I guess." I said but Josh just looked at me with doubt and raised an eyebrow. "Ok, she has been nice but I don't think it has anything to do with being friends with me. I mean almost everyone at the Home uses people just to get close to the one they really want. If I say so myself they usually do it to get close to you." Josh burst out laughing, yes, laughing. I glared at him until he stopped roaring with laughter.

"Oh come on! You can't really believe she is using you to get to me? That is ridiculous. Who would use you? You're like best person I know." Josh reasoned with me. I just raised my eyebrow and rolled my eyes. Josh never tried gasping the idea that all the girls at the home and at school think he is hott. Even I can see that, I mean even though we are nothing more than friends doesn't mean that I don't know that he is hott. He has been hott since he was born or at least since he was five because I only met him when I was four. But even though we are only friends doesn't mean anything when it comes to his looks because, man, can I tell you he is one sexy guy. Ok, come on he is my friend I cant think this way. But hell I can't lie…

"Yes I can. Have you ever realized how many so-called 'friends' I had that are now your friends and don't talk to me at all?" I asked him, it looked like he was thinking about it for a second, "That is what I thought." We finally reached the lake side and sat down to eat. Josh grabbed out the chips and began to eat while I just sat there looking out at the lake. It was beautiful; I love coming out here with him and just thinking. No one knew where this place was because trees and bushes hid it. Josh looked up and smiled at me. I knew he was just living up the thought of people wanting him. He always had friends no matter what, even though he knows that most are just using him so they can be considered "cool", he would never admit it and he couldn't even fool me.

"So what new girl do you want to hit up this month?" I asked between giggles. I knew bringing this up would get him tongue tide. He is one of the guys you would consider a 'Man-Whore'. I know he don't mean harm, the girls just don't know when to give up. He looked at me with his fake innocent eyes and gasped.

"I would never do such a thing?" He said with fake hurt tone. I just rolled my eyes and shook my head, then looked at him in the way of saying 'cut the crap and answer already', like I usually do when he beats around the bush. "Ok, I give. I don't really know for that matter. Maybe Crystal or Beth." He said in his 'as a matter-of-fact' tone. I started to laugh uncontrollably which just earned a glare from him.

"Sorry… it is just that… you are going for… the two girls that you know can't resist you." I said between fit of laughter. "I mean don't you want someone worth fighting for?" I asked and quit laughing when I saw his serious face. He hardly ever had his serious face unless something brought back bad memories from his past. I know of everything from his past because the last twelve-years we both talked to each other and became real close. We knew how each other felt during certain things and how each other would react. We kept each other out of some much trouble that if we never knew each other we wouldn't have survived long enough to go into puberty. Which neither of us complained about how we would have ended up because who would want to go through that?

"I don't need anything that serious. Besides I got you to care for and that if enough to handle right now." He stated still being serious. I knew pushing it would be a bad choice for right now so I decided to let it slide for now but he knows that we will talk about sometime or another. He was touchy on that subject for his own reasons so I wouldn't push him further on the subject. He gave me a small smile, which I could tell, was a little forced but, just how I am with him, I just kept my mouth shut and smiled back. We got up and headed back to the home. It was midnight when we got back and everyone was in bed asleep, well I thought everyone was. The nun I could not stand came around the corner just as we were about to go our separate way.

"Rachael, you been out causing trouble, again?" She asked glaring at me then smiling at Josh. Gawd I hated her. She would think that Josh was this perfect, non-trouble causing dude while I was the troubled some teenage chick. Don't get me wrong, I am not hating on Josh, I just think he gets off the hook a lot. Ok, so maybe I am the chick that is in trouble numerous times but I can't help it that the teens in the home trying to beat the crap out of me all the time and I defend myself every time. Maybe if they learned to leave me alone then I would not have to injury them. Yes I do get into fights and have a mouth that cant stop running but hell the provoke me.

"Might of, what's it to you?" I said snotty. She narrowed her eyes on me as I did the same. See I told you they provoke me, I swear!

"It concerns me as I am you guardian and that was defiantly not by choice." She snapped. I rolled me eyes and mumbled so she could hear me, "That's for sure." She decided to ignore my last comment and turned to talk to Josh. "Josh, I just got a letter saying that you will be going to live with your cousins out in Washington. You will be leaving the day after tomorrow, no exceptions." She said looking at me then walking off toward her room. I blinked, that meant that he was going to leave me but not by choice. He looked down at me that worry in his eyes. He knew I was about to go into hyperventilating. He wrapped his arms around protectively and started toward his room. He knew if he left me alone that I would go crazy. Besides I always sneaked into his room after I know everyone is in bed. But tonight was required because if I was not with him now then when would I be able to see him again? That I wouldn't even know. We were walking into his room just minute after getting the dreadful news. He set me on his bed and went back and shut the door then turned to look at me. He looked as broken up over this as me but the only difference is that he can pull the look off, I can't.

"I wont go. I am not leaving you here." He told me bluntly. He shook his head and sat down beside me. "I know what they do to you… the other kids. I just found out before the competition. Why didn't you tell me before?" He asked with sadness in his eyes. His sweet sad eyes stared straight into me, looking into my soul that I just blurted out the truth.

"Well I don't want someone taking up for me. That would make me seem weak and let them think that they could beat me anytime without paying for it. I am the tough girl and won't let anyone do anything to me without something given back." I said all at once. I sounded like I was crazy but Josh knew what I said even though I was a raving lunatic. He came and sat down next to me trying to calm me down which worked for the most part. I looked at him and saw that he was in deep thought. After a few minute of silence he pulled into a hug, but it was not just some hug like two friends would share or a brother would give to his sister to calm her down. It was a hug that had something more to it. He held me for what seemed like only a minute or two but when I looked over at his clock I realized that we have been like that for about two hours. When he noticed that I was calm enough he let me go. I turned over and laid down on his bed so I faced away from him. There was only a few times he has ever seen me cry. One time was when I first came here after my parents died he came and comforted me. Then there were other times when I would brake down because I just had to remember everything that had happened to me. I didn't want him to see me this time because I knew he would be gone soon and I didn't want him beating himself up over it.

"Rachael?"

He tried to get me to turn around but I just couldn't without braking down worst. I mean you would be crying your eyes out if the one person that knew you the best and always took care of you since you were four was leaving and you would never get to see them again.

"Rachael, come on, would you at least look at me?" He asked desperate to get me looking at him. He kept trying to get me to look at him but I would just hold onto his pillow even tighter.

"I am not going to give up until you look at me." I tightened my grip around his pillow. "Please, Rachael, I'm begging you. Please look at me. Please baby." At that my heart speed up. He has never called me baby, infact he has never called anyone baby. He only calls the other girls' babe, not baby. But I should not think anything of it because we are just friends and that is all. I felt a pull at my stomach at the thought. Did I want something more with him? My best friend? Did I love him? I couldn't love him because it would only make it harder to let him go. But even at that, did I love him?

He started to rub small circles on my back to get me to calm down. It worked a little. I finally looked up at him to only see a sight that made more tears come, he was crying. He was crying. I have only seen him cry once and that was when he was looking at the locket his mom gave him before she died. It had forever written on it and inside was a picture of her and him. He has never known his dad. It was only his mom and him until she died of breast cancer.

"Hey." He said through his tears. He looks mind-blowing when he cries. He is defiantly good looking for any girl. "How… is my… girl?" (He has always called her 'his girl') He asked even though it is hard to talk when you cry. He smiled and pulled me into another hug. He never had to hear me say anything when I cried because we both knew what each other was feeling. He started to sob softly on my shoulder as I did on his. Soon enough both of us were sleeping with his arms around me. Holding me tight the entire night.