Editted! I spaced this chapter...

She heard them before she saw them. She was walking down the hall, towards class, and heard a familiar sound. It wasn't the slamming of someone against a locker, or rude laughter. Those sounds varied depending on the situation. But no matter what kind of bully it was, there was always a crowd cheering. They were all bullies, even if they didn't physically hurt anyone. And so were the people who just walked by, or pretended not to notice.

People like her. She took a deep breath and rounded the corner, and saw what's his name... the kid in her class who always waved his hands in front of his face and she was sure was a little crazy... Gary Bell.

"Come on retard, give it up!" growled the bully. He was also the quarterback of the football team. The rest of the team was gathered around, making rude remarks and laughing. Gary was cowering against a locker, his hand clamped tightly around a brown paper bag. His lunch she guessed.

She rolled her eyes. He probably didn't even NEED Gary's lunch; there was no good reason for him to take it. She joined the crowd and watched silently, her heart breaking for Gary. Even if he was a little strange, he didn't deserve this.

And that's how she decided to help.

Well, she didn't mentally decide; her body just sprang into action. Her books fell to the ground and she rammed into the quarterback, her fists flying. She struck him in the cheek, and he stumbled back, obviously not expecting to be hit. The other football players slowly advance, and her eyes darted from each of them. She bit her tongue. She really didn't want to move again. Was this Bell kid really worth it? Should she leave? She knew that option wasn't available anymore, so instead she used her acting skills.

"Oh wow, the quarterback needs ten other guys to take one girl." she said, silently praying this bully was as cocky as ever other one she saw.

Fortunately, he was.

He held up a hand, and the others backed off. She smiled to herself and positioned herself in a clumsy stance. She wanted it to look like she had never done this before. He leaped forward and hit her hard across the face. She reeled back; fairly certain he had broken her nose. It was bleeding.

He smiled and the other players laughed. She gritted her teeth and glanced at Gary. He was cowering like a puppy that was about to be kicked. That sight gave her the strength she needed to fight back. Blood dripped down her shirt, and onto the floor. She was sure there was some on her sneakers, but at that moment all she cared about was keeping Gary safe.

She jumped forward and kneed the bully in the stomach. He doubled over in pain. She heard teachers running down the hall.

Before they got to them, she bent over and whispered "Now, if you EVER bully anyone EVER again you'll have more the broken pride. Understand?" he nodded, still out of breath. She straightened up. It was time she left. The teachers were almost there so she turned and ran down the hall.

She ran down the hall, brushing against someone in the crowd, and raced out of the school doors and burst out, into the fresh, summer air. She was graduating this year. She didn't need to find a new school again. A world of possibilities was finally open to her. She was sure the bully would keep his promise. He would be too afraid to break it. And Gary was graduating this year, so at least he wouldn't have to deal with this place anymore. Everything would work put fine. Hopefully.

With that thought, she grabbed her bike off the rack and pedaled down the seat and wasn't seen for nearly three years.

3 years later

Gary hated bullies. Maybe that's why Bill bothered him so much. Bill was always a bully to Gary. Well, he said he was teasing, but it made Gary mad, and he didn't like it. That's how Gary and Bill ended up in Dr. Rosen's office.

"He ate my lunch again; I told him not to but he did!" Gary said defensively. "I didn't eat it!" Bill said.

"Bill, did you really not eat Gary's lunch?" Dr. Rosen asked.

"No!" Bill said, and stood up. He towered over Gary, who was still sitting. Gary shrank back in his chair, memories flooding him.

Right now Bill looked so much like... Him. Monroe Morris the kid who had made Gary's life miserable since first grade. Gary tried to say something, but all he could do was pull his arms up over his head in a protective way, to keep his bead safe.

"Gary! I... I wasn't... I'm sorry. I didn't eat your lunch. It's in the freezer." Bill said in alarm. He hadn't expected that response from Gary. He looked terrified.

"Thanks..." Gary muttered and stood up and hurried away into the break room. He pulled his lunch from the freezer and went to his office and closed the door. Bill didn't notice and went back to his lunch. A moment later Cameron came into the break room, and sat in front of Bill.

"Hey Bill, any idea what Gary's doing? He's been in his office for a while." Bill looked up and glanced over at Gary's closed door. "Oh I was messing with him and hid his lunch. He's probably just pouting." He went back to eating. Cameron stared at him for a second then stood up. Gary didn't pout, not for this long at least. He walked over and knocked on Gary's door.

"Come in." called Gary's voice, though it sounded shaky and uneven. Cameron opened the door and walked into Gary's office and closed the door behind him. Gary was sitting at his desk, his lunch out in front of him. "Hi Cameron." he murmured, not looking up.

Cameron stared at him for a moment, and then took a step forward. "Gary are you ok?"

Gary looked up at him. "Yes, I'm fine." he murmured. Cameron looked at him and turned to leave. "No, that's a lie. Lying is a social skill, but I shouldn't lie to my friends. And we're friends, right?"

Cameron turned and nodded quickly. "Yeah Gary, do you want to tell me what's wrong?" he asked before Gary could decide he didn't want to talk.

Gary stared at his uneaten sandwich. "I... I don't like when Bill teases me. Or takes my stuff. It reminds me of.." Gary shook his head and looked down again. Cameron, stood, rooted to the spot. He had guessed Gary had been bullied in school, but he didn't think he would seem so... afraid after all those years.

"Gary, Bill wasn't trying to be mean; he was just... teasing you. And friends tease each other." Gary looked at Cameron, and Cameron was shocked to see anger in his eyes. "No, friends don't do things that make each other sad or upset!" Gary said. "I want to be alone now." Gary added, and turned away from Cameron. Cameron sighed and left the room. He went straight to Dr. Rosen's office. Someone needed to find out who had hurt Gary so badly.

. . .

Rosen had known it was a matter of time until this happened. He had known Gary was bullied in school, but how was he supposed to know it would end like this? Gary was lying in the couch in his office, claiming that he felt sick. Cameron had told Rosen that Gary was upset about someone from his past, and Rosen didn't know anything about Gary's past. It wasn't that he didn't wonder, or ask. It was the fact that Gary never answered, and would become upset by the mention of his old high school.

So that's where the team went; minus Bill, who had insisted on staying behind in case Gary woke up. So Rosen, Cameron, Nina, and Rachel went while Bill stayed.

"How did you even find out where he went to school Dr. Rosen?" Rachel asked.

Rosen smiled to himself. "Sandra told me; she said she was worried about Gary to." he simply replied. They didn't have to go far. The school, West High, wasn't far from the office. When they reached it, they all hurried out and went inside. Rosen lead them straight to the office. Hopefully they would have so records of Gary.

"Hello? May I help you?" the receptionist asked as they walked in. Rosen knew that they must have looked strange, four people coming in in the middle of the school, and work, day.

"Umm yes. We're looking for a file on a young man who went to school here a couple years ago." Rosen said.

The lady's eyebrows kneaded together. "I can't just give you a student's file, we.." she stopped when Dr. Rosen held out his DCIS badge. As much as he hated the dumb things, they did have their uses. "You'll have to speak with the principal. He holds all the records. His office is just around the corner." she said, pointing to a door. Rosen thanked her and walked towards the room. The rest of his team followed. Rosen knocked on the door and a man, probably in his early thirties, looked up.

"Hello, may I help you?" he asked.

Rosen and his team went in, Rosen holding up his badge. "Yes, we're looking for a file on a young man who went here a few years ago." he said. The man stood up slowly.

"Ok," he said, walking over to a filing cabinet and pulling out a key. "What student?" the team exchanged looks.

This seemed too easy. "Gary Bell." Nina said quickly. The principal almost dropped his keys when she said his name.

He turned to them. "Gary Bell? I remember that kid! He was always in trouble, still is I guess." he said, turning back to the cabinet and searching through the files.

"Gary was always in trouble? That doesn't sound like him." Rachel whispered to Rosen. He nodded and turned back to the principal, who handed him the file. Rosen took it gratefully.

"So," he said as the man sat back down. "You say you remember Gary. Why was he always in trouble? I mean, that doesn't seem like him."

The man shrugged. "Well, I was only Vice Principal at the time. I remember one day that he was in a shipload of trouble."